I'm getting a brew kit for my birthday on April 4th. I have to have a beer ready to go for memorial day. We have a family reunion on memorial day every year, and this year we are having a home brew comp. We are all first time brewers so I need you guys to give me the edge. What's a good kit for me to brew? We are German so I was thinking a German style would be appropriate.

I'd go with an ale for your first brew. Where are you getting your kit from? Check out stuff from places like NB or B3...

I'm getting a Northern Brewer Better Basic starter kit. My Extract Kit will come from NB as well. Would their Bavarian Hefe. be a bad choice?

Sounds like a fine choice, and one that is meant to be consumed younger.

My first beer kit was an American Wheat and that was drinkable after 4 weeks (2 weeks in bottles) the longer you let it sit in the bottles the better it gets. I tasted some at 5 weeks and those were damn good then finished them off at 6 weeks. The older it got the better it tasted so now I learned to wait until at least 6 weeks from brew day to drink the beer!

My first kit was a brown ale and that is what I recommended to first time brewers. It hides flaws well and everyone enjoys drinking it.

I found an old carboy in the barn. It is pretty dirty. Can I get it clean enough to use as a secondary ferment? Do I need to a secondary fermentation?

Id say it'll clean up just fine. As long as it isnt cracked or some shit. Give her a good long soak and scrub the bastard, rinse her out and see how it looks, should be fine.