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Grimm · 03-24-2010, 12:49 PM

Well it's been 33 days since I brewed my first home brew, a True Brew Kit IPA. Last night my co-brewer of the beer and I cracked the first one open. It hadn't been chilled for very long but the carbonation was good, could have used probably more time in the fridge from what i have read but still it wasn't bad. The beer was deep in color and a bit murky. with a nice off white creamy head that left some slight lacing on the glass as we drank it. There really wasn't much of an aroma, malt and hints of anise. It tasted good though, again a bit malty with a good wet bitterness, not to dry, and finished rather smooth, silky to the mouth. Sadly when we brewed this I wasn't quite fully aware of the importance of gravity readings so I have no idea what the ABV% is but after having one pint each we both were feeling a slight buzz from it.

All in all I was impressed by this first brew, I can't say it's a favorite but it's sure is good and I sure am happy I still have 20+ bombers of this to go!

SporkD2 · 03-24-2010, 02:21 PM

It only gets better from there!

coastwx · 03-24-2010, 03:02 PM

Congrats! The first tasting of each new batch is certainly something that is exciting and fulfilling. I'm pretty new too at around 10 batches since Nov (might hit my annual limit pretty quick at the rate I'm going). I'm still at a point where 3-4 bottles disappear for some reason before full conditioning :-)

One thing I started doing over the last 5-6 batches is stashing 6-10 bottles in a beer cache, so I can re-taste months down the road and compare with newer batches as my experience and beer improves. Each weekend I treat myself to one of these aged beers. It's nice to have a wide variety to choose from. Last weekend I had a rye PA that was brewed 3 months ago and it was twice as good as I remembered. At any rate, congrats again!

Grimm · 03-24-2010, 07:05 PM

thanks guys so far i am loving the new hobby. and i will definitely tuck some away and age them. I have a few microbrews aging as well so they will all just chill together.

indeedproceed · 03-24-2010, 07:15 PM

I had a similar experience with mine. I brewed/bottled before I ever read this, so mine was being drank about 2 weeks after initial brewing. Wasn't close to long enough, but it wasn't terrible...and it didn't get one single bad review from the 10 or so people who tried it.

Now I'm brewing my second (and last) TrueBrew kit...and I'm taking my time.

Monty420th · 03-24-2010, 07:17 PM

congrats on the first batch!!! and it will only get better from here on out

always remember this (taken from someone signature on this forum, can't remember the name but I still give him credit for it)

you never have a bad batch of beer, only limited edition offerings

Grimm · 03-24-2010, 07:53 PM

Well tomorrow after work I'll be treating my co-workers to a sampling. They all have been very supportive and intrigued by this new hobby of mine and every week they have been asking when it will be ready. So tomorrow i will have my first mass tasting (like 5-6 people) and see what the consensus is. Two of them are already looking into getting their own brew kits and getting into this hobby as well. I think, based on how good my beer is, it will push them into it.

postban · 03-24-2010, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grimm

...
All in all I was impressed by this first brew, I can't say it's a favorite but it's sure is good and I sure am happy ...

that is success right there, good luck with #2, 3, 4.......

cheers!

Brocster · 03-24-2010, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grimm

Well it's been 33 days since I brewed my first home brew, a True Brew Kit IPA. Last night my co-brewer of the beer and I cracked the first one open. It hadn't been chilled for very long but the carbonation was good, could have used probably more time in the fridge from what i have read but still it wasn't bad. The beer was deep in color and a bit murky. with a nice off white creamy head that left some slight lacing on the glass as we drank it. There really wasn't much of an aroma, malt and hints of anise. It tasted good though, again a bit malty with a good wet bitterness, not to dry, and finished rather smooth, silky to the mouth. Sadly when we brewed this I wasn't quite fully aware of the importance of gravity readings so I have no idea what the ABV% is but after having one pint each we both were feeling a slight buzz from it.

All in all I was impressed by this first brew, I can't say it's a favorite but it's sure is good and I sure am happy I still have 20+ bombers of this to go!

Congrats!!!!!! Any beer you make is a great beer, and there are never any mistakes, just lessons learned!

tozebeach · 05-20-2010, 12:04 AM

Grimm, what was the consensus on this IPA kit when you had your tasting session? I recently brewed this as my first brew ever and am curious what to expect. I read someone else on this forum describe this beer as "similar to newcastle" and that scares me a lot. I added an additional 1 oz of cascade to the boil (half @ 30, half @ 2 mins) and I did not add the wood chips because I don't care for smokey beers. Am planning on dry-hopping 2 oz cascade for 2 weeks in my secondary. Waiting is hard...still not even a week yet into my primary. By the way...I really enjoyed your website. Good to see pics especially when you brewed the same beer as I did...so I know what to expect now.