Beer style for your first batch? Does it matter?

Yes it does, pick something attainable, however, the exact style guidelines don't matter. People get too hung up on them. I think I chose an Alt Beer kit and it probably didn't taste much like one. I spent a long time telling myself it didn't suck. In retrospect the taste wasn't the point. It was what I learned. I learned so much from that first brewing session.

Process and practice yield far better results than focus on a style upfront. So rather than think about how you're gonna nail that Belgian Style IPA clone, just start with a basic style and recipe and get brewing. The whole process goes something like this...

• get equipment
• decide on a simple recipe
• research process
• decide on YOUR process
• buy ingredients
• brew & ferment
• taste
• repeat incorporating any changes you think will help

Think about styles later. Brew to your taste first. Still want some guidelines? Think about the ones that can help ensure success. How about this?

• brew an Ale 'cause they don't require low fermentation temps and lagering
• pick a high flocculating yeast (beer clears faster) to shorten the fermentation
  period (WLP002 English Ale is one of many you could choose).
• everything that touches your wort AFTER the boil could infect it
• don't worry about a secondary fermentation

Of course you'll probably do it your own way. Why not? That's half the fun. Hopefully you'll make a ton of mistakes and learn from them :-)