Noob here

[ronarse]

Hello all,
I just joined and have found a lot of useful threads. A little history of myself, I have made numerous types of kit beers of all styles. I just purchased some upgraded stuff: 5 gallon carboy, 2x 7 gallon buckets, auto siphon, and all other necessities I am now wondering what would be the most simple recipe to begin "big boy" brewing. I will begin a batch of APA in a week or two, but I want something else that is fairly simple for a novice at actual brewing. All suggestions ar welcome. Thanks.

 

[inhousebrew]

Assuming extract kits? I'd say something hoppy and low ABV is good because hops can hide some beginner issues and low gravity means less work for the yeast. Other than that, brown ales are good as are simple stouts or porters. No real answer here, pick something you like but in general stay away from overly complex beers, anything lager or lager like and anything high gravity.

 

[HinterhofBrewing]

Noob,

First, welcome! Second, I agree with inhouse that hops are a good way to hide beginner issues. My first all-grain was a double IPA for that very reason, and it turned out great! You are already planning an APA, so that is covered... good choice! I also agree that something dark... a stout, porter, or bock would be good for a few reasons-
1) Dark malts are another great way to hide rookie mistakes,
2) They are ales so you don't need to worry about lagering (yet),
3) They are tasty (...and you'll impress your friends that you can make dark beers, too)!!

Sounds like you're off to a great start. Keep us posted!

 

[ronarse]

Just finished the APA, well the wort is chilling, at least. Going to ferment for a couple days, then transfer to the carboy. Will post results in a few weeks.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Whether or not to secondary is debated on here pretty often (most folks, myself included, agree it's not worth it). But one thing we all agree in, a couple days is nowhere near long enough to consider transferring. If you move the beer too quickly, you'll risk off-flavors and a host of other issues. I'd at the absolute minimum ensure fermentation is complete (unchanged hydrometer readings over three days). I can all but guarantee you it will not be done in a couple days. I'd give it at least a week before you even consider checking the gravity, let alone transferring. And I'd recommend at least 2-3 weeks before you transfer (or ideally 3-4 weeks in primary and skipping a secondary carboy entirely).