Brew Challenge For a Newbie

[Mustakrakish]

Hey all,

I'm new to brewing (about to do my second) but I'm looking for some kind of challenge for my next batch. I know most suggest something easy to learn the basics, but I am the kind of guy who likes to jump in head first and go through a trial by fire, you know push the boundaries and learn from mistakes. I am prepared to tend to it daily, and then to accidentally mess it up beyond recovery, counting any costs as an investment for an experiment. I'm also fairly good at following instructions to a T. So my question is if anyone has a suggestion for a slightly above average complex or effort recipe I could try. I tend to like high abv IPAs or sours, but I'm willing to try anything interesting.

I'm also looking to buy some more equipment. Does anyone have any suggestions on brands or supplies that are often overlooked?

Thanks!
-Jason

 

[jwelch1103]

Try a Dogfish Head 120 clone recipe. That should hit all of your points.

 

[Smellyglove]

Do a Herrmann verfahren mash on a hefeweizen with a single decoction? That's the most "fun" mash I do. Fun as in when everything works out as intended, so all moments were according to plan.

Edit: But, if you don't know the difference it would make there's no point actually, if you see it from that angle when it comes to learning.

 

[seatazzz]

I'm going to rain on the parade here. Is your first batch finished yet? If so, how did it turn out? I've seen too many new brewers get discouraged after trying to brew something more complicated/involved right off the get go, and they didn't get the results they wanted. I truly understand wanting to jump in with both feet running, but I would work more on getting your process down pat before going off to the races.

Today's glut of similes/clichés brought to you by the letter C, as in not enough COFFEE.

 

[McKnuckle]

you know push the boundaries and learn from mistakes.

The great thing about brewing is that one doesn't have to try that hard in order to make mistakes! You'll have plenty of learning opportunities just from trying to follow the basics.

Want a brew challenge that's challenging even for an experienced brewer? Create a really crisp yet malty, spicy-flavorful, crystal clear SMaSH Bohemian Pilsner with just European pilsner malt and Czech Saaz hops. Sound trivial? Nah... it sure isn't.

 

[Smellyglove]

The great thing about brewing is that one doesn't have to try that hard in order to make mistakes! You'll have plenty of learning opportunities just from trying to follow the basics.

Want a brew challenge that's challenging even for an experienced brewer? Create a really crisp yet malty, spicy-flavorful, crystal clear SMaSH Bohemian Pilsner with just European pilsner malt and Czech Saaz hops. Sound trivial? Nah... it sure isn't.

I agree 100% with your point. But, if the person trying to brew this does not have enough experience tasting these kind of beers, or know somebody who has, there's sort of no point except for getting some experience with the equipment to nail timings and temperatures and practice procedure. You need references to aim for.

So to OP, i'd pick a beer style you know, and read up on that, get a lot of samples, and compare. If you don't have anything to compare against you're brewing blind. Unless you just want to make great whatever-beer though, it can be great, but if you don't have anything to compare against you don't know if it can be better.

 

[mongoose33]

I'm going to suggest something different. You don't say how your first batch turned out--and you want a challenge?

IMO, the best thing for new brewers to do is work on relatively simple recipes, simple processes, and get the entire procedure down. The more variables you introduce at the outset, the more things that can go wrong--and how do you then isolate the problem if there is one?

That's why I think brewing a kit is usually a good idea--takes the recipe issues out of play.

Until you have figured out the role water plays in your brewing, how to do the boil properly and add hops at the right time, rack to a fermenter, get the yeast to be right, and control fermentation temperatures--I don't think looking for "challenging" brews is perhaps the best move.

That's saying nothing about if you're doing all-grain: water composition, mash temp, mash pH, lautering, sparging--this stuff isn't rocket science, but neither is it simplistic.

I started brewing 43 batches ago, but I still remember what it was like as a newbie. I think we all want to accelerate the process, but it may be more helpful to ask where you want to be in 6 months than right now. Lay a foundation and in six months you might well be there.

**********

I think some brewers are constantly changing their recipes, process, etc. because they're afraid that if they try to refine recipes and process, they'll find they're not very good at it. Some are proud of never having brewed the same thing twice, and I can't imagine why I'd do that. How can one know if one is improving if the goal posts keep changing location?

Having said that, you get to choose how you want to enjoy brewing. Thankfully, we all do. Do what you want, but if you truly want to get better and better, then nailing down process will reward you.

**************

What's the toughest thing to learn in brewing? It's not water, pH, lautering, sparging, mash temp, recipe development, controlling fermentation temps, learning to make yeast starters, etc.

No, the toughest thing to learn is....patience.

My 2 cents.

 

[McKnuckle]

Another way to summarize what @mongoose33 so eloquently laid out is that brewing itself is a challenge. The "basics," as it were, are anything but that. There are a multitude of variables to control for and understand, plus a physical process and sensory judgments to master. And you'll find all of that in a simple all-grain recipe.

I'm 85 batches in and I learn/refine something, however small, literally every time I brew. And I still have product that misses the mark, although usually now I know why and what i should have done differently. If you rush too much past the essential techniques and styles, you will not acquire the fundamental information you need to master the craft. Or at least, you will do so haphazardly and over a longer period of time.

Patience is a b!tçh, ain't it!

Anyway, to each his or her own and good luck with whatever path you choose.

 

[Nosybear]

Hey all,

I'm new to brewing (about to do my second) but I'm looking for some kind of challenge for my next batch. I know most suggest something easy to learn the basics, but I am the kind of guy who likes to jump in head first and go through a trial by fire, you know push the boundaries and learn from mistakes. I am prepared to tend to it daily, and then to accidentally mess it up beyond recovery, counting any costs as an investment for an experiment. I'm also fairly good at following instructions to a T. So my question is if anyone has a suggestion for a slightly above average complex or effort recipe I could try. I tend to like high abv IPAs or sours, but I'm willing to try anything interesting.

I'm also looking to buy some more equipment. Does anyone have any suggestions on brands or supplies that are often overlooked?


Thanks!
-Jason

Brew a blonde, OG<1.050, IBU<20, no character malt. If you can get that right, you can brew anything.

 

[Jako]

as a new guy myself my second batch i did steeping grains. with that said i would get into brew in a bag. and some simple water treatment my beers went from a 5 to an 9 IMO and my friends would agree. also simple temp control will help i also did this on my 3rd batch just put the bucket in a cooler with some ice jugs to keep it cool.

 

[Rob2010SS]

I've completed batch 5 and about to start batch 6 on Thursday. I may disagree with everyone here a bit - if you want to try something challenging, just pick a beer that you think will be tasty and research the hell out of it and do it. Don't aim for one that's challenging as you say, just aim for something you like. I think you'll find enough challenge in that alone. My wife and I have a great partnership going. If I was just brewing for myself, I'd get tunnel vision. I'd brew the same thing, the same style, over and over. Yeah, I may get good at that style but I wouldn't learn the basics of other styles. We have a system where my wife will find a beer that she likes and she'll ask me, "Can you make something like that next?" We just discovered NEIPA's not too long ago and she said can you make it? I researched the hell out of it - the different yeasts, the grains that are used, the timing of the dry hops, what is a biotransformation dry hop, etc. I gotta say, that beer turned out fantastic! Best one yet!

I love beer, I love brewing, and I love improving the process. I have made improvements to my process with every batch I've done. Fermentation temp was the first improvement, using distilled water was the second, adding CaCl and gypsum additions to water was next, and then it was closed loop transfers to kegs. Again, my suggestion is don't aim for a challenge - aim for a beer style that you like and that you want to make and go for it. Just do yourself a favor and research EVERYTHING about that style before jumping in.

 

[beernutz]

Hey all,

I'm new to brewing (about to do my second) but I'm looking for some kind of challenge for my next batch. I know most suggest something easy to learn the basics, but I am the kind of guy who likes to jump in head first and go through a trial by fire, you know push the boundaries and learn from mistakes. I am prepared to tend to it daily, and then to accidentally mess it up beyond recovery, counting any costs as an investment for an experiment. I'm also fairly good at following instructions to a T. So my question is if anyone has a suggestion for a slightly above average complex or effort recipe I could try. I tend to like high abv IPAs or sours, but I'm willing to try anything interesting.

I'm also looking to buy some more equipment. Does anyone have any suggestions on brands or supplies that are often overlooked?

Thanks!
-Jason

If you want a challenge you should try to make a LODO beer of any style. There's a LODO thread (URL below) which explains the basics and google is also helpful.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=636841

 

[ProblemChild]

For me, a good challenge would be to do a SMASH, split the batch and use two yeasts. Bottle and learn the difference between the two strains.

Mark the bottom of the bottles and drink. Do not peek until after the bottle is empty. Analyze the flavors and see if you can pick out the yeast.

It is a challenge with a developmental side that teaches you to identify the flavors of the yeast.

 

[jalc6927]

A real challenge for a newbie is to pick a beer you really like than try to make yours taste exactly the same, not as easy as it sounds

As far as equipment I recently purchased two used Spiegel fermenters with faucets and love them! Hold 8 gallons, easy to clean, threaded lids, and no siphoning required

 

[beernutz]

A real challenge for a newbie is to pick a beer you really like than try to make yours taste exactly the same, not as easy as it sounds

As far as equipment I recently purchased two used Spiegel fermenters with faucets and love them! Hold 8 gallons, easy to clean, threaded lids, and no siphoning required

Agreed. I bought a new 60L Speidel earlier this year and it is great. I also bought a Jaybird stainless pickup tube for it and added a ball value and it is easy peasy and fast as lightening to fill kegs with this setup.

 

[stuknkrvl]

Mostly agree with what @McKnuckle had to say - brewing a low gravity, light colored ale (1 to 5 SRM) that is still flavorful and well balanced is quite a challenge, especially for inexperienced brewers. There's a lot that can go sideways. The best advice I can give aside from that is to get five or six batches under your belt so you have time to develop your process. That said, effing go for it. First beer I ever brewed was a partial mash recipe kit, and I threw everything into the ring and went straight to all grain full batches right away. Took a lot of practice and had some not so great beers, but never a "bad" beer so to speak. Good luck!

 

[PADave]

Learn to crawl before you try to run. Agree 100 % with Mongoose, "No, the toughest thing to learn is....patience." Learn to brew with what you got, that way you can figure out what you really want/need. Keeps from buying stuff you won't use, or end up replacing with an upgrade.

 

[casualbrewer]

Try to brew a light lager... That will keep you busy for a few years lol.

 

[JulietKilo]

Certainly not just one right path to take. But "jack of all trades, master of none" comes to mind. At first I tried various styles, with little attention to details, now I'm much more enjoying working on just a couple favorites, as there are SO many variables, and I'm still very much an amateur. Which ever route keeps it fun so you keep doing it I suppose...

 

[Jimbodaman]

A true challenge for any new brewer is having patience not to mess with your beer when it's fermenting. Follow the basics of sanitation, yeast pitch rate, fermentation temps, wait 3 weeks to be sure, bottle and enjoy. Try a pumpkin porter recipe, toast pumpkin in oven and add to mash with 1lb of rice hulls

 

[jan_b19]

I'm gonna give you a challenge. Try to brew the first brew again, same OG, FG, flavor, color, efficiency, ... Might sound boring but once you master that you can brew about anything.

 

[dendron8]

Lots of good suggestions here, I will try not to repeat.

I would say find a beer that you really like, try to find a recipe for it, and brew that a few times until you get it right. If time/money is no object I would say control the variables and improve every time you make it.

From an equipment perspective the biggest leap in beer quality for me was controlling fermentation temperature. Go buy/find a chest freezer or refrigerator and a temperature control mechanism (inkbirds are great and cheap).

 

[jbraaten]

All grain brewing when moving from extract, that's a challenge. Although I will agree with many other comments here. Temperature control for fermentation, making sure everything is properly sanitized, figuring out the right point to pull out your bottle from the filler, ensuring you don't end up racking a ton of yeast into the keg, whatever.

I have been brewing for 7 years and I still figure out things I need to do with every batch and have to ensure my strike water is right or hear a new term that I hadn't previously.

You want to jump head first and make mistakes, though, make anything all grain, just control that process and you will have a leg up.