Nick wrote:[color=blue]
> My brew supply store gave me the necessary ingridients to make my first
> batch. I told him I wanted to make a wheat beer, and he threw everything on
> the counter and rang it up. I watched him crack the grain, and I believe he
> used two different grains. A wheat and I'm guessing a barley. He's a cherry
> fella but dont say much, so I dont exactly know what he sold me ;)
>
> The first trip to the store, he handed me the stuff to make a lager beer,
> and I had just told him that my wife bought me a beer making kit for my
> birthday. When I got home and started reading up on Lagers, the book said it
> was the most difficult to brew at home. It was on my second trip to the
> store, that he told me I needed a refrigerator with a special 70$ thermostat
> installed to brew my own lager. (unless I do a steam beer). I was a little
> upset he didn't pass this info on during my first trip, but neededless to
> say, I'm now looking for a used freezer, refrigerator for my garage :)
>
> Thanks
> Nick
>[/color]

Glad to see the enthusiasm towards lagers, but I'd suggest making a
bunch of ale batches to get your technique down. Ales are a little more
forgiving. I tried a lager early on and was a little dissapointed. I
ended up with a fruity (estery) beer closer to a Steam beer than a
lager. I think my primary fermentation temp wasn't as low as it should
have been, but also not as high as ale temps.
Welcome to the craft.
Cheers,


--
Michael Herrenbruck
Herrenbruck Brewery