I think I'm in the same boat as OP, the beer I taste while bottling is so good, with such big hop flavor and bright aromas. Then a couple weeks later I taste it and the aroma and flavor aren't there anymore. I don't think oxidation is the problem, when I sample at bottling time the beer is warm...
You'll have to see if some bottles are overcarbed, that'll tell you right away it's a mixing issue. Recently I bottled a stout and forgot the priming sugar all together! I ran to the LHBS the next and bought the Coopers carbonation drops, opened every bottle, added the drop and re-capped them...
For me it's Deschutes Jubelale. I bought it the first holiday season after I turned 21 and it's been a yearly tradition for me ever since. In my opinion winter beers are all about the dark fruit and slight alcohol warmth.
I love that about kegging. I have a 5oz sample glass I got at a beer festival that I use for sampling and also satisfying my desire for beer. My biggest problem is that I really like fresh beer while it's carbing when it has that 'cask' kind of character.
I always offer the beer gods a sacrifice at the beginning of my brew day. Last night I brewed a batch but procrastinated the sacrifice, my cpvc manifold came apart so I had to dump the mash into the boil kettle, find my missing 90° elbow, put it back together and then clean my kettle before I...
When I kick a keg and don't even have a beer in the fermentor. Why oh why didn't I brew last week?
I'm planning on upgrading to a ten gallon setup soon and I'm sure I'll wonder why it took me so long to get around to it.
I hear that Dan. The company I'm with pays a bit less than industry standard but I work with the greatest group of people I've ever worked with and that's with a few extra dollars an hour to me. At the end of the day work is work but the people you work with will make or break you.
From what I've read, skunking is only an issue after fermentation. As long as your clear carboy isn't in direct sunlight for extended amounts of time you should be fine. If your carboy is in the sun for that long I'm reporting you for beer abuse. Monster.
My wife and I used to live by the tracks and the freeway, the trains were nice but the freeway was so annoying. Now we live miles away and I miss the sound of trains.
You don't have to wait until the end of fermentation to taste it though I suppose it's wise. I like to taste my wines throughout fermentation and aging so I can get an idea of how it changes from sweet to dry and what not. As for filtration, time is the best. Let it sit until it's stopped...
What is this spring in January? Taking the opportunity to smoke a English blend my tobacconist recomended.
It's kinda dumb that in Washington state I can buy marijuana but I can't buy pipe tobacco off the internet...