OK, the second batch of Taupo Eruption Pale Ale was finished carbonating on Sunday (kinda over-carbonated, actually), so I cold-crashed it then. Today I poured one out after a long day at work, and the results were pretty darn good, if I do say so myself! It was a slow careful pour, but even still it had a decent head. The nose fairly oozed Nelson Sauvin, and the flavour was like Sierra Nevada, but with a definite twist in the hops. Definitely not bad! more...

As I've done in the past, after my last Taupo Eruption brew session I went over to the house of our neighbor who has chickens, and gave her the spent grain for her chickens. This time she showed me how much they love it, and boy do they! I couldn't believe how they went to town on the spent grain. All she did was sprinkle a handful of it on the ground, and they came over, pecking away, and in seconds, it was gone! It's like crack for chickens... more...

It's brew day! The brew du jour is a second batch of Taupo Eruption Pale Ale, except all grain this time, and with purely New Zealand (erm, New Zedland?) hops. The hops came from Seven Bridges, my erstwhile brewing supply store, until they went out of business... :'( more...

Ok, I left the Taupo Eruption Pale Ale bottles back-carbonating too long, but finally cold-crashed it and tried one. Sure enough, it's a bit over-carbonated, with a rich persistent foamy head. more...

The time has come to bottle my New Zealand hopped pale ale, Taupo Eruption. more...

Just time for one last batch of beer before the new year... more...