First Batch Tasting

Just like any newbie, I was so anxious to try my first brew. It's been in the bottle a week and I wanted to see how the carbonation was progressing but I enjoyed it so much that I popped another. I need to get a grip.

This was an American Light Ale kit from morebeer that used only Cascade hops. As this is my first homebrew, it's really difficult to know if it tastes right. I mean, I like it just fine but it tastes nothing like any beer I've ever had. Are there any commercial or highly distributed micro brews that use a lot of Cascade so I can compare it? It definitely has the citrusy taste and smell that everyone told me Cascade would impart.

The kit recipe was 6lbs ultralight LME, 8 oz Crystal 15L grains, Cascade .5oz bittering, 1oz aroma, Safale 04... 1 week in primary, 2 in secondary, solid 68dF ambient temps.

Bobby

Bobby_M said:

Just like any newbie, I was so anxious to try my first brew. It's been in the bottle a week and I wanted to see how the carbonation was progressing but I enjoyed it so much that I popped another. I need to get a grip.

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No grip required...if you enjoyed it, there's no reason to wait any longer. I might advise trying to keep a few of bottles around to try after 1, 2, and 3 months, so you can get an idea of what a little age will do for your brew.

As far as commercial brews that use Cascades, I can't think of any specifically, but look for an American Pale Ale or American IPA.

Well, like others, I couldn't wait either. I popped to of my one week in the bottle American Amber from BB and I had a good pssst sound when I cracked it open, poured in a glass and low and behold, it looked and smelled like beer. Tasted it and shazaam!!! Houston, we DON'T have a problem. I could tell it wasn't quite ready to go yet, but drinkable. I did detect a couple of off flavors. Will have to explore that this weekend when the rest has been bottled for two weeks total. One good thing, the wife absolutely loved it. She said this was better than anything we could get at the store. In fact, she liked it so much, she suggested start kegging here pretty soon!!!! I'm HAPPY!!! One thing to all the other beginners, I made a few mistakes also, but let me be the first to tell you that beer is very forgiving.

Hey Grog, sounds like we're in the same boat so I'd like to suggest we swap a bottle each of our first batch and compare notes. Mine is in 16oz PET bottles so you'll get an extra 4oz out of the deal which is good or bad depending on how much you like the brew.. PM me.

Bobby

American Light Ale kit from morebeer that used only Cascade hops

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Off hand, I can't think of any commercial beer to compare this to. Many microbrews use Cascade, but they aren't making American Lights. Companies that make american lights, don't use enough hops to notice.

Deschutes' Mirror Pond Pale Ale is all cascade & might be the closest.

Just a quick update. At just over 2 weeks in the bottle, the Light American Ale is mellowing out nicely and I'm finally able to understand what you guys meant by "green beer". If any of you fellow beginners taste your beer before the 2 week mark, leave it alone and wait.

The most obvious beer for 'oh that's what cascades taste like' is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. That will probably taste relatively similar to the recipe you gave in the OP. SNPA has some darker crystal in it I think, but they'll at least be more similar than they are different.

Bobby_M said:

Just a quick update. At just over 2 weeks in the bottle, the Light American Ale is mellowing out nicely and I'm finally able to understand what you guys meant by "green beer". If any of you fellow beginners taste your beer before the 2 week mark, leave it alone and wait.

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I think all new brewers should taste one of their beers after a week. Then remind yourself that it is still green. Then wait another week and taste one. You will get an idea what green beer is. Then wait a bit longer if you can. Try to keep a few around for a couple of months (the hardest part for me) to see what they become. I've found that brewing another batch keeps me out of the beer closet, I mean conditioning room, for longer periods.

Yes, that's a good point. I think what I meant was, don't judge your entire batch on the taste of a green brew. It has tought me a great deal about patience.

I'll definitely try some SNPA to compare but I also just found a brewpub example. I'm in Seattle on business for a couple days and just got a beer sampler at Rock Bottom. One of the brews was a pale ale that used all Cascade and it tastes exactly like the batch I was discussing in the OP. I've also found that a Cascady brew is an aquired taste. The three guys I was with thought it tasted horrible... Right, more for me.

Side bar; I also just tasted a local Washington brew: Redhook ESB and I love it. My next batch will probably be a clone of it.

Yuri_Rage said:

No grip required...if you enjoyed it, there's no reason to wait any longer. I might advise trying to keep a few of bottles around to try after 1, 2, and 3 months, so you can get an idea of what a little age will do for your brew.

As far as commercial brews that use Cascades, I can't think of any specifically, but look for an American Pale Ale or American IPA.

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I read that Anchor Steam uses Cascades, which is probably why I can't stand it.

jar said:

The most obvious beer for 'oh that's what cascades taste like' is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. That will probably taste relatively similar to the recipe you gave in the OP. SNPA has some darker crystal in it I think, but they'll at least be more similar than they are different.

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WHAT??? I thought SNPA was the classic Perle taste!?!? I hate Cascades and love SNPA.

BrewmanBeing said:

I read that Anchor Steam uses Cascades

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I thought they used Northern Brewer

Bobby_M said:

Side bar; I also just tasted a local Washington brew: Redhook ESB and I love it. My next batch will probably be a clone of it.

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Redhook ESB is one of my all time favorites, they used to make a beer called Ballard Bitter which I enjoyed even more. I do think that ESBs are a bit of an acquired taste for most Americans.

Who am I fooling. I love all beer. Pilsners, Stouts, IPAs, ESBs, Even the occasional Rolling Rock. Did I mention Barleywine? Oh, yeah and a nice Belgian Ale. Oh and HeffeWeissen and lambics.... I'm sure I've missed a few. I guess I just like beer.

BrewmanBeing said:

WHAT??? I thought SNPA was the classic Perle taste!?!? I hate Cascades and love SNPA.

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LOL! I guess you don't hate cascades! from Sierranevada.com :
"Our most popular beer, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, is a delightful interpretation of a classic style. It has a deep amber color and an exceptionally full-bodied, complex character. Generous quantities of premium Cascade hops give the Pale Ale its fragrant bouquet and spicy flavor."

dantodd said:

Redhook ESB is one of my all time favorites, they used to make a beer called Ballard Bitter which I enjoyed even more. I do think that ESBs are a bit of an acquired taste for most Americans.

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If I was stranded on a deserted island and had to live with one beer, it would probably have to be Redhook's ESB.
But I don't think it's a proper example of a traditional ESB. It's not very bitter. In fact the bottle used to say Extra Special Beer under ESB. I just took a look at a bottle and it doesn't say that anymore.

undermind said:

LOL! I guess you don't hate cascades! from Sierranevada.com :
"Our most popular beer, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, is a delightful interpretation of a classic style. It has a deep amber color and an exceptionally full-bodied, complex character. Generous quantities of premium Cascade hops give the Pale Ale its fragrant bouquet and spicy flavor."

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Well dag nabbit and call me a frog leg.

SNPA used to taste way better though.

So I was up in the company hospitality suite last night again and had another couple (or 4) Redhook ESB's and I'm in love. Then just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating, I grabbed a SABL (sam adams) for a comparison. Now, this was my BMC stepping stone brew so I know how it tastes and the ESB is so much better to me. I thought it was actually closer to the SA Oktoberfest, which I also like quite a bit.

I'm really struggling to pick my next batch because I don't want to end up with too many similarly tasting batches in a row and I haven't had the opportunity to taste my batch #2 and 3. I think I'll start a new thread on this topic though because it's going off topic a bit. ------here-----> https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?p=141792

Bobby_M said:

Then just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating, I grabbed a SABL (sam adams) for a comparison.

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Well, that's a little like comparing Selma Hyack to Jenna Elfman. They're both yummy but very different women... er. I mean beers.

dantodd said:

Well, that's a little like comparing Selma Hyack to Jenna Elfman. They're both yummy but very different women... er. I mean beers.

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Yes, but in the mainstream commercial beer world, they're similar. Usually beers are self-proclaiming leaning one way or the other, amber or pale. But SA and the Redhook are similar in that they're down the middle which is a little unique on Safeway shelves.

undermind said:

But SA and the Redhook are similar in that they're down the middle which is a little unique on Safeway shelves.

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I don't think of Boston Lager as between a pale and a red really.

One of the best things you can do to improve your homebrew is, let it age. That's not very easy to do, especially when you're first starting out. But there are some things you can do to help.

I'm a big fan of brewing two batches in a day. Twice the beer means twice the fun! But you do have to have an extra fermenter to pull that off. If you can't do that, do two batches back to back. The goal is to build up enough cases of beer that you can slow down a bit and let the stuff age.

I was down to one case of homebrew at one point this summer. I've brewed 6 batches since then, so now I've got 8-9 cases of beer aging in the basement/fridge.

It's really hard to wait for the first taste of a brew. I have to admit, I always crack one open after 14 days in the bottle. But after the initial taste, I'll let the rest of the beer age for at least a couple more weeks before drinking it in earnest.

good luck, brew often, and be patient.

andre the giant said:

good luck, brew often, and be patient.

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Sounds like the best advice I've seen anywhere.