A Precious Brew

In the fermenter as of Tuesday is a new beer I’ve been wanting to brew for quite a while: Ramotswe Red. Fans of serial novelist Alexander McCall Smith may have already guessed what the not-so-secret ingredient is, as the beer (and this post) are named after his most famous creation, Precious Ramotswe. The beer has rooibos tea, Precious’ favorite tipple, added in the whirlpool. The beer was designed to be as red as a beer can (naturally) be *before* adding the tea, which is itself quite red. Here’s a picture of the sightglass during vorlauf, ie prior to the tea being added:

The finished beer should be a deep reddish amber, with a pinkish cast to it. The rich full malt character should be balanced by both moderate hop bitterness and some tannins from the tea; alcohol strength will be right about 5.5%. Rooibos has a floral and fruity aroma and flavor, which will hopefully show nicely.

Ramotswe Red will go on tap after either Feastbier Pumpkin Ale or Pork Chop Bockbier runs out, whichever is first. Cheers!