Here is the deal. I just moved from NC to FL (yeah, it sucks) and havent brewed a beer since about March. I have been busy fixing up the old house I bought and havent had the time or money to brew. I havent yet decided what to make for my foray back into homebrewing so I was wondering what you guys thought. I was thinking of doing a stout of some sort but I can always drink IPA's and the like. I am not doing a lager and I am not doing anything weird like peanut butter and banana lambic. Anyone else had a long lay-off and what did you jump back in the tun with?
Whenever I get into a slump, I always get back on the horse with a familiar recipe. Something that I know and love. Since it's me that means either a mild, a saison or an (D)IPA.
I would go with the most tried and true recipe you have. It will give you a chance to compare the LHBS ingredients and the local water quality, to the ingredients and water in NC.
I always brew something that ISN'T a wheat beer. I always look at my carboy three weeks later and ask myself, "Why the hell didn't I brew a wheat beer!?"
I took a little over two years off of brewing and started up again about two months ago. Did a quick Centennial hopped dark ale to start again and then went with a very BIG RIS. That wasn't too smart as my secondary has been tied up and I am hesitant to start something else and don't want to shell out the cash for another secondary at the moment. In a few more weeks I will probably do a quick IPA and stay on a shorter rotation for a bit or get another secondary and get a barleywine started for next years holiday season. I would reccomend goind with at least a couple quick and reliable IPA's, pale ales, etc to have something drinkable soon
do something that you're going to love drinking. if you dont want to wait that long, don't do something with a huge gravity or a lager, but otherwise it's totally your call.
if your go to is ipa...then don't fight it, be one with the tao. I've got 6 taps in my house and 5 are ipas at the moment. In the ipa department, do you have a go-to? BYO has a SN Ruthless Rye IPA in the Dec issue...yeah, i'm on that one next since I ended up buying 3 cases of that last spring. In other words go for something you reach for, then you work peripherals. After a long lay off due to divorce and moving into a new house I started off brewing session beers, but now 8 months later you can see where my focus has shifted.
Relax. What are you worried about? After a long lay off, I got going again because I grew my own hops and that encouraged me to try a fresh hop ale. It was a middling success, but that did nothing to dampen my interest in continuing. So, try whatever sounds like fun to you. If that's an old favorite, go for it. If that's something brand new, go for it.
I agree. I am definitely going to do something I am comfy with, probly a stout. Thanks for all of the advice everyone. I look forward to brewing this weekend!
