Semi-Newb Brewer brews again

FuFa · Apr 18, 2010

Hi Everyone,

I call myself a "semi-newb" because I ventured into the world of homebrewing about 5 years ago with Mr. Beer. At the time I didn't know anything about brewing beer, so I asked for it as a Christmas gift. I made 2 "batches" with it, the "beer" was drinkable but not really enjoyable. after making/drinking the disappointing beers made with Mr. Beer, I quickly realized the importance of having the proper equipment and using good ingredients.

The Mr. Beer kit sat in storage for years and I eventually threw it out. I read a ton of information on the internet (including this great forum and John Palmer's website). A few months ago I bought a Brewer's Best Intermediate equipment kit and and TrueBrew IPA recipe kit. while I'm sure it would have come out better if I hadn't been so impatient, I was still pleasantly surprised with the decent beer it produced.

for my second brew I purchased a 6.5 gallon glass carboy to use as a primary fermenter. I brewed a TrueBrew Double IPA kit (The instructions were terrible, so I used general information I found on the internet (including this forum). 1 week in primary, 2 weeks in secondary (dry-hopped), and is currently bottle conditioning.

A week ago I made my 3rd batch; a Brewer's Best American Ale kit, just transferred it to secondary yesterday. That will be the last kit I purchase, from here on I will purchase ingredients separately.

I know I'm still a newb at this but I have learned alot in recent months and hope to get much better with experience. I have been a leecher on this forum for months now, and felt it was time to register and introduce myself. I will continue to use this forum for information and hopefully will be able to help others as I gain more experience.

Richabt · Apr 18, 2010

Sounds like you are heading in the right direction. Experimenting with different ingredients will teach you alot, even while still using extracts and grains.

Something you can do to really understand different malt characters assuming you are still using extracts is to use one type of extract and vary your steeping grains. This way you can see what flavor characteristics these grains can bring. Same thing with different hops.

You will see a reference to SMaSH brewing on the site which is essentially the same thing but with all grain ingredients. It's a very educational way to learn grain and hop characteristics and even though they are simple recipes, you generally end up with a great tasting beer.
Welcome back to brewing and enjoy HBT! :mug:

FuFa · Apr 18, 2010

thanks for the welcome Richabt!

yes, I am using extracts (for now). I have been reading up on all grain brewing, and would love to try it, but it requires more (large) equipment and more upfront cost. I live in the city and I am unfortunately limited by the available space in my very small (400sf) condo. eventually when I own a house and have a garage or basement area that I can dedicate to brewing I will invest and upgrade to all grain, but until then I will be sticking with extract brewing.

Thanks for the advice on varying steeping grains and hops. I plan on buying a couple of 1 gallon glass jugs to brew some small experimental batches (don't want to waste a 5 gallon batch on an experimental beer).