Another "What Should I Brew Next?" Thread

[Tankard]

So my first brew was a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone (turned out great!) and it's already almost gone! I had 44 bottles, I gave away two six packs already, I drank more than a six pack already myself, so I only have about 20 something bottles left. I'm going to need another batch for the Christmas season.

Here's some of the partial mash kits I've had my eye on at my local homebrew shop:
1) Nutty Brown Ale - Newcastle clone
2) Irish Stout - Guiness Clone
3) Bavarian Hefeweizen
4) Honey Wheat - American Hefeweizen, similar to Pyramid
5) Kolsch
6) Red Ale

Here's why I can't decide... I would have already picked the Brown ale kit, but my friend Dave told me the Irish Stout kit is absolutely delicious. I, personally, love hefe's but I can't decide on which one if I did indeed choose to brew a hefe, and I absolutely love Red Ales. Kolsch seems like an interesting kit but I've honestly never had the style.

What's the most foolproof style? Keep in mind I'm still a newbie, and if a certain style is easier and more forgiving, I may go with that one. I'm kind of leaning towards the brown, red, and irish stouts at the moment, but those hefe's are tempting. If I pick a hefe, which one would you go with?

Thanks guys.

[Yuri_Rage]

Bavarian Hefe - ferments fast, tolerates a wide temperature range, fermenter to bottle in ~3 weeks.

[Steiner]

I agree with YR. With the hefe, you get a fast end result with some flexibility being a rookie. I'm somewhat a rookie myself. Although, if you like the red ales and live in an appropriate temperature range, now might be a good time for that. In the fall/winter you don't have the fear of heat which can produce some fruity flavors which are more tolerable in stouts, hefes, etc. It depends on your situation. I had never tried a kolsch either so I decided I try one and picked one up that I saw at Whole Foods. Give it a shot if you're interested.

Either way, it sounds like you've got a wide acceptance for most of those beers, so I really don't think you can go wrong. It's just frustrating to pick one. I'd still recommend a hefe because of the flexibility it offers and the quick turnaround time. As I'm sure you've figured out, the patience wanes when you want to taste another homebrew. Congrats on the SNPA. A hefe would be a good compliment to your beer store as well.

[Tankard]

Thanks for the replies. Sounds like the Bavarian Hefe is the way to go.

I'm not too worried about the temperature changes. I started my first batch when the average temperature was in the mid to upper 80's. The room where I keep my fermenter never gets warmer than 76, which isn't ideal, but it averages out to about 72, since I keep the door open at night and it gets nice a chilly in there. Then, I close the door in the morning and the insulation keeps it under 74. I think those "fruity flavors" would have been present in my first batch but luckily there were none.

I think I narrowed down my list to:
1) Bavarian Hefeweizen
2) Nutty Brown Ale
3) Red Ale.

I'm still deciding....