New brewers.Stop trying to doctor your beer !

I've got a BIL that believes in adding pounds of table sugar, brown sugar, etc., to his beer because he has this belief that it adds awesomeness to his beers.

But he never can figure out why the end up tasting horrible..

MriswitH said:

I've got a BIL that believes in adding pounds of table sugar, brown sugar, etc., to his beer because he has this belief that it adds awesomeness to his beers.

But he never can figure out why the end up tasting horrible..

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Meh, that's easy to diagnose, it's because he's not using THIS!

I'm all for experimentation. All but one beer I've brewed have been from my own recipes. With that said, I did my research first. Before even making my first batch I read everything I could about the brewing process and about two years worth of back issues from BYO. I made sure I understood everything I could about the process before beginning. But that's just how I am with any undertaking. I think one of the main problems with new ones throwing all kinds of stuff in their beer is they don't understand what the finished flavor will be. I've never brewed from a kit, but I see nothing wrong with it and they are proven recipes. But there's a reason why each kit contains the ingredients it does and not an option for cherries, brown sugar, etc. If you want a fruit beer plan on a fruit beer. Adding fruit or spices or sugar or extra malt extract might not work with the base beer you're making. Planning ahead goes a long way to helping make good beer that can be repeated if you like it. I just think those who are posting in this thread just want to help new ones not make the same old mistakes time and time again and then wonder why their beer is bad.
In summary, do I think it's a good idea for someone's first or second batch to be an imperial chocolate cherry molasses ginger hefe coffee stout? No
Do I care what you brew with your own equipment, time and money? No

Granted I am yet to brew my first batch (money is a tad tight these days) but the reason I want to begin brewing is experimentation. I am a cook, a helluva cook even, and I thrive on experimentation. Change something here, add something there, apply the method of one thing to something completley different. I found, through research, I can do the same in brewing. I understand flavor combos in food and am every day gaining knowledge of beer flavorings. I do my homework of course. I wouldn't just toss some grains in a pot and call it beer as much as I would just toss some veggies in a pot and call it a mirpoix. I am fortunate enough to have two experienced homebrewers at my disposal as well. I guess I am an atypocal brew newb in that I formulate carefully and know better than to tweak more than 1 or 2 variables at a time (i also have a small chemistry background). So I am more likley to find a recipe and change it to suit me either by the replacement of specialty grains or some simmilar method.

BronxBrew said:

New brewer adding pipe tobacco or beef jerky to there secondary. Not to mention fruit flys and infection. Wonder why there beer didn't turn out. It's easy for us who have made great first brews. We stuck to what the style called for. Why not try to get the beer right first then tweak it is what I'm saying. Adding 10 pounds of god knows what on your first batch to then come on here to ask what happened ? I see great people "mods included" who go out of there way to help.

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Wow! Since I'm the OP. this thred has been blown out of proportion . This post above was on page two. I went in detail to explain what I ment by my original post.

Also to put into perspective. I cook too. Making a meal can take a few hours. Making beer can take a month and a half to two. Cooking you can always add to taste, beer not so much. I would hate to brew a Belgian triple and wait three months to find out its undrinkable .