Homebrew #2 - the quaffability test

So after a couple of weeks to condition and settle, we've been drinking more of Homebrew #2 - AKA Pointless IPA - over the past few days, and I have to say it's going down nicely.  The intense bitterness has mellowed slightly so it's not quite so in-your-face, and it definitely makes it a more rounded drinking experience.

What definitely hasn't changed any is the cloudiness - it's still pretty cloudy, which is presumably a protein haze.  Having done a bit of reading, we may try adding some Irish Moss (a dried seaweed, apparently!) towards the end of the boil next time we brew as this is supposed to help coagulate some of the proteins and help them drop out of suspension.

To be honest, though, the cloudiness isn't a big issue for me - I never expected to get a perfectly clear brew since we don't have a centrifuge and I don't want to use any animal products such as finings in the beer.  Most importantly, it doesn't affect the flavour at all.

So all in all I think that it's been a success.  There are a few things we'll change by way of process next time, but I think we're going along the right lines.  Next time is another IPA - using the same base ingredients but with a bunch of new world hops - and after another brew or two we'll be able to properly begin experimenting with different malts and hops to create different types of beers.  We'll also try bottling to see how that goes.

Before that, though, we'd best drink the rest of this one - there surely couldn't be a better way to spend a bank holiday Monday!