Angry Ale - Thoughts

I wasn't sure what to think about my Surly Furious clone, which I am calling my Angry Ale. First of all, it doesn't taste 100% like Furious, which is fine. On first tasting, after a one week primary fermentation and and two week secondary with dry hopping, I think I may have dry-hopped for too long. The beer had a vegetable sort of astringency that really overpowered the malt. However, after leaving it alone for a week (only accomplished by going out of town), it smoothed out considerably. that malt character was starting to shine through, while still showing a ton of hops. After another week, it has balanced out even more and is a really good brew. I still like my Nick Adams better, but this is a pretty good beer.

Comparing this to the Nick Adams, there is considerably less yeast characteristic, perhaps the result of force carbing vs. natural carbing. Also, the additional hops that this received throw it a bit off-balance by comparison. Still, it is pretty good. The one really noticeable difference is how much clearer this beer is than others. I mean, its by no means the transparent, but it is substantially less murky than my past attempts. Which is kind of cool, although who knows. I guess all I can do is continue to drink and see how this one evolves.

By the way, I still have about 6 bottles of the Nick Adams in the fridge, and they are truly phenomenal. After the saison, I am definitely brewing up another batch.