Bittersweet first beer

[griffondg]

My first beer was an extract kit from Brewers Best for an American Pale Ale and it spent 1 week in primary, 3 weeks in secondary and a week in the bottle and well...it tastes fairly sweet and bitter. Not good, not terrible but if I ordered it in a bar i'd send it back. I know it's only been a week in the bottle and it SHOULD get better, but I guess I've been so looking forward to tasting it that I'm kind of bummed. Especially after I had a SNPA the other night and thought "THIS is beer!" I'll try a second bottle at two weeks and every week after.

My OG was 1.048
FG 1.015

Eric

 

[BlindLemonLars]

One word of advice: wait!

Okay, a few more words. You'll be shocked how much better your beer tastes after a few more weeks in the bottle. It will continue to improve for some time to come. In my experience, the hoppier the beer the longer it takes for the flavors to meld and mellow. The transformation will be quite dramatic.

I recently made a SNPA clone recipe that is similar to the kit you're describing. I force carbed it for a few days, poured a sample and could hardly drink it. Three weeks later, it tastes FANTASTIC and compares quite favorably to the genuine article. (Of course it's almost gone too! )

 

[griffondg]

Thanks for the encouragement. I know, RDWHAHB

 

[david_42]

And take notes on each test. It's good to be able to review your perceptions of the brew as it matures.

 

[IndyPABrewGuy]

That's the kit that I started with! Trust me, wait at least two more weeks. I know, personally I had an issue with wanting to taste what I made, so by the time it was good, I only had like a case left because I was tasting it every few days.

Just be patient. Hell, in the mean time, brew some more beer. It's a good way to kill the time. That's how I ended up with a second fermenter. Ha!

Cheers,

 

[griffondg]

Thanks Dave, I'm glad to hear that.

I'm going to brew another batch once my new brewpot gets here that I ordered off Amazon.com. The hardest part is figuring out what to brew next! I've changed my mind about half a dozen times.

Eric

 

[DeathBrewer]

well, just brew a half dozen beers! then you can just choose at random which one you want next...flip a coin or something...

 

[coyotlgw]

Thanks for the encouragement. I know, RDWHAHB

Man, why do I keep forgetting that part?

 

[DeathBrewer]

cuz you're out of homebrew? that would be the only way i could forget

 

[IndyPABrewGuy]

I'm new to the site, guys. What's RDWHAHB? Wait, think I figured it out . . . .
Relax. Don't worry. Have a homebrew?

Nice, much easier to type. Sorry, off topic.

Are you planning on brewing another kit, E, or are you going to go for it with your own recipe? IPAs are always fun. Or go for an amber. I hear ya on the "half dozen ideas" issue. I'm pretty sure my fermenters are booked through the end of the year. May be I"ll just buy a few more . . . . . .

Cheers,

 

[homebrewer_99]

Right off the top of my head I'd say you bottled too early.

Your brew shouldn't be done until it reaches 1.012, not 15. That's 3 more points.

Patience is not only a virtue, but it's a must when it comes to homebrewing.

 

[griffondg]

Hey Homebrewer_99, I see we live in the same neck of the woods. I lived in Moline for 25 years and moved to Bettendorf a year ago.

As to your point of bottling too early I kinda knew that, but it didn't budge for about a week so I went for it anyway.

I'm actually debating between a Hobgoblin clone, a Blue Moon clone and Duvel clone for my next brew. Once I get a few more brews under my belt I'll start devising my own recipes. I'm also going to make the switch to AG. Why? Because it sounds fun I really like to cook and everything I make is from scratch so I kinda look at brewing the same way.

Eric