Tasted my first brew

[talleymonster]

So last night I bolted my first batch of beer. It was a Nut Brown Ale from AHS.
I had about a half glass left over so I poured it into a glass, took a big ol sniff, and took a big sip. What a surprise!!
At best I was expecting mediocre. What I got was amazing! Even being three weeks early, it was sooo good!! Even my SWMBO, who doesn't generally like beer thought it was good. I can't wait to taste it again in three weeks!

Only thing I forgot was to take my Final Gravity reading...bummer. But looking at my notes I was dead on with the OG with 1.053. I followed the instructions to the T. I kept it in the dark so not to skunk the beer. I kept the fermenting temp at approx 75* the whole time. And I was very thorough with sanitation. So I am confident that I landed close to the Final Gravity.

Definitely a Success!
In two more weeks I get to bottle my next batch that is currently in secondary, West Coast Red Ale. And then my Apfelwein should be about done too.

 

[Barley-Davidson]

Congratulations, glad it came out good.

Don't forget to take notes; with at least a 6 week lag between brew day and finished product it's easy to forget the details. Throw a few additional brew days in between and even non-drinkers (bless their little hearts) would have a hard time remebering.

You don't wanna make a great batch and have no idea how to replicate it.

 

[ArroganceFan]

Congrats bro! Glad it turned out well for ya!

I am about 2 weeks behind ya on my first batch, and I cant wait to try it.

 

[coyote]

congratulations!

My first (also a nut brown, but from B3) is bubbling in my primary, but it's slowing down, so....it won't be long now.

can't wait to try it.

 

[FSR402]

It's great when you can taste a young brew and just know "this is going to be good"..

Let us know how it is in three weeks. but make sure to have a bottle every week. You will be amazed by how much it changes week to week.

 

[Tenchiro]

My first batch has been in the bottles for two weeks now, but when I took my gravity reading after the fermentation was done I was positively giddy that it actually tasted like beer. Now it is better than most things I can buy in the store.

\o/

 

[SixFoFalcon]

Awesome, way to go!

I just ordered a Newcastle-esque extract kit from Northern Brewer. I still haven't bottled my first beer--hope I get the same reaction!

 

[PseudoChef]

Awesome, way to go!

I just ordered a Newcastle-esque extract kit from Northern Brewer. I still haven't bottled my first beer--hope I get the same reaction!

That kit's in my primary right now. Smells great.

 

[Geordiepete]

Congratz! Theres nothing more satisfying than to create something so wonderful!

 

[Bobby_M]

And the best part is, this is probably going to be one of the worst (if not THE worst) batch you'll ever have. I cracked a few of my first brews the other day and they were just bad. Sure, it could have been bad aging but I think I'm just getting better at brewing.

 

[Zymurgrafi]

And the best part is, this is probably going to be one of the worst (if not THE worst) batch you'll ever have. I cracked a few of my first brews the other day and they were just bad. Sure, it could have been bad aging but I think I'm just getting better at brewing.

Ah not so grasshopper...

Hopefully that will be the case but everybody seems to have a slump at some point. Here's to hoping it does not happen to any of you.

But if it does, that is what we are here for.

Talleymonster-

Congrats! No worries about forgetting to take the gravity. Really the only reason to take it at the end is to be sure it is done fermenting. If you were confident it was done, no problem.

It is really great when it tastes good while it is still green. The hard thing is letting it mature w/o drinking it all first!

 

[DeathBrewer]

yeah, i've been experimenting alot lately and a few have my brews have really turned to crap. they're decent beers, but nothing special at all.

 

[bigben]

Congrats!

Now can you change your avatar cuz that is making me sick

 

[homebrewer_99]

yeah, i've been experimenting alot lately and a few have my brews have really turned to crap. they're decent beers, but nothing special at all.

What's the problem?

 

[talleymonster]

Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement everybody. It's a great hobby that I've dove into.

I'm sure I'll have bad batches. But I'm sure this isn't one of them! :cross:



P.S.

bigben

My holes are 7/8"

 

[DeathBrewer]

What's the problem?

first problem was using too much acid malt. it was carbonated like soda and didn't taste great, but i managed to finish all 5 gallons

main problem has been priming with briess wheat DME. stuff takes FOREVER to ferment out and one of them doesn't seem like it's ever going to finish. i did a double batch with two different yeasts. the recipe wasn't that good to begin with. (the acid malt one also was primed with this crap)

other problem: i don't think i like rye very much now that i've messed with it (although i admit it is probably too soon to tell at this point. my honey rye isn't done and my rye stout is still in primary) i really hate the nose of the rye beers. smells like crap. tastes...better, but not like i expected. i did have one honey rye that was pretty good after it was chilled for a day but i'm going to wait for the rest to age a bit before i crack 'em open.

 

[DeathBrewer]

P.S.

bigben

My holes are 7/8"

lol, woah...hey now...don't be going around telling everyone the size of your holes...

 

[Lonek]

Can't wait to see what your ears look like when your 60... lol

 

[Pedro-]

You don't wanna make a great batch and have no idea how to replicate it.

Ditto! I've already had that predicament and it is absolutely no fun.

Congratulations on your first brew! Nothing can ever replace that first batch.

And for you, beer will never be the same

 

[bigben]

Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement everybody. It's a great hobby that I've dove into.

I'm sure I'll have bad batches. But I'm sure this isn't one of them! :cross:



P.S.

bigben

My holes are 7/8"

lol...thanks for the info!!!

 

[kappclark]

Great story and I can relate - I brewed my first extract kit from NB - a mild ale

I couldn't believe how good it tasted...then I had some friends over - they wanted to buy the stuff (i sent some gratis bombers home with them)..

I think that is one part of this hobby which makes it so much fun - making great brew and sharing it..

The good news - the brews only get better !!!!!

Congrats.

 

[gp125racer]

Replicating a brew is one of the hardest things todo IMO.

My best brew so far was my second. I cant replicate it at all as I didnt take notes and the process was a comedy of errors. Lesson learned: TAKE NOTES regarding everystage of your brew. You may want to come back and utilize the info in the future. Ask most any brewer around here about their brewlog to get some ideas as to what you may like to record.

Altho, I dont really care for budweiser and coors, now that Ive brewed a few batches, I can really appreciate the work they put into making the beers taste consistent.

gp125racer

 

[IndyPABrewGuy]

Replicating a brew is one of the hardest things todo IMO.

My best brew so far was my second. I cant replicate it at all as I didnt take notes and the process was a comedy of errors. Lesson learned: TAKE NOTES regarding everystage of your brew. You may want to come back and utilize the info in the future. Ask most any brewer around here about their brewlog to get some ideas as to what you may like to record.


gp125racer

Note taking is one of the most important things to do with this hobby. Even when brewing from a kit, its important to write down what happens, everything from the obvious (recipes, gravities, temps, etc.) to the not so obvious (boilover, changes in technique from brew to brew, how to improve on those techniques). Also, just your general thoughts about whats going on. Putting a personal touch on it not only makes it a beer log, but a beer journal.

Personally, I carry a small journal (and pen. The pen is very important) with me to take notes on tastings, and to write down any ideas I have during the day. Plus, if I'm thinking about brewing and need to look something up, I have most of the information that I need right there. I say most because I do most of my record keeping in my beer journal, which stays at home. It is more of a "what are my thoughts after I brew", and "what happened/what needs changed for next time" kind of thing. Like an actual, you know, journal. Then, I keep all of my recipes on my laptop (I use BeerTools Pro). I do need to back them up on paper, just in case.

Any rate, I know I'm turning into a complete beer geek, but I'm lovin' it. I hope this helped.

Cheers,

 

[brewt00l]

I have always found it interesting with this hobby/activity/obsession that as you progress in your brewing, looking back you realize that what you just did really wasn't as complex or difficult as you first thought. Learning as you go and developing your techniques makes moving along a breeze.

Enjoy fruits of your labor and make sure to let a few age out!