Need to reign in my snobbery

[JohnnySardonic]

I am by no means a "beer snob" (or even a beer geek) when it comes to what I drink. I have a undeveloped palate, so I enjoy almost every beer I try. All of my home brews taste good to me (except the very first one), although I know someone more advanced could pick out multiple flaws in each.

That being said, I just realized how snobbish I am when it comes to my brewing process. It started before my first batch, during my two months of researching the hobby. I decided early that I would never use adjuncts. Water, malt, hops and yeast would be my only ingredients.

I even didn't want to brew a Dubbel for a while because I felt that adding simple sugars would somehow be cheating, even though my research told me that it would make the beer more authentic to the style.

But yesterday I realized that I am being way too narrow in my approach. I was having a debate with myself (in my head, not out loud... that would just be weird) on the possibility of using fining agents. I considered Irish Moss and Whirfloc tabs to be, again, somehow cheating. But then I realized: what the heck am I thinking?! Am I really that concerned about adding stuff to my beer that will improve the way I experience the finished product? Especially things that don't (to my knowledge) affect the taste.

So I've decided to give them a shot. I don't know why I decided to post about this, maybe just felt like writing. Anyone else want to try something but their stubbornness won't allow them to?

I still don't think I'll ever use corn or rice though, that is just crossing the line.

 

[NineMilBill]

That retarded German "law" is beer censorship. It's like saying a sandwich can only be made of bread, meat, and cheese. Some people get their rocks off on quoting the four ingredients...but they're really just narrowing their choices in beer.

 

[tgreene7]

I have tried it all, and it's all good, even rice and corn. Look in the pantry, toss in a box of minute rice. Eventually you will want to expirement and a pound or two of adjuncts with mostly malt is still going to produce some great beer. I found two cans of oats in my pantry a couple of weeks ago, i figured wth, and tossed one of them in my mash. The beer is still fantastic.

 

[mojo_wire]

I will not make prison hooch, even though I currently have moldy bread, trash bags, fruit snacks and dirty socks in the house and an ideal fermentation vessel free from the prying eyes of a prison guard (a toilet tank).

Corn can be useful in some cases. It's historically been a part of American beer going back to the 1700s since 6 row barley was more common here than the 2 row German immigrants were used to using. Just because the Germans have that purity law doesn't mean other people around the world haven't been using other ingredients to make great beer for centuries. Why close yourself off to what different ingredients might have to offer?

 

[JohnnySardonic]

My last comment about the rice/corn was ineffective sarcasm.

I've decided to try it all (at some point), no more snobbery for me!

 

[Dan]

I don't think just because you want to stray from the basic four ingredients you are wrong.

This is a hobby and we are homebrewing beer. We aren't bound to brewing laws. So a Hbrewer should do what they please with ingredients. Process is pretty well laid down but ingredients are up to the brewer. IMHO

Good on you for your creativeness!

 

[homebrewdad]

OP - congrats to you for opening your mind. Its easy to fall into a mental trap that some things are wrong when there is nothing but opinion to back that up.

I personally love Belgian beers, so I can't see how use of sugar is a bad thing.