What to make - second brew

My first batch is still in the primary, but since reading all these posts on so many many different flavors of beer - I am wondering what to try next.

My first batch is an American Light - just because I usually drink Miller Light, sometimes a Tecate, or Dos Equis and rarely a Fosrester.

I don't want to make 5 gallons of something I won't drink, so I THINK I want something a little different, but not too much.

I don't like the dark beers.

A pale ale has been suggested, but I don't really know what that taste like.

For what ever you suggest as a next brew, is there a commercial sort of equivalent to test taste ?

I have never yet tasted a home brew, so I am looking forward to this first batch !!

Well my second batch is an american pale ale...and since someone suggested it, but you're not sure what it tastes like:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_pale_ale
http://beerrecipes.org/bjcpguidelines.php?id=23

I suggest before you brew that you go to the nicest beer store and see if they'll let you mix a six pack. Try a selection of beers and see what appeals to you.

I'd suggest a pale ale (Sierra Nevada Pale Ale), an Amber ale, (Alaskan Amber if you can get it), Rogue Dead Guy, Sam Adams Boston Ale, and maybe one Newcastle Brown ale if you could find those. They them and see if you like any of them and what you like about them. They you'll know how to start narrowing it down a little to a style.

is your first batch an american light lager? in which case do you have capabilities to lager your beer after fermentation?

what have you tried in terms of "darker" beers? I personally am quickly becoming a hop head and cant wait to try my hand at a nice hoppy IPA, but i also love stouts and kolschs too.

Maybe you could try a hefe? those are nice and light but lots of flavor as well

I looked at those sites and it was interesting. I have NEVER heard or seen any of those commercial brews at Kroger or the booze store, but then again I never looked.

I printed a copy & will go and look. Thanks.

I know I have to go to the liquer store here, and they let you mix and match a 6 of decent beers...

I got another Rogue Amber Ale, a hefe, a brown nut ale, oatmeal stout and something else......Rogue beers are hard to get here........The Krogers here have a good selection of microbrews....at least the popular ones.......

Chad

Um ... if FairWeatherSmoker really likes light pilsners, he's not likely to groove on Dead Guy ...

But then, you never know.

My advice for research: In addition to the brands mentioned, find one example of the following styles: Brown ale, nut brown ale, British bitter (not ESB), ESB, mild British ale if you can find it, and most important of all, hefeweissen. These are all mild beers that won't make you gag if you aren't a hop head. (Ironically, the darkest of them are among the mildest.) This will give you an idea of what you like and you can go from there.

Brewing a lager is a pain in the a##. And, it takes MONTHS instead of WEEKS. There are lots of lagers that you would probably like but they're hard to do right. Ales are far easier and many of us actually prefer them (me included).

Im probably the only guy on this site that dont like SNPA but How about a Steam beer?

Steam, yeah, good idea. I've never brewed one but I hear they're not too hard to do.

Cheers!

--Finn

Finn said:

Steam, yeah, good idea. I've never brewed one but I hear they're not too hard to do.

Cheers!

--Finn

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Nope Steam is easy, and it is my fav style of beer just brewed one a couple of weeks ago and it looks and tastes amazing cant wait until its aged enough. Anyone want the recipe for it let me know, FYI the hops are not the same that are used in Traditional steam beers.

Rich

yeah Rich, I'd like to try it! Sheesh, at this rate I'm gonna have to get me a couple more carboys. The damn lagers have two of 'em tied up 'til late spring, and I've got a stout and a mild I want to get cooking on ...

Finn said:

yeah Rich, I'd like to try it! Sheesh, at this rate I'm gonna have to get me a couple more carboys. The damn lagers have two of 'em tied up 'til late spring, and I've got a stout and a mild I want to get cooking on ...

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My recipe is All Grain, Or do you need me to convert it to extract and steeping grains?

RICLARK said:

My recipe is All Grain, Or do you need me to convert it to extract and steeping grains?

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Ja, I'm still not set up for full mashing ... I'm still paying the big bucks for LME/DME when I brew, and adjusting the flavor with steeping grains.

Thanks!

--Finn

Finn said:

Ja, I'm still not set up for full mashing ... I'm still paying the big bucks for LME/DME when I brew, and adjusting the flavor with steeping grains.

Thanks!

--Finn

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6 Lbs Light LME
1 Lbs C 30 steep for 45 min at 165 degrees

1 oz Perle 60 min
.75 Oz Perle 15 min
1 Oz Perle 5 min

White Labs San Francisco Lager Yeast

Primary 7 days secondary 14 days at 65 degrees

I went to Kroger & got me 3 6 packs of different Ales.

Bass - an imported Bristh ale - had an after taste like sort of sweet but not quite - maybe an apple cider sort of taste

St. Arnold's - a local micro brewery - ohh very bitter

Drop Top - I guess a micro brewery in Portland Oregon - the most drinkable of the 3.

I don't think I like ales

I have no idea what a steamed beer is. And I think I just like pilsners.

I hope what I got in the pot is good

RICLARK said:

6 Lbs Light LME
1 Lbs C 30 steep for 45 min at 165 degrees

1 oz Perle 60 min
.75 Oz Perle 15 min
1 Oz Perle 5 min

White Labs San Francisco Lager Yeast

Primary 7 days secondary 14 days at 65 degrees

Click to expand...

What's the C-30?

Jeffro said:

What's the C-30?

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Crystal 30L, I'm guessing

BeachBumDeac said:

Crystal 30L, I'm guessing

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Thanks... I think I'll hit this one next go round

FairWeatherSmoker said:

I don't think I like ales

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That's a very bold, general statement that excludes almost (if not more than) half of the beer made worldwide.

If you ONLY like American light lager, homebrewing is probably going to disappoint you. You will spend an awful lot of time, effort, and money trying to replicate the same kind of beer that you can find by the case for under $20.

However, your attitude suggests that you would like to branch out a bit. Here's a bit more advice on styles/commercial examples to try:

Hefeweizen: Pyramid, Shiner, and Sam Adams brew very mild American hefeweizens that may appeal to you.

Steam beer (AKA, California common): Anchor Steam is the best commercial example. It's pretty easy to find.

Cream ale: Commercial examples include Genesee, Warthog Cream Ale, Terrapin Golden Ale, Weinhard's Blue Boar, and Rogue Honey Cream Ale.

FairWeatherSmoker said:

St. Arnold's - a local micro brewery - ohh very bitter.
I don't think I like ales

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I don't think you should be concerned about all ales being bitter for example. Some types of ales like IPAs (very bitter), or pale ales (can sometimes be somewhat bitter) might not be best for you. I myself don't particularly care for IPAs

But some ales are very low in bitterness, which is measured in IBUs, higher being more bitter. For example, the wheat beer I have in my primary will be fairly light on the hops.

Jeffro said:

What's the C-30?

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Yes its Crystal 30 L

FairWeatherSmoker said:

I went to Kroger & got me 3 6 packs of different Ales.

Bass - an imported Bristh ale - had an after taste like sort of sweet but not quite - maybe an apple cider sort of taste

St. Arnold's - a local micro brewery - ohh very bitter

Drop Top - I guess a micro brewery in Portland Oregon - the most drinkable of the 3.

I don't think I like ales

I have no idea what a steamed beer is. And I think I just like pilsners.

I hope what I got in the pot is good

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What? No hef? You gotta try a hef before you write off ales. But it sounds like you picked some of the stronger flavored beers. That Bass is a solid British bitter, and most bottles labeled "pale ale" are pretty heavily hopped too. Drop Top, though, that's a good mellow ale.

If you're still game, try and find some hefeweisen and some Newcastle Brown Ale (comes in a clear bottle so you can see that it's brown). Don't let the color fool you, it's dark but it's not thick or bitter -- it's a very mellow beer.

anchor steam is one of my favs, i would recommend you try it, it has bot characteristics of ales and lagers. i actually have a steam beer in primary right now and i cant wait to try it.

RICLARK said:

Im probably the only guy on this site that dont like SNPA but How about a Steam beer?

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i'm not a big fan of SNPA either

and i would also recommend a steam beer. goood stuff!

never heard of steam beer till I joined this site, What's it like? Wahts makes it "steam" beer? Different brewing process?

Anchor Steam brewery, SF, CA

FairWeatherSmoker said:

I went to Kroger & got me 3 6 packs of different Ales.

Bass - an imported Bristh ale - had an after taste like sort of sweet but not quite - maybe an apple cider sort of taste

St. Arnold's - a local micro brewery - ohh very bitter

Drop Top - I guess a micro brewery in Portland Oregon - the most drinkable of the 3.

I don't think I like ales

I have no idea what a steamed beer is. And I think I just like pilsners.

I hope what I got in the pot is good

Click to expand...

Are you trying the ales and dark beers right out of the fridge at extremely cold temps? You might want to try letting them warm up a bit, I thought I didn't like stouts for a long time until I finally had one at a warmer temp, when they're cold they just taste bitter with no interesting flavors or anything.

I've only just brewed my second batch as well. But I've been drinking beer for 13 years and can tell you this. Tastes mature with time. When I started drinking beer I started with things like Red Dog and Rolling Rock. 10 years later, I love things like Guinness. Probably would have hated it back then, though.

My advice to you is this. Hit a couple brew pubs. Hit one that serves ales. Get the sampler if they have one. Then hit a brews lagers. Get their sampler. You will find stuff you like, and you will find stuff you don't. And simply put, you'll learn what good beer tastes like I may not be a master brewer, but I do happen to have a good set of taste buds...

You say you might not like ales, but remember ales and lagers are simply defined by their yeast, not taste. Things from Stouts to Pale Ales are both brewed with ale type yeasts, and odds are you'll find something in that range that really tastes good to you. Frankly, ales are easier for people like you and me to make. They ferment happily at room temp. Lagers require controlled refridgeration because they ferment at 45 degrees F and go for longer. You'll find lagers that taste like some ales you've had and ales that taste a bit like some lagers you've had.

Since it's been asked, a definition of steam beer from BeerAdvocate.com...

The California Common, or Steam Beer, is a unique 100% American style lager. It's usually brewed with a special strain of lager yeast that works better at warmer temperatures. This method dates back to the late 1800's in California when refrigeration was a great luxury. The brewers back then had to improvise to cool the beer down, so shallow fermenters were used. So in a way the lager yeast was trained to ferment quicker at warmer temperatures. Today's examples are light amber to tawny in color, medium bodied with a malty character. Mildly fruity with an assertive hop bitterness.

Anchor Brewing Co. trademarked the term "Steam Beer" and as such all other beers must be legally referred to as "California Common."

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As an entrance to ales, I might also suggest trying a Scottish Ale like Belhaven or anything from Ornkey Brewery if you can find it. Scotch beer is generally sweet and malty with nice mouthfeel - I'm not real big on hops and love this stuff, lots of flavor without the bitterness. SkullSpliter is a good one, and more common is Smithwick's (I know, it's actually Irish).

For those that want to venture into stouts but don't care for dry stouts like Guiness, I recommend my go-to stout, Mackesons XXX Stout. I also highly recommend Harviestoun's Old Engine Oil - awesome stuff, makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

Cheers!
Chris

FairWeather, you should try a Kolsch or an American wheat. I know where you're coming from with your palate, and you probably will enjoy either of those styles. They are both easy to brew, as well. Try a Saint Arnold Lawnmower for a nice kolsch and a Saint Arnold Texas Wheat for a nice filtered wheat (similar to an American wheat but not quite as sweet)

The folks that recommended a steam beer also nailed it, as it's another clean beer that's easy to brew, but with good flavor. As I mentioned in your into thread, I believe we've met on a BBQ forum before. If you recall Redneck Cooker, you should know that I got him drinking Anchor Steam without even twisting his arm.


TL

I got 3 6 paks of Hefe -

Shinrer - very bitter

Paulaner - unfiltered & thick

Widmer - filtered & mild - best of the 3.

I'll try some of the others recommended above.

Thanks for the inputs.