Subject says it all. Just drank my first bottle of homebrew. A hoppy pale ale that HB store helped formulate. So far so good. Only been in bottle for 1 week so I was expecting it to be a bit under-carbonated but carbonation seems normal. Very chewy mouthfeel/rich and maltier/sweeter than I expected. I was worried about high temp on first day of fermentation, but minimal off notes. Wanna thank all you veteran brewers posting on these threads as I learned/read a lot of tips prior to brewing. Looking forward to improving and exploring the world of homebrewing. Next batch planned a wheat-lemon summer beer to be brewed on July 4th.
I have a few bottles of my first homebrew, a Newcastle clone, in the fridge too. That was four years ago. I've got about 4 bottles left. I've since moved onto kegging. Only one partial mash in bottles then onto full grain and kegging.
The sweetness will go away as the beer gets some age on it. It's still pretty green. I have a DIPA that's a bit sweet right now, but it's only been in the bottles for roughly 2 or 3 weeks now. 8.6 ABV
as you keep going you'll start planning more and more ahead. personally, i'd want to drink that wheat-lemon summer beer on the 4th of july, rather than a month later, but that's just me. just keep brewing though, and you'll learn your system, get more consistent, and be able to freestyle your recipes better. just don't drive yourself crazy.
Congrats! I just finished my first batch last month (Cali Common) and the bottles definitely got better after a few weeks of cold storage, give your brew some time to mellow out and you'll be even more impressed with your hard work. Cheers!
You never forget your first time... Brown Ale... Such an Important mile stone in a mans life... Good luck with that wheat!
When I tasted my first batch at bottling time it did not taste good. After three weeks in the bottle I thought I would bring them to work and let the guys drink up my bad batch. My Stout tasted great and I was sorry to see them all disappear.
I'm sure my first batch was godawful compared to what I brew today, but back then it was truly amazing to think that I had actually created beer by myself so it was wonderfully delicious. The first batch was finished about the time the second batch was ready to bottle, and thus an obsession started that has become as normal as going to work every day.
I'm about to crack open my first homebrew.......of the evening. The only beer that is in my fridge is a Belgian Wit I brewed and a 12oz bottle of Long Trail Triple Bag I am aging for a year. It feels great to come home from work and drink something that I made, and not some large scale stuff that costs an arm-and-a-leg to buy. Unfortunately, I will run out of my wit before the hoppy wheat I brewed is ready for bottling. D'oh!!
First batch ( brown ale) so simple yet so easy to screw up! Since each has been a step forward. Best to you for that first batch, and many more to follow. Cheers
Stock Mr. Beer west coast pale ale kit. Smelled and tasted like beer, was wonderful. Savored every bottle. If I brewed that same beer today I'd be beating myself up over it though
