Irish Stout Homebrew Part 3: Tasting!

This is really the best part–tasting your creation.

Irish Stout 2 weeks post-bottling

The verdict? It tastes okay–after 2 weeks it was mostly just hops. After 4 weeks though, we got quite a bit more of the malt flavor and started to taste more like a stout.

On a scale of 1  to 5 pints, 5 being the best freakin’ homebrew I’ve ever had, and 1 being “Dear God we should give up now and pretend this never happened”, I give this attempt a 2.5, rounded up to 3. 🙂 We didn’t screw up royally-we did in fact succeed in making beer. The beer is the color it’s supposed to be. It’s just a little too hoppy and not enough malty for a stout.

Irish Stout Homebrew Part 2: Bottling

Here’s the bottling process of our Irish Stout homebrew:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Irish Stout Homebrew Part 1: The Fermentation

Since my boyfriend and I have begun brewing our own beer, every once in a while you’ll get a photo post of our latest accomplishments. This one is our first beer ever, an Irish Stout from Midwest Brewing Supply. (At the time of publication, this is sitting in bottles in our pantry aging.)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Homebrew Beginnings

Well, we’ve finally done it. A few months ago, Groupon had an awesome deal for a homebrew starter kit from Midwest Homebrew and Winemaking Supplies. For the price of the beginner’s kit, you got a free recipe kit. We chose an Irish Stout for our first homebrewing adventure.

Now unfortunately the kit doesn’t come with a kettle, so we have to obtain one of those, but once get that and find a good place to ferment our beer, I’ll be reviewing our homebrews and making comments on the process. Don’t worry, I’ll still be reviewing commercial microbrews!

Eric examining our homebrewing kit. Doesn't he look great?

The kit came with all the necessary tubing, a fermentation tank (aka 5-gallon bucket), a bottling bucket (also aka 5-gallon bucket), a hydrometer, and a fermentation thermometer. And of course, our lovely Irish stout mix. I cannot wait to try this in a few months!

Homebrew: Striped Cow by Matthew

I’m mixing it up today with another homebrew review, again by my friend Matthew. This one is a Spotted Cow clone he’s affectionately named Striped Cow.

Striped Cow is everything you want from a farmhouse cream ale/saison ale. Honestly, if it had been in a Spotted Cow bottle I may have thought it WAS Spotted Cow. New Glarus Brewing Company should be proud. Or perhaps concerned about being undercut. Good thing Matthew isn’t making profits yet. 🙂

Matthew’s Striped Cow was a little fruity, midly hoppy, and VERY easy to drink. It was flavorful and just generally delicious. Perhaps I’m biased (because Striped Cow’s commercial twin is one of my favorite beers) but that’s okay.

With any luck, someday all my friends and I will open a brewery and unleash upon the world our wonderful creations.

Homebrew: Oatmeal Stout by Matthew

I have quite a few friends who brew their own beer, and I’d like to start doing it myself once I move and my life calms down a little bit. With a little bit of practice, my friend Matthew has gotten quite good at homebrewing (just wait till you read my review of his Spotted Cow clone.) Since his beer is not (yet) available in stores, I’ve decided to talk a little bit about his homebrewing process. Once I finish reviewing his beer, of course!

Sadly I have no pictures of this beer, but then again, the beer was brewed in a plain brown bottle.

Matthew’s Oatmeal Stout is upon first sniff, most definitely an oatmeal stout. One point for him! It’s creamy, malty, just a hint of bitter, and full of good oaty taste. I would like to see a bit more espresso or chocolate flavor just to shake things up a bit though. All in all, I’m giving his oatmeal stout a solid 3 pints.

Some of you may be wondering what you need to start brewing your own beer. The American Homebrewers Association is a great resource for how to get started, and other related topics. Happy brewing!

Matthew got his equipment from South Hills Brewing Supply in Pittsburgh (and he says their store is better than their website.) Check out the AHA link above to find homebrew stores near you. He gets his ingredients from Austin Homebrew supply (here’s the oatmeal stout kit he used) or Northern Brewer, which has retail stores in St. Paul, MN and Milwaukee, WI.