Brewing Report Card
Since I am basically through the Home-Crash Homebrew Journey (minus the costly all-grain brewing method) I thought I should collect my thoughts on the various recipes and methods I have completed. I am an unapologetic nerd and thus gave myself a report card for the semester.
Pre-Course Material: Box Brew with Old Ingredients…. C
Student showed initiative and good attention to detail. The ingredients were unfortunately old, but still usable, Student struggled with bottling and required heavy assistance with the task. End result was drinkable and solidly not the worst beer experienced at a craft brewery (shockingly), but still in need of improvement. Recommended filtration to prevent “floaties”.
Unit 1: All-Extract Brew Weizen… B+
Student showed excellent preparation and research. Preventable mistakes were made, but can easily be improved upon with practice. Resourcefulness was noted during bottling which had previously been an area in need of improvement. End product was readily drinkable, with the exception of a single bottle that failed to carbonate.
Unit 2: Extract with Specialty Grains Entropy IPA… B-
Student was overconfident and lacked foresight. Lack of attention to detail while attempting too many tasks at once proved to be overwhelming. While bottling has continued to show improvement which made up for a poor performance during brewing. The finished product showed evidence of being an IPA with muted flavoring and hints at residual weizen.
Unit 3: Partial Mash Brew Blonde… A-
Student showed marked improvement in the brewing process and preparedness from the previous project. Ingenuity with equipment to attempt to minimize product loss was noted. Some attention was lost during bottling but still successful. The result was a refreshing mild blonde well within expectations.
Final Project: Brew in a Bag Red… A
Student has shown consistent improvement and attention to detail. Consistent improvement in product yield and minimal loss has resulted in a solid product finish. The end product was flavorful, adequately carbonated, and consistent.
Brewing a Dubbel while drinking a home-brew
More Homebrewing
Our heroine reflects on the various brewing methods and how well she did with each one.