Homebrew Session – Simcoe Select IPA
It has been quite awhile since I homebrewed, but yesterday I brewed up a batch with a couple of friends. This was the first batch that I brewed this year. Andy, Eric and Russ came over in 
the afternoon and we brewed a batch of Simcoe Select IPA that I bought with a gift certificate from Midwest Homebrewing Supplies that Lori and the kids gave me for my birthday. I’ve used Midwest for quite a few years as they have quite a selection of good quality extract kits.
The Simcoe Select IPA is loaded with 3 oz of Simcoe hops that are added throughout the boil. 1/2 oz is added at the beginning, 1/2 oz 20 minutes into the boil, 1 oz at 40 minutes into the boil and then a whole oz right at the end of the boil for finishing. The wort had a nice strong hoppy aroma that I love (and Lori hates)! I look forward to drinking it in 3 to 4 weeks.
Here’s Midwest’s description of the beer:
“LIMITED EDITION RECIPE KIT – Throwing caution to the wind, we’ve decided to put this rare hop into a recipe kit while supplies last. With 3 oz. of Simcoe, a whopping 68 IBUs and a ABV of 6.5%, this potent IPA is guaranteed to please.”
The guys really enjoyed the brewing process. Andy is an experienced brewer but both Eric and Russ had never done it before. We sampled a couple of homebrews that I had from my last batch which is a Scottish Ale that the guys said reminded them of New Castle. I showed them the brewing process and how detail oriented I am in making the best quality beer I can. This includes using bags for the grains and hops, using a cooling coil to quickly cool the wort before pitching the yeast and straining the wort a couple of times before it makes it into the primary fermenter. The guys seemed interested in brewing again so maybe we can start up an informal club. Andy suggested that the next batch be a lager that he can ferment in his refrigerator. We had a great time and cleaned out most of the beers that were hanging around in my refrigerator. I look forward to getting with these guys again to bottle and sample more beers.
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