Your First Brew

[Ó Flannagáin]

My first was an Oatmeal Stout/Chocolate Oatmeal Stout. Seems very very very common as a first brew. I wonder why.

 

[Germey]

I think it might have been a California Brown ale, but really, it was some extract, random steeping grains, hops with a cool sounding name, and god knows which Whitelabs yeast.
Came out good enough for the young SWMBO to cede the coat closet to my new hobby, though.

 

[Ryanh1801]

APA here. ..

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

Looks liek a lot of others, what were they? Brown Ales?

 

[user 574]

+1 on the brown ale. some steeping, John Bull LME, hops and dry yeast. Not a very tasty brew but drinkable. My attempt at a newcastle which I really liked back then.

 

[McKBrew]

My first beer was technically that Mr. Beer Starter, kit. My next (and my first real beer) was a porter fermented in the Mr. Beer keg. I drank it way too soon, I wish I still had some of that beer right now.

First five gallon batch was a pale ale.

 

[BrewBrain]

I answered with my first all grain. I don't think any of my extract brews could be considered beer. I drank none of them.

 

[bradsul]

Muntons Best Bitter kit, it was ok but I progressed quickly to partial mashing and I was all-grain within 4 months.

 

[Danny013]

Mild from the LHBS. Extract, steeping grains, different hops and schedules. It came out ok, but I made some mistakes and I learned from them. I still have a few bottles left, it's decent, but I'd rather be drinking my other brews.

Save 'em for a rainy day, I guess. Everyone else says they like 'em (though they could be lying to me, lol), so they can have them when they come over.

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

Muntons Best Bitter kit, it was ok but I progressed quickly to partial mashing and I was all-grain within 4 months.

Yep, after 3 extract batches I was doing all grain. It was just too easy to make the change.

 

[kaptain_karma]

My old roomate's dad started a little hbs and gave us a starter kit. He gave us the ingredients for a honey wheat along with it, so that was my first brew. I did two more extract batches, two partial mashes, then cashed in my tax refund for an all grain setup and have never looked back. Making beer is so awesome.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

Geordi Lager from a kit. Dunno why they called it a lager- it was the generic dry ale yeast that comes in the lid to the can of extract. Tasted ok though, good enough to get me hooked on the brewing process.......

 

[Evets]

Brewers Best English Pale Ale kit. It was good enough to keep me interested.

 

[TheJadedDog]

My first brew was an Irish Red, turned out great.

 

[DeathBrewer]

Black Death Stout kit from Oak Barrel. It was a damn good beer, but i know why they call it black death...don't drink a case over a weekend!

 

[Professor Frink]

I did a brown ale, I clicked under English, but I guess it can be other depending on what type of brown ale.

 

[TUCK]

My first was a bluberry cream ale, didn't use real bluberries.

 

[Beerrific]

Other: 'winter warmer' spice beer

 

[PseudoChef]

Mr. Beer Pale Ale, but I ****ed it up by adding my own hops. I think the IBU:OG ratio was like 30:1.

First 5 gal batch was Northern Brewer's Nut Brown Ale. Really good.

 

[adx]

I did the Copper Ale kit from Midwest. I still have a 6 pack stashed in the closet to see how it ages. I sure would like to drink that sixer right now.

 

[BierMuncher]

My only visit to the UK was 20 years ago and I still remember fondly the fresh drawn pints of bitters at the pubs in Coventry, Stratford and London.

It was a no brainer to try and duplicate that beer.

Even if it was with an extract kit....

 

[sause]

Mine was an all extract Irish Red with pre-hopped extract to boot. It did taste good though.

 

[Capa]

An apa from a kit. Was OK, but truth be told I hated it. Brewed a clone of Sam Smiths Nut Brown after that and was hooked on homebrew from then on.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Brewer's Best Brown Ale. I knew it sucked when the can of extract had a 70's style label on it. This beer was also infected; gushers, the whole nine. Guess I had a pretty steep learning curve.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

My first brew was an amber all extract kit with a 30 min boil, baby!

 

[McCall St. Brewer]

Milwaukee Amber ale. From a kit with extract and steeping grains from my LBHS.

It didn't turn out all that bad. The biggest thing for me was that I was amazed that I had made beer. I remember siphoning it from the carboy into the bottling bucket and saying to SWMBO that "it smells beer. Wow, it is beer!"

I think I saved one bottle from that first batch. I wonder if it would still taste okay now?

 

[david_42]

Brews(u)ck - unnamed, undrinkable beer-in-a-bag. Probably the worst introduction to brewing created.

First real batch was an APA.

 

[e lo]

A hefe. It was great, and in retrospect was probably a great choice for a first, since I had no temp control and the fruity/clovey esters that resulted from my ~74 degree ferm temps fit really well with the style.

 

[dancingbarefoot]

My first brew was a stout, just 'cause it's one of my favorite styles. The homebrew shop clerk tried to get me to do a "girly" brew because women don't like dark beers.

 

[Kieva]

This is easy to remember since they are still in the bottles. A partial extract Cream Ale.

 

[mrkristofo]

An IPA. Walked into the LHBS after helping a buddy with a couple brews and grabbed their IPA kit. Told the dude at the store that I knew that I could add some more grains and hops to make it better. Ended up dry-hopping my first brew :rockin: . That IPA was gone within 2 months...which reminds me that there's 3 beers I saved to age and check, and hot damn, one says Do Not Open until October 19. That's today!!! woo woo!!!!


(so yeah, I've been drinkin' while I've been brewin' today. Don't hate me because I abide by the fundamental rule of homebrewing.)

 

[Petunia]

Irish Stout from a Cooper's Kit. My husband now has it on perpetual rotation because he liked it so much.

Jennifer

 

[landhoney]

Hefe extract/specialty grain. Kit from AIHB, left the liquid yeast in the box too long so went to LHBS where he recommended Muntons dry yeast. I didn't know better. So it was really more of an American wheat.

 

[Cheesefood]

Brewers Best IPA. Ended up being horribly bitter.

 

[skeeordye11]

Brewers Best IPA. Ended up being horribly bitter.

Mine was the same as Cheesefood, but oddly enough, I found it not quite hoppy enough for my liking when all was said and done. I just remember smiling from ear to ear for 5 hours thinking, "I'm making beer!" Can't wait to upgrade...

 

[DUCCCC]

Where is EdWort's Apfelwein fall in on the list?

 

[Kevin Dean]

Where is EdWort's Apfelwein fall in on the list?

Other, or not at all. You don't actually brew apfelwein, but that said it WAS my first batch of homemade alcohol.

My first beer was an Irish Red from Midwest. I have to say, it's certainly not what I was expecting. In my opinion it's too hoppy. I have grown fond of hops (thought not a hop head!) but I was expecting a much milder flavour. It's still pretty good. I've still got some of it in the kegerator, though I think it's pretty close to kicking.

 

[DUCCCC]

Other, or not at all. You don't actually brew apfelwein, but that said it WAS my first batch of homemade alcohol.

My first beer was an Irish Red from Midwest. I have to say, it's certainly not what I was expecting. In my opinion it's too hoppy. I have grown fond of hops (thought not a hop head!) but I was expecting a much milder flavour. It's still pretty good. I've still got some of it in the kegerator, though I think it's pretty close to kicking.

How funny, I am planning on either a Nut Brown or an Irish red as my first actual brew also.

 

[BrianP]

Mine was an ESB I crafted using BeerSmith. I just bottled it yesterday - it tastes awesome un-carbed. :rockin:

 

[1fastdoc]

My first was a dark ale extract kit that was a little on the bitter side.

The next one was a nut brown ale kit from the same company -- it initially tasted like drinking a brown ale followed by throwing some grass and dirt from the backyard into your mouth. It mellowed towards something akin to Samuel Smith's eventually.