AM I Crazy? Or should beer be simple and enjoyable?

[boxboybrewing]

Folks, I never meant to get an argument started with this post. I tend to frame things in a historical perspective, so that's why I made the comment about our "ancestors." I probably could have said that better if I had been sober when I said it! Lol. Again, I'm not knocking ANYONES brewing process or likes/dislikes.

 

[Soulshine2]

No reason to apologize. Its nice to learn how to do things the "old fashioned way" first if nothing more than learn how it was done before all these things were invented. Imagine life as we know it without microwave ovens, tvs without a remote, electric drills, and ...computers? I mean how did we survive without all these time saving gizmos and gadgets that make life so much "easier" .
My overlap hobby before brewing was rolling my own cigars and a quick jump into growing my own tobacco. If I wanted simple I could just go buy some cigars ,right? Knowing HOW to do it makes one appreciate how it ultimately got to my hands.
Same with beer. Yeah ,you could go out and buy ...Budweiser (yuk) but why , theres better out there. Theres a much cheaper way to have good beer but its the pride in your own workmanship and time spent making this hobbyist barley-pop into something we like to refer to as quaffable .
When you have guests over and they find out you brew , they become intrigued , they can't wait to try what you've made. Most times , you see it in their faces . That first sip ,their face goes from being unsure to "wow, you made this?" in a split second. The conversation explodes and next thing you know, you're out of beer and planning what you can make next and in the process, maybe you get a brew-buddy out of it.

 

[brewcat]

I am saying that simple is not always the aim. I don't know how I can make a really good Stout using just two malts and a hop.

I do try to limit things though. I don't do step mashes (difficult to do in a cooler) I limit hop additions to bittering then one or two late additions and maybe a dry hop. Adjuncts are usually just one, if any at all.

But since I like the process of making the beer, a few extra steps doesn't bother me at all. All SMaSH beers would be simple but would get very boring after a while.

Simple. 2-row and roasted barley. Magnum as the hop.

 

[Rev2010]

Folks, I never meant to get an argument started with this post.

No one is "arguing", there's always going to be supporting and opposing opinions in a discussion So don't worry, nobody is upset or mad or anything like that.


Rev.

 

[kh54s10]

Simple. 2-row and roasted barley. Magnum as the hop.

I might call that a Stout. I would not call it a "really good stout".

 

[Smellyglove]

Personally I don't give a "#¤% about what our ancestors preferred in a beer at that time. I feel it's like saying why not get a T-ford than a modern Mercedes, the guys back in the days loved the T-Ford? I'd much more prefer riding in a modern day Mercedes..The T-ford would just be a novelty-ride.

Sometimes I see people saying "A hundred years ago they brewed like this and that, and they liked it". Pretty darn awesome for them. But I'm pretty sure I'd enjoy a modern beer more than an infected dark ale over time.

And why not go for a i386 with 0.5MB of ram? It worked flawlessly back in the days

 

[Bilsch]

Lastly, 300BC beer was most likely not a beer that "tasted good" but definitely gave them the buzz and is likely why they drank it.
Rev.

Still a fair number of those kind of drinkers around today I reckon based on the existence of some of the craft beers I've tasted.

 

[Rev2010]

Still a fair number of those kind of drinkers around today I reckon based on the existence of some of the craft beers I've tasted.

And based on the existence and popularity of Bud and Bud Light.


Rev.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

Strange matchup...you'd think you had rigged the obvious winner, but I bet you wouldn't even recognize "300 BC Beer" as "beer"...

Cheers!

I just read the Ninkasi hymn and you’re probably right about it being different, but I don’t think that it would be unrecognizable.

Further you can see the steps we use today that they were doing tens of thousands of years ago. By the time they git to 300 BC, I think they’d about have perfected beer making.

 

[Iseneye]

Brew what the f you want. By using the word "should" you are saying that the best way to brew is simply which is a blanket statement that is not true.

 

[bracconiere]

And why not go for a i386 with 0.5MB of ram? It worked flawlessly back in the days

Ahhh, good old DOS...where you had the simplicity of config.sys and autoexec.bat, and not a million hidden services.....

 

[lump42]

Personally I don't give a "#¤% about what our ancestors preferred in a beer at that time. I feel it's like saying why not get a T-ford than a modern Mercedes, the guys back in the days loved the T-Ford? I'd much more prefer riding in a modern day Mercedes..The T-ford would just be a novelty-ride.

Sometimes I see people saying "A hundred years ago they brewed like this and that, and they liked it". Pretty darn awesome for them. But I'm pretty sure I'd enjoy a modern beer more than an infected dark ale over time.

And why not go for a i386 with 0.5MB of ram? It worked flawlessly back in the days

I personally loved ritual sacrifices over modern agricultural sciences. Ohh and blood letting and leaches over antibiotics and understanding. That's what are ancestors did.

 

[S-Met]

Ahhh, good old DOS...where you had the simplicity of config.sys and autoexec.bat, and not a million hidden services.....

You want to see something cool, type in C:\format
May still work today if you open up your command line.

 

[bracconiere]

I personally loved ritual sacrifices over modern agricultural sciences. Ohh and blood letting and leaches over antibiotics and understanding. That's what are ancestors did.

unlike the modern age, where it's all hush-hush and 'clean' right? lol Ohh and where pharmaceuticals that cost a pretty penny, but are cheap to make. Have replaced healthy eating

(and for the record i'm assuming this is a comedy thread!)

 

[bracconiere]

You want to see something cool, type in C:\format
May still work today if you open up your command line.

LOL tried it per request, this is what i got....

 

[Qhrumphf]

Simple. 2-row and roasted barley. Magnum as the hop.

Pale malt, flaked barley, roasted barley, and I'd use Goldings but Magnum would do too.

Poof. One added grain and a potentially award winning Irish Stout.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Also, look to the German brewers. Respect tradition but embrace science.

Ancient beer was likely mostly sh!te.

 

[bracconiere]

Pale malt, flaked barley, roasted barley, and I'd use Goldings but Magnum would do too.

Poof. One added grain and a potentially award winning Irish Stout.

DAMN IT! now your corrupting my innocent mind, what's the flaked barley do for it? i'd normally add 40L crystal? and probably a little 120L too...but to me that's still simple...It'd just be dark beer to me...

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

DAMN IT! now your corrupting my innocent mind, what's the flaked barley do for it? i'd normally add 40L crystal? and probably a little 120L too...but to me that's still simple...It'd just be dark beer to me...

Adds head retention and a creaminess with more body, it's good stuff

 

[Qhrumphf]

When it comes to quality control, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make the best possible.

When it comes to recipe design, I follow a very simple philosophy- if I can't justify why I'm using a particular ingredient or process, I won't use it.

Recipes are indeed often over-complicated. That combo above won me a truckload of gold medals for an Irish Stout, and simple as can be.

 

[bracconiere]

Adds head retention and a creaminess with more body, it's good stuff

Does it taste raw? think i should pick up a bag of rolled, along with my usual whole barley next trip? their the same price 12.99/50lb sack...

already been thinking about it for 'other projects', but haven't got around to it...

 

[Qhrumphf]

Adds head retention and a creaminess with more body, it's good stuff

Head retention is debatable. Flaked grains have been shown to be rather foam-negative.

It does add more beta glucans which contribute to the body (giving it the fullness while still being dry) as well as a grainy flavor.

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

Does it taste raw? think i should pick up a bag of rolled, along with my usual whole barley next trip? their the same price 12.99/50lb sack...

already been thinking about it for 'other projects', but haven't got around to it...

It adds a grain note but it's smooth

$12.99 for 50lbs that's almost free

 

[bracconiere]

It adds a grain note but it's smooth

$12.99 for 50lbs that's almost free

"Happiness is home malting!" lol and i LOVE grainy beers! so i'm going to do it...Thanks for the tip!

Beer after this next batch i'll try, 20lbs pale malt, and 3lbs kilned rolled barley...

edit: for giggles, i think i'll buy a pound of brown rice and throw it in the mash too!

edit #2: (and there for a while i was picking up $18 50lb sacks of malt from the local brew pub)

 

[lump42]

unlike the modern age, where it's all hush-hush and 'clean' right? lol Ohh and where pharmaceuticals that cost a pretty penny, but are cheap to make. Have replaced healthy eating

(and for the record i'm assuming this is a comedy thread!)

modern tech is always clean: 'clean' coal, 'clean' antibiotic resistant bacteria, 'clean' food. Don't forget medical treatments have never been cheap that's why only the wealthy got the leaches and their various vespers drained. At least now, treatments may actually do something....I mean a little magic pill has to do something...

(I sure hope this is a comedy thread, otherwise I wore the wrong pants! )

 

[Rev2010]

edit: for giggles, i think i'll buy a pound of brown rice and throw it in the mash too!

Geez dude, this thread is about KEEPING IT SIMPLE!!! That's three grains! Now you've gone and screwed it all up...


Rev.

 

[bracconiere]

modern tech is always clean: 'clean' coal, 'clean' antibiotic resistant bacteria, 'clean' food. Don't forget medical treatments have never been cheap that's why only the wealthy got the leaches and their various vespers drained. At least now, treatments may actually do something....I mean a little magic pill has to do something...

(I sure hope this is a comedy thread, otherwise I wore the wrong pants! )

I'd just swim in the river and hope to pick a couple leaches up for free! see simple!

 

[bracconiere]

Geez dude, this thread is about KEEPING IT SIMPLE!!! That's three grains! Now you've gone and screwed it all up...


Rev.

don't tell me that...now i'm thinking i'd have to do a cereal mash too! lol

 

[GnenieGone]

I homebrew because I love beer. I believe beer should be simple, and enjoyable. Did our ancestors who drank beer worry about "mouthfeel" or "notes of citrus and flowers"? NO! They wanted beer that tasted good and made them feel good. I'm not a Cicerone, or an aspiring microbrewery owner. I make beer that I like and want to drink. I'm not an engineer, or a chemist. Is there anyone else out there who wants to keep this hobby simple and enjoyable?

I do both simple and complicated. They both have their merits. For simple, try this thread..

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/index.php?threads/660329/

 

[lump42]

I do both simple and complicated. They both have their merits. For simple, try this thread..

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/index.php?threads/660329/

Whoa, that recipe is too complicated. I mean you still use hops?!?!

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/you-still-use-hops-in-your-beer.636342/

 

[bracconiere]

Whoa, that recipe is too complicated. I mean you still use hops?!?!

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/you-still-use-hops-in-your-beer.636342/

(who was that guy, lol)


Hops are simpler than gruit....

 

[Rev2010]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/you-still-use-hops-in-your-beer.636342/

Wow, that thread was epic Only read like the first two and last pages but epic!


Rev.

 

[bracconiere]

Wow, that thread was epic Only read like the first two and last pages but epic!


Rev.

LOL, one of the first ones i saw started when i started posting here...

edit: (sorry didn't see the link first read)

 

[Bilsch]

Speaking of simplicity.. does it really improve a beer that much to add 4 different kinds of hops and combinations of the same at 6 different times in the boil, flameout, whirlpool and also dry hop a couple times?
Some of the hopping schedules that I see posted these days are, well.. kind of elaborate.

 

[gunhaus]

I am saying that simple is not always the aim. I don't know how I can make a really good Stout using just two malts and a hop.

I do try to limit things though. I don't do step mashes (difficult to do in a cooler) I limit hop additions to bittering then one or two late additions and maybe a dry hop. Adjuncts are usually just one, if any at all.

But since I like the process of making the beer, a few extra steps doesn't bother me at all. All SMaSH beers would be simple but would get very boring after a while.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/erin-go-bragh-irish-stout-multiple-medals.583072/
ONE malt, two barley additions, one hop
A really good stout . . . . .

No charge for the lesson ENJOY!

 

[mongoose33]

I just read the Ninkasi hymn and you’re probably right about it being different, but I don’t think that it would be unrecognizable.

Further you can see the steps we use today that they were doing tens of thousands of years ago. By the time they git to 300 BC, I think they’d about have perfected beer making.

No fermentation temp control, no idea whatsoever that yeast is responsible for fermentation, no hops so all kinds of spices and herbs were used to try to offset the cloying sweetness....

...and as far as that goes, I'm trying to imagine how they did their malting. If they did it at all.

Perfected their beer making? Nah. I suspect they made multiple batches, tasted them, and the best went off to the king, or royal family, or whomever was in charge. The lesser-quality remainder went to whomever needed a buzz....

 

[Billie]

Simple is good. I prefer APA's and Blondies, lighter beers like that. I also think if you want to brew an oatmeal, milk chocolate, jelly doughnut stout, or a NEIPA with 15 different hops added at 15 different times, by all means go for it. Let your efforts only be hampered by your imagination.

 

[madscientist451]

Is there anyone else out there who wants to keep this hobby simple and enjoyable?

Yes and no...
My brewing rig is pretty simple, my fermentation chamber is an old freezer, i use better bottles to ferment in, so all that is pretty simple.
My choice of recipes is sometimes simple, sometimes complicated.
Everyone get different enjoyment from different things. Some people want to geek out with all kinds of electronic monitoring systems, fancy brew rigs, conicals and other items. Others like to explore historical beers or to nail certain styles that appeal to them.
I don't care what our ancestors liked. I care about what I like.
So sometimes I go beyond simple.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Has alcohol and therefore reliably won't give you a parasite?

Check.

Has alcohol and therefore makes you feel good?

Check.

There. Passed the 300 BC premium beer checklist. Off to the king!

 

[bracconiere]

...and as far as that goes, I'm trying to imagine how they did their malting. If they did it at all.

but sprouted grain bread is all the rage NOW! lol, you don't think barley sprout tea would have been equally important to Egyptians....

i do my malting simple, in the bathtub!

(damn it, there's been two other posts already.....AND the OP hasn't posted once since first post)... that i've seen)

edit: like i said in another thread....i just assume all this is just AI, trying to get me to buy more hops, and brewing equipment...