need an idea for 2nd brew

I am fermenting my 1st brew still (Hefeweizen). It was easy. No steeping and only one hops. All seems to be going well. I did a 3 gallon boil and used my bathtub to chill.
Anyway I'm anxious to start another but want to take baby steps. I like Fat Tire. Is there a simple recipe that I can buy at my LB that might work? I'm hoping to learn a few extra steps each time I brew.

Midwest Supply and Northern Brewer both have pretty solid fat tire clone kits, maybe try one of those out.

What kind of Hefe did you make, come from a kit? I'm doing a Moose Drool brown ale clone at the moment, my next will probably be a Fat Tire clone.

I would choose an Irish Red, Instead of a a fat tire clone. First of all the the next step you need to learn is partial mashing and using the right liquid yeast (I am assuming here) none of which would be required of a fat tire clone. Plus the fat tire clone is very hard to do right with out the correct Fat tire yeast which is very hard to get. Then there is the fact that fat tire as a beer style has a lot of flaws, which you will think is a good well made beer when it's really crappy. A simple Belgian pale or dubble recipe with t-58 (Belgian) dry yeast might be another way to go.

A Fat Tire clone is easy, and a good easy drinker. You don't need anything special for yeast- it's an amber ale and any clean well attenuating ale yeast will do just fine.

I've done the kit from Austin Homebrew, and it was quite good!

After reading a whole bunch of Fat Tire forum posts, recipes and reviews, I decided to make Adventures in Homebrewing's version (google it and you'll find the recipe). I do partial boils in a 5 gal pot and this recipe seemed manageable while still including a lot of steeping grains. I only bottled about a week ago so I can't really comment on the result but the sample I tried at bottling seemed promising.

It was a German Hef, Bavarian wheat, Northern Brew hops and Hef Ale WLP 300 yeast
It's a kit I got at More Bear.
I'm really looking forward to trying it out. It was actually pretty simple.

Grab another kit, if you want to step it up try one that says Partial Mash or has steeping grains.

+1 to the Red idea, tasty and easy.

jwalker1140 said:

After reading a whole bunch of Fat Tire forum posts, recipes and reviews, I decided to make Adventures in Homebrewing's version (google it and you'll find the recipe). I do partial boils in a 5 gal pot and this recipe seemed manageable while still including a lot of steeping grains. I only bottled about a week ago so I can't really comment on the result but the sample I tried at bottling seemed promising.

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How did it turn out? I'm making the kit tomorrow.

if you like Fat Tire, then go for it.

first determining factor (at least for me) is to make something i like to drink.

n_c_n said:

How did it turn out? I'm making the kit tomorrow.

Click to expand...

It was ok, but I probably wouldn't recommend it unless you are able to mash the biscuit, munich and victory malt. I think I just steeped them which may be why it didn't turn out quite as good as it could.

With the grains in this recipe, I think it really needs to be brewed as a partial mash. I'd add maybe 1 lb of domestic 2-row along with the other grains and mash in 1.5 gallons of water at 154 for 60 minutes in order to convert the biscuit and victory. The munich can convert itself. Then I'd reduce the pale LME from 7 lbs to 5 lbs to account for the added 2-row and the extra sugar I'd expect to get from mashing the biscuit, munich and victory.

No doubt in my mind this would make a much better beer. And partial mash brewing really isn't significantly harder than extract w/ steeping grains. The quality of my beers made a huge jump when I made this switch. Check the easy partial mash with illustrations sticky that Death Brewer put together. That will make it crystal clear.

But then, even as a straight extract/steeping grains recipe it was still good. Good luck!

If you only used Extract and Hops for your first batch. The next step is to use some Specialty Grains and steep them. My first beer was an IPA then I move to a Scot Stout, then to an American Pale. Each one I used the steeping method and as I went along each beer got better.

Just make any beer you feel like you want to drink. If it doesn't turn out as well as you liked then you know you need to change the recipe.

Good luck to you on your 2nd Brew.