Brewing Confidence

[frankjconway]

I took a 2.5 year leave of absence from brewing (had a son and twin daughters in 19 months). My first beer this time around was an IPA from the LHBS and I must say I'm not satisfied with it (bubble gum flavor), but I'm sure that is of my own doing . Anyway, about 2 weeks after brewing that, I got the Pliny clone kit from Austin HBS and brewed that (my first purchase from an online vendor). I was getting bummed about my IPA when I tried my first of the Pliny (early, only 11 days in the bottle). That was promising, although not carbonated much. So about a week later, I am sitting here as I type this looking at my near perfect, almost empty glass of Pliny.

I think I'm rambling right now, but feel like I can conquer the brewing world right now (although I realize that's a silly statement). It feels damn good after a week of having sub-par beer to have something so good. My lessons from this:

1. You'll mess up sometimes, but each batch you'll learn something.
2. Although supporting the local guy is nice, don't be afraid to support the online places. (They are local guy's too - just in a different place.)
3. 17oz of hops in a 5 gallon batch is damn fine

Okay, I'm done rambling now.

 

[Kickass]

Congrats and welcome back.

The bubblegum almost definitely came from the yeast. Keep your yeast profiles and your fermentation temps in check and you’ll find a quick solution to that.

Supporting the online guy: you are correct. I almost exclusively support the online scene because here in Wichita KS we have one LHBS…and it SUCKS!!

Hops, umm, umm, umm; just remember (contrary to what a lot may say) are one aspect of 3 other essential ingredients.

Keep fighting the good fight!!

 

[Frank99]

Don't give us this crap about twins and your "absence from homebrewing." The twins should have certainly increased your homebrew production Just kidding. I have 3 of my own and understand. Welcome Back!

17 oz of hops? OMG

Trying to replicate a Pliny is like an American Idol contestant singing an Elvis tune: You're not going to come close to the original. You're setting yourself up for failure from the start. In any event, your ramblings are a good endorsement for the Pliny kit.