First AG Brew Ideas

Boston85 · 10-28-2010, 04:09 PM

So I have done 6 or so extract brews which for the most part have had great results (Thunderstruck Pumpkin has a very overwhelming pumpkin taste which I think is way too much). I have a full mash tun set up from a Colemans 72Q cooler, and want to do my first All Grain batch. Have been watching a number of youtube videos and scanned a few books about it, but still not totally sure I can successfully pull it off. I have 2 canning pots that probably hold a little over 5 gallons each, and I would be brewing everything in a kitchen rather than a propane burner outdoors.

My question is what style would be the best to start with when doing your first AG? I currently have the Thunderstruck bottled and a Brewers Best holiday ale bottled (The holiday ale smells and tastes awesome). I would like to do another holiday style beer, but I know it probably wont be ready for Christmas time.

I am also going to order up a kegging kit, preferably with 3 taps, but that may be a bit ambitious to start with. That probably won't come until Christmas though as a present, which I think would be perfect timing if I did an AG now. Although I feel as though doing my first AG and first kegging all at the same time may be a bit much.

What would everyone recommend starting with for a first AG? I figured just a standard Ale, but would like to do something a bit more involved that that. Any ideas?

**Yooper** · 10-28-2010, 04:14 PM

You can really do ANY recipe that you want. You may want to stay away from step mashes, decoctions, and adjuncts that require a cereal mash of course, but those recipes are pretty rare anyway.

You can do anything from a British mild to a Belgian tripel. IPAs, APA, English bitter, oatmeal stout, etc, all can be done with a single infusion mash.

What would you like to have next? We can help you pick a perfect recipe.

manoaction · 10-28-2010, 04:35 PM

You should brew this beer. There I've said it. It tastes fantastic and it has a simple grist and hop schedule, and as I said. It tastes great.

A nice single infusion mash and fly sparge is a snap. When I made the switch, I never looked back.

Homebrewtastic · 10-28-2010, 04:41 PM

Keep it simple and low O.G. Boiling indoors can be problematic when you're trying to concentrate wort... it takes forever on a stove. So doing something with a lower O.G. will be much easier.

Keep the grainbill simple too. Something you can do a single infusion mash and a mashout with.

I've found the best way to really get in to AG brewing is to SMaSH brew. Pick yourself out one base malt and one hop variety and brew with that. One of my favorites is Vienna and Cascade. Mash a little on the warmer side (about 155) and do multiple additions of cascade (60, 30, 15, flameout).

It's a simple beer to brew and this method really helps you get familiar with individual grain and hop characteristics. Before I started SMaSH brewing I never realized how big of a difference there is between Belgian Pils, German Pils, English Pils and Bohemian Pils.

Just my .002

Homebrewtastic · 10-28-2010, 04:43 PM

+1 to ManOAction. Ed's Haus Pale is delicious.

**Yooper** · 10-28-2010, 04:45 PM

By the way, how much can you boil in those two pots? I'd try with water first, just to make sure I could boil 3.5 gallon in each pot before trying to do a batch indoors. My stove could easily do it, so I brewed indoors all the time (still do, as a matter of fact, but on a different system). But most people have trouble keeping ONE pot at a rolling boil, let alone two.

Boston85 · 10-28-2010, 07:01 PM

Thanks for the feedback. I have done usually a 2.5 gallon boil in the past for my extract brews, but even that was a bit of a struggle to get it up and kicking the whole time. I may just pony up the cash and get a burner so I can have the main pot on that and then use the stove for the second pot. The Haus Pale Ale looks like a pretty good starter for me, I think I am going to try that one out.

Homebrewtastic · 10-28-2010, 10:46 PM

Totally worth it on the burner. Check around for Turkey Fryer kits. It being close Thanksgiving they're typically on sale right now. Also invest in a lid. You'd be surprised at how much quicker you can reach a full boil when you cover the pot.

Homebrewtastic · 10-28-2010, 10:47 PM

Oh! And you can get a great pot at Sam's Club. They're surprisingly thick and very inexpensive. A 30qt one is only about $40, and one that size will handle most of your standard 5gal brew.

manoaction · 10-28-2010, 11:07 PM

A lot of it depends on the width of your pot and if you have a lid. My pot is wide enough to fit on two burners and has a lid. I have no trouble boiling seven gallons in less than a half hour.