Okay so I am drinking my first homebrew

[hungoveraviator]

It's moderately average. It was the Block Party Amber Ale that came with my kit. I don't have a ton of hope for my second either that is fermenting right now. It was the Chinook IPA Extract kit from Northern Brewer. I like IPAs, but they need to taste like a ****ing pine tree. Literally.

So for the point of the post, I'm doing a Stout or Porter next. Actually, I'd do a Maibock, if I could reproduce this ****ing amazing beer that I had at a German bar in Des Moines. So what should I go for next? It's up to yall to find me something or give me a recipe

 

[Kharnynb]

that depends a lot on what kind of gear you have, extract only, extract with specialty grains, can you do BIAB or other full grain?

 

[hungoveraviator]

that depends a lot on what kind of gear you have, extract only, extract with specialty grains, can you do BIAB or other full grain?

I have the NB essentials kit plus a thermometer since they thought a cheap 3 dollar thermometer wasn't essential for my first brew. More items are attainable for the next beer if it yields good results

 

[Kharnynb]

okay, you are limited by your kettle then, as it seems your kit has no kettle included.

That means extract or extract with specialty grain is your current limit.

Stout or porter means you have to age the beer a bit, as you are still in the early stages of brewing, you won't have anything to drink for 2-3 months then, same goes for maibock, but even more so as lager takes much longer to ferment and finish.

At this point, IPA or APA has a good fast turn-around and can make great beers, if you have a kettle of 4-5 gallons, you can easily do extract batches with your own hops and specialty grains. otherwise you will be limited to kits for now.

 

[Kharnynb]

ps, if you want to go to all grain, for example brew in a bag style, you will eventually need a 10 gallon kettle and a good burner or electric heater.

 

[hungoveraviator]

okay, you are limited by your kettle then, as it seems your kit has no kettle included.

That means extract or extract with specialty grain is your current limit.

Stout or porter means you have to age the beer a bit, as you are still in the early stages of brewing, you won't have anything to drink for 2-3 months then, same goes for maibock, but even more so as lager takes much longer to ferment and finish.

At this point, IPA or APA has a good fast turn-around and can make great beers, if you have a kettle of 4-5 gallons, you can easily do extract batches with your own hops and specialty grains. otherwise you will be limited to kits for now.

How much capital do I need to go to the next level, or an IPA that has a higher abv and hoppiness?

 

[FirstAidBrewing]

You just need a boil kettle to get going. A 3 gallon steel pot will do the trick in the beginning, although a 5 gallon pot will reduce risk of boil overs. Should be easy to find at any kitchen store and won't break the bank.

ABV and hoppiness are not dependent on your equipment, you just need a good recipe.

I suggest you acquire said pot and look on the database here for some extract recipes.

 

[hungoveraviator]

You just need a boil kettle to get going. A 3 gallon steel pot will do the trick in the beginning, although a 5 gallon pot will reduce risk of boil overs. Should be easy to find at any kitchen store and won't break the bank.

ABV and hoppiness are not dependent on your equipment, you just need a good recipe.

I suggest you acquire said pot and look on the database here for some extract recipes.

Okay, so I said in wrong, here's what I started with http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/beer-equipment-starter-kits/brew-share-enjoy-homebrew-starter-kit

 

[FirstAidBrewing]

Problem solved then. As stated before, your options are extract, extract with specialty grains and a small partial mash batch, but if you're just starting, I'd stick with the first two.

Just find some recipes here. You said you may want to do a stout; ChesireCat's chocolate stout is phenomenal and I believe it is extract with special grains. Why not give that a go?

 

[PADave]

First invest in the book "How To Brew" by John Palmer. I think you can even read it free online if you want. Pretty much everything you need to know is in there.

 

[uphillbrewer]

First invest in the book "How To Brew" by John Palmer. I think you can even read it free online if you want. Pretty much everything you need to know is in there.

+1. Great information.

 

[Moose_MI]

It may not sound exciting but you may want to think about doing that amber again. It's hard to know if you're making good adjustments to your process when your jumping from style to style IMHO
Ambers and IPAs tend to be great starter styles because they are somewhat forgiving. For pine IPA use chinook, northern Brewer, Simcoe. If you want a great Amber extract recipe try the "house Amber" in the recipe section of this forum. Lastly, I would forget about trying to reproduce any beer that you've ever had anywhere. Again, just my opinion but at this point just be proud drinking beer you made. Cheers!

 

[Kampenken]

For a quick turnaround brew, search here for Biermuncher's centennial blonde. I think in that recipe thread it's converted to extract if you search. Quick,tasty,simple. Then brew a stout or porter. Enjoy!

 

[CamG]

As for the IPA you have going, If you want to make it taste like a pine tree try dry hopping it.
Dry hopping is a fun way to play around with a beer kit to make it your own style and adds to the learning experience.

I did a quick search apparently a good pine tree hop is Southern Cross.
I can't say as I have never used it.

Good luck
Cam

 

[Kharnynb]

you have everything to do either partial mash brew in a bag:
version1
version2

or just do extract with steeping or your own hops. Extract is good to do even without going for kits, just go to the recipe page up here, pick the beer type you want, sort by star rating and look on the left for extract brews.

 

[andy6026]

This is my go to guide for recipes. Almost all of them are listed as All-Grain recipes, but if you find one you like the good people here can very easily convert it to extract for you. It's award winning homebrew recipes of for the past 10 years or so categorized by style:

http://www.alternativecommutepueblo.com/2011/10/ahanhc-gold-medal-winning-recipes-for.html