So – I’ve decided to start brewing again. I’ve got all the equipment sitting fallow in the basement and – as I recall from the early 90’s – it made me very happy to brew beer.

Then I graduated college, moved around a lot and ran out of free time. Now I’ve got a house, a bit more free time and a need to brew. So, back again!

My first batch after nearly 10 years away from the hobby:

Strong-like-bull IPA

Ingredients for 4 gallons of beer.

• 6.6lbs Munton & Fison Amber Unhopped Malt
• 1lb Crystal malt
• 1oz Chinook hops – boiling
• 1oz Cascade hops – finishing
• 2oz Oak chips
• .5oz Cascade – dry hop

Bring 1.5 gallons to a boil and remove from heat. Throw in the cracked grains, steep for a half hour and discard.

Dump in the malt, boiling hops and boil for 45 minutes. Toss in the Cascade for the last couple minutes.

Sanitize the oak chips by steaming for a few minutes.

Put two gallons of cold water in a sanitized fermenter, along with the sanitized oak chips. Sparge in the wort and top off to 4 gallons total. Prep and pitch your yeast at the right temp per the usual.

When the primary fermentation has died down, siphon carefully off to a clean secondary fermenter containing the .5 oz Cascade for dry hopping. Let the brew sit for a week or two in the secondary – there should be no fermentation evident.

Bottle. Enjoy!

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It’s still early in this beer’s life, but the preliminary results are very promising – malty, hoppy with nary an off flavor. Probably should’ve taken some gravity readings. . . But heck. I didn’t.

I wanted to make a stronger version of an IPA because I’ve been drinking Otter Creek’s 15th Anniversary IPA and it’s just about the best beer ever. Buy it with impunity.