Monday 17 June 2013

Rosemary and Bay Ale (UPDATE)

So it has been over a month since I started the Rosemary and Bay Ale. I have to say that I'm really impressed by the results.

So roughly 14 days after the ale was sealed in the fermentation bin, the hydrometer showed that it was ready to bottle.  Approx 1.010 reading. Not quite 1.000 due to unfermetables in the malt extract.

To each bottle I added 1 teaspoon of golden syrup, a tedious task but made easier by using a squeezy bottle of syrup. The ale was syphoned into the bottles and sealed with crown caps.


I used one plastic coke bottle as a test bottle to reduce the risk of bottle bombs by testing how much carbon dioxide was being produce by the feel of the bottle.

The bottles where the left for 1 week in a warm place, helped by the British summertime which has since finished

After 1 week the bottles where then moved somewhere cooler. The test bottle was now hard at this point so it was looking promising. 

After about 12 days, I transfered a couple of the bottles to the fridge ready for tasting. The ale had cleared very well and the moment of truth arrived. As the first bottle was opened i was greeted with the lovely sound of a hiss. Brilliant. 

First hit of flavour you get is the heat from bay, almost gingery . Confirmed also by my father-in-law. The rest of the ale is a refreshing pale ale which goes down far too fast.

Really please with the result of this and the reception from people who have tried it has been great.

Will defiantly be making this again. 

Any questions please leave a comment.

2 comments:

  1. I was thinking of making this recipe.. did you leave any to age? If so how did it come together with some time in the bottle?

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    1. I've still got a couple of bottles left from when I made it and it still tastes good. Wouldn't leave it much longer then 8 months because it doesn't have hops to help preserve it

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