Honey Brown Ale - A Review
So the first batch of beer is finished, and I've had the opportunity to sample a few bottles.
It's definitely a rich beer, a full body and a healthy head were the first things I noticed. The color is dark. Moreso than I had expected. The grain gives it a subtle nutty flavor, and the hops make it well balanced and bitter, with a somewhat piney aftertaste.
The honey, however, seems to overwhelm the malt, giving the beer an almost overly sweet flavor. Although I don't know the exact alcohol content, one feels this beer after drinking it. I imagine that its on the high end of 5%.
I made some mistakes with this batch, and if I use this recipe again there are going to be changes. Obviously not straining out the hops was a mistake, and it likely affected the flavor of the final product., but I think toning down the honey will also be beneficial. I'm thinking only half the total honey (around a pound and a half) for the next time.
I've gotten mixed reviews from others so far. I gave some bottles to friends. One liked it. One didn't, but stated that he thought it would be sweeter and less beer-like (I had mentioned my belief that the beer ran somewhat sweet, and would be better with less honey). A group of folks also sampled it, and stated that they didn't care for it, but this group of folks also seem to prefer lighter lagers, something that this beer ain't.
I would say it isn't a masterpiece, but still an unqualified success in so-much as I set out to brew a drinkable beer and I certainly did. I look forward to testing the English Bitter sometime in the next few weeks.
PS, as of now I have a few extra bottles. Anyone can drop me a line if they would like to try one.
It's definitely a rich beer, a full body and a healthy head were the first things I noticed. The color is dark. Moreso than I had expected. The grain gives it a subtle nutty flavor, and the hops make it well balanced and bitter, with a somewhat piney aftertaste.
The honey, however, seems to overwhelm the malt, giving the beer an almost overly sweet flavor. Although I don't know the exact alcohol content, one feels this beer after drinking it. I imagine that its on the high end of 5%.
I made some mistakes with this batch, and if I use this recipe again there are going to be changes. Obviously not straining out the hops was a mistake, and it likely affected the flavor of the final product., but I think toning down the honey will also be beneficial. I'm thinking only half the total honey (around a pound and a half) for the next time.
I've gotten mixed reviews from others so far. I gave some bottles to friends. One liked it. One didn't, but stated that he thought it would be sweeter and less beer-like (I had mentioned my belief that the beer ran somewhat sweet, and would be better with less honey). A group of folks also sampled it, and stated that they didn't care for it, but this group of folks also seem to prefer lighter lagers, something that this beer ain't.
I would say it isn't a masterpiece, but still an unqualified success in so-much as I set out to brew a drinkable beer and I certainly did. I look forward to testing the English Bitter sometime in the next few weeks.
PS, as of now I have a few extra bottles. Anyone can drop me a line if they would like to try one.