Well my second batch of homebrew is more or less complete. I kegged it a week ago and have had it hooked up to my CO2 tank since. I probably could have had it ready a little earlier had I rocked it more than the half dozen or so times that I did. We tried it this past Sunday evening, and it had a long way to go still. Our neighbors joined us for this tasting, and since it was a bust, I had them try my first batch of homebrew that I bottled awhile back.

Upon opening up a couple of the first batch bottles, I was surprised to see how carbonated the beer was. Both of our neighbors immediately said that it wasn’t too bad after their first few sips. I was shocked! So I tried it once more and I had to agree with them. It appears that it might have aged a bit since my last tasting. Maybe I won’t have to settle for using this in my cooking only. I threw a couple more bottles into the refrigerator and I hope to give it another try after work today.

I did try the second batch again last night and it was much more carbonated. It still tasted a bit fruity to me, which I’m not expecting from a Pale Ale. I’ll pour another one of these today as well so that I can compare and contrast it with the first batch. Should make for an interesting tasting session.

Update: Taste test has begun. Pictured below is batch 1 (autumn amber ale) on the left and batch 2 (english style pale ale) on the right.