Update: I tried another sample yesterday at the 10 day mark. What an improvement. The bitterness has mellowed quite a bit since the first sample, only lingering a bit on the back end. The flavor has improved nicely, and the clarity has improved as well. I’ll keep testing samples over time to see how it changes. Patience…
I didn’t use PBW (still don’t know what it is) so that wouldn’t be a problem. I used the dishwasher to sanitize, which seemed to work well. It was easy, too. I pulled the bottles out 1 at a time right before filling.
Glad to hear it’s getting better. Time seems to make beer better. I bet the last bottle will be amazing.
I’m not a huge fan of kits. I’d suggest get some DME (diastatic malt extract) and make your own instead of using a kit. 6 lbs of DME, some appropriate hops (suggested by the good folks on the forum) and a yeast you like and you’ve got your very own recipe for making something just as good as a kit but it’s all yours. Or, use a kit. But either way brew again…soon! You’ll find you are out of beer faster than you could ever imagine.
For me, the advice on fermentation temps that you’ve already gotten was by far the best advice I received. Makes a tremendous difference in the taste of the beer. Plus, as you get used to hoppier, craft brew style beers I am willing to bet what you find bitter now is going to seem sort of tame in 6 months. Experiment, experience and learn from everything you do. Find something you like and do it again and again until you can do it in your sleep and then you can make subtle changes that make it even better. Spend time on the forum, ask for advice, listen to Canadians ;), make lots of beer.
By the way, you may hold the record for the longest non -BFI post ever. Not sure what I mean, hang around you’ll find out.
I got a wort chiller and I can’t imagine how I ever tried to cool wort with ice.
Great thread and awesome first post man!
And here I’d always thought DME was “Dry Malt Extract” as opposed to LME which is “Liquid” 
You are, of course, correct. It’s been years since I’ve seen diastatic malt extract. The problem was that it kept fermenting in the cans and they’d blow up.
you can still find diastatic malt extract powders at healthfood stores sometimes.
Could be. I thought it was dry too but i read diastatic somewhere so i figured I had been wrong all this time. Either way i’d get some and make some more beer.
Nobody ever told the OP was PBW was and I don’t use it so I’m not gonna guess because I don’t want to be wrong twice in one thread. I prefer to be wrong once in many threads.
PBW = Powdered Brewery Wash
Its great for cleaning stuff. I use it on carboys, brewpots, and all my small accessories. Just let it soak for a couple hours, pour out, wipe down, and done. I have heard oxyclean works as well. It is made by the same people who make star-san, which is a great no-rinse sanitizer that I also use.
Oxiclean works very well. In my side by side tests, I think PBW works a bit better and is definitely easier to rinse.
If I recall correctly 5-star designed it for Coors. it’s a mild caustic cleaner and can be somewhat irratating to the skin and mucous membranes (in powder form it burns the eyes and lungs fairly unpleasantly)
It’s percarbonate. Is that caustic?
Definitely irritates. I got some plumbers gloves for when I use it because I was losing my fingerprints. 
Update: I decided to go for it this weekend (2 and a half weeks since bottling) and threw a 12-pack in the fridge. It was great! The flavors had balanced out and all the bitterness I was concerned about had faded away, leaving a smooth finish. It was as good as anything I have purchased commercially. The wife and I enjoyed it so much I had to throw in a second 12-pack near the end of the weekend. You guys were definitely right about how fast it goes. I just got batch #2 bottled yesterday. I need to pick up the pace if I don’t want to run out.
These results definitely solidified my taking this hobby on. I’ll be doing a lot more. With your help I’ll be brewing great beer for a long time.
Nice! enjoy. I understand the drive to brew more. although I hate running out of homebrew I do enjoy the opportunity to buy some commercial stuff once in a while.