First brew bottled! I'm super happy.

[ConAcide]

I bottled my first brew on Saturday, cracked one open this morning to try it out and I love it. I know that it'll taste like a totally different beer in a few weeks, but right now it tastes very similar to a blue moon, which is what I was going for. On the back end, there's a slight almond-y flavor.

I like homebrewing so much that I'm starting my second batch after work today. My biggest advice to all new hombrewers is this: RDWHAHB -- Relax, don't worry, have a home brew. My biggest mistake was that I got curious several times and popped open my bucket. Had a big infection scare (luckily no infection), and now I'll never open my fermenter until it's time to bottle. Good luck, guys!

 

[flars]

Congratulations on your first beer.

You will need to open the bucket a couple of times before bottling, just spray Starsan around the rim for sanitizing. Check the specific gravity after about two weeks, and then again in a few days to see if final gravity has been reached. FG has been reached if both hydrometer readings are the same.

 

[SnakeRidge]

Congrats! I'm a big fan of 'sampling' at any time point in the process!

 

[ConAcide]

Congrats! I'm a big fan of 'sampling' at any time point in the process!

I sampled my beer in primary and it tasted wter-y. Worried the hell out of me. As it turns out, apparently that's just part of the fermentation process.

 

[Sailingeric]

Once you get a pipeline going it will be easy to let them sit and do their conditioning. But I still open one a few days after bottling to sample.

 

[justenoughforme]

... i had the same watery taste fears, butr once it's finished, it tastes so much better. really pleasant

 

[emclinux]

^^ recently did a 5 gallon and I too get the watery taste but at the end of the 2 weeks it filled out. Looking forward to bottling this weekend myself