Experimentation

So i want to make the best tasting beer ever (don't we all :rockin: ) and it occured to me the other day that "What if i use 2 secondaries in brewing 1 batch, or even possibly 2 brew kettles and 2 primaries?"

Scenario 1:

brewing an Ale, and after X amount of time in primary separate into 2 secondaries and dry hop with different hops. with this i think that you can test out different adjustments to recipes using just one batch.

Scenario 2:

Divide all ingredients equally (2 brew kettles) and add different bittering hops and from there on place into 2 primaries, 2 secondaries, etc.

Do any of you guys do these kind of things to hone in on a specific taste/aroma? I know that it might be a bit much, cleaning wise, using 2 kettles, 2 primaries, and 2 secondaries for 1 batch but should that matter when trying to make some fricken awesome beer?

Thoughts?

Or try different yeast.

Just keep brewing beer on a regular basis and you'll get to where you want to go.


Sounds like your trying to rush things and that always leads to burning out and the eventual quitting of what it is you were doing.

No, you are absolutely right. 2 batches with one single difference will tell you the difference that ingredient made.
There are too many factors involved in adjusting from batch to batch. Most people can't take the same ingredients and make the same beer exactly the same twice, it almost always comes out a little different, so how can you judge what difference a small adjustment to the recipe made?
I actually split one batch into 3 parts using exactly the same ingredients but with different HOPS. I made the first one just with HOPS A, the second just with HOPS B, and the third with a blend of the 2. This told me a lot about the 2 varieties of HOPS. I would like to do this with every kind of HOPS before too long.
I feel very strongly that intimate knowledge of ingredients is the only way to intentionally make a great beer.
Great beer can be made with a little of this, a little of that and just hope it works out well. But you won't get a great beer every time.

Yes, it's a lot more work and might contribute to burnout. But for experimental sake it's the best to compare. With totaly seperate batches so many other factors will effect the end product. Why stop with 2 secondary fermentere? 5 1 gal jugs could work as secondaries where you get lots to play around with. Diffrent dry hopping for instance vs. none etc. The more you can keep the same on the front end will give you closer real results of the later. Plus then after botteling you can invite a few friends over, crack open 5 diffrent bottles of very similar beers and discuss the preferances of each!

I have seen some brew clubs do this...from what I understand, yeast makes the biggest difference. You could make two totally different beers that way, or if you are trying to refine just one style, such as an IPA, you could adjust/change the hops. I say do it!

I brewed a batch of scottish ale a few weeks ago, and I sized the batch to come out to 6 gallons instead of 5 - then I put a little less than a gallon in a 1-gallon glass jug as an experimental batch with different yeast, and the rest went in a regular carboy as the main batch with the originally intended yeast.

Seems like an easy way to do a little experimentation any time you brew a batch, without having to devote a half a batch (or more) to an experiment that's somewhat likely to fail.

sounds like a great experiment. i've been meaning to test out some yeasts (5 x 1 gallon with different yeasts, probably a belgian beer) but haven't gotten around to it yet.

I think a posting of beer diary entries that have information on experimenting, as it was described, would be a really great help to others. Though there are a million and one variables, it would give people a different idea of how different yeast, hop and malt options work together (in particular, the hops) to create a unique taste.

I'm experimenting with 'wild yeast' and fermenting batches with one wild yeast at a time to learn about their character so I can make my own "Lambic Blend". First was Brett C, now Brett L, next up is Pedio, etc.
I think experimenting with different ingredients is an awesome way to learn and make better beer.
Here are some experiments:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/basicbrewing/bbr12-28-06.mp3
http://media.libsyn.com/media/basicbrewing/bbr09-07-06.mp3
The first one is different sugars, the second different hops( one variety used per beer).