Homebrew chronicles, part 4: The sweet taste of success! | Food and ...

For those just joining my first foray into homebrewing, check out Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 for the rest of the process. Or, if you just want to read about me drinking beer, please continue?

Since I bottled my beer, I?ve been like a kid on Christmas Eve. If Christmas Eve were two weeks long.

For the last few weeks, my stash of bottles has been tucked away in the corner of our guest bedroom undisturbed, if you don?t count my daily check-in to make sure none of them exploded. By far, the worst part of homebrewing is the waiting and the anticipation.

My recipe recommended that I wait about two weeks after bottling before tasting my beer, but what are the odds that I would hold out that long?

Curiosity got the better of me somewhere around day 8. I snuck into my guest bedroom like anyone else cared or was looking, snagged a bottle, and chilled it. It was the moment of truth. As I wrenched off the cap I heard the familiar pop that told me I had carbonation. So far so good.

My first taste was wonderful. Smooth, heavy malt with a nice mild hoppy aftertaste. It certainly passed the ?would I pay for this beer at a bar? test. But as I neared the bottom of my glass, too many hints of that lingering brown sugar shone through, and I realized that I had jumped the gun. The brew was still a little green. Next time I?d go a little lighter on the brown sugar, and use a yeast with a little more aggressive attenuation range to handle the 7lbs dose of malt extract.

Fast forward another week, giving the last remnants of yeast the chance to feed just a little longer, and that sweetness is muted. This is an extremely drinkable beer.

I?m hooked.

If I can turn out beer this tasty after bumbling my way through the process, improvising at the last minute, and having very little idea of what I?m doing, then I can?t wait to see how this turns out when I?ve got a practiced hand.

This first round is better than a lot of commercial beers on the market, and I?m not saying that to brag. I did my best to screw this up a few times, but it still turned out great.

Seriously, if you have never tried homebrewing, it is EASY. Of course, I did my best not to let on to that fact as my friends sampled it for the first time and all said, with genuine surprise, ?Wow, this is actually good.? I see this new hobby going to wonderful places, and I encourage any fan of beer to give it a shot. You won?t find many homebrewers who have only done it once, and for good reason.

I know that this little series hasn?t been the most instructional or enlightening, but I hope that it helped to demystify homebrewing for those that have wanted to try it but thought it would be too much hassle. After the first sip of your brew, you will come to the same realization that I have: It is TOTALLY worth it.

Now, if you will excuse me, I?m going to relax, have a homebrew, and decide on what kind of beer to brew next.

- By Jon Watson, Food & More blog

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