Getting ready to brew my first batch questions.

I am really stumped on what to brew first. What is a simple beer to brew for my first batch?


Do different beer types have different fermentation times?

Brew what you like. (Within reason--some styles would not really make for good beginner beers.)

Since it's likely that you're going to find it hard to wait for the beer to be at it's best, it'd be wise to brew a moderate or low gravity beer that won't need a lot of aging to be good: save the bocks, Belgian strong ales, and imperial stouts for later.

What are your favorite styles or commercial beers?

cweston said:

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What are your favorite styles or commercial beers?

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When I turned drinking age I drank:
Budweiser
Busch
Miller High Life.
Hamms

I hated:
milwaukee
Corona


5 years later I drink:
Grolsh
Guinness
Sam Adams Creme Stout(my favorite)
I still drink Bud and Busch if there is no other option.

Regardless of what you brew first, I would recommend that you get enough ingredients to do a second batch of beer right away. Experience shows that people brew their first batch, then drink it all before the beer has properly aged. If you brew two batches in rapid succession, you may avoid that.

Stouts and porters are easy enough to brew IMO. They are very forgiving if you make a mistake. India pale ales are pretty good for first timers too. Definitely brew ales for your first few times out. Lagers require refridgeration.

OK--stout, either dry (like Guinness) or sweet would be a great first beer. Beers with lighter flavors and colors can be a little trickier, because even small flaws are noticeable, but that's not really an issue with stouts.

If you have a LHBS, you could just pick up a dry stout or sweet stout kit there, or order from one of the big on-line retailers like morebeer.com, austin homebrew supply, northern brewer...Those places often have options on yeast: if you order liquid yeast (which tends to give the best results), be sure to get an icepack so that it has a chance to reach you in a viable stage. Depending on where you live, dry yeast might be a better choice for shipping in August.

As far as fermenting times, yes, some styles have longer fermentations (lagres had longer fermentations than ales, typically), but an even bigger factor is that some styles need more "cellaring" after fermentation before they reach their prime.

Lagers are a bit more complicated than ales to brew: so brewing something like Grolsch might need to wait a few batches.

Here is a great recipe for a Creme Stout from my LHBS. I have made it several times and it is one of my favorites. Simple to make for a beginner, requiring only the simplest of brewing gear. Partial boil, cooling kettle in ice bath, dry yeast etc..

John