First Batch Horror stories

My horror story wasn't limited to my first batch. I started brewing in 1972 and made a dozen or so batches of brew. At the time home brewing was an art handed down from father to son, neighbor to neighbor or friend to friend. You could get a book or two from your local wine making store but the level of information was pathetic. My first batch of home brew was barely drinkable as was my second and third and fourth....I just came to assume that "Home Brew" tasted like crap. Home Brew was a term that was synonymous with lousy tasting beer. In 1990 I went to a huge brewing supply store near my home and was impressed with the level in advancement of supplies for the home brewer. This place had everything! The owner even taught evening classes in beer and wine making at the local college. I explained to him that I had never been able to make a decent batch of home brew and that mine always came out tasting sour. He nodded and said that he would give me all of the ingredients I would need and if I followed his directions, I would brew a wonderful beer. He sent me home with an arm load of stuff and I went to work. I anxiously awaited the day when I could pop the first lid on what I expected would be my first success. When the day came I cracked one open to the satisfying hiss of a properly carbonated brew, raised it to my lips and....yuck! Same old sour beer. I was at the point where I was willing to accept that the reason they called it "home brew" was because it tasted so bad. I went back to the store some weeks later and was looking around when I came across a book rack. On the rack was a thick book by Papazian on home brewing. It went in to great detail on the subject so I picked up a copy. Not far into the book I read a paragraph that warned about using too much sugar. He stated that using a large quantity of sugar in beer brewing makes the beer sour giving it that "home brew" taste. That was my problem! The numb nuts, who owned the brewing supply store had given me half sugar and half malt! I had always brewed previous batches the same way, half malt and half sugar. I believe it is a technique left over from the depression when supplies may have been scarce. It may also have been a way to "lighten up" a beer. What ever reason it was done for it was common practice and was in every recipe I had ever gotten my hands on. Papazian said to use all malt. I did and the rest is history. I now make delicious beer every time. I prefer my own beer to any store bought. I was very tickled last month to initiate a young man into the art of home brewing and help him produce his first ale. It was a delicious brew and his friends were all impressed that he could craft such a fine beer his first time out. I just wish someone would have been there to guide me so I could have avoided those many years of sour beer and people saying "it tastes like home brew!"

Doug

"Jeff Cantwell" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

Reply to
cc0112453
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Will somebody please make this myth die! ;)

Papazian is wrong, sugar has absolutely nothing to do with cidery or sour flavours in beer. The sour/cidery "homebrew twang" comes from old or expired malt extract. Use fresh quality extract and you can use sugar without any problems.

John.

Reply to
John 'Shaggy' Kolesar

I have to say, that in the last two batches I've brewed, I have used 25% cane sugar (by weight). I was aiming for a lighter coloured, drier bitter ale. They are two of my best-tasting so far.

If you use the word 'sour' the same way I do, then sour means acid and excess acid in beers is often from bacterial infection. What does Mr Papazian have to say on the subject of sanitation?

Reply to
Sam Wigand

Wow, now that's a story!

Which raises the question, if it was so bad, why stay at it for so long?

H>I was very tickled last month to

Jeff N. Cantwell Downtown Little Rock

NRA, ARPA, Libertarian '86, '91 300zx 2+2

Reply to
Jeff Cantwell

Mine was awful also....just tried my first and it tastes pretty ordinary....:-(

It is very bubbly and tastes and smells strongly of yeast. Oh well, better luck next time.

Mark

Reply to
Un1c0rn

If it: Goes down? (mostly) stays down? Eventually makes you fall over?

... then that's a fairly good first brew ;-)

Mike

Reply to
Mike

The "bread dough" yeasty smell might fade after you let the beer "condition" a few weeks in the bottle. It's surprising how the flavor changes with aging.

Karl S.

Reply to
Karl S.

My first brew wasn't too bad (so far). I started with a Cooper's homebrew kit last month. This week I've been enjoying homemade lager. I'm now reading through this forum looking for ideas for my next batch.

Reply to
Axis

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