What was your first Home Brew?

Back in 1963 homebrewing was legalised without the need for a licence which was all very well but there wasn't any source of brewing ingredients available to the general public. Quite soon however kits began to appear using powdered malt extract,leaf hops and dried yeast all of onknown type or origin. But we brewed acceptable beer from them (when you're in your teens you don't bother too much about what you drink!) We fermented in an earthenware pippin rescued from the kitchen. Later on homebrewing kits became big business , mostly using pre-hopped malt extract.I went all grain in the late 70s using Maris Otter from a local maltster,hops from a LHBS and yeast from Guinness dregs.

 

Pale malt and Guinness yeast. You must have awoken sweating in the middle of the night, agonizing over whether to call this ale or beer.

 

My first home brew was a better brew extract Steam clone. I brewed it with a friend and he bottled it since I was out of town. He drank the first one and called me and said "It's kind of like Budweiser" I was distraught. I finally tried one and came to the conclusion that my friend was either an idiot or he had never drank a Budweiser. It was pretty good. I pulled one out when it turned a year old and it was VERY good.

My first all grain was a Rye IPA which turned out to be very popular and is one of my go to beers now.

 

Mr Beer's West Coast Pale Ale kit.

 

Guinness yeast from the old bottle conditioned variety was pretty good.
As for stout and ales we never bothered to think about things like that! Of course every pub had a sign offering "Ales and Stouts" (many still do) but as far as we were concerned the distinction was between ordinary beer and Guinness.Or occasionally Mackeson.

 

Mr. Beer West Coast Pale Ale - tasted like water but started my journey.
Just bottled my huge RIS last night =)
Got a holiday saison about ready to bottle, and brewing a nice IPA this weekend.