Our first blog post on our first week of regularly updates is none other than my first home brew creation, .38 Amber!
.38 Amber is my first try with the Mr. Beer home brewing kit's Cowboy Golden Lager. On the scale of complex beers, this is your base. Nothing crazy is going on in the hops, the yeast, the malt. If you're looking for a home brew equivalent of a Budweiser, this is what I understood as what you're looking for.
After the pour, I noticed a few particularly things. The head on this isn't large, nor does it look like it was supposed to be. There is very little in aroma here either; the slightest hint of bitterness but mostly clean. This picture above doesn't accurately portray the color. Rather than the very light tone the picture seems to suggest, the beer is much closer to amber. It's slightly lighter than I would want or expect so a darker malt might be the way to go. Or more fermentation time in the keg. Clearly, this will take some experimenting. But how does it hold up in flavoring?
The first taste is fairly unremarkable. However, I'd consider that a success. If you're aiming for a simple and large target, and you hit it cleanly, you can't fault the target for being too easy. This really is a beginner's beer for both beer drinkers and beer makers. It's a very clean beer, with the slightest hint of bitterness on the palate which aligns right with the slight scent. I do think we may have misfired on the carbonation. I'd say this particular bottle had a bit too much sugar at the start of the carbonation process and will be something to remember in the future. However, I'd certainly rather be on the side of slightly over-carbonated than risk a flat beer.
This beer also may need a bit more maturity. At the moment several bottles are still under cold conditioning and we'll maybe revisit this brew in a few more months to see if time adds (or subtracts) anything. I have to be honest with myself (and this recipe) and give it a US PINTRS score. Not quite a triumph but certainly not a failure, this caliber beer will get the job done.
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