I was hooked before tasting my first batch

[RyboFlav]

I just tried my first batch after it was bottle conditioned for only a week, and I must say I'm even more hooked!

I had tried some kit brews in the past that were decent, but nothing to write home about. This time is different.

It's basically a bastardization of a Pilsner Urquell clone, so I'm calling it Pilsner Urkel.

I went to the brew shop told the lady working there that I wanted something for a BBQ I'm hosting this summer, so it has to be approachable by "the masses" since there will be a lot of Coors light drinkers there. So we decided on a Pilsner Urquell clone recipe that she scaled back the hops on.

When I brewed it everything went fairly well. I didn't take any gravity readings or anything, I mashed a touch higher than I wanted to (158F), and my chill time was sub-par (roughly 2hrs to get to pitching temp)

On top of that I didn't know anything (at the time) about proper fermentation temps for lagers (Saflager S-23 yeast) and fermented it around 66°F. I left it in the primary for 4 weeks and did a poor job cold crashing it by putting it in my laundry tub in water that I would randomly throw ice into to try to get the temp down.

So even with all this, the beer still turned out delicious, even if it has a little chill haze. My untrained palate can't really tell it is even homebrew

So the moral of the story is that I am super excited for the hefeweizen and belgian wit I have in primary right now. Because if flying by the seat of my pants produces beer this good, I can't imagine how future batches will turn out.

 

[usfmikeb]

Good to hear success on the first batch! Watch out, this hobby is addictive. Next thing you know, you'll find yourself up in the middle of the night designing the DIY parts of your next equipment upgrades.

At least, that's what happened to me!

 

[alenub]

 

[RyboFlav]

Haha, nice... I didn't really think I was being too original, but the name fit

 

[RyboFlav]

Good to hear success on the first batch! Watch out, this hobby is addictive. Next thing you know, you'll find yourself up in the middle of the night designing the DIY parts of your next equipment upgrades.

At least, that's what happened to me!

So is it a bad thing that I'm already contemplating making an immersion chiller and I keep my eyes open for used corny kegs?

 

[Clann]

Nope, keep brewing and looking for anything you can use that will be brew related.

Welcome to the obsession

 

[AustinBrewDawg]

That's an impressive amount of carbonation for only 1 week in the bottle. I just cracked open one my first on Saturday (a blonde ale) after only a week. I also had some chill haze and it was still flat. Tasted delicious though. How much priming sugar did you add?

 

[RyboFlav]

I don't remember the exact amount, but I think it was about 150g of dextrose for a 5gal batch. We just went through a few days of mid 20°C days so the heat might have helped it carbonate a little faster than I expected.

I wasn't expecting this much carbonation either, but I just couldn't wait to try it so I figured what the hell? I had no problem waiting while it was in the primary, but once it was in the bottle it became a beer

 

[onipar]

Sweet!

I know exactly what you mean. my first batch is Still bottle conditioning (only a day so far) and I'm hooked too. I can only hope the first batch will come out good at this point, but I've already been planning the next brew, considering DIY projects, and looking for deals on more equipment.