Procedures Checklist for Successful AG Brewing

[milholen]

I've done countless extract batches and 5 AG batches now. Every time I brew I learn something new. Usually it's some small but important detail about my equipment or the environment in which I brew. The common lesson overall seems to be that processes are more important in brewing a delicious beer than equipment or environment. I can have an expensive mash-tun, conical fermenter, and a stainless steel coated kitchen but that doesn't mean I'm going to make good beer. More important to making good beer is to understand the intricracies of the processes involved. It seems that when someone is concerned about a batch being less than perfect, it is usually because they feel they have approached a process incorrectly.

I feel there's a need to have a chronological list of steps neccessary to make great beer. I can read a book such as JP's "How to Brew" and get this same info but I would like a condensed, summarized checklist. If only to assist me as I brew so that I don't forget anything. Please add/modify this checklist as you see fit based on your own experiences.

I would appreciate any additions or extra details anyone could make to this process list. For example, I don't do anything to my tap water and perhaps I should. I am ultimately concerned with what steps are absolutely critical to achieve success.



The following assumes batch sparging and bottling:



1. Clean
2. Sanitize
3. Heat Mash Water
4. Mill grain
5. Add heated mash-water to mash tun using 1.25 qts water per 1lb of grain
6. Check strike temperature of water in mash tun - if too hot, let water sit in mash tun and cool until strike temp correct. use this calculator: http://www.brew365.com/mash_sparge_water_calculator.php
7. Add grains slowly, stirring as you add them
8. Mash for 90 minutes
9. Stir mash every 15 minutes and adjust volume with boiling water as needed
10. Vorlauf
11. Drain wort from mash tun into boil kettle - do not splash
12. Add sparge water and stir
13. Let sparge water sit in mash tun for 10 minutes
14. Vorlauf
15. Drain wort from mash tun to boil kettle
16. Take pre-boil SG reading
17. Boil wort for 90 minutes
18. Add hops/adjuncts per recipe
19. Add whirfloc tablet or Irish moss with 15 minutes left in boil
20. Add immersion chiller with 15 minutes left in boil
21. At flameout, start immersion chiller - stir briskly to facilitate faster cooling. Cool until wort reaches < or = to 70F
22. Take post-boil SG - this is your OG
23. Drain brew kettle into sanitized fermenter
24. Oxygenate fermenter
25. Pitch yeast at correct rate - use this calculator: http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html
26. Ferment for 3 weeks in primary at < 65F
26.5 Add dry-hop additions after 2 weeks in primary
27. Ferment in primary for 2 days at higher temp ~ 70F
28. Take SG reading - this is your FG
29. Clean bottles and workspace
30. Sanitize bottles and workspace
31. Boil 3/4 cup priming sugar in water for 15 minutes
32. Add cooled sugar water to bottom of bottling bucket
33. Rack beer to bottling bucket - do not splash
34. Cap bottles with oxygen-absorbing caps
35. Store bottles in warm area > 70F
36. Age in bottles for 3 weeks
37. Drink and enjoy

 

[Haputanlas]

Wow, I love this. I think I'll use this for myself as well.

If I think of anything missing, I'll post. Gonna use this in the next week or so.


Thanks for the post. It's always a good idea to have the process written down.

 

[flabyboy]

I actually made a list like this myself yesterday in preparation for my first all grain. I plan on adding pH buffer to my mash tun during the initial mash in. Better safe than sorry, right? Also plan on doing a 60 min mash and 60 min boil. I'm sure that is all dependent on how big a brew you are doing though. Also going to split my sparge water equally and collect a total of 3 runnings. This is the method I have decided to start with after reading thru this forum and watching endless tutorials online

 

[JonW]

Not as detailed with the number of steps you have, but I did a timeline approach a few weeks back when I decided to do two 10 gallon batches on the same day.

 

[postban]

I usually mash for 60 and then mash out with higher temp water.
Also i have never done #9. I just leave it sealed up during the mash in/mash out except for water addition.

What does the extra stirring give you?

About a dozen AG batches complete here.

 

[markg388]

Looks good, if a bit excessive. It reminds me of Alton Browns's recipes on the food channel, like how he says pizza dough will taste better if you make it the day before and proof it slowly in the fridge (untrue IME). I mean, you don't need to sanitize before you mash, you don't need to mash for 90 minutes, you don't need to stir the mash every 15 minutes, you don't need to vorlauf, you don't need to boil for 90 minutes ect ect.... That checklist is crawling with old wives tales.

Not that there's anything wrong with all those extra steps, but if you're looking for advice I'd streamline and simplify it. Less is more in my book.

As far as your water, only way to find out is to start tinkering and tasting, but odds are if the beer you don't need to do anything. I used to work for a chef who had a saying when people didn't follow his recipes just right, "Well, if it's good, it's good... so we're good!"

 

[milholen]

Looks good, if a bit excessive. It reminds me of Alton Browns's recipes on the food channel, like how he says pizza dough will taste better if you make it the day before and proof it slowly in the fridge (untrue IME). I mean, you don't need to sanitize before you mash, you don't need to mash for 90 minutes, you don't need to stir the mash every 15 minutes, you don't need to vorlauf, you don't need to boil for 90 minutes ect ect.... That checklist is crawling with old wives tales.

Not that there's anything wrong with all those extra steps, but if you're looking for advice I'd streamline and simplify it. Less is more in my book.

As far as your water, only way to find out is to start tinkering and tasting, but odds are if the beer you don't need to do anything. I used to work for a chef who had a saying when people didn't follow his recipes just right, "Well, if it's good, it's good... so we're good!"

I'm looking to make the best beer possible not necessarily the most efficient. I have reasons for taking the extra steps I do:

sanitize before the mash = I agree it isn't necessary but it can't hurt
90 minute mash = I like to mash on the low side (149-151) for most of my beers so a longer mash is beneficial. Although most of the conversion does take place in the first 45 minutes, I do see slightly better utilization using a longer mash.
90 minute boil = drives off DMS, improves hop utilization and protein coagulation resulting in a clearer beer.
Vorlauf = clearer wort = clearer beer
stirring the mash every 15 minutes = ensures even heat distribution in mash tun and thats about it -- not a critical step so leave it out if you want

I don't know if I believe some of these extra steps are old wives tales. There's a reason for most of them, proven through brewer experience. IMO, it can make the difference between good beer and great beer. IMO, the 90 minute boil is a necessity. Jamil Z swears by it and yes I will listen to the advice of a two-time Ninkasi winner!

 

[milholen]

JonW I love the chart -- I may try to incorporate something like that into my procedures list. Thanks!

 

[iaefebs]

I would start with the checklist from Brewersfriend.com I find it covers things well. You could make changes to it to personalize it.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/checklist-allgrain/

 

[CPooley4]

I like having my brewer schedule built into my recipe/brewday calculator. Find it simplifies things and keeps it all in one place.

Here is a link to my spreadsheet that I just posted for all to use if they'd like:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/cps-brew-chart-1-0-a-213673/

 

[milholen]

the brewer's friend checklist is awesome. thanks for the link!

 

[gunner65]

This thread should he a sticky!

 

[markg388]

I'm looking to make the best beer possible not necessarily the most efficient. I have reasons for taking the extra steps I do:

sanitize before the mash = I agree it isn't necessary but it can't hurt
90 minute mash = I like to mash on the low side (149-151) for most of my beers so a longer mash is beneficial. Although most of the conversion does take place in the first 45 minutes, I do see slightly better utilization using a longer mash.
90 minute boil = drives off DMS, improves hop utilization and protein coagulation resulting in a clearer beer.
Vorlauf = clearer wort = clearer beer
stirring the mash every 15 minutes = ensures even heat distribution in mash tun and thats about it -- not a critical step so leave it out if you want

I don't know if I believe some of these extra steps are old wives tales. There's a reason for most of them, proven through brewer experience. IMO, it can make the difference between good beer and great beer. IMO, the 90 minute boil is a necessity. Jamil Z swears by it and yes I will listen to the advice of a two-time Ninkasi winner!

It's too bad when people ask for advice, then shoot it down. Let me explain myself a bit here...

You say most homebrewers run into problems through their procedure, but judging by the detailed nature of your posts I'd say procedures aren't what's gunna get you, you've got that well handled already, stupid mistakes are going to be your only real problems. I just know from experience that the more tedious steps you have to take, the more likely some stupid little thing will go sideways. Running out of gas midway through the super long boil, dropping your vorlauf pitcher, losing wort to a boil over because you were busy on some other needless step... that kinda stuff. All those extras are just inviting clumsy mistakes.

You don't believe they're old wives tales, but I know for double-damn sure that they are. I can't blame you for not trusting online knowledge though, there's a lot of false information out there and even more bad information from brewers who love beer that you hate. But hey, the only thing you can and should truly trust are your own tastebuds.

I hope I'm not posting for no reason, it seems like you already have your mind made up, but at least try testing against some of these things and you'll see what I'm talking about. No matter how good you vorlauf the wort will still be cloudy, a 90-minute boil is only necessary with pilsner-malt beers, and your priming sugar will be ready after a couple minutes, there's no need to set a timer to sanitize some sugar-water. So do it the hard way if you like, I'm just trying to help.

 

[markg388]

I'm looking to make the best beer possible not necessarily the most efficient. I have reasons for taking the extra steps I do:

sanitize before the mash = I agree it isn't necessary but it can't hurt
90 minute mash = I like to mash on the low side (149-151) for most of my beers so a longer mash is beneficial. Although most of the conversion does take place in the first 45 minutes, I do see slightly better utilization using a longer mash.
90 minute boil = drives off DMS, improves hop utilization and protein coagulation resulting in a clearer beer.
Vorlauf = clearer wort = clearer beer
stirring the mash every 15 minutes = ensures even heat distribution in mash tun and thats about it -- not a critical step so leave it out if you want

I don't know if I believe some of these extra steps are old wives tales. There's a reason for most of them, proven through brewer experience. IMO, it can make the difference between good beer and great beer. IMO, the 90 minute boil is a necessity. Jamil Z swears by it and yes I will listen to the advice of a two-time Ninkasi winner!

It's too bad when people ask for advice, then shoot it down. Let me explain myself a bit here...

You say most homebrewers run into problems through their procedure, but judging by the detailed nature of your posts I'd say procedures are the least of your worries, you've got that well handled already, stupid mistakes are going to be your only real problems. I know from experience that the more tedious steps you have to take, the more likely some stupid little thing will go sideways. Running out of gas midway through the super long boil, dropping your vorlauf pitcher, losing wort to a boil over because you were busy on some other needless step... that kinda stuff. With all the extra details you're just begging clumsy mistakes to show up, and focus less on other details that are more important, like how quickly the tepid, just-sparged wort comes up to a rapid boil.

You don't believe they're old wives tales, but I know for double-damn sure that they are. I can't blame you for not trusting online knowledge though, there's a lot of false information out there and even more bad information from brewers who love beers that you hate. But at the end of the day, the only thing you can and should trust are your own tastebuds.

I hope I'm not posting for no reason, it seems like you already have your mind made up, but at least try testing against some of these things and you'll see what I'm talking about. No matter how good you vorlauf the wort will still be cloudy once it boils, and your priming sugar will be ready after a couple minutes, there's no need to set a timer to sanitize some sugar-water. I wouldn't take mine or Jamil's word for it though, test all that stuff out yourself and REALLY find out what does and doesn't matter, you'll be a better brewer for it.

So keep on doing it the hard way if you like, I'm just trying to help.

 

[JuanMoore]

Looks pretty good. Everyone has their own unique brewing style, so my checklist looks a little different.

I'd seriously consider deleting step 9 (stir every 15 min), especially with a 90 min mash. IMO the negative effects from the heat loss you're creating are way worse than the heat distribution being slightly stratified. Just get it to the right temperature and leave it alone. I also don't think step 21 (chilling) should be highlighted as a critical step. The aussie no-chill brewing method makes great beer, so while chilling has it's benefits, it's far from being a critical step.

A 90 min mash at a low temp does have it's place, but there are plenty of styles that benefit more from a shorter mash at higher temps. Same thing goes for boil length. I'm a firm believer that the beer being created should determine many parts of the process. I actually use something very close to your process for some beers, but I don't believe it's the best way to brew all (or even most) beers. Just don't confuse the proper techniques for one beer with proper techniques for all beers.

If you really want to make great beer, I think your next step should be a close look at your water profile. It may work great for a few styles as is, but there's no way your tap water is great for both stouts and IPA's without any additions or dilutions. Water is one of the main ingredients in beer, so it's pretty important to know what kind of water you'rre using. A perfect process with the wrong water will never result in great beer.

 

[Patirck]

This is a great starting point to make a personalized checklist. I have only done about 10 all grain batches so far and seem to get conflicting advice (isn't the internet great!). The checklist overall is great but I am most conflicted over how different to do things for each recipe. Most recipes are an ingredient list that tell you when to do the hop additions. They leave out the mash temp and time and most seem to assume a 60 minute boil. I find myself asking on the forum about mash time temp reccomendations for each recipe - a belgian tripel may at 148 for 90 minutes but a weizenbock may go 8 degrees warmer and only 60 minutes. I just got a chuggerpump (like a march pump) - when do I start recirculating the mash? If it's a 60 minute mash time do I start with the last 20 minutes? Do I just recirculate the last 10 minutes no mater what?

I guess what I'm saying is that there seems to be a few variables depending on the recipe.

 

[milholen]

markg388,

I'm not shooting down your advice. Your advice was to streamline my checklist as you felt it was full of "old wives tales".

I used to do 60 boils, chill with an ice bath, mash for 60 minutes, etc. Since I've been implementing some extra steps, I've been brewing better beer.

As I stated, I'm not interested in a streamlined, simplified approach. I'm only interested in processes that result in the best beer possible. If this means boiling wort for an extra 30 minutes to drive off any potential DMS then I don't mind. I would rather be safe than sorry. There's too much time, effort, and heart put into 5 gallons of beer to chance anything.

All in all the extra steps are no big deal. You're brewing anyway -- why not take the extra time if it can result in a phenomenal beer??

My checklist (and yes it is personalized to my equipment and environment) is built on advice primarily from the brewing network, proven brewers in my local homebrew club, and one professional brewer here in town. I value these sources of advice so if you tell me something contrary to what they say, I will not immediately assume your advice is solid.

 

[milholen]

ok -- I did miss a critical step! Calibrating the thermometer! I use a turkey fryer thermometer and a digital probe thermometer. One great piece of advice that a guy in my homebrew club gave me was to calibrate your metal thermometers prior to heating the strike water. So here is the revised checklist:

1. Clean
2. Sanitize
3. Heat Mash Water
4. Mill grain
4.5 Calibrate metal therms to 212F using boiling water. (adjust for altitude if necessary)
5. Add heated mash-water to mash tun using 1.25 qts water per 1lb of grain
6. Check strike temperature of water in mash tun - if too hot, let water sit in mash tun and cool until strike temp correct. use this calculator: http://www.brew365.com/mash_sparge_water_calculator.php
7. Add grains slowly, stirring as you add them
8. Mash for 90 minutes
9. Stir mash every 15 minutes and adjust volume with boiling water as needed
10. Vorlauf
11. Drain wort from mash tun into boil kettle - do not splash
12. Add sparge water and stir
13. Let sparge water sit in mash tun for 10 minutes
14. Vorlauf
15. Drain wort from mash tun to boil kettle
16. Take pre-boil SG reading
17. Boil wort for 90 minutes
18. Add hops/adjuncts per recipe
19. Add whirfloc tablet or Irish moss with 15 minutes left in boil
20. Add immersion chiller with 15 minutes left in boil
21. At flameout, start immersion chiller - stir briskly to facilitate faster cooling. Cool until wort reaches < or = to 70F
22. Take post-boil SG - this is your OG
23. Drain brew kettle into sanitized fermenter
24. Oxygenate fermenter
25. Pitch yeast at correct rate - use this calculator: http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html
26. Ferment for 3 weeks in primary at < 65F
26.5 Add dry-hop additions after 2 weeks in primary
27. Ferment in primary for 2 days at higher temp ~ 70F
28. Take SG reading - this is your FG
29. Clean bottles and workspace
30. Sanitize bottles and workspace
31. Boil 3/4 cup priming sugar in water for 15 minutes
32. Add cooled sugar water to bottom of bottling bucket
33. Rack beer to bottling bucket - do not splash
34. Cap bottles with oxygen-absorbing caps
35. Store bottles in warm area > 70F
36. Age in bottles for 3 weeks
37. Drink and enjoy

 

[milholen]

JuanMoore,

Thanks for the advice. I'm looking into deleting step 9 as several people have said this is unnecessary. I monitor my mash temp pretty closely and adjust as needed with boiling water. I don't notice a huge temp drop as I'm only stirring for maybe 5-10 seconds and then the lid goes right back on. Other than uniform mash temps can you see any other benefits to stirring during the mash?

 

[samc]

To me checklists are great when you first get going. At some point everything just comes together and brewing becomes more enjoyable when you are not referring to the checklist. You also develop a non panicked approach when trouble hits that's not on your checklist. Your mash tun springs a leak, what do you do? It's not on the list so start improvising.

Anyway, I can't really find much that you missed on your list, happy brewing!!

 

[JuanMoore]

I don't notice a huge temp drop as I'm only stirring for maybe 5-10 seconds and then the lid goes right back on.

My first couple of all grain batches I took the lid off quickly just to check temps once every ~20 min because I was worried about holding temps. I lost a total of ~3-5 degrees over the mash this way (75-90 min mash). I then stopped messing with it and only lost 1-2 degrees. I was doing 5 gal batches at the time, and there's probably not as much loss with larger batches since there's more thermal mass, but still more than you'd get just leaving it alone.

Other than uniform mash temps can you see any other benefits to stirring during the mash?

Nope, and actually the less you stir the better the grain bed settles, which I've found increases the effectiveness of vorlaufing. For uniform mash temps and super clear wort, a recirculating mash like in a HERMS or RIMS is the way to go.

 

[milholen]

hmmm -- increases the effectiveness of Vorlaufing by allowing the grain bed to settle -- that makes sense. I didn't think of that. I'm going to stop stirring then. I will stir initially to break up dough-balls and then leave it as is. Letting the grain bed settle is a good idea and from what I've read there's no increase in efficiency from stirring.

I've heard a lot of praise for these HERMS and RIMS systems but I don't know much about them. I'm wondering what the cost is to implement one of these systems. I'll do some research since a lot of people are saying this is the way to go.

ok time to modify the list again! no more stirring!

 

[milholen]

1. Clean
2. Sanitize
3. Heat Mash Water
4. Mill grain
5. Add heated mash-water to mash tun using 1.25 qts water per 1lb of grain
6. Check strike temperature of water in mash tun - if too hot, let water sit in mash tun and cool until strike temp correct. use this calculator: http://www.brew365.com/mash_sparge_water_calculator.php
7. Add grains slowly, stirring as you add them
8.Stir mash once to break up dough balls and check temp - adjust temp as needed
9. Mash for 90 minutes
10. Vorlauf
11. Drain wort from mash tun into boil kettle - do not splash
12. Add sparge water and stir
13. Let sparge water sit in mash tun for 10 minutes
14. Vorlauf
15. Drain wort from mash tun to boil kettle
16. Take pre-boil SG reading
17. Boil wort for 90 minutes
18. Add hops/adjuncts per recipe
19. Add whirfloc tablet or Irish moss with 15 minutes left in boil
20. Add immersion chiller with 15 minutes left in boil
21. At flameout, start immersion chiller - stir briskly to facilitate faster cooling. Cool until wort reaches < or = to 70F
22. Take post-boil SG - this is your OG
23. Drain brew kettle into sanitized fermenter
24. Oxygenate fermenter
25. Pitch yeast at correct rate - use this calculator: http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html
26. Ferment for 3 weeks in primary at < 65F
26.5 Add dry-hop additions after 2 weeks in primary
27. Ferment in primary for 2 days at higher temp ~ 70F
28. Take SG reading - this is your FG
29. Clean bottles and workspace
30. Sanitize bottles and workspace
31. Boil 3/4 cup priming sugar in water for 15 minutes
32. Add cooled sugar water to bottom of bottling bucket
33. Rack beer to bottling bucket - do not splash
34. Cap bottles with oxygen-absorbing caps
35. Store bottles in warm area > 70F
36. Age in bottles for 3 weeks
37. Drink and enjoy

 

[Sawdustguy]

I hope I'm not posting for no reason, it seems like you already have your mind made up, but at least try testing against some of these things and you'll see what I'm talking about. No matter how good you vorlauf the wort will still be cloudy, a 90-minute boil is only necessary with pilsner-malt beers, and your priming sugar will be ready after a couple minutes, there's no need to set a timer to sanitize some sugar-water. So do it the hard way if you like, I'm just trying to help.

I have been brewing almost as long as you have been alive. You have quite alot to learn before you give advice. Let me start by correcting a couple of things you said.

1. No matter how good you vorlauf the wort will still be cloudy

Vorlaufing has nothing to do with unclouding the wort. Vorlaufing establishes the grain bed as a filter for the wort being drawn off. The grain husks will then act as a filter for husk material. When the wort runs mostly clear (meaning no large pieces of grain material) the vorlauf process is complete.

2. 90-minute boil is only necessary with pilsner-malt beers

Again this is incorrect. Ever hear of a 90 minute IPA? The longer boil extracts more hop oils to increase the IBU when making an IPA. The other reason for a longer boil is that a longer, more vigorous boil helps coagulate proteins so they can be left behind in the kettle. It has absolutely nothing to do with Pilsner Malts.

You claim to want to help the OP but it seems to me all you want to do is rain on his parade with information that is not true. I admire the OP for establishing a checklist. Once he gets the process down, he won't need it any longer.

 

[milholen]

sawdustguy,

Thanks for your support. You couldn't have said it better. I don't believe markg388 was trying to help -- I think he is more concerned with being right rather than being accurate and providing constructive feedback to a fellow brewer.

I checked out your website - very nice setup you've got there! One day I'll be there. You're the type of brewer I listen to.

Cheers!

 

[postban]

Milholen, your #9, was it concern about consistent mash temps throughout the tun?

If so I always leave a corded digital thermometer in the tun during the mash and it seldom loses one degree in 60 min. I oughta just trust it after all these times but old habits.....

Not sure if you tried that or perhaps are experiencing more temp variation.

Round Igloo 10gal

 

[milholen]

I was actually stirring because I thought it might increase efficiency by keeping the temp consistent throughout the mash tun or something like that. After researching a bit I see now that my thinking was wrong -- stirring is not necessary and I would rather have a more compacted grain bed to act as a filter. I can't remember where I picked that idea up from. I don't have a digital probe yet but I did install a metal therm in the side of my mash tun and that seems to work well.

 

[mwhc22]

good stuff :rockin:

 

[markg388]

Alright I guess this'll be my last post here, let me defend myself here on the mere 2 points you guys find discrepancy with.

- I'm not the one who said vorlauf makes clearer wort, that was the OP.

- I said a 90 minute boil isn't necessary, which is true. It can provide advantages for certain styles sure, but to say it's necessary or inherently makes better beer is false.

Like I said in my first post, it's a great checklist, it just seems cluttered to me is all. I thought I was being constructive by helping to trim the fat and encouraging experimentation, sorry if my 2nd post came off defensive and testy.

@ sawdustguy: My age doesn't matter. For what it's worth, I only speak on things I've seen with my own two eyes and have personally tasted, which may differ from other's experiences or reading. Let's be friendly starting now .

 

[Sawdustguy]

Alright I guess this'll be my last post here, let me defend myself here on the mere 2 points you guys find discrepancy with.

- I'm not the one who said vorlauf makes clearer wort, that was the OP.

I guess it's ok it you like grains in your wort.

- I said a 90 minute boil isn't necessary, which is true. It can provide advantages for certain styles sure, but to say it's necessary or inherently makes better beer is false.

I beg to differ. You can not make a 90 minute IPA without boiling for 90 minutes.

Like I said in my first post, it's a great checklist, it just seems cluttered to me is all. I thought I was being constructive by helping to trim the fat and encouraging experimentation.

I beg to differ. In my experience (I have a lot more than you) the attention to detail is what makes better beers. That is: understanding the process, hitting your temperatures, cleanliness and sanitization, Vorlaufing, longer boils to coagulate the protiens etc., I could go on and on. Developing good habits while brewing and having a plan or checklist so once you get a recipe nailed to repeat it. Thats what makes great beer!

 

[JuanMoore]

- I'm not the one who said vorlauf makes clearer wort, that was the OP.

But you did say that vorlaufing isn't neccesary, and alluded that it was an old wives tale. I think you'll find very few people here who like the harsh tannin taste of boiled barley husks, but if you do, then by all means keep skipping doing a vorlauf.

 

[milholen]

I beg to differ. In my experience (I have a lot more than you) the attention to detail is what makes better beers. That is: understanding the process, hitting your temperatures, cleanliness and sanitization, Vorlaufing, longer boils to coagulate the protiens etc., I could go on and on. Developing good habits while brewing and having a plan or checklist so once you get a recipe nailed to repeat it. Thats what makes great beer!

This is the core reason for my post and the checklist I came up with. After listening to a lot of great brewers I've come to the conclusion that the details matter. Details in procedure, ingredients, and equipment are all important. For example, I listened to a brew cast where Jamil Z interviewed the head brewer at Firestone Walker -- it was amazing to hear him talk about the minute intricacies of his hop regime, mash schedule, and so forth. He really went into great detail about his processes and the brewing science behind it.

I'm convinced that the difference between good beer and great beer is attention to detail.

Another thing I've learned is that I don't have to learn it myself. If I ask someone experienced, or do the research, I can avoid making the same mistakes that others have made in the past. Most likely, whatever problem I'm going to run into has been dealt with by someone already. In most cases, the generally accepted method is the best method. That's why we have wikis and a forum -- so that less experienced brewers can learn from more experienced brewers. Collectively, we can all brew better beer when we learn from the past experiences of others.