Observations From A New Brewartist, 10 Weeks In

[Steve Gyldenvand]

Christmas Day, 2022, the family gift exchanges were all but done. As usual, it had been a free-for-all of festivity. The grandkids were exhausted but hanging in there, playing with one new toy after another, as the adults sipped wine and mimosas amidst the wreckage of wrapping paper, boxes, ribbons and bows. But in the back corner behind the Christmas tree, there remained one gift; a large box, too big for wrapping paper and so covered with a blanket. It was for me, from my daughter and son-in-law. It was my Beerdroid. My, my, my...

With Christmas behind us and order more or less restored, I tentatively started my first batch - the now-discontinued American Ale that had been ordered along with the 'Droid - on December 30. Nine days later I bottled it, and two weeks after that I sampled my first homebrewed beer. And...it was good. Not great, but good. I had been watching the Brewart how-to videos and reading the FAQs, but the real goldmine of helpful info was found here on the community forums. And so I knew that first "okay" taste of my initial batch would improve with time, and now almost two months later, that has been confirmed. I only wish I had exercised a bit more patience early on, because I've already  pretty much sampled that batch into oblivion. I have managed a little more restraint with subsequent brews, thankfully, and so I still have most of my second brew - the delightful Belgian Strong Ale - in the cellar, gaining character toward future enjoyment. 

Since the first of the year my 'droid has been in constant production, and I am now seven days into brewing on my eighth batch. After the first two, I did an English Bitter from a recipe I found here in the forum (E2, E2, E3, X3, Y2); it's at six weeks now, and is coming into it's own. It also happens to be one of my wife's favorite styles, and I can absolutely say I'll be revisiting that one again soon. Then came the Belgian Lager, Cooper's Sparkling Ale, Irish Red Ale, Lord's English Pale Ale, and in the 'droid right now is the Ruby Porter. The Irish hit two weeks yesterday, and like all of them at that age, it's good, but not mature enough to be great.

(I will note here that, although I have a well established love for a variety of beer styles, and have traveled extensively to sample some amazing beers, I do not possess the ability to really evaluate flavor profiles well. I can certainly taste the differences, I just can't describe them in a meaningful way, so I won't attempt to do that here, where others have done it so well.)

Up next, I'll be revisiting the Belgian Strong Ale, so that I have a good supply well-aged for next winter here in the northern hemisphere. After that, I have the Stars & Stripes and Monch Lagers in line, to help us get through the hot summer months. After that...not sure yet, but at this point I'm thinking about trying my hand at improvising a recipe. Maybe I'll start with a basic Brewprint and change a couple ingredients, just to see what happens. 

I'll leave it at that for now, except to say thanks to all here for answering my questions, and for participating in my chatty posts, and for generally making me feel welcome. Now here's a photo of me with a beer.

 

 

 

[Rob Courtney]

On 15/03/2023 at 1:24 AM, Steve Gyldenvand said:

I only wish I had exercised a bit more patience early on, because I've already  pretty much sampled that batch into oblivion.

Yeeeaaaahh, we've all been there. If there is one truism in beer brewing, it is that last bottle is going to be a cracker showing none of the characteristics of the rest of the bottles.

Glad to hear you enjoy Brewart and the community, it's a good one with some great info and always someone going "but what if I brew it with this" and then sharing success or failures.