What to Brew Next???

[deharris]

Hey, I've done 7 brews now and need suggestions for a next batch. Here's what I've done so far:

Brown Ale
Hefeweizen
Belgian Wit
American Pale Ale
Porter
Stout
Apfelwein

As in sex, I want to keep things interesting and avoid getting stuck in a rut, so any suggestions for an interesting beer in terms of taste or method would be appreciated. A few caveats: all grain is not an option. Also, I don't like IPA. Thanks!

 

[beerdad]

I made a nice double India pale ale and it's really good. Nice and hoppy and strong good stuff.

 

[Matt Foley]

If you are doing kits I have recently done both the Blonde and West Coast Red from Austin Homebrew and thought they were great. The Blonde was nice and hoppy but not IPA hoppy.

 

[bigjohnmilford]

a steam is nice. not overly hopped

 

[Yooper]

Well, there are so many!

Some of the ones I've made are cream ales, English mild, English strong ale, red ale, American Amber, etc.

Some of my favorites at one time were Fat Tire Clone, the Redhook ESB clone (an ESB isn't really bitter- that's just what it's name is), Brewer's Best Ocktoberfest (an ale, not a "true" Oktoberfest), and a Pete's Wicked Ale clone from AHS.

There are so many more! What do you like best? Big malty beers? Smaller, lighter beers? Dark or roasty? We can give more advice if you tell us what you prefer.

 

[DeathBrewer]

Irish Red Ale? (bottling mine tonight )
Orfy's Hobgoblin? (i'm going to try this soon, looks so good)
Belgian Strong Ale? (if you have the patience)
California Common? (Steam Beer)

look through BJCP and see if there's any good beers you've forgotten about that you'd like to try

 

[jezter6]

Irish Red Ale?

+1 vote for Irish Red!

 

[Brewing Clamper]

Which of your past brews did you like best?

 

[deharris]

Which of your past brews did you like best?

The porter was/is awesome, but I was also very pleased with the hef and the wit. I guess I was least satisfied with the APA because it just wasn't very flavorful, which is why I might want to try another beer in a similar style...

 

[shunoshi]

My vote is for an English Pale Ale. I prefer them to APAs...not that I don't like American Pales, just not as much as English Pales. Just watch out if you buy a kit and they try to get you to use Burton Water Salts. I put some in my recent batch and it turned out a bit more bitter than I expected and finished really, really dry.

 

[DeathBrewer]

Make an english bitter. they're more flavorful and less hoppy than most APAs

 

[Brewing Clamper]

Yeah, sounds like an English pale or bitter would be good for ya...

 

[deharris]

Hey, so thanks everyone for the great advice! I looked into the style guidelines for many of your suggestions as well as some recipes. I think I'm going to start with Orfy's Hobgoblin clone - it looks fantastic plus it's good for the season - and then move onto an Irish Red and English Bitter. Wish me luck!

 

[Mustangj]

Did this one yester day.


Beer: ESB Style: English Strong (Extra Special) Bitter
Type: Extract w/grain Size: 5 gallons
Color: 14 HCU (~9 SRM)
Bitterness: 35 IBU
OG: 1.052 FG: 1.015
Alcohol: 4.7% v/v (3.7% w/w)

Grain: 1 lb. American victory
2 oz. American crystal 60L
Steep: Steeped grain in course mesh grain bag at 150°F for 30 minutes.
Boil: 60 minutes SG 1.086 3 gallons
6.6 lb. Northwestern Gold light malt extract
Hops: 1 oz. Centennial (9.1% AA, 60 min.)
1 oz. Kent Goldings (5.7% AA, 30 min.)
1 oz. Kent Goldings (aroma)
Yeast: Wyeast 1968 XL London ESB Ale.

 

[deharris]

Right on. Looks solid!