Well, time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin' into the future and that means the home brewing is coming up fast. I'm about ready to start getting a few items I'm going to need in preparation for this wondrous event, but the hardest thing is going to be determining what my first brew should be. So I need your help.
First, my preferences. I like dark beer. The Warsteiner Dunkel I've got in the fridge is fabulous. I also like stouts like Guinness but I want to brew something palatable by most beer drinkers and I know not everyone is as big of a stout lover as I am. Reds are good too and I love IPA, but I'd like to try something a bit more on the dark side for my first. I want something that many people will enjoy since my first batch will be like most of my others - given away because I'm not that heavy of a drinker.
Second, I'm a brewing virgin. This has to be an extract brew as I don't have the equipment to do a full mash... yet. And I'd like the initial brew to be fairly standard so that I get a feel for the process without tossing in some oddity like "Thirty minutes into the boil add the bee pollen. When the pollen congeals, scrape off of the top with a spoon and add 2 lbs. of malted milk balls that have been soaked in cheap vodka".
Third, I'm fairly impatient. I don't want to brew something that truly requires 18 months to 'finish' in the bottle. I'd like something that can be brewed, fermented, and ready to be consumed within 6 weeks. I;m bottling so storage is a limited thing.
Finally, I'll need a name for my batch. I'm a computer geek, a photographer, an out of practice musician, and a daddy. Something relevant to my way of life.
So, if any other home brewers out there have any good recipes or suggestions, I'm all ears.
Thanks!