How many of you enjoyed your first

[dryboroughbrewing]

mine wasn't bad, but it wasn't super tasty either, it tasted pretty much like a bland brown ale (which is good since it was a brown ale).

 

[Brewtah]

My first batch: scortched, oxidized, pitched too hot, fermented warm, fermentation too short ........
Second batch: crowd favorite.

 

[RCBIV]

My first was a partial mash pale ale, a recipe from this forum. I was happy with it. Friends really enjoyed it. I want to brew it again, now that I know what I'm doing (sort of).

 

[b-boy]

My first extract was a DIPA. It was great. My first All Grain was a SNPA clone. It was great too. I got lulled into a false sense of security. The 2-3 batches that came after were pretty bad. It eventually got better though.

 

[darrenbrews]

My first brew turned out good even after I made a bunch of mistakes like repitching and opening the lid everyday to see what was happening inside. It was a little rough at first but then I let it condition in the bottles for a few more weeks and it got better with time. I guess Mr Beer kits are hard to screw up. I'm sampling my second batch, it's a Mr Beer Winter Dark Ale, this Saturday. I can't wait and I expect it will be fine. This Sunday I'm doing my first partial mash. I'm very excited but slightly worried that I'll screw it up as it's slightly more complicated than the Mr Beer kits I'm used to.

 

[twalte]

I think it's easy to be super-critical of the first batch, and I was not overly pleased with mine. However, my friend and I were able to rattle off numerous commercial beers that tasted worse, so overall it was a great experience. Knowing that I BREWED IT made it enjoyable, and identifying where I needed to improve my process made it very educational.

I boiled off too much liquid and it was really dark and cloudy (extract added at beginning of boil, did not cold crash). It was at least 7.5% alcohol...more than I like (I use the hydrometer more now to manage OG). However, I learned so much on that batch that I truly enjoyed the experience. I realized the areas of my brewing that needed improvement and it helped steer my research online and in books to improve my processes.

Brew #1: (Red Ale, 5 Gallon Extract with steeping grains, Irish Moss used, overly aggressive 60 minute boil, wort chiller used, no cold crash, no secondary, poor OG monitoring and adjustments)

 

[CircusHooker]

I was glad it tasted like beer...but it wasn't great. It also wasn't a style that I generally like.

 

[kepling5001]

My first batch had an terrible tannin taste due to boiling my grains...I did end of drinking all 5 gals of it though. 2nd batch was meh..not great I picked a wheat which I am not a huge fan of the style. 3rd and 4th = amazing. I'm doing my 5th this weekend which is going to be my first all grain so itll prob turn out bad too haha

 

[DromJohn]

Not an either/or.
My Continental Light Lager was enjoyably quaffable with lot's of problems. While it tasted good enough to be commercial, it was a fizzy, hazy mess.
Only two brews seemed problem free. Every brew has been enjoyable.

IOW, RDWHAHB.

 

[whoaru99]

I think if your first batch was drinkable you should consider it a success.

 

[DirtyOldDuck]

My first batch tasted great. It was an extract kit with specialty grains and it was put together by the LHBS while I waited so it was as fresh as you could hope for with a kit. I started doing AG shortly thereafter, but recently opened a bottle of that first stout. The flavors were still there, but it was a lot thinner than I remembered.

 

[YulebeHoppin]

My first batch was some ingredients from the lhbs loosely fashioned into a recipe. I was about 4 L of water low for the recipe, and it tasted rather boozy. Not horrible, but definitely not what I was looking for. The second batch was one of my best.

 

[jkoegel]

Mine was a BetterBrew kit for Oktoberfest. I brewed it as an ale since I am still not set up for lagering. Even so it came out great, a little yeasty at first but after a couple weeks in the fridge the yeast cake compacted in the bottles and it was awesome. I got a lot of compliments on it.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

My first beer (almost a mr beer level simplistic batch) was a bad beer, it tasted like a less butt BMC. Second beer, was a disaster (mispackaged kit+2 guys who didn't really know what they were doing = 48 bottle bombs) 3rd beer was an enjoyable success (even if it destroyed our fermenter) every beer after that for 2-3 more batches was infected before we figured out it was the bucket. I brewed on my own and the beer I brewed was a smashing success. Everyone who had it enjoyed it.

I guess the moral of my story is don't give up and just keep on brewing.

 

[RIC0]

I brewed my first batch with some drunk buddies about 20 years ago and the first batch turned out like total piss. 2nd batch was great, the 2 batches after that sucked and we quit.

Fast forward 20 years and I got back into it about 6 months ago. First batch was a extract robust porter that I made into a coffee porter and it was dam good. Every batch i've made up till now has been good. The only batch I can complain about is my spiced german ale it has a very low ABV 3.7 % but it still tastes dam good.

I think every batch is a new day in brewing school and this website is the best ever. Internet was not something we had 20 years ago to search for help. Sure woulda helped a couple stoned/drunk dudes to make better brew. Which reminds me dont' get high and shoot hoops with beer boiling on the stove, bad things happen...

 

[smack2000]

My first was a Brewers Best Amber Ale. It was average at best, but I was super excited that it tasted "like beer." I remember drinking the first two in my back yard, and when that little buzz started to come over me, I knew I was hooked on homebrewing.

 

[mcangeli]

I tasted my first brew last night after I checked FG. Granted its not carbed or cold and it still needs a week and a 4 day dry hop, but it was drinkable and tasted like it should.

Can't wait for it to be finished.