High gravity for first beer?

Hey there - I've been lurking for some time and getting ready to brew my first beer. I'm still in the the process of getting my materials together. I'm a really big fan of very hoppy and high gravity beers. DFH 90 minute is my go-to beer and I drink almost exclusively Imperial Pale Ales. I'm a little concerned however with doing an IIPA as my first batch since it's all pretty new to me. The only difference I can see so far is maybe having to use a starter and a blow-off and of course waiting much longer for it in the secondary to age. Should I be concerned and just start out with a "standard" beer or jump in with both feet and do an IIPA? Are my chances of mucking it up that much greater?

I'll be doing a 5 gallon extract brew, likely with some specialty grains although I haven't decided on a final recipe yet. FWIW - I'll be purchasing a 10 gal Megapot from Northern Brewer (w/ valve and thermometer) and the intermediate brew kit w/ better bottles from Midwest Supplies (http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdBySubCat.aspx?SubCat=11166&fd=1). I'll be doing my boil outside on a turkey fryer stand and using an immersion chiller to cool it down.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!,
Mike

I'd recommend something smaller first, although I'm sure others have pulled it off. The big issues are the need for a starter, aeration, waiting, and perhaps the fact the mess-ups will be costlier.

The higher the grav the longer it will take to be ready. It will take longer to ferment, carb and condition....That DFH will not be ready in months, not weeks. If you are starting out I encourage you to brew some smaller gav beers first, so you can enjoy drinking them. et a couple of them going, and somethting that will take months won't matte to you, and you can forget about it and give it the time it needs to do it's job.

A lot of new brewers make the mistake of brewing a barleywine their first batch and get upset when they realize they can't drink it after a couple weeks.

Go with somthing that will be ready sooner than later if your like I was you wont want to wait any longer than possible for your first couple brews

Good points - get a pipeline running first where I can drink my homebrew while waiting for other homebrews...

Any pointers on where to find tried and true recipes for IPA clones?

Thanks!

In our recipe section of course.....

Ha! Just coming back to this thread to smack myself on the forehead. Thanks!

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/recommended-recipe-locator-updated-31494/