Your 1st Homebrew

[shortshot]

January 14, 2017. I got the small batch kit with caribou slobber. I received it from my wife for Christmas. I just bottled my first EVER brew. Took a taste and the flavor profile is what I was hoping for only flat. I'm already looking to go to 5 gallon batches cause I only got 8 full bottles out of the gallon batch. I've been bitten by the bug as well. I'm building a temperature controlled fermentation chamber from a small dorm style fridge I have. It should help me pass the time til my slobber is ready to enjoy.

[gdtechvw]

About 5 years ago I brewed a blond ale, extract with steeping grains. My 3rd batch was fly sparged all grain, then I found out about batch sparging and haven't looked back since. (thanks Denny).

[wilcolandzaat]

Me about 2 years. Now about 80 brew further. But the first one before. Adjusting and change of brew method and system. Started out with. A nb brewing kit delux. Everthing what could be wrong went wrong. First. The burner did not create not heat. So 70 min further. Water and lme on the right temp. But. Still not enough heat. Finally went out. Got the burner i use now. All done. Add wort to fermenting bucket. Abv way to high. Now wait time. Beer all fermented. Og. 1.009. Pfff it tasted. Ok. Now really did change my brew system. From extract. To partial mash and. All grain. Beers. Are coming awesome out. Thanks to this forum. And info from other brewers. Still in search of the holy grail brew wise. But must be doing something. Right. Work. Besides brewing at home. Part time at a micro brewery

[radagast]

2010 I received an old Mr Beer kit from a buddy who said it was fun but he didn't have time anymore so I thought, that'd be fun so I brought it home. It sat in my basement until January of 2011 when I decided to actually give it a go. I had a basic kit that was at least 2 years old at that point and it turned out barely drinkable but it was my first go which I thought made it awesome so I drank it (looking back, it was utter crap that I should have dumped ). Wife got me a new kit to see if that would make a difference. Brewed it, better than the first kit but still rather blah. Then I went on MrBeer's website and found recipes so I tried a few of them, the first being a Midas Touch clone and the second being a wheat beer. I played around with Mr. Beer for all of 2011 before deciding I was ready to try the real thing and got a deluxe starter kit from our hosts for Extract in January of 2012. The first kit I brewed was Caribou Slobber and with one sip, I was hooked. Third kit was when I got kicked out of the kitchen after I had a massive boilover on the wife's stovetop. Brewed extract through 2014 before I swapped to AG batch sparge.

Mr Beer for me was a gateway drug to the pursuit of brewing good beer and one of the best gifts from a friend I've ever gotten.

Rad

[voltron]

September, 2008 - Brewed NB's Super Alt kit.

[uncdeo]

1g plinian legacy....turned surprisingly good.....just flat.

[voodoo_donut]

Dec 2013-5g NB Caribou Slobber, fermented WARM, eventually aged out pretty good..... very forgiving kit!

[brewdvm]

March, 2013. LHBS kit purchased by my wife for me for Christmas. Came with Charlie Papazian's book, so I spent some time reading it first before my first attempt. Still made all sorts of mistakes. Partial boil extract Cooper's IPA. Used too small of a pot and boiled over. What a mess! Scorched it because it came out as black as a stout. Fermented it for only one week before bottling in 22oz bottles. Huge amount of sediment in the bottles. Used bleach to sterilize bottles. Still, it was pretty darn good for a first attempt. Good enough to get hooked on the obsession. Switched to all grain in November, 2014. The science of brewing just got me more and more hooked on this obsession. The engineering is fascinating to me too. Switched to electric brewing summer of 2015. Just bottled my 27th batch and continuing to learn and tweak my equipment and recipes.

[sneezles61]

This is a good topic! As best I can tell, the first any of us rode a bike, we fell down.... got back up and kept going! Fascinating Jim! Sneezles61

[frenchie]

Actually, my first BIAB was more comical. Got so excited I forgot the bag!

Cheers,

Ron

[uberculture]

You didn't practice safe mashing... living on the edge.

[frenchie]

Haha You're right. I didn't get an infection, though. Probably should have thrown an antibiotic in the bottling bucket!

Cheers,

Ron

[jimrmaine]

Actually I had forgotten but my wife bought me a beer making kit a long time ago maybe 20 years. It was a bag lined with plastic. After boiling all the ingredients and cooling a bit you poured it in the bag and shook it up the cap had an air lock.It had a loop you could hang it with. It had a spigot on the bottom and after two weeks you drains some yeast off the bottom and put some more sugar in and removed the airlock. When it blew back up you served it from the spigot. Obviously wasn't a memorable beer but I drank it. Eventually it was flat so I didn't finish it. I guess I could have added additional sugar. Anyone remember something like that?

Oh God, I forgot about that. My wife got me one of those bag things, probably about 20 years ago. I do remember it was a 'Canadian Ale'. I probably did everything wrong, and do remember the instructions were crap. The results: Slug beer. Undrinkable, but it served a valuable function in the garden.

[brew_cat]

Sorry to bring up bad memories.

[WMNoob]

December...2016.LOL Now just seven batches in (haven't dumped one and only have been talked off the ledge once!) and can hardly wait for the next! The topics on the forum and the advice and support have been invaluable. Thanks especially to Sneezles61, flars, and brew_cat!

[sneezles61]

Ah man, you'll make us blush... We were new once before too. Sneeezles61

[brew_cat]

We should be ashamed leading him on like that. Never thought anyone took us seriously

[sneezles61]

Usually with many gulps of.... home brew! Sneezles61

[Frankm]

Got the small batch starter kit this past Christmas. Red Irish Ale. Boiled out most of it and was going to dump, but @flars got me through it. Turned out good. Have since done Bavarian Hefe, Caribou Slobber, and German Blonde. All good. Waiting on White House Honey Porter to finish now. Only problem is 1 gallon doesn't last long. Everyone wants to try it, but not enough to share. Getting 5 gallon equipment soon, but not soon enough.

[WMNoob]

Gotta wrap those rascals!