New Toy (Refractometer in the house)

First batch was done without taking any specific gravity measurements, mainly because I didn't have a hydrometer, but also because taking 4-5 4oz measurements from a 1 gallon batch is upwards to 12% of that precious beer. So before I start on Batch #2, I bought:

I bought the refractometer from this company, but the same company sells them on Ebay, for about $4 cheaper. It shipped to me FAST, and seems a fairly sturdy device, given the cost ($25.40).

Here's an interesting podcast from Basic Brewing Radio, about Hydrometers and Refractometers, in case you're curious.

Now I feel like brewing something and involving JigaWatt in the name...

Tasting the Grapefruit Honey Ale (Batch #1)

As a reward for completing the Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance 50 Mile Race, I allowed myself to crack open a homebrew, and enjoy it in my new hard earned pint glass. Here are the results...

Appearance: Golden, and fairly clouded. Head had big, coarse bubbles, with little retention, and almost no lacing.

Smell: Just a hint of hops, and lacking any citrus notes. Would have hoped for more of both. Malt was present, but not over pronounced.

Taste: Tastes like beer! Again, the hop flavors and grapefruit presence seemed non-existent. There were hardly any hints of honey, and while there were no off flavors, I'm wondering if I should have made a better effort to cool the fermentation temperature.

Drinkability: I wouldn't drive across town to drink this, but since I made it, I want to make it again, and make it better.

Mouthfeel: The carbonation was good, but the bubbles big. Not over-carbonated, but just a bit coarse. Definitely not thin, rather I felt it was well balanced.

Notes: Take Gravities! Ferment in a more controlled environment, and check yeast temp recommendations. Maybe rack to a secondary, and let it settle another week or two at cooler temps. DON'T FORGET TO PUT THE HONEY IN THE WORT. Maybe bump up the flavor & aroma hops.

Bottling Time (Batch #1)

Time to bottle! It's been in the fermenter for 3 weeks, and probably could have been bottled a week ago, but I wanted to try and clarify it a bit more. Here it is, with some nice trub in the bottom:

Emptied:

Probably a bunch of B vitamins in there...

In the bottles it went (thanks for the capper, Tod!):

Now I just have to wait two weeks...