Hello from WV

[KPatrick]

History: I was not a beer drinker. That is, until I had a pint from our local (now defunct )-: ) brewery. It was called "Blackwater Stout" and it was the beer that made me like beer. Sadly, my first beer was a great microbrew, so I started out as a beer snob. I've still not found one I like better, although I do now drink others. I've been known so say things like, "I'd rather have no-beer than THAT beer (budlite)."

Beers I like: Smithwicks, Guiness Extra-Stout, Amber Bock, Samuel Adams: Boston Ale, Black Ale, Winter Lager, and Summer Ale, Budvar (in CR, in US it's sold as Czechvar), and IPA's are starting to grow on me.

Where I'm at now: I'm getting together my materials for my first batch. I'm leaving the US for 6 weeks, so I can't really start anything now, since I leave soon. I bought a kit today from the LHBS, an Irish Stout.

Questions: I'm not a big fan of thick and creamy stouts, so what can I do to this Extract kit to not get that. Also, I've had a hard time in finding recipes for a Black Ale. Any ideas?

Thanks all, you guys have been a big help already.

Montani Semper Liberi,
--KP

 

[llazy_llama]

Welcome aboard!

If you want to thin out that stout a bit, you could try doing a late extract addition. I'll leave it up to you to search the forum a bit for proper instructions on how to do this, but I think it would probably end up much more thin and light than you expect. Honestly, my best advice to you would be to follow the recipes until you get a firm grasp on what you're doing and on how each step impacts the final product.

As for the black ale, I'm not terribly familiar with the style, but Austin Homebrew Supply offers a black ale kit here: Austin Homebrew Supply

Hope that helped a bit.

 

[obezyana1]

Welcome!

 

[DragonTail]

Welcome

 

[Jim Karr]

Howdy to a West Verginny brewer! (What's a hundred feet long and has twelve teeth? The unemployment line in West Virginia.)

Sorry, couldn't help it. Welcome to the addiction.

 

[AggieChemDoc]

Kpatrick,

I know the brewery you're talking about... Appalachian Ale got ME into homebrewing!

We have an active homebrew club here in town... meetings and group brews... the whole nine yards. PM me and I'll hook you up with the group.