I got my Autumn Gold brew in the bottle today or, more precisely, 11 swing-top Grolsch bottles with almost a glass (but not quite a bottle full) left over to sample as first runnings, including the beer that had been sitting in my sample tube since Monday morning. By that point it had already reached a gravity of 1.012 and it didn’t subsequently drop any further; a touch high but by less than I exceeded the target original gravity. I mixed the fermented wort with 27g table sugar diluted in about 100g of water and that should yield a final CO₂ volume of about 2.2 (a bit of sparkle but hopefully well away from being frothy). It was probably done a few days earlier – Safale S-04 seems to be a good reliable yeast for me although it will be back to Nottingham for the next couple of brews.

That first tasting was quite pleasing although it is really to early to tell. Because the only malt content is pale malt, the colour is a light gold; as we move on through the autumn, I’m tempted to try something darker next time.

Meanwhile, I enjoyed another pop of my earlier Tiny Tim brew. It is only three weeks since that was bottle but it is definitely fit for drinking. Before I get too carried away, I must get myself another bottle of the Timothy Taylor Landlord beer it is based on. I enjoyed a few bottles of that earlier in the year and, although I’m not particularly aiming to create an accurate clone, it will be a good standard to compare against. I have a feeling my brew will stand well alongside the official version (which is definitely a good pint).