New to Homebrewing

I'd recommend a kit the first time. That way you can spend more time learning about and concentrating on the brewing process. And if you haven't read this yet, I recommend you do...

www.howtobrew.com

 

I also recommend doing a kit first. I think it is a good idea to limit the variables especially when you are first starting out. It is easier to figure out what went wrong as the first brew is a big learning process.

 

Get a kit, and stick to the recipe exactly. I've seen too many posts about someone brewing their first batch and trying to alter it to make it better, which seems like a bad idea, and makes it harder to troubleshoot...

 

Welcome aboard Sir.

 

Unlike some other posts I do not think you have to brew a kit. If you've read plenty about homebrewing from various sources and scanned over some extract based recipes, you should have no problem coming up with an extract recipe on your own. This is what I did many years ago.

I based mine loosely on a brown ale recipe in The Complete Joy of Homebrewing. In fact of all the extract brewing I did, I only once bought a kit. What turned me off from kits is the place I bought it from did not tell me what was in the recipe (ie type of extract, specialty grains or hops) and just said when to add what and how much. It completely turned me off to kits in general. I know some places will tell you what's in their kits like Northern Brewer for example. Now I brew all grain and design all of my recipes.

 

Buying a kit and taking a well put together extract recipe to a homebrew shop are essentially the same thing, except the latter may be a little fresher and a little cheaper.

If you don't want to take the time to have your recipe critiqued/tweaked by the experienced members here, a kit is your best bet. Either way, the time you dedicate to learning/researching before hand will pay off in your final product.

 

I'd stick with a kit, then adjust it to your taste.
A tip someone told me that is often overlooked is you should taste your ingredients.
Taste that extract! Nibble on those hops! Chew those grains! Sip that wort! Don't east your yeast though!
It will help your start identifying what adds what to what....what??

 

Brewing a kit beer is a good way to start homebrewing.

I have personally not brewed this kit but I looked at the inventory sheet and it is similar to the Bitter Ale that I brew: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/british-bitter-extract-kit.html

Cheers!

 

I'd go with a kit, but if you do something pretty similar to a known recipe/kit you will probably be just fine. Keep it simple though! Steeping grains with extract (at the most complicated). Process is more important than ingredients on your first few batches. My first solo kit was steeping grains and extracts/hops, and it came out good. You can steal the procedure and edit for yourself as needed if you like. Just make sure you have a detailed procedure made and a checklist for brew day!

Your actual equipment is important on your first batch. Things I think are an absolute MUST (and aren't expensive):

wine thief
auto-siphon
bottling wand

I would go with two 6.5 gallon buckets, or a 6.5 gallon bucket for fermenting, and a carboy for bottling. Others may vary on this advice but this is what I wish I had started with.

Use Starsan for sure!

You will need a lot of ice to cool with, assuming you don't have a wort chiller for batch 1.

A bigger boil pot than you think you'll need is probably the best bet if you're buying a boil pot. You will need bigger later, and they're expensive, so investing now is a great option. I will wind up buying a bigger one sooner or later. In fact I've cut down to slightly smaller batches because of the limitations of my pot (and stove) for now.

How to brew (the book) or howtobrew.com ... definitely. Also joy of homebrewing is good, and there are plenty of resources online too.

Read a lot of threads on forums, especially newbie threads.

Post your recipe before hand if you're going with a self-starter for batch one. Listen to advice, but you'll get tons of conflicting advice, so you'll have to decide on something sooner or later. Just do it and don't question yourself after that point.

Once it's brewed, brew another before you taste your first one.

Drink a beer or two while you're brewing, but don't get too drunk! USE A CHECKLIST and write the checklist while you are sober! I cannot stress this enough! I've already f'd it up myself on several occasions (some fixable, some not so much).

Sanitization is of the utmost importance. Just make sure everything that touches your post boil wort in any way has been thoroughly covered in starsan. If it's still got foam on it, don't worry about that, DON'T FEAR THE FOAM. Make the starsan solution according to the directions.

Use a simple yeast and rehydrate simply or even just pitch direct if you're too overwhelmed on your first batch. I pitched direct and the beer came out fine. I built up my skills over time, and will continue building them for years to come. You can't learn and do everything in one day, so pick your battles and don't try to do it all at once.

Temperatures are important. Try to keep them pretty close, especially when pitching yeast and fermenting. Go with too cool over too hot if you're not sure. Don't freeze the stuff but definitely don't pitch at 85F then throw it in a 78F closet or you'll be disappointed. Think mid sixties if you can.

Don't worry too much about water, but beware: chloramine in water will make your beer come out tasting like band aids. Consider using bottled spring water if you are not sure what they use to keep your local water drinkable. I found this out the hard way when I was doing mr beer kits. Now I use bottled spring water and my beers have been quite tasty. Do not worry about the rest of your water profile.

Liquid or dry extracts work fine. Or even both. My first solo batch was a kit and contained both.

Hops cover up flaws. It's quite a useful fact in your first few batches. It's a flat out fact that my hoppy beers have generally tasted better than my non-hoppy beers. I'm getting better, but hops still do tend to cover up minor imperfections. Consider a hoppy beer for your first effort or two*.

*not an imperial IPA, mind you, just something with enough hops to make it hoppy and tangy. An American IPA, pale ale, or slightly hoppy red might make a good choice. My 4th batch was a hoppy red and I was very pleased. I made that recipe myself, and my procedures had improved by then.

I think you will probably be impatient with your first batch, so I'd suggest trying the 5oz corn sugar carbonation packets that are typically available (for use with 5 or 5.5 gallon batches). Now you can go from boil to bottle in two weeks, and then another week or two to drinking a beer without issue. It may not be optimal, but it can work, and you'll be anxious at first. The good thing is that you'll have plenty of live yeast to eat the sugar after you bottle too. Just beware that you can overcarbonate if you use this much sugar and they hang around a long time. Hopefully your first batch will be so good you'll drink it right up.

Also, skip secondary fermentations for now.

Anyway, some may debate some of my ramblings here, but this is what I'm posting, so make of it what you will.

cheers!

al

 

This is all based on ordering ingredients online. I have found that you will save a significant amount of money by buying a kit. If you buy the ingredients for one beer at a time it will be expensive. You have to buy malt in bulk if you want to make your own recipes and keep it cheap. Your first few batches is really about learning the process. Your first beer is probably not going to be the best one you brew so keep it simple. I made a lot of mistakes my first batch and was dejected by the end of the day. But I did consentrate on the cleaning and sanitation. In the end everything turned out well. Each batch I have made since then has gotten easier and better. Good luck and have fun with it.

 

The best thing you can do when starting out is learning the process. Brew something you already have a good idea of what it will taste like so its easier to pick out off flavors and determine what you can improve on for the next batch.

 

Good god Al! He asked if he could make his own recipe or should get a kit for his first brew! Now what the hell are you going to answer for his 2nd question??
Seriously, don't over-answer. Many of the things that you suggest are good, but many others are not. He's just starting. Keep it simple.

 

I also recomend a kit for your first. I also recomend John Palmers book. I still use it for reference. Also some of his recipes are quite good! ( I have only brewed 2. They might all be good. )

 

I'm relatively new to home brewing as well. I found a local homebrew shop where the owner is quite helpful (Big Dan's Brewshed). He has given me some great recipes based on malt extract. You will pay a bit more but it is great to be able to contact someone who knows what they are doing when you need some advice. The only advice I can give you is that the brewing process is going to take longer than you think and buy a lot of ice if you don't have a wort chiller (my next purchase).

 

You can start with the basic all-grain kit something like this you just need to chose the grain mix. on the second brewing you can create your own recipes. the good part of this kit is the physical size and the simplicity of the process.
Welcome

 

Hey, I threw in the clarifier that I might be full of shit... and you know I like to ramble on.......................

I don't apologize. Not to you, not ever!