Hombrew Review #1: Witbier Kit

I couldn't wait anymore. Nearly two weeks of our first beer bottle conditioning on top of my refrigerator, I cooled down two so I could give it a try.

Appearance: Pours deep orange, cloudy, with a nice half-finger of creamy white foam that dissipates quickly. I have to say, if nothing else, it looks beautiful.

Aroma: Orange, orange, orange. Orange and candy sugar. It's almost absurd how much it smells like candy.

Taste: More of the aroma. Not sure what happened to the coriander...but I hardly care. It's like drinking a piece of orange hard candy. And I like it.

Overall: It certainly doesn't taste exactly like other wits I've had, and it's not something I'd want to drink all the time, but I think for a first effort, we've created something fairly delicious. It's easy to drink, enjoyable to drink, and, really, it's just so much damn fun to drink something you've created. Nice work us.

Homebrew Experiment Part I: First Thoughts

All seemed to go well in my first homebrew experience. What amazed me is how simple the brewing process is (at least when you're using an extract kit). A lot of boiling and waiting and taking in the delicious smell of the wort. Seriously, that aroma is fantastic. Of course, drinking beer whilst making beer does make it that much more fun. Also, the fact that none of us got carbon monoxide poisoning as we were boiling the wort on the porch helps as well. We'll see the results in six weeks.

Hopefully, we'll get around to doing another batch in a month or two so we can keep this system going. And the more we do, the more risks we can start taking with flavors, which just translates into more fun to me.

Homebrew Experiment Part I

Tomorrow marks the first day in which I embark on my first homebrew beer. A group of us will be getting together to brew from a witbier extract kit. While wits are not always my favorite style, it's a pleasant style...one that's drinkable and refreshing throughout all the seasons. I feel that if we achieve a nice balance between the wheat, yeast, orange, and coriander, we'll have a solid beer produced. Regardless, an afternoon of brewing, drinking beer, and eating food seems like a fantastic way to spend a Saturday.

In six weeks, I'll let you know how it turns out. Next on tap, perhaps getting ahead of ourselves, we're thinking a boysenberry kolsch. In theory, awesome.