Hi again everyone,
I think I'm getting hooked. I recently bottled my second extract batch.
My first batch was a 4 year old Northern Brewer kolsch kit. The LME was brown and oxidised; the wort had more of a light porter look to it; I boiled it on an old coil hot plate which took forever; cooked as a "partial boil", but the boiling took so long in between steps that I had to add additional time; I pitched the cheapest available yeast (S-04); the wort clarified well, but still had a brown color; it was my first brew; I sanitized my bottles with a trifle too much bleach; and I drank half of the experiment before it had even carbed properly. 3 weeks later, it's still has a slight taste of sweet sherry mixed with wet cardboard, but it's drinkable. Started at about 1.055 and finished around 1.012.
My second batch was a "Bavarian" Hefeweizen extract kit from RiteBrew. I bought a 1800 watt induction cooker from scAmazon, which cut my boil time while using more water, from several hours (only 2.5 gallons) to less than 45 minutes (over 3 gallons). It was all fairly fresh DME, so the wort color looked like it should. The wort came back to temp quickly with the induction cooker and made the whole process super simple. It was also about 10 degrees F outside, so it cooled off down to 75ish F in about 45 minutes too. Pitched rehydrated WB-06 yeast with a SG of 1.042 and had yeast farts in a matter of hours and left at around 64 F for 11 days. When I bottled, I had an FG of 1.006. The samples my wife and I had were excellent, like mixing a good Hefeweizen with a good Belgian Triple - malty, banana-y, spicy, slightly dry with a bit of sweetness and a slight kick. It's going to be hard to try not over taste-testing this batch. For science.
My next batch is going to be an 80 Shilling Scottish Ale extract kit, again from RiteBrew. I'm glad I have two fermenting pails, as it seems to take a week or two for the scent of the last batch to leave the pail. I think if I end up changing anything sooner than later it'll be to either buy way more pails or to upgrade to a 6+ gallon stainless fermenter. I'm not there yet, but if I stick at this I may need something a bit more resilient.
I think I'm getting hooked. I recently bottled my second extract batch.
My first batch was a 4 year old Northern Brewer kolsch kit. The LME was brown and oxidised; the wort had more of a light porter look to it; I boiled it on an old coil hot plate which took forever; cooked as a "partial boil", but the boiling took so long in between steps that I had to add additional time; I pitched the cheapest available yeast (S-04); the wort clarified well, but still had a brown color; it was my first brew; I sanitized my bottles with a trifle too much bleach; and I drank half of the experiment before it had even carbed properly. 3 weeks later, it's still has a slight taste of sweet sherry mixed with wet cardboard, but it's drinkable. Started at about 1.055 and finished around 1.012.
My second batch was a "Bavarian" Hefeweizen extract kit from RiteBrew. I bought a 1800 watt induction cooker from scAmazon, which cut my boil time while using more water, from several hours (only 2.5 gallons) to less than 45 minutes (over 3 gallons). It was all fairly fresh DME, so the wort color looked like it should. The wort came back to temp quickly with the induction cooker and made the whole process super simple. It was also about 10 degrees F outside, so it cooled off down to 75ish F in about 45 minutes too. Pitched rehydrated WB-06 yeast with a SG of 1.042 and had yeast farts in a matter of hours and left at around 64 F for 11 days. When I bottled, I had an FG of 1.006. The samples my wife and I had were excellent, like mixing a good Hefeweizen with a good Belgian Triple - malty, banana-y, spicy, slightly dry with a bit of sweetness and a slight kick. It's going to be hard to try not over taste-testing this batch. For science.
My next batch is going to be an 80 Shilling Scottish Ale extract kit, again from RiteBrew. I'm glad I have two fermenting pails, as it seems to take a week or two for the scent of the last batch to leave the pail. I think if I end up changing anything sooner than later it'll be to either buy way more pails or to upgrade to a 6+ gallon stainless fermenter. I'm not there yet, but if I stick at this I may need something a bit more resilient.
![Craft A Brew - Safale S-04 Dry Yeast - Fermentis - English Ale Dry Yeast - For English and American Ales and Hard Apple Ciders - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [1 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41fVGNh6JfL._SL500_.jpg)
