Rougarou by Tin Roof

rougarou black ale

 

I remember being a child and seeing pictures of a Rougarou.  It haunted my childhood dreams.  When I would be leaving a deer stand at night and see eyes, it was a Rougarou.  I was terrified of being in the woods at night.  Now that I have grown up I know that this hellish beast was something a taxidermist fashioned out of deer, coyote, and bobcat parts.  Tin Roof has recreated this Rougarou nightmare with  a beast that is 9.7% ABV and 108 ibus.  I don’t fear this Rougarou.  I respect it’s power.  The only thing that scares me now is the car ride home…thankfully Uber has that covered.

The aroma is a mix of dark roasted malts, chocolate and coffee with some citrus.  The hops are pretty powerful at the front end but quickly faded to a dry, stout like finish.  I will definitely be grabbing another bottle of this.

-Don

image

‘Tin Roof Brewing Co. Tap room’

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Creature of Habit

When first starting this blog, I figured it would be a cakewalk.  As it turns out, I greatly underestimated the difficulty that I would have in writing.  I am a creature of habit.  As we all do from time to time, I settle into my ways, especially in the evening time.  I am now challenging myself to review a beer a week.  I hope to stick to majority Louisiana beers to start, but will definitely expand out.

To break my habit and start to writing, there was no better choice for me than Creature of Habit by Great Raft Brewing in Shreveport.  First let me say that I love what these guys are doing.  I have yet to be disappointed by one of their brews, but enough about the brewery, let’s get to the beer!

Creature of Habit is their seasonal brown ale.  It’s a coffee aged ale.  Coffee is the definitive characteristic, complimented by some nutty and biscuity malt qualities.  I am not one for cold brewed coffee, but a cold brew combined with coffee, that is another story.  Sipping on this beer takes me so many different places.  With one sip I am with my buddies after a morning hunt, eating a hearty breakfast at a local diner, sipping on a piping hot mug of drip coffee.  The next drink comes and I am sipping espresso whilst visiting with friends.  Coffee aroma and flavors abound with this brew bringing together blue-collar and the upper-echelon alike.

That is what I love about beer as a whole, there’s a style for everybody out there.  Everyone has different tastes, sometimes we have to break out of our comfort zones of taste, and sometimes it’s fine to fall back and be a creature of habit.

-Everitt

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*Thanks for reading, all comments and critiques are much appreciated.  I look forward to sharing the world of beer*IMG_20151117_210526111.jpg

 

Brewing a BIAB American Pale Ale

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My ghetto brewing keggle

My Brew Cipher Excel spreadsheet for anybody who cares to look

89% German Pils

4% Caramel 40 L

3% Carapils

The remaining 4% was Acid malt because my water ain’t right.

1.058 estimated post boil OG

Mashed for 1.5 hours at 154.  The center of the grain bag temp was 149 when I pulled the grain out.

Bittered with simcoe.  Cascade at 10 minutes, chinook at 5 minutes and simcoe at flame out.  52 IBUs. US05 yeast pitched and fermented at 69 degrees.  1.5 hour boil.

The predicted FG is 1.013.

I racked 5 gallons into fermenter at 1.060.  My OG was high but I don’t have a problem with more alcohol.  I will be fermenting this for around 12 days and bottling straight from primary.

 

UPDATE!!!

Realized 11 days into fermentation that the lid on my bucket was cracked so I bottled at 11 days.  The beer finished at 1.010.  It was pretty tasty going into the bottles.  I really like the hops…hardly a trace of citrus or fruit.  Very earthy.  I am very impatient so I drank two bottles yesterday after 2 days in the bottle.  I think this will be a stable brew for me.

 

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-Don

 

Going live

Hello and welcome to Cypress Suds,

We are looking forward to sharing our views on Louisiana beer culture and the craft beer scene in Louisiana and the Southeast.  Our names are Everitt and Don.  We are looking forward to educating some and learning from others on everything that beer has to offer.  We love good food, great beer, and brewing our own beers as well.

Please stay tuned for updates as we continue to imbibe in the delicious libations produced in the great state of Louisiana and around the Southeast, and share our thoughts and reviews on those brews.

We look forward to any comments, suggestions, and general discussion that y’all wish to engage.

-Everitt

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