Aroma: The is the presence of Saaz hops, in this version it is somewhat mild and earthly, can smell the grassy hops, but its not very distinct. The mini keg that I did dry hopping with was somewhat more distinct.  There appears to be a hint of fruity smell as well, not sure if that is due to the presence of the Chrysanthemum or the fact that the base liquid was a tea affected the overall chemistry.

Flavour: There is a somewhat more prevalent citrus/fruity flavour (most likely esters), I think the malt gives a more bready feel, but overall the citrus taste and the tannic of the tea is more obvious than the malt.

Mouthfeel: Not very good carbonation, but that is fine since it will improve once i pump more CO2 in. Medium body, so its something you can drink on its own. High astringency but that is due to the fact that the base liquid was a tea. The finish is sweet and there is a somewhat slick after taste. (like buttery slick)

Overall: Decent experiment, but this has convinced me i need to work on more basic stuff to really understand brewing science more before i try crazier stuff.

Chrysanthemum Pilsner v1.0

OSG = 1.050 (I measured and forgotten, this is was I think it was)

FSG = 1.020

ABV = 3% ++

Ingrediants:

Coopers Pilsner extract x 1 can

Light DME x 1kg

Coopers enhancer 1 x 1kg

Saaz Hops x 2 x 28g

Chrysanthemum flower (dried) x 4 x 500g

Standard brewer yeast

Steps:

1) Boil about 3-4L water in brew pot and throw in the all the flowers and boil for about 30 mins. Scoop up the flowers.

2) Add in DME, enhancer 1 and extract. Begin 60min boil.

3) 30min into boil, add in first pack of hops.

4) After the boil, turn off heat and add in 2nd pack of hops. Stir well.

5) Cool to RTP, add to fermenter, top up to 19L, pitch yeast.

6) Ferment for about 1 week after which it is conditioned for about 2 weeks. (dry hopping is optional, but i think it is a good idea)

Shall post my own self review and critique next post. Waiting for the beer to cool down

Created by Oatmeal

This was from 350 day where I joined the local greenpeace & “regular protest gang” at the town center of stamford, holding up a piece of cardboard. Honestly I doubt what they did had any effect, since the different signs did not have a clear and definite message for people on the streets. The most common sign they had was “Honk for 350″… I doubt anyone really KNOWS what that meant. Although one of the activists said that “Oh people will be curious and google it”, I highly doubt so. I know I wouldn’t.

But to that particular experience did show me how ignorant some if not most americans are about the global situation especially on sustainability.  One of the activist was trying to talk to an american on the street about climate change and that american was saying how he will not do anything until China does something. Already a few things were going in the back of my mind. (these are just random rants btw)

1) Why must you even WAIT for China to do something… or wait for anyone else for that matter

2) Oh wait… isn’t China already taking the lead in terms of pumping money into clean tech (much more than what the US govt is putting in now even with ARPA-E etc) and they have lots of clean tech policies too?

3) Random angry rants about SUVs guzzling gas, people not realising what they do impacts other people around the globe.. think about the island states that will be underwater soon!

Anyway kudos to those folks for trying to raise awareness, points for effort la… just that the execution might have been better thought through.

I will improve my criteria as I keep trying and reading up on beer. Right now I intend to rate the beer according to smell, taste and feel. But my final overall way of rating a beer would be the really simple question “Will you drink this beer again?”

First beer!

***Since this review was originally written, I drank this beer quite a number of times in the USA. That was when i go drinking out in Connecticut with my friend Kevin. (who enjoys boddingtons A LOT)

Name: Boddingtons Draught Bitter (Wiki)

Type: English Bitter

ABV (Alcohol by vol): 3.5%

Smell: Can smell the malt, no distinct hops bouquet.

Colour: Mild Copper/Gold

Taste: Rather mild and straight forward beer, does not really have any complexity at all. Definitely can taste a grassy. Very mildly bitter. There is a slight bitter aftertaste, but it does not really last very long. No distinct hops flavour.

Feel: Rather smooth beer, easy to drink.

Head Retention: The foam head lasts really long. Based on multiple personal experieces and observations

Carbonation: Not much, rather flat.

Opinion: Easy to drink, would be good on a hot day. It just goes down so so sooooo smoothly… honestly it is THAT SMOOTH

Rating: Smell - 3/5 Its really nice to smell the sweetness of the malt

Taste - 3/5 Does not stand out, fairly mild and light. Good for those who are not into strong, bold beers.

Feel - 3.5/5 Very smooth, especially with its nice creamy foam head.

Overall Rating: I drank it almost at least once each time i hit the pubs in CT, it never fails me for sure. Its usually a good beer to begin with and its smoothness and rather light taste means its easy to drink it again. Would i drink it again, YES. But usually I would not have 2 boddingtons in a row, i like to switch up my flavours.

Other Reviews: Link & Link

As I left parliment house and headed back to Raffles City, I kept looking at everything around me, the people, the buildings, the streets, cars etc and realised how sometimes I really take things for granted. Dr. Goh was one of the key people who laid the building blocks for our economy, defence and education. So many things might not even be here if not for him.

R.I.P Sir.

Rose Beer Ver 1.0

Ingrediants

Went there with Val and Wai (both from my company) as it was sort of an annual thing for Wai.

Overall the 5km run was really nice and smooth, great way to see Philly, you get to go past City Hall, run past the Schuylkill river, 30th Street Station and start/end at the Art Museum.

Photos!

So far I managed to find time to visit friends in both Philly and NYC (both really nearby) which was great. Its really good to still have friends based here and to chill with. Still have more friends and mentors to catch up with so I guess I will be hitting the roads soon.

Photos soon! (or already on facebook)