Perfect begginers beer.

I am going to brew for the first time in the near future. I was wondering what beer is known to be the easiest to make? If anyone can recomend a nice first-timers beer, that would be very appreciated. Thanks.

umbrellajack said:

I am going to brew for the first time in the near future. I was wondering what beer is known to be the easiest to make? If anyone can recomend a nice first-timers beer, that would be very appreciated. Thanks.

Click to expand...

Personally, I feel that most beer styles are equally easy (or difficult, if you are a pessimist) to brew.

What do you like to drink?

A hefeweizen is pretty easy to brew and forgiving temperature-wise as well. 6 lbs of Wheat malt extract, an oz of low AA hop pellets boiled for 60 min. and a weizen yeast like Wyeast 3333, 3056 or 3068. Ferment for 10 days around 70 degrees, then bottle.

Brown ales have a rep as being relatively straightforward.

I'd buy a Brewer's Best (or similar) kit, something that includes extract, hops, yeast, specialty grains, and everything else you need. Worry about the process the first couple times, don't worry about the recipe and ingredients.

the_bird said:

Worry about the process the first couple times, don't worry about the recipe and ingredients.

Click to expand...

Perfect advice.

chillHayze said:

A hefeweizen is pretty easy to brew and forgiving temperature-wise as well. 6 lbs of Wheat malt extract, an oz of low AA hop pellets boiled for 60 min. and a weizen yeast like Wyeast 3333, 3056 or 3068. Ferment for 10 days around 70 degrees, then bottle.

Click to expand...

Really? I am gonna brew my first batch soon, and I am sure I will be antsy and want to drink it as soon as possible. So you don't need to let it ferment as long? How long do you need to let it condition in the bottles?

I made the brewer's best English Brown Ale kit for my first brew about a month and half ago. Its almost go now. I'm hiding the last 4 bottles from my buddies. It was easy and good. I didn't use a secondary fermentor and started drinking it 3 weeks after brew day. It tasted alot like New Castle. After 2 more weeks it sweetened and the slight skunk flavor faded. It was better than New Castle.

The brewer best kits I have used ferment quick but no matter what leave it in the primary at least a week. Conditioning should take 2 weeks in the bottle to get good carbonation. But go ahead and sample one bottle after one week just to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Who here hasn't drank a flat beer?

Brown ale or pale ale would be straightforward enough, and like stated above, would allow you to concentrate more on process and procedure.

welcome to the addiction.

rwillride17 said:

Really? I am gonna brew my first batch soon, and I am sure I will be antsy and want to drink it as soon as possible. So you don't need to let it ferment as long? How long do you need to let it condition in the bottles?

Click to expand...

First question to ask yourself: Do I like a weizen? They are easy because they're forgiving in terms of needing to be clear and clean. The opacity and fullness are to style.

Condition for 2 weeks or so.

I did this one from Palmer for my first, and was drinking it in just under 4 weeks:

check How to Brew for the brew day specifics

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

• [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]3-4 lb. Pale malt extract syrup, unhopped[/FONT]
• [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]2 lb. Amber dry malt extract[/FONT]
• [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]12 AAU of bittering hops (any variety) For example, 1 oz. of 12% AA Nugget, or 1.5 oz. of 8% AA Perle[/FONT]
• [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]5 AAU of finishing hops (Cascade or other) For example, 1 oz. of 5% Cascade or 1.25 oz. of 4% Liberty[/FONT]
• [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]2 packets of dried ale yeast[/FONT]

[/FONT]

Browns are the easiest because they are a relatively low gravity ale (meaning you can drink them earlier) and the style is so broad that give deceint sanitation, you can't miss. A little sweet, it's London style, dry Northern, too hoppy, Texas Tea!

The low hopping rate is also good for turning BMC lovers.

You could also try one of the "no-boil" kits. It really doesn't get much easier than that. The brands they have in my area are "Baron's" and "RJ Spagnols/Brew House". I've had good success with all the ones I've tried. It also cuts an hour off your brew time.

As far as some things to stay away from----

I my opinion beginners trying to make a 'clone' are setting themselves up for disappointment. It takes some experience to get your process down so you have the kind of control over your process so that you can tweak the beer to get the target flavors you are looking for.

I also suggest staying away from beers that you might expect to be light and clear. Again, it's a question fo having the experience (and patience) to be able to take control of the conditions that make for a clear, light beer.

I think new folks should also avoid beers with too manyh ingredients. Untill you're used to the process it will only raise your level of anxiety if you've got oen of those beers with lots of different ingredients that have to go in at differnet times.


Simple, medium brown ales are what I suggest.