How to pick what to brew

I am new to homebrewing. I drink Bud-Bud light, Icehouse, Pabst, Stella, Warsteiner and Warsteiner dark. The only thing I do not like about Warsteiner dark is it feels like you filled your mouth with soggy bread.

How do I pick a recipe that matches or exceeds what I drink? My buddy gave me a few of his home brews and they were awesome. Not sure what they were and he is currently deployed. I will get his recipes once he returns. I now live on the opposite side of the country as my buddy.

Thanks for any help.

Bill

A couple of points: Some of what to brew will be limited by the equipment you have. All of the beers you listed are lagers, and if you don't have the temperature control to ferment cold, you won't be able to do lagers properly.

The recipe section here has tons of different recipes to try, so find a style you'd like to try, and look for a well received recipe there. Here are a couple that given the beers you listed, may be on the right track:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/centennial-blonde-simple-4-all-grain-5-10-gall-42841/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/dead-guy-clone-extract-ag-see-note-25902/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f63/biermunchers-oktoberfast-ale-ag-39021/

Of course your local home brew shop will likely have kits or recipe ideas as well, and most will guide you in the right direction. Hope this helps, and have fun with the new hobby!

Equipment: 6 gallon stainless steel pot, metal spoons, wisks, and candy thermometer. The local brew shop is over an hour away. I will be going frequently once my job slows down. Thanks for listing the recipes I may like. That is what I am after.

Bill

I'd start by going to your local beer store and getting some other beers to try! Nothing wrong with a pils or a light American lager, but there's so much else out there (and many of the other styles are easier to brew than the stuff you mostly drink). Maybe start with some good American pale ales - stuff like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (or Dale's Pale Ale if you can find it), those types of beers are pretty easy to brew with standard equipment and have a real nice, fresh hop kick without being overwhelmingly bitter.

But, it's hard to know what to brew if you're limiting yourself in what you drink.

Not limiting myself to what I drink. I figured it was a place to start. I wish I knew which home brews my buddy gave me to try. They were great. He is currently deployed or I would just call and ask. Also, I do not know anyone around here that brews. I am leaning towards the multiple centennial blonde. 1st link above.

Bill

Hey, Bill. I was just home in Beaufort this past weekend!

For my palate, just about anything you brew will be better than most of the stuff you are drinking. I think picking up a Sam Adams variety 12-pack (Should be available at Walmart, BiLo, etc.) will help you see which styles you like, then you can go to the recipe database and get well-reviewed recipes for those styles.

The centennial blonde should be similar to the lighter beers you've been drinking, but more flavorful. If you're looking to get further away from the lighter beers you've been drinking, the other beers have a more malt-forward flavor that you might enjoy. What color were the beers your friend made? If they were darker amber-red to brown, the latter two recipes might be what you want.

Good luck!

The Centennial Blonde is a good idea. If you like lagers but don't have the equipment, there's always so-called "hybrid beers" like cream ales (think Genesee) or blonde ales. There have been many cases in history where a demand for pale lagers outstripped the local capacity to make lagers. If you've never had a beer like this, brewing one could be a good compromise between making something you like and adventuring. Here's some light beer styles made in that fashion:

http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style06.php

There's also California common beer, aka steam beer, which is made with lager yeast but without advanced temperature control you usually find in lagers. This works a lot better with some lager yeasts than others. The ones specifically suited for this are usually clearly marked:

Wyeast 2112 California Lager
WLP810 San Francisco Lager Yeast

You can see in the second link that this yeast is good for other styles of lager, too.

Not sure. I have an email out to him now asking those questions. I am still undecided on what to brew next.

Bill