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Orfy

Orfy

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If you have a question then ask away.

BUT it's probably best to take a quick look at the Stickies and FAQs in the beginners forums. You may find and existing thread that you will find an answers. Even better you may be able to add to the thread with more knowledge or new questions.

There is also a search function and the Wiki link up top.
 
I looked around and didn't see a specific thread regarding my question. . .

How do you transition from brewing clones to going free-form? It's more of a rhetorical question but at the same time serious. Everything I like to brew has been done but what makes a beer original, despite a few recipe changes. Do you simply need to experiment with small 3 gallon or smaller batches to get a feel? I don't want to brew 5 gallon experimental batches to find an original gem. I have Beer Smith but does that mean I need smaller fermenters and just go for it? It seems like a stupid question but is that how you start brewing your own beers?

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks! Sorry, I know I'm asking how to walk but I never can understand how you come up with something new when millions of brews similar exist.
 
acrobatic said:
i looked around and didn't see a specific thread regarding my question. . .

How do you transition from brewing clones to going free-form? It's more of a rhetorical question but at the same time serious. Everything i like to brew has been done but what makes a beer original, despite a few recipe changes. Do you simply need to experiment with small 3 gallon or smaller batches to get a feel? I don't want to brew 5 gallon experimental batches to find an original gem. I have beer smith but does that mean i need smaller fermenters and just go for it? It seems like a stupid question but is that how you start brewing your own beers?

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks! Sorry, i know i'm asking how to walk but i never can understand how you come up with something new when millions of brews similar exist.
Click to expand...

bump
 
I'm in the same boat as you are. I purchased three 1 gallon jugs and some extra airlocks aside from my two 5 gallon fermenters and I just wing it. Some turned out pretty good and some were a bust. I've found that reading and deciphering other peoples recipes helps a lot. I'm still new at making recipes from scratch but I've found there are two ways to go about it.
1. Read and read and ask questions and then read some more
2. Just do it.
Like i said, I just wing it and have learned the same amount from both ways.
Good luck and any info you share would be very beneficial to me.
 
I would love to see a list of recommended extract producers, and words of warning/praise about them.
 
acrobatic said:
I looked around and didn't see a specific thread regarding my question. . .

How do you transition from brewing clones to going free-form? It's more of a rhetorical question but at the same time serious. Everything I like to brew has been done but what makes a beer original, despite a few recipe changes. Do you simply need to experiment with small 3 gallon or smaller batches to get a feel? I don't want to brew 5 gallon experimental batches to find an original gem. I have Beer Smith but does that mean I need smaller fermenters and just go for it? It seems like a stupid question but is that how you start brewing your own beers?

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks! Sorry, I know I'm asking how to walk but I never can understand how you come up with something new when millions of brews similar exist.
Click to expand...

If you have Beer Smith it is really easy to select a style for guidelines, then play around with ingredients to fit inside the given guidelines. I use beer smith also, and I am pretty sure it follows the BJCP style guidelines exactly (BJCP Style Guidelines).

You don't necessarily need smaller fermenters, what do you have now?
 
How about water for extract brewing? If you have reasonably tasty water at the tap.. use it.. or should it be RO/distilled.. or does it even matter because most if the water issues were taken care of making the extract?
 
I would say if you drink your tap water and you have any kind of hesitation whatsoever then you may want to look into bottled spring water or filtered. I have really nice tap water and have used that for 8 extract home brews. All if which received good reviews.
 

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