Confession Time

[Onkel_Udo]

Confession: I'm not convinced by "...and I've never had a problem" or "...and it tastes great" or "...my friends love it". The human race continues to exist because no matter how ugly our babies are, we love them and nurture them and can overlook a slew of faults. I'm more convinced by "...and I scored a 40" or "...and it won a medal". At least, then, someone who has no dog in the race evaluated it for off flavors.

Meh, that requires caring what style your beer is enough to "conform" to guidelines. What is the JACCCCCCCPQRSTUV category for "Beer I like to drink on a warm summer day"?

Confession: I build a recipe that sounds good to me and then pick a style that conforms to my recipe so I can tell others what I made the weekend. Apparently "Lawnmower Beer" is not a style...who knew?

 

[Black Island Brewer]

Confession: I build a recipe that sounds good to me and then pick a style that conforms to my recipe so I can tell others what I made the weekend. Apparently "Lawnmower Beer" is not a style...who knew?

Not true! I entered BierMuncher's cream ale into competition after adding apricot extract, stuck it into the fruit beer category. Won a silver, even though it was more than 5 months old. Name? "Lawnmower 2"

 

[kombat]

Confession: I'm not convinced by "...and I've never had a problem" or "...and it tastes great" or "...my friends love it". The human race continues to exist because no matter how ugly our babies are, we love them and nurture them and can overlook a slew of faults. I'm more convinced by "...and I scored a 40" or "...and it won a medal". At least, then, someone who has no dog in the race evaluated it for off flavors.

+1

Whenever I hear someone say something like, "I ferment at 75° F and I think my beer tastes great," I want to reply with, "My nephew's favorite food is Kraft Dinner. That doesn't make it just as good as a filet mignon from Ruth's Chris."

 

[DrunkleJon]

I thought slavery was illegal. How does Ruth own Chris? And why is he okay with that?

 

[SnakeRidge]

I thought slavery was illegal. How does Ruth own Chris? And why is he okay with that?

No, no, no. They serve Chris Steaks.

 

[Onkel_Udo]

No, no, no. They serve Chris Steaks.

So now Cannibalism is legal?

 

[SnakeRidge]

+1

Whenever I hear someone say something like, "I ferment at 75° F and I think my beer tastes great," I want to reply with, "My nephew's favorite food is Kraft Dinner. That doesn't make it just as good as a filet mignon from Ruth's Chris."

That's why I don't post as much on here as I want to. I read that kind of stuff and just want to type, "No, it doesn't taste fine" but that doesn't really add to the discussion.

I just think of all the terrible homebrews I've been handed when somebody is like "Well, I didn't have spring water, so I used pool water, and I forgot to add hops and I didn't have US-05 so I used bread yeast and then I caught my dog drinking the cooled wort and it came out fine."

No. No it didn't come out fine.

 

[billybryson54]

So now Cannibalism is legal?

I sure hope Jeffery Dahmer isn't a member of Homebrewtalk.com.....

 

[hunter_le five]

I sure hope Jeffery Dahmer isn't a member of Homebrewtalk.com.....

He hasn't been active in a while.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/members/jeffreyd/

.

 

[Kirkwooder]

Confession: I'm not convinced by "...and I've never had a problem" or "...and it tastes great" or "...my friends love it". The human race continues to exist because no matter how ugly our babies are, we love them and nurture them and can overlook a slew of faults. I'm more convinced by "...and I scored a 40" or "...and it won a medal". At least, then, someone who has no dog in the race evaluated it for off flavors.

A beer judge only ever has to drink a few ounces of a beer, if I brew a 5 gallon batch I get to drink almost all of it. I am way more critical of my beer than any judge would ever be and have a lot more opportunity to find the faults.

 

[Onkel_Udo]

Not true! I entered BierMuncher's cream ale into competition after adding apricot extract, stuck it into the fruit beer category. Won a silver, even though it was more than 5 months old. Name? "Lawnmower 2"

Yes, but the style was "fruit beer", correct?

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

Won a silver, even though it was more than 5 months old. Name? "Lawnmower 2"

Doesn't this discredit the legitimacy of your "good beer" being determined by competitions argument? Not saying that your apricot cream ale wasn't good in any way, but wouldn't it have a hard time up against fresh ones in their prime?

I do think it's important to have a club or trusted taster that isn't afraid to give honest feedback though because of the aforementioned mom goggles that can happen when judging your own beer.

 

[Inkleg]

Confession: I'm not convinced by "...and I've never had a problem" or "...and it tastes great" or "...my friends love it". The human race continues to exist because no matter how ugly our babies are, we love them and nurture them and can overlook a slew of faults. I'm more convinced by "...and I scored a 40" or "...and it won a medal". At least, then, someone who has no dog in the race evaluated it for off flavors.

@ BIB, just so you know. The RIS you have in your possession scored 38.5 at Peach State Brew Off and 39 at Suwannee Beer Festival earlier this month and took third in both. So if you don't think is good, well that's on you.

 

[Black Island Brewer]

@ BIB, just so you know. The RIS you have in your possession scored 38.5 at Peach State Brew Off and 39 at Suwannee Beer Festival earlier this month and took third in both. So if you don't think is good, well that's on you.

BOOYAH!

So what disgusting brewing practices did you confess to here?

 

[Black Island Brewer]

Doesn't this discredit the legitimacy of your "good beer" being determined by competitions argument? Not saying that your apricot cream ale wasn't good in any way, but wouldn't it have a hard time up against fresh ones in their prime?

My point was more that with good brewing practices, a supposedly short lived beer can still taste great after several months - it was still IN its prime due to worrying about the details that so many on this thread appear to disdain.

I do think it's important to have a club or trusted taster that isn't afraid to give honest feedback though because of the aforementioned mom goggles that can happen when judging your own beer.

Totally! And in our club, we have our fair share of brewers who don't feel many of these practices are important, will tell you they think their beer is great, but go home with most of what they came with.

Seems like my "confession" has stirred up a little trub on this thread! :rockin:

 

[Black Island Brewer]

A beer judge only ever has to drink a few ounces of a beer, if I brew a 5 gallon batch I get to drink almost all of it. I am way more critical of my beer than any judge would ever be and have a lot more opportunity to find the faults.

As am I, but I'm not in the BJCP (no nose for it), and while I'm not as interested in fitting into a style, I'll try to match my beers to a style and put it in so that I can get a more objective opinion. I look mostly for consistent observations across all of the judges feedback.

 

[Zenzi09]

Quite off topic we've gotten here.

 

[Inkleg]

Quite off topic we've gotten here.

Let's steer this train back on track.

I'll make a starter from whatever wort I have left over from brew day, style be damned. I'll make an IPA starter using left over Porter wort. I'm going to cold crash and decant all the liquid anyway. I just add fresh chilled wort from the beer it's going into to break it loose and pitch. The yeast don't know, they just want to be fed.

So far none of my friends or BJCP have said, "Hey, there's an off flavor in this beer".

 

[Zenzi09]

Most of the hardware and modifications for my equipment have been acquired from, or preformed at my place of business. :-/

 

[Onkel_Udo]

Most of the hardware and modifications for my equipment have been acquired from, or preformed at my place of business. :-/

Confession: Jealous!

 

[ntempleton]

That's why I don't post as much on here as I want to. I read that kind of stuff and just want to type, "No, it doesn't taste fine" but that doesn't really add to the discussion.

I just think of all the terrible homebrews I've been handed when somebody is like "Well, I didn't have spring water, so I used pool water, and I forgot to add hops and I didn't have US-05 so I used bread yeast and then I caught my dog drinking the cooled wort and it came out fine."

No. No it didn't come out fine.

I can't count how many times I've wanted to post something just like this.

My confession? I don't wash my yeast, never have. At the end of fermentation I dump from the conical and save the entire pour for next time. I've re-pitched the same yeast 8 or 10 times and given it to friends where they have done the same. Neither I or any of my friends have had an infection problem in years.

 

[SnakeRidge]

I can't count how many times I've wanted to post something just like this.

My confession? I don't wash my yeast, never have. At the end of fermentation I dump from the conical and save the entire pour for next time. I've re-pitched the same yeast 8 or 10 times and given it to friends where they have done the same. Neither I or any of my friends have had an infection problem in years.

I do the same thing except I don't have a conical.

 

[Rotor_Head]

I like beer and brew it primarily for myself. I don't care to share my home brew because I put so much work in it that I prefer not to give it away. I'd rather buy a 6er of whatever for parties and what not than share my HB.

 

[SupervisingChildren]

I like beer and brew it primarily for myself. I don't care to share my home brew because I put so much work in it that I prefer not to give it away. I'd rather buy a 6er of whatever for parties and what not than share my HB.

I nearly stroked out when my fiancee told me that she gave her masseuse a full growler of my DIPA.
I mean, I don't mind sharing some with the girl, but to just grab a growler out of a nearly kicked keg that I was thoroughly enjoying wasn't cool.

 

[jdubdvdt]

I never check my mash pH.

 

[Rotor_Head]

Also, since St Patrick's Day I have a thing where I think its cool to dye beer green with a couple drops of food coloring. Drinking one now.

 

[Hamaki]

My biggest confession - I have no interest in competitions and feel no desire to seek the opinions of others. If my beer turns out to my liking, and it usually does, I'm happy. I don't have a refined palate so I'm not terribly discerning.

I've tried some recipes that I would not do again. I scorched a couple when I was first getting into electric brewing (took a long time to finish that 10 gallons) and had to dump a couple batches that got infected. If a guest enjoys the beer I make, great. If not, more for me.

 

[Clarke]

I like beer and brew it primarily for myself. I don't care to share my home brew because I put so much work in it that I prefer not to give it away. I'd rather buy a 6er of whatever for parties and what not than share my HB.

I give a lot of my Homebrew away, I make more than I can drink and my co-workers bring me good craft beer in return, I started a beer share at work and I turned a number of people onto craft beer. It's fun to come in and find a beer or two or three sitting on my desk, or surprising others with beer. Nothing like the "Beer Fairy"...

 

[1977Brewer]

I give a lot of my Homebrew away, I make more than I can drink and my co-workers bring me good craft beer in return, I started a beer share at work and I turned a number of people onto craft beer. It's fun to come in and find a beer or two or three sitting on my desk, or surprising others with beer. Nothing like the "Beer Fairy"...

Please, tell my coworkers about this, and my wife's while you're at it. A case of home brew has to be worth...anything, really.

 

[Rotor_Head]

I give a lot of my Homebrew away, I make more than I can drink and my co-workers bring me good craft beer in return, I started a beer share at work and I turned a number of people onto craft beer. It's fun to come in and find a beer or two or three sitting on my desk, or surprising others with beer. Nothing like the "Beer Fairy"...

I guess the problem is that I am still new enough to the game that I don't yet have an excess. When I get to where the beer needs a home I'll start giving it away for sure.

 

[moreb33rplz]

I nearly stroked out when my fiancee told me that she gave her masseuse a full growler of my DIPA.
I mean, I don't mind sharing some with the girl, but to just grab a growler out of a nearly kicked keg that I was thoroughly enjoying wasn't cool.

It's just beginning.

 

[SupervisingChildren]

It's just beginning.

Nah, after 15+ years together she knows that I'll just grumble and get over it, eventually.

Or I'll go out and speed up my grieving process by buying a bunch of craft beer to overcome my loss that same day.

 

[Rotor_Head]

Nah, after 15+ years together she knows that I'll just grumble and get over it, eventually.

Or I'll go out and speed up my grieving process by buying a bunch of craft beer to overcome my loss that same day.

As it happens, I did that very thing today. There was a threat of lack of beer so I fixed it by buy way more than I could possibly drink tonight.

 

[SupervisingChildren]

As it happens, I did that very thing today. There was a threat of lack of beer so I fixed it by buy way more than I could possibly drink tonight.

That's why I don't feel bad about having a cellar that keeps getting more additions.

 

[Singletrack]

My mash paddle is one of those flimsy plastic stir sticks. I'll upgrade as soon as it stops working.

I've used that POS. One time. Then I used the shiny sheet metal they call a stainless steel spoon. That bends like a...like a...strip of shiny sheet metal. I decided I would do the right thing and make my own wooden mash paddle. Then in a weak moment I saw an internet sale on a st stl mash paddle, and I pulled the trigger. Not sure what I was drinking when I ordered, but I received a 9 ft long paddle cut in the shape of a fire-breathing dragon. It weighs about 140 lb. The dough balls melt upon the sight of this thing. I don't even need to stir.

The morale? When someone says, "Never had a problem" or "my beer tastes great," remember, they may be full of it.

 

[SnakeRidge]

I've used that POS. One time. Then I used the shiny sheet metal they call a stainless steel spoon. That bends like a...like a...strip of shiny sheet metal. I decided I would do the right thing and make my own wooden mash paddle. Then in a weak moment I saw an internet sale on a st stl mash paddle, and I pulled the trigger. Not sure what I was drinking when I ordered, but I received a 9 ft long paddle cut in the shape of a fire-breathing dragon. It weighs about 140 lb. The dough balls melt upon the site of this thing. I don't even need to stir.

The morale? When someone says, "Never had a problem" or "my beer tastes great," remember, they may be full of it.

I need a fire breathing mash paddle

 

[normonster]

..

 

[normonster]

Please, tell my coworkers about this, and my wife's while you're at it. A case of home brew has to be worth...anything, really.

Unless of course you're a D-bag hick bottling his first batch of extract garbage....then of course it's only worth an equal weight of, well, garbage, right?

 

[1977Brewer]

Unless of course you're a D-bag hick bottling his first batch of extract garbage....then of course it's only worth an equal weight of, well, garbage, right?

I may be a d-bag hick, but this is all grain garbage.

 

[vwmasstransit]

Hey!! I'm a D-bag hick too! But my confession is I'm super paranoid about infection and OCD about sanitation. Put way too much time and money into this hobby to just dump batch after batch. I guess still considered a noob, only done 15 batches so far, been AG since the beginning and haven't lost one yet!