How do I start.

[BeerTraveler299]

I am new to home brewing, I have never brewed any beer. I have been making all types of breads and pizza for many years so I am no newbie to time and temperature management. I just don't know where to start. I want to get a good grasp of the basic skills and builds from there. I am open to all guidance and suggestions. I believe there is a good locally owned supply store in the area so I can get what I need there. I want to be able to go in with some education as to what I need.

 

[pmcint01]

Read this online or buy the book:
http://www.howtobrew.com/

 

[budaboff]

Is there someone around you that brews?

1. Read Palmer's book
2. Watch/help someone do it
3. to ∞. Read Palmer's book and search the internet

 

[Scut_Monkey]

I agree with the above. Start with Palmer's book. It's a great introduction to brewing and gives you the building blocks to get wherever you want to go. To be honest you would get overwhelmed browsing through this site or the internet to try to find the basics to brewing your first batch. Yes you would find a lot of great info but most of it would be beyond the scope of what you need now.

I would also suggest reading through the first 2 sections of the book before you invest heavily in any equipment. It goes over what is needed for starting into extract brewing. Do yourself a favor and at least start off brewing with specialty grains which the book discusses in section 2. The beer is significantly better in my view.

Lastly, if you think you will stick with the hobby and want total control over the process down the road then I would read into the 3rd section on all grain brewing even before you buy your equipment. This is due to the fact that many people jump into the hobby too early and end up buying equipment that is too small for the requirements of all grain brewing once they decide to take that route. However, reading this 3rd section for the basics is not necessary unless you are inclined and only if you have some thoughts on going in deeper to the hobby.

In the end have fun with it and welcome!

 

[krackin]

Buy a basic brewing kit, get a recipe kit, and keep posting and reading here.

 

[scottm1]

Read palmers how to brew. By a good kit start with extracts. Midwest supply has a really good deal on there kits. And read how to brew again. Have fun with this hobby!

 

[Temptd2]

In addition to the great advice already given - go to the homebrew store, tell the person there that you are considering brewing and would love some advice. We found our local homebrew guy an invaluable asset to our beer brewing beginnings! He didn't give us more information than we needed to get going, so we weren't scared off. He made some great suggestions and over the course of time, we graduated from extract brewing to full-grain brewing.

Some people stick with extract brewing and there is NOTHING wrong with that. We just wanted to have more control over what we were making so going full-grain was the ticket - but not til we'd gotten several extract brews under our belts!

Most of all - don't stress over it! This is supposed to be a fun hobby that garners you something good to drink. And don't be discouraged if your early efforts as less than you had hoped for. Like any cooking (and that's really what this is!) practice makes you better at it - just like bread and pizza making.

 

[atoughram]

All good advice here! I've got nothing to add.

I started out with a porcelain steel canner from The Good Will, a bucket, and a Coopers extract kit!

I made a mess in the kitchen and the beer was so-so... But It was my first batch!

Also check out The Complete Joy of Home Breweing by Charlie Papazian if you can. I've got an old dog eared copy from the '80s that was my bible for a long time.

 

[DevilNuts]

Grab a kit and make some beer. Best way to learn.

 

[flars]

I am new to home brewing, I have never brewed any beer. I have been making all types of breads and pizza for many years so I am no newbie to time and temperature management. I just don't know where to start. I want to get a good grasp of the basic skills and builds from there. I am open to all guidance and suggestions. I believe there is a good locally owned supply store in the area so I can get what I need there. I want to be able to go in with some education as to what I need.

Pick out an extract kit from Midwest Supplies or Northern Brewer. Don't start with a high gravity ale. Print out the brewing instructions.
After doing some reading, with this extract beer in mind, ask a few questions about the procedure for cooking and fermenting it with your chosen yeast.

 

[BeerTraveler299]

Thank you for the warm welcome and the great advise. Is there one style of beer that is better for a beginner over others?

 

[masskrug]

Lurk around here and watch some Youtube videos.

 

[budaboff]

Whatever you like to drink.

Ales or stouts are basic.

I would start with an extract kit with steeping grains from your LHBS

 

[RM-MN]

Thank you for the warm welcome and the great advise. Is there one style of beer that is better for a beginner over others?

I find that the darker the beer and the higher the alcohol, the longer it takes to mature into the best beer. If you like a light color, low alcohol wheat beers, make one of those as it doesn't need to mature at all. When you have enough beer made ahead that you can afford the time to let it mature, then go for the stout. My darkest stout got really smooth and good....in 2 years. That's a long time to wait for your first batch.

 

[KepowOb]

I find that the darker the beer and the higher the alcohol, the longer it takes to mature into the best beer. If you like a light color, low alcohol wheat beers, make one of those as it doesn't need to mature at all. When you have enough beer made ahead that you can afford the time to let it mature, then go for the stout. My darkest stout got really smooth and good....in 2 years. That's a long time to wait for your first batch.

Was it a Russian imperial stout??? While some beers are better very young (IPAs, APAs), a stout shouldn't take that long unless there are special circumstances.

I'd actually give the opposite advice here... Beers like stouts and porters tend to be more forgiving than lighter beers, because flaws are easier to "hide". If you ferment a cream ale a bit too warm, the esters might be really off putting... In a darker beer, they won't be as noticeable, and might even (in small enough amounts), be a good thing.


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[atoughram]

Thank you for the warm welcome and the great advise. Is there one style of beer that is better for a beginner over others?

IMO - A Pale Ale is probably the easiest

http://monsterbrew.com/Prod_CoopersRealAle.cfm

 

[RM-MN]

Was it a Russian imperial stout??? While some beers are better very young (IPAs, APAs), a stout shouldn't take that long unless there are special circumstances.

I'd actually give the opposite advice here... Beers like stouts and porters tend to be more forgiving than lighter beers, because flaws are easier to "hide". If you ferment a cream ale a bit too warm, the esters might be really off putting... In a darker beer, they won't be as noticeable, and might even (in small enough amounts), be a good thing.


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No it wasn't an imperial. It was really good earlier than that but not as smooth. The last few bottles had the good flavor but no harshness that you sometimes have with a stout.

 

[BeerTraveler299]

As far as a specific type of beer I like the most it all depends on the time of year and the mood I'm in. Sometimes I want a wheat beer and then other times I am in the mood for a deep dark stout. Here lately I have been craving a good ESB. I got hooked on them while working in Northern Europe.

 

[Scut_Monkey]

An esb is pretty straight forward to brew. That would be a good starting point.

 

[jfk69]

If you like an ESB, that is an excellent starting beer. They are quite simple to make relative to some other choices, straightforward, and quick. You could do an extract version that would be drinkable in less than 6 weeks.

 

[Demus]

Palmers book is good, but a bit of a tedious read. I really liked the everything homebrewing book by Drew Beechum. It's a less in depth, but still gives you what you need and Drew's no nonsense approach is very encouraging for a new brewer. Also +1000 to sitting in on a fellow brewers brew day. Even if you end up doing things differently, I always learn something when I brew with someone else...


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[balrog]

ESB's or session ales are good to start but don't hide flaws as well as amber ales IMO, so as a noob myself who's started with ambers, america/english browns, then moved to session bitters and pale ales after having a dozen batches under my belt, I humbly suggest that route.

 

[jbb3]

Here lately I have been craving a good ESB. I got hooked on them while working in Northern Europe.

I agree with others on this thread, get a few extract kit brews under your belt. Once you get a feel for the basic process and if you decide to make the move to All Grain brewing, here is a great ESB AG recipe to put on your must try list...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f64/common-room-esb-83878/

Maybe I'm jumping ahead by posting an AG recipe for a soon to be first time home brewer? But then again, maybe this could be a goal to strive for??

My son gave me my first kit. It was a 1 gallon kit from Brooklyn Brew Shop. It kinda sorta gives you a small glimpse of AG brewing without a lot of the equipment you'll need to do 5 gallon AG batches.

 

[BeerTraveler299]

Thanks for all the good advise, I am reading Palmers book now and will probably move to the other suggested reading material next. I am planning a trip to my local home brewing store to look at supplies for my first extract brew.

 

[mrdail87]

When I first started, I found some really good videos that cover the most basic elements on YouTube. The two below are best "introduction" videos I could find.

This is the quickest and most straight forward introduction:


Here's a nice playlist that will walk you through each step a little more in-depth:

 

[passedpawn]

Thank you for the warm welcome and the great advise. Is there one style of beer that is better for a beginner over others?

In my opinion, the easiest beer to brew on your first try is a german hefeweisen (wheat beer).

If you brew using extract, all you need is wheat dry malt extract (DME) and a german wheat beer yeast (I recommend Wyeast 3068). If you think you want to try this, let me know and I'll toss a recipe up here for you.

 

[Medicbrewer]

All of the above is excellent advice. All I will add is, buy a kit and get going. This is one of the few hobbies where a lot of information may be detrimental at the outset. Brew what you like, tweak your system, then worry about the details. As previously mentioned, youtube and this site are great venues, but, again, I would caution you to information overload.

 

[MindenMan]

Things to contemplate: do you have a 20qt or so pot, ie. stock pot, tamale steamer, etc. ? Starting out what will your heat source be, kitchen stove, old turkey fryer, etc.?
I realize this may be jumping the gun, but if you can find a used turkey fryer setup for $20.00, get it. The burner(s) they have are more then enough heat to bring a pot of wort to a boil. You get a burner and a 30qt pot, which if bought separate could be $80.00 or so. And, a 30qt pot should be big enough to boil up to a 1.060 batch.