I bottled my first ever brew, a bohemian pilsner, last Sunday and was planning on waiting at least 2 weeks before sampling, but I got a little bored today so I put it in the fridge a few hours ago and am drinking it now.
I have to say it is better than I expected, and I am pretty happy! It is definately still a little flat but with a heavy pour I was able to get a decent head, even if it didn’t last too long. To my relatively untrained taste buds it seems to have a taste that is true to the style, if just a little fruity and watered down. But for my first try and knowing the mistakes I made, I am pretty pleased with it.
Contgratulations! The “watered down” comment is probably because the carbonation is low (Co2 will help beef up mouth feel) and the “fruity” is because. well, its a pretty tall challenge to brew an actual Bo Pils on your first try. For one thing, a bo pils is a lager which means you would have had to have pitched lager yeast at around 44-48 degrees and maintained 48-50 degrees for a couple of weeks and then underwent a near freezing maturation period of at least 2 weeks. You most likely used an ale yeast which will give you a nice beer but with fruitier “ale like” characteristics. Sounds like you got close to what you were aiming for though - and that’s a great start. My first batch was pretty much terrible even though I tried to convince myself and every one else it was the best beer ever! ;D
I’d recommend going with something like a nice pale ale or IPA for your next batch and get a few more brews under your belt before you tackle another lager. And if you haven’t gotten a good homebrew book yet pick up a copy of John Palmer’s “How to Brew”.
I did brew this as an ale, so I knew it wouldn’t be exactly correct. Also “How to Brew” has been a great resource. I actually have an amber ale that has been in the fermenter since Monday, and if I can get the time will try either a porter or an IPA as soon as I can bottle the amber in another week or 2. This time I plan on leaving the kits behind and am looking for a good recipe. It is safe to say I am quickly getting addicted.
Congratulations on your first brew! My first brews were ok but definitely needed some improvement. Like all of us you will learn and get better. Keep us posted on how your next brew turns out.
Look in the wiki for NHC recipes or on my website. The key to a good recipe when you are starting out is how well did the recipe turn out, how did it do in competition? There are certainly many recipes that are not entered in contests that are awesome, but until you can recognize them, or if you have a brew buddy to help, stick to the proven recipes.
I generally have better luck comparing several recipes of a similar style and picking the one most recommended by other brewers, than those claiming a wall full of ribbons. I’ve brewed some “award winning” recipes that make me wonder what the judges were doing besides drinking on the day of the competition.
I am with Denny on his ranking, as I put technique and process above quality ingedients and then recipe. The brewing system you use turns out to be not so important, BTW. The brewer makes the beer with his/her technique and process.
