F8-01-01-11: Poplar Island Pilsner

Label inspiration: named after where I worked for over eight years, the label is an aerial picture of the island.

From the Mr. Beer website:

Mr. Beer’s Imperial Pilsner recipe

ABV: 6.5 %             SRM: 7                        IBU: 26

From the Mr. Beer website:

Think of this as a big ol’ German-style pils, featuring bright, grainy malt and distinctive hop character. These beers tend to finish dry and hoppy, and can have a bit of a minerally character from the water used. Extended lagering yields a clean, ester free finished beer with great clarity.

With this seasonal, we took this base concept and amped it up a bit. Our recipe features 100% pilsner malt in all its glory. It provides a bready, lightly sweet malty character to support the noticeable bitterness and bright hop flavor. Instead of traditional noble hops, we elected to feature citrusy Motueka and spicy Green Bullet. This comes with a classic German lager yeast to help make sure it brews up clean and crisp. It is a beer that’s sure to wash away any trace of Spring Fever.

REFILL INCLUDES:
1 Can Imperial Pilsner HME
1 Packet Saflager W-34/70 Dry Lager Yeast

Brewed beer on July 28, 2012. I turned down the fridge and placed the fermenter on the bottom shelf. We’ll see how that goes. The recipe calls for for temps to be from 48-59. I put a thermometer in the fridge for over an hour and it was near 48 so I turned down the fridge a little. We’ll see how it goes.

Bottled beer on August 20, 2012. After I bottled the beer, I put them all back in the fridge.  I think the temperature in the fridge is too cold for the second fermentation/ carbonation, but I’ll give it a go.

Tasted the beer on September 2, 2012.  And…it was pretty nasty. I’m not sure if it was the temperature during fermentation, contamination or trying it too soon. Maybe a combination of all three, I don’t know. I’m pretty discouraged.

I saved 2 beers just in case. I’ll leave them in the fridge for a few more months and will try them at a later time…

OVERALL SCORE: 2 out of 10.  Not as bad as the first batch of 350 Hefeweizen, but close. Again, I'm very disappointed. Maybe it'll taste better after it sits a while. In any case, I think I need to find a way to keep the lagering temps low enough for the yeast to do their work but high enough not to freeze them out...

F7-01-01-10 and F7-01-02-12: 350 Hefeweizen

Label inspiration: I wanted to do a more sleek, modern label this time. The name comes from the amount of money I saved each month by renting a house for about 10 months.

From Mr. Beer's website:

Mr. Beer’s Seasonal Beer Imperial Hefeweizen

ABV: 6.5%         SRM: 8         IBU: 25

Flavor: Hoppy

1 Can Imperial Hefeweizen HME
1 Packet Safbrew WB-06 Dry Wheat Yeast

“This summer seasonal is truly an American creation, descended from a traditional German Hefeweizen on the one side and a West-Coast Pale ale on the other, it displays a delicate malt profile with banana and clove characteristics coupled with bright, citrusy hops and a higher than average abv.

This unique and interesting creation combines a simple grist of pilsner malt and malted wheat with a blend of Cascade and Centennial hops from the Pacific Northwest. The simple malt bill keeps this beer light on the palate and easy-drinking, while the hops contribute a modest bitterness and bright, refreshing citrusy flavors. This beer will be interesting to watch mature -- the hop character will be most prominent when young, and it will develop more malt complexity as the days grow shorter. Enjoy!”

Brewed 350 on May 20, 2012. I’ve been checking the fermenter temperature once in a while and I’ve noticed that it’s over 75 degrees most of the time. I put on the AC on May 28^th and the room is still hovering around 78-80 degrees. I’ll probably have to find a better spot or may even have to develop a different cooling method. 

Checked the temperature of the fermenter as few times since I first brewed 350. It was hovering from 76 to 82 for the first two weeks because I was too cheap to put on the air conditioning. On June 2^nd, it finally cooled down a bit outside and the temperature was around 76. I don’t have a good feeling about this beer!

Checked the temperature again on June 10, 2012. It’s between 78 and 80, which is a little high. It’s been staying around 76-78 for days now. I’ll definitely brew this beer after I turn the AC on for good this summer. I have the fermenter in my office, which turns out to be the hottest room in the house!

I checked the temperature this morning (June 16, 2012) and it was between 74 and 76. I’m really not happy about the fluctuations in temperature but we’ll see how that plays out when the beer is finally done. Tomorrow is bottling day. 

I officially bottled the beer on Monday June 18, 2012.  I put the bottles in the oven twice to disinfect them and they started smelling burnt. Not good. On top of that, the beer tasted super sweet and maybe even cidery…or vinegary. I think it’s one of the worst tasting beers I’ve ever made. There were too many issues with the brew process (mainly temperature) and it seems like I didn’t clean the utensils that well. 

Placed the beers in the refrigerator on Friday July 20, 2012. I kept them sitting for too long. Only turned the bottles once since I bottled the beer. I made a lot of mistakes with this beer, the biggest mistake being fermenting at too high of a temperature. 

Tasted the trub bottle on July 22, 2012. NASTY! Sweet, cidery…definitely infected. I tasted part of another one that’s only been in the refrigerator for a few days and it wasn’t good…but it wasn’t as bad as the trub bottle. 

OVERALL SCORE: 1 out of 10. It's one of the worst beers I've ever made. Reasons: questionable sanitation, high and fluctuating temperatures, and too long in the fermenter.

Batch Two

F8-01-02-12

Brewed beer on July 28, 2012. I brewed it the ame day as I did the Poplar Island Pilsner. While the pilnsner was in the fridge, I placed this keg in my dining room on the china cabinet. I've had the AC on for a while at 72 degrees. I followed all sanitation and brewing instructions to the letter. 

Bottled beer on August 16, 2012. I tried it from the tap before I bottled it. It was better than the last batch, but it was still not very good. It tasted a little sweet/cidery. At this point, I'm not very happy.

Placed beer in refrigerator on September 3, 2012. Labor Day. The pilsner failed. I'm not sold on this hefeweizen just yet. Hopefully I'll settle and mature enough to taste decent.
 
UPDATE: I ended up throwing away this beer a second time. Not very happy about this. I read all about other brewers using Mr. Beer and they're having a good time making good beer. What's going on with me?!

Maybe it was temperature. Maybe it was sanitation. Either way- THIS STINKS!

OVERALL SCORE: 1 out of 10.  My scale doesn't include "0", but if it did this beer would certainly get it...
 

F1-02-01-09: Finney's Pale Ale

Label inspiration: I wanted to name a beer after my grandfather's family.

This beer is named after my grandfather. Since some of my relatives were Pennsylvania Dutch, I called it a Pennsylvania Dutch Pale Ale (instead of India Pale Ale) in honor of them. This recipe is a lot better than the basic pale ale recipe that comes with the Mr. Beer kit. The label shows the beer as being 4.6% ABV but it's actually 6.0%.

From the Mr. Beer website:

(Mr. Beer’s American Devil IPA)

ABV: 4.6 + 1.4% Booster= 6.0%  SRM: 8  IBU: 58

2 cans of American Devil IPA

2 packets of dry yeast

1 package of Booster

Brewed this beer on April 3, 2011. I added the Booster before mixing the wort because I wanted more body to the beer and more alcohol. I hope pushing it up to 6% won’t make it too sugary. We’ll see.

I tried to follow all of the sanitizing instructions the best I could. I think I did fairly well. I’m looking to perfect this recipe, perhaps by adding DME, honey and/or hops in the future. I hope I can do this recipe once a year.

Bottled Finney’s Pale Ale on April 17, 2011.

I really haven’t been keeping track of making beer only because I was in the process of moving at the time I did the last two beers, but this beer went fast. VERY FAST. Adding the Booster helped, I think and I’ll be adding it to my other batches for sure.

UPDATE:  I couldn't keep this beer in the refrigerator! This was my best beer to date, by far. I have a relative growing some hops for me so maybe for the next batch I'll add some homegrown Cascade hops...

It's hard to make beer any better than this, in my opinion. I love IPAs ans I thought this beer tasted like an IPA you'd get from the store. It wasn't overly hoppy and I like really hoppy beers, but it was still very good.

OVERALL SCORE: 10 of 10!!!!

F6-02-01-08: Sweet*Spring Lager

Label inspiration: I just wanted a nice, spring-like scene for the label...

I've never really had Maibocks, but this beer was the Seasonal offering from Mr. Beer (Spring 2011).

From their website:

Mr. Beer’s Spring Seasonal Beer, Maibock, German-style Lager

ABV: 6.5%   SRM: 10   IBU: 14

(4-6 weeks suggested lager time)

"Mr.Beer®'s Maibock German-Style Lager is made from the finest Munich and pilsner malts for a complex, bready, and slightly honey-like malt sweetness. Noble hops provide a wonderful balancing bitterness, and a light floral finish. It comes with a true lager yeast (Saflager S-23) to produce the most authentic, crisp and clean flavor. This beer was born for springtime -- it is strong enough to fortify you against chilly spring nights, yet smooth enough to quaff as the days grow warmer."

REFILL INCLUDES:
1 Can Maibock German-Style Lager HME
1 Packet Saflager S-23 Dry Lager Yeast

In order to get to lager temps, I am using an old cat litter pan (never used) to put the fermenter in, with ice packs surrounding it. We’ll see how it works. I put in 8 cups of water.

Also, when I was prepping, I put the extract can in a pot of boiling water to loosen it up a bit. That seemed to help with the process a bit.

Brewed batch on March 6, 2011. Easy one to make. These seasonals don’t require much at all. I really want to keep it at a lower temp. We’ll see if I can.

Crap! Some extract was left at the bottom of the pot. I just noticed it. I would day it wasn’t even a millimeter thick (maybe) but still. It was all thick and gooey. PERFECT for brewing! Oh, well.

March 13, 2011. Well, after a few days of trying, I couldn’t keep the temperature at a reasonable level so I bagged it. Now, it’ll probably be a steam beer.

Bottled Sweet*Spring Lager on March 27, 2011. Things went well, but I didn’t taste it.

Conditioned one bottle on April 3, 2011. I want to try one this week to see how it tastes. We’ll see. I don’t know…I think with the high temps and hops left at the bottom of the pot that it might not be great. The only thing I have going for me is that it’s a seasonal brew. 

Conditioned the rest of Sweet*Spring Ale on April 17, 2011.

I couldn’t keep this beer in the fridge! Up until now, this has been the best beer I’ve made! Mr. Beer sold out of it already—that says something! If they ever offer it again, I’ll get three cans of it.

OVERALL SCORE: 8 of 10

F7-01-01-07: West Oak Winter Ale

Label inspiration: the picture is a "callback" to my first beer (label) and shows one of the two snowstorms we got in a matter of a few weeks (almost 4 feet in 2-2.5 weeks).

From Mr. Beer's Winter Seasonal Ale:

ABV- 6.5%   SRM- 40   IBU- 66

“Our Dark Strong Ale combines pale, crystal, chocolate, and wheat malts with liberal doses of Chinook and Amarillo hops. The complex and creamy malt profile provides steady support for the assertive bitterness. The American Ale yeast included (Safale US-05) keeps the flavor profile clean, with just a hint of fruit. This rich, rewarding treat is reminiscent of bittersweet chocolate, but is not for the faint of heart – it is black, bitter, and packs a punch!”

1 Can Dark Strong Ale HME
1 Packet Safale US-05 Dry Ale Yeast

Brewed batch on December 19, 2010. Had a new fermenter from Mr. Beer so I sanitized that one and made the winter ale in that container. Just used the large extract can with the yeast provided and let it sit for a few weeks.

Bottled beer on January 3, 2010. Tasted the beer. Didn’t taste too great. Tasted like it was bad. Put one beer in the fridge.

Tasted the beer that I left in the fridge on January 23, 2010. Tasted ok, very strong and flat.  I thought it was going to taste bad, but it was ok. 

Put beer in refrigerator on January 24, 2010. We’ll see how it tastes in a few weeks.

Tried my third winter ale on February 18, 2011. A lot better! We’ll see how good it gets in the coming weeks. I’m almost ready to get my taste-tester Brandon to try it. "Taste Tester #1" enjoyed it.

OVERALL SCORE: 7 of 10

F6-01-01-06: Pumpkin Patch Lager

Label inspiration: I just wanted a neat picture of a pumpkin patch...

This beer was by far the best smelling beer so far, at least when it comes to the beer-making process. The spices I put in before I put the extract in made the whole house smell like Fall (or some sort of gift shop full of "smell-good" items).

(based on Mr. Beer’s Pumpkin lager)

ABV- 5.1%           SRM- 10         IBU- 22

1 can West Coast Pale Ale HME

1 can Mellow Amber UME

1 packet of yeast

½ C brown sugar

1 can cooked pumpkin puree (my addition- organic pumpkin from Farmer’s Market)

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

slightly less than ½ teaspoon ground cloves (my own addition)

Brewed batch on September 19, 2010.  Sanitized the keg real well, filling it almost to the top with diluted One-Step and sanitized the utensils, too. Used cloves along with the other spices just because my favorite pumpkin pie recipe calls for cloves. I also bought a can of organic pumpkin from Farmer’s Market at Railway Market. It said “cooked” in the instructions so I put it in a pan and warmed it a bit. I think it may have helped in the dissolution a bit (it wasn’t as chunky). The brown sugar and spices smelled really good before I put the extracts in.

After a few hours, I thought I would see some “action” in the fermenter, but…nothing.

October 2, 2010 I noticed that the temps have been going from 62-66 off and on due to serious changes in the temperatures outside. I think they are gradual changes and hopefully it won’t affect things too much.

Bottled batch on October 12, 2010. Tasted it for the first time. A little sweet but I LOVED the smell and the flavor! Maybe this will turn out to be my best one yet! I used the organic sugar with this recipe and bottled the same way I have been for the past few times.

Conditioned beer on November 12, 2010.

Drank beer on November 19, 2010 and again on November 25, 2010. The clove flavor is just too overpowering that it’s hard to figure out if this is a good beer or not.

February 28, 2011. Had a few more Pumpkin Patch Ales tonight. No bad, but definitely not great because of the clove flavor. NOTE: A slight less cloves and definitely some nutmeg next time!

OVERALL SCORE: 6 of 10

F5-01-01-05: Autumn Harvest

Label inspiration: I was searching for autumnal equinox pictures and came upon this one...

Well, it was going to be getting colder so I began brewing darker beers at this point. Just like the Crabber's Delight beer, I think the label was a lot better than the beer.

(based on Mr. Beer’s Otto’s Oktoberfest)

ABV- 4.6%   SRM- 12   IBU- 23

1 can of Octoberfest Vienna Lager HME

1 can of Golden Wheat UME

1 packet of Saflager S-23 Dry Lager Yeast

1 packet of Sterling Pellet Hops

1 Muslin Hop Sack

Brewed batch on August 29, 2010, one week after starting my Boot’s Brown Ale. Still thinking about the pure cane sugar method as opposed to carb tabs for my carbonation. Not sure yet. This is the second time in a row that I have royally screwed up the brewing process. What’s going on with me?!

I think I did well with the sanitization process; however, I’m a little lacking when it comes to the mixing process. The first problem I had was putting the pellet hops in the sanitized hops sack. I did this near the dish I use to sanitize all of my utensils. BIG MISTAKE! Some of the hops fell into the dish and soon I had green and hoppy sanitized water. I put the rest of the hops into the sack, tied it off, cut it and threw it into the pot with the extract. I think I used about ¾ of the pellets- I was only supposed to use ½. 

Next, just like with my Boot’s Brown Ale, I spilled a bit of the wort over the side of my fermenter as I was pouring the wort in. Graceful, I am not.

AND, as if that weren’t quite enough…I realized later that the yeast I used was something I had purchased separately with the Mr. Beer recipe- it was NOT part of the recipe. Saflager S-23 is supposed to be used for lagers, too but the beers are fermeted between 51-59 degrees (optimal). Apparently, I can get up to 75 degrees, but I’ll try to stay around 70 or 72 degrees. To top that off—it says that if I’m using the yeast for less than 5% ABV, I only need half of the package. I used it all.

SO…more hops, more yeast, higher temps than normal for the yeast…we’ll see what happens.

Bottled batch September 19, 2010  The same day I brewed the best smelling batch ever—Pumpkin Patch Lager. I used the Domino’s organic cane sugar again and also employed the bottling technique as described in the Boot’s Brown Ale section. I capped the bottles with aluminum foil before I put them in the oven (to sanitize them). 

October 12, 2010 Placed bottles in refrigerator.

November 19, 2010. I tried one beer and it didn’t taste good. It tasted like some of the beers I made earlier…maybe it is infected.

November 25, 2010. Nope. Not good at all. Tasted another one and threw it out.

December 10, 2010. Finally threw out all the beer. It was probably infected big time. Very disappointed.

OVERALL SCORE: 2 of 10

F4-01-01-04: Boot's Brown Ale

Label inspiration: Beer was named after a squirrel that hung around my yard. He had white feet so I called him Boots.

From Mr. Beer's website:

(Mr. Beer’s American Double Brown Ale)

ABV- 6.5%         SRM-         38         IBU- 50

“This Double American Brown is a big, chewy ale that combines the finest 2-row barley with caramel, chocolate, amber and cara malt, creating a dark brew with lush, velvety malt flavor. It is hopped with Riwaka and Pacifica, lending it a a fresh, floral and berry-like snap to complement the chocolate malt flavors. The included Safale S-04 dry ale yeast provides a clean, balanced flavor profile, characteristic of traditional Brown Ales. This brew will keep you warm as the nights cool off!”

1 can of Double American Brown HME

1 packet of Safale S-04 Dry Ale Yeast

Brewed batch on August 22, 2010. Yet another easy recipe from Mr. Beer. I didn’t add anything extra to the recipe this time. I will probably try cane sugar instead of carb tabs this time to see if I can cut down on the “floaties”.

UPDATE: Royally screwed up on the making of this beer! My can opener didn’t work well and I’m not sure I got all of the extract out of the can. Also, I managed to pour a bit out onto the fermenter instead of IN the fermenter, which meant that I had to account for the loss when I filled up the fermenter at the end of the process with water…which I didn’t. Well, I tried. I couldn’t see the line that well due to the crappy lighting in my kitchen (I tried a flashlight to no avail). 

After two days, the temp is hovering around 72-74 degrees.

After one week, it’s about 72 degrees. It looks like the krausen is gone, at least most of it from what I can see. Weird…after only a week?

Bottled batch on September 12, 2010. Tasted it before I bottled it. Pretty damn nasty, maybe cidery/vinegar…not sure but it might be infected. I’ve tried and tried to be super-cautious when it comes to sanitation- maybe it’s not good enough. OR, perhaps I am looking for a miracle.

Before I bottled the batch, I washed the bottles in warm water, then I put them in the oven at 175 degrees for a little over an hour. After that, I used One-Step.

For the first time, I used something organic- Domino’s Organic cane sugar. The Mr. Beer instructions say to use ¾ tsp for carbonation but I used just under 1 tsp for good measure.

I heard about a bottling trick that I tried this time. I filled the bottles up and placed the caps on the bottles BUT I didn’t cap them fully until I was done filling all the bottles. Maybe it pushed out some oxygen in the process. 

September 18, 2010 Just picked up the bottles gently, turned them upside down diagonally and turned them a few times before I put them back in the box.

October 2, 2010 Placed bottles in refrigerator.

Tasted my first beer of the batch on October 12, 2010. It wasn’t bad. A little “young” though. I think it’ll be good in a few weeks.

Tastes the beer again on November 19, 2010. It really wasn’t that good at all. It had lost it’s flavor and tasted like it was bad.

November 25, 2010 Actually not that bad at all. Took a few to the folks’ house and they liked it a lot. 

January 3, 2010 After a month or so, the beer really came together. I think this is the best one yet. I gave a few to a friend of mine at work and he liked them a lot. I have two left and I am enjoying them this evening.

OVERALL SCORE: 7 of 10

F3-03-01-03: Drievoud

Label inspiration: the Dutch word for "triple" is drievoud.

This is Mr. Beer's first special seasonal beer offering. Their extracts and recipes are ok, but I think they wanted to ramp it up a bit. This means less tweaking of the recipes unless you really want to.

(Mr. Beer’s Trippel Seasonal Beer)

ABV- 6.5%         SRM- 9         IBU- 31

Brewed batch on May 9, 2010 (Mother’s Day). It’s a fairly easy recipe. I added about ¾ C of sugar (the label on the can said 1 C). The yeast that came with the recipe can take temps from 59 to 75, which is very good!

Bottled beer on May 23, 2010. Tasted a little sweet but should be ok after 14 days fermenting. I was able to get 22 full bottles out of this one and I put the trub bottle in the fridge. We’ll see how it goes…

Started conditioning beer on June 6, 2010. I turned the bottles upside down a few times before I put them in the fridge. There was some trub at the bottom of most bottles. Maybe it was the carb tabs, who knows.

Drank some shortly before the Fourth of July 2010. Took some over to my brother’s house on the Fourth. My parents enjoyed it. I liked it ok, but I had some floaties in it. I’m not sure why, but it seems like everyone on the Mr. Beer Fan forum says these beers taste better after aging—I think they get worse.

Drank the second-to-last one (August 21, 2010). Tasted a little strong, but more like a trippel…finally!

OVERALL SCORE: 7 of 10

F2-01-01-02: Crabber's Delight

Label inspiration: working on the Chesapeake Bay and watching the watermen every morning

This is definitely a situation where the label is waaaay better than the beer. And yes- I DID in fact add some Old Bay seasoning to the beer. In hindsight, I really don't think it helped OR hurt the beer. It wasn't that good anyway...

This beer was based on Mr. Bill's brew recipe from Mr. Beer....

ABV- 5.0%  SRM- 3  IBU- 18

Mr. Beer fermenter, Bill’s Brew kit (American Blonde Ale HME, Williamette hops, Booster, yeast, 1 Cup Gunter’s Pure Clover honey), a dash of Old Bay (my addition).

Brewed batch on February 11, 2010. Followed directions except I sprinkled a dash of Old Bay into the Booster and water mix just as it was boiling.

Checked beer on February 14, 2010. Temperature on the temp. strip said 66 degrees. I could see foam in the fermenter. I’m a bit worried about the sanitation process…afraid that I didn’t do that well enough.

Checked beer on February 23, 2010. Still on 66 degrees. Might want to wait past the normal 2-week period to bottle it.

Tasted beer on March 1, 2010. A little sweet, cloudy. Too long fermenting. There were things “hanging” from the water level in the fermenter…hanging down towards the bottom. There’s trub at the bottom, too. Not sure if it’s contaminated or not. Will bottle anyway.

Bottled beer on March 1, 2010. Only bottled 20 because I was afraid the trub would get into my last few bottles. Maybe the “nasties” were the hops I put in without using the hop sack.

Started conditioning on March 20, 2010 It doesn’t look good. A lot of “floaties”, probably from the hops I left in there. Dumb decision, I think in hindsight. 

Drank one April 2, 2010  Could’ve died! No, it wasn’t that bad actually, but it tasted a little like a hefeweizen for some reason, maybe that was the honey or the hops…who knows. I’m going to let it condition a little more.

UPDATE May 9, 2010: Overall, it was ok. I think the ones I bottled at the end were bad because they had all of the trub and leftover floaty crap in them. A few friends of mine liked it—I was a bit surprised. I think the ones I gave them were a lot better than the ones I had at home.

OVERALL SCORE: 4 of 10

F1-01-01-01: Greene(r) Shade of Pale

Label inspiration: my bungalow on West Oak Avenue, a twist on the song "Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum

This basic beer was brewed a few days after I got the Mr. Beer kit from my parents for Christmas. I told them months before that I saw one and I'd be interested in learning how to make beer. This was my first shot at it. Here's what I wrote in my beer journal at the time:

3.7% ABV, SRM: 3, IBU: 22

Mr. Beer fermenter, West Coast Pale Ale Malt Extract, Booster, yeast

Brewed batch on December 27, 2009. According to directions that came with Mr. Beer. Heat was on 66 degrees (thermostat) for most of the time. I changed it to 67 or 68 the last few days.

Tasted beer two weeks later, on January 10, 2010. Taste was like flat beer. I noticed a slight sweet flavor, too but it was not an overwhelming one.

Bottled batch on January 11, 2010. Only used 22 ½ bottles, though. Beer still tasted flat and was a little cloudy. Looked like a Corona or light ale but not as “blonde”. Decided to bottle it after reading online that it might be ok. Placed the bottles in the mud room…in case one explodes! Went with the “2-2-2” rule found on a Mr. Beer fan website…2 weeks fermenting, 2 weeks carbonating and 2 weeks conditioning. I used 3 Carbtabs (Mouton’s) for each bottle.

Rolled the beer on January 16, 2010. During the carbonation period, almost a week into it, I took each bottle, inverted it 45 degrees and gently rolled it one turn. Maybe the yeast will work more of its magic!

Started conditioning process on January 25, 2010. Placed beer in refrigerator.

Tasted “a few” beers on January 31, 2010. Not bad. A tad sweet, but not too sweet. Slightly flat, but I only used three carb tabs. Deep golden color, darker than a Budweiser. Tasted better than a Bud, actually!

Needed more carb tabs. I didn’t see the “floaties” that some pople eluded to, but I guess that’s cause I turned the bottles after a week.

At this point, I might not have any beer left in three weeks!

February 7, 2010 Tastes pretty much the same as it did last week.

February 11, 2010 I had a beer while I was brewing batch #2. Tastes a little more bitter than it did a week ago but not bad. A little light, though…watery? I guess it had a different consistency due to the lack of carbonation.

February 23, 2010 Second-to-last beer. The beer actually tastes worse after the two-week conditioning phase. Not a big fan…even though it’s beer.

OVERALL SCORE:  3 of 10

Welcome!

 Welcome to my beer-making blog! I've only been making beer for a few years now and at this point I'm still a newbie. I'm basically working with extracts and various ingredients (mostly Mr. Beer products), but someday I hope to graduate to carboys, batch priming and other fun things. Right now, it's perfect for me. It's good for anyone who loves beer but is too busy to spend hours and hours on it. 

I'm posting all of the beers I've made up to date, including the labels for each. Most of the time, I think the labels are better than the beer!

Enjoy!

-DG