Hi All,
I'm new to home brew and I'd like to impart a little wisdom in the hope that my peers don't fall into a trap that I almost fell victim to.
I have just 2 batches under my belt, 1 mild and 1 lager (I followed the kit instructions to the letter for both). When I first sampled them I was really disappointed and I very nearly jacked it all in having barely gotten started.
My big mistake was that I got just a little carried away. I got stuck in with gusto, bags of enthusiasm and fully expected my beer to be the best I'd ever tasted. So given my unrealistic and rather foolish expectations I was setting myself up for a fall and a fall is what I got. Of course it didn't help that what you brew yourself is likely to differ somewhat from commercially available fare and so may initially offend your pallet somewhat.
Anyway the point is that after getting so excited about my new hobby and then being so thoroughly deflated I almost gave it all up. If you find yourself in a similar situation . . . STOP . . . don't throw away a potentially enjoyable and rewarding past-time.
Firstly, those first 2 batches aren't nearly as bad as I first thought. I'm not sure what's different now but after drinking them for about a month I'm starting to enjoy them. I don't know whether I've become accustomed to the taste or if an extra few weeks conditioning has made the difference. Who cares right, thing is they're not great but they're OK for a first attempt and quite drinkable.
Secondly, there's bags of information regarding what you can do to improve a beer kit. You must understand that the kit instructions are not the brewing bible for the kit they come with, don't be afraid to experiment. This site alone has a wealth of experience that you can utilise to improve any kit. I found the support here invaluable in re-energising my enthusiasm and now I'm ready to crack on and try some of the suggestions offered. I think the biggest decision is whether to try everything at once and risk not knowing why improvements occur. Or be a little more scientific, using previous attempts as controls and make small changes to see what results they net. I've chosen the second way, hoping that subsequent batches will each display slight improvements until my method and ingredients are right for me.
I think the most important thing to realise is that this is square 1. Where we go from here is up to us and as with everything, what we get out of it is largely dependent on what we are willing to put into it. Despite a wobbly start there is great potential for improvement and ultimately fulfilling results.
I hope this is of use to someone and that I'm not just blowing smoke up my own arse.
Anyway, good luck to all of us.
HAPPY BREWING !!
I'm new to home brew and I'd like to impart a little wisdom in the hope that my peers don't fall into a trap that I almost fell victim to.
I have just 2 batches under my belt, 1 mild and 1 lager (I followed the kit instructions to the letter for both). When I first sampled them I was really disappointed and I very nearly jacked it all in having barely gotten started.
My big mistake was that I got just a little carried away. I got stuck in with gusto, bags of enthusiasm and fully expected my beer to be the best I'd ever tasted. So given my unrealistic and rather foolish expectations I was setting myself up for a fall and a fall is what I got. Of course it didn't help that what you brew yourself is likely to differ somewhat from commercially available fare and so may initially offend your pallet somewhat.
Anyway the point is that after getting so excited about my new hobby and then being so thoroughly deflated I almost gave it all up. If you find yourself in a similar situation . . . STOP . . . don't throw away a potentially enjoyable and rewarding past-time.
Firstly, those first 2 batches aren't nearly as bad as I first thought. I'm not sure what's different now but after drinking them for about a month I'm starting to enjoy them. I don't know whether I've become accustomed to the taste or if an extra few weeks conditioning has made the difference. Who cares right, thing is they're not great but they're OK for a first attempt and quite drinkable.
Secondly, there's bags of information regarding what you can do to improve a beer kit. You must understand that the kit instructions are not the brewing bible for the kit they come with, don't be afraid to experiment. This site alone has a wealth of experience that you can utilise to improve any kit. I found the support here invaluable in re-energising my enthusiasm and now I'm ready to crack on and try some of the suggestions offered. I think the biggest decision is whether to try everything at once and risk not knowing why improvements occur. Or be a little more scientific, using previous attempts as controls and make small changes to see what results they net. I've chosen the second way, hoping that subsequent batches will each display slight improvements until my method and ingredients are right for me.
I think the most important thing to realise is that this is square 1. Where we go from here is up to us and as with everything, what we get out of it is largely dependent on what we are willing to put into it. Despite a wobbly start there is great potential for improvement and ultimately fulfilling results.
I hope this is of use to someone and that I'm not just blowing smoke up my own arse.
Anyway, good luck to all of us.
HAPPY BREWING !!