First ever homebrewing experience

[Captain 3 Droids]

2 minutes ago, Wazza_wantsbeer said:

Okay, update time.

Sorry as I know the veterans will be shaking their respective heads but I just couldn't resist having another sneaky one and boy, what a difference 9 days makes.

Also note, this is one of the PET bottles that was secondary fermentation with Dextrose and not the Drops.

Colour is a little lighter than the first tasting and clear AF.

In terms of flavour, a much cleaner, brighter,cleaner and sharper flavour. A fair bit less malt and a little more bitterness from the hops I added (as a reminder, 95g of hops in total, added at start and then again at dry hopping time).

My wife just tried it and and was like, oh wow, that's so good.

Oh no, it won't be all mine 😢 

Cannot wait to try again in another 10 days or so and see how it matures from from now until then.

Looks great. Your doing the right thing testing to note the aging improvements.

The wife liking your brews could well get you another Droid! 😀😌

[Wazza_wantsbeer]

2 minutes ago, Captain 3 Droids said:

Looks great. Your doing the right thing testing to note the aging improvements.

The wife liking your brews could well get you another Droid! 😀😌

Haha, I can see it now, Wazza2Droids or W2D

Love it.

[Wazza_wantsbeer]

The head on this beer is just awesome, next level compared to many commercial brews.

And how often can a man in his mid-50's say how great the head was/is 🤣

Plus, the bottle pour was clean even though I did it in more than 1 go...

Love it.

Early stages I know but I think I'm preferring the bottle secondary fermentation with Dextrose over the Drops but... but, yet to do a full head to head comparison.

Also, the 7.5% ABV is much more noticeable and appreciated now compared to the first taste 9 days ago.

[Dustin Frothman]

3 hours ago, Wazza_wantsbeer said:

Okay, update time.

Sorry as I know the veterans will be shaking their respective heads but I just couldn't resist having another sneaky one and boy, what a difference 9 days makes.

Also note, this is one of the PET bottles that was secondary fermentation with Dextrose and not the Drops.

Colour is a little lighter than the first tasting and clear AF.

In terms of flavour, a much cleaner, brighter,cleaner and sharper flavour. A fair bit less malt and a little more bitterness from the hops I added (as a reminder, 95g of hops in total, added at start and then again at dry hopping time).

My wife just tried it and and was like, oh wow, that's so good.

Oh no, it won't be all mine 😢 

Cannot wait to try again in another 10 days or so and see how it matures from from now until then.

That looks great. It is quite astounding how clear the beer turns out using this system.

Taste is such a subjective thing, so I reckon you're doing it the right way by trying them as you go. It's the only way to find the sweet spot for you and a good reason to always bottle some if you can.

[Wazza_wantsbeer]

Now at 6+ weeks end of fermentation.

Funny how the taste changes since I last tasted it.

It's gone the other way now, the malt flavour coming thru much stronger and there is not much hop flavour at all.

To be honest, that malt forward character isn't something I really enjoy much these days. Don't think I would brew it again. But I am still enjoying it enough and will wait to see how it ages over the next few weeks.

Also, I should note that this is one of the bottles using the BrewArt drops for secondary fermentation which I think adds to the sweeter flavour. I'm pretty sure I'm now leaning in favour of secondary fermentation with Dextrose over the Drops. The Dextrose has a cleaner crisper finish IMHO.

Edited December 15, 2021 by Wazza_wantsbeer
Accuracy

[Captain 3 Droids]

3 minutes ago, Wazza_wantsbeer said:

Now at 6+ weeks end of fermentation.

Funny how the taste changes since I last tasted it.

It's gone the other way now, the malt flavour coming thru much stronger and there is not much hop flavour at all.

To be honest, that malt forward character isn't something I really enjoy much these days. Don't think I would brew it again. But I am still enjoying it enough and will wait to see how it ages over the next few weeks.

Also, I should note that this is one of the bottles using the BrewArt drops for secondary fermentation which I think adds to the sweeter flavour. I'm pretty sure I'm now leaning in favour of secondary fermentation with Dextrose over the Drops. The Dextrose has a cleaner crisper finish IMHO.

Sorry but what’s the brew? Can’t comment on the malt character until the recipe is known.

The BrewArt drops or any other sugars used for carbonation don’t add sweetness, the yeast “eats” the sugars to produce Co2. Dextrose for carbonation is fine.

[Wazza_wantsbeer]

12 minutes ago, Captain 3 Droids said:

Sorry but what’s the brew? Can’t comment on the malt character until the recipe is known.

The BrewArt drops or any other sugars used for carbonation don’t add sweetness, the yeast “eats” the sugars to produce Co2. Dextrose for carbonation is fine.

That's the Narci-Citrus IPA @Captain 3 Droids

My first brew with the Droid.