Have you made a "perfect" beer yet?

I've only brewed 11 ales so far, the last 4 were all grain. They're definitely getting better as I keep brewing but I still haven't made what I would call a "perfect" beer yet. I'm still trying to get that perfect balance of rich malt and the pungent hoppy aroma and hop bitterness. I have enjoyed every bottle of every batch I have made but sometimes when I want some "perfect" beer I go buy some Sierra Nevada pale ale or Deschutes Mirror pond ale or Anchor Steam or Stone pale ale or Mendocino Red Tail ale. Man I wish I could brew ales like those. I'll keep trying! Have any of you brewed what you would consider a perfect beer yet? If you have, can I have your recipe please?
Beerbeque

Yeah but I lost the recipe....

No really I did....my brown ale is really, really good IMO but it was something like

8lb 2row
2lb munich
3oz chocolate
3oz caramunich
3oz special b

or something like that

It's like the best song in the world...
All you can do is a tribute.:rockin:

I dont think there is a perfect beer. with so many different personal tastes and subtle variations possible in beer and peoples ability to just get sick of stuff. but in general after going all grain I think the next most important step in making the best beer is temperature controlled fermentation.
You can make something amazing but there's always room for improvement.

I have to agree I don't think there is such a thing as a "perfect beer" that being said I have made beers that where damned fine and could compete right up there with the big craft guys like Sierra Nevada and Deschutes

What I mean by " perfect" beer is a beer that is not obviously out of balance. ie:
too bitter, or not bitter enough, or too sweet, or too dry. Other flaws aside. The examples I cited are "perfect" to me.
Beerbeque

Yeah. There's no such thing as the perfect beer - there are only perfect beers. Have I made one of them? No. If I ever do, and I give you a bottle, will you think it's perfect? Maybe. Probably not.

I had a perfect beer once. It was an Orval. None of the ones I'd had before or have had since have measured up, although they're always very good beers.

It sounds like you want to make a perfect APA. Start with your best so far, and vary things like:
-proportion of pale malt : vienna/munich/amber : crystal
-type of hops, ibu, proportion in end of boil
-yeast (I like S-05, WY1272, and 1187 Ringwood for APAs)

and keep good notes.

(This makes me think of this one New Yorker article I read once about ketchup and mustard and Ragu, and this one other TED talk I watched once.)

You're correct Kai, I'm on a quest to make the perfect APA. When I succeed, I'll move onto other styles but first I want a great everyday, highly quaffable and sessionable basic light to amber ale.
Beerbeque

I'm with ya, I've made some damn fine beer, but none quite as good as my favorites. Someday though!

I agree with Kai though, you should try someting I'm horrible at: Brew the same thing over and over, and only vary ONE ingredient/technique each batch. It's what the big guys do when they are perfecting a new recipe, and it's the only way to know exactly what you need to do next to make it better.

It could be an opportunity to split batches, too. Get a couple of 2.5G carboys, and ferment them with different yeasts, or dry hop one with (for example) Cascade and the other with EKG or Chinook or Saaz or whatever.

i've made only 2 beers that i would not change the recipe to.

Vienna+Northern Brewer SMaSH and my Cream Ale

a friend of mine made a Mt. Hood SMaSH that is also amazing and i wouldn't change a thing!

Let's see...a perfect beer would serve itself...

Never made a perfect beer, but I make a lot of damn fine ones!!

No, but if I ever do I'm opening a tavern and calling it Schnitzengiggle's.

I don't know if there is such a thing as a perfect beer for me. I've made a long of really good beers, but I always think that I can improve on some aspect of it.

I have two recipes that are exactly what I want in that style; a Brown and a Porter. I have two more that are getting close.

Ive had some excellent commercial beers and made a few very good homebrews, but as a drinker I'll never find just one beer that will satisfy me. one particular style may have a perfect hops flavor but is too strong to be a good lawnmower beer and so on...

Only God can create a perfect beer.









Or maybe Jamil (hey, he *is* The Pope!)

All my beers are...well, almost perfect.

The kegs get low and then they blow.

I probably will never make a perfect beer- but I can now make beers that are exactly what I envisioned and better than commercial beers. I would much rather have a homebrew than just about any commercial beers. I've made plenty of so-so ones, though, too!

I am in the process of trying to "perfect" a beer right now, and if I can get close to the point where David is, I will be more than happy.

david_42 said:

I have two recipes that are exactly what I want in that style; a Brown and a Porter. I have two more that are getting close.

Click to expand...

Sure, it's semantics, but when we talk about "perfect beer" in homebrew circles, I take it to mean a beer we're not only happy with, but consider it a damn fine beer and wouldn't change a thing in the recipe or brewing technique. So, perfection in homebrewing is more a personal best, vs. perfect beer compared to other brewer's beer. I've made one of these, an Ordinary Bitter... it came out exactly as I envisioned it and tasted just like OBs I've had in the UK. I'm definitely making it again.

I'm getting close on my Helles too. I've got the recipe and brewing techniques down pat, but wonder what different noble hops might do for it. (OK, I'll admit, I'm trying to make one as tasty as Augustiner... anyone know what hops they use?) There are subtle differences among the noble hops and it's not easy to try them all, especially with the hops shortage. With an Ordinary Bitter, it's easy... EKG and maybe a small amount of another English hop.

The prefect beer.
You will waste your life away looking for perfection in beer
Now that you are an AG brewer you have a huge pallet to choose from. Its like the difference between black and white and color photography. Many of the tastes, smells, mouth-feels that you get from homebrew AG is just not possible to get from a commercial brewer. I just don’t by any commercial beer at all unless I am traveling. Often times we brew 10 gallons in two carboys and pitch two different yeast. Go ahead and mix it up and don’t get all worked up over matching some commercial brew. What you are making is many times better.

I wouldn't go so far as to say I have tasted a "perfect beer" much less brewed one.

I am my worst critic when it comes to my brews. I always find something to tweak on the next try.

I don't know if I would call my brews perfect, but here are some compliments I've received from people who've had my homebrew:

"This is homebrew? Wow, this is the best homebrew I've ever had!"
"Wow, this is delicious...is it hard to make?"
"I've had the Sierra Nevada Kolsch, but your Kolsch is much better" -thanks edwort for the recipe
"I prefer your beer over Sierra Nevada Pale Ale"
"This is the smoothest IPA I've ever had"

and this last one is from me:
"Holy $hit, I can't believe I waited this long to brew my own beer...this tastes as good or better than commercial stuff!"

The quest for perfection continues...it is a never ending pursuit, kind of like the pursuit of happiness.

Perfection? I'm too flawed to make the perfect beer. There are styles I prefer and there are styles I like having around for sharing.

It's always good to have a Blond Ale around IMHO for the BMC crowd. I prefer the Porters for the taste. It's nice to have apfelwein, because it's cheap and my wife will sometimes share one with me.

Yes - it is in the fermenter.

YooperBrew said:

I probably will never make a perfect beer- but I can now make beers that are exactly what I envisioned and better than commercial beers. I would much rather have a homebrew than just about any commercial beers. I've made plenty of so-so ones, though, too!

Click to expand...

As I was reading this thread I was trying to think of how I was going to respond. I am a pretty modest person, so I am not going to sit here and say yeah, I make perfect beer. However, some of the beers I make are exactly what I want from them and in my little world they are perfect.

As an example, my English Style Pale Ale is perfect for me. I almost posted the recipe last night, but never got around to it. I will try to post it this weekend. It is just a simple MO and Crystal 40 grain bill with a nice EKG addition towards the end. It is absolutely delicious and everything that I could ever possibly want in a pale ale.

I've got a coffee & oatmeal stout that I would call perfect, IMO. but that's just the most recent batch. I'm going to be recreating that batch next and we'll see if I can recreate consistently. I've got to have stout on hand for carbombs with my friend during football season.

I've got a belgian amber and a chipotle irish red that are getting closer and closer with each batch. I'm getting to the point on those (5th and 6th versions respectively) that I'm just making minor tweaks now.

But of course that's all in my opinion. My goal is to get a stable of reliable recipes and techniques so that I can consistently make good beers that I enjoy, regardless of style or other outside definitions. So I'll probably never make a "Perfect" Stout, Pale Ale, etc.