I was finally able to brew my Grapefruit Honey Ale tonight:

http://brooklynbrewshop.com/be...efruit-honey-ale-mix

It is in the middle of the boil as I type this.

The process went fairly easily, with no significant event or complication. As always, I brewed this beer with Big Spring water from Lewistown, Montana as a foundation. Temperature control during the mash was quite consistent, thanks to my use of my enameled cast-iron Dutch oven. Sparging was easy and efficient, thanks to my use of three vessels. At the beginning of the boil right after the hot break, I added my Columbia hops.

At 30 minutes I will add some Cascade hops, and at 55 minutes I will add more Cascade hops along with the peel and zest from one large grapefruit. At the end of the boil, I will add in my Belgian candied sugar and some honey from our local apiary. After that, I will cool the wort down below 70 degrees, pitch my yeast, set up my blow-off tube and forget about my beer for two or three weeks, until it is time to bottle.

I am expecting some very good beer, if the aromas during the mash and boil are any indication.

Sounds interesting.

Tas, be sure and update this as you go.
Pix are nice!

Best,

GWB

Update, I can do - as for pix, I'll try!

I checked the fermenter yesterday morning, and again today. Fermentation is going very nicely, with plenty of active signs including a bubbling blow-off tube, a nice, clean foam on top of the wort and the beginnings of some wonderful, healthy krausen.

So far, so good!

I've been checking my fermenter daily, and it looks just about right. There never was any overly-vigorous fermentation, but it is definitely taking place, and that is what matters. Ambient temperatures have been steadily in the high 60s, so the conditions are all right. I might "kick the jug" (figuratively speaking) in order to make sure that the yeast are doing their work, but things are looking good.

Tonight, I will replace the blow-off tube with an air-lock, then wait out the rest of the time (probably 3 weeks total) until bottling. In the meantime, I've got a couple of ideas for label design.....

That should read 'Grapefruit , honey' , rather than 'grapefruit honey' .
I've played with orange blossom and lemon blossom honey and I assume there is a grapefruit honey also . that might add something interesting.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/re.../06/150623072900.htm
Here's something else you might experiment with !!

I had an extremely long and bumpy month of July, followed by an August that wasn't much better; as a result, I did not get this beer bottled until last night.

The beer itself looked great - it was amazingly clear and had a nice, dark-amber colour that really looked incredible. I believe that it turned out a little darker than it should, but I am not overly-concerned about this. The aroma was very enticing - malty with a warm citrus note that I am really looking forward to experiencing.

The bottling went very smoothly; I always hope for 10 bottles from my 1-gallon batches, but this time I only got 8. This seems to be par for the course - now and then I might get 9 bottles, but I end up with sediment when I try too hard to squeeze every last bottle from the batch. With my next batch or two, I might try racking to a secondary after a couple of weeks, and I will see if that helps.

One "trick" that I picked up which is especially helpful is to have my son shine the flashlight of his iPod toward the bottle while filling. The room that I usually bottle my beer in must not have the best lighting, because I can never seem to see what's going on in the necks as I fill the bottles. The flashlight helped with this immensely.

There was a little beer left over after bottling, perhaps a third of a bottle, and I was impressed with the sampling I took. In every way, I think that this might ultimately be my favourite brew yet. The grapefruit came through perfectly, balancing the malts and working with the hops to provide a unique bitterness that was just enough without being too much. I know that this is supposed to be a summer beer, but I can't help thinking that - with the substitution of orange and the addition of a cinnamon stick and a few cloves - it might be excellent for the holiday season, as well.

I am not sure if the extended time sitting in the fermenter helped or hurt, but all-in all, the beer was definitely worth the wait - and will continue to be so, I hope. I will allow the beer to condition in the bottles for three weeks, then refrigerate for an additional week before sampling. I'm looking forward to trying it, and will try to remember to report on results.

Ron

I sampled my Grapefruit honey Ale today, and was truly impressed. I must definitely give a huge "shout-out" to The Beautiful Mrs. Tas for getting this for me and opening the door to my brewing interest! I was a little worried about this one, because it sat in the fermenter far longer than I had intended, by about 2 months. Fortunately, the extended time had no effect on the quality, except perhaps to improve it.

The beer itself was a little over-carbonated, but that was my fault. If one is careful opening the bottle, the effort will be worth it, for sure. This American pale ale has a wonderful aroma, which is rich, malty and slightly sweet, but with a fresh and bright citrus highlight. This combination seemed to really bring out the honey as well, as when I close my eyes it was the first thing I thought of. Pouring into the frosted mug, it came out with a beautiful, deep-golden hue, just slightly hazy from the touch of wheat in the grain bill. There was a very nice, very white and very creamy head, which lingered kn the sides of the mug, promising a smooth mouthfeel.

The flavour of this beer is really unique and very good, as well. A light and bright balance is achieved with the hops and grapefruit, bending the sweetness of the malts, grapefruit and honey into a whole new flavour profile that is nothing short of amazing. It really was good in every way, and I would most certainly recommend that anyone who brews beer at home should try this, either using Brooklyn Brew Shop's pre-packaged, all-grain mix, or by using the recipe. In every way, this is a very nice, easy-drinking, refreshing beer that I will definitely be making again!