Primary fermentation is complete and the green beer is sitting at room temperature, the yeast busy cleaning up some transitional flavours of fermentation I don't need (or desire). Tomorrow I will apply full cooling and the temperature will drop to cold over the following day. I'll leave it cold for a full further day during which much of the yeast will become dormant and settle on the flat bottom of the fermentation vessel, allowing easy separation by draining the young ale into a new tank, leaving the yeast cake behind.
On sampling today I noted an expected roasty aroma with a hint of sulphur. No hops on the nose but that doesn't surprise or disappoint me. I didn't want any. A very subtle hop note will emerge over the coming months; I used so many good hops it is inevitable and it will complement the roast, rather than over-power it. Promise.
In the taste it was a strong, almost grainy roast barley flavour followed lazily by a big, lumbering, momentous bitterness that runs through like a train, a very long train. After about 5 minutes you can't feel it anymore.
Great. All going swimmingly then. Don't worry about the bitterness, by the time you taste it this will be more a deep, distant rumble of a far away express than a next door freight, if you know what I mean.
The young and green Exodus 08 will be tanked for a few weeks to settle down, giving me time to check yeast levels are correct before casking.
Thought you might like to know.....
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