It is good to be the king, especially when you're Omega King. I finally got around to dry hopping and bottling a portion of the Omega King IPA. I even made labels this time for the bombers I bottled as you can see from the above photo.
The only difference I made in the recipe was to use all 2-row barley for the base malt instead of a mix of 2-row and pilsner malt. With all the hops in the recipe, I don't know if I could even tell the difference.
This beer was originally designed to be a clone of 3 Floyds Alpha King. I'm not sure how close it is, I know I probably tweaked the recipe along the way. I should do a side-by-side taste test to see how it stacks up. The problem is, I don't know if I can get Alpha King in a bottle out here in California. I can't say I've looked for it.
My label uses the font from the Alpha King label; I created my own letters if they didn't appear on the original. The photo was scanned from a Disney book--all the mermaids are singing to the king. Having half a dozen young ladies in bikini tops sing to you is not a bad thing, even if they're half fish. In hindsight I should have photo-shopped a beer in the king's hand--I'm sure he would have been enjoying a nice IPA during the mermaid serenade if it were not a Disney book. Unfortunately the labels are already printed and affixed to bottles. I'll have to make that change for the next run.
At least one of the bombers is going be to sent out to my buddy Pete, who got me to formulate the recipe the first time. He's a big fan of Alpha King, and I wouldn't have brewed this beer if it hadn't been for him. He's got three little girls, so they'll probably enjoy seeing Ariel on the label too.
I've got a case of regular sized bottles ready, so stay tuned to this blog to see how this batch fares in upcoming competitions. The recipe can be found by clicking the "Omega King" link in the first paragraph.
Mermaid Serenade would be a good name for a brew, or a band.
ReplyDeleteYou should've hid the pissboy somewhere in the label.
ReplyDeleteKev, I owe you a call. Thanks for the shout out. And yes, it is good to be King. My petite Princesses, Gigi & Sydney, shreiked "Air-we-al!" when they saw the label. It was very clever and the brew was excellent. I actually think yours is more drinkable. The actual Alpha King has a certain grain bitterness to me. Its either I higher lovibond like CaraMunich OR maybe its the yeast. Either way...I have a new King. And for the record, I have a Cascade American Pale Ale kegged, Milk Oatmeal Stout kegged, and picking up the ingredients for my own run of Omega King, Three Floyds Zombie Dust (yep I have 16 oz of citra), and maybe a gumball head clone with the leftovers. Yes I love me some APA's and Three Floyds. I'm also looking for a good "lawnmower" beer for my wife Lovely Lia. I have some Pilsen and wheat malts, honey malt, and 4 lbs of wisconsin apple orchard honey if Senor Brew or anyone else has any recipe ideas that preferably don't involve a lager. I brew and I blame Kev.
ReplyDelete