Forgotten Ale...

[monk]

I was cleaning out the "brew closet" this weekend and found an box of pints I had completely forgotten about. I chilled a bottle and truly didn't know what the beer was until I tasted it. It turned out to be my Orchard ale, which I brewed as an experiment and forgot about for ~6 months. It has aged REALLY well.

I live on Orchard Avenue, and across the road and down a ways is an abandoned orange orchard from years past (i live in orange county, California). I used orange peels scavenged from the orchard, as well as a pound of local orange blossom honey to make this 2.5 gallon batch of ale. I'm really amazed at how it's turned out...

Anyone else experiment with local goods to make a brew?

monk

[bitter_dave]

I'm in Sussex, where there are still hop farms, so I may have inadvertently brewed with locally grown hops

[subsub]

My Grandad gave over a field to barley growing in 1985, took the produce to the local malters and brewed with it

[monk]

There's something really cool about using produce you grew yourself (or stole from bees yourself). Even just knowing that the produce came from your neighborhood is cool in my opinion.

[iowalad]

My water is sourced locally!

I could only come up with honey as well (do one a year). I don't make my own but buy local.