After multiple years and over 50 episodes Cal and Mike have decided to shake things up a bit with a brand new season and a brand new format. But before starting that we thought we'd tie up some of the loose ends of Season 1 by trying some of our finished brews.

In this Final Gravity Extravaganza we combine the self indulgence of the Christmas Special with our Final Gravity sections at the end of episodes to give you our tastings and thoughts on:

American Stout (episode 46)
Session Märzen (episode 48)
Belgian Tripel (episode 49) and even talk about the episode that never was, a Tonka Bean Birthday Cake Imperial Stout that would have been episode 50.

Find out what went right, what went wrong and what we learned by brewing.

See you all in a few weeks for the start of Season 2!

If you're a fan of strong beers and have an appreciation of subtle and easy drinking complexity, then a Belgian Tripel will always be a great beer to grab. A simple recipe and malt bill combines with delicate and delicious yeast esters to make a pale beer style that is famous worldwide.

We brew one ourselves then try these commercial examples:

Chimay - Tripel - https://chimay.com/us/

St. Bernardus - Tripel - https://www.sintbernardus.be/

Karmeliet - Tripel - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosteels_Brewery#Tripel_Karmeliet

FINAL GRAVITY

We also try the Fruited Porter brewed in Episode 47. Find out what went right, what went wrong and what we learned by brewing.

If you're interested in brewing the beer in this episode, you can find the recipe at https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/

Oktoberfest didn't really happen for many of us this year, so why not bring a little bit of that celebratory spirit into your homes regardless. Märzens are crisp refreshing amber lagers with a easy dry biscuity finish, and go perfect at this time of year. Mike decided to do a session version of this famous yearly style as well as dipping his toes into the complex world of decoction mashes!

We tried very hard but couldn't find any Märzens to try, and so ended up going on an impromptu "journey". In this tasty meander we tried:

Warka - "Strong" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warka_Brewery
Eight Arch - Little Dragon - https://www.8archbrewing.co.uk/
Steam Town - "Disco Town" - https://www.steamtownbrewco.co.uk/
Triple fff - "Gilbert White" - https://www.triplefff.com/

There are reasons for all of these, trust us, but you're gonna have to listen to the episode to find out why!

If you're interested in brewing this recipe for yourself, you can find it at https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/

As the nights draw in and the evenings get colder, why not turn to something darker, but with a twist? Take a robust English Porter and add a huge boost of dark seasonal fruits and you end up with something deliciously rich and autumnal.

In this episode we brew a Fruited Porter as well as trying these commerical examples:

Weird Beard - Dead By Dawn - https://www.weirdbeardbrewco.com/
Titanic - Plum Porter - https://www.titanicbrewery.co.uk/
St Peter's - Old-Style Porter - https://www.stpetersbrewery.co.uk/
St Peter's - Plum Porter

If you're interested in brewing this recipe yourself, you can find it at https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk

What do you get if you cross a traditional Dry Stout with a Black IPA? Why, the American Stout of course! All the rich malty body of a stout balanced but not dominated by the extra addition of new world hops. Mike tries this style with an addition of Sabro, a new(ish) variety of hop!

As usual we brew one ourselves, talk about the recipe before trying these commercial (sort of) examples:

The Kernal Brewery - India Porter - https://www.thekernelbrewery.com/
Chorlton & Alphabet Brewing Co - Dank Matter - https://alphabetbrewing.co.uk/
Siren Craft Brew - Let The Night In - https://www.sirencraftbrew.com/

FINAL GRAVITY
We also try 3 of the beers that were brewed earlier this year, the Berliner Weisse from Episode 37, The IPL from episode 44 and the Kit Brew from Back To Basics Episode 4. Find out what went right, what went wrong and what we learned by brewing.

If you’re interested in brewing the recipe talked about in this episode, you can find the recipe at https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/

After taking a short break during the ongoing situation, Mike and Cal are back, this time recording remotely!

And in this time, after kicking one of his kegs Mike decided to take a punt going "Back To Basics" by trying out his first ever Kit Brew. Many homebrewers begin their journey with Kit Brews, so we decided to talk about why they're such a great place to start!

We also talk a little about the current beer climate as well as trying something super rare these days, some Cask Beer from Almasty and Pamona Island.

You can find the Kit Brew that Mike brews in the episode here https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/product/juicy-session-ipa/ as well as the basic bits of kit you'll need here https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/product/mangrove-jacks-starter-brewery-kit/

In this episode Mike and Cal were invited to judge for the Reading Amateur Brewers homebrew competition that had one interesting brief, brewing a beer that accentuates Sabro hops. We recorded live on the judging night, chatting to the organisers of the event, the people who won third, second and third place about the beers they brewed as well as the other two judges about how they found the experience.

If you're interested and are local to Reading, please check out Reading Amateur Brewers http://readingamateurbrewers.co.uk/ who have built a fantastic community in a relatively short space of time, and that we are particularly pleased to be a part of.

Please note this was recorded a few weeks ago before the current lockdown was in place. For those who are bored self isolating or working from home, The Malt Miller (https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/) are a fantastic resource for homebrew ingredients and equipment and are currently stocking Sabor hops, so get involved!

Are you a big fan of hops, but love the refreshing ease of a lager? Why not have both? An India Pale Lager (or IPL) takes the subtle complexity of a lager and boosts those fruity hop notes with liberal additions of delicious hops.

As usual we brew one ourselves, talk about the recipe before trying these commercial examples:

Lost & Grounded - Running With Sceptres - http://lostandgrounded.co.uk/
Siren Craft Brew - Santo - https://www.sirencraftbrew.com/
Weird Beard - Kill Pils - http://www.weirdbeardbrewco.com/
Camden - Show Off - https://www.camdentownbrewery.com/

If you're interested in brewing this beer for yourself, you can find the recipe at https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/

Table Beer is a fantastically versatile beer. It’s the perfect beer to enjoy at the table with a meal, to have all day if you’re settling in for a long session, or maybe if you’re just warming up and want something to whet your whistle before taking the plunge in the deep end. Lower in abv, this style stays pale, crisp and refreshing whilst keeping a notable hop hit.

We brew one ourselves and talk about our recipe before trying these other examples:

Double-Barrelled - Elbow https://doublebarrelled.co.uk/

Cloudwater - Light Lager https://cloudwaterbrew.co/

FINAL GRAVITY
We also try the Green Hop Pale Ale from episode 32 and the New Zealand Pilsner from episode 35. Find out what went right, what went wrong and what we learned by brewing.

If you're interested in brewing the beer from this episode, you can buy the recipe kit from https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/

If you have a hankering for something big, sweet and strong but subtle enough to give delicate floral flavours, then you might have the need for mead. In the second of our "Fermentation Variation" specials, Mike visits mead brewer Simon Claybourn who has not only brewed lots of mead in his time but also knows a lot about bees!

We brew a mead, as well as trying one of Simon's older batches. We then also try:

Highland Wineries - Moniack Mead http://www.highlandwineries.co.uk/

Lime Bay Winery - Traditional Mead https://www.lymebaywinery.co.uk/

A tradition in that there London for hundreds of years Porter was designed to be dark, rich, and yet easy going. A good version will let you know you're drinking it without slowing you down.

We brew one ourselves and talk about our recipe before trying these other examples:

Mike's Old Homebrew - Smoked Porter
Meantime - London Porter - https://www.meantimebrewing.com/
Fuller's - London Porter - https://www.fullers.co.uk/

FINAL GRAVITY
We also try a bottle of the Kveik Helles brewed in episode 30. Find out what went right, what went wrong and what we learned by brewing.

If you're interested in brewing this beer, yourself you can find the recipe for this beer at www.themaltmiller.co.uk

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