What first beer?

[Boostedstang]

I finally got my woman to allow me to brew beer! I just ordered a starter kit from mid west.

I am trying to pick out my first beer. Is there any type of beer a rookie should stay away from due to difficulty or time? I don't want to waste my time on something that has a higher probability of operator error so to speak.

I am also trying to decide if I want to do a partial mash or not.

Thanks.

 

[Thehopguy]

How about a brown ale

 

[amingo]

As a first brew, I would recommend an extract kit. It may not sound as exciting as a partial mash or all grain but, trust me, you'll have your hands plenty full with extract your first time around.

My first brew day was stressful as all hell and I'm glad I didn't have to worry about mash temps and sparging and efficiency and all of the juggling of materials and timing that goes along with grain brewing.

As far as a first brew goes, pick your favorite style and go with it. It will give you more satisfaction if it's a style that you appreciate and will give you a baseline to compare your brew to.

Check the boards here for additional tips regarding fermentation time and which kit instructions to obey and which to throw out.

Happy brewing and welcome to your new addiction!

 

[HopLife]

I would keep in mind that beer that has a higher alcohol content (higher OG) will generally have a much longer cycle between brew and bottle. I would do an English Bitter, or a American Pale ale to start.

These styles use ingredients that reach a good flavor quickly, the yeast is happy at room temp (65-70), and there are a ton of good recipes available.

Enjoy the Brew!

 

[Stauffbier]

Myself, and a lot of other people seem to make amber ales with extract the first time around.. Or so I've noticed.

 

[starrfish]

a nice simple english brown ale is how many of us started and caught the bug. Now that I have many all grains under my belt, and been through the IPA stage. I keep coming full circle to the brown ale as one of my favorite styles... I recently aquired a few lbs of pecans... and hope to do a pecan mild/brown ale.... mmmm


Lot's of wiggle room here american hoppier. traditional with english hops. xtras like oak and nuts.... (roasted of course)... all leading up to ready quickly!

best choice for a newb

 

[Stauffbier]

a nice simple english brown ale is how many of us started and caught the bug. Now that I have many all grains under my belt and been through the IPA stage I keep coming full circle to the brown ale as one of my favorite styles... I recently aquired a few lbs of pecans... and hope to do a pecan mild/brown ale.... mmmm


Lot's of wiggle room here american hoppier traditional with english hops xtras like oak and nuts.... (roasted of course)... all leading up to ready quickly!

best choice for a newb

Pecan mild/brown sounds pretty damn good right about now! Thanks for the idea!

 

[markmc40]

I would also suggest something more straightforward like a brown or pale ale. Concentrate on cleanliness and sanitation first, make it habit and you'll be rewarded for it.

 

[starrfish]

Pecan mild/brown sounds pretty damn good right about now! Thanks for the idea!

toast them first in oven crush & steep with specialty grains. I'm putting them in mash to get any extraction I can from them. Your going for flavor /aroma. only 1 addition to steeping method. just make sure you have a large steeping bag.

12 oz of shelled nut should do us both right.

 

[Boostedstang]

So a heff or a honey porter is not suggested from what I gather. Funny because those tend to be my favorites.

 

[starrfish]

those are both easy & quick brews too! wheat just need to find your fav strain of yeast... do you want banana, clove, bubble gum... and what temp to get these flavors from each yeast (hardest part of getting wheat right) porter is just a bigger brown. almost any english yeast will make a fine porter... make life easy go with english hops and nothing past a second addition at 30 min (my porter only has a 60 min and it's based on a 1800's recipe from london. why screw with the original)

 

[Ryush806]

A hefeweizen extract kit would be fine if you like that style. I got my dad into the homebrewing with that. It turned out awesome!

For your first beer I wouldn't stress out too much about anything except sanitation. Get iodophor or starsan and you'll make a great beer! Throw the cbrite crap that tends to come with starter kits away!

 

[starrfish]

A hefeweizen extract kit would be fine if you like that style. I got my dad into the homebrewing with that. It turned out awesome!

For your first beer I wouldn't stress out too much about anything except sanitation. Get iodophor or starsan and you'll make a great beer! Throw the cbrite crap that tends to come with starter kits away!

+1

I cut my teeth on bleach & rinse. I now only use bleach post brew day clean out... brew day is all starsan no rinse. much happier much easier!


Just a side note I turned my facial hair green in the 9o's using a bleach solution, must have rubbed my face, and got asked by my date why my facial hair looked green... had to shave next day. Last time I had a 'stash.

 

[BamaRooster]

A hefeweizen extract kit would be fine if you like that style. I got my dad into the homebrewing with that. It turned out awesome!

For your first beer I wouldn't stress out too much about anything except sanitation. Get iodophor or starsan and you'll make a great beer! Throw the cbrite crap that tends to come with starter kits away!

+1 my first kit intructions said to use the c-brite as a sanitizer and I had not found this place and didn't know any better. Just another mistake, of many, on my first brew. Those 2 cases of witches brew still sit in my basement, hoping one day to be drinkable. Do your research, question the instruction that come with your kit, and plan. :cross:

 

[wailingguitar]

a basic pale ale or brown ale are great first brews

 

[theonetrueruss]

Any mid gravity extract kit will do great. Follow the sanitation advice others have given (use star san, not c-brite) and all will work out fine.

Oh, and watch your boil real carefully for boil overs. It may be surprising how much the foam will rise as it starts to boil. It is good to have a spray bottle of water on hand. You can spray the foam as it rises to help knock it down. Of course turn down/off the heat as well. Once you get past the foam coming up (it's the hot break) and it is boiling nice and steady you are pretty safe. Add hop additions slow as they can cause some boil over problems on occasion as well.

 

[unionrdr]

Well,if you like Shock Top,a Belgian wit style,then the Brewer's Best Summer Ale Would be to your liking. That was my wifes' 1st brew,& it was pretty good.

 

[dkennedy]

So a heff or a honey porter is not suggested from what I gather. Funny because those tend to be my favorites.

To echo others- if that's what you like, then go for it! A Tripel or Imperial Stout might be a bit much for the first batch, but a Heffe or porter, not bad at all! Browns and ambers do seem really common, but I would say that starting with something that you're into is the way to go (and keep going...and start brewing every weekend...).

My first was a double batch day- a stout and a cream ale (extract with spec. grains). Brewed an all grain (BIAB) Heffe last week with a buddy, and it's really gotten me back into wheat beers. Tomorrow's plan is an India Brown, on deck after that are some simple SMaSH setups for hop research.

 

[stikks]

A Heff is not that hard with extract,Wheat DME light DME maybe a little crystal,water
and Heff yeast.One thing about a Heff ,its fast to the bottle and fast to drink.When I started I made several batches of it -pretty simple-

 

[stikks]

A Heff is not that hard with extract,Wheat DME light DME maybe a little crystal,water
and Heff yeast.One thing about a Heff ,its fast to the bottle and fast to drink.When I started I made several batches of it -pretty simple-

almost forgot,a few hops too

 

[copyright1997]

+1 on the Hefe/American wheat kit. You just want to avoid any recipe that has a super high ABV or has a bunch of crazy steps (like fruit additions) which will exponentially increase the chance you mess up the beer. As mentioned before, a plus for a wheat is that it is quick from brewing to when it is ready...always a consideration before you have a pipeline going.

 

[Yooper]

So a heff or a honey porter is not suggested from what I gather. Funny because those tend to be my favorites.

Oh, yes, those are easily beginner brews.

I'd stay away from any lagers and also from any beers that take a long time to age- like Belgian triples or dubbels. You want to taste the beer in a month, and not wait forever! Lagers are more difficult and would make a poor choice for a first beer.

But otherwise, stouts, porters, hefeweizens, American wheat, ambers, Irish reds, pale ales, and so on are all about the same level of difficulty so just choose one you think you'd lie!

 

[TOWEYWACKER]

My first beer was a pale ale extract kit and my second was a brown ale extract kit. Both brew days went real smooth and the quality of beer was awesome! You CAN make awesome beer with extract, following some simple fundamentals. I would recommend a simple kit like the ones above so you can really work on your particular method. Btw, my pale ale kit was the Midwest Sierra Nevada clone. I added an extra pound of light DME to the boil, and purchased an extra ounce of cascade hops for dry hopping. It turned out awesome!! Cheers!

 

[Boostedstang]

Cool thanks for the help/advice guys. There is more activity here then on the mustang forums I belong to!

 

[jtgrigg]

I just started brewing about a month ago and my first one was an American Wheat Extract kit from Northern Brewer it was so easy to work with for the first time.
Good Luck

 

[indyabn]

My first batch (enjoying it too) was an americian wheat ale from NB. Great starter, easy, and tastes about like a Sam Adams Boston lager. I've given quite a few away for feedback and after enjoying a few have realized a few things

1. I messed up my priming. I racked to the bottling bucket before adding the priming sugar. Was about 1/3 of the way before remembering it. Carbing is kinda hit and miss. First ones bottled are great, good head, plenty of carb. Last ones are flatter, less head, I'm giving them more time. First half are great, last half need more time

2. The beer is good. I'm very happy with my first batch, but I know I can do better. next batch (dry Irish stout) I tried a swamp cooler to get the fermentation temp lower. It's still fermenting with about 4 weeks before bottling. Also, patience... I have been very strict about going the longer route vs "the directions say I can bottle in 2 weeks" I've added a week or so for each step

3. Trying Cooper tabs for the next batch. After my brain fart hoping to eliminate the drunk, I mean overlook anything next time I bottle. I keep the bottles in my closet with a space heater at 74 deg for conditioning. Seems to work well if not for my brain fart.