I drank my first homebrew on Sunday

[surfingpl]

I drank my first homebrew on Sunday - and it was good! I opened the 22oz bottle and it made that familiar sound of the carbonation gas escaping, sounded nice. I poured it in the glass, and it looked really pretty, it had a nice head on it, not too much - maybe two or three fingers thick. It smelled good. And then I tasted it...wow, it tastes like good beer. I am pretty jazzed about the whole thing. It is a American pale ale DME based recipe that came with my homebrew kit. It was in the fermenter for 2 weeks, and then in the bottles for 3 weeks. I have one in the fridge right now, maybe I'll drink it tonight? Just wanted to share my enthusiasm with other beginners here.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Welcome to the obsession! The first homebrew is friggin awesome.

Now get busy on the next batch because that one will disappear *way* too quickly!

 

[Revvy]

Congrats!!!!

Now get brewing....

 

[surfingpl]

Oh yeah, I'm on it...I bottled the second batch on Sunday also - it's a red ale. I ordered kegging stuff, and it's getting delivered on Thursday. So I'll be making a Kegerator this Sunday I think (I plan on having homebrew available on tap at least most of the time ).

Next up is a steeping grain kit. Not sure where I want to order it from, or what I want to brew, I think I will make a post for some advice on that. It seems like the kits are significantly less expensive online than my LHBS, but the kits online seem to come with LME and I have heard/read that DME is better?

Happy brewing!

 

[riored4v]

Congrats.

I'm still waiting to try my first homebrew. This weekend will be week #2 in bottles, and i can't stand to wait any longer. I'll be popping the cap on 1 of them to atleast try it out.

Then back to brewing my two-hearted and bottling my IPA.

 

[Revvy]

Congrats.

I'm still waiting to try my first homebrew. This weekend will be week #2 in bottles, and i can't stand to wait any longer. I'll be popping the cap on 1 of them to atleast try it out.

If you do, please, please, please don't post an "is my beer infected?" thread if it tastes "funny," or isn't carbed. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just "green."

 

[bigjohnmilford]

congrats and happy drinking.

 

[riored4v]

If you do, please, please, please don't post an "is my beer infected?" thread if it tastes "funny," or isn't carbed. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just "green."

haha no worries Revvy.

In my short stay here, one thing i've learned is to wait atleast 3-4 weeks before posting anything about the beer tasting funny.

I've tried to adopt the whole RDWHAHB (or commercial brew) philosophy

 

[BierMuncher]

Two things:

1) Congrats on a great brew.

B) Get your next batch underway.

4) Stash a few of those bottels away where you'll completely forget about them. Drink one in a few months. Open one on it's 1-year anniversary.

 

[greenleaf]

congrats and ditto...hide some of those beers away. I however do not have the patience

 

[AndrwHock]

Congrats, I just had my first a week back. It was a cream stout with some steeping grains, maybe a bit ambitious for a first brew, but I just had another one and it was fantastic. It was a bit more bitter last week, probably because it was still a bit green, but this one today was awesome. I think I've caught the bug and I'm ordering ingredients for another batch in the next couple of days.

Cheers!

 

[zacster]

Definitely keep the batches coming. I finished my first batch within 2 weeks of it being ready.

I have 2 kits on order that should be here tomorrow, so I'll brew one over this weekend and another over the next assuming the primary fermentation goes well on the first. I only have one primary bucket, but 2 carboys. Even this may not be enough and I may order another 2, that should take me through spring.

 

[surfingpl]

Yeah I just have one glass carboy. I am going to buy a 5 gal to use for secondary. This way I can try out the secondary "fermentation" process, and also I will be able to brew more beer.

 

[Jared311]

Congrats! You have no idea what kind of beast you have released within. My suggestion would be to to try dry hopping your next IPA batch. Usually when you brew an IPA, most of the aroma is lost during the release of cardon dioxide during the fermentation stage. To add the aroma back in you just rack your beer over into a secondary with some fresh hops floating in a muslin bag and you have one amazing smelling IPA!

 

[TexLaw]

Congratulations! You'll always remember your first.


TL

 

[BierMuncher]

Congratulations! You'll always remember your first.


TL

As long as it wasn't immediately followed by your 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th...

 

[DanInMadison]

Congrats on the success.

1) Like others have said, get brewing more.

2) Get your friends started on the hobby as fast as possible. Otherwise, the beer will disappear faster with each batch. My friends used to think home brew would taste bad or off. Now, they keep asking what the next beer will be and when it will be ready.

Dan

 

[RegionalChaos]

Congrats! You have no idea what kind of beast you have released within. My suggestion would be to to try dry hopping your next IPA batch. Usually when you brew an IPA, most of the aroma is lost during the release of cardon dioxide during the fermentation stage. To add the aroma back in you just rack your beer over into a secondary with some fresh hops floating in a muslin bag and you have one amazing smelling IPA!

+1

My first batch is an IPA, and I just sampled a bottle the other night. I was amazed at how the smell was exactly like the hops I dry hopped with. Very aromatic, much more so then a commercial brew. It was great!

 

[brandona33]

Congrats on the first. I just finished drinking my first, and have 30 gal waiting to be bottled. Obsession is not a strong enough word!

On another note...my Mother was over last night and I got her to taste the last bottle of my first brew. She said she was shocked that it actually tasted like beer. I felt like she expected me to mess up or something. Not sure what she expected when I told her I made my own beer!

 

[Count Patron]

I'm looking to buy a kit, where did you get yours from? Anything you dislike about it and feel you need to upgrade? Congrats on your first brews!

 

[Jim Karr]

Williams Brewing in CA has some great kits, Northern Brewer and Austin Homebrew Supply both have great kits, and one low price on shipping!

Williams would probably arrive the quickest to your door.

 

[Count Patron]

Williams Brewing in CA has some great kits, Northern Brewer and Austin Homebrew Supply both have great kits, and one low price on shipping!

Williams would probably arrive the quickest to your door.

http://www.williamsbrewing.com/BREWERY_WITH_AMERICAN_IPA_P1602C73.cfm

So something like that would be a good start?

 

[Revvy]

I'm looking to buy a kit, where did you get yours from? Anything you dislike about it and feel you need to upgrade? Congrats on your first brews!

.

I got mine at my local homebrew shop, but there are plenty places online you can order from...

Here's what you should be looking at.

This is from midwest supplies for about 80 bucks. They range between 70 and 125...depending on where you look...

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=6874

Product Description:
Brewing Starter Kit: This is our most popular brewing equipment kit. This equipment kit provides the essential equipment for the aspiring brewer who wants to make the best beer they can from the start. This is accomplished through two-stage fermentation. Primary fermentation is the first step. During this 5-7 day process, most of the fermentation takes place and by the end of this period most of the particles and solids will settle to the bottom. The second step is transferring the beer in to the secondary fermenter. (7-21 days) Separating the beer from the sediment will result in clearer beer and improve the characteristics of the beer. Beer can condition and clarify in the secondary fermenter for weeks or months depending on the style and strength of the beer. Transferring the beer in to a 5 gallon glass carboy or better bottle will reduce oxidation of the beer. This kit is highly recommended if you intend to brew any high alcohol or lager beers. Brewing Starter Equipment Kit List: Instructional Homebrewing Video or DVD • 71 page instructional book • 5 Gallon Glass Carboy • 6.5 Gallon Plastic Fermenter with Lid 6.5 Gallon Bottling Bucket with Spigot • 8 Oz. of Easy Clean No-Rinse Cleanser • Drilled Universal Carboy Bung Airlock (Keeps air out of the fermenter) • Hydrometer (Determines alcohol content) • Bottle Brush • Carboy Brush • Twin Lever Red Baron Bottle Capper • Bottle Caps • Liquid Crystal Thermometer • Bottle Filler • Fermtech AutoSiphon upgrade • Siphon Tubing • shutoff clamp