First timer - homebrew novice, advice appreciated :)

Hello All,
This is my first time attempting to brew my own beer and this forum seems like a fantastic place to begin - so thank you!

I am hoping to start my first brew and aiming for something on the lines of Hoegaarden (actually more closer to Weihenstephan Hefe Weissbier).

Can someone please recommend what kit and ingredients to buy for this and from where?

>Just to clarify, I live in an apartment, with a modest sized kitchen but have access to a large terrace, so am probably going to be using the malt extract / starter kit method to begin with.

I am not entirely sure if I understood the brewing process, so do I add the spices etc. during the fermentation process?

I like several different kind of beers, so recipes are most welcome:

a. Wheat bears (Hoegaarden, Blue Moon, Erdinger, Weihenstephan etc)
b. Pilsners such as urquell)
c. Lagers such as Peroni
d. Trappist beers, Leffe

Look forward to all your suggestions
Many Thanks,
Happyboy.

My suggestion is to start with a kit. Wheat beers for a first beer are a great choice, because they have so many flavors in them that they will taste good despite your mistakes. Austin Homebrew and pretty much every other homebrew store will have good kits for you to start with, and if you want to make a better beer, get a beer with "specialty grains" included.

Basically, the specialty grains are cooked at about 150F for less than an hour, to make what is essentially a kind of tea you add to the beer before fermenting -- it adds more complex flavors and extra proteins that you actually want in your beer. Yes, it is an extra step compared to the extract-only kits, but it isn't that hard.

Good instructions go a long way with a kit. If you buy one online, find out what kind of support is available.

Read a lot before you begin, but realize that at some point you have to begin. A lot of the stuff you read makes more sense after you've tried it once.

You will make a lot of mistakes. Your beer will (most likely) be fine. It *wants* to be beer, after all.

The second most important step (after cleanliness & sanitation) to making better beer from extract is -- temperature control. Use a swamp cooler or a bathtub or whatever you can... but fermentation temperature control is CRITICAL to making tasty beer. It's not quite as important for wheat beer, so that's a good beer to start with, but it is still very important for most types of brewing.

Alright, good luck, and enjoy your new hobby for as long as you choose to continue!

Thanks JustiBone!
Have bit the bullet and put my first ever batch of brew on today
Its a Pilsner Lager (?) from Muntons and I used Spray Malt instead of Sugar.....now the waiting bit....lets hope for the best!
Thanks again.....

This is a kit that my son and I will be brewing this weekend. Might check it out for your next batch.

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_452_43_616&products_id=1857

Its a Pilsner Lager (?)

Click to expand...

Pilsner is a lager. For simplicity's sake think of ales and lagers as the plant and animal kingdoms. Two different trees with many different styles underneath the basic division of ales & lagers.

Try this for a simple, yet tasty wheat beer:

6 lbs Alexander's Wheat LME (1.5 cans)
0.5 lbs Crystal/Caramel 10ºL
4 AAU Cascade hops (60 mins)
1.5 AAU Cascade hops (30 mins)
1.5 AAU Cascade hops (15 mins)
Irish Moss
Yeast: WLP001/Wyeast 1056/Safale US-05

I've made that for years, and although it's a little light for my taste, everybody that I give it to really enjoys it.

nothing wrong with an american wheat like skaggz said, or a german wheat kit bonch is using. best thing about kits is they have step-by-step instructions, and get you learning what to expect. probably how most of us started (or a mr beer, like me). nice thing about starting with a wheat is just what justibone said: it's very forgiving. might not want to lager if you don't have good temp control yet (50-55 degrees sustained), though. ale is more forgiving, and can handle higher temps

I am a new brewer with a couple of batches done. I did a Hef like you describe and one of the only leasons I have learned is temp control during fermentation. The hef I did fermented at 75f and it tastes good but it has banana esters. If I controlled it at 65f it would be better. \A lager requires temps controlled in the 50s, must have a refrigerator type.

I strongly suggest that you read John Palmer's How To Brew and purchase Charlie Papazian's The Complete Joy of Homebrewing. These will help get you on your way with a much better understanding of what you're about to do.

Also, do some Google searching for clone recipes of your favorite beers.

Thanks Guys....just checked the FV in the morning and there is a nice layer of foam on the top

Skaggz said:

Pilsner is a lager. For simplicity's sake think of ales and lagers as the plant and animal kingdoms. Two different trees with many different styles underneath the basic division of ales & lagers.

Try this for a simple, yet tasty wheat beer:

6 lbs Alexander's Wheat LME (1.5 cans)
0.5 lbs Crystal/Caramel 10ºL
4 AAU Cascade hops (60 mins)
1.5 AAU Cascade hops (30 mins)
1.5 AAU Cascade hops (15 mins)
Irish Moss
Yeast: WLP001/Wyeast 1056/Safale US-05

I've made that for years, and although it's a little light for my taste, everybody that I give it to really enjoys it.

Click to expand...

You should post this in the recipe forum.