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First Brew: Irish Red going well?!

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joshkellogg

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Hey there Home Brew Talk,
A little over a month ago, I started brewing my first beer, an Irish Red from a Northern Brewers kit. I have the glass carboys. I posted a question about fermentation and literally instantly was bombarded with responses. Thanks to everybody's advice, my Irish Red seems to be coming along swimmingly. Because this is my first batch, and I am ignorant, I used little to no science to brew this Irish Red. A thermometer is about it. Based on some advice I received, I have purchased a hydrometer for use with batch #2. Call it beginner's luck, but I "tested" a bottle that I chilled tonight, and I think it's coming along fine.
The process in a nutshell involved adding yeast at slightly too warm of a temp (again little to no science), primary fermentation for about a week and a half, secondary fermentation for about a week and a half, and bottle conditioning (so far) for a week and a half. My only criticism was a (very) slight sour taste, not too far from the desired taste of an Irish Red. Sourness could be from any number of my non-scientific processes, including a higher temp for pitching yeast, but again, the beer's not quite done. Carbonation is coming along fine. The main purpose of this post is to thank and update everyone who has helped me sofar. A quick question- how long do we chill beer typically before drinking? I'm satisfied with the taste, especially since this is my first go at it, but would like to know how long to chill before drinking and possibly sharing?

Thanks everybody.
 
The beer is still young. Give it another week or two. Then pop a couple in the fridge for a few days and enjoy. Congrats on your first brew!
 
No need to secondary an Irish Red or most ales. Three weeks in primary at about 64*, 3 weeks in bottle at 70*. This is a GENERAL statement.
 
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