On Saturday we bottled both the Sasquatch Red and the Oregon State Parks IPA. My original plan was to be done with everything by 2 pm, but with college basketball on and being tired of bottling we didn't wrap it up until 8 pm or so. I wish there was a way I could take my beer to a brewery and put it in their bottling line and just have the process automated.
But I took all the help I could get and once the ball finally got rolling the whole process really went by quick. I had some help with capping and labeling from my father-in-law and brother-in-law (hell even the neighbor lady came over and capped a few).
Sasquatch Red first tastes: Strong malt presence balanced with the hops. There was a sweetness up front and hop finish at the end.
Oregon State Parks IPA first tastes: Strong hop presence with an underlying malty sweetness throughout.
I can't wait to see how much these two beers change in two weeks. I will send them both off to the Oregon Gardens Home Brew competition next weekend for judging in April and we'll see how they do.
I'm sentimental about the beers that I make and hesitant about changing a good recipe. However, I personally think that this revised 'Red' recipe is better than my previous award winner. This may also be one of the best IPAs I've made in a long, long time.
