Tried my first homebrew

[Svenhook]

Brewed my first batch (a Porter kit from my LHBS) in mid-October. Had it in the fermenter for about a week and then the secondary for slightly longer. Probably should have kept it in the primary for longer but... I got antsy. Anyway, its been just over a week since I bottled and decided to taste one so I could compare at different time intervals.

So far so good! Tastes delicious and was surprisingly carbonated, though still has a ways to go for sure. One thing I did note that I thought was interesting is that it had a reddish color too it, mostly visible in the head (which was quite small). Is this common?

Anyways, gonna start my next batch any day and have learned a lot on here since my first. Thanks everyone!

 

[JonM]

Congrats! I bet that porter is going to be incredible in January. Try to save a couple!

 

[TrainSafe]

Congrats, and welcome to the obsession, we, I mean hobby.

Great choice on your first beer.

Don't sweat the impatient part. It happens to everyone on the first batch. Your second one will be easier since you have one to drink already.

 

[edie]

enjoy! get batches 2 and 3 started. you're on your way.

 

[BOBrob]

another michigander hooked on the brew cycle! Congrats and start another batch, the first ones never last. Cheers

 

[BigTerp]

Nice. I like to sample a beer or two during the bottle conditioning phase. It's the only way to find out when your beer is ready to drink. My first batch was a Fat Tire clone. At 5-6 weeks it was amazing, but I was a bit impatient and only had maybe a case left. I have a brown ale right now that still isn't ready at 6 weeks. And I just tried an IPA thats been in the bottle for 3 weeks and it is amazing. Different beers will taste better at different times. Try to keep notes as well. That way the next time you brew it you'll have an idea of when to start trying them.