Dad and I finished off the LAST of my first batch of brew ... an English Brown Ale with some roasted nuts and mocha beans added in. It was pretty tasty from once it was bottle conditioned, so was really psyched to find what it may taste like once it matured.
It really didn't taste any better (nor worse) than when it was first carbonated. I have heard that the longer you leave (most) homebrews, the better they will taste. I guess ales are the exception. It didn't taste any worse, just not any better, despite aging.
Oh well.
After downing the last two (each) I moved on to some of my bocks (the second batch). While drinking those I fnally was able to bottle my fifth batch (a
I added a tablespoon of cocoa and a teaspoon of vanilla along with the DME that is used for priming and bottle conditioning (awakening the yeast) to facilitate carbonation. The cocoa and vanilla were added to create more of a chocolate milk-type flavor. This stemmed from a Terrapin MooHoo stout that Dad and I had tasted a couple months ago that was just ... amazing!
Sooooo ............. anyway, tonight was *finally* the night to bottle the stout (basically an attempted replica of a MooHoo) . I was able to rack it into bottles, get a FG reading (1.020) and, of course, taste it. The chocolate flavor was a bit overbearing, in my opinion, but not horrible. I am hopeful, as I was with the previous brew (my attempted "IPA") that after bottle conditioning it (and time, in this case) it will balance out more.
Tonight, was the first time I broke a bottle during the capping procedure. I apparently had the bottle cap twisted a bit; and SNAP ... for the first time a bottle cap had the neck of a bottle (glass) attached to it. Damn! oh well, I guess it works out to more to sample. ; )
The flavor of the stout was tasty with a very (maybe too much so?) chocolate flavor up front and after swallowing. Again, am hopeful as with the IPA I tried, and was (initially) dissatisfied with, that it will get better with time. Admittedly, it wasn't bad, just not what I had expected..
Sooo maybe with time (will know in another month) if it will be what I hoped for. This damned hobby requires more patience than I can exhibit sometimes!
At least the carboy is cleaned out and ready for the next batch (likely tomorrow night).
2 comments:
most excellent! just remember - a month isn't aging...
let it sit around for 6 months or so.
partially because I want to try some of these! :~)
i agree, but don't have that kind of restraint. ;j
this stout will likely sit for a month before i tap into it, but ideally it should sit much longer.
as for running out of beer, not going to happen. with two primary carboys AND a seccondary, i always have something fermenting.
i just brewed up a mighty arrow clone (new belgium hoppy pale ale) last night and later this week will be brewing a highland gaelic ale clone once the beer in that primary is bottled up.
doin' my best to keep the pipeline goin' ;j
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