5 taps...what would you chose?

[storytyme]

Hey everyone. Eventually I want to be up to 5 taps as I have just started kegging (as of 2 hours ago). I am wondering what 5 beer types would you chose if you had 5 taps. My initial thought is:

1. IPA
2. Imperial IPA?
3. Ordinary bitter or Pale Ale
4. Something Dark (Porter/Stout)
5. ??? Seasonal?

Thoughts are appreciated. Thanks everyone

 

[angrysparrow]

Choose the styles that you enjoy drinking, and that you feel like having at the time. No need to worry about keeping some sort of set selection when you aren't running a bar. Homebrew is for what *you* like.

JMO

 

[BBQB]

Saison is a must! IMHO

 

[Zamial]

I am about to set up (when time and money permit) a 6 tap system. I will be dedicating 1 tap to ginger ale to reduce my soda costs. The rest would all be seasonal appropriate styles. I do not think I would want a specific beer always on tap.

 

[BigJack]

I can't see keeping the same 5 beers all the time, but as a rule of thumb I would want something Englishy, something Belgiany, something dark, something hoppy, and something sessionable for people who don't know jack about good beer.

 

[storytyme]

Choose the styles that you enjoy drinking, and that you feel like having at the time. No need to worry about keeping some sort of set selection when you aren't running a bar. Homebrew is for what *you* like.

JMO

So what would YOU like?

 

[angrysparrow]

So what would YOU like?

Beer. J/K

It goes in phases for me. Sometimes I'm stuck on stouts, other times I enjoy lambics, still other times it's IPAs or hefeweizens. About the only thing I like to drink pretty much any time is a low-abv english bitter.

 

[Mexicanconnection2002]

I usually have something like this on my 5 taps:
IPA
American Pale Ale
Blonde Ale/Kolsch/Saison/Light Lager
Imperial Stout/IIPA/Imperial Red
Bitter/Mild/Brown/Stout

 

[Clef051]

I'd like to always have a IPA on tap maybe more than one depending on the time of year. The rest would change.

 

[atom]

1. Ipa
2. Ipa
3. Ipa
4. Ipa
5. Ipa

 

[emjay]

APA/blonde
IPA/IIPA
ESB/nut brown/brown Porter
RIS/milk stout
Flanders Red/fruit lambic

 

[NY_HomeBrew_Student]

SN Torpedo Clone
CDA similar to Southern Tier's Iniquity
Edmund Fitzgerald Porter Clone
House Brown Ale hopped primarily after flameout on Nitro
House Imperial Oatmeal Stout on Nitro

 

[Hello]

I'd do an amber, hefe, stout, IPA, and cider.

 

[Felixio]

I'm not a super hop-head, so mine would be different. As other people have said, do what you would drink (or what your guests typically drink).

1. IPA/American Pale Ale
2. Wheat of some kind (GF's favorite style)
3. A low IBU Pale/Blonde or a Porter/Stout (Think of this as the seasonal tap)
4. Brown
5. Porter/Stout

 

[brewmcq]

I try to keep a good variety on hand... from blonde to stout.

 

[beersk]

Trying to think of this myself, as I just added a 3rd tap to my kegerator. But if I had 5, I'd go with:

1. Munich Helles/light lager
2. German amber lager of some kind
3. IPA/Pale Ale/hoppy amber/black IPA
4. Oatmeal Stout/Coffee stout/Porter
5. Black lager

Probably would switch the dark beers out in the summer for hefes and maybe another tap out for seasonals.
As it is now, I have 3 taps. I like to keep something light, like a Munich helles, something amber to dark like a Marzen or Schwarzbier, and something hoppy, which could be a black IPA, pale ale, or IPA. Never want to have 2 IPAs on tap, done that accidentally before, get burned out pretty quickly on IPA.

 

[JDGator]

1. Ipa
2. Ipa
3. Ipa
4. Ipa
5. Ipa

i'd do 4 taps with IPA's and 1 with yellow fizzy stuff for everyone else to drink!!

 

[Denny]

Choose the styles that you enjoy drinking, and that you feel like having at the time. No need to worry about keeping some sort of set selection when you aren't running a bar. Homebrew is for what *you* like.

JMO

THIS^^^^ is the answer to most homebrewing questions.

 

[beersk]

THIS^^^^ is the answer to most homebrewing questions.

Well, duh. But the original question was just to see what everyone else was into. He'll put on tap what he likes, no doubt.

 

[Roadie]

I try to keep a good variety on hand... from blonde to stout.

This... from blonde to redhead!

 

[flatlanderHQ]

1. Pale Ale/ Bitter

2. Czech pilsner

3. IPA

4. Porter/Stout

5. Something Belgian

 

[timrox1212]

Mine would be
1. Something dark (stout/porter)
2. Something hoppy (IPA/IIPA)
3. Easy drinking (California common/pale ale)
4. Something with fruit
5. Something experimental or seasonal (vanilla/oak/spices/etc...)

This is pretty much my brew schedule now so I always have something of each in hand.

 

[Whattawort]

Stout
IPA
Cream or Blonde
Amber or Brown
Cider (I actually get called out for this if I don't have it available at all times)

 

[JackRussel]

1. Ipa
2. Ipa
3. Ipa
4. Ipa
5. Ipa

I think you missed IIPA!

 

[stussi67]

"I can't see keeping the same 5 beers all the time, but as a rule of thumb I would want something Englishy, something Belgiany, something dark, something hoppy, and something sessionable for people who don't know jack about good beer."

I agree with this post. I like the idea to brew a beer and tag it to a nation. Many local bars do this and I personally enjoy going and trying new beers from around the world. More hops the better. Then of course having a sessional beer for the occasional beer drinker is a great way to open the door to a potential new beer addict.

 

[mrdauber64]

1. Oatmeal stout
2. Ipa or IIPA
3. Wheat/cream ale/blonde
4. Pale ale
5. Something high gravity(RIS or Barleywine)

 

[invivoSaccharomyces]

1. Stout
2. Imperial stout
3. Bourbon oak imperial stout
4. Chocolate sweet stout
5. 100% Brett semi-sour stout

 

[Fishin-Jay]

Hmm.. Most of mine would probably switch back and forth among a couple similar choices for each tap. I'd probably go with:

1. Summerale Ale, Winter:ESB
2. Summer: H3 (Honey Lemon Lavender Lager), Winter: Vienna Lager
3. Red IPA
4. Summer: Berlinerweisse, Winter: Oud Bruin
5. Summer: Saison, Winter: Holiday Tripel

 

[skitamofo]

1. IPA
2. A lite SMsSH
3. Pale Ale
4. Oatmeal Stout
5. Belgian Wit

 

[YNOT2K]

I have 4 taps and they change often.

Right now it's -

APA
Blond
Oatmeal Stout
Semi-Sweet Hard Apple Cider

Next in the pipeline is an IPA.

I brew the styles I enjoy. You should too!

 

[HerbieHowells]

For starters, a tap for Saison and a tap for Wit. Those have been my best brews so far, and it gives you a good baseline for pairing beer with food.

A third tap for American Pale Ale or IPA. I like a good American hopped beer from time to time, although I don't see myself needing more than one at a time.

I'd dedicate a fourth to Porter, with an occasional Stout thrown in for variety.

And fifth, a nice sessionable English ale (Ordinary Bitter, Mild, or AK), with the ABV prominently listed on the tap, so that I don't end up wasting the good stuff on people who think that only people who don't know jack about good beer drink sessionable beer.

 

[storytyme]

Thanks for all the replies. It is cool to see all the preferences out there.