Well, I have had a chance to taste the fruits of my labor and they taste good. Success and if I can, I’d say I’m impressed. I’d actually pay money for a six pack of this stuff. It has a resemblence to Lakefront Riverwest Stein but it isn’t right on. It has a sweet front end and a slightly higher hoppyness on the finish. I’ve shared my brew with about 5 folks and they all have good things to say, even those that don’t generally drink fully flavored beers (aka-prefer really cold light beers). There is a nice flavor to it with a natural grain taste, which makes you appreciate the higher quality ingredients. The exciting thing is that, with no disrespect to John Bull Lager malt/hop extract kit, I didn’t even buy the creme de la creme of ingredients, so it only gets better in my estimation.
I’m happy I got a good brew under my belt for the first experience. Understanding the process a bit more makes me eager to try steeping the grains and hops and trying other types of beer. I felt that the cleanliness factor could be the wild card spoiler. Microbiology is some crazy stuff and us egocentric humans take for granted simple chemistry in our daily lives. One thing folks have commented on is that the alcohol content is definitely there. Since the bottles are 20 oz and it is an unfiltered beer, you really need to pour the entire bottle at once, into multiple glasses or a big one for yourself. Otherwise, the dead yeast and protein on the bottom sediment will get stirred up and cloud the beer. I’ve heard that it doesn’t taste good and isn’t bad for you to drink.
So, now to decide what type of beer to brew next, but more importantly, it is time to just enjoy my first batch.
