first beer batch

[Banefoul]

hello !
I have brewed wines, meads, ginger ale, ginger beer. i do not drink beer. i am wanting to brew a batch as a gift and i have picked up "brewers best ingredient kit - American Light". i have on hand lavender, mint, lemon, vanilla beans, ghost peppers, chocolate, & mullberrys as well as hickory, apple, oak and a couple other woods. as it is a first time brewing of beer should just go with the kit or could i do something like mullberry vanilla in the 2nd ferment stage?

 

[iambeer]

Considering you don't like beer, you should stick with the kit.

 

[basilchef]

Lemon lavender might be good. But in all seriousness, stick with the kit.

 

[billl]

Flavoring beer is definitely something I would put in the "advanced skill" category. It is very easy to create an overpowering mess. I'd definitely stick with a kit for a first brew.

And no offense, but "Here's a case of my first ever beer!" sounds more like a threat than a present. Maybe you'll knock it out of the park on the first try, but most people start our something short of "excellent."

 

[frazier]

And no offense, but "Here's a case of my first ever beer!" sounds more like a threat than a present. Maybe you'll knock it out of the park on the first try, but most people start our something short of "excellent."

On the other hand, the OP has a lot of brewing experience, so his odds are improved considerably I would think.

Orange peel and coriander are a well-liked combo. But keep it subtle, as has been said.

 

[Sir-Hops-A-Lot]

As you are experienced at brewing, you will do just fine.
For flavouring I say brew the kit alone. I guess it depends on the target recipient. My friends are impressed that my lager tastes like a commercial brand they know.
Here is the conversation that would occur if I brewed them 19L of lavender beer:
Me: Hey I got creative and brewed you 19L of lavender beer.
Friend: You (expletive expletive) what the (expletive) were you (expletive) thinking!? You know I like (insert commonly drank commercial lager)

 

[matt-tastic]

I like the Brewers Best kits a lot. they are good on their own, and pretty easy to get right. You can brew that kit and be in good standing. Seeing as you're not a "beer person", you may not know the intricacies in flavoring beer the way you would ciders and wines. That being said, stick with the kit and you'll have a solid beer.

 

[Banefoul]

thank you for the replys. love the lavender example ! well the thing is they are normal males when i asked them what the like about beer flavors the reply was... its cheap....sigh.
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i know they like chocolate and mullberrys i had considered doing that, a nice natural fruit and 85% dark chocolate.
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yes a subtle flavoring, for a 5gal about how much would you want to use and for beer in primary or 2nd ferment?
edit
goodness enough editing bah..... and would adding in a fruit with its natural suger alter the fermenting too much and or the carbonation of the beer?
edit
i have looked into beer flavors Leinenkugel, guiness, and we have new glarus brewery here as well.
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last edit i swear! i ahh cant just brew a kit.. i have to add to it i do the same when i brew anything.

 

[iambeer]

I think you should add something to the kit. It wouldn't be your beer if you didn't. It might taste perfect but who cares.

The challenge is light American doesn't seem much flavor able. If you knew what flavor you prefer to impart then ppl could give you beer style recommendations.

 

[Sir-Hops-A-Lot]

Holy expletive!
It just occured to me the advice you need right now!
When flavouring beer think not the fruit or fragrences...
Think HOPS! There is a ton of ways to flavour beer using hops. There is a cornacopia of hop brands with different effects given when boiling early or when boiling late or dropped raw into the secondary fermenter (dry hopping) I'm sure that lots of forum members can tell you an excellent hop to flavour the beer that you have.

 

[billl]

If you are going to try the flavoring, pick a couple flavors and then google them with "beer recipe" to get a general idea of the amount to add. Let the beer ferment fully without them until it tastes decent. Rack to a secondary and add the extras in a hop bag. When you put it in a secondary, plan on sampling every day for flavor. As soon as you get a level you like, pull the hop bag of goodies.

*** the amount to add completely depends on the item.

 

[matt-tastic]

thank you for the replys. love the lavender example ! well the thing is they are normal males when i asked them what the like about beer flavors the reply was... its cheap....sigh.
edit
i know they like chocolate and mullberrys i had considered doing that, a nice natural fruit and 85% dark chocolate.
edit
yes a subtle flavoring, for a 5gal about how much would you want to use and for beer in primary or 2nd ferment?
edit
goodness enough editing bah..... and would adding in a fruit with its natural suger alter the fermenting too much and or the carbonation of the beer?
edit
i have looked into beer flavors Leinenkugel, guiness, and we have new glarus brewery here as well.
edit
last edit i swear! i ahh cant just brew a kit.. i have to add to it i do the same when i brew anything.

Alright, if you're damned and determined to modify a beer on your first go-round, you'll be looking for some pointers. First off, anything with a sugar to it will affect how well your yeast work on your beer, and how much alcohol is produced. Therefore, anything with sugar you add (fruits, honey, etc) will need to be offset with less DME/LME in a ratio according to the individual PPG (points/pounds/gallons) of the substitute. It won't be a 1:1 ratio. Anything that doesn't have a sugar component (mostly for aromatics) will be added either into the fermenter, or if it is an oil, at the very end of your boil. You will need to add more than you'd think, else it won't do much. Too much alcohol in a light beer give a poor mouth-feel, which doesn't help a lot with a "light" beer.

That being said, you can use beercalculus to figure out several additions and substitutions (i checked, and crushed mulberries has a fermentable PPG value listed), to balance the malt/hop/extra character of your beer.

http://beercalculus.hopville.com/recipe

And after all that, if they wanted something fruity, you could easily make them a bottle of wine. If they preferred a sweeter something, a cider is an excellent example. But, they like beer, and using hops, simple adjuncts and a good quality malt will make an excellent beer.

I wish you luck!

 

[Banefoul]

yes hops. next one i want a nice oak and caramel hops if i understand things correctly. but the mead brewer in me wants a more "fruity" beer as i have seen others do.

 

[DrummerBoySeth]

yes hops. next one i want a nice oak and caramel hops if i understand things correctly. but the mead brewer in me wants a more "fruity" beer as i have seen others do.

Try brewing the kit as-is, then carbonating with honey instead of corn sugar. Or, add 1/2 pound or so of honey at the end of the boil. This will add a nice flavor that should complement the light lager you intend to brew. As a meadmaker, you probably already have honey on hand, and are familiar with it's use in brewing, and it would certainly add "your personal touch" to the finished beer.

 

[Banefoul]

turned out well. i did take half the batch and add in tiny bit molasses and ghost peppers and this was enjoyed by many as well. my next attempt is a smoked oatmeal perhaps with banana stout and a try at whisky.

 

[Banefoul]

ok so now i am also looking for a white birch beer/soda recipe using birch twigs and what. i started my molasses beer/soda last night more soda than beer but still fermented and a tiny bite is what i am hoping for.