I’ve waited patiently for 2 weeks since bottling. Saturday came around and I had already decided that I was going to open a bottle of the latest brew and see what it tastes like.
So I picked a bottle off the shelf, got myself a glass and the bottle opener - applied opener to bottle cap - tsssch! A nice hiss of escaping CO2, a good sign. Tilt glass - pour beer slowly down the side. Colour is a dark brown, a sort of chestnut colour, darker than I’d hoped but I’m not fussy about that. Head is minimal but again I don’t care, I’ll just make sure to add more sugar at bottling time, next time.
I take a sniff, nice! Faint hop aroma with a nice, round real ale smell. Excellent!
I take a sip, and then another. This is good! Some initial bitterness gives way to a solid middle which I can simply describe as “beer”. Yum! The piece de resistance is the after taste though. It’s smooth, with a heavenly caramel flavour, which I guess comes from the crystal malt.
Finished the first bottle (with a little help from my g/f) and then opened another, which we shared again.
The beer is really tasty and warming and definitely as strong (alcohol-wise) as a I calculated previously.
I’m really pleased! This is my best beer yet.
Cheers!!! 
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Congrats on a beer well brewed!
I just stumbled across your blog. I like it!
It is about brewing time again, so hopefully i’ll be heading to the homebrew store before long.
Comment by Matt Propst April 25, 2007 @ 4:45 pmThanks very much! Glad you like the site.
Don’t put off your homebrewing, no time like the present to head to the store…
Let me know how it goes. Good luck!
Thanks for the comment, much appreciated. Be sure to check back soon.
Graham
Comment by Graham Dinsdale April 26, 2007 @ 9:46 amSounds good. In fact, you tempted me to go to my local for a pint of Deuchar’s IPA! As regards the head, it would be well worth storing a pint or two in a cool, dark place for another three or four weeks and I’m sure that the head will improve as will the beer generally. Adding more sugar at secondary fermentation stage may make the brew a little more gassy. Very interesting site.
Comment by Dewi Jones April 26, 2007 @ 8:45 pmThat’s a good idea. I think I’ll maybe put a couple of bottles away in the cupboard and try and forget about them for a few weeks to see how they mature. I think for my next batch I will add more sugar at secondary fermentation/bottling time. The reason I’ve gone easy on it is that I was worried about bottles exploding!
Thanks for the comment. Glad you like the site.
Graham
Comment by Graham Dinsdale April 30, 2007 @ 9:20 amI’m back! I did a bit of inventory on what supplies I’ve got left that I own as a bit of the homebrewing stuff belonged to my roomates who left last week, and found that I have three 1 gallon jugs.
Googling for 1 gallon yield beer recipes sent me back here!
I think I’ll use your recipe this weekend for a one gallon batch 
Any tips or tweaks offhand?
Thanks!
-Matt
Comment by Matt Propst May 1, 2007 @ 10:13 pmGreat stuff! Go for it!
A little tip: Make sure you over-estimate your boil volume. I had to make mine up with fresh boiled water before putting the wort into the primary. Hops absorb water like crazy! Add an extra litre or so. Doesn’t matter if the starting gravity is a little off…
Also, you might want to use light malt extract rather than the amber stuff I used. I think the beer would be better with light…
Good luck, and let me know how it goes.
Graham
Comment by Graham Dinsdale May 3, 2007 @ 4:17 pm