Well, I am now the proud father of my first homebrew. I would smoke a cigar, but I'm drinking some awesome beer and that would ruin it.
It was a full boil extract + steeped grains recipe from Midwest (Irish Red), with tips from Palmer and people on this site. So thanks, everyone, for all the support. This is such a great hobby, made better by the magnanimous spirit of beer drinkers!
So anyway, I forgot to take an OG reading, but based on estimated OG of recipe and FG readings, ABV is probably around 4%. Perfect for summer afternoons.
Quite pleased with the color and clarity. I gave it 2.5 weeks in primary, then 3 weeks in bottles at room temperature. Added 75% of LME near end of boil, as Palmer suggests. Also added a cup of honey at 30 mins for the hell of it.
About 3/4 inch head, then dissipates to what you see above, with nice lingering froth swirls on top for duration of drink.
Damn good. Has a very substantial mouthfeel, creamy, full-bodied, all that good stuff.
In other news, I just racked my 2nd brew, Midwest's Imperial Stout, into secondary, as shown here:
After 3 weeks in primary.
Added Champagne yeast per kit instructions. Researched about efficacy, most say it won't do anything, but figured I would just do as the recipe says.
Nearly an inch of slurry. I kept scooping it up into my hands and squishing it between my fingers. Wanted to smear it all over my body, but the wife gave me the stink eye. I had about a half-gallon left over that wouldn't fit into the carboy, so I bottled some and drank some.
It was a full boil extract + steeped grains recipe from Midwest (Irish Red), with tips from Palmer and people on this site. So thanks, everyone, for all the support. This is such a great hobby, made better by the magnanimous spirit of beer drinkers!
So anyway, I forgot to take an OG reading, but based on estimated OG of recipe and FG readings, ABV is probably around 4%. Perfect for summer afternoons.
Quite pleased with the color and clarity. I gave it 2.5 weeks in primary, then 3 weeks in bottles at room temperature. Added 75% of LME near end of boil, as Palmer suggests. Also added a cup of honey at 30 mins for the hell of it.
About 3/4 inch head, then dissipates to what you see above, with nice lingering froth swirls on top for duration of drink.
Damn good. Has a very substantial mouthfeel, creamy, full-bodied, all that good stuff.
In other news, I just racked my 2nd brew, Midwest's Imperial Stout, into secondary, as shown here:
After 3 weeks in primary.
Added Champagne yeast per kit instructions. Researched about efficacy, most say it won't do anything, but figured I would just do as the recipe says.
Nearly an inch of slurry. I kept scooping it up into my hands and squishing it between my fingers. Wanted to smear it all over my body, but the wife gave me the stink eye. I had about a half-gallon left over that wouldn't fit into the carboy, so I bottled some and drank some.
Keep brewing so you maintain a full pipeline!
