Looking for my second brew.. please advise

[chris24300]

Hi all,

I'm about to free up my fermenter tonight or tomorrow and need to prepare for my next brew which I'd like to start within a few days (I caught the fever :cross. The first batch is a recipe I got from LHBS; beerkeepers honey lager.

I'd like a stronger brew (8% for starters) but there's just too many recipes to pick from, my head starts spinning... Anything 'old school' would be a bonus. I was thinking of a strong ale but anything will do as I'm looking to expand my horizons.

Thanks for the input!

 

[william_shakes_beer]

First question: what do you like? Select a commercial brew that you like and google the name followed by recipie. For instance: "Dogfishead raison d' etre clone recipie"

 

[chris24300]

I don't really have a commercial brew that I know of in that range except for the dirt cheap stuff like hurricane high gravity and steel reserve. I'm looking for recipes in general, beers that experienced home brewers here like will give me an idea where to start.

 

[chris24300]

I think my only limitation for the time being might be my kettle; is only 13qt

 

[Butter]

You could always brew a barley wine. It'll take probably a year to be ready, but they taste awesome and are like 10-12% alcohol.

 

[chris24300]

Thanks i'll have to pick up an additional carboy for that. Anything sort of near-term? If it's not then i'll just have to pick a recipe out of the joy of homebrewing.

 

[RM-MN]

At the top of this page is a brownish red banner. The third entry of that banner says recipes. You should click on it.

 

[copyright1997]

Thanks i'll have to pick up an additional carboy for that. Anything sort of near-term? If it's not then i'll just have to pick a recipe out of the joy of homebrewing.

I re-started brewing this year after a very, very long hiatus (over 15 years). Here's what I've done since July. Maybe something will perk your interest. One of the things I tried to do was are clone brews so that I could compare my output with the real thing:
1. California Commons
2. Blue Balls (Blue Moon clone)
3. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Clone
4. Victory Hop Devil Clone (IPA, turned out awesome)
5. Red Rocket Ale Clone
6. Mirror Pond Ale clone
7. Centennial Blonde (not a clone)
8. English Style IPA (w/EKG, not a clone)
9. Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale clone
10. Captain Hooked on Bitters (Redhook ESB clone)

If I were you, I wouldn't worry about making a very high alcohol brew, but concentrate on your process. The clarity and taste of my beers have markedly improved from the first couple of batches.