My First Commissioned Brew & the Boss's Daughter

kaisersozei · 12-22-2010, 01:26 PM

My boss's daughter is getting married next September. (Sounds like the start of a joke, doesn't it) I've gifted him certain bottles of my homebrew in the past, and he's a fan. A few weeks ago, he asked if I'd be interested in brewing up a "commemorative" batch that he can serve & give away to guests at his daughter's wedding. At the time I was probably more flattered & excited than I was smart, so I said "Yes, of course!"

And then he went and sealed the deal by announcing it to our entire company at our Christmas party last week. So if I ever thought I could back out, I missed my window.

I'm supposed to meet with his daughter to review what kind of beer she wants to give, but my boss & I are thinking of some kind of lighter ale, just to appease everyone. He drinks Stella & the original Sam Adams Boston lager. My immediate thoughts are something like a Blonde Ale or similar style. I have this recipe that I've been wanting to try:

3# Light Dry Malt Extract
1# Rice Extract Solids/Syrup
8 oz 10L Crystal Malt
8 oz Malto-Dextrin

1/2 oz Centennial (10%) 20 min
1/4 oz Hallertauer (5%) 15 min
1/4 oz Hallertauer for 10 min post-flameout

Nottingham dry yeast

Calculator shows 4% ABV, 15 IBUs and SRM = 5.

Whatever recipe I settle on, I intend to brew a test batch in January (or a couple small batches with minor variations each) so that I can sample the results by April. The final beer should be brewed in May so it peaks by the wedding.

As if there wasn't enough pressure to get this right, my boss is well-connected politically because of the work we do at the state & federal levels. He knows the current & previous VA governors, senior staff, Obama administration officials and Cabinet-level folks. No telling who could be at this wedding.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpn8MANhdLU

So I'm looking for helpful thoughts, suggestions or comments from my homebrewing brethren. I'll probably continue to update this thread as we approach D-Day.

Thanks!

Gerard

12-22-2010, 01:26 PM	#1
kaisersozei The Homebrew Hammer Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Gerard Location: Midlothian, VA Posts: 3,183 Trading: (40)	My First Commissioned Brew & the Boss's Daughter My boss's daughter is getting married next September. (Sounds like the start of a joke, doesn't it) I've gifted him certain bottles of my homebrew in the past, and he's a fan. A few weeks ago, he asked if I'd be interested in brewing up a "commemorative" batch that he can serve & give away to guests at his daughter's wedding. At the time I was probably more flattered & excited than I was smart, so I said "Yes, of course!" And then he went and sealed the deal by announcing it to our entire company at our Christmas party last week. So if I ever thought I could back out, I missed my window. I'm supposed to meet with his daughter to review what kind of beer she wants to give, but my boss & I are thinking of some kind of lighter ale, just to appease everyone. He drinks Stella & the original Sam Adams Boston lager. My immediate thoughts are something like a Blonde Ale or similar style. I have this recipe that I've been wanting to try: 3# Light Dry Malt Extract 1# Rice Extract Solids/Syrup 8 oz 10L Crystal Malt 8 oz Malto-Dextrin 1/2 oz Centennial (10%) 20 min 1/4 oz Hallertauer (5%) 15 min 1/4 oz Hallertauer for 10 min post-flameout Nottingham dry yeast Calculator shows 4% ABV, 15 IBUs and SRM = 5. Whatever recipe I settle on, I intend to brew a test batch in January (or a couple small batches with minor variations each) so that I can sample the results by April. The final beer should be brewed in May so it peaks by the wedding. As if there wasn't enough pressure to get this right, my boss is well-connected politically because of the work we do at the state & federal levels. He knows the current & previous VA governors, senior staff, Obama administration officials and Cabinet-level folks. No telling who could be at this wedding. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpn8MANhdLU So I'm looking for helpful thoughts, suggestions or comments from my homebrewing brethren. I'll probably continue to update this thread as we approach D-Day. Thanks! Gerard __________________