Need a "Slump stopper"

I have been in a bit of a slump with my last couple of batches. I have a porter ready to bottle, but I think that will benefit from some aging, so I won't know for awhile how that one turns out.

What I need is this: do any of you have a fool-proof, forgiving recipe that you tend to go back to because you know it will always turn out good?

ahh the old fall backs...yep i have a few but here's two recent ones i've been rotating for my friends. i don't know if they'll cure your slump but it's worth a go.

the first is a basic sweet stout:

0.5 lbs. Dingemans Debitter Black
0.5 lbs. Simpson's Chocolate
6 lbs. Munich Malt Syrup
1 lbs. Lactose
1 oz. Target (60 min)
Wyeast #1028 London Ale

1 week in the primary / 2 weeks in the secondary / 3 weeks in the bottles - chill to 50° and serve! i'm almost always out of this stuff.

next one takes a little bit longer...well quite a bit longer - but again it's a simple bill and tried and true.

the basic wee heavy:

0.5 lbs. Simpsons Crystal
0.375 lbs. Dingemans Biscuit
0.125 lbs. Simpson's Roasted Barley
12 lbs. Gold Malt Syrup
1 oz. Fuggle (60 min)
1 oz. Fuggle (45 min)
Wyeast #1728 Scottish Ale

one week in the primary / two weeks in the secondary / nine more in the bottles - chill to 50° and serve.

real basic recipes - no frills - but they always produce satisfying, reliable results in my experience.

these two recipes i rotate throught a lot for entertaining friends - and in between batches i can do the experimenting with recipes and other more complex recipes.

mmditter said:

I have been in a bit of a slump with my last couple of batches. I have a porter ready to bottle, but I think that will benefit from some aging, so I won't know for awhile how that one turns out.

What I need is this: do any of you have a fool-proof, forgiving recipe that you tend to go back to because you know it will always turn out good?

Click to expand...

Why are you slumping? What's up?

My recent slump started with my oatmeal stout. I figured out it was because of the water here.

My favorite slumpbuster recipe is a pale ale. I have good luck with those so I do that when I need some confidence.

What have you done well? Do it again, no matter if you are in the mood for it right now or not.

My .02....

All my brews are extract with some steeping grains. I did a Milwaukee Amber Ale. It came out pretty decent, not as carbonated as I would have liked, but very drinkable. I did an Oktoberfest Ale that was excellent. It had a great head and when we blind taste tested it with some Paulaner it was almost indistinguishable, if not a little better. My slump started with a kolsch. It had too much trub in it and tasted yeasty I guess would be the best way to describe it. That one cleared up after a couple of months, though and ended up tasting pretty good.

My latest is another amber ale which I hoped would replace my earlier effort which is now all gone. It is also known as "Rubber Stopper Ale" since I pushed a stopper down into the carboy by mistake. It's been in bottles for over a month now, but still is not very carbonated at all. It may be improving slightly in taste, but still has an aftertaste that I can't put my finger on. It seems as though it may have a sort of raw hops flavor (also, it may be just my imagination, but I also think it may taste faintly of rubber stopper). I've got a few bottles in the warmest part of the house hoping it carbs up a bit there. Maybe it just needs more time in winter to condition properly.

I agree with Dude. A Pale Ale is the perfect beer to bust a slump. There are tasty easy quick to ferment and ready to drink and age well too. A handful of ingredients will get you a good brew. And since ales are traditionally drunk warm it covers any imperfections that would be readily apparent in lagers. First recipe I ever made came from an extract kit.

6lbs of malt extract or 8lbs of pale malt
8 ounces of Crystal 60L
2 ounces of Willamette hops Bittering
2 ounces of Perle Aroma

Plain simple and tasty. Good luck on getting out of your slump.
And the best thing about Pale Ale is that you probably have the ingredients already to make a good batch.