Which Northern Brewer extract kit should I start with?

[cosine]

I've narrowed down the choices which look interesting to me to:

EPA
http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/recipe-kits/extract-kits/extract-ale-kits/extra-pale-ale-extract-kit.html

Sierra Madre Pale Ale
http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/recipe-kits/extract-kits/extract-ale-kits/sierra-madre-pale-ale-extract-kit.html

Chinook IPA
http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/recipe-kits/extract-kits/extract-ale-kits/chinook-ipa-extract-kit.html

Nut Brown Ale
http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/recipe-kits/extract-kits/extract-ale-kits/nut-brown-ale-extract-kit.html

Cream Ale
http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/recipe-kits/extract-kits/extract-ale-kits/cream-ale-extract-kit.html

I like pale ales, can you tell? 

This is going to be my first time brewing, so would any of those kits be difficult or require a little bit of experience, or are any of those beer styles almost foolproof? I'd like to get something drinkable when I'm all done. Ideas? (feel free to recommend a different extract kit or beer variety if you think there's a better kit or style to start with.)

[MillCreek]

All of these kits are pretty foolproof, so go with the style of beer that you like.  As a hophead, I would go for the IPA.

[zxcvbob]

I like Chinook hops and I like IPA, so I'd probably go with that one -- although I might substitute Coopers or Munston ale yeast for the SAF-05 they recommend -- mainly to save a couple of bucks; I'm cheap like that.

Also, unless you are making a British style "bitter", use corn sugar instead of table sugar to prime the bottles.  (a little bit of acetaldehyde "apple" notes are OK in British bitter or Belgian ale, but not in American pale ale.)

[cosine]

Okay, so it's okay to go a bit cheaper on the yeast if I want, but don't try to substitute table sugar for corn sugar. That's good to know, since I can go pretty cheap sometimes myself.

[zxcvbob]

You should be able to buy bulk corn sugar (aka dextrose) for a little over $1 per pound.  I would do that rather than buy their little 5 oz (from memory) package.  Corn sugar is useful and it keeps pretty well.  I can't believe the kit doesn't include it. 

[cosine]

Does brewing with tap water (chlorine treated) affect brewing the beer, or not? The instructions I have say "good quality drinking water" which I don't if it means chlorinated or not.

[wmenorr67]

Does brewing with tap water (chlorine treated) affect brewing the beer, or not? The instructions I have say "good quality drinking water" which I don't if it means chlorinated or not.

I use bottled water you can get at the store for like 70-80 cents a gallon.  Tap water usually has a taste that will transfer over.

[MillCreek]

Because the water in the Seattle area is so good, I use tap water here.  The Redhook brewery, just a few miles south of me, and on the same water supply, does the same.

[SADShooter]

I generally buy drinking water. It's atts a few bucks to my batch cost, but it's a variable I can control. If your tapwater tastes good and doesn't have off flavors, a la Millcreek, it's not a problem

[cosine]

I went with the EPA kit. The Cascade hops in the EPA kit are what convinced me get that instead of one of the IPA kits. I've had a few pale ales with a really strong citrus/grapefruit hops flavor, and really liked them. I'm hoping this is similar.

Hoping to brew next weekend!

[bedlamite]

Bottled water may not be better than tap water. Most bottled water is just tap water from somewhere else that may be filtered. Removing Chlorine is easy. Find out what is used locally, if it's hypochlorite, boiling will remove it. If they use chloramine, metabisulfite will remove it.

[thebaldguy]

I used filtered water from my faucet filter for brewing. Much cheaper than buying water. I worked at a microbrewery for 3+ years and we used city water with great results.

[zxcvbob]

I use plain tap water for mashing and for topping up the boil to get my 5 gallons.  But for sparging I use reverse osmosis water from the grocery store's bottled water dispenser, and I add about 1 tsp of vinegar to the 3 gallons or so of water.  That's plenty to keep it acidic so it doesn't extract too much tannin from the grain husks.

This won't make a bit of difference when using an extract kit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hhyjkHJ3Xo

[cosine]

Bottled water may not be better than tap water. Most bottled water is just tap water from somewhere else that may be filtered. Removing Chlorine is easy. Find out what is used locally, if it's hypochlorite, boiling will remove it. If they use chloramine, metabisulfite will remove it.

Looks like Milwaukee uses chloramine, with a residual amount in the water of 0.3-1.5 mg/L. Guess I'm running back to Northern Brewer to pick up some sodium metabisulfite. Sodium metabisulfite, right? Since they also have potassium metabisulfite... Just add to my pot of water before beginning the boil?

[zxcvbob]

Looks like Milwaukee uses chloramine, with a residual amount in the water of 0.3-1.5 mg/L. Guess I'm running back to Northern Brewer to pick up some sodium metabisulfite. Sodium metabisulfite, right? Since they also have potassium metabisulfite... Just add to my pot of water before beginning the boil?

Campden tablets will also work, but I'm not sure the dosage.  I suspect just one tablet, or even a half, will dechlorinate the whole batch.  It works almost instantly, so yeah, just add to the water before you add the malt and/or hops and you'll be good to go.

BTW, Campden tablets are also good for sulfuring apple slices for drying or just for storing peeled apples in the fridge w/o them ever turning brown.

[bedlamite]

Campden tabs are Sodium metabisulfite, but either Na or K would work, I don't know the dosage.

[cosine]

School and research got in the way, darn it, and I didn't get around to brewing the EPA kit until this past Monday. Everything went well, I think, and its now happily fermenting in the basement. 

[zahc]

I have three batches going right now, which is going to be a problem in a month or so when I need 150 bottles at the same time. I'm finding Texas brewing is much better in the winter...I can just let the fermenters sit on my slab floor under a window and they stay nice and cool.

[cosine]

About another week and I think I'm going to bottle it! Fermentation should easily be done by now, but I'm going to take a few gravity readings this week to make sure. I'm pretty excited how it turns out, after letting it carbonate in the bottles for 2-3 weeks.

[cosine]

I have three batches going right now, which is going to be a problem in a month or so when I need 150 bottles at the same time. I'm finding Texas brewing is much better in the winter...I can just let the fermenters sit on my slab floor under a window and they stay nice and cool.

It's too bad you're in Texas and I'm in WI. I've been collecting bottles since summer and I should have over 300 now. I could have set you up with bottles for a batch or two.

[zahc]

I cut a hole in the top of a cardboard box and put it next to my cube at work with a sign that says SODA BOTTLE RECYCLING. So far I have gathered 2 grocery bags of 16 and 20oz pop bottles. I will start mixing them into the rotation to see if they work out. Glass seems nicer, but you can't beat the price, and they don't break.

[cosine]

Took a gravity reading last night and tasted it. The taste actually was recognizable as beer, even if it was warm and flat.

[geronimotwo]

Took a gravity reading last night and tasted it. The taste actually was recognizable as beer, even if it was warm and flat.

just wait until it has been in the bottle for a month.......mmmmmmmmmm!  free samples?

[wmenorr67]

just wait until it has been in the bottle for a month.......mmmmmmmmmm!  free samples?

At least.

[cosine]

Bottled on Saturday night. The green beer tasted kind of fruity, so I don't if perhaps my fermentation temperature was too high (it varied between 65 degrees F and 70 degrees F outside of the fermenter) or if it's just green. Now to wait three weeks while it bottle conditions...