Best Beer to Brew for a First Timer?

Read "How to Brew." The print version is more up to date, but the online version is good enough to get you started.

 

If you can, I also suggest you go over and give your bro-in-law some assistance. Would be helpful to see how it goes and if you might actually enjoy it. Good to have that luxury before you start putting some dough-in (pun intended!). ba dump ump

 

I would do this.

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/community/news/show?title=big-brew-13

Look for an event near you.

 

Brew a style you like and are familiar with. Probably will be easier to buy a premade kit the first time from a local or online homebrew store. It might be a good idea to go with something with an OG of 1.060 or less. Looks like you are in Georgia make sure you have a way to keep the temperature of the fermenting beer under 70 degrees. Google swamp cooler for the cheapest method.

Do a lot of research before you spend any money. There are many different ways to go about brewing beer depending on your situation. Extract vs. All Grain, Partial Boil vs. Full boil so on and so on. Once you figure out how you want to brew you will know how much money it is going to take to get ready for your first brew day. And finally be prepared for a lot of cleaning and sanitizing.

 

This^

 

Read howtobrew.com online. Check your personality, "All in" or "get by with what I have". You can do both and make good beer. Check your local craigslist. If you are into recipes, you can't lose with Brewing Classic Styles.

I would make a malt forward beer first. A nice Brown ale or Porter, simple yet flavorful. Shoot for a nice big target on your first shot. My first beer was a Porter from The Complete Joy of Homebrewing.

 

I had great luck with going to my local homebrew store and picking up a kit they assembled and sold there (not one of the Munton's, etc kits - I've found those to have awful instructions.) Most, if not all of the shops that put together kits will come with straightforward, step by step instructions.

I agree on giving a darker beer a shot the first time through - a lot more forgiving.

 

http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/recomended-materials-for-beginners.72840/
http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/homebrew-novice.79446/

I like a lightly hopped blonde ale. Flavorful enough to satisfy but clean enough to taste shortfalls.

 

I just started brewing myself; first brew day was this past Sunday in fact. Although of course I don't have the experience of others on here, what I do have is perspective on being a newbie and what it's like learning at this moment. I've gotten what seems to be solid advice and here goes what I've learned.

First, I'm a learn by doing and if you're the same, find a local BA or friend and watch / help them their next time brewing. They'll be happy to have the second set of hands and for you, there's no replacement for seeing the process through.

Next, I found the Northern Brewer Company videos well done and informative. I pretty much ran through all their vids, excluding their wine ones and am still referencing them. You'll be much greater informed. YouTube has also been great; I've learned about harvesting yeast and will be doing this from the start.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/learn/resources/

Going on, I had no problem finding a rather good deal of used equipment, just make sure it's clean. Cleaning has already become apparent as a make or brake. Plus in my mind, if it's not clean it's a clear indicator that they've just not taken care of their tools. So all the Criagslist aids that say need cleaning or you take a look at and there's mold, just pass. You CAN'T make good beer if it's not clean or you don't take care of equipment.

Last, I also have plans to read How To Brew by John Palmer. Thou I've not started yet, many have already pointed you this direction.

 

This is from this year so far.

http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/recomended-materials-for-beginners.72840/
http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/homebrew-novice.79446/
http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/just-another-noob-recipe-recommendations.78667/
http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/want-to-get-into-homebrewing-what-to-get-and-tips.76666/
http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/homebrewing-where-to-start.70838/
http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/absolute-noob-here.56172/
http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/how-do-i-start-homebrewing.62630/#post-853379
http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/absolute-beginner.22189/
http://beeradvocate.com/community/t...ewing-where-to-shop-online.49108/#post-632027
http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/start-up-cost-for-home-brewing.43242/#post-544831

 

Just go to a brew store and pick up an ExtraEZ brew kit for a pale ale. It get NO easier than that. A few ingredients and detailed instructions.

 

Hefeweizen...

Wheat extract to OG
1 oz noble hops to bitter @ 60
WY3068 at 70 ambient.

Delicious (thanks HB42!)

 

I would highly suggest starting off with whatever you love to drink the most!
If it comes out great, then you'll be glad you made that decision.
On the other hand, it will be a great learning experience to make needed changes.
The Complete Joy of Homebrewing Third Edition is a great resource for beginners.
The most important things to remember are cleanliness, note-taking, and using good ingredients.
If you clean and sanitize everything, you won't need to worry about a moldy/sour/spoiled brew.
If you take great notes and make an awesome beer, you should be able to duplicate your results.
If you use bad ingredients (water, yeast, malt, hops, etc.), you can expect to have a sub-par final product.
Homebrewing is a science and an art. It takes a lot of love and patience and a HUGE learning curve!
The possibilities are endless and there is too much knowledge for any one person to acquire.
There are too many types of beer to make and never enough time or money to make them all.

As Dan Eldon said it best, "The Journey is the Destination". Same goes for homebrewing...

 

Get a kit recipe and brew it over and over till you get it right. The most important thing is fermentation. Getting fermentation down and having good fermentation temp control is the biggest leap you can possibly make if you're just starting out. Brewing the same recipe over and over will be boring, but will allow you to dial in your process. Read "how to brew" before you start, but read it again after you've done several batches....you will have a much better understanding of what you're reading because you've gone through the process a few times.

 

Thanks to everyone for all the of the help. I too am a beginner and have yet to brew my first batch but was wondering where a good place to start was. I have an advantage as my father has brewed for years, at his home and professionally, but our crazy schedules prevent us from spending a lot of time together. I will definitely check out a lot of your suggestions.

One other question, a lot of you suggest using a kit recipe for your first time. How long has it taken you to feel comfortable enough to brew without a kit and piece together your own ingredients?

 

i think i did my first five recipes from kits, but then started finding recipes from other sources and assembling them myself. i started formultaing my own recipes around batch #20 or so.

 

I did a porter for my first that came out really good and I know a few other's that did this for their first homebrew, one of the more user friendly styles I guess. One of those True Brew or Brewers Best pre packaged boxes are usually a good starting point