It’s hard to wait for
That first taste of home brew… but…
I should’ve waited

Written by Captain Hops.

References: A few weeks ago, I brewed my first batch of home brew in 14 years. I made the extract plus steeping grains version of the Big Basin Amber Ale recipe in the “How to Brew” book by John Palmer. I fermented for 13 days and then bottled. I read that bottle conditioning achieves the proper level of carbonation in about a week, but it is recommended that you let bottles sit for about 4 weeks to “mellow” out the flavors. Naturally, I opened the first bottle after one week. The carbonation and head were good. The aroma and color were nice. The taste started out as everything I wanted in an amber ale. However, the after taste was rather bitter and not really in a hoppy way. It wasn’t bad, it was just extra bitter at the end of the gulp. Is this the flavor that will mellow in the next few weeks in the bottle or is this a permanent part of this batch? I will let you know how it evolves over the next couple weeks.

Thing of the day: Beer Man Costume Size L Adult (Large)