Which kit to by to impress the wife..

waskelton4 · 03-30-2006, 12:57 AM

Ok..
so.. i'm not really out to impress her.. but I do think that it could be very beneficial to my brewing "career" to find something early on that she likes. She enjoys beer but not to the extent that I do. I guess it is also worth mentioning that this will be my first real attempt at brewing. (I did the Mr. Beer thing a while back but none of them really turned out good enough to drink)

She likes Amberbock and other beers that have some flavor but not too much bitterness. She also enjoys hoegarden and blue moon. She doesnt' much like american mass produced light beers though.

Currently i'm planning on getting a Nut brown ale kit and one other kit based on recommendations here..

It is also important that the first batch be mostly successful so nothing too complicated for now...

any thoughts?

will

**Baron von BeeGee** · 03-30-2006, 01:01 AM

The nut brown would be a good bet, I'd say...nice and malty, not too much bitterness. A hefeweizen might be another good one. Not at all bitter (if you don't screw it up

), and some phenolic flavor not uncommon in some Belgian beers.

mezman · 03-30-2006, 01:04 AM

I second the suggestion for a hefe. Also, if she's down with the maltiness, then a mild might also fill the bill. But a Nut Brown could too.

**david_42** · 03-30-2006, 01:12 AM

I've converted several fence-sitters with Milds. Austin Homebrew's AHS Mild Ale, extract with the Winsor dry yeast would be a very good place to start. It is darker than many milds, but isn't bitter. It's got chocolate malt in it, what woman can resist?

waskelton4 · 03-30-2006, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baron von BeeGee

The nut brown would be a good bet, I'd say...nice and malty, not too much bitterness. A hefeweizen might be another good one. Not at all bitter (if you don't screw it up

), and some phenolic flavor not uncommon in some Belgian beers.

Am I likely to screw it up?

Does it require anything that your standard extract brew doesn't? sounds like it might require less..

re: the mild from AHS
I'll be doing some more research on this one and considering this for my third batch.

many thanks..
ws

cweston · 03-30-2006, 01:08 PM

Brown ale sounds good--my wife is not much of a beer drinker but she liked the brown ale I made.

Lot's of women seem to like hefeweizens. You mentioned Hoegaarden. My wife reallly likes the New Belgium beer (can;t remember--is it "sunshine?") that is spiced like a Belgian Wit but with a more neutral, less earthy american yeast strain. I know my wife finds wits and saisons a little too "funky" flavored for her tastes.

**Baron von BeeGee** · 03-30-2006, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waskelton4

Am I likely to screw it up?

Does it require anything that your standard extract brew doesn't? sounds like it might require less..

No, it's a very easy brew to do, especially from a kit. I 'rolled my own' and wound up with too much hop bitterness, but I don't think this will be an issue with a kit. In my opinion, it's one of the better beers (a hefe, that is) to do from extract since most wheat extract is already the perfect wheat grain bill: ~50/50 wheat/barley. They're also better fresh and don't require clarification (they should be cloudy), so little conditioning time is required and they may be enjoyed relativley quickly following brewing.

waskelton4 · 03-30-2006, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baron von BeeGee

No, it's a very easy brew to do, especially from a kit. I 'rolled my own' and wound up with too much hop bitterness, but I don't think this will be an issue with a kit. In my opinion, it's one of the better beers (a hefe, that is) to do from extract since most wheat extract is already the perfect wheat grain bill: ~50/50 wheat/barley. They're also better fresh and don't require clarification (they should be cloudy), so little conditioning time is required and they may be enjoyed relativley quickly following brewing.

PERFECT!

this may be just what i'm looking for...

many thanks.

time to order..

ws

waskelton4 · 03-30-2006, 03:15 PM

quick question..

is this pitchable or do i need to do a starter for it?
http://morebeer.com/product.html?product_id=19830

i'm hoping i can just dump it in..

ws

**Walker** · 03-30-2006, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waskelton4

quick question..

is this pitchable or do i need to do a starter for it?
http://morebeer.com/product.html?product_id=19830

i'm hoping i can just dump it in..

ws

technically, you can just pitch it. lots of people do this.

practically, you would get a quicker ferment if you made a starter, but it's not necessary.

If you are dreading the additional step of making the starter, just pitch it straight from the tube. But, I suggest that at least once in the future, you try a starter so that you can see the difference it makes.

-walker