Kit suggestion for a first beer?

[Docapi]

OK, I've got a few wines and Apfewien batches under my belt, and now that I stumbled into some kegging equipmentI figure it is time to try my hand at some beers.

Problem is, I have no idea what to try. I've figured out the difference between an ale and a lager, but that is pretty much the extent of my beer IQ.

I also have never really tried any craft beers. It has pretty much been BMC for me. Usually, If I am drinking a beer, it is MGD or Mich Golden Draft.

I did try a Guinness a few weeks ago, and wow, was that bitter. I definitely think I'll have a learning curve for both me and my palate.

My wife says she likes Fosters, but since I don't have a lagering fridge (yet), I assume I will have to stick with ales.

So- any suggestions for a foolproof, easy to make, extract beer kit that a (reforming) BMC drinker and first time beer brewer will be able to handle the taste of without shocking my palate too badly?

 

[Yooper]

How about a cream ale, a kit from austinhomebrew.com? They have wonderful instructions, so it's easy to follow for a first timer, and a cream ale is easy to drink especially for summer.

 

[bradsul]

Probably the best thing to do is hit the beer store and buy examples of every style you can find, then sample/enjoy them while reading www.howtobrew.com.

Something simple to start with would be an american wheat, maybe a cream ale, any lightly hopped beer would be great. The major online suppliers all have clone kits as well if there is something you like and would like to duplicate.

 

[Docapi]

Something like this? Liberty Cream ALe

Nothing against AustinHomebrew, but Midwest is my LHBS.

 

[Coastarine]

Brewer's best red ale was my first and I absolutely fell in love. I'm not really crazy about the brewers best recipes in general but this beer turned out so good that I just bottled my second batch of it. My palate was definitely different from yours when I made it but I still think it's a really easy beer to drink. Killians with a little more flavor. A step up from lawnmower beer but not too big of a step. Also nothing tricky about the recipe, pretty tough to screw up.

 

[Cheeto]

Type: Extract
Date: 3/1/2008
Batch Size: 3.50 gal

Brewer: Cheeto1977
Boil size 2.5 gal


Taste Notes: very similar to MGD and it is an ale

Ingredients​

Amount
4.00 lbs Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM)Extract100.00 %
0.50 ozLiberty [3.80 %] (30 min)Hops 11.3 IBU
0.50 ozLiberty [3.80 %] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep)Hops-
1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-)Yeast-Ale​

Beer Profile​

Est Original Gravity: 1.041 SG

Measured Original Gravity: 1.051 SG
Measured Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Actual Alcohol by Vol: 5.34 %
Bitterness: 11.3 IBU
Calories: 225 cal/pint
Est Color: 6.8 SRM
try this

most of the items can be ordered online

my BMC buddies love this stuff

 

[cellardoor]

Something like this? Liberty Cream ALe

Nothing against AustinHomebrew, but Midwest is my LHBS.

I have this in my primary right now, about to transfer to secondary tomorrow and the hydrometer samples taste good. Looks to be a real great summer beer.

 

[Tankard]

Most BMC drinkers that I know love wheat beers. I would recommend an American wheat (hefeweizen) kit. Served with an orange peel, these are real crowd pleasers. Plus, they are easy to brew and they do not need to age as long as some of the other ales.

 

[scinerd3000]

AUSTIN HOME BREW!!....seriously the kits are easy. And its probably one of the best sources for kits. Midwest and Northern Brewer are ok but AHB tops them...gold seal kits for beginners or if you want they have pretty much all professional beers layed out in kits proffesional beers. Huge fan! Been using them for years. And Forrest the owner is on here periodically which is kinda nice. The kits are solid though!

 

[ScubaSteve]

Morebeer has their Red for the deal of the day. Half price, and not a bad start if you ask me.....

 

[Yooper]

Something like this? Liberty Cream ALe

Nothing against AustinHomebrew, but Midwest is my LHBS.

That looks fine, but I'd lose the Munton's yeast and pick up Nottingham instead, if you want to use dry yeast.

That should be a lighter beer with good flavor. Remember, though, that because it's LME, it'll be darker in color than BMC beers. It'll just be the color, not the flavor, but people will perceive it as a "dark" beer.

 

[brewNdrink]

OK, I've got a few wines and Apfewien batches under my belt, and now that I stumbled into some kegging equipmentI figure it is time to try my hand at some beers.

Problem is, I have no idea what to try. I've figured out the difference between an ale and a lager, but that is pretty much the extent of my beer IQ.

I also have never really tried any craft beers. It has pretty much been BMC for me. Usually, If I am drinking a beer, it is MGD or Mich Golden Draft.

I did try a Guinness a few weeks ago, and wow, was that bitter. I definitely think I'll have a learning curve for both me and my palate.

My wife says she likes Fosters, but since I don't have a lagering fridge (yet), I assume I will have to stick with ales.

So- any suggestions for a foolproof, easy to make, extract beer kit that a (reforming) BMC drinker and first time beer brewer will be able to handle the taste of without shocking my palate too badly?

If you like MGD then the easiest way to get into brewing would be a Coopers beer kit, and get the Mexican Cerveza kit. It is very similar to a MGD with a very clean finish. And because it comes with hybrid lager/ale dry yeast you can brew it under 21C to get a cleaner finish (I brew it at about 19C and it turns out great). I use 1.5 lbs pale liquid malt extract and 1 cup corn sugar and it brews beautifully (about 4% alcohol).

For the price and ease you can't beat this beer kit for a summer thirst-quenching beer!

 

[Laser21]

+1 on the cream ale. I have one in the secondary now and I only wish my hydrometer came with a bigger tube because the sample was great.

 

[GloHoppa]

I would definitely go to a good store that has a wide variety of beers and see if you can do a few sixers of mix n match. Pour them into glasses and sample them. I would highly recommend broadening your palate before you try to brew so that you can brew something you like

Besides the samples will get you drunk!!

 

[Laser21]

A good idea that I saw someone else had (cannot remember who it was) basically threw a party/ get-together and told everyone to bring a "new" type of beer. No BMC's were allowed and that away you and your friends get to try several types and styles of beers to figure out what you like best.

This saves you from buying a six pack of beer that you drink a sip of and decide that you don't like it. Or you could always find the beer you like and have a party with the left over six packs you didn't like to drink

 

[newbrewr4fun]

Stout Stout Stout

 

[newbrewr4fun]

I second the suggestion for AHS kits. They have all sorts of beer to choose from and their kits are well regarded by members here. I just brewed a stout from a local brew shop and so far so good. It tastes great and it is still in secondary fermentation. It's hard to screw up homebrew as that is what I have been told. Just grab a kit from AHS and follow the instructions and you should be fine. By the way I think extract kits with steeping grains are perfect for a novice, mine tastes like a beer I get at my favorite brew pub so I am more than pleased.

AHS has every kit with a Partial mash or all grain option so in the future you can brew the same beer you brewed with extract and specialty grains and see what kind of a difference you notice.