Extremely Confused New Brewer.

[JD1999]

So I just brewed my first beer yesterday and am planning on brewing a second one soon! . I don't want to get ahead of myself and get too advanced, but I am a little confused with what I should buy. My first brew came from the Sam Adams Longshot Home Brew Contest Kit. I would like to brew something on the same level as that again. I am confused though as to what I should buy. Should I just buy a malt extract and I can make that into my beer? Or do I buy a recipe kit? If I buy an unhopped malt extract, do I need to buy extra hops etc to create the wort? I am just confused on what exactly I need to buy if I don't buy another kit.
Thank you for the help!

 

[gmcapone]

If you don't buy a kit you would need some type of malt extract, hops and a vial or pack of yeast. The amount and variety all depends on what type of beer you wish to make. You may want to stick with extract kits for another batch or two to give you time to understand how to create your own recipes or find a recipe you would like to make you have to get the individual ingredients for.

 

[Whut]

First off congrats on brewing your first beer. I suggest you stick with another kit like what you just brewed. If you have a LHBS pay them a visit and see what they have. Or visit one of the many online retailers who support HBT and peruse their extract kits. Regardless of who you purchase from they will come with everything you need to brew another. Oh, and read all that you can and ask questions. Fairly confident with our membership base someone will have experienced whatever it is that you're asking.

 

[adamjackson]

Your Local Homebrew Store (LHBS) is a nice place to visit. Hop in there, ask questions and they'll have a few recommendations for you. For sure though, going with an extract kit will probably be the safest bet. As for what kind of beer to brew, go with what you like drinking. If you're unsure, tell the LHBS that you like Sam Adams and they'll have some recommendations

 

[jonmohno]

If your going to step out of kits, i would suggest you use one of the recipes here on HBT or a good beer recipe book or any recipes on other brewing sites like Tasteybrew even beer magazines,or whatever. Untill you learn malts and ratios that is when its better to make your own.It's really experinece and understanding what malts/hops/yeast tastes you pick up along the process.The basics are a good entry- like extract steeping grains or even partial mash usually using a recipe or kit recipe.If you want a good pale ale use Da Yoopers house pale ale in the recipe forum-that is one of my favorate homebrews ive made. I think she even has a extract version of it.
I think a lot of reading is your best bet, i spent a few months learning before i even got what i decided to get which i think looking back was a good decision.Its easy to overlook or not see things in the beginning.Even all the reading i did before i brewed, i still made errors i didnt realize at first. Its a learning process,sometimes ignorance (lack of knowledge)is just learning the hard way.
OH and fement and pitch rate seem to be a common error at first so make shure you have and adequete amount of yeast and a good ferment temp usually in the 60's temps.Keep chlorine out of your beer too.

 

[WVBeerBaron]

Great advise here already and congrats on the first brew day! I'd make another kit beer or use a trusted recipe from one of the masters (Palmer, Mosher, Papazian, Zainasheff, etc). Regardless of whether you buy a kit or use a recipe and buy the seperate ingredients you'll need grain or grain extract (or both), hops, yeast and water.

some stuff i screwed up in the beginning: using bleach to sanitise, not pitching enough yeast, opening the fermentor too much, not sanitizing thoroughly, not waiting long enough for the beer to smooth out in the bottle before drinking it all, and the biggest screw up - thinking i could brew some crazy 11% monster with wacky ingredients right out of the gate before i had an understanding of ingredients and processes.

 

[ludomonster]

Great advise here already and congrats on the first brew day! I'd make another kit beer or use a trusted recipe from one of the masters (Palmer, Mosher, Papazian, Zainasheff, etc).

I brewed one kit, then a beer from Brewing Classic Styles, then I jumped into my own recipes. I started by using that book as a reference and listening to a lot of show on "The Brewing Network."

 

[JD1999]

Thanks everyone!

 

[Pie_Man]

I think moving to an extract recipe that uses steeping grains and unhopped malt extract is a good progression. Your LHBS might have some tried and true recipes, there are good recipes on this forum, or you can purchase a well reviewed kit from an online retailer like northern brewer. Congrats on the first brew.

 

[Pivovar_Koucky]

+1 for Brewing Classic Styles. Can't recommend it highly enough for anyone who want's to understand how recipes work.

 

[evo8ur8]

I never used a beer kit, I got all of this for Xmas! It's a great setup!!!

 

[Pivovar_Koucky]

+1 for Brewing Classic Styles. Can't recommend it highly enough for anyone who want's to understand how recipes work.

 

[evo8ur8]

So I just brewed my first beer yesterday and am planning on brewing a second one soon! . I don't want to get ahead of myself and get too advanced, but I am a little confused with what I should buy. My first brew came from the Sam Adams Longshot Home Brew Contest Kit. I would like to brew something on the same level as that again. I am confused though as to what I should buy. Should I just buy a malt extract and I can make that into my beer? Or do I buy a recipe kit? If I buy an unhopped malt extract, do I need to buy extra hops etc to create the wort? I am just confused on what exactly I need to buy if I don't buy another kit.
Thank you for the help!

I didn't use any sort of kit for my first beer, I jumped in head first!!! This is my setup, Xmas gift from the wife!!

 

[evo8ur8]

So I just brewed my first beer yesterday and am planning on brewing a second one soon! . I don't want to get ahead of myself and get too advanced, but I am a little confused with what I should buy. My first brew came from the Sam Adams Longshot Home Brew Contest Kit. I would like to brew something on the same level as that again. I am confused though as to what I should buy. Should I just buy a malt extract and I can make that into my beer? Or do I buy a recipe kit? If I buy an unhopped malt extract, do I need to buy extra hops etc to create the wort? I am just confused on what exactly I need to buy if I don't buy another kit.
Thank you for the help!

This is what I have, got it for xmas. It's an awesome setup!!

 

[julioardz]

Everyone is different and everyone learns differently. I started off by doing one extract kit, two all grain kits, and then jumped into making my own recipes. If you're feeling confused, maybe you can do a few kits to get the hang of it all. In the mean time, read up on home brewing, study recipes, and start buying any of the extra things you may need for what you want to do (e.g. mash tun for all grain, bigger pots for full volume boils, outdoor burners, fermentation chamber/fridge for lagering if needed, etc.) However, if you want to eventually make your own recipes, I would say first and foremost, learn how to work with your yeast. Afterall, you make wort, they make the beer. You control how all the ingredients come together and provide the environment for the yeast to do their job. Focus on that as you try different recipes. By using different yeast or controlling them differently, I've made completely different beers from the same combination of malt, water, and hops. So again, I say, try a few recipe kits until you get the hang of the process and feel comfortable experimenting on your own.

 

[evo8ur8]

This my setup, got it all for Xmas and I jumped in head first!

 

[jCOSbrew]

Even if you are brewing extract kits there are plenty of techniques you can try to improve the quality of your beer including liquid yeast, yeast starters, harvesting yeast, dry hop, and fermentation temp control.

If you haven't read it yet, pick up a copy of "How to Brew".

 

[jeremy0209]

If you haven't read it yet, pick up a copy of "How to Brew".

+1. I'd also recommend the Complete Joy of Homebrewing...third edition, of course.