Trubble Clefe

I apologize for how late this post is, in regard to the actual batch of beer, but hey, what's a working man to do, eh? Well, so anyway, you may be asking yourself, what exactly is a Trubble Clefe, and how does this thing taste? Trubble Clefe, first and foremost, is a hefeweizen spiced with ground clove, and second, my attempt at a creative name; get it..."trub," "clove," and "hefe"...treble clef...trubble clefe? Clever, right?

The beer is superb! Very refreshing, delightful esters, not overpowering, in regard to the clove, and just all around an enjoyable beverage. The clove did, however, darken the appearance...obviously. The First Coast Cup in Jacksonville is being held at the end of the month, and I entered this bad boy as a spiced beer with the underlying style as a hefeweizen; at the last club meeting, a few of my fellow brewers suggested I classify the underlying style as a dunkelweizen, given the color. However, I really don't think it's malty enough, so I just let it ride with the hefe. I figured, if I closed my eyes, smelled, and tasted this, what would I think it is? We'll see what happens.

The clove was put into the boil during the last 8 minutes, and I only used 1 1/2 teaspoons; I thought I was playing it safe with only that amount, but it was actually perfect - I wouldn't change a thing. This truly is one of my most successful batches, and one of my favorites, so I really hope it does well in CASK's upcoming competition. I might even make it again to serve at this year's Sunshine Challenge...along with my Serrapale Ale.

That reminds me, though...Sunshine Challenge. My wife and I are actually in charge of organizing the beer festival associated with our club's homebrew competition this year (Sunshine Challenge). The links are embedded in the above text, so check it out and spread the word! There's an "event" for it on Facebook too, so look for it and toss out the invites! Email sunshine@cfhb.org if you have any questions!

But back to the Clefe. Here's what we're looking at:

OG: 1.014
ABV: 4.1%
HBUs/IBUs: 3.9/3.5
Calories per 12oz. bottle: 150

I was all-talk, it seems, with the Berliner Weisse. I just can't afford to buy a whole set of equipment to dedicate to bacteria-infested batches yet. It'll happen one day, because I absolutely love sour beers, but just not yet. I just whipped up a saison, and have recipes for a braggot and abbey ale (dubbel) already formulated. This summer is going to end on quite the delicious note...but more on that later.

Peace and Love!