The WIZARD's Club Red II

This is the story of Club Red II. After the first Club Red experiment, we all felt we could do much better. It was at the Wizards Homebrew Club All-Grain demo day that the new recipe was formulated and brewed.

Brewing was simple, but effective. The grains were steeped for 15 minutes and then the extracts were added to start the boil. We started with a full three gallons of water and had a nice rolling boil over the Cajun Cooker. Boil time was about an hour with the Hallertau hops being added 40 minutes before the end and the Cascade hops being added 15 minutes before the end. After cooling and topping off the primary to five gallons, the OG was 1047 and IBUs were estimated to be 19.8. We then pitched the yeast and left the rest for Brian.

One week later Brian split the brew into two equal, but smaller batches for the sedondary fermentation. The first was allowed to continue in the secondary as is. In the second secondary, 4 ounces of raspberry extract were added in hopes of "duplicating" the original Club Red.

Two weeks later, Brian and Bob bottled the beer in preparation for our next club meeting! Below is the story of this beer, now affectionately known as Club Red II.

November, 1998

At the first tasting of Club Red II, we were ready for anything. What we found was a beer with a very faint red color and a limited aroma. The beer had a sweet taste which several members attributed to the honey not yet fully fermenting out. Everyone felt a little more aging was in order so we shelved Club Red II until our next meeting.

December, 1998

At the second tasting of Club Red II, the club found a brew with a nice red color and fruity taste. Brian spoke of strange flavors while Rich narrowed it down to a sour taste. Could it be a possible oxidation problem? In summary, not a great beer but drinkable, especially if there was nothing else left in the house!

January, 1999

We all know we had a nice sample of Club Red II this month but no one can find the tasting notes. Our recollection seems to indicate the beer was at it's peak this month. Since Rich is always a little critical of Club Red II , we can assume he thought it was awful. We'll assume everyone else thought it was ok - good enough to drink but not worth making again.

February, 1999

Someone forgot the Club Red II. Good or bad? You be the judge.

April, 1999

The highlight of this month's Club Red II tasting was more of a "service" problem than one with the beer. The clamp holding Brian's tap faucet in place gave way and created a bit of a mess! Chuck turned out ot be Club Red II's number one fan when he exclaimed "I like it" before going on to pronounce the beer very clean. Brian also gave it a thumbs up and poured himself a full pint. The rest of the club, however, wasn't so upbeat. Bill and Rich thought it a bit overcarbonated while other's noted a slight off taste. Greg felt it better than that commercial beer from Marlboro we had while Chris went on to note a "sweet, spicy, nasty sort of taste!"

Comments about Club Red II to Bill