Adventures in brewing with Yarrow part 2

Today I moved the yarrow ale from the primary fermenter into a secondary fermenter.  This is done to get the beer off all the sediment that settles out while the beer is fermenting.  Mostly the sediment is yeast that has run its life cycle and settled to the bottom if a beer. If the beer is allowed to sit on the bed of yeast for too long, then the yeast starts autolyzing (eating itself).  This is not a good thing and makes the beer taste funny (Think cheesy beer).  

So, this move is always a reason for excitement, because it is the first chance I get to steal a little taste and see how the beer is shaping up.  I was especially excited for this batch since I've never brewed with Yarrow before and guessed at how much was needed and how long it should be boiled during the brewing process.  I'm happy to announce that the beer is tasting very nice.  It has a great yarrow aroma that hits your nose as you put the glass to your mouth and again in the aftertaste.  The yarrow provides a nice amount of bittering to balance out the sweetness of the hops.  The wheat malt I used is also adding to the flavor with a nice nutty flavor.  Mmmmm  this is making me thirsty...

For the homebrewers out there, after 7 days the gravity is now 1.022.  It should get down to about 1.015 when it is done fermenting.  For the non-homerbrewer out there specific gravity is the weight of a liquid compared to water.  So the starting weight of 1.060 tells us it was .06 units heavier than water.  A good portion of the sugars in the starting liquid have now been eaten be the yeast, which creates alcohol and carbon dioxide and in the process makes the weight of the liquid lighter.  When the number stops dropping, you know the beer is done fermenting.  This is handy because if you bottle beer before it is done fermenting, then you end up with nice little glass shrapnel bombs.

In another week or two it will be ready to bottle.  I can't wait to taste it completely fermented, cold and carbonated.