Baldur

brewmeisters unite

anotherronism

Cutegrl: This is actual advice... (surprised?)

Anything you make now isn't gonna be ready until June. If you fond you don't like it your 2nd batch won't be ready until mid-to-late July.

I would so, so play it safe right now and not try any expiriments.

Go with a straight IPA or Light Brown Ale. It'll be a smashing success for your summer picnics and barbecues and parties.

But if your "fruit" experiments fail - they fail - and the season is past.

Use the fall and winter to expiriment.

(I know I'm mis-spelling expiriment but the proper spelling is just escaping me tonight )

anotherronism

Good luck - but to me that's like spreading jam on filet mignon...

It's not a problem - it's just not for me - especially with IPA. Or any bitter for that matter. I just never understood the "fruit" thing - But - I also liked to let aspirin disolve on my tongue when I was a kid and would eat green beans in the produce section at the grocery store when my friends were raiding the bulk-candy isle.

I've always liked bitter better (I like the sound of that )

cutegrl289

NP, Ron. We really like Belgian style beers that add crazy things and push the boundaries of brewing. I think we are going to try to find a clone recipe for Dogfish Head's Aprihop, a hoppy apricot IPA. It's very yummy.

anotherronism

cutegrl289: I'm sorry. We were "purists" when we brewed. We only did browns, ales, lagers and pilsners and limited out ingredients accordingly. We were not fans of fruity beers.

I did have one friend who did a pumpkin brew for halloween (heavy for summer) that was delicious.

There are SO many sites on the web. Just google homebrew. There also used to be a monthly magazine we'd pick up a copy now and then. Lots of recipes.

btw: I never, ever made the recipe I described. I'd like to one day - but it does NOT reflect my personality or lifestyle

I think, maybe, without the fruity side - a basic India Pale Ale (IPA) would be a good first try and the result, while brown, is still light and bitter enough for spirng or early summer.

But when the dog days come - you'd better have a pilsner. Let me tell you - they are hard to do. Getting that clarity and any semblence of flavor... Our most succesful batch we finally called Poinson Pilsner. It tasted like rancid peaches. We had one friend though who LOVED it and wouldn't let us throw it out.