h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I started my first batch of homebrew last night. It is to be an amber ale.

Everything seemed to go well, for the most part. But the things that didn't go 'by the book' should be inconsequential.

Looking forward to tasting the batch once it's ready. Then brewing up the second one.

Five days later, I've continued the brew process for my first batch. Last night, I went from primary to secondary fermentation.

The beer tasted all right at this stage. That is considering that it isn't completed feremented and uncarbonated. But it looks like things should turn out rather well.

Cheers!

Ah, the fermentation of sugars gives rise to colonies of chemical nuances twisting and writhing in the morass of your liver. I love it. Congradulations, my padawan learner. You may be a Jedi, yet.

Make sure you save a few for a later date, say new years......

Last night, I finally bottled the beer from my first batch of brew.

This was nine days after the secondary fermentation for a total of fourteen days since I began.

Bottling was something new, but a lot easier than I thought it would be.

Though uncarbonated, the amber tasted pretty good. I have two weeks before it's considered to be mature. And then it will be another three weeks or so for true aging. Looking forward to enjoying the fruits of my labor.

Next batch, Belgian White. Cheers!

Foley's Winter Warmer is my new challenge.

we take crystal and belgian malts, add roasted barley and chocolate barley, with some honey, a dash of cardamom, and hopps, light DME, and Amber DME, turn three times in a circle, say an incantation, and voila, the warmer is born..........

On December 16, four weeks and one day after the initial start date, two weeks and one day after the bottling date, I tasted my first homebrew crafted by my own hands. And I have to say that it tasted...okay.

Well, this isn't too big of a surprise. In fact, okay is pretty damn good in my book. It could have come out tasting like a stale tire or a rotten monkey.

The recipe wasn't my choice. Although, I felt that an amber wouldn't be too bad. My main caveat is that it's too sweet. But this points to a reasonable explanation, especially after considering what I saw.

Bottled beer is supposed to be stored upright and not be refrigerated for two weeks or so. Forgetting this, I stored a few of the beers on their side in the fridge when they were ready. When I grabbed for one, I saw a white sediment collected on the side it was laying on. The first thing that came to my mind was 'that is unprocessed corn sugar'. I opened one of the beers and poured it into a glass without allowing the sediment to carry over. The beer didnt' taste as sweet.

In addition, carbonation could have been a little stronger. This would also coincide with the idea that the corn sugar isn't fully processed. So, with more time, perhaps the beer will be less sweet and more carbonated, making for a better brew. Of course, this is assuming that there is still enough yeast alive to finish the job. Go, guys!

Anyway, in conclusion, the beer was...okay. Seriously, it was good, but nothing too special. We shall see how aging affects the taste. And, I'm looking forward to batches II and III, where I actually chose the recipes.

Cheers!