Planning Ahead...How Far?

Just curious as to how far ahead everyone plans there Brewing? I just picked out my next 8 Brews.

In Honor and Appreciation of all this Forum has been I'm doing a HBT Lineup. All recipes from HBT Members.

1)Ed's Haus Pale. First time I did it it picked up an over powering Mold flavor during bottling that wouldn't settle out after 3 months in bottles.
2)Orfy's HobGoblin Clone
3)Spyke's American Red
4)BM Cream of 3 Crops
5)Ed Bavarian Hefe
6)Bradsul's Cascade of Bitterness IPA
7)Big Kahuna'a Reindeer Fuel
8)Brew Pastor's Water to Barleywine

I know there are people out there with good and maybe even better recipes. But these are some key names when I think HBT. Yuri's Black project was my stout, but traded it in for BK's just because I wanted a bigger stout.

So post up. Future brews? How far in advance do you pick your lineup?

I've always planned way in advance, since I have to order everything online. Now, though, I've got my own mill and a few sacks of grain, and plenty of hops in the freezer, so maybe I'll be more likely to not plan so far in advance!

Still, I have quite a few on my "next" list. Here they are, probably in order:

1. Maibock
2. Two Hearted Clone (IPA)
3. Fat Squirrel clone (nut brown ale)
4. DFH 60 Clone (IPA)
5. Dead Guy Clone
6. APA with homegrown cascades

I made an Irish Draught today (recipe from Northern Brewer) and have their Tongue Splitter and an American amber on tap. I like a mix on tap, but I do lean towards the hoppy beers.

I have been changing a bit. After about 15 months and brewing about 30 batches, I am beginning to settle into some favorites.

My house beer is Ed Worts. I am currently selecting brews out of the Jamil/Palmer book.

But I am now thinking of increasing my ingredient purchasing and will begin upgrading my hop supply.

Therefore, to use the most fresh hops I will begin planning brew sessions around that.

I think your idea of an eight brew schedule looks fine for me as well.

I will need to get going on it I guess.

I really like using HBT members as a recipe resource.

This weekend is a modified version of https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f71/rbbc-abbey-pale-ale-59251/
Up next is the original SMaSH https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/single-malt-single-hop-45890/
After that https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f68/o-flannagain-standard-41072/
And finally https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f63/bee-cave-brewery-oktoberfest-ale-38880/

I like planning ahead but trying to plan too far becomes futile. I come across new ideas too often here.

I have a few that I have to keep on hand (CBC Beers) other than those I kind of go week by week. I am AlWAYS trying new stuff and changing things around and have a bunch of stuff on hand (i.e grain and hops and yeast). If I want to brew, I pick a date then pick a beer, whatever sounds good at the time.
Tomorrow its CBC Bucking Brown or CBC Honey IIPA Just not sure yet.
Cheers
JJ

Usually, I'll plan on Wednesday what I want to brew on Saturday. Then tweak it on Friday to actually brew it on Sunday.

No joke.

To add a little to this, how often are you brewing? So to further the original example, if you have 8 beers planned how often are you brewing one of these?

And to expand even further, how quickly does your beer supply last once it is brewed?

I usually try to buy 10 or so batches at a time. I have 13 fermentors, so I try to time 3 or 4 to be ready at the same time. I have all 13 ready to re-fill over christmas, so I'm buying about 15 batches here in the next few days. 1 batch of mead, 2 batches of wine & 1 batch of Aphelwine will go into the mix, so its not all short turn around beer.

I brew as often as I can, more in the winter, very little in the summer. I'd say I average 3 batches a month, but I don't break out the brewpot unless I can do 3 in a day.

I try to plan three brews ahead. However, by the time I get to the third brew I've changed my mind and want to make something else.

I am doing batch #5 tomorrow but as you can see from my sig I already have a lineup

I would have to admit that if I stocked ingredients I'd be likely to plan maybe 20 minutes ahead.....
As it is, 2 or 3 days ahead of a batch maybe.... I'm WAY to impatient to wait very long to brew once I decide what I want to make.

zac said:

I usually try to buy 10 or so batches at a time. I have 13 fermentors, so I try to time 3 or 4 to be ready at the same time. I have all 13 ready to re-fill over christmas, so I'm buying about 15 batches here in the next few days. 1 batch of mead, 2 batches of wine & 1 batch of Aphelwine will go into the mix, so its not all short turn around beer.

I brew as often as I can, more in the winter, very little in the summer. I'd say I average 3 batches a month, but I don't break out the brewpot unless I can do 3 in a day.

Click to expand...

You my friend, are a MADMAN!!!!!!!!
I wonna come and play!!!!
JJ

Just curious as to how far ahead everyone plans there Brewing? I just picked out my next 8 Brews.

Click to expand...

I plan my Lagers since I can only ferment one at a time.. Ales.. I'll decide what to make the night before I brew it based on what I have in the grain bin and what yeast is available.. For liquid yeast I pick one to make a starter on Wed then friday pick or make a recipe to go with the yeast.

I usually plan out about 4 months, which is about 10-14 brews. I pick a yeast and plan 4 of 5 brews around it so that I can use the yeast cakes. I am a bit behind though as I have not planned anything yet for next year.

I plan way in advance as well, saves $!

Need to get me a grain mill though, don't like holding onto milled grain for more than a month or so.

I plan around the yeast I'm buying, I feel ridiculous using a $7 yeast only once. Try to get 2-3 brews out of each liquid yeast I buy.

Double batches begin after Christmas!

jaybird, what part of N Cali? I used to live in Somes Barr. Pm me.

We generaly buy a sack or two of grain at our LHBS, generally brew beers in the 1.040-1.060ish range, getting 3 10gal brews per sack.

Our next 6...
eds Haus Ale x 2
Oatmeal Stout
Eds RyePA
A wheat of some sort, probably split with weiss/wit yeast & spices
A Parti-gyle RIS/Brown ale

I want to brew quite a bit over the winter (not that its harsh here really) to stock the pipeline on through spring into summer next year, because when the weather warms up I don'ty want to spend my weekends brewing and bottling. I have too many home improvement projects, and my workshop isn't heated or cooled. I pretty much don't use it in summer or winter.

In my lineup, mentally in this order:
1)Apfelwein
2)Edwort's Haus Pale Ale
3)A Big Sweet Oatmeal Stout to age for next winter
4)Belgian Wit for summer
5)Blackberry Cream Ale (smaller batch for summer)
6)DFH 60 Minute clone (drink it fresh)
7)Cranberry Apple Cider
8)Highland's Gaelic Ale clone

I have about 70 bottles of drinkable beer at the moment, and 5.5 gallons to be bottled in the next week.
I also only have 1 fermenter so it'll probably stay full until almost summer.

I usually decide the day of. I get to work, pick out a recipe, drive to the homebrew shop during lunch and crush my grains. Get home from work at 6ish and brew. That's my system. This limits me to dry yeast though.

Since I order online and space is a concern I try to plan about three beers worth of base grain in advance. I just ordered a barley crusher so I may just get a sack of grain next time.

YooperBrew said:

I've always planned way in advance, since I have to order everything online. Now, though, I've got my own mill and a few sacks of grain, and plenty of hops in the freezer, so maybe I'll be more likely to not plan so far in advance!

Still, I have quite a few on my "next" list. Here they are, probably in order:

1. Maibock
2. Two Hearted Clone (IPA)
3. Fat Squirrel clone (nut brown ale)
4. DFH 60 Clone (IPA)
5. Dead Guy Clone
6. APA with homegrown cascades

I made an Irish Draught today (recipe from Northern Brewer) and have their Tongue Splitter and an American amber on tap. I like a mix on tap, but I do lean towards the hoppy beers.

Click to expand...

That one has become a staple at my house. Yooper says she didn't invent it, but rather found it, but it was an awesome find!

The only recipes I plan are the seasonals. I make this Bock every late December and this Marzen every spring.

Ed's Haus Pale

Click to expand...

That's my next also.

I have a spread sheet that goes out 1 year - about 40 batches. Although it is always being tweaked. My problem is that I need to brew more batches of the "House" ales and less "new" styles.

SO - in reality I'm about 4 batches into the future and a "vision" for the next 40.

i try to brew 3 times a month, but have been brewing only twice a month. i'll order supplies for soon for my Dec./Jan. beers probably. i usually try to plan it out so i can pitch on a yeast cake or have some washed yeast that isn't to old. in November i brewed an English Mild and Irish red. so December will probably be some Pale Ale/IPA. need my hop fix.

Unless I have a craving for something specific I go to the brew store and check out what they have for hops on thursday. I usually decide on a style based on what hops they have and grab the yeast at this time. I go home get the starter going and then think about what specific recipe to use. On Friday night or Saturday morning I go back and get the grain/hops. Then brew Saturday or Sunday.
I know its an odd way to do it but this way I build a recipe based on what is easily available for hops which is for me the most difficult thing to find, my LHBS has never failed me for having a great selection of wyeast, White Labs and dry yeast and their grain selection is just crazy.

Several times I have gone in and changed my mind at the last second on what recipe to use. So I guess you could say I don't plan ahead at all.

I have Ed's Haus Pale on deck
Then a SMaSH consisting of Willamette Hops and a currently undecided base grain
Then Yooper's DFH 60min IPA clone
Then possibly a Stone's 12th anniversary Bitter Choco Oatmal Stout clone


after that, who knows

does anyone else have a hard time planning ahead for the season? I don't seem to want an octoberfest type beer until around october... i can't seem to think 'what will i want in the summer' until it starts to warm up.

Anyone else have this problem and how do you break out of the 'season i'm in' mindset?

Centennial Blonde x2
Stone IPA
Ruination IPA
Stone Smoked Porter

I brew pretty much every weekend and my plan goes like this...

I mash some malted barley...

Then I sparge....

Then I boil...

Then I throw some hops in here and there....

Then I cool...

Then I throw in some yeast...

Then I may dry hop...

OR Maybe not...

Then I cool again...

Then I keg...

Then I gas..


Once that is all done...

I drink....

Simple really...

Depends on my mood, but typically no more than a week from brewday. I'm in the mood to try brewing a belgian right now, but when I actually do brew in a couple of weeks it might be something different. LHBS is close by, so no need to worry about ingredients.

Once I get a Barley Crusher, I'll probably do more SMASH brews and eventually have a variety of malts on hand so I can brew just about anything on a whim.