General Learning and stuff

I'll have to say, when i first started brewing, a year ago, i got my first basic homebrew set last Christmas. I would go from primary to bottle in 1.5 weeks at the most. i never liked the beer, bought a bigger 5 gal set up, still extract brewing, started getting into using grains and so on. i'll say, most things i brew now are tasting great! but i've also learned to let thing sit in primary & secondary longer. my last ale was in primary for 2.5 weeks and 2nd for about the same. I'm doing my first lager and expecting 1 month pri, and at least 1 month 2nd. i have also been moding recipes mostly for the heck of it. my last ale i was going to do a SNPA clone...but when it came to the hops i was all over the place...started with some hops that i now forget, then i had a few micro-brews with Vanguard, liked what i tasted. so it has some kind that i forgot, vanguard and finished with cascade. i also used Fat Tire Ale yeast for the heck of it. well i tasted it a few days ago and it was still very green...tonight i tasted it, and i think it'll be one of the best! so off to the closet where i wont drink another for at least a month (cross fingers). i brewed a blonde ale back in August, and my girlfriend had the last one last night...i had found it and forgot about it. put it in the frig 3 weeks ago or so, and it was better now then 1.5 months ago! wish i would have kept them all that long! so now my red ale thats awesome is in the same closet as the SNPA not a clone and a irish stout...all waiting to age and taste great! ok...sorry just felt like rambling on...back to making dinner. enjoy new years all!

Sounds like another convert to "patience". Well done, Grasshopper!!

I brewed a Helles back in Nov 06. I drank the last one last night. It's been in the fridge over 6 months. Very nice.

Had a couple shots of the 2003 Bog Water last night. Just keeps getting better.

I'll second the patience angle. My first drinkable beer spent two months in the primary (one month at ferment temp and the next at ~40F) due to extenuating life circumstances. When I finally kegged it and tried it several weeks later it was by far one of the best brown ales I have ever tasted.

Six brew sessions later I decided to try and recreate it, so I'm going to do the same thing (with maybe a secondary racking this time) The wife was somewhat bummed when I told her it wouldn't be ready until March, but then I reminded her how good it was the first time and she acquiesced.

As a direct result of that brew I started bottling a case and kegging the rest of my beers so that we will be able to enjoy them throughout the year--that nut brown ale went TOO FAST is was so darn tasty!

Cheers~