quik_sk8
Well-Known Member
Its a short time away from a year ago that I received my first brewing kit for Christmas from my brothers-in-law, after they noticed I had a "refined" (not _____ lite) taste for beers and a drawn interest to their different features. It was a 1-gallon all grain kit from BrooklynBrewShop; Everyday IPA. It took me a little while to muster up the nerve to brew it, but with little-to-no knowledge I plunged in on a mid-January Saturday. As I'm certain with many first timers, I was a nervous wreck throughout the whole brew. My pots weren't big enough, I was constantly in a state of worry that I was contaminating everything, my temperatures were all over the place and I was certain that my beer would taste like soap and gasoline. I remember that mid brew my wife came to me (surely sick of my sighs of frustration) and said, "This beer is going to taste like crap no matter what; its your first time! You can't make something perfect without practice, so just enjoy the process." At the time this helped me about zero, it just added to the frustration, but now its one of the things I will remember most about my first batch. I think it was about 4 weeks later that I got to try it for the first time, and she was wrong. It tasted...okay. It was far from crap though, that's for sure. Oh, and it was a volcano of hoppy murkiness.
Honestly, I was turned off from home brewing. I didn't think I'd do it again really, so much work and what was the outcome? Mediocre beer for a major headache? I gave it up. For the better part of a year actually. I didn't lose interested in the process though, things kept me interested; finding out that acquaintances I knew brewed, or getting a wonderfully illustrated brewing book from my wife for Valentine's Day. I read. And I read some more. I found this forum, and I listened to other peoples' insights. Something was growing inside of me, something inspired. People started asking me about brewing, and what I learned from my first time. I went to a good friend's place who purchased BrooklynBrewShop's Summer Wheat kit and was there while he brewed. It was at that point I decided that there was no denying it; I was going to brew again.
My comeback beer had a plan, a recipe and a strategy. I was positive I had learned everything I needed to brew a batch of excellent, pub worthy beer. My second ever batch of homebrew was a spicy stout, derived straight from the book my wife gave me for V-Day. There were a few bumps in the road; only I discovered them when I first tasted the fruits (or composts?) of my labors (More on that shortly). I decided that since I was only doing 1-gallon batches (which is what I still currently do), brewing every other week was the most logical thing to do. I could pull about eight 12 oz bottles from a batch and I dont drink copious amounts of beer in two weeks, so it would more than suffice. Luckily I brewed two more times before I got to try it, because it was the most bitter stout I have ever tasted. The book I had suggested that if I use their handy chart at on the front page, I could do hops by area and said 20g of 7.5%AA Target Hops was an appropriate amount for 60 minutes (1-gallon batch). Tasting it was like drinking a glass of straight whiskey, choking back every sip with a prune-like face. I only discovered recipe calculators after my third batch and when I typed in my recipe for this batch, the IBUs read somewhere around 125. Had I tasted that before brewing another batch, I think the lifespan of my home brewing would have come to a very abrupt ending.
Since batches one and two, I have continued on through batch seven. The list includes a vinyl pumpkin ale -because of the taste, not because it's a classic-, dry stout, hefeweizen, amber ale, roggenbier and milk stout. Over the course of one year, home brewing beer has become one of the most interesting, learning filled sections of my life. Ive been more creative, challenged and intrigued than ever before, always thinking (to my wifes dismay) of what next Ill brew, or what deal Ill find on the parts I need for my one day single-tier system.
Advice I have for new brewers? Experiment. Research. Ask questions. Find someone here who will answer you through PMs to help you directly. In my experience, people here are very friendly and if you can ask them directly you might be able to receive a quicker or more personal response. Especially if they share the same passion for this hobby that I do!
I expect many new adventures next year as I work on a system capable of brewing more than ten beers at a time, learn how to brew with a little one on its way and most of all sharing and tasting beers of my own as well as the friends I have made through this wonderful experience we know as home brewing.
Honestly, I was turned off from home brewing. I didn't think I'd do it again really, so much work and what was the outcome? Mediocre beer for a major headache? I gave it up. For the better part of a year actually. I didn't lose interested in the process though, things kept me interested; finding out that acquaintances I knew brewed, or getting a wonderfully illustrated brewing book from my wife for Valentine's Day. I read. And I read some more. I found this forum, and I listened to other peoples' insights. Something was growing inside of me, something inspired. People started asking me about brewing, and what I learned from my first time. I went to a good friend's place who purchased BrooklynBrewShop's Summer Wheat kit and was there while he brewed. It was at that point I decided that there was no denying it; I was going to brew again.
My comeback beer had a plan, a recipe and a strategy. I was positive I had learned everything I needed to brew a batch of excellent, pub worthy beer. My second ever batch of homebrew was a spicy stout, derived straight from the book my wife gave me for V-Day. There were a few bumps in the road; only I discovered them when I first tasted the fruits (or composts?) of my labors (More on that shortly). I decided that since I was only doing 1-gallon batches (which is what I still currently do), brewing every other week was the most logical thing to do. I could pull about eight 12 oz bottles from a batch and I dont drink copious amounts of beer in two weeks, so it would more than suffice. Luckily I brewed two more times before I got to try it, because it was the most bitter stout I have ever tasted. The book I had suggested that if I use their handy chart at on the front page, I could do hops by area and said 20g of 7.5%AA Target Hops was an appropriate amount for 60 minutes (1-gallon batch). Tasting it was like drinking a glass of straight whiskey, choking back every sip with a prune-like face. I only discovered recipe calculators after my third batch and when I typed in my recipe for this batch, the IBUs read somewhere around 125. Had I tasted that before brewing another batch, I think the lifespan of my home brewing would have come to a very abrupt ending.
Since batches one and two, I have continued on through batch seven. The list includes a vinyl pumpkin ale -because of the taste, not because it's a classic-, dry stout, hefeweizen, amber ale, roggenbier and milk stout. Over the course of one year, home brewing beer has become one of the most interesting, learning filled sections of my life. Ive been more creative, challenged and intrigued than ever before, always thinking (to my wifes dismay) of what next Ill brew, or what deal Ill find on the parts I need for my one day single-tier system.
Advice I have for new brewers? Experiment. Research. Ask questions. Find someone here who will answer you through PMs to help you directly. In my experience, people here are very friendly and if you can ask them directly you might be able to receive a quicker or more personal response. Especially if they share the same passion for this hobby that I do!
I expect many new adventures next year as I work on a system capable of brewing more than ten beers at a time, learn how to brew with a little one on its way and most of all sharing and tasting beers of my own as well as the friends I have made through this wonderful experience we know as home brewing.
