Ahhh

I carbonated the Rat Tail Belgian tonight which is actually the nick name for the Belgian Rat Tripel. The ABV was slightly lower than anticipated because I didn't mix the final malt addition as well as I should have. Oh well, live and learn. So rather than an 8.2% beer it's 7.2%. Of the three batches I've brewed this is definitely my favorite. I really like the subtle fruit flavor which I know some of you don't really care for. I think next weekend I'll be doing an apricot Hefe for the Queen Rat (Mrs. G.) since that's about the only beer she really cares for. Without an over abundance of enthusiasm she did say she liked this new Belgian (I didn't tell her about the rat tails) but she may just have been saying that to be nice. Cheers.

My Epiphany

I bought a copy of DRAFT magazine and was reading an article about "Beers For Fall". A number of different styles were reviewed, Belgian Golden Strong Ales, Imperial IPA's, German HefeWeizens, Robust Porters, Munich Dunkels, Scottish Exports and Belgian Specialty Ales. There was no explanation of how the beers were scored however a score of 95-100 was called a DRAFT Classic, 90-94 Exceptional Recommendation, 85-89 High Recommendation, 80-84 Good Recommendation and on down to zero. None of the beers in the article scored less than 82 (a domestic IPA). However, one beer and only one scored a perfect 100. Duvel, a Belgian Golden Strong Ale (not to be confused with the Belgian Tripel). I recognized the label but I didn't know anything about the beer until I read the article. I'm sure it's available locally (I'm guessing that's why I recognized the label) but I purchased one bottle (over $3 for a small 330ml bottle) in Bellingham today. I'm trying it now and wow, I must say, it lives up to the description in the article. I'm not sure how I'd score it without having others at hand to compare it to but it is a fine beer.

Now on to my epiphany. Good Rat trips are fun and necessary. However, I was thinking it might be fun for us to plan an afternoon or evening at someones home and have everyone bring a bottle or two of something unique, maybe imported maybe not but something most of the group likely hasn't tasted. A sampling of a wide variety of beers all in one place could be fun. After the new brews ran out maybe someone with a corney keg would share their home brew.

What say ye?

Rat Tail Belgian

Rooting around the basement the other day I came across some old rat traps I forgot I'd put in strategic places about a year ago. Guess what was in them? Yup, wretched, rotting rats. Well, except one of them was actually a small mouse but like rats, it had a tail. Just smaller. Thinking about the Good Rats song and knowing that Guiness puts meat (likely live rats, kind of like cooking live crab) in their brew I wondered what would happen if I used rat tails as a flavoring for beer. Just the tails mind you. I'm not trying for a Guiness clone by any means but one thing I hear over and over again is "experiment with your beer". So experiment I did. Yikes! The yeast must really like rotting fur and meat because my air lock practically blew off the carboy during the initial fermentation process. In another week I'll rack it, chill it and then carbonate it. Who's up for some RAT TAIL BELGIAN?

Sláinte! The Brown Rat Porter!

The Good Rats finally have a brew of their own. The Brown Rat Porter was served tonight amidst good company (me, kelly, and marc), fine quisine (pizza), and good sport (football). Above all else, the Porter stood out with its overall heartiness and full flavor.

Marc's rendition of the Brown Rat Porter achieved a superb rating in my humble, drunk opinion. The Brown Rat Porter is a dark, full flavored beer without any after taste. I brings to mind comparisons to one of the Good Rats favorites, Smithwicks.

Served in a chilled glass out of the Kegerator, the Brown Rat Porter aimed to please. From the first sip to the last glass, every swallow was enjoyable to the end. With chocolate overtones and hints of coffee, the Brown Rat Porter is a beer that could be drank all night long. Not too heavy, it goes down with ease bringing you back time and again to what a beer should be.

So with that, I would highly recommend the Brown Rat Porter to all the Good Rats to try. It's light and flavorful and deserves to brewed again soon! Nice job Marc!

The Good Rats are the best Rats

Loyal, willing and able.

Now let’s get to drinking!

All glasses off the table!

"Probst!"

Brown Rat Porter

Bowing to pressure from some of the Good Rats I decided a beer tasting is in order. To commemorate such an event I decided to brew a new batch of beer which I'm calling "Brown Rat Porter". I'm aiming for 5.5% ABV and I'm hoping for just a hint of sweetness for what I think will be pure cool weather bliss. Or will it taste more like dead rat sludge not suitable for anything? We'll see. Anyway, I put the brewing pot on yesterday and the plan is to rack it in two weeks with carbonation two weeks from today.

I found another place for the Good Rats to check out someday (they don't have a pub or tasting room yet). It's called Captured By Porches Brewing Co. at 40 Cowlitz #B, St. Helens, OR. The company has it's roots in Portland where the owners would invite friends and enthusiasts alike to help them with their hobby which was strewn about their porch. As hobby's sometimes do this one turned in to a full blown microbrewery. Some of their product includes Invasive Species IPA, Red Emma Amber Ale and some seasonals.

Here's another web site to check out. It's called Good Beer Maps. Once there you can check out the region you want to explore. The Northwest Craft Beer directory is about in the middle.

It's Beer!

It's not just beer, it's REALLY BEER. Yesterday was racking day. I transferred my fermented beer to the 5 gallon corney then refrigerated it over night. This morning before work I artificially carbonated it using 20lbs of CO2. I put it back in the refrigerator and tonight after work I got to sample the finished product. All I can say is, it really, really worked. I sampled and I sampled. That's all I'll say. By the way it turned out to be 4.98% ABV.

I'm already planning my next batch. Something called Arctic Red or maybe a Nut Brown Ale or who knows maybe even a Hefeweizen. I'm not a big Hefe fan but Marie is and maybe I should make something I know she'll like.

Once I get some more experience at this I think I'll try to develop my own recipe and call it "Good Rat Ale" or Good Rat something. The boss had some name suggestions today but I'm not sure any of them sounded very appetizing.

By the way, do you know how rich I feel knowing I have 5 gallons of beer on tap? Such a deal!

Prost!

An Anniversary To Remember

Well, this may not seem very romantic but after all, it's been 34 years. Last Sunday I took my better half to McMenamin's Rock Creek for lunch. She LOVED it. I knew she would. Then we drove over to McMenamin's Road House and walked around the grounds. I took her inside the old house and I couldn't help but ask her to open the closet door next to the fire place on the second floor. Her reaction was just what I expected. Then we drove downtown and stopped at McMenamin's Ringlers Annex. She really liked that place too. Afterwards we went over to Powell's Books and perused their shelves.

I tried to get her to write a "guest" column here but she would have none of that. I wish she would because her take on things is usually very unique. She is much wittier than I am. Which isn't saying much I suppose.

I guess this might have been a modified, scaled down version of a Good Rats trip. I think I'll even call her a Good Rats Honorary Member. I don't think anyone will mind. I know this though, she will never be up for a Good Rats Tatt. That's alright. I love her anyway.