Tasted my first brew

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MaxPower49

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Well, after lots of hard work... and lots of waiting, I tasted my first beer. It is a brown ale extract kit (newcastle clone) and I was a little disappointed. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great. It has been only been in the bottle for 2 weeks, so I'm hoping it will continue to improve with time.

I can't tell for sure, but I'm afraid there might be the slightest hint of an off flavor in there... although I don't really know how to describe it. I'm also wondering if the alcohol content is lower than it should be, because it didn't taste that strong. Is there any easy way to check that now or do you have to know the OG? Maybe I didn't leave it in the primary long enough (8 days)? I was so eager to get started when I got my kit for Christmas that I probably didn't read up enough before jumping in.

Oh well, hopefully it will improve. Second batch is fermenting now. :mug:
 
Waiting 8 days with it in the primary is pretty good for a first time. Next time, don't even look at it for at least 10 days, then start taking some gravity readings to see if its done fermenting. You also need 3 weeks in the bottle. How much extract was in your kit, that would determine the alcohol. There is always a chance for off-flavors and there can be any number of reasons for them. If you can describe the flavor, someone might be able to point you in the right direction. Anyway, consider it a success and get another batch going.
 
this is the ingredient kit i used:
link

Like I said, if there is an off flavor it is very slight... it might be more of a smell than a flavor. I want to say it smells very "grainy" but I'm not sure if that's a good description. Part of the problem may be that I have no idea what green beer is supposed to taste like.
 
I put a recipe into promash and your beer came out to about 4-4.6% alcohol by volume. 4% is 3.2% by weight like they sell in Utah grocery stores. This might be why your beer 'didn't taste that strong', but your OG was within guidelines for a Northern English Brown which, if I remember correctly, is the style that Newcastle represents.

I used 7 lbs Briess LME and took a guess on the quantities of your specialty grains.

I used Wyeast Northwest Ale at 69% attenuation.
 
I put a recipe into promash and your beer came out to about 4-4.6% alcohol by volume. 4% is 3.2% by weight like they sell in Utah grocery stores. This might be why your beer 'didn't taste that strong', but your OG was within guidelines for a Northern English Brown which, if I remember correctly, is the style that Newcastle represents.

I used 7 lbs Briess LME and took a guess on the quantities of your specialty grains.

I used Wyeast Northwest Ale at 69% attenuation.

Thanks. I'm going to try another one this weekend and I'll let you guys know what I think.
 
It all depends on your tastes. I think HB often gets a better wrap on here than it deserves. If you were a qualified beer drinker before you started, the slope is much steeper to making a great beer. Just keep at it and improve your process everytime.

In general, time will help your brew.
 
22 days (8 primary, 14 bottles) is not enough time to judge a beers ultimate flavor.

Your beer is not carbonated yet at only 2 weeks. Carbonation not only adds fizz, it also gives a fuller body to the beer at the right levels.

Force yourself to stow a 6-pack away for a couple of months and then break them out and see how much different the beer tastes.
 
Tasted my second beer. 3 weeks in the bottle now (1 week at 64 degrees, 2 weeks at 67/68). The off flavor has mellowed a bit... hopefully it will continue to go away. It is pretty carbonated... when I pour it into the bottom of the glass (instead of the side) I get a pretty big head. As I get to the last half of the beer it starts tasting a little flat again for some reason. Still doesn't taste as strong to me as I was expecting. Doesn't really have that much flavor. Think I might try an IPA next time.
 
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