How do you do this?

[sunscar22]

I'm borrowing some home brew equipment.  I haven't seen it yet but I'm sure it's top of the line since these guys are loaded and go all out on everything.  I'm sure there is already a thread but I didn't want to look for it.  Tell me how to do this and let me know if there are any websites you recommend.  I want to start simple.  I love stouts.  RIS would be awesome.  Are those easy?  Help please.   

[skinnyguy]

I love to brew RIS, but I would definitely not do that for your first brew. To brew one well takes practice and some equipment/ techniques that are not part of a beginner setup.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/learn/homebrewing-101/step-1/

Start with something like that for info. If you think you'll get into it, read How to Brew. It's available online- http://howtobrew.com/ but I think a copy of that belongs in any homebrewer's library. Once you get more into it, Radical Brewing is probably my favorite homebrew book. There are great ones about specific styles and techniques but I think Radical Brewing is a great blend of interesting facts and science, history, techniques and ingredient info.

If you are serious about brewing RIS, you should get equipment for and practice yeast starters. Temperature control is critical, so make sure you have a spot that stays constant and is in the low (preferable) or mid 60s. An oxygenation setup will be a benefit to you, but can be done without. To really do the style justice, you'll end up wanting to do it all-grain since the amount of extract needed will typically leave too many unfermented sugars behind and there are other grains you'll want to use.

The best styles for starting out are ambers, hoppy beers (they go great with extract), dry stouts and other middle gravity and slightly darker beers. Brown ales and Irish Reds are some of the most popular beginner beers. No matter how advanced your setup will be to start, you should absolutely practice with a few beginner beers before diving into higher gravity stuff. They are way cheaper and the whole routine takes practice.

[ntz08]

Homebrewtalk.com. cannot say enough good things about the forums as a resource.

Agree that RIS is a tough way to start and not simple. It's also an expensive batch to brew, so I can't recommend as a starting point unless you have help from a more experienced brewer.

Homebrew clubs and your local supply store are also a good resource.

Ask any questions that come up. Welcome. Good luck and have fun.

[rhoadsrage]

Stouts are one of the best to start on.  All the malt flavor can hide most flaws.  I wouldn't go above 7%ABV to start unless you want to do big yeast starters.   Look for a partial mash recipe,  you can just steep the specially grains in the brew water then add your malt sugars to that.  ( I prefer dry malt extract instead of liquid malt extract, unless you can grantee freshness). 

Homebrew talk is great.  There is a nice Kate the Great recipe floating around that I hope to try soon. 

[braconid]

If you just want to get a brew under your belt, I would recommend a Hefeweizen (I know you said stout).  6 pounds of wheat DME, 0.5 pounds of maltodextrin, 1 ounce of hallertau hops at 60, 2 packs wyeast 3068 or 1 with an appropriate starter.  It is simple but lets you see how easy it is to make a pretty decent beer.