I rarely actually talk about brewing beer.

However, today we are making Queen of Cogs. The original version of this beer was the first recipe I ever designed when I started homebrewing in 2010.

It has gone through many iterations. (1/6)

Originally it was Mary Queen of 'Cots, a rosemary and apricot pale ale. I probably brewed close to 10 versions of it in my garage along with my sister. We tested different kinds of apricot (fresh, canned, jams) and different ways of integrating the apricot. (2/6)

Eventually I became a professional brewer and scaled the batch up. The name changed to Queen of Cogs to more fit in with Burnt City's theme. (3/6)

The rosemary was always the most troublesome aspect. It definitely made or broke people's opinion of it. But, in the end, it made a very refreshing spring beer. (4/6)

But then we brewed a pilsner with Spruce Tips and I found it mimicked all the best flavors I got from the rosemary without a lot of the harsher bitter notes.

I got it stuck in my head I wanted to try my old recipe again but swapping out the rosemary for Spruce tips. (5/6)

So that's leads to today's brew. 11 years later the recipe and name are in many ways completely divorced and different from that first recipe I ever made, and yet it is an absolute continuation of what I love about making beer. Can't wait until its ready to drink. (6/6)