My first brew that's not pre-hopped LME

[SMOKEU]

I've done quite a few pre-hopped LME + DME no boil brews (some with dry hopping) in the past but I've finally bought a brew pot etc so I can do a boil.

I want a few simple recipe ideas with a relatively short conditioning time in the 4-6% ABV range. I've seen quite a few recipes that look very complex with large numbers of ingredients but I want to keep it easy to begin with. I also plan on steeping specialty grains.

If I can't get the exact hops at the local brew shops, can I easily get away with using a different hop variety, especially in the early boil, as long as the AA is similar without altering the flavour too much?

Any other tips?

 

[davidabcd]

Substituting hops won't alter the flavor much, if at all. Google "hop substitution" and it'll give you a list. Though I'm not picky about exact AAU, you can calculate it: __ oz X __alpha acids%=AAU.

There are a lot of ways to find simple recipes but a fun one is to go through Brewer's Best or Northern Brewer's kit recipes. You can find ones that meet your criteria.

Low ABVs are generally conditioned on the shorter side. A wheat beer is an example.
6.6 # of wheat LME, 2-3oz of hops at various intervals and a specialty grain for steeping. That isn't a recipe but if I did brew it, it would certainly be okay, at least.

 

[Immocles]

http://beerandwinejournal.com/15-minute-pale-ale/

I did variations on this recipe very early on, but in one gallon batches. I steeped 1-2 oz of caramel 40L, and used a pound of DME per gallon. I don’t remember the hop schedule exactly, but I know I preferred a 30m boil. If I had to guess, it was along the lines of .25oz additions at 30, 10, and flameout. Can’t go wrong with cascade.