Screw the numbers, it's time to brew!

Paralysis by analysis . . . I have spent too much time second guessing my recipe and process, it is time to go forth and brew, numbers be damned!

Seriously, beer styles (German Pills or Bohemian?) Water (Pilsen is way different from anything in Germany according to the numbers), Hops, not only which type, but how much and when? Then to factor in the age of the hops, what the hop storage index for them is, etc. How do I even know how old my Hops are? I don't see any dates on 1 ounce packets??? Protein rest or not with Pilsner malt? Mash temp? Do I want a light or medium bodied beer? Conflicting data from different printed sources, conflicting data from internet sources. Is my yeast starter sufficient? Have I selected the right yeast? Will my fermentation temp be okay?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Screw it. I have my recipe, it is time to brew. I will either be happy in a couple of weeks or I won't be. But at least I will have made something, and maybe then, with a bit of reflection on the finished product, I can tweak my recipe or process and try to make it better. Then I can start the whole analysis process ALL OVER AGAIN.

Dive in head first man! I'm sure your product will turn out better than expected. Go for it!

Yeah man. Such and such's scientific rules says you cannot convert such and such. Oh yeah? Well my Law of %!@# It says lets DO IT

Yep....all the info is a helpful guideline, but you'll never know till you do it!

The important lesson here is - if you study forever and never brew, you will have nothing.

If you go for it, whatever happens - you will have beer. It might be great, it might be so-so but it will be your own. I guarantee, you will drink it and enjoy it.

What are you waiting for?

brew with local water... taste & adjust as needed make a hell of a steam using swamp cool and SC winter temp. Got one going now but had 70° outside temps ,,, meh rdwhahb! will be a bit fruity. like that in an ale anyway!

all that matters is what hits the glass

Give'er! If nothing else you'll create a baseline from which you can improve upon. Version 1.0 is hard, but it's well worth building...or in this case brewing

Arbitrarity is the worst enemy of decision-making. It's like a wall. So beat arbitrarity at its own game by just picking something arbitrarily and going with it!

Brew on!

Patrick604 said:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

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Did you forget to take your medication again?

I never learned much of anything by carefully studying and then attempting something for the first time.

I learned a heck of a lot by making mistakes and then fixing them for the next time.

Have at it! I enjoy designing recipes and aiming for a target, but ultimately I like that whatever I make is uniquely mine. And when I pull a pint of it from my kegerator a few weeks later, I'm experiencing something that only I (and SWMBO) can claim to be experiencing at that very moment. Pretty awesome. Enjoy your brew day!

Okay, I went and did it. I hit the numbers on this brew closer than any previous attempt, I think I might finally have beersmith dialed in. So, the brew went according to plan, now I have to wait a couple of weeks to see if the plan is any good. I hate waiting!

Anyhow, when I moved my ESB out of primary I took a taste and think I might have corrected the flaws in the first batch, so there is something to look forward too!