This was my fourth batch of home-brewing so now I can possibly claim to be an intermediate beginner. (But a long-experience beer drinker.) And I’m learning some of This was my fourth batch of home-brewing so now I can possibly claim to be an intermediate beginner. (But a long-experience beer drinker.) And I’m learning some of the vital keys to success: Sanitize thoroughly … temperature control … and patience patience PATIENCE.It was my first try at an enhanced brew recipe with a LONG suggested conditioning time; the instructions indicated 3 months for the total creation. I originally planned on 12 weeks total: 3 in the fermenter + 9 in the bottles (including 3-5 days in the refrigerator before opening). I can definitely say the flavor was noticeably even better the second pair of bottles after another week (10 weeks conditioning) and even richer with a further additional week.It was fortunate that the warm weather arrived so I was distracted by outdoor activities and not so much by the LONG wait for this interesting-sounding homebrew. If I do this one again in the fall or winter I may have to hide the conditioning bottles away out of sight somewhere so not to be thinking about when they’re (finally) truly going to be ready.Upon pouring starts with a good foam head very nice amber color and rich initial aroma.Rich balanced flavor too. Perhaps a bit on the malty side (not necessarily my best favorite) but very nice. And adding some more weeks in the bottle seemed to…

This one was my second brew with my 2G kit. Tried my first one yesterday after 5 weeks conditioning - overall it's pretty good. Maybe it's just me but I taste a slight sour flavor but the wife tried it and told me I was hallucinating - it's good. I guess I'm too critical but will see how it is after 6 weeks (and beyond). So far though I'm satisfied with my first two brews...

This is the beer that made it clear to me I wanted to keep using this kit: My first batch was old when I got around to using it and definitely a very simple flavor/recipe that as a novice I may not have put together right. This combo though had a great richness to it a round kind of flavor and a nice ABV that made it fun to drink. I found I went through it very fast unlike other beers I've kept just having a beer here or there or pairing it with food. The one problem: I thought it didn't meld flavor-wise until it had been in the bottle three or four weeks. It needed a little more time than was recommended to me I thought.