New Holland Ginger Kombucha

We tapped this on Friday (Jan 4th) alongside Night Tripper. I'm realizing that it takes about a month to complete a batch of Kombucha, and I'm going to try to stick to that, give or take. I had influence for this one from Unity Vibration, and the fact that we had extra ginger laying around our spice cabinet. Tasted Sunday afternoon at the pub!
Pint Served
4.5% ABV

Appearance: Pale blonde in color with a hint of opacity. Upon the pour, it retains a nice white foam head of about a 1/4" but after several minutes it is reduced to a white ring around the glass. Clarity is impressive for lack of filtration and crashing. The intermittent bubble can be seen rising to the surface.
Aroma: As the pint was put in front of me, I got an immediate whiff of funk acidity. The scent is interesting, faintly reminiscent of under-ripe "Red Delicious" Apples. To compliment, undertones of orange peel and coriander are present. Phenols run high.
Taste: The carbonation hits the palate quick, and lasts through the rest of the tasting experience. Interestingly I get a lot of lemon rind flavors, of which I DID add to this. This flavor is prolonged on into the finish. I get a lot of interesting esters from the preliminary fermentation of the yeast, which faintly give off a character of artificiality but also clove and obvious ginger. As the kombucha beer warms, more of an ester/cidery flavor develops, which is quite pleasant.
Mouthfeel: Carbonation is extremely fine, but nevertheless in high concentration as it foams up on the sides of the mouth and down the throat. Quite a light body in comparison to the Unity Vibrations Triple Goddess Ginger Kombucha, and finishes extremely dry and quenching.
Overall Impression: I'm pretty happy with this one, especially for the balance of spice, kombucha, sweetness and alcohol. For now, I'd like to focus on getting those esters down, which may mean making bigger batches and crashing the yeast out. In case you get to try this, I also added bitter orange peel, lemon peel and coriander, alongside a generous portion of ginger. Enjoy!

Komblucha: Fermented tea with blueberries added

My first contribution to the New Holland Line-up, and something few other breweries have ever considered to dabble in. I've been growing this Kombucha culture for the last three years. I received it the summer going into my Junior year of college. I raised it entirely organic. And finally, what better place to amp up production than New Holland's Brewpub! We began with hot water and sugar mixed in the whirlpool. Fermented with yeast, then innoculated with the scoby in addition to local blueberries. Only made 100 gallons, so get it while it lasts!
Thanks to Brad (our distiller) for the blueberries.

Appearance: Interestingly, it looks quite reminiscent of the cider we have on tap right now. An opaque pale hue with an even pink color. No sedimentation or "floaties" within, which surprises me because I filled the kegs with gravity and I KNOW some Scoby got in there. Nevertheless it looks very clean. No head or carbonation is present.
Aroma: Slight funk is present, but more of a tart fruit characteristic. Makes me think of raspberries, apples and blueberries. Other than that, I think I get a slight wheat note permeating from the glass.
Taste: Up front, a slight bite from the carbonation encourages the acidic tartness that is prominent in the flavor. Unlike traditional Kombucha, I don't get much of the acetic notes I was expecting, but more of an effervescent berry tartness as well as brief undertones of funk. Again, a wheat flavor is present, but located more in the second half. Finally, my favorite part was the contribution derived from the hops. With the cascade and summit that were infused, they provide a flavor that nears the taste of grapefruit rind, a perfect balance to the initial fruity tartness.

Mouthfeel: Like I said earlier, effervescent, but not carbonated. I tried to make it as naturally and alive as possible, so the spritz you get in the front of the tongue is the stored CO2 that is held from the build-up under the Kombucha mother. Light and refreshing, but with a smoother texture. The finish rounds out in an after-breath of alcohol and other attenutated by-products.
Overall Impression: I couldn't be happier with this product. I was worried it would come out with some factor outbalancing the rest, but what I got was a entirely refreshing probiotic elixer that can be easily drunk morning or night. The method to making this was a complete learning experience and shot in the dark experiment. Tart, refreshing, balanced and reminiscent of grapefruit. I hope to make this again!

Sweet Potato Chili Stout

200th Post! I was waiting to taste my last one of these beers for this post (and I think I'll do so every 100th post). Jen designed the label. This beer was made this summer. I made approximately 15 gallons, all organic grains with organic sweet potato, and home grown/picked/dried/roasted chili peppers out of good old Rock Island. I had a very interesting method to making this beer, If you would like more information, just e-mail me. It got Fourth at the LOTMW homebrewers competition this winter. This was tasted following my Philosophy exam.
If I were ever to, no, WHEN I start a brewery, this would be the first stout on the menu. It's a perfect 6%

Appearance: A nice silent black color with a beautifully tanned foamed head that upon pour achieves a strong two fingers worth, and after 5 minutes, it still sustains one. It stickily laces the sides. Pour was thick and well carbonated. I'm excited for how well this looks and has turned out.
Aroma: Rich and roasty with a nice caremeled undertone complemented by a brief earthy sweetness from the roasted sweet potatoes. The chili's are ever so subtle that it's difficult to pick them out. This beer smells more like a chocolate stout than anything as it exhibits a hefty cocoa profile to complement the complexity of the malt sweetness.
Taste: Chocolate immediately in the fore-flavor but dissipates into the beer. Toasty and rich with a roasted backbone and a smokey foretaste. I accredit the smokiness from dry roasting the chili's. The sweet potato is still apparent amongst the malt flavor. Chocolate doesn't come through now as much as the aroma foreshadowed, but the flavor is still robust. Finally the beer finishes with a slight zip in the back of the throat as the spiciness briefly makes an appearance and then dissipates. The spiciness is still tasted several seconds in the throat, but so minuscule as to not cause the slightest uncomfortability. I like the way the sweet potato balanced out the spiciness. Alcohol is non-existant and bitterness is either masked by the roasted chili or the smokiness in the aftertaste. Jen tried it and acknowledged that the chili interestingly didn't hit until over 10 seconds after the taste.
Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy. No stickiness to the lips, but still retains a full body. Carbonation is absolutely perfect, as it nicely disperses the flavors over the palate and then aerates into a spicy finish. Medium carbonation, but no spike, it more so integrates perfectly into the liquid.
Overall Impression: I'm ecstatic about how well this beer turned out. Most homebrews you can categorize by their distinctive oxidation and other nondescript sensations. This however holds something totally different. Not to be biased about my own, but I think I'd drink this beer again, and again if I stumbled upon it locally. It's both drinkable and extremely complex.
Yay!
Note: I will make this again. Nothing changes.

Tim: XX/100
Jen: 91/100