BeerBorg

Last night I opened the first bottle from my first home brew! It's a Prophesy Ale from Brew Demon and I was pleased with the result, although it seemed a little more bitter than I was expecting. That was nine days in the bottle. Will wait a week and try another then decide whether to have the guys over for poker and to check it out. The carbonation was moderate to high and the head dissolved within a minute or two.

Wondering if anyone else here has tried this brew and what your results were.

Wrote some notes after tasting and included things like Appearance, Aroma, Flavor and Mouthfeel as well as fermentation time and temp etc.

I've not made that recipe, but it looks awfully tasty. Congrats on drinking your first home-brewed beer!!!

I've made that recipe and thought it was pretty good. I liked their Nut Brown Ale a lot better though. I went ahead and let mine go the full 4 weeks in the bottle for carbonation/conditioning. Sometimes it's hard to wait that long.

BrewDemon's American Prophecy Ale is equvalent to the old West Coast Pale Ale which was a very popular recipe that Mr. Beer had before Cooper's took over. The beer does have a little hop bite to it but it is on the lower end of the IBU scale at 22 which is still more then your Bud, Miller or Coors options. You should see a difference between that first beer and the next one with the 1 week longer conditioning.

Cheers and congrats on your first born!

Nice looking first pour for a beer that is about 2 1/2 weeks short of fully conditioned!

Right, I'd give it longer, you'll appreciate it more.

Congratulations on your first pour it looks great!

As others have said, it will improve with a little age. Pretty sure I only waited 5 days on my first one. As you set up a brewing rotation and build up a pipeline, the waiting will become easier.

Looks good, congrats.

Thanks guys. Yeah, I realize it's too soon. I was anxious to try it because I wasn't sure if it had been contaminated. Will wait a week and try another one, then a week after that is my poker party.

Inkleg, I am already looking for the next one in the pipeline... a hefeweizen or Irish Red.

Don't let these guys fool you. We all have pre-mature tasting issues Congrats on your first. It only gets better from here!

Congratulations on your first homebrew! The beer looks good, and I am sure it will improve even more with time.

Question: hydrometer or refractometer?

Having a two gallon LBK, I like that the refractometer uses only a few drops but it sounds like the hydrometer is more the standard. Thoughts, preferences?

With a hydrometer, you can check at any time to see where you stand on gravity. With a refractometer, you have to use a calculator and know the starting gravity once fermentation has begin and all the way thru completion.
I've found the refactometer very helpful during the brewing session but I would never get rid of my hydrometer. Plus, the hydrometer is cheaper. I have both and use both but if you already have a hydrometer and are frugal, you need nothing else. I still have my first hydrometer I got sometimes in the early 80's.

I'll use my refractometer for quick checks, but rely on the hydrometer for SG and FG checks. It is troublesome to check with an LBK, but with proper cleaning and sanitizing the OG sample can be poured back into the LBK. If you take a sample mid fermentation, you can loosely cover the tube with sanitized foil and use it as a satellite fermenter and not pull any more from the LBK. Be careful with hydrometers, they can be suicidal if left unwatched or treated roughly.
THEY ARE ROUND AND WILL ROLL!!!!!!!..........or so I have read in a book somewhere.

I never tested my brew before I thought it was ready to bottle. I like the hydrometer to confirm that it is done. But I've never had one not finish in three weeks.
I'm glad your beer was ready. The carbonation will become finer over time, especially with more time in the fridge.