pourmeanother |
02-16-2010 01:47 PM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bane of your existence
(Post 827130)
I've still never had a home-made beer that halfway didn't taste like dick. I've stuck to the recipe, tried adding some of my own stuff, nothing works. And not just mine, but friends that have made it, too.
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Funny you say that, because I hated my beer at first. I've shared it with quite a few people, and after I received all positive reviews (including, 'this is the best beer I've ever tasted') I had to put my foot down. I said, 'stop being nice, the beer is not that good!'. The response to this was 'you are your own harshest critic'. That's very true. I'm still not convinced it's THAT good, but I've come to appreciate and enjoy it a little more.
You might talk to your local brew shop employee about how to improve your taste, but there are a lot of factors that can ruin a beer outside of just the ingredients. Sanitation and exposure are equally, if not more important than the combination of ingredients. Anything your wort touches after being boiled needs to be properly sanitized and dried- from your carboy all the way down to the bottlecaps. No rinsing your tools after using the sanitizing solution either, that just reintroduces bacteria. Bacteria kills a beers flavor. So that means avoid all exposure to air, if possible. Also, keep it in a dark place away from light. Something I didn't do, but may be helpful as well, is measuring the specific gravity of the beer at different phases. The recipe should give you a beginning and final gravity range that is expected, and you'll know if it's been properly fermented if it hits those milestones. Also, patience helps- not only during fermentation, but after bottling. If you can, wait 6 weeks before opening your bottled beer to drink. The flavor will only improve.
I'm a noob, but I learned a lot through my first attempt- and I'm gearing up for my second batch (an IPA). If you have any questions, holla!
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