All of our beers taste nothing special..
- Thread starter Tiako
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lol!
There is a video floating around. Im sure someone can post it for you. It talks about beers tasting like "Brown." It altered how I think about recipes. I suggest taking a look.
Does anyone know what I'm talking about??
Sometimes beers just taste like beers. If you want to get unique beers then you have to do unique things. Use different hop combinations in a pale ale or use unique additives like cacao nibs in a stout. Sometimes it can be as simple as you are adding too much to it. An IPA with 10 different hops would taste generic to my palate where a nice 3 hop combo would leave me intrigued and trying to pick out the unique flavors. Most of all you should forget about the cost if you can. Don't think a 60 dollar batch will rock purely because it costs more.
Two things,
1) There's no guarantee on the kit that says what you will get will be mind blowing. You will get beer. I've had good ones. I've had a few great ones and one or two that were...drinkable. You brewed an IPA that tastes like an IPA. To me that doesn't really stand out as an issue.
2) Where are you going wrong? Well, being that your original post is not exactly chock full o' information, it is hard to suggest what to try next. What types of kits are you brewing? What are you techniques? What beers do you like? The FIRST, not last, transmission back to NASA is "Houston we have a problem," it can't end there.
Seriously... Is there a commercial beer that you would be stoked to replicate. For me they are Bridgeport IPA and SN Torpedo.
Then based on what you like. What would you like more that is not available commercially. For me it is a true Session Ipa, a toned down alcohol content but all other characters like IPA, mouthfeel, carbonation, 'hop forward', etc.
Let's work on your next recipe. I have some other really cool recipes i.e. 'dry hop porter'.
It would also be helpful to know what your equipment is like... mash tun/ LT and Kettle.
Lastly, in an IPA where you have spent $60 you should be getting a good bit of hops, using them to their fullest and finding quality hops are critical.
Then based on what you like. What would you like more that is not available commercially. For me it is a true Session Ipa, a toned down alcohol content but all other characters like IPA, mouthfeel, carbonation, 'hop forward', etc.
Let's work on your next recipe. I have some other really cool recipes i.e. 'dry hop porter'.
It would also be helpful to know what your equipment is like... mash tun/ LT and Kettle.
Lastly, in an IPA where you have spent $60 you should be getting a good bit of hops, using them to their fullest and finding quality hops are critical.
Wow.. yeah our beer tastes brown pretty much describes it.
Well, we have a good amount of equipment built a mash from a cooler. kinda small wort chiller we built too. It can't however take all 6 gallons of water at once so we have to split it up. We have a thermometer thats very precise digital. Alum pot and gas burner. Better bottles and we only have a swamp cooler for a fermenter but we only do ales so don't see this as a problem. We keg too.
If you post the actual recipes, I'm sure people will have suggestions about how to add a little excitement.
BTW - the vast majority of kits are purposely making a rather generic version of the style. If that is what yours tasted like, you probably did a fine job brewing it.
BTW - the vast majority of kits are purposely making a rather generic version of the style. If that is what yours tasted like, you probably did a fine job brewing it.
JordanThomas
Well-Known Member
You must not be in Founders' distribution. They make All Day IPA. Delicious, 4.7% IPA. Clearly an IPA, very sessionable. I have it in my fridge at least once a month. Usually for brew days or when I'm going out and want to still have a few and keep my wits about me!
As for the OP, it could be that you are attempting to complicate things. We would really need more info. If you find that your IPAs are too malty or sweet, you might need to back out some of your specialty grains or mash a bit lower. If it's the opposite, well, maybe you need to beef up your specialty grains and mash a bit higher. A bit more information from you might help us help you
The best advice is KISS- try to brew an IPA with one base grain, a little bit of one carmel malt, and no more than 2 different types of hops (I suggest trying Cascade/Amarillo, Amarillo/Simcoe, Cascade/Centennial, or Centennial/Citra). When you use a very simple base and two hops that play together you will be able to pick out individual flavors/aromas- rather than getting as mishmash of flavors/aromas that end up all muddy.
Do a FWH, lots of late additions, and dry hop for a proper IPA and you won't be disappointed.
I do this with extracts, let condition for 6 weeks and just about anything I add to flavor really pops after I let them condition.
Brew a batch and write down what you think as they mature. I brewed 3 IPA's this summer and they all tasted the same at week 3. After a month of conditioning they were each there own. After 6 weeks they were nothing alike. If your creative you can make great beer with extracts. With all grain you can make even better beer.
Chromebrew
Well-Known Member
I would suggest taking a little artistic liberty with your brews. Sure some recipes make some good beers, but if you find yourself getting bored with the beers you are brewing, try tossing an extra oz of Fuggles in there. Or maybe add some molasses if you think it might compliment the style. Go buck wild with a couple batches, some of the best beers ive made were from obscure ingredients with no plan in mind.
Hope this helps!
Hope this helps!
something that has helped my ipa is dry hopping it more intensely. try some other styles. make an amber IPA or something like htat. there are so many commercial IPA's and a lot of them are really good. its harder to make a beer that is going to stand out against the pros when the majority of pros focus on at least one IPA.
i have made some IPA's that have been really good, but there are still commercial ones I prefer. One of my more recent amber ales has been really really good IMO because the market isn't flooded with similar/superior products.
i have made some IPA's that have been really good, but there are still commercial ones I prefer. One of my more recent amber ales has been really really good IMO because the market isn't flooded with similar/superior products.
thedevanzoshift
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I only have a few batches under my belt and haven't done any all grain yet, just extract and partial mashes but here's my non-technical input:
I love drinking my homebrew and think it tastes great. But I think a lot of it is in the satisfaction of knowing that I was able to make it. I've brewed mainly pale ales but the satisfaction comes from noticing the different nuances in each one and knowing why they taste different ( ie added more/different hops, different types is specialty grains, differences in flavored after say a week in the bottle vs 4 weeks). Being able to taste those differences and knowing exactly why they taste that way whether it tAstes better or worse is where most if not all of the enjoyment of homebrewing comes for me.
I second everyone else's replies is that you should try different things, even if its a bit unconventional or ends up tasting not so good because you get to learn and as a result improve on your next batch. And in the end, you got a bunch of beer to drink out of it, so it can't be all that bad, amiright?
If your beer is tasting pretty "generic" for that style I'm assumin your doing something right given that by what your probably comparing it to is most likely it's commercial equivalent which is pretty awesome if you can mimic that in your home with limited equipment compared to what breweries have access to.
Just my two cents.
I love drinking my homebrew and think it tastes great. But I think a lot of it is in the satisfaction of knowing that I was able to make it. I've brewed mainly pale ales but the satisfaction comes from noticing the different nuances in each one and knowing why they taste different ( ie added more/different hops, different types is specialty grains, differences in flavored after say a week in the bottle vs 4 weeks). Being able to taste those differences and knowing exactly why they taste that way whether it tAstes better or worse is where most if not all of the enjoyment of homebrewing comes for me.
I second everyone else's replies is that you should try different things, even if its a bit unconventional or ends up tasting not so good because you get to learn and as a result improve on your next batch. And in the end, you got a bunch of beer to drink out of it, so it can't be all that bad, amiright?
If your beer is tasting pretty "generic" for that style I'm assumin your doing something right given that by what your probably comparing it to is most likely it's commercial equivalent which is pretty awesome if you can mimic that in your home with limited equipment compared to what breweries have access to.
Just my two cents.
Temperature is a major part of taste profiles, 10 degrees can make the difference between meh and WOW don't neglect your yeast they are happiest at the correct temps...my .02
Also, since yeast can play such an important flavor role, if you are usuing the same yeast, particularly one that adds a distinct character to the beer, it's possible that you are picking up that common flavor from each of your brews.
