You are an inspiration. Sometimes we get set on the next great challenge rather than brewing something we've done before and is straight forward. I'm thinking I'll be brewing some of these suggestions soon. Thanks for the awesome content.
Great video and came at a great time. Have some friends that are getting into the hobby but kept picking super complex beer styles that they wanted to try. Sent them this video after telling them they should start with something simple. Cheers!
I'm about to the stage where I'm going to move from ingredient kits and this gives me some great things to play with while I develop more skills and experience. Cheers!
Australian Sparkling Ale is another easy style to try. The ingredients involved are basic, and if you have a bottleshop you can get Coopers Ale's from then you have immediate access to the yeast used in the only commercial examples of the style, as they're bottle conditioned real ales. Plus if you're a kit brewer then Coopers themselves happen to offer a couple of different kit versions of Australian Sparkling in the extensive kit line.
A style that most people overlook being easy like saisons is brett sours(or not so sour). If you pitch a good yeast or blend anything goes. Different grains and hops, lots or no hops, fruit, the microbes take care of it all. They keep better than regular beers and get better with age. If oxygen seeps in your fermenter they can protect themselves by forming a pellicle. You can just perpetually add wort to reuse the yeast cake.
Excellent video, Steve. With links for each style that you provided it’s a great starter guide. I see a lot of recipes that make me wary since there are so many steps like decoctions and step mashing, dry hopping etc. My first brew was a American Pale Ale and it got me hooked. Many thanks!
Great video! In the German category, I though a kolsch would have made the list. They seem to be easy to make. I’m looking to try brewing one this Summer.
Good to keep in mind that whirlpool additions, sometimes, are just as good as a dry-hopping. Specially when you totally avoid the chance of oxidation that occurs when you open the fermentor to dry hop
Hey man great post but I have a question. You say that these are simple brews and the Hefeweizen is supposed to be an easy starter brew but the link you posted says its a step mash, new to brewing with grains and I thought a step mash was something for more than just a beginner. Is the link to the Hefeweizen an easy one to start with or would you recommend a different Brew?
Great list! Just found your channel as well as Trent's. Trappist ales are among my favs as well! Especially Rochefort! Been wanting to give home brewing a shot for many years, but never did for all the typical life reasons. Anyway, I'm hoping to take the plunge in the near future as I learn as much as possible now. Been researching fermenting mainly because of how important it is to get it right. Just not sure if I'm going to go the equipment kit route or get all the tools individually, the main reason being that large mouth carboys with spigots and 8-gallon brew kettles don't come with the cheaper kits. Any suggestions? I'm actually not interested in doing 5-gallon batches every time necessarily, but instead 2-3 gallon ones. One because I'd hate to waste 5 gallons of ingredients if something goes wrong, and second I typically drink only 1 or 2 per day. I don't know. Just my thoughts. Perhaps one of the less expensive equipment kits would suffice, and then just get the carboy separately, and a kettle if it doesn't come with one. Shoot me a reply if you have a chance. Cheers! Jim 🍻
Love your channel. Been brewing about 2 months. Good success at Vienna Lager, Marzen. Absolute, complete and total failure at Hefeweizen. Smelled like vomit.
If I ferment under pressure, is it going to give me a better beer if I get the temperature under control even though it's only two to three degrees out?
@Leroy Gross gotcha, if you can control the temperature of the beer the results are pretty much always going to be better, although pressure can help mitigate those issues. 2 or 3 degrees is nothing to really be concerned about though
Not rice, but rice hulls. They don't add any fermentables but allow for the wort to still drain from the mash without getting clogged. 1 lb is enough for a 5 gallon batch
I haven’t brewed every style out there, but in my experience NE Hazy IPAs can be tricky. They usually require a high original gravity while using a ton of high protein adjuncts. So before you even get to all the hop additions you might not get the right yield from your mash. They also require whirlpool and dry hop additions which are more work and less straightforward compared to additions during the boil. Lastly, if you are bottling there’s a lot of opportunity for the beer to oxidize which causes off flavors. Other beer styles with less hops don’t suffer as much from oxidation. Some other styles I would assume are tricky but haven’t don’t yet are stouts, sours, and barley wines
I was surprised that given the flaws that malt forward beers can hide, I'm a bit surprised you didn't list an American or British Porter or a basic Stout. I don't disagree with your suggestions, just surprised.
The main reason I didn't include those is that sometimes the dark and roasted grains can cause overly acidic beer at the end of the process. The idea here was that someone could brew these easily without worrying about water chem
It really depends on the yeast you use, in my experience. I've made amazing pale lagers without any sort of care or effort to fermentation and they turn out fine. I think lagers seem more intimidating that they really are.
I'm Lagering a beer now. Really not that difficult. As far as not having anywhere for mistakes to hide. Maybe don't start off with a light pilsner if you're worried.
@@TheApartmentBrewer If you want bananas and not clove what do you do? You think just pitching yeast is enough? Is about the method, you cannot obtain a Schneiderr Weisse like beer by just making a single temp mash and pitching yeast, sure, technically will be a weisse but a mediocre one. I agree with the rest of the info though, good video!
The Fermentation temperature argument can be made for any of these beers, but if you want banana its just a higher ferm temp, which is easier for most people getting into brewing. Nobody is going to make a perfect brew on their first few tries, why discourage them from trying out a beer like this? And if they want banana, , imperial bonanza gives you the option to make a hefe without V4G. It's 2023 and it keeps getting easier.
@@TheApartmentBrewer No, is not just higher temp. a certain sugar in a certain type of malts help increase banana too. Not everybody has acces to Imperial Yeast. I guess you know that the best Heffe are fermented semiopen or open! Good heffe yeast hates pressure!
I always grin when I see this videos and articles refer to Hefeweizen as “easy”. It’s possibly my favourite of any style but I see it as impossible brew. I understand why Hefeweizen is said to be easy (high phenols and esters which can mask some typical beginner off flavours and process flaws), but to get a beer that goes anywhere near a true Bavarian Hefe is so hard. Anything in the ballpark of Schneider, Ayinger, Weinstephaner or Paulaner is hard. I have brewed for many years - this style is so frustrating I have given up. It always falls short. I have tried everything from 1000 different fermentation temp profiles, ferulic acid rests, decoction, open vessel fermentation, every liquid and dry yeast available, oxygen (no oxygen) 50/50 wheat to Pils malt/ 70/30 and 60/40. I still end up buying my Hefeweizen. If there are first time brewers nailing Bavarian style hefeweizens I would cry. I might one day give it another go.
You are an inspiration. Sometimes we get set on the next great challenge rather than brewing something we've done before and is straight forward. I'm thinking I'll be brewing some of these suggestions soon. Thanks for the awesome content.
I really appreciate the kind words!
I would add a cream ale to this list - super simple and super tasty! Cream of Three Crops
That's a good one!
The time and effort you put into these videos is much appreciated! Cheers!
I appreciate that!
Great video and came at a great time. Have some friends that are getting into the hobby but kept picking super complex beer styles that they wanted to try. Sent them this video after telling them they should start with something simple.
Cheers!
That is awesome! I hope it helps them out!
I'm about to the stage where I'm going to move from ingredient kits and this gives me some great things to play with while I develop more skills and experience. Cheers!
Australian Sparkling Ale is another easy style to try. The ingredients involved are basic, and if you have a bottleshop you can get Coopers Ale's from then you have immediate access to the yeast used in the only commercial examples of the style, as they're bottle conditioned real ales. Plus if you're a kit brewer then Coopers themselves happen to offer a couple of different kit versions of Australian Sparkling in the extensive kit line.
A style that most people overlook being easy like saisons is brett sours(or not so sour). If you pitch a good yeast or blend anything goes. Different grains and hops, lots or no hops, fruit, the microbes take care of it all. They keep better than regular beers and get better with age. If oxygen seeps in your fermenter they can protect themselves by forming a pellicle. You can just perpetually add wort to reuse the yeast cake.
Excellent video, Steve. With links for each style that you provided it’s a great starter guide. I see a lot of recipes that make me wary since there are so many steps like decoctions and step mashing, dry hopping etc. My first brew was a American Pale Ale and it got me hooked. Many thanks!
Exactly the idea! Glad you enjoyed it!
Great content and suggestions. I started out with a Northern Brewer Irish red ale 1 Gallon kit about 9 years ago and haven't looked back.
Same here! That was my first brewing experience as well!
@@TheApartmentBrewer I knew I liked this guy.
Great video concept! Would have loved to see this when I first got started. Good variety of recommendations too.
Glad it was helpful!
I liked your selections. I started out with an American Raspberry Wheat.
Great one!
Great video. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
Great video! In the German category, I though a kolsch would have made the list. They seem to be easy to make. I’m looking to try brewing one this Summer.
Kolsch is a good starter German ale as well!
@@TheApartmentBrewer Irish red ales here in Ireland tend to be very unhoppy
@@TheApartmentBrewer How hard is an “Irish dry stout”?
Good to keep in mind that whirlpool additions, sometimes, are just as good as a dry-hopping. Specially when you totally avoid the chance of oxidation that occurs when you open the fermentor to dry hop
Great thing to point out!
That's an ERDINGER Heffeweizen right? Loved that glass.
Weihenstephan! But very similar design, and great beer as well!
Hey man great post but I have a question.
You say that these are simple brews and the Hefeweizen is supposed to be an easy starter brew but the link you posted says its a step mash, new to brewing with grains and I thought a step mash was something for more than just a beginner.
Is the link to the Hefeweizen an easy one to start with or would you recommend a different Brew?
Great list! Just found your channel as well as Trent's. Trappist ales are among my favs as well! Especially Rochefort! Been wanting to give home brewing a shot for many years, but never did for all the typical life reasons. Anyway, I'm hoping to take the plunge in the near future as I learn as much as possible now. Been researching fermenting mainly because of how important it is to get it right. Just not sure if I'm going to go the equipment kit route or get all the tools individually, the main reason being that large mouth carboys with spigots and 8-gallon brew kettles don't come with the cheaper kits. Any suggestions? I'm actually not interested in doing 5-gallon batches every time necessarily, but instead 2-3 gallon ones. One because I'd hate to waste 5 gallons of ingredients if something goes wrong, and second I typically drink only 1 or 2 per day. I don't know. Just my thoughts. Perhaps one of the less expensive equipment kits would suffice, and then just get the carboy separately, and a kettle if it doesn't come with one. Shoot me a reply if you have a chance. Cheers! Jim 🍻
I actually did 3 gallon batches for a while because I too didn't want to have that much beer sitting around. It's a totally viable option.
Really a great video! Should a 5 gal garage brewer,be able to make all of these?
Yes you can!
Great list!! Now I’m thirsty!!!! Cheers!
That's my goal! Cheers Brian!
Love your channel. Been brewing about 2 months. Good success at Vienna Lager, Marzen. Absolute, complete and total failure at Hefeweizen. Smelled like vomit.
Happy New Year Baby Braj! Did u ever brew a “easy IPA” ?? Looking to do a 20G batch to build up reserves for upcoming parties.
Not yet but that's a good idea!
I think Stouts are very beginner friendly as well. Sweet stouts are my favorite 🤤
They can be, depending on your source water. It's easy to have too low of a mash pH though with all the roasted grains which can lead to a sharp bite
If I ferment under pressure, is it going to give me a better beer if I get the temperature under control even though it's only two to three degrees out?
I'm not sure I understand the question - are you asking if you can ferment under pressure outside?
No. Indoor but with no temperature control and under pressure
@Leroy Gross gotcha, if you can control the temperature of the beer the results are pretty much always going to be better, although pressure can help mitigate those issues. 2 or 3 degrees is nothing to really be concerned about though
Great. Thanks
You're welcome!
+1 to making an altbier! I wish I could find better versions around here.
I need to make another!
@@TheApartmentBrewer Would you aim for a Duesseldorf style or a sticke alt?
Probably Dusseldorf since that's what I know
@@TheApartmentBrewer Can't wait to see it. Cheers!
do you have a delicious American Pale Ale recipe?
I think this one is my current favorite: ua-cam.com/video/P1OzsgbbX7g/v-deo.html
My first creation was a mango seltzer and it was awful! Moral of the story is stay motivated and don’t give up👍👍👍
Exactly!
Altbier is the best beer :D
Why rice in the hefes? at what %
Not rice, but rice hulls. They don't add any fermentables but allow for the wort to still drain from the mash without getting clogged. 1 lb is enough for a 5 gallon batch
Vienna Lager is from Austria 😉
Fair enough!
Austrians are Germans.
What is the most difficult beer to brew?
I haven’t brewed every style out there, but in my experience NE Hazy IPAs can be tricky. They usually require a high original gravity while using a ton of high protein adjuncts. So before you even get to all the hop additions you might not get the right yield from your mash. They also require whirlpool and dry hop additions which are more work and less straightforward compared to additions during the boil. Lastly, if you are bottling there’s a lot of opportunity for the beer to oxidize which causes off flavors. Other beer styles with less hops don’t suffer as much from oxidation.
Some other styles I would assume are tricky but haven’t don’t yet are stouts, sours, and barley wines
I was surprised that given the flaws that malt forward beers can hide, I'm a bit surprised you didn't list an American or British Porter or a basic Stout. I don't disagree with your suggestions, just surprised.
The main reason I didn't include those is that sometimes the dark and roasted grains can cause overly acidic beer at the end of the process. The idea here was that someone could brew these easily without worrying about water chem
😎👍🏻👍🏻🍺🍺
Cheers Tom!!
I have to disagree with lagers being one of the easiest to brew. Any mistakes stand out as there is nowhere to hide.
Depends on the lager I think. A maltier one such as the Vienna Lager I mentioned makes it much more forgiving than most.
It really depends on the yeast you use, in my experience. I've made amazing pale lagers without any sort of care or effort to fermentation and they turn out fine. I think lagers seem more intimidating that they really are.
I'm Lagering a beer now. Really not that difficult. As far as not having anywhere for mistakes to hide. Maybe don't start off with a light pilsner if you're worried.
@@TheApartmentBrewerDry single stout takes a lot of skill
Heffe easy to make?!?! LOL
What do you find so difficult about it?
@@TheApartmentBrewer If you want bananas and not clove what do you do? You think just pitching yeast is enough? Is about the method, you cannot obtain a Schneiderr Weisse like beer by just making a single temp mash and pitching yeast, sure, technically will be a weisse but a mediocre one. I agree with the rest of the info though, good video!
The Fermentation temperature argument can be made for any of these beers, but if you want banana its just a higher ferm temp, which is easier for most people getting into brewing. Nobody is going to make a perfect brew on their first few tries, why discourage them from trying out a beer like this? And if they want banana, , imperial bonanza gives you the option to make a hefe without V4G. It's 2023 and it keeps getting easier.
@@TheApartmentBrewer No, is not just higher temp. a certain sugar in a certain type of malts help increase banana too. Not everybody has acces to Imperial Yeast. I guess you know that the best Heffe are fermented semiopen or open! Good heffe yeast hates pressure!
I always grin when I see this videos and articles refer to Hefeweizen as “easy”. It’s possibly my favourite of any style but I see it as impossible brew.
I understand why Hefeweizen is said to be easy (high phenols and esters which can mask some typical beginner off flavours and process flaws), but to get a beer that goes anywhere near a true Bavarian Hefe is so hard.
Anything in the ballpark of Schneider, Ayinger, Weinstephaner or Paulaner is hard.
I have brewed for many years - this style is so frustrating I have given up. It always falls short.
I have tried everything from 1000 different fermentation temp profiles, ferulic acid rests, decoction, open vessel fermentation, every liquid and dry yeast available, oxygen (no oxygen) 50/50 wheat to Pils malt/ 70/30 and 60/40.
I still end up buying my Hefeweizen.
If there are first time brewers nailing Bavarian style hefeweizens I would cry.
I might one day give it another go.