This stuff turned out to be just about what I had in mind: https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/744377/madison-blonde. It could use a little something to provide a bit more head, but other than that, this is probably going to be my goto for a good session beer. Next up I think I'll...

I'm not really set up to do a lager since I don't have a fridge to age it in. But I'm pretty anxious to try your fat tire one -- sounds pretty good. Thanks for the replies.

Hiya Ozarks, I'm about to buy the stuff for your amber ale https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/26889/fat-tire-amber-ale. The one you link to above appears to be locked. I'm wondering what your favorite amber is -- I see you have several listed in your brew logs. Thanks!

I was kind of wondering about that. I read a little about the crystal and carapils and thought they might do similar stuff. I guess I was adding the cara for head retention or something...

Thanks B-P. I've never even had a brown ale (that I know of), much less brewed one. Maybe it's time I tried one. Do you have any favorite brown recipes?

This is what I think I'll try. Do you guys think it'll come anywhere near to what I'm looking for? Thanks for any opinions. https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/744377/madison-blonde

Hi folks. I'm looking for a recipe that will give me a beer with the following characteristics: - a hint of sweetness - middle of the road IBU's (30ish?) - neither light and crisp nor heavy and thick - reasonably highly carbed (2.5 vols; this is the easy part to adjust) - ale, not lager - 5-5.5...

Must be nice to have a wife who likes the hobby too. Mine wants nothing to do with it and drinks only an occasional Miller Lite. Welcome to the site!

We have two shops here in Madison, WI (lucky us!). Both of them are get-your-own, grind-your-own. They both have terrific grain inventories. The Brew and Grow shop keeps their hops and yeast in a cooler behind the counter tho, so I usually get that stuff at the other place cuz I like to browse...

This is going to be a fun forum to follow. I've only been brewing for less than a year so I consider myself an "experienced beginner". I've had less than a dozen brews and I've screwed up something (mostly minor things) on each and every one of them. But every one of them has been drinkable, and...

Yeah, I've gotta learn to quit fussing with it. I have a habit of stirring it every few minutes -- should probably wrap it up and leave it alone. One stir, maybe two...

Bottled two weeks ago and drinking now. Not fully carbed yet but this stuff is top notch! I'm thinking the sweetness is due to high mash temp and not the crystal40 -- got up over 160f (71c). Maybe I should get the mash to 152, wrap a blanket around it and forget about trying to keep the temp...

I pulled the grain bag out of the kettle, slid the plastic colander under and put the bag in to drain. Pushed on the bag with a spoon to encourage faster draining. Colander warped, #12 of grain plus colander dropped in, splashing hot wort everywhere. Geez that stuff reeks when it hits a hot...

All other things being equal, does mashing at a higher temperature (e.g., 160f/71c vs 145f/63c) result in a higher final gravity? And does this higher FG generally result in a slightly sweeter beer?

Thanks Nosybear. I think rather than fiddling around with this batch any more I'm just going ahead and bottling it. I haven't had a batch that didn't come down to expected FG so was a little concerned about adding sugar and having it overcarb in the bottles. The sweetness won't be a problem --...