Stuck in a rut, how do you choose your next brew?

I'm sure if you're like me, you have your mainstay goto brews but how do you choose something you've never brewed before?

Shameless HBT brown nosing: if you root around the recipe database i find all of the descriptions of the winning recipes inspiring for my next brews. I also like the idea of choosing one or two favorite styles and dialing them in to where they are just what you want and expect. Those two things keep me busy.

Well, usually it goes something like "ooo, that sounds tasty" and there it is...

Because I am new, right now it pretty much follows the idea that I want to see how a certain hop tastes in a beer or I just generally love the beer.

If you're in a rut and you've been doing this for a while, I suggest a challenge of sorts or maybe focus on a certain hop and see what happens. It couldn't hurt.

I haven't had that problem. There are so many different brews. I have rarely done the same style more than once in 5 brews. And there is only one that I have been working on trying to get it the way I want. It is my clone of Long Trail Brewery's Long Trail Pale Ale. I have not gotten the aroma I am looking for.

I look at recipes and when I find one that looks interesting I will use Beersmith 2 to make changes that suit my fancy.

Mostly commercial inspiration. I rarely try to clone a beer but there are some commercial examples that have heavily influenced my brews. Beers like lefthand good juju ginger, or the many chocolate stouts out there.
Another inspiration is just cruising HBT with a style in mind. That's how I found EdWorts Hefe, which is delicious and I stole his hop schedule for my dunkelweizen.

It's usually just what I'm in the mood for: cloning a commercial beer, experimenting with a hop or grain I haven't used before, or just whatever sounds interesting at the moment. Sometimes my wife and friends request stuff too.

maybe try using a base grain you have never used before?

then plan a brew around it. use that to branch out for different malts and hops to try to expand your palate.

I have also brewed a couple famous HBT recipes.

Edworts apfewein
edworts bavarian hefeweizen
yoopers oatmeal stout
biermuncher centennial ale

to name a few

if a recipe thread has a few hundred replies or more its a safe bet to be fricken tasty.

PastorofMuppets said:

if a recipe thread has a few hundred replies or more its a safe bet to be fricken tasty.

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good idea

Designing Great Beers is an inspiration for me. I was never a Mild fan, but reading that book it sounded awesome. Have had a number of commercials, yet to brew one myself.

I usually end up choosing something that sounds good after much reading, and more then a couple of home brews. Just be sure to note what sounds goods so you don't have a memory lapse the next morning and stick to your choice. Better yet, order the ingredients while you are still under the influence of your past brews.

Leithoa said:

Mostly commercial inspiration. I rarely try to clone a beer but there are some commercial examples that have heavily influenced my brews. Beers like lefthand good juju ginger, or the many chocolate stouts out there.
Another inspiration is just cruising HBT with a style in mind. That's how I found EdWorts Hefe, which is delicious and I stole his hop schedule for my dunkelweizen.

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That sounds like me, I'll grab something at a bar some night and it will just taste heavenly, then I immediately begin thinking of what grains and yeast I should use to make something similar

I try to follow sequences, lining up my order based on repitching yeast and what I happen to have on hand (buying in bulk and establishing preferred strains helps this), how long things need to age (I try to switch it up between high gravities needing aging time, and session and normal gravity beers), keeping the beers I brew well and brew often (my Ordinary Bitter, my Mild, my ESB, etc) around as much as I can, rebrewing something else when I feel like it, and otherwise brewing a style I enjoy (there are very few styles that I don't enjoy) that I've never brewed before.

hey bigfloppy what are your "rut" beers?

maybe ill want to brew one?

Honey Ale
Gulden Draak Clone

Both drink very easily and neither are high on the IBU scale (personal preference)
Only 2 because that's all the room I have in my kegerator until I move the CO2 tank external

I have a couple recipe styles I like to tweak till I get what I want. I also gain inspiration from commercial examples. I've had several IPA's,but the Sam Adams latitude 48 IPA is one of the new generation ones I decide to make my own version of. My Cougar Country IPA will be ready for fridge time starting 11/1. I used 8oz of hops in that one,similar to Latitude 48. so far,it seems like it'll be my best one yet. I'm going on my 4th version of Hybrid (pseudo) lagers,but it has to cool down more before I can start on that again.
Also tweaking my Whiskely ale recipe. To bad the mash temp went down to far. BK/MT was a bit too big for good thermal efficiency. Need to use a smaller mash tun on that one next time to keep the mash temp temp higher for better flavor. But that's the nature of the beast. Brew,tweak,brew some more...

Lot of good ideas here. Additionally you can check out the recipes in various magazines (Brew Your Own, Zymurgy), or pick up ideas from the various Brewing podcasts.

I was recently listening to the Basic Brewing Radio episode on Graf, and while I don't normally brew off-the-beaten-path things like Graf, I was so intrigued that it's now on my to-do list!

Midwest gave me a free copy of "Best of BYO 250 Classic Clone Recipes". Maybe look for a better stout recipe in there?...Good mag with a $10 value for free.

Me: Hey honey.. what do you want to make next?

SWMBO: Let's try this one!

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There ya have it.