So Who the Hell Else is Gunning to Run the BJCP Gamut?

If you're like me, you started off with all sorts of crazy experiments. Lime-basil ales, coffee beers, bourbon beers, ginger beers...essentially, every other brew was in the Specialty category. Over the past year or so, though, I've come around to a realization that, to be a better brewer, it's not only about perfecting your skills, it's about brewing as many different styles as you can muster and really getting a wide-ranging feel for what brewing is about. That, and every time I listed to a Jamil Show episode for a style I haven't done, it makes me wanna run downstairs and brew it. Hell, I've brewed 74 batches and probably only made it halfway through the BJCP!

So, I'm just wondering, first off, who out there is, like me, currently (or planning on) brewing all the styles over time? Second, is there anyone who has already run the gamut?

I'm not and have never been a real slave to style, but I really feel like this is a great goal for me to have. Who's with me?

I brew what tastes good... I'm in it to drink what I like, not check off another number on some style sheet. If you really want to get into it, you should experiment with wine and sake brewing!

At the rate I brew, I'd spend a lifetime going through every style out there. I'd love to have the space and resources to brew and age more styles, but I'd much rather be able to go to the kegerator and pull the tap on five gallons of something I know for a fact I want to drink. While brewing 5 gallons of sour beer would definately be a challenge I don't know what I would do with the end product.

I definately respect the brewer who is willing to try anything, brewing different styles can only make you better.

I thought about running through the styles, but really there are styles I don't like and there are styles I really like that I always want to have on hand. I also tend to brew out of style even when 'brewing to style' simply because I prefer session beers and adjust recipes accordingly. So I guess I use BJCP for what they are - guidelines, but not something to always strive for. But I also don't do competitions so I don't need to worry about such things.

I think I'm more along the lines of I want to eventually brew most of the BJCP styles because there are a few styles that I don't care for. Right now I'm concentrating on being able to brew a few styles very well, really getting to know the style. After spending time lately volunteering at a brewpub that is strongly influenced by older English styles and discussing recipes and techniques with the author, who is an older English gentleman, of a couple of the Classic Styles series of books I've been concentrating on English styles myself. I think becoming proficient in a particular group of styles that are similar will benefit me more than brewing one of everything at this point.

Put me down for the "don't care" column on this one. It's not that I don't care about brewing style-correct beer, it's just not a goal of mine to brew every style. I brew what sounds good at the moment, and I usually keep the recipe to style.

Right now, I'm trying not to brew the same thing twice, until I really find something I like. So far, nearly everything I've brewed has been good, and I've found one that I'd like to have all the time. I'm not sure yet about brewing styles that I don't particularly like, because I'm the only one in the house that drinks beer...so if I don't like it, it'd have to get poured. I'm definitely not at the point where I'm willing to incur the expense of ingredients just to have brewed the style, and then waste the beer. I'm willing to dump a beer that I thought I might like, and after giving it time and several pints, still don't like, but I'm not going to brew something that I think will lead to that outcome. I've been buying single bottles of various styles of beer (one of the FEW good things about NJ) so I can have an idea of what the style is like before I brew it. Of course, I've been sampling much faster than I can brew, but it helps me have a list of things to try (and avoid) down the road.

I'm more of a "brew what I like" guy, which is to say that I love relatively clean English and American beers, and tend to brew those; those beers are what got me into brewing to start with. Recent german beers I've tried have me looking into bocks once I get lagering capabilities. Basically, I try as many beers as I can, and try the brew the ones that I really love. I won't run the gamut on the BJCP, but I want to brew a wide array, and I use the style guidelines as, well, guidelines for my recipes.

I ticked the "Don't care" box because I have a stable of pretty good recipes that I tend to brew over and over. While I think brewing something from every category is beyond cool as a goal, there are too many styles I just can't be arsed to drink when given to me, much less brew a full batch of my own.

Rauchbier? Blech!

Cheers,

Bob