I'm going to start my first batch sometime this fall. Is it too risky to start out with a stout? I want it to be a chocolate/coffee/oatmeal (one of the 3) stout and want to know if that is more difficult to brew than a basic IPA, etc.
Stouts are actually easier to brew than ipa's IMO because the big roasty malt character hides flaws much more so than hops do, and ipa malt bills have much less going on than that of a stout.
Brewing beer is like cooking dinner. Some chefs are better than others, but almost all of it is edible. If you follow directions (assuming your first beer will be a kit), you'll end up with a good beer. My question is. . .why wait until fall? Brew it up!
Stouts are usually very forgiving to hard water profiles (tap water). This shouldn't be an issue either way if you're doing an extract batch. If you'd drink the water, it should be alright.
