"Fuzzie Berr" (Wocka, Wocka, Wocka!!)

Okay, so...yeah, this isn't a video clip, nor is it a podcast. That will have to wait for another time. I'm doing this the old fashioned way instead (I wonder, are we far enough into the 21st century yet for me to be able to refer to "typing" as "the old fashioned way"...). Frankly, I just never got a chance to set things up, and I want to get this posted before the next batch starts boiling (which, by the way, is no longer going to be a stab at a maple beer, but more on that later).

My better half and I gave this a go on Monday, and, I must say (well, so must she - but not forcefully, of course), this is indeed splendid. I didn't swirl in all of the yeasty goodness the first time around, and it lacked a lot of the mouth-feel I had hoped it would have. Luckily, with the next one, a swirl and tidy kerplunk of the sediment into the glass made all the difference.

On the nose, the beer gave off a pleasant blackberry sweetness, with a little bit of raspberry (which was surprising, given the fact that my initial research indicated that blackberries aren't as aromatic as raspberries, in this context). There were also some slight floral notes present, but definitely dwarfed by the fruit. Upon drinking, it is actually incredibly smooth and not overly sweet. It has a very full-bodied mouth-feel, and yet, it isn't "heavy" at all - it is very refreshing. The malty sweetness is balanced extremely well with the blackberry and raspberry esters (which are also both well-balanced). The carbonation is perfect; the experience leaves a subtle, bubbly sensation all over the tongue. I did notice a faint tartness on the palate...maybe even a tad sour (but by no means the type of "sour" you'd gather from a Flemish or Flanders ale). The finish leaves the entire mouth coated with residual raspberry sweetness.

My only real complaint is the head retention. Granted, this particular batch didn't really require much aroma to be captured in the head (I was shooting for mostly a berry "taste"), but still...it's aesthetically displeasing (I'm a perfectionist, what can I say?). Maybe I'll add a bit more Crystal malt, or swap it out for some Cara-Pils, next time and see if that helps. I'm hesitant to mess with the hops, though - there don't appear to be any flavor clashes, so I think I'll stick with Willamette.

Now, in case you didn't catch the title of this post (this would be the time to scroll back up), I've decided to go with "Fuzzie Berr" (pronounce that like you would "bear"). I know, I know, incredibly clever. And what better way to pay homage to one of the wackiest, yet most down-to-earth of Mr. Henson's creations (I should probably also mention that "fuzzy" is a play on the fact that the beer is very hazy and opaque...the name might make more sense now...)? I started with "Minglin' Berries," trying to capture the fact that two particular berries were, in fact, minglin' in the beer (that's what berries do too, by the way...they mingle), as well as try another attempt at a poor joke (I'm not explaining it, figure it out), and I received quite a few great suggestions as well (I particularly enjoyed "Berr Goggles," hehe), but I think this will do.

I'm very excited to hear what my fellow beer geeks will think of this one at my next homebrew club meeting. I'm also going to make sure I hold on to a few of these to enter into the Sunshine Challenge in November (along with anything else I brew between now and then). I guess that means I'm going to have to be a bit more frugal with this batch too then - but there's still plenty to go around!

I already disclosed the Final Gravity and Alcohol By Volume, but for those of you who are interested further, I've got a few more details to throw your way:

Calories per 12-ounce bottle: 173
Color/Standard Reference Method (SRM): 19.5
Homebrew Bittering Units (HBU): 10

International Bitterness Units (IBU): 32-33
Ability to bring a smile to your face: priceless

(The SRM and IBU was roughly calculated...us homebrewers rarely find ourselves with spectrophotometers and other professional pieces of equipment)

Here's to the next batch!

Peace and Love!