The Ides of March

I've not updated in a while, but with readership being what it is, or rather isn't, that isn't much of a concern. I've bottled the all-grain ESB, which I found to have a slightly bitter edge, not a hop bitterness but a grainy bitterness possibly due to either suboptimal mash temperatures or possibly the extraction of tannins from grain husks. Still, its not bad, just not the near-divine perfection it will be after I do a few more batches and get the process down.

Other news...I've got a Cidre de Cassis, a 1.081 cider with blackcurrant juice, in secondary, and a 1.081 blackcurrant wine in the primary. Next up will be an Apfelwein, a strong pure apple cider fortified with apple juice concentrate to an original gravity of 1.110, or thereabouts.