Experienced brewer : what have changed the way you brew?

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beauvafr

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This question is aimed to experience brewers. Over your path to the kind of beer you are making today, what changes (big or small) have made the biggest difference in the quality of the beer you brew?

Is it using different kind of yeast, longer phase of fermentation, special techniques?

Above all the changes or trick you implemented to your daily techniques, which one took your homebrew to another level?
 
Controlling temperature followed by longer time in the fermenter. It seems that with longer time in the fermenter I don't need as long in the bottle to get good flavors. My beer seems to mature much faster being on the yeast cake.
 
I'm about a year in, so I'm not sure if that qualifies at all as "experienced," but fermentation temperature control is the sinle change I can poin to as having the biggest impact on the finished product. Most other tweaks you can do will make a minor difference on the finished beer, but steady ferm temp can drastically change the flavor of your beer for the better.
 
Number one, as stated, is fermentation temperature control. The next for me is the lack of urgency. Allowing your brews to stay in the primary for almost a month and then in the keg for another month or two before being tapped....works wonders.
 
Have to jump on the band wagon... To go from making good beer to making great beer, fermentation temperature control is the single most important aspect. Happy yeast make happy brewers.
 
Number one, as stated, is fermentation temperature control. The next for me is the lack of urgency. Allowing your brews to stay in the primary for almost a month and then in the keg for another month or two before being tapped....works wonders.


I agree, Patience is key, Along with temp control and yeast starters.. I've also been focusing on water lately. For me, these have made a huge difference.
 
Def some kind of temp control. But water quality also makes a noticeable improvement. Also,when I started leaving the beer in promary till it cleans up & settles out clear or slightly misty makes for better beers going into my bottles. Those are the biggest changes that improved my quality over time.
 
Number one, as stated, is fermentation temperature control. The next for me is the lack of urgency. Allowing your brews to stay in the primary for almost a month and then in the keg for another month or two before being tapped....works wonders.

Absolutely. I find when I have several cases of various beers in the closet I'm less anxious about rushing the two batches still in fermenters.
 
Single most changing experience is experimenting with other strains of yeast in starters AND in watching how yeast physically works (I moved my fermentation into my office). A lot makes more sense after reading "YEAST" and doing these fun, and rewarding experiments!
 
over 13 years: fermentation temp control, yeast pitch rates, late extract additions, utilizing specialty grains in place of amber/dark extracts, different mashing techniques. and I started focusing on single styles until I found what I liked. I keep on experimenting though. all part of the growing process.
 
1. Fermentation temperature control
2. Pitching the proper amount of yeast
3. Water chemistry

That's about it, in the right order, for me.

I have other things that have made my brewing easier- electric indoor brewery, pumps, sight glass, etc- but those make it easier, not better. Yeast health (#1 and #2 on my list) makes the biggest improvement, probably for everyone.

In my area, we have strongly alkaline water with lots of bicarb. Learning to deal with it took my beers to the next level.
 
Not really a technique but simplifying my process and recipes has made all the difference,

I was able to start over as I sold all my gear at one point - when I got back into it I promised myself to simplify everything.

Now I'm making the best beer I've ever made.

I have a cooler to mash in and a bayou classic setup - a few kegs with cobra taps, 2 buckets and that's it.

I don't really weigh out hops anymore - go with really simple grain bills & use about 3 different yeasts. 2 weeks in primary and never bottle anything.
 
Forgot to mention that late extract additions were another step toward better beer. Lighter color & no twang. Hop flavors were better in lighter wort so far as partial boils are concerned.
 
It's funny that so many of you mentioned having the control or patience to let your batches sit in primary/secondary for longer periods of time. I've been doing this from the get-go, but I guess one man's "patience" is another man's "Oh, I'll get around to it eventually"
 
It's funny that so many of you mentioned having the control or patience to let your batches sit in primary/secondary for longer periods of time. I've been doing this from the get-go, but I guess one man's "patience" is another man's "Oh, I'll get around to it eventually"

Ha,lolz. This is def one of those hobbies where being lazy can turn into an advantage. Natural version of patience.:D
 
Fermentation control not only makes for a superior finished product, it also allows for various aspects of the yeast to shine utilizing different temperature parameters.for this, the STC controller has been a godsend. FWIW, I'm not in the extended primary camp. My reasoning is that when the yeast is done, it's done.
 
1. Understanding yeast better. For me, this ranged from understanding the subtleties that are imparted by particular yeast strains to "temperature control". I say "temperature control", b/c I still only have active temperature control on my lagering fridge. For all of my ales, I use other means if I need to lower the temperature a bit, such as a jerry-rigged swamp cooler (wet towel with carboy immersed in a bit of water, fan nearby if needed). This is all mainly to say that temperature control doesn't necessarily have to be automated if you're on a budget and/or have limited space for additional fridges, etc.

2. Creating my own recipes. Exploring recipes on your own - using input from various other sources, but trying different grains, hops, yeast, etc. to get a feel for the subtle changes imparted by each ingredient is a great way to improving your brewing. It takes some time, so you have to have patience and be ready for some beers that don't taste quite how you wanted them to, but you will improve.

3. Making simple beers. Even when creating your own recipes, there can be an impulse to make BIG BOLD beers, and often this is great, but this can also lead to some BIG MUDDLED flavors and hitting a rut in terms of your understanding of how small changes can impart relatively significant differences in flavor, etc. If you make a 10% imperial stout with vanilla and bourbon soaked oak chips, follow it up with a pilsner, an alt, or a simple pale ale to get back to basics and make sure you can still nail some simple (but difficult to perfect) recipes.
 
I also forgot two other important things for me:

4. 10 gallon batches. These allow you to split up a big batch into 2 or 3 different fermenters (or more if you want) and change a variable between each batch. Its been the best way for me to do side by side comparisons. Want to see the influence of - starter vs. no starter? two different yeast strains? primary only vs. secondary? 10 gallon batches makes these comparisons easy

5. Entering competitions. Even if you don't care about winning medals, etc. its a great way to get feedback and improve quickly. Plus you get to go the awards ceremonies and meet other homebrewers and professional brewers and have informative conversations.
 
For me in this order:
1. Fermentation Control - Without a doubt, the single most important thing you can do to improve your beer.
2. Full Boil
3. Yeast Starters

Next on my list is Water. I'm currently studying up on how to manipulate and improve water based on the style I'm brewing.

I also agree with competitions. I entered my first one and the feedback was well worth it.

Finally, reading posts and taking the advice from the experts here on this forum such as Revvy, yooper, Golddiggie, Biermuncher, Ed Wort and others. They have done it, tried it and brewed it. When they post, I pay attention.
 
Doing half barrel batches allows me to compare processes between three carboys. I've been saying for years, and no proven, transferring hot brake into the fermenter makes clearer beer and transferring to secondary is unnecessary for up to three week fermentation.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
Something new to me that I've been doing for a few months on my lagers is a Schmitz decoction. This method has helped bring about a more smooth sweet malty flavor than my previous step or single infusion mashes haven't given me.
 
1. Fermentation temperature control
2. Pitching the proper amount of yeast
3. Water chemistry

That's about it, in the right order, for me.

I have other things that have made my brewing easier- electric indoor brewery, pumps, sight glass, etc- but those make it easier, not better. Yeast health (#1 and #2 on my list) makes the biggest improvement, probably for everyone.

In my area, we have strongly alkaline water with lots of bicarb. Learning to deal with it took my beers to the next level.

Agree 100%. The funny thing is that I've *just* gotten around to the water chemistry portion of this (3 batches in, one still in the fermenter), after nearly 8 years of brewing, and my Oktoberfestbier with RO water is damn near perfect. Definitely better than the O'fests I've done in past years. So smooth and malty.

I think I was making very good beer before. I've consistently placed in category in competition. And yet I think water chemistry is going to be the "next level" change, from "very good" to "great".
 
I came back to homebrewing after about an 8 year hiatus. I've started temperature controlling all my beers. Before it was pretty much just lagers. I bought a stir plate and use that for every batch except dry yeasts. Actually, dry yeasts are a change, they used to suck. Much better now. I pay attention to mash pH. I've started playing with water chemistry, but I'm still working on that.

I also got my process down so brew days go pretty smooth. One thing that improved my brew day was using Fermcap in the boil. It allows me to walk away from the kettle so I can clean and prep things. It used to be that I had to be there the entire time for boilovers. It used to be that I'd spend 90 minutes cleaning after brewing. Now all I have to do is clean the kettle, immersion chiller and hop spider.
 
everything's already been said here - temp, amount of yeast and water

I will say on temp control - there's a lot of different methods out there, and I have tried a BUNCH of them. But my water bath temp controlled beers have always come out better than any other method of temp control. It's a lot more work than just putting a heat sleeve around a carboy, but my water baths have always been right on point and better beer.
 
Fermentation temp is #1

But a close second was waiting longer for my beer to age, that extra 2 weeks/months depending on style was huge.
 
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