The Last of the Extract *UPDATED*

Last night we brewed our last extract recipe..."The Inn Keeper". In the end it turned out to be a pretty satisfying night although there were complications. For starters, pun intended, there was a question of the vitality our West Yorkshire limited edition yeast strain. This one has yet to be put to rest, so stand by for an update. We hope this is just a light sleeper as we truly want the goodness from this strain to do its part. UPDATE: I checked the fermentation chamber last night and this guy is moving something serious! I could even hear the airlock popping from the front door.

The Inn Keeper - Thirty six major awards. Four-time Brewers International Champion. Four-time CAMRA Beer of the Year. Simply put, the muse for this kit has won more awards than any other English beer, period. From very simple ingredients comes a wonderfully well- balanced dram. Spicy, herbal, and English biscuits. Flashes of clean citrus and chewy minerals blend into a complex finish that is refreshingly bitter and remarkably dry. The way a pint was meant to taste. Truly spot on!

The real hassle came during the boil when our regulator faild to work properly and thus not allowing for a hot enough flame or true vicious boil for out wort. With needle-nosed vice grips, a screwdriver and a monster set of channel locks in hand, I was able to fully disassemble the regulator and perform a little NES style blow and puff magic. Why? Not sure really, I just didn't know what else to do with the darn thing aside from beating it on the side of the propane tank (which I did). To my amazement, after being put back together, the thing worked better than it ever had before- even better than it did when brand new. Go figure...

Feeling a little awesomeness now that the flame and boil were Godzilla like turned into a bit of panic: "How much water did I add to calculate for boil off and evaporation?". Turns out, we had way less than we needed and we only ended up with about 4 gallons of wort in the end. But the good news is that we have a new respect for our Bayou Classic burner and stand and that the brew day is certainly to be shortened from here on out. That thing really cooks, literally. High, hot and hard! (oh, please - minds out of the gutter now, we are the Heartache after all)

Hopefully our first all-grain session is next but with it being summer time and all, we just might rush a few extract batches for the island and the ladies. Margaritas on Peach Wheat on tap when on the sand just makes paradise... well, Paradise. I will check on the fermentation progress later today and report back.

Oh yeah - for you E.C.H.O. members out there: Jason's Brew Magic Cream Ale is in the keg and charged. I haven't tasted it yet but it is one of the cleanest beers to sit inside the kegeGATOR to date. I will be certain to "test" it before the Earth Day event and report back.

Cheers!