FOOLCiRCLE

• 2nd Place in the IPA category as an American IPA at the 2005 War of the Worts X
• 3rd Place in the IPA category as a Hop Devil Clone at the 2005 War of the Worts X
• the WINNER of the Hop Devil Clone category at the 2005 War of the Worts X.
• 3rd Place in the American Amber Ale category at the 2005 BUZZ Off
• A Silver Certificate winner in the 2005 National American Homebrewers Association competition

Notes & Comments:
(side bar) "The East Coast Pale Ale (E.C.P.A.) is a maltier version of a Pale Ale that has lots of Willamette hop flavor and Cascade hop aroma, a total of nine ounces! The E.C.P.A. has the malt and hop flavor of an IPA with the bitterness of a standard Pale Ale. Experience the elplosive taste and aroma of a true American beer. A big "Cheers" to Frank Ellis in Missouri."

Actually it has nine and three eighths ounces, but who's counting? Those extra 3/8s are the first harvest of my Cascade hops. See the Update Archive of My Cascade Hops Cascade Hops, September 2004 Also, you may (or may not) notice that the red label from last year looks more like a flaming label or burning label this year. Accident? Well, depends on what you're talking about. No, the label was not an accident, but yes there was an accident that inspired the label. While brewing this batch of beer I decided I was going to be more efficient. So I set up the water and grains and let them begin to steep, this takes between 20-30 minutes so I knew I had a little time to do something else. During that time I decided to go upstairs and clean and sanitize my carboy for later in the process, this takes 10-15 minutes, no problem. Did I forget to mention that I have a 75,000BTU burner that I use to make my beer with? Do you really think it is a smart idea to leave one of those alone, even if you have never had a problem before? Basically I was stupid, and when I came back down the hose from the propane tank to the burner was on fire, about a half of it! I just about freaked out. The first thing that popped into my head was to kick the tube away from the burner, away from the fire - but wait the tube was on fire too, that would have been really bad. So instead, and rather nervously, I just turned the gas off. Fortunetly nothing horrible happened, I was even able to finish the ECPA upstairs in the kitchen. That is the second warning with that burner that I didn't listen too, and the second time I was wrong. Just because it says it's for outdoor use only, how was I suppose to know it meant FOR OUTDOOR USE ONLY - it was worth a try . . .



Tasting Notes:
Appearance: blood-red-orange with a dash of nutmeg. very nice inch thick foamy head the color of pancake batter.
Nose: hops - vanilla cake and sweet fresh cut grass, pine and pin~on, resiny, sticky.
Taste: bitter and sweet, great balance. Bitter like Bengay on your tongue, tingly and satisfying; and sweet like melted brown sugar in butter.
Mouthfeel: lightly effervesant, the brew dances past your lips and over your tongue with a slight tickle down the throat. Refreshingly blendedly smooth.
Overall: what a great beer. I could drink these all night, perfect "aiming fluid" for playing darts. Maybe a bit sharp upfront, and maybe a bit dark for style, but otherwise a really great beer, again.

Competition Style: 10A. American Pale Ale or 10B. American IPA ? So, who's going to drive over and help me decide?