Sanitation.
Pitching rate.
Fermentation temperature control.
decoctions
anti-sweetness
zero boiling
Fermentation temperature, pitching sufficient/viable yeast, mash ph (hit that and most the rest of your ph will fall into line).
I know that all steps are important, but would like to know what are the most critical steps in the process to produce the best tasting beer? Name your top 3 to 5!!
As little oxygen as possible after fermentation (I fill a keg w/ Star San, push it out with CO2, dump the minor amount of Star-san left, then run a line from the spout of the fermenter into a ball-lock disconnect connected to the "out" post--no exposure to oxygen except what minor amount remains in the keg, and the small amount coming into the fermenter as it drains).
water chemistry/ph
Sanitation doesn't make beer taste better.
Sanitation is a pass of fail issue. If your beer is infected then it's not just not as good as it could be, it's pretty much garbage.
Sanitation goes without saying. To mention it in regard to making the BEST tasting beer is silly. If you're making pretty good beer there's nothing about sanitation that's gonna make your beer the "best."
Not true. Poor sanitation can cause off flavors, without making a beer undrinkable. And sanitation and cleaning involves beer lines as well. I have had beer in bars that do not pay much attention to their beer lines. The beer was off. Not nasty. But certainly off. And these were beers that I had had in other bars, that were previously very nice. Sanitation is important. Never silly.
Mike
Saw a guy do this on Youtube I think except he also purged his tank with CO2 before adding the beer through the liquid out line. He had to purge a few times as he was doing it I seem to remember too. I'm new to kegging and thought this was a little too labour intensive for my liking so I rack directly into the empty keg through the lid then fill and burp the oxygen out at the end. Seems to work fine for me.
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