Getting repeatable - Your top 3 styles

So I am wanting to start trying to really nail some recipes and get repeatable with them. It got me thinking what everyones top three styles to drink/brew would be. My thoughts are I would like to re-brew 3 beers with a 4th random thrown in there to break up the monotony (with this I would expect that each beer would be brewed at least 3+ times a year).
My top three (with thinking about still having something freinds/family that arn't as open to beer with flavour) are:

• A Blonde ale - Not too aggresive a style but looking to perfect that well balanced beer, and having something that I can tell if subtle off flavours are present that the more flavoursome beers could hide.
• A hoppy US/NZ Pale ale - On the high end of the scale (crossing into the low end of IPA stats-wise)
• A Porter of some kind - Possibly spiced/smoked/oaked or something to give it a bit of a edge (maybe perfect the base recipe then start putting a twist on it).

I feel like that is a reasonably rounded line-up given the limit of 3 (any more and it would take to long to get back to the begining of the list). And then the randoms would give something into the mix - IPA, IIPA, Kolsh, Saison, Berliner Wiess, etc.

So what would you guys do?

BierMuncher's Centennial Blonde

This is an easy favorite of a lot of people.

CAP is my top I'd say. I constantly make great pales, porters, stouts and amber too. All with American flair. It's not like there is a top three.

Malticulous said:

CAP is my top I'd say. I constantly make great pales, porters, stouts and amber too. All with American flair. It's not like there is a top three.

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CAP? Can't find this style?

It's pre-prohibition American Lager, or classic American pilsner. A dead style.

Oatmeal stout and IPA are the house brews. Other than that, brewing my way through "Brewing Classic Styles".

Kölsch, Roggenbier, and constantly changing but not too hoppy APAs.
I too am working my way through Classic Styles!

I only have two batches in so far but one I plan on doing a lot is for a milk stout. Then my next one will be an oatmeal porter. Those have to be my two favorite styles.

I second kölsch. I also like Northern Brewer's Irish Red, if you want to do a kit. It is an unobtrusive, crowd pleaser that is good year round.

This has been my plan, too. My styles are similar to yours. I think I have my blonde/cream exactly where I want it in the first try...now to make sure I can replicate it.

I want an IPA and a porter or stout as my other "house beers".

My wife loves wheat beers, so I usually have some form of hefe or wit available. I like to have something hoppy like an APA or IPA for myself. Other than that, there aren't really any styles that I've made repeatedly, although I was really happy with my Cali Common a few months ago. That one will have to make a return appearance.

Top 3? Repeatability? That seems boring. What about the other beers, the Belgian wits, the English bitters and milds, oatmeal stouts, pale ales, American wheats? Gotta try them all! I have 18 different beers in bottles now and I've bee thinking of what the next will be.

RM-MN said:

Top 3? Repeatability? That seems boring. What about the other beers, the Belgian wits, the English bitters and milds, oatmeal stouts, pale ales, American wheats? Gotta try them all! I have 18 different beers in bottles now and I've bee thinking of what the next will be.

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Can't be experimenting all the time. It's nice to have a couple of dependable stand-bys that you know will be enjoyed by you/your family/your friends. I don't think anyone is saying you can only brew 3 beers. The question is what are the top 3 you want to make sure you usually have on hand.

As for me, I don't know yet I haven't been brewing long enough. I like to have a blonde ale and a stout of some sort on hand but haven't settled on anything specific. There really isn't a third yet.

For me it depends on the season. In the summer I need to have an ipa, apa, and a blonde or cream ale. Winter i need a stout, ipa(always in season) and a brown or scotch ale. Fall and spring are usually a mix between summer and winter beers or specialty recipes(sours, reds,wheats.....)

I would say I am a bit "seasonal" as well, but I definitely am a big believer in "repeatable" core beers. I probably have 6-8 that I rotate through with experiments thrown in here and there. If I was going to narrow it down to 3 "categories" I would go with:

1.) Either a German Helles or German Pilsner

2.) British Dark Mild

3.) Hoppy APA or Hoppy American Amber

Then mix in seasonals like stouts, oktoberfest, maibock, porter, American Brown, bitters, etc.

I would say the ones I brew pretty routinely are:
British, Mild, Amber, APA, IPA, Brown, Bitter, Pilsner, Dortmunder, Helles, Oktoberfest

Citra Ale: a great summer time lighter beer that refreshes, and is a beer that most BMC'er will drink.

ESB (Red Hook clone): an American style ESB. Depending on how much dry-hop'd, this brew can be pretty aromatic, and satisfies most of my beer snob friends.

Cascadian style stout: this beer is pretty big, and offers complex taste and aroma. It satisfies beer snobs / stout drinkers while being mellow enough that most non-stout drinkers also enjoy.

These are my three go-to brews that I try to have on hand at all times.

Angry Hop Monster (IIPA), Spring ESB, and Citradelic Wheat would be my main 3... I have the Citradelic wheat and an experimental wheat on tap. The Angry Hop Monster was dry hopped on Saturday, and I brewed the ESB on Saturday too. I've made the Centennial Blonde and it was ok, but needs some more tweaking before it becomes a regular for me
Cheers

For some reason Citradelic turned to contraceptive.... Damn auto correct!

With three taps, I always have an APA, an IPA, and then... something. A stout or a bitter or a brown.

Malticulous said:

It's pre-prohibition American Lager, or classic American pilsner. A dead style.

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Dead style? Huh? Based on what? Lots of breweries are making killer CAPs. Avery's Joe's is a classic example of the style. I just kicked a keg of it a few days ago.

To the OP, my taps always rotate based on season. I've got a helles and an IPA now, going to keg a honey lemon wheat in a few days. But typically I have a pale or IPA on tap, and the second tap rotates between seasons.

Malti, do have a recipe that you would share? I don't think I've had that style before.

My 3

My IPA (The Bandit)
My Black Cherry Ale
My Double Chocolate Stout

I also have a Kolsh I really enjoy in the summer.

So mine rotation would be more like Black Cherry for spring, Kolsh for summer, IPA for fall, stout for winter.

No kegs for me, but the styles I always try to have on hand are ESB, IPA, and a rotating dark like oatmeal stout, CDA, Irish stout, porter, etc.
that usually covers all the bases in terms of what I might be in the mood for on a particular day. I've always got to test something new, however, so there is always something else in the pipeline like a dubbel, or mild or something.

I like to keep a am wheat/hefe/wit and an IPA on tap year around. And then use the third tap as my seasonal/specialty.

Every winter I keep a Düsseldorfer on tap. That's my dark beer. My neighbor makes a solid porter, so I might give that a shot soon

ggriffi said:

I only have two batches in so far but one I plan on doing a lot is for a milk stout. Then my next one will be an oatmeal porter. Those have to be my two favorite styles.

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Do you need a recipe? I brew a milk stout that's a bit out of style, but took 1st place in Stout in the 2008 Longshot (west region) and 1st place in the 2008 NHC 1st round (southwest region)...

My favorites that I've brewed (that tasted best) are Irish stouts, porter (St Paul porter from NB), and red ales. The only ones I've gone back to with regularity are the stout and red ales.

I haven't yet done any lagers as I have no refridgeration or temp control to do it right. I did make a Cslifornia common I was pleased with!

I have 2 taps. One will almost always have my hoppy amber on it. The second rotates between a heff (only beer the GF will drink) and a blonde. I'm still trying to dial both of those recipes in to my specific tastes. Then there are the bottles of small batch and experiments.

Usually brew porters and pale ales. Sometimes brew other stuff but I have a porter and a few pale ale recipes I really like?

Wow i guess im diferent, my house summer beer is saison and for colder months i love some belgian dubble. I brew 12-15 batches a year but this 2 i rebrew 3-4 times a year

when I started my top 3 were porters & stouts. when I was confident they could hold their own against quite a number of store bought, I really started exploring APA's, Belgian styles (mostly Strong & Dark Strong), and American style Barley Wine.

It really depends on the time of year. I've been brewing the heck out of Centennial Blonde because it makes a nice cold easy beer for regular consumption over the summer. However, I am looking at taking a stab at the Deception Stout recipe so I can have something thick and hearty by New Year's Day. I might be able to squeeze in a nice English ESB for the fall before my cellar gets too warm. When that happens I'll probably start my Merlot wine kit. In the depths of next winter I plan to do some lagers.

If you have dedicated refrigerators and keezers you can forgo some of these seasonal changes and brew whatever you please, but some of the allure of brewing for me is working with the seasonal variations of taste and temperature.

bwarbiany said:

Do you need a recipe? I brew a milk stout that's a bit out of style, but took 1st place in Stout in the 2008 Longshot (west region) and 1st place in the 2008 NHC 1st round (southwest region)...

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Is it an extract? I just started brewing and those are what I do for now. The milk stout I have been doing is LH clone.

Billy-Klubb said:

when I started my top 3 were porters & stouts. when I was confident they could hold their own against quite a number of store bought, I really started exploring APA's, Belgian styles (mostly Strong & Dark Strong), and American style Barley Wine.

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This is where I want to get, sort of rebrewing a small number of beers until I know I have it nailed and it will be the same everytime I brew it (and it is excellent). I would then reduce the number of times I rebrew it and start on another style.
I am thinking that I might change the blonde to a best bitter, I hvae a recipe that got good reviews from the "average Joes" at the workshop near me so that's got to say something about it appealing to the non-craft group

ggriffi said:

Is it an extract? I just started brewing and those are what I do for now. The milk stout I have been doing is LH clone.

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Unfortunately, no. And the grains used would make it hard to replicate in extract...

LH was what got me started on milk stouts, but my recipe is heavier on roast flavors and yet also finishes a tad sweeter than the LH.

If you make a switch to AG, let me know.

Matt,

This is one of the joys of the addiction of brewing for yourself. Try a lot of different styles. The ones you like and can repeat will find their way into the rotation, and your quest to try something different will keep you interested. I like what you're trying to do, I find myself quite seasonal, lighter in summer and darkening through the long Maine winter. By the time you've got your own rotation set, you'll have learned a ton about brewing and refine your process. I wish you well on the journey, it's been a fun one for me.

Yankeepride15 said:

Matt,

This is one of the joys of the addiction of brewing for yourself. Try a lot of different styles. The ones you like and can repeat will find their way into the rotation, and your quest to try something different will keep you interested. I like what you're trying to do, I find myself quite seasonal, lighter in summer and darkening through the long Maine winter. By the time you've got your own rotation set, you'll have learned a ton about brewing and refine your process. I wish you well on the journey, it's been a fun one for me.

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amen! 14 years brewing and still refining my processes and developing more in depth appreciation for the vast number of styles and their variances.

I JUST kicked my keg of Citradelic Wheat. Sad, but there's always a silver lining... two linings in my case: 1) My Angry Hop Monster is ready to keg, and 2) I get to brew next weekend! Yay!

bwarbiany said:

Unfortunately, no. And the grains used would make it hard to replicate in extract...

LH was what got me started on milk stouts, but my recipe is heavier on roast flavors and yet also finishes a tad sweeter than the LH.

If you make a switch to AG, let me know.

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I will

I would say that my top three would be an AM IPA, Cali Common, and a Wheat IPA