Some questions on Recipe creation

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dpalme

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Is there a way to start out creating some recipes using BeerSmith? I mean, I can add various types of grain, hops, yeast, etc. but I guess I'm laughing at myself right now not having any clue what the beer is going to taste like LOL

I have brewed oh somewhere around 10-15 batches at this point and I'm wanting to create a couple of recipes that will give me sort of what I want....I'm just not sure where to start with the creation part.
 
Take a recipe you like and alter it. You can do the same with a clone recipe of a commercial beer you like. A book like designing great beers might help. You can also look at popular recipes in the recipe section for a certain style and see what they have in common (IPAs never have much crystal, stouts have X% chocolate/Roasted Barley/black patent, etc.)
 
Designing great beers by ray Daniels is a good resource even if a bit outdated.

I like to review the recipe database as well to see what others do for the style I'm brewing. I'll also look at ingredients or lone recipes for commercial beers I like to try to get an idea of the components I may be tasting that I like.

Keep it simple, in general a simple recipe is better. Aside from base malts its usually best to keep the character and specialty malts in small quantities.
 
When I first started, I'd figure out what style I wanted to brew and then look at a bunch of recipes and see what sort of things they had in common and how they varied. Of particular importance was the percentages of specialty grains.

The BJCP style guidelines are also an excellent resource.
 
I started out looking up beers I like on can you brew it. Looked at the recipes and then brewed them. Used that to hone my process a bit as well as learn ingredients. From there you will at least have an idea what some different base malts and specialty malts add to a beer. Then experiment. But remember that some grains are potent. Dark crystal and roasted grains will easily ruin a beer if you add too much.
 
I'd echo what seabass said. Jamil's Can You Brew It http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/The-Jamil-Show is a good resource or his earlier Jamil Show podcasts will give you some trusted recipe ideas. There are some good recipes on here too. Find a beer or style you like and look at a few recipes, ones that have been brewed by multiple people and if the reviews are there take it and modify it as you see fit and try it out. Experiment and enjoy!
 
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