reccomend me some beers!

so i'm gonna finally be home this summer, and i want to make the best of it and brew a few beers. i'm working with extract kits right now, and have only done one beer so far, but i hope to expand that. this is where u guys come in, due to my limitations i'd like some simple ales, i only have one fermenter *sad face*

so i want a list of about 5 beers to consider i'll start it out with one that i know i want to do
1: socttish 80 via northern brewer
2:ESB
3ale Ale
4:?
5:?

as u guys suggest i'll fill in the blanks with what i want.
p.s. provide any info u want on the beer and say where to get it from.

Kolsch is great for the summer time.

How did the scottish 80 turn our? Or are you still waiting on it?

I'm a newbie as well but I'd suggest just pick a style of ale that you enjoy and are familiar with. In my case I love IPAs and drink them quite regularly so my first 3 batches were different types of IPA. These three were all the same style but different recipes so it has helped me learn how differences in boil strategy and ingredients lead to different tastes. Having that knowledge will give you the ability to identify potentially good recipes in the future so you won't have to randomly guess at something that might not be your taste.

That said I only stuck with IPAs because I'm really fond of bitter pale ales and enjoy this style over most others. If you are not particularly interested in one style over another, maybe it would be better to brew a variety of things until you have a better idea of what you're interested in.

i'm quite a fan of the scottish ales, my first brew was a 60, turned out ok, but being my first brew i made a few expected noob mistakes. i'm planing on starting the 80 when i get home in about a week. but i'd like to play around with a few other styles as well. FYI i'm not a big fan of IPA's but would be up for brewing one if u can suggest a good not too overly hopped recipe.

oh come on that's all the suggestions i can get? i know some of your guys have to be opionaited and have a beer you just love and want to demand i make!

i just made a cream ale. it was easy and is light and summery. I highly recommend it. I'm getting ready to make an oatmeal stout, but after that, i'm going for an ESB. If you're into hops, the ESB is a nicely hopped but not overly hopped beer. Even though it is a 'bitter'. The ESB is a great session beer.

Try to spread the styles out a bit. Scottish is malty, low hop. ESB is a great choice (not too bitter). Hefeweizen. Brown Ale, or maybe Porter ready for fall.

hefe for the summer
amber/copper ale for the fall

buy 2 carboys
one for apfelwein - (easier than making cereal)
another for a strong porter

+1 to the ESB. I have not made one yet but I do like drinking them.
Hefes and Kolsch are also good choices.

i'm likeing the idea of a ESB and a brown ale, never had a hefe so i dont know if i would be doing it justice, you guys have any links ro specific recipes i should use?

EdWort's Pale Ale. It's clean, simple, and cheap. You can purchase it from here
I'm sure, if needed, they can convert it to PM or extract/steep.
It's one of my go to beers and appeals to a wide variety of beer drinkers.

+1 Hefeweizen or American wheat

-Enjoyed young so it can be ready quick
-Simple extract recipes abound
-Light, hazy and perfect for hot days

I'll throw out a link for ya, but I can't vouch for it...

Top » Catalog » Beer Kits » America's Best » America's Best American Wheat Kit »

Most fun thing I've brewed so far was a strong dark Bock. Simple yet complex. Anything you need to lager is extra fun.

Pale Ales are nice and easy to experiment with, and nice and easy summer drinking I'd recommend getting a couple of tins of pale liquid malt extract (or equivalent dry if you prefer) and experimenting with different hops - I'm in the UK so my pales tend to use a combination of Fuggles and Goldings, although next I'm going to try one with just Challenger. This is a great way to get to know one of your ingredients (hops) that will really help later on when you want to figure out your own recipes!
Alternatively, if you want to try an ESB, I just did a search of the forums and found https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f64/fullers-extra-esb-58437/ which sounds yummy - only use the sugar if you want it that strong! Also, for something like this, I just use dry yeast, normally safale s-04, and no yeast nutrient. I recommend using the irish moss though!

Try an oatmeal stout. For some reason I had a blast making it, and it smells delicious!

Brew a Dunkel Weizen. It is a German dark wheat beer. It is light and refreshing with subtle complexity from the roasted malts. You can get big banana flavors if you ferment it high, or a more subdued yeast flavor that has more clove notes if fermented in the lower 60's. This is an easy extract beer to make. You just need 2 cans wheat LME, some noble type hops (enough to hit 15-18 IBU), and a Hefeweizen yeast vial. Yum!

The Austin Homebrew Supply Kolsch is like $30 for the kit and it is always one of the best beers I make. It is loved by everyone.

red96jeep said:

i'm not a big fan of IPA's but would be up for brewing one if u can suggest a good not too overly hopped recipe.

Click to expand...

+ yet another one for ESB if you find an IPA too hoppy.

thanks for all the ideas guys, and keep them coming, i've settled in for some sort of ESB for sure, and think i'd like to try the pale ale. the kolsch seems interesting, and that wheat ale seems promising as well. decisions decisions......

Cool! ESB was the first thing I brewed when I got my kit together and found my LHBS, pale was the third (in between was a thoroughly unsuccessful chocolate stout). Let us know how it goes!

If you like scottish ales maybe you should give a Nut Brown Ale a try. I feel the two styles have similar qualities.