Okay, so just about every homebrewer says that brews need at least two weeks of conditioning in the bottle, preferably three....well, not every one. One proprietor of a homebrew store says that she starts cracking them 3-4 days after bottling. After having caved to the pressure of impatience, I know why you should wait.
Homebrewing is effectively a massive test of patience. Patience for your wort to cool to an appropriate temperature, patience for your yeast to be ready to pitch, patience for your primary ferment to finish, patience, well...for your brew to bottle-condition properly.
Unlike most commercial breweries, which essentially use CO2 cartridges to carbonate their beer (after filtering out most remaining yeast cells), homebrewers are at the mercy of a simple syrup solution, made of a highly-refined sugar (corn, cane, maple, etc.) and water. This is added to the brew just before bottling, and the remaining yeast cells chow on this and produce a little more alcohol, and, most importantly, CO2 that is suspended in the brew due to the capped bottles which trap it.
So, after a measly 5 days in bottles, I cracked under the pressure of patience and after sticking a bottle in the freezer for 20 minutes, I cracked my first Brickhead Blonde. There was a bit of apprehension, but when applying pressure from one of my favorite simple machines (the lever) to the bottlehead, I had a pleasant surprise: a quiet yet unmistakable "tssst" that was emitted as the seal broke...carbonation had happened!
When I poured into the gorgeous hand-blown glass mug (one of several of its kind that were Valentine's Day gifts from my gorgeous hand-crafted-by-God girlfriend), I did notice that it did not develop the monster 1/2-1 inch head that a typical commercial/micro brew does. However, on first taste, I did notice that it was far less carbonated that I prefer. (A quick aside, I prefer beers to be nicely carbonated...even stouts. I have tasted a fair share of hand-drawn British Bitters and IMHO, the tradition of drinking flat, warm beer can stay right where it originated: Britain and Medieval times...like many traditions, this was borne of necessity, and frankly, it is not necessary to drink brews like this anymore).
Maybe this is akin to the father who convinces himself that his son is a great shortstop, when, in fact, the kid should maaaaaybe be playing second-string left field, but even with 25-40% of the carbonation I prefer, this beer was still excellent. The closest commercial comparison I can think of is a Sam Adams Summer Brew without the citrus notes. It had a nice alcoholic bite and a minimal hop aroma, but very refreshing...it also, might i say, packs a pretty solid punch even at a not-overpowering 7.38% ABV. I decided to brew an Imperial Blonde because unlike many homebrewers and brewphiles in general, I am not (at least, not yet) a 'hophead' as it were. This brew has a nice hop bite to it, yet is balanced with the sweetness of the malt, and, even though it is not fully carbonated, is very drinkable, to use the parlance of Miller-Coors.
As much as I do dig this beer, I am beginning to understand the obsession with hops. As I am not trying to brew for a beer pong tournament, I really enjoy savoring the complexities of taste with this brew, and frankly, that enjoyment will only be enhanced by additional (yet in-balance) hopping. Since my next brew is an Irish Stout, I will not be able to confirm this for a few months.
Next on tap: I am thinking Belgian Brown or Belgian Pale Ale....maybe with some extra aromatic/bittering hops.
More on the Brickhead Blonde in 7-8 more days.
To Your Health-
mp
yo, you need to come to Ellicott City Brewery. they have some good stuff in growlers.
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