Honey and beer

Well, the foaming of the wort finally subsided, and the fermentation settled into a steady bubbling. This was my cue to prep the honey. I took a couple cups of water and heated them in a pot, then added the pound of raw honey, stirring until it'd pretty much dissolved. I took a taste, and let me tell you, there's no doubt that this is a honey mix. Other than the texture, it tasted exactly like the honey before I diluted it. Happily, I opened the fermenter and poured the sweet mixture in. It foamed up instantly, but not enough to reach the airlock. I closed the lid back up and it's been bubbling steadily for the last couple of days. It's slowing down now, but I probably won't be able to bottle until next weekend. We'll see.

In other beer news, we went to Central Market to stock up on some luxury consumables (and wine) and while there I took the opportunity to grab a six pack of New Belgian Brewery's wonderful 1554 Enlightenment Black Ale. Bruce Sterling introduced me to the thick, chocolaty beverage some years back at a Turkey City event, and I've had a passion for it ever since. I almost didn't get it, though, because my eye was caught by Tommyknocker Maple Nut Brown Ale. Anyone who knows me knows I love nut brown ale, and this sorely tempted me. But I really, really wanted the heavier punch of the 1554, so I put Tommyknocker on my wish list for next time. I did, however, indulge myself with a bottle of Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale from the singles section. I'd tried to homebrew blueberry ale in the past and failed to get a respectable blueberry flavor in my beer (fingers are crossed for my mead). But this Bar Harbor drink did a pretty darn good job of turning the trick. Nice blueberry aroma, and a nice blueberry flavor once you get past the initial hoppyness. I'm not a huge hops fan, but they came close to balancing everything just right. Next time I'll probably pick up some more. Have I mentioned how much I love the explosion of craft beers and microbreweries in the past decade?

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