Tried my first 5 gallon batch last night...

[IanIanBoBian]

It was a brewer's best American amber extract kit. I don't have the recipe here at work, so maybe I'll post it when I get home. But basically it was a can of amber LME, and bag of amber DME, 1 oz willamette hops at 60 minutes and another oz at 5 I think. Oh yeah, there were steeping grains too. I racked to secondary after one week and dry hopped with an ounce of cascade pellets. Secondary for 2 weeks.

I bottled a week ago, and figured I would try one last night to see how it was coming along. I sampled at bottling and was disappointed to say the least. What a difference a week can make. Somehow it was carbonated already, and had a perfect head. Nice and creamy head, like a sierra Nevada. The beer was a little cloudy though. I can't wait to taste it in a couple weeks, if it lasts that long!

I'm wondering if this is a case of "tastes great to me because I brewed it." I don't think so because I am pretty critical of myself, and I could find a lot of flaws in my first Mr. Beer batch. I might have to find somebody to send one to or enter it in a contest or something just for some constructive criticism. Although it is just an extract batch from a kit, so I don't know if I would want to enter it into a contest or not. Very satisfied with the results though. Already can't wait for my next batch!

 

[Kronin]

I bottled my first batch in a while about 4 days ago.... I am gonna try to hold off temptation for week 2 before sampling any....

 

[A4J]

A lot of award-winning homebrews were made from extract, so don't let that dissuade you from entering a contest.

 

[ACo]

Don't sweat it mang. Its something you created youself, and its drinkable. That's awesome and all you can ask for, as a first batch!

 

[JoeMama]

As difficult as it is for me (to not drink them green) I have become a HUGE advocate of leaving them be to condition for as long as you can stand it. (With the 3 week minimum rule of course) Taint no joke when they say they get SOOOOOO much better with time.
You have no idea...
Thats why I went to kegging.
-Me

 

[IanIanBoBian]

I like to drink one at 1 week and one at 2 weeks, just to see how it is coming along. I'll resist the urge to drink more.

I think I would feel dumb entering it into a contest more because of the fact that it was a kit, with everything pre-measured and put together for me, than the fact that it came from extract. I may enter it somewhere though just to get an objective critique and constructive criticism. I think it's great, but maybe because I made it? Would be nice to get a second opinion.