Well I tryed my first homebrewed beer the other day. How did it taste? ea, ok. Not the best, but not bad for a first try. It was a little weak. I expected a fuller tasting beer. Well, it was a lower doller kit. I am going to try a more pricy, full molt kit next. Lets hope for the best. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
When I use kits, they usually serve as a kind of base on which to build. You can get some pretty good ones from places like St. Pat's of Texas, but what I've ended up doing is looking at the ingredients that come in the kits and then making up my own from bulk ingredients....and I almost always add more stuff than in the original kit. I like to do partial mashes where I supplement the extract with a 3-5 pound mash. I use the lightest extract I can get and get all the flavor from the grains. I read that in some brewing book and liked the idea. Works for me. With normal cooking equipment, I can mash up to 5 pounds. More than that would require real mashing equipment, and I haven't yet talked myself into that move.
First things first... Give them some time; I KNOW it is hard to do [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] Looking at your posts, it looks like these are in the bottle for about two weeks? Two weeks is enough time to build up carbonation. But, it is not enough time to age. That is one of the hardest things about the process. You know how spaghetti and pizza taste better the next day, 'cause the flavors have had time to meld?
I have had some where I restrained myself, and by 4-6 months they were wonderful! They were porters and stouts though...
For more body, you can try different grains. Chuck mentions doing a partial mash. That's cool. You can also use "specialty grains" just in a tea to get more flavor, or more body. Some flaked oats would add to the body, and aid the "weakness" you note.
When starting up, what books did you get? Have you read through Miller's or Papazian's books? They are loaded with tons of useful info, and are easy to understand from a beginner to advanced brewers standpoints.
Have you checked out the "Homebrew Digest"? There's lots of info there. hbd.org/ It used to be an email digest in the '80s when it started. We had a lot of fun back then. I learned a lot. In fact, they have a recipe link in there somewhere; I think some of my recipes are still listed.
I cracked one open last night, and it was a lot better. I think it just needs some time. Also the warmer it got the better. I think a bit more time, and it will be fine.
Good [img]/forums/images/icons/ooo.gif[/img] So, you're in about the third week, by my estimate... Wait till you try it in another three weeks; you'll be pleased!
Still curious about the recipe... I have some I could share too if you're interested.
The Maple Syrup Stout is still on there. I had a few others, but it has been soooo long since I hung out there I don't remember. I didn't see a search either.
I was one of the first 100 or so that signed up for the old email forum. Really looked forward to that email once a day [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote