It's official... best beer I've ever made...

Credit to the members of this forum, their experiences, and general knowledge
(well directed or not - LOL), I have so far made two of the best beer I've made ever. My brown ale was an all extract and my pale ale (was supposed to be an IPA), my first attempt at all grain, taste better than any beer I'd ever made when I was first brewing and got out of it 10 years ago. Very clear. Good head, and holds it. I still see some improvements I can make but this stuff is GREAT. The things that have helped me - a wort chiller, an aeration wand (drill driven), and more patience and better/relaxed approached to it all.

So... THANKS!

Congrats, all the hard work and reading have paid off!

I'll pile on to the thank yous...I haven't bottled my first batch yet, but this forum has helped me a ton in all of my research as to what to get and how to do it. Maybe I can make a thread about how good my beer turned out soon too!

munche said:

I'll pile on to the thank yous...I haven't bottled my first batch yet, but this forum has helped me a ton in all of my research as to what to get and how to do it. Maybe I can make a thread about how good my beer turned out soon too!

Click to expand...

Well quit typing and start brewing!

BigB said:

Well quit typing and start brewing!

Click to expand...

I did a batch last weekend, and one the weekend before! I'm bottling #1 this weekend, and putting batch #3 into that carboy!

Wow, this could be a whole thread... what is the best recipe you've aver made?

and was it the recipe? or just that you nailed it and made it wonderful?

Boondoggie said:

Wow, this could be a whole thread... what is the best recipe you've aver made?

and was it the recipe? or just that you nailed it and made it wonderful?

Click to expand...

This time around (originally in then out of homebrewing 10 years ago) I'd say that most of the improvements have come in improved technique by adding a chiller and an aeration wand. I'm able to cool my wort down super fast, 15-20 min (generally less) as compared to about an hour - hour and a half at best 10 years ago. Also, my aeration before generally included my pouring the wort rapidly into the primary and when I switched to a 6.5 gal primary it was even more difficult to aerate. My sanitation was pretty spot on back then so I don't think I'm having issues there. Finally, I have a basement now where I can, without help, keep the temps right around 60-62 degrees and can warm it up and keep it pretty steady. Before it was simply in a closet at the mercy of the ambient air of the house which could fluctuate greatly.

The best beer I ever brewed before was a honey-brown. VERY tasty, ended up somewhere around a 9% ABV. After about 6 months the fusel flavors settled down and it was fantastic. I don't remember the exact recipe but it came in kit form - included dark LME and a pound of honey. The two I've brewed and tried now include to kits from Midwest Supplies - Big River Brown Ale (an extract kit) and Fuggles IPA, an all-grain kit. As I've said I have room for improvement but the results, compared to 10 years ago, are significantly, SIGNIFICANTLY, better.