Hacker’s Knuckle ESB Gets Nod of Approval
So, I took a couple of 1/2 gallon growlers of the Hacker’s Knuckle ESB to a barbecue on Friday, and Matt gave it the nod of approval. I have to admit I was surprised myself. It was yeasty, but aside from that it was damn good.
The yeasty part will probably subside. What happened was, while it was still in the carboy fermenting, I took a refractometer reading. Don’t do this. Turns out, alcohol greatly affects the readings, which makes perfect sense. I thought I had a stuck fermentation, so I shook up the carboy to wake up the yeast. Then I realized my mistake in using the refractometer, and took another reading with a hydrometer. Turns out I had nailed the final gravity. I kegged it only minutes later… with some yeast still in suspension. This probably explains some of the yeastiness.