Thought this might be helpful for the newbies (myself included!) so I thought I'd start a little list.
1) Fermentation Temperature - The temperature of the room the brew is in is NOT the same as the temperature it should be fermented at. I don't know if I'm the only one but I totally missed that even after reading How to Brew and Designing Great Beers, and it's had a drastic effect on my brewing. MAKE SURE the temperature of the room you're brewing is ~7 degrees lower than what your fermentation temperature should be.
2) Sanitation - The one's obvious. More sanitation = less infection. Besides that you can always develop some off flavors from poor sanitation, even if it's not an infection.
3) Changes During the Boil - If you messed up and your gravity is too low, let some of that water boil off! There are a ton of different things during your boil that will effect your beer, and having complete control over them is a must.
4) Yeast Choice - This is obvious to most by now, it's very very important to research your yeast depending on your style. This includes what temperature to ferment at, the probability of a blow-up, whether you need a blow-off tube, etc.
5) Hop Choice - This can define a style. You need to know what the characteristics of the hops you choose are, not to mention what country they're from (to know what type of a style you're brewing). And when it comes to pale ales and IPAs (my favorite!), hop choice is everything. So research that %$#^! Get it memorized!
Would like to see some of the higher-ups post in this thread, let us know your opinion. And remember, no one is WRONG here, it's just an opinion-based list. Have fun!
Also newbies feel free to post too!:f
1) Fermentation Temperature - The temperature of the room the brew is in is NOT the same as the temperature it should be fermented at. I don't know if I'm the only one but I totally missed that even after reading How to Brew and Designing Great Beers, and it's had a drastic effect on my brewing. MAKE SURE the temperature of the room you're brewing is ~7 degrees lower than what your fermentation temperature should be.
2) Sanitation - The one's obvious. More sanitation = less infection. Besides that you can always develop some off flavors from poor sanitation, even if it's not an infection.
3) Changes During the Boil - If you messed up and your gravity is too low, let some of that water boil off! There are a ton of different things during your boil that will effect your beer, and having complete control over them is a must.
4) Yeast Choice - This is obvious to most by now, it's very very important to research your yeast depending on your style. This includes what temperature to ferment at, the probability of a blow-up, whether you need a blow-off tube, etc.
5) Hop Choice - This can define a style. You need to know what the characteristics of the hops you choose are, not to mention what country they're from (to know what type of a style you're brewing). And when it comes to pale ales and IPAs (my favorite!), hop choice is everything. So research that %$#^! Get it memorized!
Would like to see some of the higher-ups post in this thread, let us know your opinion. And remember, no one is WRONG here, it's just an opinion-based list. Have fun!
Also newbies feel free to post too!:f