2nd time's better!

I put my 2nd batch to bottles yesterday-my Banshee Irish Red. Sampling during the bottling process has made me optimistic that it is going to be great. I dry-hopped the secondary for 1 1/2 weeks, so it has a nice aroma, but the taste is smooth-no harshness (considering it is not even bottled yet). Also like how the color came out, though it is a little more copper colored than I thought it would be. Overall, I am very pleased. In hindsight, however, I should have brewed on the week that I had originally intended, as it will not be ready for turkey day.
I am loving this brew-hobby thing!

I have a red beer that I'm proud too say I brewed,I did the dry hop thing in this beer and it has the best head retention of any of my other batches. The hop notes are great and its smooth drinkin.With recipe tweakin anybody can brew up some kick ass beer..Thank god for home brewing!!

glad to hear your beer came out (preliminarily) well... hope it stays that way (or better yet... tastes better) once it's conditioned.

as for porter's note: I've bottled 2 batches, shattered one, and have my 4th (now my 3rd, damnit!) in a carboy. My first 2 batches both had unbelievable head retention. Guiness has NOTHING on me!

My Brother who gave me all my brew stuff(he was in a car accident and shattered his ankle can't lift a full carboy ) commented on how good my ale retains the head and seemed envious he brewed for over ten years and never got a batch too retain a good head.I brewed him a batch of amber ale for the holidays to enjoy.

Sampled my Red yesterday, and I am very pleased. Though, as I said in the initial post, the color is more copper than I planned, the flavor is great- very smooth though you can taste the steeping grains I used. I am very pleased with the results of dry-hopping. The aroma is just what I was shooting for; Not too strong, but definite, and does not overpower the taste when you drink it.

On a side note, Thanksgiving was the first time that I have brought any of my beers, in this case a sixer of my 1st batch, into the public. Both sides of the family enjoyed a sampling. I was very pleased to see that my brothers really liked it, and want me to make them each a batch for X-mas. At least I know it isn't poison now!