What's your new style obsession?

[Brewpastor]

I am currently obsessed with brewing various German style lagers with various New Zealand hops. I love the clean malt profiles of these styles and the various ways they let subtle hop characteristics come through. I have more recipes designed than I can brew. What are you into these days?

 

[rburrelli]

Into pale ales, blondes, lighter colored styles. Waiting for a Belgian Golden Strong to bottle condition at this point.

 

[Franktalk]

English best bitters--endlessly interesting and varied in subtle ways according to minor differences in recipe and major differences in yeast.

 

[Schlenkerla]

It's really been Rauchbier.... or any variant of old English or German Beer with smoke.

Maybe not new but since I've been brewing 14 years, Rauchbier has been my obsession for the last two years.

More recently in the last 11 months doing low oxygen with Rauchbier and Pale Ales. Since it's getting cold it's going to English Ales with Smoke.

If you didn't notice, it's anything with smoke.

 

[seatazzz]

I've been obsessed with lagers over the last year, both cold- and warm-fermented. I can't afford to always buy pilsner in bulk, so have been brewing them lately with all two-row. Having a good ferment fridge, with a solid temperature controller, has helped immensely. Pulling a pint, and tasting that lovely lager "bite", is heaven. At first I used "traditional" lager hops; Saaz and Tettnanger are two that I've tried, but the last six months I've moved on to using more American hops (chinook & crystal) with great results. I really like the way those hops meld with that "bite" to make a nice, crisp, refreshing beer. Ales are easy; lagers can be tricky, and making a good one give me the warm fuzzies.

 

[Conehead]

English best bitters--endlessly interesting and varied in subtle ways according to minor differences in recipe and major differences in yeast.

Me too. Started brewing bitters around 2000 and I wonder why I quit.

 

[madscientist451]

Style obsession?
Strictly doggy....

(no dogs in the emoticon choices)

 

[Franktalk]

Me too. Started brewing bitters around 2000 and I wonder why I quit.

Yeah, I got away from them for a time, making saisons which I still like. But, I like the relatively low ABV of best bitters as compared to bigger saisons.

 

[kh54s10]

Too many good ones to get stuck on one!!!!

 

[brewbama]

I am starting to lean towards Southern Hemisphere citrus-y hops whether that be in a British Golden Ale or Australian/New Zealand Lager.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Too many good ones to get stuck on one!!!!

If you got a keggerator, what's the near dedicated tap? Is that better?

 

[kh54s10]

If you got a keggerator, what's the near dedicated tap? Is that better?

Kegerator is not up and running right now. But, no... When one goes empty I brew something that I comes to mind at that time. It could be almost anything.

Last brew was an IPA the next will be a simple APA for quick turn around. Then I am thinking possibly a Belgian or a Stout. After that something with some smoke. See???

 

[Schlenkerla]

Kegerator is not up and running right now. But, no... When one goes empty I brew something that I comes to mind at that time. It could be almost anything.

Last brew was an IPA the next will be a simple APA for quick turn around. Then I am thinking possibly a Belgian or a Stout. After that something with some smoke. See???

I used to make just about anything on a whim. I've started to make 3-4 beer types.

Tend to be making something hoppy, smokey or a wheat beer if some type. Occasionally something to serve on nitro. That being a stout or a bitter. That's typically my exception from the standard 3. I have a 3-tapper. I swap out a perlick for the nitro faucet in any one spot.

Earlier this year I bought a variety of Cryo-hops and have been using them to make APA. Using an ounce of a bittering (typically an American citrus type) and oz of a Cryo-Hop as a whirlpool addition. Only an ounce is more than enough to add alot hop flavor.

My smoke beers are typically 50% homemade rauchmalt and 2-4% black malt and hopped to 30-40 IBU with German hops.

My wheats have been half wheat half pilsner with either German or American hops at 60 minutes and pitching WB-06.

Somehow I I've been making my grain bill 10lbs regardless of what I've been making. Not sure why. Other than I guess I like that gravity and the round number for weighing out grain.

A lot of what I'm brewing has been a result of trying to brew low oxygen and figure out my new HERMS set up.

 

[dwhite60]

Best bitters and American wheat beers.

I like wheat in anything though. I have an obsessive disorder about brewing without it. When I order base malt I usually get Maris Otter or just two row and an equal weight of white wheat malt.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Well, I don't think it currently has a "style" category (whereby for many years it was considered a Vienna Lager, but currently it isn't), but I'd sure like to capture the full essence of the Great Lakes Brewing Company's "Eliot Ness Lager" in a home brew.

 

[Truckman1966]

Been hooked on pale lagers. Brewed a few Munich Helles, couple mexi lagers, German pils, etc. Just kegged my first märzen yesterday (little late, I know). Kinda got bored with ales for the time being.

One of my 5 taps always seems to have a cider on. Must be the cute girl I live with and her influence.

 

[bobeer]

Hard to narrow it down to a specific style but I've been more into session style beers and German beers. I don't have a lager setup so I've been using Kolsch yeast for a lot of different things and so far so good.

 

[Truckman1966]

Hard to narrow it down to a specific style but I've been more into session style beers and German beers. I don't have a lager setup so I've been using Kolsch yeast for a lot of different things and so far so good.

I have yet to do a kolsch or use kolsch yeast. Whats your preferred yeast?

 

[bobeer]

I have yet to do a kolsch or use kolsch yeast. Whats your preferred yeast?

Been using WLP0029 German ale\Kolsch yeast. I've done a couple Kolsch's and an oktoberfest that turned out great.

 

[Tyler B]

I can't seem to get enough stouts... I usually brew a stout every other brew session and then something on a whim during the other sessions.

My first kettle sour is in secondary with fruit right now. A lot of research went into that one but my obsessions immediately went back to my next stouts as soon as I finished making decisions about the sour.

 

[RmikeVT]

I've been obsessed with lagers over the last year, both cold- and warm-fermented. I can't afford to always buy pilsner in bulk, so have been brewing them lately with all two-row. Having a good ferment fridge, with a solid temperature controller, has helped immensely. Pulling a pint, and tasting that lovely lager "bite", is heaven. At first I used "traditional" lager hops; Saaz and Tettnanger are two that I've tried, but the last six months I've moved on to using more American hops (chinook & crystal) with great results. I really like the way those hops meld with that "bite" to make a nice, crisp, refreshing beer. Ales are easy; lagers can be tricky, and making a good one give me the warm fuzzies.

First, you should try Mt. Hood. I found it excellent in pilsner/helles I've brewed.

Second, I've been on a similar kick, recently although with vienna lager. I got my pilsner recipe dialed in in 2018 and I must have just hit it lucky with the first recipe I used which needed little tweaking to get it to where I wanted. In 2019 I spent most of the year drinking mediocre vienna lager and finally got if worked out.

 

[jdauria]

Been really focusing on German/Czech Lagers & ales the last two years. Would say 85% of my brews fall under that. Helles, German Pils, Schwarzbier, Kolsch, Alt, Czech Pils, Czech Dark Lager, Dunkel are pretty much my jam.

 

[TheMadKing]

In the past it's all been classic german styles but this years I've moved to reproducing english styles and some belgian styles. I really focus on old-world beers for the most part, but I'll make an IPA once in awhile

 

[kevin58]

Ever since I discovered the blog, Shut Up About Barclay Perkins, I have basically been making nothing but British styles. Mainly porters and stouts. My wife doesn't like dark beers so I have to make cream ales and Kentucky commons for her though.

 

[EricR]

I've long been a fan of Porter, and this time of year has me itching to brew a few of my own variations. I've been experimenting with different hop combinations in a basic IPA recipe to learn what I really like, as well.

 

[balrog]

Altbier. Kolsch. Oatmeal stout. @Yooper 's Haus Pale. Then something weird like recent no-wheat blue moon so my wheat-allergic offspring can have it. Still an experiment in process (no, I did not use rice hulls in a 30% flaked oats mash and now I know). Lather rinse and repeat.

It's really been Rauchbier.... or any variant of old English or German Beer with smoke.

Maybe not new but since I've been brewing 14 years, Rauchbier has been my obsession for the last two years.

More recently in the last 11 months doing low oxygen with Rauchbier and Pale Ales. Since it's getting cold it's going to English Ales with Smoke.

If you didn't notice, it's anything with smoke.

....soooooo...I'm thinking I'm hearing "smoke" in there...

 

[Jayjay1976]

I have a thing for Belgian ales. I thought it was a phase at first, and to be honest I did lose interest for a while, but I'm back now. Such a range of styles, each with ample room for variety and wild experimentation, and I'm not even talking about sours yet. If I could choose one country in the world from which to drink all of my beer for the rest of my days, I would choose Belgium, with Germany coming in a very distant second.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Altbier. Kolsch. Oatmeal stout. @Yooper 's Haus Pale. Then something weird like recent no-wheat blue moon so my wheat-allergic offspring can have it. Still an experiment in process (no, I did not use rice hulls in a 30% flaked oats mash and now I know). Lather rinse and repeat.



....soooooo...I'm thinking I'm hearing "smoke" in there...

What makes you think that?

 

[seanjwalker1]

Traditionally Dark German bocks, Doppelbocks, English bitters. Last couple of years have really gotten into Scotch wee heavys'. Love the in your face malty sweetness and higher ABV. And Imperial stouts with enough high ABV for that stomach spreading warmth that covers you like a heated blanket on a cold winter night!

 

[bracconiere]

i've been making more cider recently....But i'm really obsessed with anything that has alcohol in it....stouts, porters, lagers, ales....it'd be like having to decide what my 'favorite' child was....


edit: now i want to try a ginger red out!

 

[speavler]

I've got 7 IPA's going right now - 3 on tap, 1 in the fridge, and 3 more fermenting - so, yeah.

 

[WBB]

Northern Atlantic Coast IPAs.

 

[Stand]

Belgian Saisons

 

[Dgallo]

I’ve been really into fruited sours. I have a little series going right now to honor my grandfather who started our first family business in fruit and produce called the Mohican Market series. The most recent one was passion fruit, vanilla bean, and Dryhopped with Galaxy.

 

[Tyler B]

I’ve been really into fruited sours. I have a little series going right now to honor my grandfather who started our first family business in fruit and produce called the Mohican Market series. The most recent one was passion fruit, vanilla bean, and Dryhopped with Galaxy.

Awesome! How do you find the bitter hops play with sour? I added a tiny bit (10 IBUs) of crystal hops to mine (currently in secondary with fruit). I thought it might compliment the T-58 yeast I used.

Also, do you dry hop with the fruit, before, or after?

 

[Johst12]

I used to make IPAs a lot the last years. Right now, i don't even like to drink IPAs anymore.
Oaksmoked wheatmalt kinda got me. I put it in everything and i love it. I added 6% to an Imperial stout and it turned out awesome. I also made a traditional Grätzer with 100% oaksmoked wheatmalt, great stuff. Next up will be a "smokey lager" with 10%, slightly dryhopped with provoak pellets.

 

[Dgallo]

Awesome! How do you find the bitter hops play with sour? I added a tiny bit (10 IBUs) of crystal hops to mine (currently in secondary with fruit). I thought it might compliment the T-58 yeast I used.

Also, do you dry hop with the fruit, before, or after?

I only ever dryhop sours. For me ibus really clash with sours. I let the ph cut the sweetness without needing the bitterness.

My dryhops go in after the fruits fermented out

 

[Hawaii_Dean]

I used to make IPAs a lot the last years. Right now, i don't even like to drink IPAs anymore.
Oaksmoked wheatmalt kinda got me. I put it in everything and i love it. I added 6% to an Imperial stout and it turned out awesome. I also made a traditional Grätzer with 100% oaksmoked wheatmalt, great stuff. Next up will be a "smokey lager" with 10%, slightly dryhopped with provoak pellets.

Now I want a good beer and some BBQ