first proper AG BIAB pale ale - wow

[fletcher]

so i just had the first taste of my legit very first by-myself AG BIAB pale ale (aptly named 'fletcher pale ale' being so unique and all) and i was just blown away. only 2 weeks in the bottle and it knocked me over with how nice it was; i'm sure it'll get better with age too. just wanted to give a big shout out to newtownclown for all his help and everyone on this forum for their words of wisdom.

this is just a random 'wow...i'm so proud...i can make a decent beer' post.

biab - tick
ag - tick
never using a kit again - tick

the recipe was simple as ****. it's a big kick of cascade and i fucken love it. it's in my blog below if anyone is interested but yeah, i'm addicted 100000% now. love it. here's to many many more.

brew on!

 

[thedragon]

Never look back. I liked my K&K however I never knew how good home made beer could taste until my first biab. Sounds as if you feel the same. Best thing is that every brew gets a fraction better as you refine your process. Enjoy.

Edit: correcting autocorrect.

 

[fletcher]

oh for sure mate. how good is it.

i had bad experiences with kits...probably because i tried the standard coopers lager according to their instructions which tasted like ass, and then i had a second batch ruined, but i could tell the twang-ness that they had. not only that but, as an analogy, for me with K&K, i it felt like i was driving an automatic car. BIAB to me feels like i'm actually driving stick. how it should be done. K&K is great, but it's 'throw this ingredient in and throw this one in and voila' and i didn't feel like i was making the beer per se but maybe, preparing it? BIAB is actually brewing. that's 95% of the fun right there.

so pumped.

 

[gazeboar]

Congrats man. I may be equally boring with the name for my pale - Galaxy Pale (guess what hop I used? ). I agree with everything you said and I'm brand new to the whole AG thing too, although unfortunately I have to wait another tedious and damned week until my first proper beers are carbonated. I was surprised at just how easy it was to set up a small BIAB system and follow a basic AG recipe. I always had it in my head that AG was scary or required expertise to get going, but it's not as frightening or complex as I thought it was. Of course, there will always be creases to iron out and new things to learn. And it goes without saying that there can be vast amounts of complexity and expertise in brewing, but the basic premises and concepts are easy enough for anyone to grasp. And I'm sure that anyone who masters anything will acknowledge that the path to mastery is a constantly evolving and continual endeavour. Or some shamanistic ******** like that :drinks:

And it's a shame that the kit brews can potentially give home brew a bad name or warp peoples perception of what home brew is. A lot of people have screwed up their faces at me when I mention home brewing, because they associate the entire concept of home brewing with a bad home brew they had tried (loaded with fusel alcohols, or tasting like bad cider because of volatile compounds).

And don't get me wrong, I'd never tell anyone who brewed kit beers that they were brewing inferior beer and should make a change (even if this is true). Some people are accustomed to it, are happy with their kit beers and don't want to go to any extra effort by making a move to AG. And it isn't about what reigns supreme over anything else. At the end of the day for most it's a pleasurable hobby, and if you're content with your processes and outcome, then stick with whatever you're doing until you feel it needs to progress.
Plus, kit beers can be great if there is ferm control and a quality yeast used (the Dr Smurto's golden ale toucan I made (Coopers heritage series) blew me away. But it's the poor people who read the kit instructions and ferment a 'lager' at 24 degrees + with a generic ale yeast that I feel sorry for. Because they ditch the hobby, thinking home brewing as a whole produces inferior beer, and never make it onto these forums to discover a wealth of guidance, relevant information and a communal sense of being.

 

[yum beer]

Well done Fletch....there certainly is a big difference between K&K and AG.

Its all down hill now.....

 

[Crusty]

Nice work fletcher, enjoy......................... :beerbang:

 

[fletcher]

cheers guys, and well said gazeboar

 

[Bribie G]

Well done. Like moving from Own Brand powdered Instant Coffee served at an AA meeting to sitting at the Ritz with a barrista made brew checking out the chix.

 

[AndrewQLD]

Congratulations fletcher there's no better feeling than sipping on your first all grain beer, how about posting a pic in "what's in the glass" to commemorate your first brew.

 

[The Village Idiot]

It's a slippery slope for here on Fletch. Kegs, mill, fridges and divorce.... :icon_cheers:

 

[Bribie G]

The car will never know the inside of the garage again.

 

[fletcher]

Congratulations fletcher there's no better feeling than sipping on your first all grain beer, how about posting a pic in "what's in the glass" to commemorate your first brew.

haha good idea! did it just now...the pic is terrible but the beer is great haha

 

[jammer]

biab - tick
ag - tick
never using a kit again - tick

Keg fridge with lots of taps- soon to be ticked
Becoming obsessive and always thinking about brewing- soon to be ticked

Good stuff fletch, glad it turned out good, despite the clowns best efforts!

Hope to meet up soon, with you and the clown, for a home brewed booze off....
Got a feeling he's keeping his new protege all to himself!

You got the bug now.....

 

[fletcher]

hahaha hey mate. would definitely be keen to meet up and have a brew day. am back at uni as of march 4 so am in newtown a bunch more often. very keen!

the clown was a big help. he helped me here with my first, then i had him answering my texts all day for this one hahaha.

 

[NewtownClown]

You boys should have come round last night!
Home Brewed Belgian Dubble, American Brown Ale, ESB, Standard Bitter, Leichtes Weizen,and Chimay Red, Floreffe, LC Pale Ale, JS Abbey Ale

 

[MaltyHops]

... as an analogy, for me with K&K, i it felt like i was driving an automatic car. BIAB to me feels like i'm actually driving stick. how it should be done. ...

Nah ... reckon Braumeisters are more like automatic cars ... and push bikes are like K&K

 

[Truman42]

You can add this to your tick list..

Telling your missus you brew beer to save money but spending more and more on brewery bling.

Organizing holidays or romantic trips away that just happen to be in a town that has a micro brewery near by. (Always justxstumble across it and act surprised "I didn't know there was a microbrewery here honey, lets go have some lunch there"

Browsing the kitchen utensils aisle of Coles, Woolies, local $2 shop for items that can be used to brew.

Convincing your megaswill drinking mates that AG brewing is like real beer brewing and does not produce twanged beer that HB has a bad name for.

Starting out brewing 10 litre batches because your happy with that volume then increasing this exponentially the more you brew.

Cheers

 

[jammer]

You boys should have come round last night!
Home Brewed Belgian Dubble, American Brown Ale, ESB, Standard Bitter, Leichtes Weizen,and Chimay Red, Floreffe, LC Pale Ale, JS Abbey Ale

Next week my pretty....next week.
Liver gets a weekend off for the first time in years.... Next week, it's not gonna be so lucky.
Gutted I missed it though

 

[fletcher]

You boys should have come round last night!
Home Brewed Belgian Dubble, American Brown Ale, ESB, Standard Bitter, Leichtes Weizen,and Chimay Red, Floreffe, LC Pale Ale, JS Abbey Ale

damn my needing to study! haha, all free after monday...i'll have to come round after the trip and taste test them!

 

[fletcher]

You can add this to your tick list..

Telling your missus you brew beer to save money but spending more and more on brewery bling.

Organizing holidays or romantic trips away that just happen to be in a town that has a micro brewery near by. (Always justxstumble across it and act surprised "I didn't know there was a microbrewery here honey, lets go have some lunch there"

Browsing the kitchen utensils aisle of Coles, Woolies, local $2 shop for items that can be used to brew.

Convincing your megaswill drinking mates that AG brewing is like real beer brewing and does not produce twanged beer that HB has a bad name for.

Starting out brewing 10 litre batches because your happy with that volume then increasing this exponentially the more you brew.

Cheers

haha you know what? half of those i already do too...hectic. especially the convincing mates one, and the arranging holidays away one! classic