Ah, the A2 brew! Mixed results, I'm afraid. The beer is not bad -- pretty standard IPA style (as Cassandra puts it, it tastes exactly how the kind of beer she doesn't like should taste) -- and it has gotten better with time, to the point where I now often grab a bottle of that rather than automatically rooting round the fridge for a commercial brew. Not to the point where I would proudly serve it to guests, however, as it has a slightly dusty aftertaste (for want of a better word) that I half suspect may be due to something getting in the mix.
I found the brewing process rather tiresome at times, particularly cleaning all the bottles. I'd be tempted to skimp a little next time (on the theory that I went over the top as a beginner), except for the aforementioned aftertaste, which makes me wonder if I didn't do a thorough enough job. i think one thing that really would help would be a bigger kitchen, but that ain't going to happen any time soon.
If we ever get round to the fabled get together, I'll be sure to bring a few bottles.
I'll likely give it another go through, once I get some time to wash bottles etc., as I think that there were a couple of things I could easily do better; for example, the brew was probably in too cold a spot, and so did not have much yeast action going on, and I can fix that easily enough.
Can I suggest kegging next time? The bottling process also put me off the fun of brewing for awhile. You just need to get a 5 gallon device (like you see at restaurants for sodas) and a bottle of C02 for the carbonating. No more sterilizing and your beer is actually ready to drink a bit faster. It is a small investment, but worth it if you plan to continue. You can get the kegs at restaurant supply stores or check with your local Coke distributor.
I second that question: doesn't one need some sort of "kegerator" to keep the beer nice and cold? Also, I quite like bottled beer.
This issue reminds me of a great couple we know who have a kegerator. A few months before they got married the guy told me "[My fiancee] is trying to lose weight for the wedding, so she'll only let me have light beer in the the kegerator." Recipe for a happy marriage right there.
You do need to keep the keg cold, but that's what refrigerators are for, so get rid of extraneous items like baby food and wife food to make room. The beer will keep for several days if it is carbonated correctly.
9 comments:
Ah, the A2 brew! Mixed results, I'm afraid. The beer is not bad -- pretty standard IPA style (as Cassandra puts it, it tastes exactly how the kind of beer she doesn't like should taste) -- and it has gotten better with time, to the point where I now often grab a bottle of that rather than automatically rooting round the fridge for a commercial brew. Not to the point where I would proudly serve it to guests, however, as it has a slightly dusty aftertaste (for want of a better word) that I half suspect may be due to something getting in the mix.
I found the brewing process rather tiresome at times, particularly cleaning all the bottles. I'd be tempted to skimp a little next time (on the theory that I went over the top as a beginner), except for the aforementioned aftertaste, which makes me wonder if I didn't do a thorough enough job. i think one thing that really would help would be a bigger kitchen, but that ain't going to happen any time soon.
If we ever get round to the fabled get together, I'll be sure to bring a few bottles.
I'll likely give it another go through, once I get some time to wash bottles etc., as I think that there were a couple of things I could easily do better; for example, the brew was probably in too cold a spot, and so did not have much yeast action going on, and I can fix that easily enough.
Can I suggest kegging next time? The bottling process also put me off the fun of brewing for awhile. You just need to get a 5 gallon device (like you see at restaurants for sodas) and a bottle of C02 for the carbonating. No more sterilizing and your beer is actually ready to drink a bit faster. It is a small investment, but worth it if you plan to continue. You can get the kegs at restaurant supply stores or check with your local Coke distributor.
I'm continually amazed at how much you bastards know about music and alcohol.
Ooh, I forgot about washing all the bottles. That did suck. What alcohol content were you shooting for?
Dave, how long does the beer keep in a keg?
Do you have to keep those kegs refrigerated?
I second that question: doesn't one need some sort of "kegerator" to keep the beer nice and cold? Also, I quite like bottled beer.
This issue reminds me of a great couple we know who have a kegerator. A few months before they got married the guy told me "[My fiancee] is trying to lose weight for the wedding, so she'll only let me have light beer in the the kegerator." Recipe for a happy marriage right there.
You do need to keep the keg cold, but that's what refrigerators are for, so get rid of extraneous items like baby food and wife food to make room. The beer will keep for several days if it is carbonated correctly.
jay, you didn't drink any of that beer straight from the tap did you?
They told me it was Budweiser.
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