Sake-beer

A homebrew chimaera, an amber ale - crystal malt and hallertauer hops, but without the ale yeast. Instead, #7 sake yeast. Unlike ale yeasts which have fermented reasonably robustly in our basement, and even more unlike the sake batches which have, unsurprisingly, been even more vigorous, this simply refused to budge. Therefore, I brought the fermenter to the upstairs, where it was a good 10-15 degrees F warmer.


There it proceeded politely, though I was very much given to concerns over accentuating the yeast's melon characteristics. Bottled after two weeks and given a further three weeks, the first assessment was particularly fruity on the nose, much more strawberry than melon. But now, after another month, these components have receded, leaving a nicely balanced, modestly hopped, subtly fruited light ale, with light caramel and dusty cocoa notes originating from where I do not know. I was admittedly lax with the chemistry, so I won't bother reporting specific gravities and such, but it doesn't taste particularly strong, maybe 3-4%??