I cracked the top of my first homebrew. The Verdict: good, not great. I’m not a technical beer reviewer, but it was fairly smooth and malty. The taste is distinct, different from commercial beers. I can’t quite place it, but it’s not infected. Apparently when it is, you don’t really have to ask…you know. Even though it was a stout kit, it was definitely more of a brown ale by color and taste. I’ve given some bottles to relatives and a homebrewing friend from work, and they all gave it passing grades. (I’m going to assume they are not just being nice; plus, no one spit the first sip up sitcom style). I’ve read in the reviews that sometimes bottled homebrews taste better as they age. We’ll see if that holds true.
I feel like I’ve benefited from the boom of the homebrew market. With several homebrew
companies, I imagine competition and on-line reviews has led to quality, easy to use kits. Seems like most people could get one of these kits and brew a drinkable beer better than the mass-produced beers. Already, I’m thinking of my next homebrew and trying to modify a recipe by adding more hops. Since my first brew session I’ve become a hops junkie; the more the better. But I’m still a novice with a lot to learn about those two simple ingredients: malt and hops. So I’m going to stick with the kits a few more times. I’ve already picked out my next beer: a massively hopped IPA. I’ve ordered it from one of the large on-line stores. After reading homebrew blogs, it seems most homebrewers use one of the big two. So I’m going to try them both myself to see which I like best.
-Brewer Brendan
Nice work Brendan! Just think -- your beers will only get better the more you brew! Cheers!
ReplyDeleteThe above comment was from David Ackley.
DeleteDisqus wasn't working so I reverted it back to regular blogger comments.
Thanks! I think the blogger comments will work better.
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