good summer brew

i was wondering what would be a good summer beer to brew as my second beer. i dont have a clue what i want. i know something light and smooth not to heavy. a beer that i could sit on the porch and listen to the sox at night . i was thinking a wheat with some added flavorings. im willing to do a partial mash did one at a brew on premisis a while back, or a all extract. need suggestions please.
thanks
pat

Many people enjoy wheats or cream ales in warmer weather.

I was looking for the same type of easy drinking, refreshing summer beer. I found this and it just came in the mail....going to brew it up this weekend.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=3513

Honey Weizen from Northern Brewer is phenominal and would make a great summerbeer....we have our second batch in a secondary fermenter and added some orange to this one to make it a lil citrusy....Cant wait to have it ready!!!

Summer must be Belgian, because she always says 'Wit'.

Am I the only one who chooses beer styles without thinking about the weather? I have AC, thankyouverymuch.

Edited: Just read the bit about the porch... My ultimate relaxing beer is a stout, regardless of the weather.

llazy_llama said:

Am I the only one who chooses beer styles without thinking about the weather? I have AC, thankyouverymuch.

Click to expand...

Here in Northern Michigan, thinking about a refreshing beer on a hot summer day is about the only thing that gets me through the winter!

Hefeweizen... and you don't even have to wait for summer

Blonde Ale. I'm brewing one up for the summer this weekend. I'm already behind since summer started this week.

I am brewing up a Kolsch this weekend for this very reason, also because I wanted to try something different.

llazy_llama said:

Am I the only one who chooses beer styles without thinking about the weather? I have AC, thankyouverymuch.

Edited: Just read the bit about the porch... My ultimate relaxing beer is a stout, regardless of the weather.

Click to expand...

Same, for some reason i like big heavy dark beers when relaxing regardless of the weather. I have never been into most seasonal beers. I just like what ever my taste buds crave whenever they crave it.

Cream ale, Blonde ale, American Wheat, Ordinary Bitter, Pre-Pro Lager, Witbier - the list is pretty much endless.

If I were you, I'd opt for Blonde Ale. Easy to brew, easy to drink. Lots of Blonde recipes in the HBT recipes section!

Bob

thanks any more suggestions

These styles are all fast beers and it might be a bit early to start brewing them now (or not). I like Belgian Wits and plan on doing a Kolsch or Cream Ale for the same purpose once Spring starts to hit. Hefe's are quite popular too.

Have you ever had Cooper's Sparkling Ale? There's a clone recipe in the latest BYO. I always order a cooper's if I'm eating at outback, and it is a really nice refreshing light bodied beer perfect for summer. It is a bit different from the one on their website from 2001.

TCJosh said:

I was looking for the same type of easy drinking, refreshing summer beer. I found this and it just came in the mail....going to brew it up this weekend.

Grand Cru w/ Safbrew S-33 dry yeast :: Midwest Supplies Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies

Click to expand...

I coudl be wrong, but I thought a Gran Cru was basically a Super Wit. more alcohol and everything boosted. Something I've been thinking about making myself, but not what I imagined as a warm weather drink.

Steam Beer
Cream Ale
Kolsch
Classic American Pilsner
Golden Ale.
Brown Ale
Irish Stout.

Here's the Coopers recipe for PM

Mash at 148:
14.4oz Pilsner Malt
10.6oz White Wheat Malt
7oz Weyermann Carared

1.0 lb light DME
4lb Coopers Light LME (add late)
(or adjust the extract as needed to hit OG)

10 AAU Pride of Ringwood Hops for 60 min

Cooper's yeast cultured from bottle would be best.

OG 1.045
FG: 1.005

Do what I am doing. Brew a different style every week. Put them in the closet and forget about them. Then sometime in the summer try a few out on the porch. See what you like best.

You can call it style research!

Dancing Banana----->

I'm surprised at so many mentions of wits, I always liked weizens as summer wheats and wits as winter wheats (with their holiday-style spicing).

Basically it comes down to whatever you like!

I'm sure I'll get some crap for this, but I have a Sam Adams Summer Ale going right now. I got from AHS. Smells great now. I'm gonna start cleaning up the bottles and hopefully get it bottled this weekend.

I think Cal Common is a great summer beer, NBs kit is quite good

Biermunchers CB is a great addition, and tastes great no matter what time of year. I am planning a ten gallon batch here pretty soon to put away for the summer!

A nice light summer brew would be . . . . . . . a heavy stout or scotch ale, maybe a heavilly smoked porter!

hcarter said:

I'm sure I'll get some crap for this, but I have a Sam Adams Summer Ale going right now. I got from AHS. Smells great now. I'm gonna start cleaning up the bottles and hopefully get it bottled this weekend.

Click to expand...

Has anyone ever in the history of HBT made fun of someone for what style they decided to brew? I'm constantly seeing people say "I'll probably get some crap for this."

Brew on!

hcarter said:

I'm sure I'll get some crap for this, but I have a Sam Adams Summer Ale going right now. I got from AHS. Smells great now. I'm gonna start cleaning up the bottles and hopefully get it bottled this weekend.

Click to expand...

Dude...Sam Adam's Summer Ale was one of the first beers that got me to...well...like beers. Drink-up, sir!!!!

Sam Adams Summer Brew, oh you have to be kidding? You are making that? Seriously? Wow, whatever made you think of doing that? Of all the choices, why that one?


OK, now you have been given crap. Now brew what you like and what you want and tell me to...

Enjoy your Summer Brew

llazy_llama said:

Am I the only one who chooses beer styles without thinking about the weather? I have AC, thankyouverymuch.

Edited: Just read the bit about the porch... My ultimate relaxing beer is a stout, regardless of the weather.

Click to expand...

well i have in bottle a honey porter that i will drink though out the spring and summer. i was just thinking about me getting bored and want some other beer to drink too.

yoyokid82005 said:

i was just thinking about me getting bored and want some other beer to drink too.

Click to expand...

That's exactly why I have 7 batches going at the moment, 3 more planned for next weekend, 1 for the week after that, and 2 for the next week.

I have a Fat Tire clone up for next weekend and then plan on a Hoegaarden clone and a Kolsch for my son's 1st birthday party in august. Don't know what will be between all those.

IrregularPulse said:

I have a Fat Tire clone up for next weekend and then plan on a Hoegaarden clone and a Kolsch for my son's 1st birthday party in august. Don't know what will be between all those.

Click to expand...

That's funny, I'm doing a Fat Tire clone next weekend too.

well my parents have cut me off till some of the beer is drunk. i just moved back in about xmas cause of the ecomony. i have about 5 cases of the honey porter that me and my dad made at a brew house.

Brewpastor said:

Sam Adams Summer Brew, oh you have to be kidding? You are making that? Seriously? Wow, whatever made you think of doing that? Of all the choices, why that one?


OK, now you have been given crap. Now brew what you like and what you want and tell me to...

Enjoy your Summer Brew

Click to expand...

Thanks! I feel better now.

llazy_llama said:

Am I the only one who chooses beer styles without thinking about the weather? I have AC, thankyouverymuch.

Edited: Just read the bit about the porch... My ultimate relaxing beer is a stout, regardless of the weather.

Click to expand...

I have central air, but I also have a pool and enjoy swimming around or just sitting by the pool with a beer in my hand on a Saturday afternoon.

yoyokid82005 said:

i was wondering what would be a good summer beer to brew as my second beer. i dont have a clue what i want. i know something light and smooth not to heavy. a beer that i could sit on the porch and listen to the sox at night . i was thinking a wheat with some added flavorings. im willing to do a partial mash did one at a brew on premisis a while back, or a all extract. need suggestions please.
thanks
pat

Click to expand...

I'm doing a kristalweizen. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/cloning-redback-australian-wheat-beer-105929/

It's a clone of my GF's favorite beer from back home in western Australia, supposedly a very light summer lawnmower beer, more on the clove-y end of things than the banana end. Brewing on Sunday.

It's actually a pseudo-kristal, as I'm not going to filter--just irish moss, gelatin, and crash cooling.

EDIT: And this one's up immediately after (I might do them both this weekend): Wextra Belgian Summer Ale http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipator?item=8020

I always brew 10 or 15 gallons of a Blonde Ale. Easy as hell:

7 lbs of X-Pale LME -OR- 6.5 lbs of Extra Lite DME
1 oz Cascade, boil for 60 minutes
.5 oz or more of Willamette boiled for 5 minutes (I used half an ounce in the boil, and dry hopped with half an ounce for a nice aroma)
1 packet of Notty

OG: 1.052
FG: 1.011
ABV: 5.4%
IBU: 21.4

(this is for a 6 gallon boil) adjust for partial boil

That's it!

Personally i dont see why one type of beer would be better during a given season, i could find a big Stout as refreshing as a pale Ale on a hot summer day as long as it's served chill.

Same goes for winter, i find equal comfort drinking any kind of good brew sitting comfortably in my cozy home watching a snow storm raging out the window...

But hey... it's just own personal way of seeing things.

Stef1966 said:

Personally i dont see why one type of beer would be better during a given season, i could find a big Stout as refreshing as a pale Ale on a hot summer day as long as it's served chill.

Click to expand...

I find roastier and spicier beers more to my taste in the winter (so, e.g., a stout or Belgian wit is certainly a winter beer for me), while fruitier and crisper beers are more summer beers to me (e.g. Pilseners or Hefeweizens).

But that's not hard and fast, sometimes I get a yen for something that I'd normally think of as other-seasonal. And most beers (anything from a Belgian strong to a cali common to a pale ale) don't have any seasonal attachment.

And it's up to your personal taste; I know that a lot of people would consider a wit to be a summer beer.

Bells Oberon clone works with me, the real thing hits the shelves this month (Michigan/midwest states) and it makes a great summer beer. It is a wheat beer with an orange/citrus accent.

On a side note... i drink all year long, so, i would really miss other types of beer if i'd restrict myself to a given "Summer Beer--Winter Beer" kinda etiquette...