We got another mushroom delivery this weekend; a pub exclusive. The first harvest of morels has made its home in our cooler, and they're beautiful. All you denizens of the Valley (and that means you as well, Portland) within access of poncy restaurants will have to go without, as we snagged the entire yield. Chef has created Creamy Herb and Fresh Wild Morel in a Pastry Bowl, one of several delicious options on the Specials Board. Don't expect it to be there long. He who hesitates is lost, as my Mom used to say.
Also, as May is Mild Month in Britain, I've brewed the first of this season's session beers, a Welsh Mild. I've never tried this style before. I was trying to recall some of the attributes of the ales I had in Wales way back in 1991, and have faint recollections of a dark and slightly smoky/peaty beverage lounging on the inside of my pint glass. For this batch, I made up a recipe that uses some Carafa III and a dash of a peated malt from Simpsons Malting in the UK. This is dangerous stuff - a little bit goes a long way. Casking up day was Saturday, in which I got to have a taste. It wasn't bad at all, but it's hard to tell what the full maturation and conditioning will be like. ABV clocked out at 3.6%. First cask will be breached on Saturday. I have a sneaking suspicion that it will be a perfect complement to some morels. See you at the pub.
5 comments:
Sounds like a mighty fine Mild! In fact a pint of the mild and the mushroom dish sounds just about perfect right now! Shame you're on t'other side o'country.
I'm curious as to what percentage of the peated malt went into the mild. I have some peated malt in my homebrewing stocks but have yet to use it.
1 lb. out of 151 lbs. in 90 US Gal.
I won't know if this is a decent ratio until this weekend when I tap the first cask.
.66% of the grist certainly a low percentage! I will follow your future blog posts with interest to see how much effect the peat has on the mild.
That sounds great! Maybe a cask swap will be in order for later in the month? We too are dabbling more into "session" ales. Of course for my brewery getting below 6% qualifies as a session! We just tapped (and have a couple casks) of "Avery Amber" brewed with all German Weyerman malts; Pale, CaraRed mainly, German hops, and Irish yeast just to bastardize it. Really interesting malt profile that I think will shine nicely on cask.
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