New to the brew...just a few questions...

Hi all. My name is Josh and I'm new to home brewing. I'm only 24, but I've been fascinating with craft-beers and beer brewing in general for as long as I can remember. As a recent college grad, with degrees in graphic communications and business management (totally unrelated to brewing, I know, lol) I've decided that I'd like to start my own brewpub/micro/whatever within the next 5-6 years. To get there, I know I'll have to pay my dues and learn how to brew first. As someone who never 'jumps in without testing the waters first', I've been researching for about a year now; reading, watching videos, taking brewery tours, etc. and have gained a pretty fair understanding of the brewing process and am now ready to start brewing my own beer. (exciting!) Luckily, my dad is a pipefitter/welder that works in the food/drink industry with food-grade piping and equipment...he has access to TONS of valves, tanks, hoses, piping, etc. and is going to help me out in any way he can (he is building some racks for me as well). Anyways, I just wanted to take time to introduce myself and just wanted to know if there are any pointers/things to watch out for that you guys with experience would be willing to share before I start my first brew? i.e.: Is there a certain recipe/style that you would recommend for a first-timer? I am a huge fan of wheats and am looking to go that route..but...

I'll continue to read throughout the forum and use the info already given, but any more would be much appreciated! Thanks!

A wheat can be a good first choice if you are doing extract, if you are mashing grain you may want to get a feel for mashing first with a few other batches, as wheat can be problematic with stuck sparges, things like rice hulls help with this though.

AS simple pale ale can be a nice first brew.

I've found that stouts make great starter recipes, those big roasted flavors can help mask any imperfections you may have with your first brew. good luck

I am going to be mashing. I know most start out using extracts, but I figure the more experience I can get using the all-grain method, the better.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/phat-tyre-ale-extract-kit.html

That's one of the first extract brews that I did. Wasn't much trouble, no need for a secondary. Good beer that suits most people's tastes.

I'll be interested to see how your business endevor goes. I'm a student now in Business and I've always thought of brewing as some sort of profession down the road.

I'd go with a pale ale. You could do a stout, which would mask an off flavor, but you also want to know if there is something not right in your process.

Get a few batches under your belt and improve your process. Good on you going right to all grain...once you do it, it really isn't hard.

Do you have any homebrewer-friendly craft breweries in your area? Visit them often, get to know the brewers, and offer to volunteer to gain some hand-on experience. You can also take you homebrew to them to get some feedback and help improve your process. AHA sanctioned competitions are also good for this too...don't be afraid to enter the big ones, like the National Homebrew Comp or Sam Adams Longshot. These usually draw to most experienced judges and will provide great feedback.

Good luck with your plans to open your own place...let us know when it happens and we'll all drop in for a beer.

edit: also see if there are any homebrew clubs in your area.

All grain seems intimidating when you're starting out with kits but it's pretty basic if you can get your process down. I wen't AG on my 3rd batch. As far as running a brew pub, can't help you there but it does seem like fun. Good luck...