This evening my impatience got the better of me and after three weeks conditioning I opened my first bottle of Fixby Gold. Yes, it was drinkable (I might even go as far as to say more-ish) but there was a hint of something... a slight bitterness, almost metallic on the tongue. Do you think this will fade out after a few more weeks in the bottle?
On the positive side it was clear as a bell and carbonated to perfection. I must be doing something right!
Overall I'm very pleased for a first attempt... roll on London Porter and the joys of having a huge selection of homebrew to choose from!
Fixby Gold Thoughts...
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mysterio
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dan_olo
Bottles definitely not overcarbonated, there is just the right amount of fizz (at least the right amount to my taste...). It's not hop bitterness, at least not bitter in the way I've ever experienced hops before!
Our tap water tastes quite soft and neutral but I'm not an expert water taster and I'm sure that could be having an effect. Will probably try the Coopers kit with bottled water and see if it makes a difference.
Our tap water tastes quite soft and neutral but I'm not an expert water taster and I'm sure that could be having an effect. Will probably try the Coopers kit with bottled water and see if it makes a difference.
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booldawg
Well done on holding out so long Dan! I made my Fixby Gold up about a day after yours if my memory serves me right - I've drunk nearly half of them!
To me it tasted better during the warm week although the 3 weeks in the garage has cleared them out really well. I found that bitter taste has got alot stronger from week to week. Its more of an aftertaste and to me its fairly typical of a Yorkshire style bitter, albeit a bit too pronounced.
I brewed mine with bottled water and fermented it for the full 10 days. I got it from 1040 down to 1014, was hoping for maybe a lower FG but it sat there for a few days so I went ahead and bottled it with half a teaspoon of sugar per 500ml bottle.
To me it tasted better during the warm week although the 3 weeks in the garage has cleared them out really well. I found that bitter taste has got alot stronger from week to week. Its more of an aftertaste and to me its fairly typical of a Yorkshire style bitter, albeit a bit too pronounced.
I brewed mine with bottled water and fermented it for the full 10 days. I got it from 1040 down to 1014, was hoping for maybe a lower FG but it sat there for a few days so I went ahead and bottled it with half a teaspoon of sugar per 500ml bottle.
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dan_olo
About the same for me booldawg, it didn't get quite as low as I wanted before bottling (around 1016 if I remember correctly). Bottled with 50g glucose for 23l. I know what you mean about it being an aftertaste, it's definitely drinkable but just not 'quite'. Like I say, I'm really pleased for a first attempt. Roll on more homebrew experiments!
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booldawg
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ade1865
although i was happy with my fixby when i first tried it, it really has improved over time, to the point where i wanna keep may last 2L til xmas as a treat. A very nice kit and helped me gain confidence as a noob. I an also highly recommend coopers. 2 of my best kits, IPA and the sparkling ale, tho likewise they are at their best 6 weeks into conditioning, but by then they're almost half gone 
good luck chaps
good luck chaps
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dan_olo
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booldawg
I pitched my brew on 15th Sept. with a yeast starter kit; I tried some last Sunday (6 days ago) and it had a really bitter aftertaste. If I could give anyone some advice about kit brewing its dont bother even trying it until its even remotely ready. I've drunk at least half my stock of Fixby Gold and its only just come into its own at the correct time of maturety.