How many all grain batches until you got a winner?

Just out of curiosity, how many batches did it take before your all grain batches started tasting good. And I'm talking about "I hope you bought 12 of these " good, not just acceptable. I've brewed 5 and am just drinking the first 2 now. They're definitely good to me, and my buddies like them too. But I can tell that my process improved significantly better since brewing them. So to all you have who ventured into the black hole of homebrewing long before I did - how long before you were truly proud?

First batch of beer i did, Completely screwed up and diluted my beer way way beyond.
Was like flavored beer water.
$43.00 down the drain.
Read a little bit more, Got some advice from some master brewers and next batch turned out good...3rd time brewing i went thru 5 gal. in less than a week.

So my challenge is brewing enough beer to keep me stocked...Been doing 10gal batch's bout once a week or so but only have 3 carboys so i am limited to how much i can brew and space to crash chill.

I have 2 recipes right now i have created, Both awsome...cant make enough fast enough...Once i get my supply up, I want to work on anouther style of beer. So allways a challenge. The unknowing if it is going to be the best beer ever or OMG this is going to be rose food is allways interesting.

I have talked to master brewers that even after 10+ years of brewing, They still have bad batch's of beer. Looks good on beersmith but when in came to drinking it...Well MGD would have been better.

Some ideas work...Some dont. Allways a unknown factor.
But brewing beer is still fun.

My first batch ended up pretty good, I made Ed Wort's Haus Ale. Since then there's been the odd batch I didn't like but if you like the results and your friends do too then I'd say you've already got a winner or 5

First one - also Ed Wort's Haus Ale, simple, basic and makes a great beer.

First One - AHS Irish Red Ale - Great Beer
Second One - SNPA Clone - Tasted just like the real thing.
Third One - Amaizing Ale - Still a house favorite.
Fourth One - Summerfest Bitter - Repeated calls to brew again by friends.
Fifth One - All Amarillo APA - Excellent and repeatable
and I have brewed probably 50 since and all but 1 was very definitely as good as any commercial beer I have had.

No reason all beer you make can't be excellent provided you have a good recipe to start and follow all the procedures to make it. This would include temp control, correct yeast pitch and so on.

BTW, as my handle implies I steal all my recipes. And I only go for the gold, tried and true recipes that I have either tasted or trust the source. Biermuncher, EdWort, Denny Conn, George Schmidt, Kerry & Corey Martin just to name a few.

I think mine was like the fourth or fifth.............Was a belgian dubbel/trippel of sorts. Was like nectar of the gods

I had done about 100 PM/extract batches before going AG. I was pretty confident about my techniques, and asked all of my "imaginary friends" here on the forum for advice while I was collecting my gear. As a result, my first AG batch was an original recipe and a fantastic beer. I still make it about 4 times a year, and I still love that recipe!

My first AG was great and I'm actually brewing up that same recipe this week.

My first AG batch was very good. First batch of Stiffy, which was a seriously out-of-style Rye Scottish Ale. OG was a little low, but it tasted fine.

1st was a Warsteiner clone that I still make. It is/was a winner.

My 6th batch was my first loser. Skunked it when some the rain came at the end of my chilling.

My second all grain won a Gold Medal. Does that count? Its in my recipe list.

My first was a Multigrain IPA, and it was a disaster of a process, but I ended up winning 2nd place in the specialty category in a regional competition.

I had no idea what to expect on my efficiency, but I figured Papazian could never lead me wrong, so I based my recipe off of one of his. I was shooting for OG somewhere around 1.055 but ended up with 1.044. To correct I brewed an extra 1 gallon batch using DME and some hops to roughly equal the bitterness of the main batch. I then combined, let finish fermenting (again), and did all the rest. It's still my favorite batch I've brewed...

First batch tasted a little husky. Probably too high of a PH in the mash. Second one rocked! Every all grain after (about 10-15) has been at the least good if not great.

My first batch was "thin", suffered from poor efficiency. My second batch was better, and the third was spot on. Since then every batch has been a home-run. Gotta love AG.

passedpawn said:

1st was a Warsteiner clone that I still make. It is/was a winner.

My 6th batch was my first loser. Skunked it when some the rain came at the end of my chilling.

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I lied. I totally forgot about my unbelievable stuck sparge. Wheat. Had to dump. That was my first AG. Had to come clean for purposes of a clean conscience.

First - IPA that was too dark and sweet (until about 4 months along, then it was pretty tasty, somehow!) Mashed too high.

Second - Centennial Blonde. Biemuncher's famous recipe and it was awesome!

Third - APA brewed for competition. 2.5 gallons. Got good feedback, and it was def drinkable.

4th - AIPA brewed for competition. Got good feedback here, and took 3rd place at local Comp. Def need some improvement, but pretty good. Still on tap, but I'm working on it! supposed to be a two-hearted clone.

5th Centennial Blonde again. Brewed while camping, and the temps were too high. Never cleared, and has a very noticeable off-flavor.

6th, Belgian Wit. hoping to be the best yet, but I used fresh orange and lemon zest, and don't know how that lemon is going to taste! Also my first wit with Pilsner malt.

AG wasn't that hard after the first time. My problems mostly came from the other areas of concern, like ferm temps.

Homercidal said:

Second - Centennial Blonde. Biemuncher's famous recipe and it was awesome!

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+1 on this recipe, I altered it to add lemon and it turned out fantastic.

After a couple of extract batches, I did a series of partial mash brews. Each time I used more grain and less extract, so I had the process down pretty well by the time I did my first true All-Grain. That first one was a wheat, came out super delicious, and hopefully I'll be brewing a recipe very similar to that one within the next couple weeks.

Actually, I hate to admit it but my first one turned out great but I cheated. A neighbor who has been "All Grain" brewing forever came over and gave me a hand. He is the culprit that got me into this blessed hobby years ago with extracts. If he wasn't there I probably would have brewed something that tasted like piss water.

My first AG batch turned out amazing. Blew me away. My second is in secondary right now. I hope it is equally amazing.

YooperBrew said:

I had done about 100 PM/extract batches before going AG. I was pretty confident about my techniques, and asked all of my "imaginary friends" here on the forum for advice while I was collecting my gear. As a result, my first AG batch was an original recipe and a fantastic beer. I still make it about 4 times a year, and I still love that recipe!

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yeap only it was yoops steam beer i made the rest is dito with her acount

Every beer I have made was not as good as I hoped and not as good as the next one is going to be.

First batch: Witbier. Gravity came out very low and the bitterness was overwhelming.
Second batch: Phat Tyre amber ale. Not bad but not great.
Third batch: Belgian Dark Strong Ale. Slow fermentation and still hasn't carbed up.
Fourth batch: Patersbier. Everything worked great and it's my favorite beer to date.

My sixth batch was the first one that went really smoothly and I got great efficiency.

honestly, my first AG brew was great. They haven't all been perfect, but most were just as good as any microbrew. (as well our homebrew should be)

But, I brewed off and on for 15 years now, only AG the last 2 years, and I read/studied everything I could. i think that helped a lot.

My first all-grain was "interesting" I brewed it in 1982 in Tulsa. It was based on a Mother Earth News (or some mag. like that) recipe and process. I got the ingredients from a health food store except for the grain which a friend got me from some place in Saint Louis. I crushed the grain with an old adjustable coffee mill, soaked the grain in a pot of hot water and strained it through a colander. There were no specialty grains at all. I used something like three pounds of table sugar and some molasses and boiled it all with some funky health food store hops. I pitched it with "brewers yeast" also from the health food store. I cooled it in a bath tub full of water overnight. I did ferment it in a glass carboy and because it was winter it fermented cool. I drank it all and made it again. In time I learned some better practices.

Brewpastor said:

My first all-grain was "interesting" I brewed it in 1982 in Tulsa. It was based on a Mother Earth News (or some mag. like that) recipe and process. I got the ingredients from a health food store except for the grain which a friend got me from some place in Saint Louis. I crushed the grain with an old adjustable coffee mill, soaked the grain in a pot of hot water and strained it through a colander. There were no specialty grains at all. I used something like three pounds of table sugar and some molasses and boiled it all with some funky health food store hops. I pitched it with "brewers yeast" also from the health food store. I cooled it in a bath tub full of water overnight. I did ferment it in a glass carboy and because it was winter it fermented cool. I drank it all and made it again. In time I learned some better practices.

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Listening to that story was like sitting on your grandpas knee and hearing about the great depression. More please.

Well, it makes me feel about as old as your grandpa to tell them, but I was only 6 or 7 years old at the time. It doesn't seem that long ago!

I think I'll go to the back room and lay down for a spell. :fro:

First batch was OFlannagains Standard Stout on here that I messed up (added too much roasted barley). Turned out fine, just too roasty. 2nd was a Gluten Free Extract. 3rd (2nd AG) was my Foreign Extra Stout. Definitely a winner . In my recipe dropdown if interested.

First time I brewed was AG, and it was a winner (simple amber recipe). I've made some beers that were OK (because I tried weird stuff in the recipes), and one or two that were dumpers, but mostly they've all been really good - beers I've been proud of and happy to share with friends who appreciate good beer.

I'm still hoping for a winner to perfectly honest. I make drinkable beers right now.

I'm a little critical of my brews, but my quality control crew notices each getting better and better. I'm bottling my 6th batch of AG tonight, but #4 was definitely a winner.

My first one, a wit. Man that beer did not last long at all.

Yea my first beer was the best beer in the world.

No, seriously, all my beer sucked until my last batch. But it wasn't my fault. And by not my fault I mean that I was not as good a brewer before as I am now.

The problem with all my prior brews was water. That is why I have been on a tirade the last few weeks to make sure I don't see anyone say that water doesn't mater. Or even worse, "If it tastes good, then you can brew with it." Pretty much the worst advice ever.

I think the last one turned out OK - people enjoy it pretty readily. But honestly, I am pretty sure in as soon as six months to a year I will look back and laugh at myself for thinking that it tasted good.

We can't be too easy on ourselves folks. The reputation of the hobby is at stake.

I pretty much started off with all grain brewing, and I think my first AG was my best brew to date. I helped a friend of mine brew a couple extract kits (and by "help" I mean "sit around and drink beer and enjoy the hoppy goodness coming out of the kettle), and both those batches turned out pretty crappy. It was then that another friend of mine (an experienced AG brewer) insisted on teaching me how to REALLY brew. So he came down and brought his equipment and we did four batches over a weekend, 3 of which I kept. The first one was a rye IPA that was just freakin' awesome. The others were alright too, but not THAT good.

Subsequent attempts at brewing that RIPA have had good results, not great, but good. My other ales just have not been that great. Still, I have never had an AG batch that I didn't want more of.

3rd AG brew for me was the best and was a Scottish Ale (St. Andrews Clone). First two I had a cheap thermometer and ended up brewing at way too low a temperature making the beer like roasted barley water.

boredatwork said:

Yea my first beer was the best beer in the world.

No, seriously, all my beer sucked until my last batch. But it wasn't my fault. And by not my fault I mean that I was not as good a brewer before as I am now.

The problem with all my prior brews was water. That is why I have been on a tirade the last few weeks to make sure I don't see anyone say that water doesn't mater. Or even worse, "If it tastes good, then you can brew with it." Pretty much the worst advice ever.

I think the last one turned out OK - people enjoy it pretty readily. But honestly, I am pretty sure in as soon as six months to a year I will look back and laugh at myself for thinking that it tasted good.

We can't be too easy on ourselves folks. The reputation of the hobby is at stake.

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RDWHAHB. Really.

First AG was a good one. I had already been using liquid yeast and had the rest of the stuff nailed down pretty good with extract. I still screw one up now and then.

David