The joy of homebrewing has a section I think called “betterbrew” that is extract recipes plus specialty grains. That’s how I started except through the Austin homebrew mini-mash recipes. You basically steep some blend of grains like crystal and carawheat in a strainer bag for awhile and then add the base malt extract after you have removed them.

I’m not sure my beer has gotten any better since going to all grain but there are more opportunities to make mistakes. So I also think about going back.

You can view the whole recipes on the ahb website by finding the click here for instructions link, like this one:

https://austinhomebrew.com/products/ahs-fall-esb-8c-mini-mash-homebrew-ingredient-kit

I’ve tried some craft non-alcoholic beers and didn’t really like them. Too sweet, grainy in a weird way. It sounds hard to pull off removing the alcohol at a small scale anyway and it seems like a lot of work. I have never heard of the super low abv recipes in this thread, I’ll have to look closer.

I think kombucha is going to feel the most like brewing beer in the sense that it requires sanitation, boiling, waiting. If you don’t like it then probably a no go but my family is obsessed. I made it a few times but only thought it was better than store bought once, I’d like to get better at.it.

Hop water also sounds really good, I had hopped hard seltzer but the cheap alcohol in hard seltzer always tastes bad to me. Reminds me of making straight table sugar alcohol.

Craft sodas with homemade extracts would also be fun. Low sugar with steeped peach syrup and mint or strawberry basil. I have only tried root beer from extract and keg carbonated lemonade so far.

I think I’m going to try it for my next batch. Tapwater is over 80f here in the summer and we are always in or on the edge of drought.

I’m going to try fermenting in a corny keg, I don’t have a spunding valve yet but I’d like to get one and try pressurized and no oxygen fermentation.

Whatever you like to drink is the stock answer of course but I would pick a pale ale because they are pretty forgiving. Or if you are somewhere hot, like I am, a saison to lean into it.

edited to say as you are trying to show someone new and success is so motivating

if you want to experiment with something more unusual I totally understand, i’d like to take another crack at a gose. the first time I tried it came out undrinkably salty