I'm about to show my ignorance....

lpdb185 · 11-03-2009, 01:48 AM

but i'll ask anyway. I ordered the AHS Stille Nacht clone extract recipe and want to TRY brewing it this weekend. Kinda worried now because this will be my first batch. Are there any tips or caveats i should be aware of, or should it be as easy as following the instruction?

For my next batch, I would like to find something very similar in taste to The Beast Grand Cru or DFH 120. Not looking to get 17-22% ABV (although that would be awesome), just looking for the taste (if that's possible). Any suggestions on a recipe or clone??

Suthrncomfrt1884 · 11-03-2009, 01:53 AM

I would suggest following the directions with your kit. AHS has very nice kits and their instructions are great.

As for your other recipe needs, I can't help ya there. You probably should stay away from higher ABV beers though until you get a little experience with fermentation and temperature control. Higher gravity beers can be a PITA, especially at the level you're talking.

XXguy · 11-03-2009, 02:05 AM

Everybody started somewhere, so don't be afraid to ask some questions

Read up here: http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html it's a real good starting point.

C4PNJ4ZZ · 11-03-2009, 02:06 AM

http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html

read it, your taste buds will thank you in 6 weeks

Keep the fermentation below 70 degrees if at all possible. Once I figured out temperature control, the quality of the beer I brewed improved significantly.

Monday8908 · 11-03-2009, 02:08 AM

I have ordered many AHS kits and they all turn out great by just following the directions. Very easy. I agree that you may want to hold off on a high gravity beer until you are a few more batches into it.

vespa2t · 11-03-2009, 02:10 AM

play around with some tamer beers first, maybe small batch. I jumped in on trying high grav at first with some disasters, luckily I was brewing 2.5gal batches then.

If you do go for only big beers first, remember they take alot longer to be drinkable than normal gravity beers. I have a quad that I made a year ago and is now finally tasty.

phatuna · 11-03-2009, 02:20 AM

It's all up to you, the higher gravity and / or high hops beers are more costly to make. My experience is that they are not that much "harder" to make though. Fermentation can be a little more vigorous so as long as you can contain that, no problems.

My suggesstion is to make a couple of inexpensive beers while you are learning your process. you will find that you can make some great beers for pretty cheap (like Biermunchers Centenial blonde).
If you like the DFH, I would suggest taking a look at Yoopers DFH 60 clone in the IPA recipe database which can be found on this websites homepage, just scroll down to the recipe area. The 60 wont break the bank on hops and will produce a great beer. The most complicated thing to deal with on her recipe is dry hopping, which really isn't a big deal at all.

good luck!

lpdb185 · 11-03-2009, 04:19 AM

wow, that was a lot of quick responses. i have gotten into this because i LOVE belgians (beer that is) and can't get anything over 6% where i live. i do love a cold hoegaarden though, so maybe i'll try a regular witbier like that for some practice before really laying into the tripels and quads. thanks for the responses!

jefferson · 11-03-2009, 04:44 AM

aww just go for it

Rick500 · 11-03-2009, 05:12 AM

And get another batch going two or three weeks after you brew the first one. Trust me.