My Last Batch

Tastes A Little Gamey

Most of us have had some sort of game meat in our lifetime. It doesn’t matter if it’s venison or rabbit but it all seems to have that particular flavor that makes everyone say,” Tastes a little gamey.” Brewing beer so far for me has been a lot of fun and it really becomes gratifying when you brew something that actually tastes good. Since January of this year, I have brewed 5 batches of beer and although each of them were fairly good I must say,” Tastes a little gamey.”

I am not saying that my beer tastes like meat but why does my beer have that certain after taste. I am sure many home brewers know what I am talking about. It is not bad but it’s there and it would be wonderful if I could somehow remove that small detail to all of my beers. I wonder what could be causing this?

My 5th Brew Of The Year

I brewed my 5th beer this year yesterday and I am very excited. I am getting more and more confident in what I am doing for several reasons. The main reason is I take lot's of notes. The picture to the left is basically steeped ½ lb 60 Degree Caramel Crystal Grains that I added to a beer kit. The picture to the left is about 2 minutes into the process at 162 degrees F. I did this before but in this particular brew I also changed the yeast from the Nottingham packet that came with the kit to the 11.5g Safale us-05 Dry Ale Yeast which should give the beer a crisp clean taste.

The picture to the left is about 10 minutes into the process. You can see how rich in color the wort is.

The final picture to the left is 20 minutes into the process. Man this looks like it will be a good beer.

I am a home brewer and I thought this was a good video!!!!

Being a home brewer myself, I appreciate this.

My Home Brew Label & The Story Behind It!

My label means a lot to me and when I decided to make a label for my home brew, it needed to reflect my life experiences but also the beer I was going to make. The name of my beer is Kaiser which is short for Kaiserslautern Germany which was my first duty station when I was in the Army back in the day. Seems like forever ago but when I got to Kaiserslautern as a young man and was introduced to real beer... ...I was blown away.

The shield with the fish on it is the flag of Kaiserslautern.

The silhouette of the American flag, soldier and German flag symbolize me being an American Soldier stationed in the host country of Germany.

Of course the Medal in the bottom center is my Army Southwest Asia Service Medal.

I am proud of the logo but I want my beer to be the most important feature. I mean. let's face it, if the beer stinks who cares about the logo.

Who Doesn't Like Fresh Beer?

It is a strange thing that a guy like myself would enjoy beer as well as trying my best to stay fit and healthy. You would think the two would never co-exist but I have to say I love both.

As I get older, I appreciate things a bit more than I used to and in regards to beer drinking, I think I found a great hobby that I REALLY do enjoy. I now am on my 4th home brewing effort and each time I brew a batch of beer, I get better at it. My latest beer is a departure from my first 3 which were beer kits. Beer kits are a great way to learn the process.

I decided to buy a beer kit for my 4th home brew but, I added some grains to change the taste a bit. I must say this was a very good beer.

My next beer will be the same beer kit, same grains but I will change the yeast and or hops. I need to really pay attention to the changes in color, taste as well as some other factors and keep detailed notes on the different changes.

I know I am new to home brewing but when you read about people emphasizing sanitation of equipment, they are 100% correct. Take your time, do it right the first time and you will be alright.