Absolute newbie-What type of beer to start with??

HI, I am an Absolute newbie to homebrewing, and I don't know a lot about beer, other than my favorite is Killian's Red ( I know not very classy for a homebrew site!!) -What type of beer to start with?? Is there a recipe that approximates Killian's?? Also, what types of commercial beers should I experiment with before trying to homebrew?? Thanks, Bill.

I always think that a stout is a great first brew. Roasty flavors mask some first timer mistakes and the dark color hides cloudiness (no clearity concerns). I love reds too, but those attempts might be saved for your 3rd or 4th batch.

An India Pale Ale was my first brew and I was quite pleased with the result.

IGOR

I'm new too and from the advice everyone has given me it seems that highly hopped beers and stouts are the best to start out with.

However I don't see how if you're careful you can't have a great beer your first batch. I started out with apple cider for equipment reasons, and I tasted it when I racked it to secondary fermentation and besides the suspended yeast flavor it had going it wasn't bad at all.

If you're used to drinking standard domestics you might start by picking up a six pack of a Pale Ale like Sierra Nevada or Boulevard or Goose Island. Or you could try a stout from the same breweries also. (I say those three because they are the most affordable micros in my area so they are the brews I drink the most.) Although they bottle in twist off capped bottles (for sure on Sierra Nevada and Goose Island not sure about Boulevard as I haven't had their beer lately). Sam Adams bottles in reusable bottles, so they should be on your list to. (See the post in these forums where I asked about recappable bottles.)

I have to agree with George, reds might be best left for a few batches down the road as the color/flavor profile is a little tricky to get down. A good stout might be the way to go, or since it's getting warmer you might want to go lighter with a pale ale or something like that. Both have fairly forgiving recipes, are relatively easy to brew, and yield great results. Good luck!

I have to second the IPA's and stouts are very good first brews. But i think that something like a wheat beer would be better at this time of year. I did a IPA and a brown ale for my first 2 brews!

I go with the group that says "Brew what you like to drink" for your first brew.

But, if you enjoy a summer beer - wheat, cream ale, or a lighter ale; thay are also a good first brew.

Brew whatever you want, it will taste fine. Darker, or hoppier beers do a better job of masking off flavors than lighter beers, so if you screw something up, it's less noticable.

You will be so worried that you did mess up, (look at all the "Did I screw up my first batch" posts in this forum) that your first batch will taste GREAT when you finally get to drink it.

Personally, I would go with a light, low ABV beer. It will mature sooner than a Stout or an IPA, so you can enjoy it sooner. And it will encourage you to brew more.

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...and more:rockin:



...and more

I am on my second brew...my first was a Killian's clone. I bought it at a local home brew store and was very pleased with the results...and I made several mistakes in the process!!

The store is located in central Mass and has a website...they have the recipe online if you are interested.

Goto www.beerbrew.com, select the west boylston store. Click recipies on the left side...and then Killian's Clone.

My second brew is a stout...guess I am going out of order!!

P.S. This is my first post...what a great site! Thanks everyone for the tips!!

Outside of not doing an Ale, I think you should start with what you love. If Killan's Red is it, then start with that. With extract kits you can get pretty close to pretty much anything and whatever happens it will taste much better then the store bought stuff. I dont know... when I started I did not particularly ask myself which would be the easiest to do. Do you have a book you are reading?

GOD said:

Outside of not doing an Ale, I think you should start with what you love. If Killan's Red is it, then start with that. With extract kits you can get pretty close to pretty much anything and whatever happens it will taste much better then the store bought stuff. I dont know... when I started I did not particularly ask myself which would be the easiest to do. Do you have a book you are reading?

Click to expand...

No. no books yet, just in the info gathering stage.

Uncle Argyle said:

I am on my second brew...my first was a Killian's clone. I bought it at a local home brew store and was very pleased with the results...and I made several mistakes in the process!!

The store is located in central Mass and has a website...they have the recipe online if you are interested.

Goto www.beerbrew.com, select the west boylston store. Click recipies on the left side...and then Killian's Clone.

My second brew is a stout...guess I am going out of order!!

P.S. This is my first post...what a great site! Thanks everyone for the tips!!

Click to expand...

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! :rockin: This answered the question that I was really attempting to ask-Where can I find a source for complete kits to brew a Killian's red clone??
Anyone else have a different source for this type of clone kit??
Thanks again, Bill.

Boy sometimes I feel a bit stupid, sorry for not answering the question It's been a very long time since I had Killan's Red, but I remember it was real good. Austin home brew has an American Red and an Irish Red.

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/index.php?cPath=178_21_46_42_165

In thier recipe section they ALSO have a Killan's Red!
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_21_46_43_323&products_id=1783

Better yet it you find a way to spend $60, shipping is free!

If you are looking for a good simple book, The complete joy of homebrewing by Charles Papazian is a book that you can't go wrong with. Many people simply refer to this book at "The Bible". It's been around for a very long time. He's kept the price down to a cheap level as well. It's normally stocked at Borders from what I have seen.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...f=sr_1_1/102-0233062-7472967?v=glance&s=books

Another great book is How To Brew by John Palmer. Check out his online version at www.howtobrew.com He has a new edition coming out and the print version is worth it.

THANKS AGAIN!!! One more question = It looks like the Austinhomebrew Killian's clone recipe listed above can be brewed as either an ale or a lager. Am I correct?Commercial Killian's lists it as being lager on the bottle. How much difference is it in brewing this recipe as an ale instead of a lager? (which the sites I have seen is described as a more advanced brewing process & NOT recommended for a first brew batch). (I realize this is probably a silly question) Thanks, Bill.

No. This is absolutly not a silly question. You want to make sure you get an Ale. Lagers are not what you want for sure. I am not at all familiar with all the differences, but with Lagers you need to ferment at cooler temps which is much harder to do. Again, make sure you do get the ale

GOD said:

No. This is absolutly not a silly question. You want to make sure you get an Ale. Lagers are not what you want for sure. I am not at all familiar with all the differences, but with Lagers you need to ferment at cooler temps which is much harder to do. Again, make sure you do get the ale

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Can I expect basically the same (hopefully BETTER ) taste as the commercial stuff if I brew an ale??