So, by now you know the routine – Mash Up never the same recipe twice!
Well, this one is special since we had some malts left over from some very special brews – Hare Majesty and Witch Hare – which means this is a very luxuriant Mash Up indeed.
You see, the thing it Mash Up is when we have a bit of a clear out in the Moon Gazer hop and malt store.
Its not so much waste, but great hops and malts which we ordered for a brew, but we do not always use in nice, neat quantities, so if, for example, we feel that a recipe demands 4kg of fruity American hop Azzacca we will be left with 1kg waiting for the next brew, and so on.
So, rather than wait for the next brew, when we can see the makings of the balanced beer with a variety of hops and malts sitting patiently in the dry store – then that is when it is time to mash it up.
The one thing you can be sure of, is it will always be 4.4% abv in strength.
This time round we had some special German red male, as well as some crystal malts and oats from our Jubilee special.
The German red malt takes this amber coloured beer and just gives it a shiny coppery hue. Add to that some punchy hops and you get a fruity yet balanced and not overpowering ale that is just great as we move into autumn. The hops in question are Opus a new and experimental UK hop, some more Brits; Goldings, Sovereign and a sprinkling of USA Chinook.
A Mash Up to enjoy on a sunny night as autumn approaches in a warm pub!
Enjoy….