I hail from Iceland, and didn't get into brewing 'til early August this year. My first two batches were made from unhopped extracts ordered from the US (the two HBS around here only sell some of the tools, Cooper's kits and such); a braggot and some other stuff I made using the rest of the stuff I had left. Both turned out amazingly.
Put off by the insane shipping costs of extracts, I decided to go all grain. Quickly put together MLT from a coolerbox and a SS braid, bought a fairly sized pot, and a bunch of buckets for fermentation. A microbrewery around here sells various Weyermann malts and few types of hops, so I quickly went there to stock up, and ordered some other things from the US (mostly hops from Hops Direct). Five AG batches done, first one turned out pretty good (old ale), but I mashed too high and didn't get enough fermentables. Two pretty light APA, lightly and moderately hopped, so I can ease my friends into the wonderful world of beers; a porter that turned out rather watery, but otherwise nice (still bottle conditioning that one), and most recently, a hefeweizen that'll be bottled in a day or two.
The idea of brewing has been haunting me for at least two years. It wasn't until I had given up on the liquor stores, their steep prices on beer, and lack of quality beers (sorry, but I don't count Carlsberg og Heineken as quiality beers - these are just relatively cheap quaffers in my opinion). For $25 US I can buy ten 17 oz. cans of Carlsberg - or brew 5 gallons of my own (and better, so far) beers.
My favourite styles are definitely strong ales, wheat beers, IPAs and porters.
Well, that's about it. Bottoms up!
Put off by the insane shipping costs of extracts, I decided to go all grain. Quickly put together MLT from a coolerbox and a SS braid, bought a fairly sized pot, and a bunch of buckets for fermentation. A microbrewery around here sells various Weyermann malts and few types of hops, so I quickly went there to stock up, and ordered some other things from the US (mostly hops from Hops Direct). Five AG batches done, first one turned out pretty good (old ale), but I mashed too high and didn't get enough fermentables. Two pretty light APA, lightly and moderately hopped, so I can ease my friends into the wonderful world of beers; a porter that turned out rather watery, but otherwise nice (still bottle conditioning that one), and most recently, a hefeweizen that'll be bottled in a day or two.
The idea of brewing has been haunting me for at least two years. It wasn't until I had given up on the liquor stores, their steep prices on beer, and lack of quality beers (sorry, but I don't count Carlsberg og Heineken as quiality beers - these are just relatively cheap quaffers in my opinion). For $25 US I can buy ten 17 oz. cans of Carlsberg - or brew 5 gallons of my own (and better, so far) beers.
My favourite styles are definitely strong ales, wheat beers, IPAs and porters.
Well, that's about it. Bottoms up!
