UPDATE:
This mofo has been fermenting for nearly 4 weeks. Today, I bottled the big boy. And if the initial taste is any indication of what we might have on our hands, I have 2 words for you: Nice Daddy. The FG came in a 1.016, right on target. Recall, the SG was 1.080. This monster is hovering at 8.4% abv. Whoa. Let me repeat that. Whoa. I measured the IBU's, and we're looking at a staggering 153. I beg your pardon? Yes, you heard that correctly. This beastly ale is going to be a bittery, hoppy, mess of a monster. Don't let your children out at night. It will be with utmost self-control that we allow this fella to sit in bottles for several weeks. Until then, sleep well.
1.16.2011
So, yesterday we brewed the big brother to the Wide-Eyed Cowboy Ale. Prior to the brew, however, we bottled the little guy, the Wide-Eyed Cowboy. It went pretty smoothly. However, it should be noted, I screwed up measuring the FG. It should have finished at about 1.015. We should be at 6.3% with this guy. Granted, it was not carbonated, but it did have a nice bitterness to it with a subtle, hoppy finish. I'll let those guys sit in bottles for a couple weeks and introduce the Wide-Eyed Cowboy during the Super Bowl methinks.
Its big brother, the One-Eyed Cowboy, used the second half of the original recipe. However, there were a few changes to note. I used 2 oz of Chinook hops at 60 minutes. At 25 minutes, I added a half-jar of raw honey, roughly 8-10 oz. At 5 minutes, an oz of Centennial hops were tossed in, with another oz of Centennial tossed in at flameout. The SG came in at a hefty 1.080 on the dot. I'm expecting the FG to to settle in at 1.015. That would bring this wild man in at an 8.5% abv. Whoa. The wort had a whisper of honey on the tongue, with a bittery, hoppy massage on the palate. It could be promising. We pitched the wort onto the yeast cake of its little brother. Within a couple hours, it was erupting. Granted, it's a 2.5-gallon batch in a 5-gallon carboy, and I wasn't sure if it would be necessary, but I fashioned a blow off tube just in the event that honey addition would give the yeast a serious meal.
This one has me pretty excited. I'll let it sit in the primary for maybe 3 weeks, and then bottle the mofo. Until then, find a good beer. Maybe even drink it. We'll see. Yummy.
Dancing Lou Brewery (formerly Licking Retriever Brewery)
