Getting ready to buy my first recipe kits.

[Kikshaaz]

As the title states I am going to order my first kits from AHS (Today is the day for Kansas discount) I was wanting to brew a couple of clones I liked. Rogue Shakespeare Stout and Boulevard Pale Ale.
Are the any cons to this or are the ok try start with?

 

[eppo]

personally, i wouldnt start with clones, because you can just go buy them if you want them. i would just start with a beer style that you like. say you like a nice red ale, or an IPA, get a red ale kit or an IPA kit.
or try something different, there are so many different styles of beer out there.
but thats just me. do what you like.

 

[Brooklyn-Brewtality]

i would agree to not start with a clone recipe.

here's why: even the best clone recipes don't turn out perfectly, especially on your first brews. Even if you were to do everything perfectly (which you won't) and the yeast was to cooperate fully (which it won't) and the recipe was perfect (which, while I love AHS and use them pretty much exclusively, it can't be), the finished product would still probably not be the same as the commercial beer.

You are setting yourself up for failure before you have even started.
If you understand this, then by all means, those are going to be great recipes, and i don't believe are complicated beers (i.e. high OG, funny fermentation temps, etc). But if you expect to be able to compete in a blind taste test in a few weeks, you might be let down.


I usually don't like to be such a downer to new brewers, but i think there is a reason to start with ambiguous "Steve's Pale Ale" recipes on the first batch. you have never had it before, your first brew is the first you drank of this recipe. you don't know if you've messed up, cause it tastes right on as far as you know.

 

[SamuraiSquirrel]

The advantage of starting with a clone recipe is that you will have a good idea of what it should taste like. And plenty of people have brewed the AHS clones so I would be confident that while they may not be an exact clone they will be pretty representative of the beer.

If you just throw something together for your first brew, wait 4 or 5 weeks till its ready and then it sucks. It could be your recipe, could be something in your process.

Just my thought

 

[Kikshaaz]

The advantage of starting with a clone recipe is that you will have a good idea of what it should taste like. And plenty of people have brewed the AHS clones so I would be confident that while they may not be an exact clone they will be pretty representative of the beer.

If you just throw something together for your first brew, wait 4 or 5 weeks till its ready and then it sucks. It could be your recipe, could be something in your process.

Just my thought

That was kinda my thought.

 

[Kikshaaz]

i would agree to not start with a clone recipe.

here's why: even the best clone recipes don't turn out perfectly, especially on your first brews. Even if you were to do everything perfectly (which you won't) and the yeast was to cooperate fully (which it won't) and the recipe was perfect (which, while I love AHS and use them pretty much exclusively, it can't be), the finished product would still probably not be the same as the commercial beer.

You are setting yourself up for failure before you have even started.
If you understand this, then by all means, those are going to be great recipes, and i don't believe are complicated beers (i.e. high OG, funny fermentation temps, etc). But if you expect to be able to compete in a blind taste test in a few weeks, you might be let down.


I usually don't like to be such a downer to new brewers, but i think there is a reason to start with ambiguous "Steve's Pale Ale" recipes on the first batch. you have never had it before, your first brew is the first you drank of this recipe. you don't know if you've messed up, cause it tastes right on as far as you know.

Oh hell no! I don't expect to be able to brew well enough to fool anyone. Just thought I would get a handle on it if I knew what the outcome was supposed to be.
As far as the recipes I do know that rogue uses pacman yeast that likes cooler temps. And I do have a fermentation chamber set up that can hold 6 gallons of water at 46 degrees so I assume I can keep 5 gallons of fermenting beer at 60 to 65 degrees.

 

[Brooklyn-Brewtality]

Oh hell no! I don't expect to be able to brew well enough to fool anyone. Just thought I would get a handle on it if I knew what the outcome was supposed to be.
As far as the recipes I do know that rogue uses pacman yeast that likes cooler temps. And I do have a fermentation chamber set up that can hold 6 gallons of water at 46 degrees so I assume I can keep 5 gallons of fermenting beer at 60 to 65 degrees.

As long as you get it. I just have turned some people on to brewing, and they try to clone something, don't get it right, and then tell me "I guess I just can't do it well."
"Of course you can't brew a Guinness on the first try you Jack*ss!"

 

[brewhymn]

conversely, i was told you're first batch ought to be a similar to something you are familiar with so you can know what the beer you brewed is supposed to taste like (or at least have a general idea). you have all the other times to experiment, but try to see how close you got with your first go with a clone (or something similar). Although i'm not much farther along than you are... we just brewed our first batch 4 days ago... but it's going great so far! Either way you go you'll have fun and get to drink beer so i wouldn't worry about it too much.
brandon

 

[Kikshaaz]

As long as you get it. I just have turned some people on to brewing, and they try to clone something, don't get it right, and then tell me "I guess I just can't do it well."
"Of course you can't brew a Guinness on the first try you Jack*ss!"

yeah I get that. I cook also so I understand not getting the techniques down the first try.
I do thank you for the heads up on that though, I can see where some might get discouraged. I was more looking at where the recipes chosen too difficult for a noob.

The way I was looking at it was clones would let me develop better technique. Then I could move to other recipes, With eventually getting to where I bought the ingredients myself. Almost like cooking.

I had actually hoped to find someone local on here to assist with the different aspects of brewing but it appears as a no go. There is a local brew club but the last 2 meetings fell on nights I had already committed time to.Hopefully the OCT meeting I can make.

 

[Kikshaaz]

conversely, i was told you're first batch ought to be a similar to something you are familiar with so you can know what the beer you brewed is supposed to taste like (or at least have a general idea). you have all the other times to experiment, but try to see how close you got with your first go with a clone (or something similar). Although i'm not much farther along than you are... we just brewed our first batch 4 days ago... but it's going great so far! Either way you go you'll have fun and get to drink beer so i wouldn't worry about it too much.
brandon

I like the fun and drink beer part. Although I do have the task of being on call 24X7. That is actually how i learned to like so many different beers. I would scan the selection when me and the wife went out to eat and find a beer I had never had before since I was only getting 1 I wanted to try new.