I finally got around to bottling this, after brewing, what, almost two months ago? The (still not quite finished) result is pretty outstanding. Flavors are pretty basic: malt, a tiny bit of hops, and a good shot of smoky bacon. All in all it’s amazingly well balanced – nothing about it screams OMG BACON. You can’t miss it, but it doesn’t punch you in the mouth. And the flavors all go surprisingly well together. The smoke flavor makes the hops into more of a grassy bitterness than any kind of citrus or floral flavor. And since grain goes so well with bacon anyway…
I can’t wait for this one to finish conditioning. It’s remarkably clear, at least based on how hazy Mk I was. With proper carbonation and two more weeks of mellowing, it should be pretty darn awesome.
Up next for bottling is the hard apple cider, which I’ll condition with brown sugar. Then, of course, comes the spiced barleywine. Good times ahead.
