Golf beer

I have all this new fangled equipment and am tryin to come up with my next brew to try it out on (any excuse I can get). Figure it being golf season and all I'd make a little something for the course. Basically what kind of beer or what characteristics do you think would make a good for a good links drinks?

That really is up to what you want, eh? Let's start by rounding up the usual suspects for summer session beers:

• Pilsener - There's a reason why it took over the world, but a genuine pils would probably be a bit heavy and hoppy for the links. Also, this would probably take too long, given the need to lager it.
• American Premium Lager - Another lager, so the same applies. Besides, isn't that what most homebrewers are trying to get away from?
• Ordinary Bitter - While certainly a session beer, it's not really a summer beer, is it? Even a really light example would probably feel a bit heavy on the links.
• Cream Ale - A lot like American Premium in character, but with some ale qualities as well, and fairly temperature stable. Cream of Three Crops would do well here, I think.
• Saison - A lot more flavor, but if you don't like Belgians, you won't want the sort of flavors this has. Also, they tend to be a bit stronger than most other summer beers, so you wouldn't want to have more than a few of them. Still, if you don't have reliable temperature control, Saisons are the high temperature fermenting ales - saison yeasts will happily ferment in temperatures as high as 85F without excessive fusel alcohols.
• Mild - a bit of the odd man out, given it's darker color, but it's a servicable choice - though some of the other players might think you're drinking cuba libres.
• Scottish 60 Shilling - now this is a golf beer! Like mild, it is a good choice despite it's darker coloration, though it requires cooler fermentation temperatures than most other ales, so if you're using a swamp cooler for temperature control it may not be the best choice.
• Munich Helles - Another odd choice, a bit too heavy feeling probably, and again, would need time to lager.
• Weizen - A very good choice, IMO: light and easy to drink, yet flavorful, plus it is quick to brew and the yeasts generally behave well in higher temperatures.

In the absence of other information, I would suggest either a saison or a weizen, just because they're easy in the warmer weather. Are their any styles you particularly enjoy or dislike?

Was thinkin all the same, though a saison did slip my mind. Have never made one but definitely on the to-do list. A nice lager would be great but like you said by the time it'd be barely ready it would be time for "the infamous heavy pumpkin" (not heavy in the normal sense, just dubbed by a friend who had about 6 too many). Anyhow, any tips on a saison? Wheat is still in the mix.

Am also very intrigued by the Scottish 60 shilling you mention. Have never heard, what is it and where can I learn more?

Kölsch is totally summer drinking. Easy to brew, preferable to keep in the low 60's for fermentation, and low ingredient cost. Mine is ready to be kegged any day now.

Also, a best bitter can be a solid summer beer. A tip from a brewer who made an amazing best bitter that I couldn't keep away from: use centennial, and keep the color lighter than the style guidelines suggest.

To be honest, I included the Scottish 60/- in the list as much as a golf joke as a serious suggestion, though it certainly would be worth looking into. According to the BJCP description it's a session version of the traditional Scottish ale, superficially similar to mild but more sweet and malty. I dn't know if it really would do all that well on the links, at least here in the US where the summer weather is generally warmer than in Scotland, but it may be worth making for early autumn.

(EDIT: I decided to try my hand at a recipe, but rather than take up unrelated space here, I made a new thread for it. If you're interested, go check it out, though as I said it really isn't all that appropriate for a summer beer.)

BTW, I've looked at some of your earlier posts now, and see you have a fermentation chamber, so the temperature issues are certainly less of a concern. I didn't see if you had anything planned for heating the fermentation chamber come winter, however, as Connecticut weather gets well below freezing (especially upstate - I was from Stamford, originally, so the weather is more like New York than New England, but it certainly got cold enough for most people's tastes). Did I miss that part, or do you have anything in mind for that?

I have stc wired up for a heater just haven't decided on what to use yet. I'm in northern ct so I have a couple more months but have been leaning toward that ceramic reptile "light". Have one of those flexible light fixtures that my friends wife was going to throw out cause the base broke. Any suggestions on heating?

I looked up the Scottish on beer smith and am on the same page as you for a golfing beer but definitely want to cook one up sometime soon. Thanks for the link to the thread, am going to check it out now.

I'd also add a session ale, just made one today.

Also, a 12% barleywine for sure. Drink about 4 of 'em and your game will be at another level.

I was listening to the brew strong podcast today about session beers and JZ talked about how Tasty will take a regular pale ale and actually add water to it for golfing. I thought it strange, but JZ said it was delicious. I guess that would work if you typically brew pale ales and typically have them on hand.

For golfing, I think I would go with the Kolsch - nice and crisp. If I'm golfing I want something that I can drink all day, not get too tipsy, and won't get sick of. Beers with strong flavors wouldn't cut it for me. Biermuncher's Centennial Blonde would also be a great golfing beer.

I'm in the same boat. I have a few that I've made already that have done well this summer.
A Centennial Blonde -always a pleaser
An American Wheat- nice and light, flavorful
A Petite Siason- I am fermenting my second batch right now! It really has been the best of the 3. I ferment at 68-72F to reduce the amount of funk, but it is light, not boozy at 4% and tasty.
Basically:
6.5 lbs Pilsner malt
.75 lbs Aromatic malt
8 oz flaked wheat (though I'm trying carapils this time)

Mashed at 152F for 90 min
Boil 90 min
.75 oz EKG at 60 min
.75 oz Saaz at 10 min
1.5 oz Saaz at 2 min

Wyeast 3711 will take that sucker from 1.040 to the 1.002 range with no problem. I might make this all summer.

Besides that beer, I'm thinking either a mild ale or a Kolsch or the heck with it and I'll make the nutty nut brown I'm dying to try.

I'd like a nice bright lager, but with a big late hop addition, something like New Belgium's Shift. Mostly 2-row with maybe a bit of carapils and a big aroma steep of a light hop like nelson or sorachi.

I personally would want something incredibly potent to help me forget that I am playing golf...