First Home Brew

Hello,
I just finished bottling my first home brew and the honest truth is, I'm not sure what beer I've made. I used two, 4 lbs brown malt liquid extract, and two oz of Chinook pellet hops, added three times throughout the initial boil. The reason I ask is because I asked my local brew shop guy for a recipe similar to Arrogant Bastard or some strong ale, and after further reviewing my ingredients, I'm questioning what type of beer I will produce. Does anyone have an opinion on this?

Just extract and 2oz hops??? This is not a kit correct? Did he just tell you boil this and this and thats Arrogant Bastard????

you will produce first-time-beer style beer. Don't worry about the genre, just enjoy and learn from your mistakes for next time!

No, he put in an og and fg, which actually were spot on, and its not like I just put it all in there and that's it. I just don't think it's going to be a strong ale. What do u think, if anything, will this taste like?

Could be close depending on the make up of the brown malt used... that, and the timing of the hop additions. Could be a little lite on the hops (depending on size of brew) but it could end up being a great beer. While I prefer the complexity of a Double Jack over an Arrogant Bastard, the Bastard is a great beer to start out with and one I brew when I have extra Chinook hanging around.

By the way... cool name... Uff da...

norsk said:

Could be close depending on the make up of the brown malt used... that, and the timing of the hop additions. Could be a little lite on the hops (depending on size of brew) but it could end up being a great beer. While I prefer the complexity of a Double Jack over an Arrogant Bastard, the Bastard is a great beer to start out with and one I brew when I have extra Chinook hanging around.

By the way... cool name... Uff da...

Click to expand...

It was mountmellick. And the hop additions were 3/4 oz boil 30 min, 1/2 oz boil 15 min, add the rest no boil. Also could I get advice on what type of beginners mistakes I should look for as far as taste, look? Etc.... I've made it to bottling and everything 'seems' ok, but I plan on doing more batches after this one and I want to learn from any mistakes.

So far you're miles ahead of where I was when I bottled my first brew years ago. If I could go back in time I'd have to say that controlling fermentation temperature is probably the most important variable for beginning brewers. The more beer you brew, the easier it becomes and the more confident you will grow...

Let it sit in the bottles for a few weeks, then a week in the fridge, and you will be drinking your own beer. During my first 6 months or so I was like a little kid waiting to open Christmas presents, checking the beer several times a day and not waiting nearly long enough for all the steps. Then one day you wake up and find that you can make a big, hoppy beer, place it in the fermenting bucket and forget about it for a couple months with no problems. Nowadays, keeping the wife away from checking the beer several times a day is my biggest concern....

Definitely Norsk's point was my big first learning experience. Patience! Resist the urge to bottle that stuff before 2-3 weeks, and wait for 2-3 weeks in bottles before you try it. And put away a few for 3 months (they should be the BEST they'll be at that point).

Patience? Lol. My cousin wants me to bring my first batch over this weekend to try...it's still in primary after only 13 days. I think tasting this far from finished product will teach him patience

It sounds like my first brew just enjoy it knowing you made beer and if it is bad try to make it better next time