Hi. I have a question. I have been making wine for about 10 years or so and
I am thinking of getting into making beer as well. Like wine, I want to
start with a kit for the first couple of times then move up to the next rung
on the ladder. I have been drinking Bud for years but I am getting tired of
the bitterness and the lack of body and flavor. That is why I want to get
into making my own. My question is, What style of beer would you recommend?
I want less bitter and more body and flavor.

maybe a stout. usually come out creamy and coffee like or chocolaty. I've
never thought bud was bitter though, I find it rather bland myself. A hefe
is nice and light also, not alot of bitters and has a clove/bananna
overtone.

Gerard

On Fri, 7 Jul 2006 21:24:48 -0500, "Walter Venables" <wvenables@charter.net>
wrote:


That's the sort of question you'll get 10 people responding to, with 30
different answers.

Personally, I like a Porter.

This might help. http://www.ratebeer.com/StyleGuide.asp

Phil
--
To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems.
Homer J. Simpson

Walter Venables <wvenables@charter.net> wrote:


That's a reasonable strategy.


The good news is "more body and more flavor" can be readily found.
The bad news is Bud is very low on the bitterness scale. Perhaps
it's the dryness that you're tasting.

Personally I recommend a Porter. My reason I love the malty aroma
and the malty taste of a Porter. To see if you like it, buy a
bottle or two. Samuel Smith Taddy Porter, Fuller's London Porter,
and Bell's Porter are the ones I see in stores most often.

If you want to start as simple as possible, buy a Coopers kit.
These are no boil beers because the hops are already in the LME
(liquid malt extract) and add DME (dried malt extract) instead
of sugar.

Since I don't believe Coopers has a Porter kit, I'd suggest
their IPA (India Pale Ale), Australian Pale Ale, Dark Ale, or
Wheat Beer. It is easy to fall in love with an IPA! If you
want to taste a great IPA, buy some Dogfish 60 minute IPA. The
90 minute IPA is even better.

Dick

I would suggest an English Pale Ale for a start. It's what the most
people have liked from my first 10 batches. I used the Brewer's Best
kit for my first batch (Classic English Pale Ale).


--
BierNewbie
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Walter Venables wrote:

You should try some better beer before you make five gallons of
something you won't want. I don't know where you live, but you should
be able to find someplace nearby with some strange stuff you've never
heard of before. Talk to the staff to try to probe something out; pick
up randomly if they're no help.

I imagine that won't work so well if you live in an area that is in or
near a dry area, or a former dry area. They tend not to get too exotic...

On Fri, 7 Jul 2006 21:24:48 -0500, <wvenables@charter.net> wrote:

Everyone has their own taste preferences, but IMO, you're going to have a
hard time finding any homebrew less bitter than bud. IMO, Bud has almost
no bitterness at all. On the other hand, just about anything you brew will
have more body/flavor than Bud.

I like to recommend darker styles for someone's first attempt because they
are more forgiving. However, if you've never had a beer like that before
it may not be a good idea. Maybe go out and by commercial examples of a
stout or porter and see what you think. If you like them, they would make
good candidates for your first homebrew.


John.

"Walter Venables" <wvenables@charter.net> wrote in message
news:fIErg.72$86.5@fe02.lga...

Budweiser is IMHO a bland watery gassy pitiful silhouette of a beer.
Most American beers are of the same ilk.

I came to that opinion in very short order.


Your own palate should tell you that answer.

Go out and taste as many different beers as you can, and take notes.

There are some honourable exceptions to the American norm: google for
American microbreweries and try to get hold of their product.

Go forth, do the research, and weep at the years wasted drinking cold fizzy
gnat's piss.

You may find that if you are drinking a beer with more body and residual
sweetness, then the bitterness actually comes across as a nice balance.

A number of people have listed various styles for you to try and they are
all good recommendations.

Please try a bunch of microbrewery beers too, in any style. They tend to be
more flavorful than the big brewery offerings.

My other suggestion is for you to try a Canadian style golden ale:

6.5 lbs extra-light DRY malt extract powder
hop to 28 IBU with a European hop like Tettnanger or Hallertau
water to 23 liters (6 US gallons)
boil 1 hour, and in the last 5 minutes add 1/4 oz of the above hops
force cool and add a yeast appropriate to the style.

.... and your homework for tonight is to find out what IBU means and how to
calculate it!

Good luck!


"Walter Venables" <wvenables@charter.net> wrote in message
news:fIErg.72$86.5@fe02.lga...

I suggest doing a search for beer festivals and trying some micro-brewery
styles. A good one comes to mind in Madison, WI. "The Great Taste of the
Midwest" on Aug 12 2006. It has 105 breweries bringing at least 4 different
styles of homebrews ea. Roughly 500 different beers will be available to
taste. These tickets go on sale on May 1 each year and sell out the same
night. To get tickets now, you'll have to find them on Ebay. Check out the
Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild website. www.mhtg.org

Brian

"Walter Venables" <wvenables@charter.net> wrote in message
news:fIErg.72$86.5@fe02.lga...