Hi-
With a few extract brews under my belt, I'm going to take the leap into all-grain, and I was considering making an Altbier for my first attempt.
The next time I'll have a chance to brew will be the first weekend in november. I want to brew something that is good for the winter, and have it ready for the holidays.
I see lots off different recipes for alts with respect to both the mash steps and the cold conditioning time.
Would this be a good beer for my first AG? Or is it too complicated?
It'd be a rush to have an altbier properly lagered and carbed for the holidays, I'd think, unless you did it as a straight-up ale. Perhaps a brown ale might be a bit easier for your timeframe?
I agree with elkdog, keeping it simple is your best bet for your first AG. It's better to have a nice pale ale than a bad lager.
Hmmm, ok-
can anyone recommend a similar style? Looking for something slightly more malty than hoppy, but low gravity - not like a brown ale or stout. Not so fruity.
Something that will appeal to non-craft beer folks as well.
Hmmm, ok-
can anyone recommend a similar style? Looking for something slightly more malty than hoppy, but low gravity - not like a brown ale or stout. Not so fruity.
Something that will appeal to non-craft beer folks as well.
Scottish/Irish/British pale ale?
I make a lot of altbier and its about 6 weeks from brew day to drink (2 weeks in primary and 4 weeks cold conditioning in a keg) ... my favorite style.
barring that, you might want to try southern english brown. its malty, not hoppy at all and the OG was 40 or so. I made 10 gallons 3 weeks ago ... i have 4 gallons on tap now, am aging 3 gallons on an ounce of oak chips, and
another 3 gallons just aging by itself. A tasty, versatile beer.
Hmmm, ok-
can anyone recommend a similar style? Looking for something slightly more malty than hoppy, but low gravity - not like a brown ale or stout. Not so fruity.
Something that will appeal to non-craft beer folks as well.
Scottish/Irish/British pale ale?
I'd brew up Jamil's Mild Bitter. It's fantastically malty. Low ABV and and easy brew. I just call it an English Ale for my uninformed friends cuz the "bitter" tends to be a misnomer.
I'd brew up Jamil's Mild Bitter. It's fantastically malty. Low ABV and and easy brew. I just call it an English Ale for my uninformed friends cuz the "bitter" tends to be a misnomer.
If you mean Ordinary Bitter, I completely agree. It's a great beer, and the OP could have it ready in plenty of time. If you mean Mild Ale, well, I agree there as well. I guess you're just right.
BYO (Brew Your Own) magazine has a clone issue where they list both AG and extract methods for many commercial beers. They sell copies at their web site www.byo.com You just pick a brew you like. For my first AG I did the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale but used 1/2 as much hops as the recipe called for because I knew it was a bit hoppy for my taste reduced hops allows the malt flavor to come thru.
An IPA could be a nice winter beer. You get it nice and hoppy and it would be delish.
+1 on cutting it close brewing in November to have by the holidays. I would say that giving a beer 8 weeks between brewday and drinking day is a good time to age the beer. And even 2 or 3 more after that if you can wait will make a big difference as well.
First AG - Altbier?
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