Progress???

First, the good: Broc Irish Stout is bubbling away with a nice layer of krausen (the foamy head created by yeast activity during primary fermentation). I noticed airlock activity within the first 24 hours. This means a solid yeast start and (hopefully) good performance.

Next, the okay: Licorice ale ("Dropwater Ale") had a reasonable drop in gravity (1.042 to 1.020) but still less than 3% ABV (alcohol by volume). The "okay" part is that I didn't really taste what I was expecting. I will let it age - time has a way of improving beer. As to the name, Dutch youth make a type of licorice water out of root and laurel called Dropwater. I thought it sounded cool and refreshing.

Finally, the "meh": The spruce ale ("Old Tjikko Ale") had strange performance. Basically, it created less than one percent ABV but fully carbonated while in the carboy. Currently, it tastes like a low sugar birch beer. Not too surprising. I'll give it a couple of more weeks as well. This name: Old Tjikko is a Norway Spruce in Sweden, stated to be the oldest living individual clonal tree (9,550 years old).