Nolanbrau: Back in Business!

[robertus]

After about a year and a half away from the hobby (working, raising the kid, etc.), I've got a new brew on the stove right now. :rockin: I'm making Yooper's extract brown ale (with WLP002 instead of Notty). Had very good results with it last time I made it, plus it's a very hands-off recipe. So that's good.

Just wanted to give everyone on the board some props. Thanks to you knuckleheads, I've

• Made my first starter (never had to before, but my vial was a couple weeks older than I'd have liked)
• Harvested yeast from that starter
• Steeped grains in a separate pot

That last one cut at least half an hour off my brew time, so SWMBO is happy.

The results will be awesome or terrible, but they'll be beer.

 

[Yooper]

It's true, that you made beer!

I bet it will be good, and you'll be making another batch soon.

 

[robertus]

Bottled it this afternoon after three weeks in the primary. Sort of a comedy of errors (my hydrometer was broken, my autosiphon went AWOL, I ran out of bottles, had to make a fresh batch of starsan unexpectedly). If you didn't know I was rusty from my brew day, you would've figured it out today.

At any rate, I wound up with 52 bottles. Came out looking like this:

Pictured: Not Innis & Gunn​

Which is about how I remember the last (excellent) batch looking. I didn't take any readings, but I suspect it's in the right range. At a certain point, you have to trust the process, use the Force and all that. If anything, it's a little lower FG/ABV than expected, since there was slightly more than 5 gallons of liquid in the fermenter. Which is to say, I botched the topoff.

They're safely tucked away in bins under the stairs. I look forward to cracking one three weeks from now.

 

[robertus]

Cracked open the first bottle yesterday, and it was glorious.

Color's about right, taste is about right. Maybe a hair sweet, but not terribly so.