Brewing notes here.

We only bottled our IPA about a week and a half ago, but Dad and I were getting desperate to try it.

It is quite brown for a pale ale, probably due to the 10% crystal, but I think it is still within the range of the style guide, and I do like my beers a bit darker.

The alcohol taste that I was worried about is completely gone now – it just tastes like beer. In fact, it’s only when you get to the end of the glass that you realise it was 6.7%. It is a hopsy beer, but not in an overpowering way. Beersmith says it is 46 IBUs. It has a beautiful head when poured, and this lasts right to the end of the glass. It will not be a sessional drinker. I figured out the other day that one bottle (750ml) is 4.4 standard drinks!

I’m really happy that it turned out so well, I think I will add a double batch to my list of beers to brew (#1, a Pale Ale,#2, a double batch of our Extra Strong Bitter).

I added a few more pics of how it looks to the flickr set (the first three). I have also started following a convention for rating beers. In future tasting notes, my comments will be more closely linked to the appearance, aroma, palate, flavour, and overall rating of the beer.