Schwarzbier

Basic northern brewer kit - Schwarzbier Extract Kit
Saflager S-23 @ 53F +or- 4F
Brew date- 11.15.2008
Secondary ferment - 12.03.08
Kegging date - 12.13.08

Gravity readings
11.15.08 -SG - 1.052
11.26.08 - SG - 1.021
12.03.08 - SG - 1.021
12.13.08 - FG - 1.019

Lager phase - approx 2 months.

This is the first batch of Lager I am attempting to brew. Actually I made the same recipe before and used the same yeast, but I fermented it at 76F to 78F. This time I will have good temperature control and hope the results are worth the effort. Not that the last attempt came out bad, actually it was quite good!, but typically schwarzbiers are brewed as dark lagers.

11.26.08 - It's fermenting at 53F and it took a while, but now it's got a steady bubbling action. The freezer is full of CO2 and I was amazed when I opened it to sniff the bubbler and choked. Did i learn my lesson? ... I have good feelings about the outcome of this batch.

Palm Harbor Pale Ale

Basic northern brewer kit - extra pale ale
Safale US-05
Brew date- 10.27.2008
Secondary fermentation - 10.31.2008
Bottling - 11.08.08

update: 11.22.08 - opened a botle last night and it was pretty flat. Minimal carbonation. I think when I fermented it for a week and secondary fermented it for the second week most of the yeast may have fallen out. I used carb tabs, which have worked well in the past. Perhaps it just needs to age a bit longer. The taste is somewhat sweet telling me that maybe the tabs have dissolved but haven't been converted yet. ... I knew I should have kegged it instead.

Handyman Ale

Basic northern brewer kit - mild ale
Danstar Nottingham Ale Yeast
Brew date - 11.02.2008
Secondary fermentation - 11.09.08
Kegging - 11.14.08

They say this is a good session beer, which means it's low in alcohol, around 3% and you can have a few without getting completely trashed. I find it a good dinner beer which goes well with lighter foods like grilled tilapia or rosemary chicken. It has a great taste and is very light. It seems like a good relaxing beer to have on hand at all times. It's a little cloudy, but I think it will clear up with a little aging in the keg.

Gingerbread Ale

The thing I like most about the idea of Gingerbread Ale is the sweet, dark, sugary and gingerbread holiday flavor. The sweet dark flavor comes from molasses and dark unrefined sugar. The spiciness comes ginger, nutmeg and a dash of cinnamon.
I read that most gingerbread ales have a brown ale as a base and build upon that. I'd like to make something fresh, spicy, dark, and light. Something like a german Dunkel in weight and texture with crisp aromatic gingerbread scents.
Gingerbread recipe
Brown Ale Inventory
Cinnamon, Ginger, Close, Nutmeg, Molasses...
I don't want to use too much molasses as it may tinge the overall flavor. I have some more research to do.