Hey guys i am just starting and have read alot about the process of brewing seen all the videos i can about it, and my kit should arrive in the mail by the end of the week. I am in the process of buyin my first kit and was wondering what is the best type of beer to start of with. I think i will order off Austin home brew supply because it is so much closer to where i live and the yeast will be less damaged. I was thinking of doing an IPA or a STOUT. Also i am very worried about fermenting it because i live in the desert and it is very hot, and my house probably stays around 85 degrees when the air is not on (when i am at work or school). Should i throw it in my friend basement, to be safe. I have read it should be cool right?
Welcome to HBT! Brew what you like to drink. You could start with a Coopers can, which is basically a no-boil brew, or go with one of the kits from AHB.
You can ferment in warmer temps, but it will have more of a banana taste. 72 or cooler is best. You could use an ice bath - get a big blue beverage pail from Lowe's, fill with water, and rotate some frozen water bottles once or twice a day. That should help.
Either Stout or IPA is a good choice. You should be good brewing at your house, check out the post the Revvy just did w/ pics of how he cools down his ferment. his post is the third or 4th one down: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/fermenting-tips-115494/
Good luck! austin home brew supply is a good choice.
I would pick a beer that you like on the market and pick the clone from AHB if they have it. My first beer was a Newcastle because 1.) I thought I could mess it up so go cheapest 2. ) I could easily get Newcastle to compare to see where I went wrong.
What did I learn? 1.) It is pretty hard to mess up so go with what you like 2.) You will probably start your 2nd-3rd batch before you even taste your first.
What you really should you be asking yourself? Partial or Extract? I went with Partial.
What is a good beginner kit.
Linear Mode
