Specific suggestions for first beer?

[WheatBeerBlows]

My husband's Christmas gifts from the extended family will be a carboy and a couple corny kegs. The kids and I are getting him the gadgets, sanitizer, and brewing books.

We've always planned to brew together, but I can't bounce ideas off of him without ruining the surprise. I can't read the hard copy books without breaking the spines. I know the surprise will be worth it, and he'll still be able to pick out brewing software and the umpteen bazillion other things one can get. So I feel pretty good about the equipment.

But! I want to have all of the ingredients on hand so we can brew the week after Christmas. Any specific suggestions for a first (extract) recipe or kit, preferably an IPA or other hoppy ale? I've looked at so many, I can't narrow it down.

Would it be too much to try dry hopping the first go 'round? Based on internet wisdom, dry hopping might be the easiest part!

 

[Yooper]

My husband's Christmas gifts from the extended family will be a carboy and a couple corny kegs. The kids and I are getting him the gadgets, sanitizer, and brewing books.

We've always planned to brew together, but I can't bounce ideas off of him without ruining the surprise. I can't read the hard copy books without breaking the spines. I know the surprise will be worth it, and he'll still be able to pick out brewing software and the umpteen bazillion other things one can get. So I feel pretty good about the equipment.

But! I want to have all of the ingredients on hand so we can brew the week after Christmas. Any specific suggestions for a first (extract) recipe or kit, preferably an IPA or other hoppy ale? I've looked at so many, I can't narrow it down.

Would it be too much to try dry hopping the first go 'round? Based on internet wisdom, dry hopping might be the easiest part!

An IPA for your first beer! You're my kinda people!

My favorite place for kits is austinhomebrew.com. They have hundreds (maybe thousands?) of kits, and I've done a number of them and they are all good. Is there a particular beer you'd like to "clone"? If so, you can order the AHS version of that beer, and they have really good instructions so it'll come out great. They also have super fresh ingredients that are put together when you purchase them, so no canned extract that's been sitting on a shelf for months. It makes a big difference!

There are lots of other places, too. I like northernbrewer.com as well, but it seems like AHS just has so many more kits to choose from.

And dryhopping is always a great idea for an IPA!

 

[WheatBeerBlows]

Yoopers are my kinda people! We have a camp up on the Keweenaw!

I will check out those websites, thanks for the suggestions.

 

[pksmitty]

Based on your user name, I guess a Hefeweizen is out of the question??

Since you live in Ellicott City, you could make a run down to Columbia and visit Maryland Homebrew. Very helpful people there. They could help you pick out a kit or two.

And welcome to the site!

 

[scoundrel]

My husband's Christmas gifts from the extended family will be a carboy and a couple corny kegs. The kids and I are getting him the gadgets, sanitizer, and brewing books.

We've always planned to brew together, but I can't bounce ideas off of him without ruining the surprise. I can't read the hard copy books without breaking the spines. I know the surprise will be worth it, and he'll still be able to pick out brewing software and the umpteen bazillion other things one can get. So I feel pretty good about the equipment.

But! I want to have all of the ingredients on hand so we can brew the week after Christmas. Any specific suggestions for a first (extract) recipe or kit, preferably an IPA or other hoppy ale? I've looked at so many, I can't narrow it down.

Would it be too much to try dry hopping the first go 'round? Based on internet wisdom, dry hopping might be the easiest part!

I can't believe how many people in this forum live near by and I have yet to have brewed with any of them. Nice to see yet another person representing the Ellicott City/Columbia MD community. Yooper (as always) gave excellent advice. I've used austinhomebrew.com and northernbrewer.com with great success. Dead Ringer at northern brewer is a clone of Bell's Two Hearted ale and it's excellent. Also, make sure to check out Maryland Homebrew (mdhb.com). We're lucky to have such a quality store so close. They're right in Columbia. Kits are a bit more but the staff is great. Anyway if you have any questions or are aware of any local events, feel free to PM me.

 

[WheatBeerBlows]

Based on your user name, I guess a Hefeweizen is out of the question??

Since you live in Ellicott City, you could make a run down to Columbia and visit Maryland Homebrew. Very helpful people there. They could help you pick out a kit or two.

And welcome to the site!

A Hefeweizen is completely out of the question. My husband may choose to make one some day, but he won't have any support from me. Gross.

I know of MD Homebrew, but it's a lot easier to find the time to shop online than it is to go to a physical store while keeping it a secret. If I make it there in time, I'll check out the kits. I'm guessing we'll all be there sometime in early January!

 

[scoundrel]

A Hefeweizen is completely out of the question. My husband may choose to make one some day, but he won't have any support from me. Gross.

I know of MD Homebrew, but it's a lot easier to find the time to shop online than it is to go to a physical store while keeping it a secret. If I make it there in time, I'll check out the kits. I'm guessing we'll all be there sometime in early January!

Understood. Online shopping is easier. I prefer northern brewers site layout, but free shipping on orders over $100 at austin homebrew is nice. It may be worth getting a couple of kits, especially when you have a keg setup. You'll go through it fast . Oh and you can checkout Morebeer.com. They have free shipping over $59.

 

[unionrdr]

Midwest & amazon are great too,as they both ship Fed-Ex. Fast shipping in perfect condition that I've had arrive early. Midwest has some good kits,equipment,hops,yeast,grains...everything you need. Decent prices & good stuff. Not to mention,closer to you & me.

 

[robertus]

Based on your user name, I guess a Hefeweizen is out of the question??

Since you live in Ellicott City, you could make a run down to Columbia and visit Maryland Homebrew. Very helpful people there. They could help you pick out a kit or two.

And welcome to the site!

I second Maryland Homebrew. Good and knowledgable people in there. I think you can order online as well, though I wouldn't swear by it. They sell Brewer's Best kits, which seem pretty solid (I've had good luck with them).

 

[gr8shandini]

. . . I can't read the hard copy books without breaking the spines. . . .

FYI, John Palmer's "How to Brew" is available in its entirety for free at How to Brew - By John Palmer if you want to get a jumpstart on the reading.

As for an IPA for your first brew, it sounds like a great idea to me. Dry hopping is nothing more than throwing a bunch of hops in a bag and tossing it in a bucket. Nothing cosmic. Check out the recipe section here on the forum to get some ideas on what ingredients you want. At this point, there's probably more IPA recipes than there are brewers, so you're sure to find something that floats your boat.

And finally, welcome to the hobby!

 

[IXVolt]

+1 on the how to brew by John Palmer. I reference that site a lot.

Another option is to get a kit, and a gift certificate too. So your husband can walk through the candy store and pick something out also. By the time he gets around to buying it, and it arrives you'll likely be ready to start the next batch.