Next Brew Suggestions?

I've read through a ton of the older "What should I brew next" threads, but can't seem to make up my mind.

Here's the problem, I'm not very well versed in beer. I really don't drink that often (I know, strange hobby for me to get into), and mostly the only thing I ever drink is Yuengling lager.

I'm trying to figure out what to brew next. My first batch is a Belgian White. I bought a sample pack of wheat ales, and I can tell you this much: I don't like hoppy beers. The pale pale ale and the IPA were my least favorite.

I would like to try something other than a wheat beer though.

Is there a darker beer that isn't too hoppy that tends to be a crowd pleaser?

Also, I'll be using a DME or LME kit with specialty grains/hops. No partials mash or AG yet.

Thanks!

Northern brewers sweet stout. Myself and the SO are self proclaimed hoppy/bitter beer haters, and we both LOVE this. If you want to sample before you make it try st. Peters cream stout... I think that was the closest commercial brew to what we made. I did it all grain, but I know they have an extract kit too.

I say amber ale, it's darker though not really a dark beer. Based on your description of what you're looking for, I think it's a good fit. BJCP style guideline below for reference.

10B. American Amber Ale
Aroma: Low to moderate hop aroma from dry hopping or late
kettle additions of American hop varieties. A citrusy hop
character is common, but not required. Moderately low to
moderately high maltiness balances and sometimes masks the hop
presentation, and usually shows a moderate caramel character.
Esters vary from moderate to none. No diacetyl.
Appearance: Amber to coppery brown in color. Moderately large
off-white head with good retention. Generally quite clear,
although dry-hopped versions may be slightly hazy.
Flavor: Moderate to high hop flavor from American hop varieties,
which often but not always has a citrusy quality. Malt flavors are
moderate to strong, and usually show an initial malty sweetness
followed by a moderate caramel flavor (and sometimes other
character malts in lesser amounts). Malt and hop bitterness are
usually balanced and mutually supportive. Fruity esters can be
moderate to none. Caramel sweetness and hop flavor/bitterness
can linger somewhat into the medium to full finish. No diacetyl.
Mouthfeel: Medium to medium-full body. Carbonation moderate
to high. Overall smooth finish without astringency often
associated with high hopping rates. Stronger versions may have a
slight alcohol warmth.
Overall Impression: Like an American pale ale with more body,
more caramel richness, and a balance more towards malt than hops
(although hop rates can be significant).
History: Known simply as Red Ales in some regions, these beers
were popularized in the hop-loving Northern California and the
Pacific Northwest areas before spreading nationwide.
Comments: Can overlap in color with American pale ales.
However, American amber ales differ from American pale ales not
only by being usually darker in color, but also by having more
caramel flavor, more body, and usually being balanced more
evenly between malt and bitterness. Should not have a strong
chocolate or roast character that might suggest an American brown
ale (although small amounts are OK).
Ingredients: Pale ale malt, typically American two-row. Medium
to dark crystal malts. May also contain specialty grains which add
additional character and uniqueness. American hops, often with
citrusy flavors, are common but others may also be used. Water
can vary in sulfate and carbonate content.
Vital Statistics: OG: 1.045 – 1.060
IBUs: 25 – 40 FG: 1.010 – 1.015
SRM: 10 – 17 ABV: 4.5 – 6.2%
Commercial Examples: North Coast Red Seal Ale, Tröegs
HopBack Amber Ale, Deschutes Cinder Cone Red, Pyramid
Broken Rake, St. Rogue Red Ale, Anderson Valley Boont Amber
Ale, Lagunitas Censored Ale, Avery Redpoint Ale, McNeill’s
Firehouse Amber Ale, Mendocino Red Tail Ale, Bell's Amber

Have you tried many amber ales or octoberfests? Some are pretty mild.I would get sampeling maybe pick up a pick n mix six pack of some to try?You can also look at kit instructions through northern brewer or midwest supplies etc... to find out ibu's of each brew.Although ibu's arnt neccesarlily how bitter a brew is always with malt balance, for instance i just tried Chatoe Rogue's Black Lager and that beer is pretty amazing. California common,cream ale, I made something similar to NB Irish Blonde ale and was a hit with my not much of a beer drinking brother that i sent a sixer sampler.Dunkleweisen there are alot to choose from really.

I say amber ale, it's darker though not really a dark beer.

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+1.
Some ambers can be considerably more bitter compared to wheats but definately not "hoppy". I'm a huge amber ale drinker and not a fan of IPAs. I made a Mild Ale that turned out pretty good too that is a nice light beer that isn't at all bitter but still has some flavor to it.

Great, thanks so much!

I like the sound of all the suggestions so far, and I'll definitely pick up another sampler case to try these varieties first.

Both the stouts and amber ales were on my list of possible beers to try, but I wasn't sure which varieties. I'll pick up that st. Peters cream stout to try, and maybe a variety pack of amber/Oktoberfest, if I can find it.

Thanks for the help. The only other beer I had planned on making (closer to fall and winter) were pumpkin ales and coffee stouts. But I needed something for the summer too.

You could do a porter too.
My base recipe is as follows
Try 6.6lbs Light LME (or 8.5lbs 2row(US) for AG)
0.75lb Crystal 90L
0.63lb Chocolate Malt (US)
0.5lb Flaked Barley
0.25oz Cascade @60min
0.75oz Cascade @20min
0.75oz Tettenager @10 min
Nottingham, or any English ale yeast.

To this you can add a vanilla bean to the last 10 min of boil, or secondary on cocoa nibs, or add some canned pumpkin (pre-treated with amalyse enzyme) or just about any other flavoring that you might add to something roasty or chocolaty.

Trying a variety will help in deciding if you like the style as a whole or not. I'm a huge fan of Victory's Storm King, but I've yet to find any other Stout (homebrew or commercial) that I like. Thankfully I talked myself out of getting an Imp Stout kit and getting the DIPA instead

Although I will say, I've never liked Irish Reds and brewed one for the wife, it turned out fine. I don't love it but definitely drinkable and who knows, maybe after I'm done with this batch I'll have fallen in love with the style.

English dark mild, English Brown Ale, or Belgian Dubbel comes to mind.

HexKrak, thanks for the recipe!

ScootersAle, yeah, I'm definitely still tasting many different varieties. This helps to narrow down what to try too.

Egghead, Thanks!

Try Left Hand Milk Stout. Great example of the style - creamy, roasty, sweet.

Will-do Hokie, thanks for the suggestion.

Hey all, just thought I'd follow up with this. My brother and I went down to the LHBS today to pick out our next brew. We tried tasting some ambers, stouts, and Belgian Triples since I started this thread to try and get a good idea of the direction we wanted to head.

Wouldn't you know it, all that prep, and when we arrived we decided on something completely different: Nut Brown Ale. The kit came with the following:

6.6 lb. Muntons Amber Malt Extract
1/2 lb. Munton and Fison Crystal Malt 60° L
1/2 lb. Munton and Fison Carapils Malt 20° L
1/4 lb. Munton and Fison Chocolate malt 338° L
1/2 lb. Briess Victory Malt 25° L
1 oz. Nothern Brewer hop pellets (bittering)
1 oz. Kent Goldings Hop Pellets (finishing)
Wyeast # 1098 British Ale Yeast
Plus bags and priming sugar.

This brew will be a first for us in a few arenas: It's our first brew with specialty grains, our first brew with hops, and our first brew with a liquid (slap pack) yeast starter.

Thanks for all the advice. I'm excited for this new batch. If anything strikes you while reading this that you think may help, feel free to mention it. Any advice is welcome.

My advice - get into Belgian beers. There are a lot of great styles that are not overly hoppy or bitter. Tripel and Saison are my two favorite styles, and neither is particularly hoppy or hard to brew. I have several recipes, let me know if you want any. I am one of the rare homebrewers who is not a hop head. I used to love IPA, but all of a sudden a couple years ago I just got sick of it. It had gotten to the point where most IPAs were so hoppy that they were no longer refreshing - they were just flat-out harsh on the tongue. Belgian beers can remind you that there are a lot of different flavors beer can have besides just hops.

AdamWiz said:

My advice - get into Belgian beers. There are a lot of great styles that are not overly hoppy or bitter. Tripel and Saison are my two favorite styles, and neither is particularly hoppy or hard to brew. I have several recipes, let me know if you want any. I am one of the rare homebrewers who is not a hop head. I used to love IPA, but all of a sudden a couple years ago I just got sick of it. It had gotten to the point where most IPAs were so hoppy that they were no longer refreshing - they were just flat-out harsh on the tongue. Belgian beers can remind you that there are a lot of different flavors beer can have besides just hops.

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Thanks, Adam! Yeah, funny you mention it, because my first brew (only one week in the bottle at the moment) is a Belgian White. I've tasted a lot of Belgian Ales, and many wheat ones, and I *do* like most. A couple are a bit too estery for my taste, especially the Belgian Triple (reminds me of champagne or white wine). But mostly I really like those styles.

I'll probably end up always having a wheat or Belgian "on tap," but I'm really keen on trying new things as well. That's why we went with the Nut Brown, and closer to autumn and winter why I want to try stouts and a pumpkin ale.

I may take you up on that recipe offer. Thanks again!

+1 on the Belgian beers. There's a whole range from abbey beers to golden ales to sour ales that aren't hoppy and have flavors from either addtives or just from the yeast itself.

Also try some mild english ales. There are brown ales and even quite a few british bitters that aren't hoppy (I know surprisingly for a beer named bitter I've had some wonderfully balanced ones that aren't overly hoppy) mild ales are great summer brews/drinks as they tend to be lower abv (standard range I think is 3-4.5) and refreshing.

Try a nut brown ale there not hoppy at all i love hoppy beers but i loved my nut brown ale i made also.. it went fast to 5 gals in less then a month all by myself..

oh and my nut brown tasted allot like this one

http://www.merchantduvin.com/pages/5_breweries/samsmith_nut_brown_ale.html

I would suggest the English Brown Ale and Scottish Ale kits by BrewersBest. Definately not hoppy beers. Remember that these ales are not meant to be served very cold. 55*F is the recommended serving temp, but I like them a little warmer. Also, these beers age well. Your last beer will be much better than the first.
Welcome to our obsession, Mack.