Brews and Blues Beer and Smokin’ Blues

Eye of the Hawk Ale

I had my second sampling from the Mendocino Brewing Company in Saratoga Springs, New York.  When the flavor of this beer hit my tongue, I had to stop what I was doing and think about this beer.  It has a very complex flavor, and it's definitely one that takes a few minutes to settle in with. 

From the website:

Eye of the Hawk is an excellent, strong, rich bodied ale that is "Bottle Conditioned"
to perfection. "Eye" is coppery reddish-amber in color and its unique taste is
the result of a judicious mix of caramel and pale malted barley, balanced with
Cluster, Cascade and Saaz hops. This gives the Eye its luxurious flavor, substantial
mouth-feel and that slightly dry finish. Eye of the Hawk has garnered a cult following
that is enviable.

The caramel malt is quite distinctive in this beer, but the hop punch mellows after the first few swallows.  If this beer is bottle conditioned, it must be by a different process that I'm used to seeing.  There is no sediment in the bottle and the beer's clarity is excellent.  I can also understand the 'cult following' that this beer might have.  Since I'm a fan of amber ales and lagers, I can appreciate this brew, but it's a beer that 'Joe Six-Pack' might not like as much.  The richness of this beer's body reminds me of the heavier stouts and porters, which makes it quite enjoyable in the realm of amber ales...  I still want to try Mendocino's Red Tail Lager but I haven't located any yet...

I was digging around in the attic and basement for some long lost items this afternoon when I came across a box containing some equipment from my previous home brewing gear.  I found a bottle capper, two large funnels, a hydrometer, a new 5' length of plastic tubing, a spring-loaded bottle filler, and an unopened gross of bottle caps.  This is making me re-think what I'm going to buy when I visit the local home brew supply shop this week.  I had originally planned to buy one of their equipment kits and then add on the miscellaneous stuff that I wanted to go with it.  I already have a 5-gallon glass carboy that I can use as a secondary fermenter, so I'm now thinking about not buying the kit and possibly purchasing a 6-gallon carboy so I can ferment in glass rather than plastic, but I'll still need a bottling bucket.  I'll just have to wait and see what I can buy as individual pieces before I decide if I need the kit or not.  I might go get this stuff tomorrow since the local shop is closed on Mondays.  If things go well, I'll get to brew a batch this coming weekend...