I've brewed about a dozen or so batches so far. Some good, some poor, some outstanding. My last batch turned out very dark, but was not too heavy on the finish. The batch before that was my volcanic ale- pop the cap, take a sip, and then the foam would start and not stop. Kinda nice when we gave a bottle to my neighbors' girlfriend, but I digress.
I started out with a second hand Mr Beer kit that was regifted to me. After it sat for several months, I decided to get some fresh yeast and give it a try. Their mixes are mostly all extracts, which makes things easy, and still allows you to experiment a bit. I finally did really good with their spiced lemon wheat beer recipe. I was able to be consistant for 2 batches in a row.
It was nice that the Mr Beer set up was for a 2 1/2 gallon batch. That way if it really sucked, you didn't have that much to get rid of. A co-worker gave me a brewing kit he recieved as a gift. This time it was a pair of 5 gallon buckets and ALL the gadgets- hydrometer, thermometer, racking cane, spoons, funnels, etc...
My best beers so far have been a combination of whole grains and extracts. Be sure to cut no corners on sanitation. The little bottle washer attachment for the kitchen sink is great. Take notes on what you do so you can go back and see what works well. And finally, make friends with your local brew supply store. The guy at Hoptech(good website
www.hoptech.com), here in Dublin, told me to use carbonation drops after I told him the story of my volcanic ale. A single drop in each bottle and I ended up with perfect carbonation this last time. Although it was less fun to watch the neighbors' girlfriend...
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