My 1st Homebrew

[Lee Shephard]

63EC261E-DD93-4243-9B7B-79C181068F4B

• Lee Shephard
• Sep 10, 2018

This is my very 1st brew! A block party Ale. It came out nicely carbonated and very tasty with...

what was your first ever brew? Was it a success or a failure?
Post a pic and tell us of your your first brewing experience.
My 1st ever Homebrew. A block party Ale. Nicely carbonated with tones of caramel and honey.
Very pleased

 

[myndflyte]

My first brew was many years ago so I have no pictures. But all I can really say about my first homebrew was that it was beer. It was a really simple kit so it wasn't bad but it wasn't great either.

 

[Lee Shephard]

So you must be a seasoned professional by now! What do you consider to be your best ever brew! (I should make this a new thread)

 

[Ronald C Gregory]

63EC261E-DD93-4243-9B7B-79C181068F4B

• Lee Shephard
• Sep 10, 2018

This is my very 1st brew! A block party Ale. It came out nicely carbonated and very tasty with...

what was your first ever brew? Was it a success or a failure?
Post a pic and tell us of your your first brewing experience.
My 1st ever Homebrew. A block party Ale. Nicely carbonated with tones of caramel and honey.
Very pleased

My first was a mead that is still aging from this summer but this is a pic of my first beer just finished carbonation this weekend and a cherry/honey mead with ale yeast I made a couple of months ago that i am currently enjoying

 

[JimRausch]

My 1st was a 'Truebrew Oktoberfest' kit back on 12/26/2011 (Christmas gift). It turned out surprisingly well and hooked me solid into this obsessive hobby. Did I say obsession? I have 20 books on brewing and at any one time might have more than 15-20 separate batches sitting in insulated boxes in my garage.

 

[Ronald C Gregory]

My 1st was a 'Truebrew Oktoberfest' kit back on 12/26/2011 (Christmas gift). It turned out surprisingly well and hooked me solid into this obsessive hobby. Did I say obsession? I have 20 books on brewing and at any one time might have more than 15-20 separate batches sitting in insulated boxes in my garage.

I haven't bought any books yet but I'm on my 5th book for mead and beer already and I am at 6 months or so of brewing. Do you mind sharing what you own book wise. I'm always looking for another book to read

 

[Hopsimus]

My 1st was a 'Truebrew Oktoberfest' kit back on 12/26/2011 (Christmas gift). It turned out surprisingly well and hooked me solid into this obsessive hobby. Did I say obsession? I have 20 books on brewing and at any one time might have more than 15-20 separate batches sitting in insulated boxes in my garage.

Hey, that was my first brew too! I also had it turn out very nice. And, that kit is what started me down the home brew obsession!
Small world.
For me, that was back in May of 2015. I've done about 35 brews since then. I generally only have 1 brew going at a time (often with another bottle conditioning).

Cheers!

 

[small_b_brewing]

My first brew was an extract recipe for a Scottish Ale. Lots of online reading to learn about the process, & had a friend with a couple brews under her belt come over to hang out while I brewed so I could ask questions.
I enjoyed the beer and brewed it again once I had finished it!

 

[Derp]

My first brew was a bottled 5-gallon ESB extract kit from MoreBeer in May of 2010. I've done about a hundred more brews since then, graduating to all-grain, 10-gallon batches fermented in a temperature-controlled chamber and served from a 4-tap keezer. Now I make starters, build my water from RO, and generally know what I'm doing.

 

[Lee Shephard]

My first was a mead that is still aging from this summer but this is a pic of my first beer just finished carbonation this weekend and a cherry/honey mead with ale yeast I made a couple of months ago that i am currently enjoying View attachment 587624View attachment 587625

I like the sound of the Cherry Meade. I bet that tastes delicious ?

 

[Lee Shephard]

My first brew was a bottled 5-gallon ESB extract kit from MoreBeer in May of 2010. I've done about a hundred more brews since then, graduating to all-grain, 10-gallon batches fermented in a temperature-controlled chamber and served from a 4-tap keezer. Now I make starters, build my water from RO, and generally know what I'm doing.

You sound like you really know what you’re doing . A true brewing professional. I am looking to brew a Mosaic Hops and Double Otter fusion. I’m looking for a pale yellow finish with a fruity flavour and a gravity of 6% or above. What tips could you give me to achieve these goals?

 

[Ronald C Gregory]

I like the sound of the Cherry Meade. I bet that tastes delicious ?

It does it has a nice sweet flavor and a tart after bite. It's a good dessert wine

 

[FatCat Brewing]

My first brew was a one gallon extract kit of "Caribou Slobber" from Northern Brewer. Definitely not my best effort but totally drinkable. I have a couple more under my belt since then and each one better than the one before. This has e k.e my hobby/obsession of choice!

 

[VirginiaHops1]

Post a pic and tell us of your your first brewing experience.
My 1st ever Homebrew. A block party Ale. Nicely carbonated with tones of caramel and honey.
Very pleased

Was that the Northern Brewer block party amber ale? That one was my 3rd brew and a pretty good one, I'm still finishing off the last of the bottles. My 1st was the NB Chinook IPA extract kit. Turned out solid, people who tried it said they liked it and I was happy with it for my 1st one.

 

[Enoch52]

I don't have a picture of my first, but it was a Blue Moon clone recipe. My dad's a homebrewer and we both like a Belgian witbier, and that was the only one we knew of. It turned out really well (better than Blue Moon, in my opinion), but if I wanted to really replicate it I would switch the butter orange peel for sweet orange and reduce the coriander.

 

[Derp]

I am looking to brew a Mosaic Hops and Double Otter fusion. I’m looking for a pale yellow finish with a fruity flavour and a gravity of 6% or above. What tips could you give me to achieve these goals?

I assume that the mention of Otter means that you're using Maris Otter? I brewed a clone of a famous-ish Texas IPA, Yellow Rose. It uses all pilsner malt and Mosaic hops and it's pale yellow and very fruity, coming in about 6.7% ABV. I posted the recipe in this Yellow Rose thread:

Mosaic S.M.A.S.H. (yellow rose clone)

 

[VirginiaHops1]

I am looking to brew a Mosaic Hops and Double Otter fusion. I’m looking for a pale yellow finish with a fruity flavour and a gravity of 6% or above. What tips could you give me to achieve these goals?

I'm going to be brewing a Smash recipe with Maris Otter and Mosaic soon, probably next. If color is important to you put your recipe into software and see what the SRM is. I use brewersfriend.com, a lot of people use Beersmith. You can add corn sugar to increase your gravity without imparting any color if you're trying to brew something stronger. I'm not sure if you'll get pale yellow using mostly Maris Otter though, probably more like a golden color. My recipe calculates SRM of 7.

https://www.brewersfriend.com/2017/05/07/beer-styles-srm-color-chart-2017-update/​

 

[IreWay78]

My first brew was a Mangrove Jack's Chocolate Ale extract. Turned out phenomenal, but not without a few errors!! Instead of conditioning the bottles in room temp after packaging, I threw all of the bottles in the fridge for a week!! But after pulling them all out and letting them sit for 2 weeks, I love it!! And so does everyone else that's tried it!! I actually think it helped with the clarity, to be honest! Good luck my friend!! [emoji482][emoji482]

 

[Lee Shephard]

I'm going to be brewing a Smash recipe with Maris Otter and Mosaic soon, probably next. If color is important to you put your recipe into software and see what the SRM is. I use brewersfriend.com, a lot of people use Beersmith. You can add corn sugar to increase your gravity without imparting any color if you're trying to brew something stronger. I'm not sure if you'll get pale yellow using mostly Maris Otter though, probably more like a golden color. My recipe calculates SRM of 7.

https://www.brewersfriend.com/2017/05/07/beer-styles-srm-color-chart-2017-update/​

Thank you very much. Very helpful tip. I will look at Beersmith and Brewers friend.
I love you guys. Always ready to help us newbies.
Lee

 

[Lee Shephard]

My first brew was a Mangrove Jack's Chocolate Ale extract. Turned out phenomenal, but not without a few errors!! Instead of conditioning the bottles in room temp after packaging, I threw all of the bottles in the fridge for a week!! But after pulling them all out and letting them sit for 2 weeks, I love it!! And so does everyone else that's tried it!! I actually think it helped with the clarity, to be honest! Good luck my friend!! [emoji482][emoji482]

Sounds lovely. Didn’t know you could revitalise the fermentation in the bottle after putting them in the fridge?
That’s cool(excuse the pun) I think I put my bottles in the fridge too soon (a fortnight after original bottling) however the beer tastes great! And it carbonated well. I still have half a dozen bottles that have been priming in the shed for about 4 weeks that have not been refrigerated yet. It will be interesting to see how they compare?

 

[IreWay78]

Sounds lovely. Didn’t know you could revitalise the fermentation in the bottle after putting them in the fridge?
That’s cool(excuse the pun) I think I put my bottles in the fridge too soon (a fortnight after original bottling) however the beer tastes great! And it carbonated well. I still have half a dozen bottles that have been priming in the shed for about 4 weeks that have not been refrigerated yet. It will be interesting to see how they compare?

Yeah!! I'm leaving a bunch in the closet to see how they do in the long term. My second batch turned out super nice too!! I wont make that same mistake again!! But I'm glad that it didnt ruin the complete batch!!

 

[Soulshine2]

No pics ,but my first brew was not all that long ago ,about 1 1/2 yrs ago, I actually still have a case left. AG kit from ChicagoBreWerks ,called "Don't Tread on Weiss". Basically this was a really nice Hef and yes it was a great success,still is. Seems it gets better as it ages. I made it for my wife since its her favorite style of beer. When we met , she didn't even like beer. Probably because most of the beer she had come into contact with was the cheap swill brands on the store shelf.

 

[Soulshine2]

Yeah!! I'm leaving a bunch in the closet to see how they do in the long term. My second batch turned out super nice too!! I wont make that same mistake again!! But I'm glad that it didnt ruin the complete batch!!

my beer stays in the 68-70*F basement unrefrigerated (in a cardboard case in the far corner out of any sunlight or drafts)until 2 days before I plan on drinking them. They age up a bit , I think it lets the yeast take its time to carb up appropriately.

 

[IreWay78]

my beer stays in the 68-70*F basement unrefrigerated (in a cardboard case in the far corner out of any sunlight or drafts)until 2 days before I plan on drinking them. They age up a bit , I think it lets the yeast take its time to carb up appropriately.

Have you experimented with alternative priming solutions?

 

[Soulshine2]

Have you experimented with alternative priming solutions?

such as?

 

[IreWay78]

such as?

Syrups, brown sugar, molasses, fructose, etc etc. I've only used fructose and had good results, but want to experiment with other sweeteners such as honey, molasses, or brown sugar to see if the flavor profile changes any. I know it's only a small amount.

 

[Soulshine2]

let me back up and explain what I said before. I left out my reason . When I started brewing I read a lot as I do all my other hobbies before I jump feet first into the deep end. To be clear, I batch prime in the bottling bucket ,let that mix itself as I gently hose rack (whirlpool) the finished ferment into the bucket on top of the priming sugar water. I'll give it a gentle swirl stir with my SS spoon. Bottling wand it into long-neck bottles and cap with a red baron wing capper.

Instructions told me I could drink my beer 2 weeks after bottling. So, naturally I did because I got impatient and it said I could. Who here wasn't excited to taste their first homebrew,right? I found the first few bottles were ok, it was beer but lacked a little something. Maybe it was a bit flat and probably a bit "green" . Nothing bad, mind you, just not optimal. So, as I went through the 2 cases of it I didn't have a dedicated fridge to cool my brews , I had to put them in a few at a time. As I got through it ,the ones that sat out longer at room temp got better. Better carbonation, the head bubbles got tinier ,the flavors developed smoother yet more intense if that makes any sense. I just happened to figure out what worked. It still does. My Oatmeal stout is the same way. First bottles were good. The ones that were allowed to rest as it were, improving nicely , more of what I expected. Head foam is almost like merengue,nice and light but stands firm.

 

[Soulshine2]

Syrups, brown sugar, molasses, fructose, etc etc. I've only used fructose and had good results, but want to experiment with other sweeteners such as honey, molasses, or brown sugar to see if the flavor profile changes any. I know it's only a small amount.

my last brew I put 3/4 lb of local honey into the last 15 minutes of the boil. However, I primed with regular priming sugar (corn sugar?) that came with my kit. Still conditioning . I'm about to leave for a month for a job out of state so I wont get to taste it until I get back, sometime in mid to late October.

 

[Radboud]

My first beer was a Coopers Draught. At the time I thought it was sublime. It was a nasty acetaldehyde bomb.

 

[Lee Shephard]

let me back up and explain what I said before. I left out my reason . When I started brewing I read a lot as I do all my other hobbies before I jump feet first into the deep end. To be clear, I batch prime in the bottling bucket ,let that mix itself as I gently hose rack (whirlpool) the finished ferment into the bucket on top of the priming sugar water. I'll give it a gentle swirl stir with my SS spoon. Bottling wand it into long-neck bottles and cap with a red baron wing capper.

Instructions told me I could drink my beer 2 weeks after bottling. So, naturally I did because I got impatient and it said I could. Who here wasn't excited to taste their first homebrew,right? I found the first few bottles were ok, it was beer but lacked a little something. Maybe it was a bit flat and probably a bit "green" . Nothing bad, mind you, just not optimal. So, as I went through the 2 cases of it I didn't have a dedicated fridge to cool my brews , I had to put them in a few at a time. As I got through it ,the ones that sat out longer at room temp got better. Better carbonation, the head bubbles got tinier ,the flavors developed smoother yet more intense if that makes any sense. I just happened to figure out what worked. It still does. My Oatmeal stout is the same way. First bottles were good. The ones that were allowed to rest as it were, improving nicely , more of what I expected. Head foam is almost like merengue,nice and light but stands firm.

Agreed !

Definitely worth waiting a week or two longer to let the flavours mature and get better carbonation.

“All good things come to those that wait”

 

[VirginiaHops1]

Temperature has a lot to do with bottle carbing times too. And some beers benefit from longer conditioning time, some beers not so much(IPA).

My last 2 batches of IPA I split the bottles between a closet in my brew room(temp high 70s to low 80s) and the fermentation chamber(~66). My intent was to see the difference in carbing times and any affect on taste. As expected the bottles in the closet carbed much faster, in just over a week they were pretty much good to go. The others took 2-3 weeks to fully carb up. I really didn't notice any difference in taste between the two.

 

[GnenieGone]

1st ever was a Falconer Flight PA about 12 years ago during my 1st HB attempts. Sanitation was a secondary thought at the time. Better 2nd time around.

 

[bracconiere]

i believe my first attempt at brewing was a Mr. Beer kit or something similar back in '97 or so...but i knew i loved the 'idea' of making my own, so jumped right into all grain, and kegging..

i was only 17-18 at the time, and my mom bought all the equipment....lol

 

[Hopalong]

I was over the top, gung-ho about brewing during a time when there was nothing to find out about it no where except for in a library. The first book I read about making beer had about nine pages in it. The book was written by a Kangaroon from Australia. The instructions in the book recommended chopping the lids off of a couple of cans of bakers malt and add the syrup to luke warm water, add hops and boil the mixture for 20 minutes, add one pound of table sugar. When cool pour the wort into a crock and add five tablespoons Red Star bakers yeast, cover the crock with a towel to keep out bugs. After 10 days add a teaspoon of table sugar to each bottle and pour in the beer, cap bottles. Keep bottles at 70 to 80F, after 10 days the beer is ready.
Pretty much the same way it's done today. The other eight and a half pages of the book were about smoking a billabong and a game called tie me kangaroos down sport. Then, sometime around 1982 I thought I was dead but I was only in Phx. AZ. sitting in Lunt Avenue Marble Club on Central Ave reading the beer menu when I noticed Thos. Coopers Real Ale, 3 bucks a bottle. I ordered a bottle and noticed there were chunks of stuff floating around in the liquid. My homebrew didn't have chunks or bugs floating around in it so I asked the waitress why the chunks? She said it's the way that real ale is made in Australia and the chunks are vitamins. The book "The King Wears No Clothes" by Hans Christian Anderson instantly came to mind and not wanting to appear like an unworthy, know nothing, dumb ass about kangaroo beer, chunks and vitamins in front of a solid nine I ordered a bunch more Thos. Coopers. I wrote off the chunks as pieces of lint that fell off the towel that covered the fermenting crock. By 8 AM I had a pretty decent buzz on.
I used bakers malt extract before the label on the container was changed to brewers malt extract. Using bakers syrup kept it real because authentic Prohibition style beer was made from bakers malt extract. The best part of the whole thing, my friends thought my beer tasted like crap, I did too, and that's why I let them drink the beer, but later on when I took the stuff to an HB contest everyone liked it. The best part about the first part of the whole thing, when my friends didn't have shekels to buy Ballantine IPA my beer wasn't too crappy.

Malt syrup is the biproduct of tests that are performed on malt. When malt doesn't pass brewers grade standard it's turned into syrup, otherwise, the malt would be heading to a brewery instead of a processing factory. The malt that isn't turned into syrup is used for making whiskey and homebrew.
Marris Otter requires the addition of enzymes to make ale and lager. Marris Otter is used for making whiskey and lacks enzymes needed to make ale and lager. I believe there are four companies producing Marris and one of them is producing low protein malt. Go on line and find out who's making the malt and obtain the spec sheets, the percentage of protein is indicated on a spec sheet. Purchase the low protein malt because the lower the percentage of protein the higher in sugar content. Purchase Alpha-Beta amylase and during the mashing cycle use 140 to 145F for 30 minutes to activate the enzyme, after the rest crank the mash temperature up to 154F for 10 minutes, then up to 162F for 20 minutes. Primary fermentation for 10 days. Rack to secondary for two weeks. Keg without adding priming sugar and begin testing for carbonation after one month. Give it time, the beer will carbonate. Natural carbonation is much finer than the soda pop fizz that priming sugar and CO2 creates. To add body and mouthfeel boil some of the mash and add the boiling mash back into the main mash. Alpha will release A and B limit dextrin from heat resistant, complex starch called amylopectin during dextrinization. A and B limit dextrin are tasteless, nonfermenting types of sugar responsible for body and mouthfeel. The starch ends up in spent mash because the temperatures used with infusion brewing are not high enough to cause the starch to enter into solution before Alpha denatures. It looks like small, white particles in spent mash. Without limit dextrin beer thins out as it ages. I added a rest at 162F to kinda make up for limit dextrin. Alpha releases more sweet tasting, nonfermenting sugar at 162F than glucose which will make the beer sweeter tasting.

A recipe that recommends using malt syrup, fully modified malt, single temperature infusion, only primary fermentation and adding priming sugar or CO2 for carbonation produces beer similar in quality to Prohibition style beer which is easy to make and a quick turn around. Prohibition style beer lacks maltose and maltotriose which are complex types of sugar that form during conversion and are needed in ale and lager. The Beta (conversion) rest is omitted in recipes because the malt lacks Beta amylase. When a Beta rest is omitted secondary fermentation isn't required, and the beer will need to be primed with sugar or CO2 for carbonation.
Fermentation temperatures in the 70 to 80F range are responsible for producing off flavors associated with homebrew.

 

[bracconiere]

lol, so i see i'm not alone!

 

[Hobby brewer]

First attempt was a smash kit IPA with centennial hops. Despite the mistakes I made it has good flavor. Lost any pictures of it, found one of my second batch

 

[Blazinlow86]

No pictures but my first batch was a extract pale ale. It was beer but I'm pretty picky and it ended up down the drain as I preferred store bought stuff. I switched to all grain after that and things got better. Not to say the extract was to blame but at the time I thought it was. Cheers

 

[Krampus1]

I brewed an Amber from an extract kit many years ago. I brewed it at the end of Summer in the south and kept opening the lid (I had a bottling bucket). It was absolutely awful. I have since upgraded to AG and better equipment. I just carbed an Amber that will be way better than the first, and brewed a brown today.