ideas for second batch?

So, I'm back after a long summer of fieldwork and stuff, and now I have a more ideal kitchen. Question is, what to brew? Aside from "something I like to drink," there are almost TOO many possibilities!

What's good for a second batch, assuming a not-so-experienced brewer? Any suggestions would be great.

I have a Grand Cru that is ALMOST ready to drink. I snuck a taste after just a few days in the keg - and MAN is it excellent.

I did, however, upgrade the yeast. I just linked you to the description page

Well, the "what do you like?" IS the big question. Personally, I'd be leaning towards something a little fuller, maybe a stout or a porter, something that I could drink on a cold winter's night. Lots of people have been making Pumpkin Ales, you should have enough time still to get something ready just about in time for Thanksgiving. I'm seeing more and more posts about holiday ales. Personally, I'm going back in the direction of something clean and simple (my last was an over-the-top mocha stout).

If you like IPAs, Walker's is pretty frickin' phenomenal, and not all that complicated.

What was your first batch?

I'm going with a pumpkin for my second batch, I'm hoping to brew this weekend so it will be drinkable sometime in November.

rdwj said:

I have a Grand Cru that is ALMOST ready to drink. I snuck a taste after just a few days in the keg - and MAN is it excellent.

I did, however, upgrade the yeast. I just linked you to the description page

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Thanks, I'll check it out.

the_bird said:

Well, the "what do you like?" IS the big question. Personally, I'd be leaning towards something a little fuller, maybe a stout or a porter, something that I could drink on a cold winter's night. Lots of people have been making Pumpkin Ales, you should have enough time still to get something ready just about in time for Thanksgiving. I'm seeing more and more posts about holiday ales. Personally, I'm going back in the direction of something clean and simple (my last was an over-the-top mocha stout).

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I know, I know. The trouble is that I like too many varieties. So I thought I'd just ask for suggestions for brews appropriate for relative newbies.

There *are* no cold winter nights in Texas (unfortunately!), but I've been thinking along the lines of a porter or nut brown ale. My first batch was a stout, which I loved, but I'd rather try a different type for the second batch.

Thanks for the suggestions, folks!

I think brown ales are generally considered a rather forgiving brew, one that's pretty easy to make. I'd go with that. I'll probably make something along those lines in the not-too-distant future, SWMBO still drinks beer too much with her eyes ("this beer tastes too light!" even when it's something with a huge body).

I'll always vote for a Brown ale. Great style for new brewers. If it turns out a little sweet, it's a London style; too hoppy, it's Texas Tea.

Yeah I too have heard that Brown Ales are good for newcomers. They finish out fairly quickly. You could also consider an ESB or a Bitter.

I think I'm going to go with a porter, unless I find a brown ale recipe that really knocks my socks off.

Thanks for the help!

Check out the Midnight Oil recipe in my signature. I just tapped the keg, and it's really tasty. I'd cut the black patent by half if I were to do it again - the roasted flavor is just a bit strong. It's nice and dark, almost like cola, and it retained just a little of the honey flavor. AND, it's a pretty simple extract brew.

dancingbarefoot said:

There *are* no cold winter nights in Texas (unfortunately!)

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There are some cold winter nights in Texas. Granted they don't hit until late January and there are maybe 3 or 4 total.


Anyway, I did a hefeweizen as my second batch and it turned out really good. They're pretty easy. Homebrewer_99 is the wheat guy around here, so you may want to get a recipe from him if you choose to go that route.

gruntingfrog said:

There are some cold winter nights in Texas. Granted they don't hit until late January and there are maybe 3 or 4 total.

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Well, I'd say we got four seasons here in Texas like most folks, only our seasons are just a little unconventional.

We have:

Almost Summer
Summer
More Summer
Christmas (which feels a lot like Summer)