I know my last blog entry about the bottling was delayed. I posted the blog about a week and a half after I bottled the beer. Since then I have put the brews into my fridge and have let them conditioned in a cold environment for a week.  

Now that they have been chilling for a week, the beer is as ready as it will ever be. This is the moment I have been waiting for, to enjoy the fruits of my labors. I have some concern though because the bottles do not seem that firm when I squeeze them.  This is an indication that my beer may be flat because I may have not put enough sugar in them.  If that is the case I jut have to take Bob Ross’s advice, “there are no mistakes, just happy accidents”. 

Along with the beer being possibly flat there may be some other flaws with the beer such as: not enough taste, off flavors, and unfiltered particles.  I am preparing for the worst but I am also hoping for the best with my first batch. I do not expect it to be perfect or even acceptable as beer, after all this is my first batch. However, I do plan to learn much from my first brew.

Also, I have ordered and received two refill packs from Mr.Beer. I decided to go with the Vienna Oktoberfest and a Red Ale.  Along with these refills I also ordered a thermometer that will stick to the fermentation barrel. This will help me ensure that my beer is fermenting at an acceptable temperature (65F-76F).