Reading this thread has been interesting. At the risk of hurting some feelings, here’s my take (as if anyone cares
).
The only things really necessary to make beer are water, malted grain, hops, and yeast, plus vessels appropriate to the chosen process. Anything beyond that is a matter of personal preference. Yes, the grist must be mashed. But, as many have noted here, the range of mash temps is pretty forgiving. Yes, water chemistry can make a difference, but adding the other ingredients to the water available will make beer. Often quite good beer. Fermentation temps should be within the range at which the chosen yeast will perform its best, but there are many yeasts to choose from and some are quite forgiving.
Shiny equipment, trick siht, digitally controlled, automated systems are cool, but are more of an expression of a particular brewer’s brains:money ratio and, often, little more than an exercise in dick waving. $20K worth of bling doesn’t guarantee good beer any more than $5K worth of golf clubs will make a chronic slice disappear.
The OP specifically asked about the least important aspect of making
good beer. Who gets to decide what “good” is? Taste is highly variable, and easily called into question. Just look at what the best-selling beers in America are. I’m an old guy. I’ve been drinking “craft beer” since that term meant anything other than an American Lager, which, at the time, was usually an import. I don’t claim to possess a particularly refined palate, but I know what tastes good, to me, and what doesn’t. I’ve also learned that, if I’m going to share my beer with others, I need to make beer that will appeal to a wide range of beer drinkers, who have in common the fact that they usually drink light beer, but are open to trying something else. “Something else”, in my experience, means beers from a relatively narrow selection of traditional beer styles. The outliers, the “stand-in-line-for-hours-to-pay-$100-a-case” beers aren’t going to appeal to my circle of beer drinkers, so I’ve concentrated on brewing relatively basic, classic, beer styles. The most common comment I’ve gotten from the 50, or so, folks with whom I’ve shared my beer has been “Geez, I’ve paid money for beer that didn’t taste this good”. So, if I can make beer that is as good as, or better than, commercial beers of the same style, in the opinions of a random sample of beer drinkers, can I claim to make “good” beer?Does that mean that my ghetto-quality, 3 vessel system, and the process I’ve developed using it, is perfect? Again, who gets to decide?
We’re making beer here, not chemotherapy drugs. We don’t need lab-quality equipment, instruments or practices. We need the basic ingredients, the minimum complement of tools and equipment, and an easily repeatable process. Oh, and we need to have fun while we’re doing this. Everything else is unnecessary. In my opinion, of course.