Recipe for an inexpensive blonde, beer?

[Mayotruck]

Hi everyone,

I have been looking into home brewing and I am brand new to it so sorry if I don't get the lingo right as of yet. I have read piles and piles on the internet and I noticed all i hear over and over agian is that all grain brewing is the way to go. I was planing to start with kits but the more I read I decided I would go directly to grains or whatever to get a better beer off the start. I dont have a mill but i can order them pre milled.

Anyways I am looking for a recipe that is golden in color, and a smooth flavor(not powerful) similar to Miller genuine draft or Mikey's beer. I want something my friends will go "Wow!, this is home brew????"

I would like it to cost as little as possible and to be a straight forward as possible since this will be my first batch ever.The kits I was going to use was going to cost me 18$ each, and 16 $ each for shipping can you beat that, with grains?

Please include Yeast used as well.

Suggestions?

 

[rack04]

I can brew a 5.5 gallon batch of BierMuncher's Centennial Blonde for $15.88 from my LHBS.

 

[sudbuster]

Mellow, yellow, smooth, crisp. 1st brew? Try this ......

 

[Mayotruck]

Thanks sudbuster appreciate the idea but I really do want to try an all grain brew recipe. The flavour is 10 times better from what I heard. And I have a place that I can purchase the grains for a reasonable price.

rack04 thanks i will keep this recipe !!!!!!!!

I'm not to worried as I have put so much research into it that I know I can do this as long as the recipe isn't out of control.

And yes this will be my first brew XD

 

[gingerdawg]

Thanks guys appreciate the ideas but I really do want to try an all grain brew recipe. The flavour is 10 times better from what I heard. And I have a place that I can purchase the grains for a reasonable price.

I'm not to worried as I have put so much research into it that I know I can do this as long as the recipe isn't out of control.

And yes this will be my first brew XD

Erm.... the Centennial Blonde is an all-grain recipe.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/recipe-inexpensive-blonde-beer-232016/

There is an extract version in post #10 and a 5 or 10 gallon version in the 1st post.

 

[Yooper]

I'd suggest trying an ale instead of a lager for your first beer, so it won't be just like MGD. Lagers require fermentation at 50 degrees, and then being held at 34 degrees for weeks, which is hard to do for most people in the spring and summer unless they have a dedicated temperature controlled chamber.

Biermuncher's centennial blonde is good. If you'd rather do a cream ale, like Little King's or Genesse, I have a cream ale recipe posted that used dry yeast and corn and keeps the cost way down.

You'll still need to ferment the beer in the low 60s, to keep it "clean" tasting.

 

[wh4tig0t]

I can brew a 5.5 gallon batch of BierMuncher's Centennial Blonde for $15.88 from my LHBS.

+1 this was my first non kit beer and first all grain after 2 extracts and 2 mini mash's. It was a big hit with everyone who tried it. Brewed it again for everyone in my wedding party and won a bronze with the same batch at the state fair.

 

[sudbuster]

Thanks sudbuster appreciate the idea but I really do want to try an all grain brew recipe. The flavour is 10 times better from what I heard. And I have a place that I can purchase the grains for a reasonable price.

rack04 thanks i will keep this recipe !!!!!!!!

I'm not to worried as I have put so much research into it that I know I can do this as long as the recipe isn't out of control.

And yes this will be my first brew XD

To each his own. I still brew some extract. Didn't fgure you were ready for full boils. My bad.

 

[Mayotruck]

I'd suggest trying an ale instead of a lager for your first beer, so it won't be just like MGD. Lagers require fermentation at 50 degrees, and then being held at 34 degrees for weeks, which is hard to do for most people in the spring and summer unless they have a dedicated temperature controlled chamber.

Biermuncher's centennial blonde is good. If you'd rather do a cream ale, like Little King's or Genesse, I have a cream ale recipe posted that used dry yeast and corn and keeps the cost way down.

You'll still need to ferment the beer in the low 60s, to keep it "clean" tasting.

Wow, thanks for the info. Those temperatures are a quite a bit lower than what I figured! (That is in Fahrenheit i assume?) I'm not sure if I can do that.
If temperature control is involved to that extent yeah not sure how I could do that minus building a temperature controlled box and I'm pretty sure I won't be doing that.

Even the low 60's would be a challenge, as my location is hot.

To each his own. I still brew some extract. Didn't fgure you were ready for full boils. My bad.

Nah my bad, I didn't know that temperature control was so strict in the brewing process, all i knew is grain brewing tasted way better.I may be forced to use kits if the temperatures are this extreme, for my favorite beers.

I might be able to pull off the recipe of the centinal blonde minus the Kegged and Carb'd part as I don not have a keg system.

Does anyone know a similar type golden beer that can be pulled off without a keg system, or low temperatures i can probably do 68 +

 

[dirtyjerz]

I completely understand you wanting to go all grain but just because you go AG doesn't mean your going to end up with a good beer, especially doing it for the first time. I'd like to brew all grain in the future as I collect more equipment to make such a jump. I expect that I will not be sharing my first AG brew with anyone other then my other friends that brew so I can work out the goods and bads of that first batch. I brewed a Mr. Beer kit as my first batch ever. (sucked) Then I moved to a a True Brew kit which contained crushed grains, hops and such. Very good to learn the basics of using grains. Next kit I did was an Irish Stout canned kit. I could of just used the can as is but I added, hops and more DME to boost it's taste. Again even though it's extract in a can I still learned how to add other ingredients properly. Next I'll try partial mash so that when I do jump to all grain my beer has a chance of turning out good after 6 or so hours of work.

In the short time I have been brewing from kit's I've learned a ton about all the different brewing methods and quirks that you need to look out for. I see each type of brewing as a stepping stone to the next level. AG is 10 times better because you have full control over the flavor unlike extract where even though you can add other hops and such to manipulate the flavor, you still have the majority of the wart which was made from a mass produced malt extract. However AG brewing doesn't guarantee a better beer. Many things have to fall into line perfectly to make that beer good.

I would think hitting the target gravity when doing AG is the toughest part of the process. Also Temp control is a huge part of brewing any type of beer. From knowing the right temp for a particular yeast, or steeping or mashing grain, storing to being able to calculate the amount of co2 needed to carbonate your beer properly with bottling. Temp makes a difference in all these areas.

 

[wh4tig0t]

all grain or extract the recipe should taste basically the same, temperature control is important in either case. There are some cheap and easy ways to temperature control a carboy of beer you can learn about on here that can help you make this beer cleaner and more consistent. I imagine living in BC your average temperature is not extremely high this time of year, you may be able to get away with putting the beer in the closet and leaving it there for a consistent temperature. Try out the extract version of the recipe and concentrate on keeping the temperature constant and you should make a great beer.

 

[yodalegomaster]

I would buy an all grain kit from someone some thing like a cream ale or a blond ale and SA-05 dry yeast. All Grain takes two large pots and a colander in it's simplest form. I have made 50+ batches that way, I makes a mess out of your stove\range though. Forget the cooler, it just makes a mess.

 

[timbudtwo]

I can brew a 5.5 gallon batch of BierMuncher's Centennial Blonde for $15.88 from my LHBS.

I second this one. Stellar beer. I'm going to make it again but hop it up a little more.