tasting my first brew
I grabbed a bottle of my first homebrew tonight, and tossed it into the freezer to get it nice and cool. After about 30-45 minutes of cooling, I grabbed two pint glasses from the cupboard. The first test, opening the bottle. Using the fridge mounted bottle opener, I leveraged off the bottle cap which released a satisfying hiss as the carbonation rushed out. A misty fog briefly wafted from the top of the bottle. Also a good sign. I gingerly tilted the bottle to pour the liquid into the pint glasses, taking care not to stir up too much sediment. Bringing the pint glass to my nose, I sniffed to see if I could detect any off odors. Nope – nothing detectably bad. In fact, it smelled delightful. And then, the taste. Now, I won’t sugar coat this and tell you that it’s the best beer I’ve ever tasted… that would be over stating things just a bit. No, I’ll be honest, it’s not the best beer I’ve tasted. It’s a bit on the light side, not a very strong flavor. Not to say it doesn’t have good mouthfeel and body. It was fizzy and satisfying indeed. However, it lacked any real strong flavor of hops or malts – just smooth. Suzy says she detected a hint of lemon and seemed a little displeased with the flavor in general when paired with food. However, I couldn’t really complain. This is my first brew after all and the beginning of a great love affair with home brewing. I give it a B+. Next up, Hefe!
UPDATE 10-15: Tasted another bottle tonight and wow what a difference a day makes. The beer tasted brilliant today. Maybe that last bottle was a slightly off sample – or maybe it just needed more time. Either way, this is getting more exciting by the day!
October 16th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Hey Ben, so Mike and I just made a new batch last night! Well, mostly Mike did all the work. I always say that I will help, but it’s just so boring! I generally just give moral support from the couch, then I praise his work while drinking the brew. This one is a Christmas Porter, with cinnamon and honey and stuff. Should be delightful. We have made several batches now, it is getting closer to being cheaper than buying the stuff! It will be ready in December, so maybe I’ll bring some to the Parmeter Christmas gathering. As long as it doesn’t suck.
October 17th, 2008 at 8:48 am
Mmmmm… Christmas porter. Sounds outstanding. We’re thinking of doing some raspberry stout next, which is just a bit more advanced than the Brown Ale or the Hefe. Good luck with the brewing – we’re going to be up for Thanksgiving this year, but spending Christmas in California. So, unfortunately we will miss the Parmeter gathering and the delicious holiday libations.