So I finally made my first homebrew: the Chinook IPA. The end product was drinkable, but tasted more like a Budweiser and didn’t have the reddish-gold color specified in the description (it was kind of a dark brown). I’m positive that it was something I did wrong and not Northern Brewer’s fault, but I just wanted to see what you guys thought I did wrong? This did come from a starter kit that hadn’t been touched for 3 years (although I did replace the yeast with a non-expired version of the same type of yeast).
3 years is too long to wait and expect the full (or even half) potential in the ingredients. The hops lose their best characteristics in a matter a matter of a several months. Even faster if not kept refrigerated. The crushed grains or extract also lose their potency over time. Your darker color could have been any number of things but most like is oxidation given the age of your ingredients.
Congratulations on your first beer. Try again and make your beer as soon as possible once the ingredients arrive. If it cannot be made immediately then place your yeast and hops in the fridge until needed.
I assume he is using the preformatted text button on his reply it looks like this </> I don’t think there is a need for it since you can copy & paste almost anything but whatever makes you happy.
