Ask A Homebrewer: What Kind of Beer Should I Make?

Hi, B-Fiddy:

I am about to start my first batch of beer and I'm not sure how to start? I mean, i'm about to get the supplies and I don't know what kind of beer to make that would be easy and of course taste good! HELP!!!!!!!

-- Brian

Hola, Brian:

Good question! A lot goes into creating a beer, not just personal preference, but environment, too. The part of your question that stands out the most to this homebrewer is that you're looking for something "easy." For beginners, that boils down brewing from a kit. Nothing easier in homebrewing than ***sanitizing first***, pouring water, popping a can of extract, cooking, cooling, dumping in yeast, and waiting for the brew to do that voodoo it do.

GETTING STARTED
So, start with a kit that doesn't have any grains to boil. Just a kit with a can of hopped extract and a packet, vial, or pouch of yeast will get you rolling. Follow the instructions that are included with the kit, or come back to me and I'll walk you through it.

BREW THE RIGHT BEER FOR YOUR LOCAL AMBIENT TEMPERATURES
Next, and this may be a commonly overlooked variable, is selecting a style that will work with your surroundings. Assuming that, for you, any brew will do, you should be aware of the temperature at which you'll be settling your yeast to work at all the fermentable sugars in your future beer.

• LAGERS: Lager yeasts are great for lower temperatures. We'll say environments between 45 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit will do the trick for the first part of brewing. When it's time to bottle or put your batch through secondary fermentation, regular refrigerator temperatures will do. That is, being at around 33 degrees Fahrenheit will help your lager develop its best flavors over the next 2-3 months.
• ALES: Ale yeasts are much more forgiving than lagers and can be brewed in more homes without the use of advanced cooling/heating equipment all year 'round. There's a wide variety of yeasts that are classified as "ale yeast" and just as wide is the range at which these yeasts will operate. You have a range, depending on the strain of yeast, from around 60 degrees to about 85 degrees Fahrenheit. The upper edge of 75 degrees to 85 degrees includes many Belgian, Farmhouse, or other "wild" beers with their odd sweet-sour-fruity flavors.

Visit White Labs' Yeast Search to check out the details on the varieties of yeasts out there and match it to the average ambient temperature in your garage, cooler, refrigerator, pantry, or hall closet where you'll be fermenting your brew.

Well, Brian, I think that's about it! First, limit your searches for brew kits to any that don't require you to boil grains or hops for the EASIEST method of brewing. Second, think about where you live and where the brew will ultimately be made. You can then narrow down your search to a style that would suit your brewspace, whether it be indoors, outdoors, in cool temperatures, or in the sweltering heat of South Florida. Whatever you do, whatever you brew, keep it clean and you should be successful.

Regards,

Brent "B-Fiddy" Fedor
AskAHomebrewer@gmail.com