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

[Qhrumphf]

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!

Heh. Speak of the devil.

 

[gunhaus]

While I do not presume to speak for the OP; it was not my personal impression he meant to disparage or berate the creative nature of the many participants for the forum. I myself have to take a tongue in cheek view of the whole conversation! I agree with his apparent sentiment that too often every brew post turns into an equipment/technique/ingredient race - and that sometimes life is just nice with the simpler things. If you like fruity pebble stout, with 6 gummy bear, and two sour patch additions topped off with a couple pounds of dry hops and a 312 stage ferment please feel free! I would never tell anyone never if that is what they choose - Even if the end result is a sludgy sweet freaky creation exactly similar too but nothing whatsoever like beer. I myself am enjoying a damn fine pint of stout brewed EXACTLY like some of the earlier posts claim can't possibly done - I'll live. But then I am an old throwback of sorts i guess!!!! (Offensive cartoons, and cigarette adds are completely to blame for my wayward ideals.)

As for the rest of the conversation which seem to largely center on the crude and uncaring nature of our brewing ancestors - I rank this dribble right up there with the youthful arrogance that leads to the belief that this current crop of humans is somehow smarter or superior to preceding groups by virtue of i-phones and social media accounts. I think our forefathers were plenty smart, educated, sophisticated, and sharp witted - Based on much of what i see and read these days; quite likely much more so than the current crop! I do not doubt that many brewing sessions in the past made questionable brews. I also have no doubt that these quaint old past timers would have turned a furrowed brow at a Cap'n Crunch flavored beer! I doubt that delicate taste buds, or the desire for good flavors is a modern invention of the millennial crowd - and it is MORE than likely that they made some damn tasty products in the day.

Still - I do not wish to derail things in anyway! Some of the recent jewel measuring contests on a number of posts have been GREAT entertainment!

 

[gunhaus]

Heh. Speak of the devil.

YES - the devil surely plays a role in it all!!!! Good brew BTW!

 

[bracconiere]

YES - the devil surely plays a role in it all!!!! Good brew BTW!

+1 The devil starts ALMOST every fight....That's why i quit hard drugs, and joined the homebrewer's union....Because i can pick up, and throw a glass of homebrew at the devil, but a cop's too heavy!

 

[gunhaus]

That's almost exactly why i started to carry a gun! Cop wouldn't fit in my holster!!!!

 

[grampamark]

Brewing should be about what makes the brewer happy.

You want to approach homebrewing with the seriousness of negotiating a nuclear disarmament treaty? Go for it.

If you look at the ingredients you have on hand an ask "I wonder what would happen if I combined this with that?"-well, you'll never know until you try.

Make yourself happy and tell the rest of the homebrewing world to pound sand. And, if brewing becomes a source of frustration, and never makes you happy-well, there's always stamp collecting.

 

[brewcat]

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...

Flaked barley is awesome.

 

[gunhaus]

Brewing should be about what makes the brewer happy.

You want to approach homebrewing with the seriousness of negotiating a nuclear disarmament treaty? Go for it.

If you look at the ingredients you have on hand an ask "I wonder what would happen if I combined this with that?"-well, you'll never know until you try.

Make yourself happy and tell the rest of the homebrewing world to pound sand. And, if brewing becomes a source of frustration, and never makes you happy-well, there's always stamp collecting.

I read your tag . . . Might i suggest a mocktoberfest of some sort. ALWAYS a cool way to fill a keg, and both simple and complicated depending!
I like that pound sand thing!!! Sounds like something i would say.

 

[brewcat]

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

A classic dry Irish stout isn't a really good stout? Tough crowd...

 

[dx250]

How I see this is there are two sides to this, brewing and drinking beer. Brewing is a highly technical process and method driven hobby to feed my strange need for that kind of thing (others include shooting/reloading and film photography with a full wet darkroom). Drinking beer, mmmmmm beer!

As for ancestors, mine were Slovic, the closer to an explosive the better.

 

[Wolfbayte]

Cake mixes are simple and generally make edible cakes.

But double the eggs and replace the water with milk and you get a much better cake ...

 

[Wolfbayte]

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/

Whoa where are you going to put that beer? I mean, you still buying bottles or kegs?

 

[gunhaus]

Flaked barley is awesome.

THAT is the most sensible f'ing post of this whole damn thread!!!!!!

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

But double the eggs and replace the water with milk and you get a much better cake ...

Replace water with vodka. Vodka cooks out but the boiling point of water is much higher than the vodka, leaving the cake to be very moist.

Actually this is a great example where a pre-made product can be a very useful tool for an advanced hobbiest.

 

[bracconiere]

Whoa where are you going to put that beer? I mean, you still buying bottles or kegs?

i stopped wasting money on PBW and just started using one of these!

THAT is the most sensible f'ing post of this whole damn thread!!!!!!

LOL at least we didn't start fighting over what color clothes we were wearing! this is serious!

 

[friarsmith]

Brew and drink whatever brings a smile to your face and glow to your cheeks. If it's a hobby for you, only get "serious" to the point at which the effort becomes no fun or doesn't peak your interest to go further down the rabbit hole.

 

[SEndorf]

The beer of our "ancestors" was far more sophisticated than many seem to realize, as evidenced by their meticulous records of brewing methods and ingredients, not to mention the prestige of the brewmasters. This has been big business for centuries.
Perhaps Barclay Perkins in the late 1700's didn't use terms like "mouthfeel" or other ill-defined neo-crafty drivel. But "keep it simple" had never been in their playbook...

 

[bracconiere]

Brew and drink whatever brings a smile to your face and glow to your cheeks.

And i like simple beer...And having a good 'friendly' time with other homebrewers that like, triple hopped Brüt IPA...arguing about how simple a beer should be!

and yes it definitely brings a smile to my face, and much more importantly, JOY to my heart!

i

 

[Wolfbayte]

View attachment 605600

i stopped wasting money on PBW and just started using one of these!



LOL at least we didn't start fighting over what color clothes we were wearing! this is serious!

That's the wrong color pot for that hop schedule.

 

[bracconiere]

That's the wrong color pot for that hop schedule.

I'll smash ANY pot that looks like this! and call them Mega brew!

 

[Kirkwooder]

I have brewed, and still brew, everything from simple single can kits to 15 grain/ 5 hop barley wines that take years to mature. I find that all are enjoyable to create. Most have even been enjoyable to drink. If simple is your thing, then have at it.

For me, it's all about the yeasty smell as an s shaped air lock goes bulrp,...blurp....blurp...blurp... and knowing that soon there will be tasty beer to drink, that I created. Weather it came from a can kit or grain and hops that I have grown, harvested, malted, roasted and milled myself, doesn't really matter. I make BEER. What's cooler than that!

 

[One Eye Ross]

While I do enjoy all kinds of beer, I must admit that I have a tendency to want to adhere to the Reinheitsgebot...but even that has changed a bit over the years. Now we can have malted wheat, rye.....

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

The beer of our "ancestors" was far more sophisticated than many seem to realize, as evidenced by their meticulous records of brewing methods and ingredients, not to mention the prestige of the brewmasters. This has been big business for centuries.
Perhaps Barclay Perkins in the late 1700's didn't use terms like "mouthfeel" or other ill-defined neo-crafty drivel. But "keep it simple" had never been in their playbook...

I’m sure you’re right and there were very likely ma and pa brewers that made very nice beer that was different from the big guys and still excellent. They’d have had the big guys to compare their beer to, so they would certainly have worked to make their own beer great just like we do now.

 

[Pkrd]

Beer is extremely difficult to make. Some say it's almost unpossible and only a few of us are really making TrueBeer. If you spend some time here you'll see that HBTers are really the cream of the crop, smarter than pretty much anyone and if we weren't making beer the MENSA membership would quadruple.

Take this guy for example
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/code-enforcement.52640/

Or this guy
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/sewage-in-kettle.638122/

 

[Soulshine2]

s

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.

Sidebar to this thread...what proportions for this recipe?

 

[Soulshine2]

How I see this is there are two sides to this, brewing and drinking beer. Brewing is a highly technical process and method driven hobby to feed my strange need for that kind of thing (others include shooting/reloading and film photography with a full wet darkroom). Drinking beer, mmmmmm beer!

As for ancestors, mine were Slovic, the closer to an explosive the better.

German and Polish/Slovak here, depended on which war and the border landed that day. Yep, natural beerologist here.

 

[Qhrumphf]

s

Sidebar to this thread...what proportions for this recipe?

Someone else actually posted a link to it.

 

[kh54s10]

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!

OK, so you are making a distinction between a Base malt, a flaked barley and roasted barley. That is 3 ingredients. And I would say that EKG would add a lot more to the Stout than would Magnum. I think you should add 1/2 pound of Special B.

 

[kh54s10]

300 BC beer = Whatever grain they had, mix with water, stir with the magic stick, wait. Perfected beer brewing!

 

[S-Met]

Beer is extremely difficult to make. Some say it's almost unpossible and only a few of us are really making TrueBeer. If you spend some time here you'll see that HBTers are really the cream of the crop, smarter than pretty much anyone and if we weren't making beer the MENSA membership would quadruple.

Take this guy for example
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/code-enforcement.52640/

Or this guy
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/sewage-in-kettle.638122/

Smelly Mell is great. Don't forget FredtheCat threads, I thought he was the "True Beer" advocate.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/you-still-use-hops-in-your-beer.636342/

 

[lump42]

Smelly Mell is great. Don't forget FredtheCat threads, I thought he was the "True Beer" advocate.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/you-still-use-hops-in-your-beer.636342/

The best simplest Truebeer recipe: old cupcakes, dry wall, and a cat, all mashed with sewage water, and aged in a barrel of old deck lumber..... (did I leave something out?)

 

[bracconiere]

Beer is extremely difficult to make. Some say it's almost unpossible and only a few of us are really making TrueBeer. If you spend some time here you'll see that HBTers are really the cream of the crop, smarter than pretty much anyone and if we weren't making beer the MENSA membership would quadruple.

Take this guy for example
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/code-enforcement.52640/

Or this guy
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/sewage-in-kettle.638122/

I'm not sure if this was a joke...But i know i'm smart! i took an online IQ test, and it said i had an IQ of 140...And i gave them $40 for a certificate saying so!

I just like my beer simple because, it's hard to think so much about it....

 

[pbrennan10]

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?

Are you running for office?

 

[Cavpilot2000]

I agree that beer should be simple, but we may differ in what that means.
Simple to me means simple recipes. I love to brew classic German lagers, which usually contain no more than 3-4 different malts and no adjuncts or other junk.
I despise the trend of triple chocolate mocha java cherry holiday spice stout and its ilk (which is the antithesis of simple).

However, I am a Low-O2 (aka LODO) brewer, so my PROCESS is anything but simple.

So for me, beer should be simple and delicious, but by whatever means necessary. YMMV.

Beer should be what you want it to be.

 

[bracconiere]

Didn't someone once say, "Things should be simple, but no simpler then they can be"

at least it sounded good to me, and i try and live by those terms...

 

[bleme]

OK, so you are making a distinction between a Base malt, a flaked barley and roasted barley. That is 3 ingredients. And I would say that EKG would add a lot more to the Stout than would Magnum. I think you should add 1/2 pound of Special B.

That's all barley, therefore 1 ingredient in my book!

 

[kh54s10]

I make things as simple as is right for what I am attempting. Sometimes that is as simple as one malt and one hop addition. Other times I want something that you cannot do as simple. For instance a base malt for the majority of the fermentables. Then one and maybe two malts to get the right color without adding astringency. Then another malt or flaked grain for flavor and mouthfeel. Then something else like a smoked grain. Then there are hops. The combination of a hops would make a very different beer than just one. Timing of the hop additions also change the character of the beer. There are a lot of other things.

Sometimes simple is fine, sometimes it cannot produce the desired effect.

 

[Dland]

This is a funny thread, of course brewing good beer can be simple. It can also be quite involved if you want it to be.

While I have learned a lot on this site, threads like this remind me there is much more to learn by simply making beer regularly. Lots of good info here on the interweb, also a lot of silliness.

As for recipes, they can be simple, good and satisfying too. One of the better beers I'm enjoying now is a simple one malt lager with a traditional hop schedule.
Once one understands the ratios, following other's recipes is over rated in my opinion.

 

[kh54s10]

That's all barley, therefore 1 ingredient in my book!

So why don't you leave out the flaked and roasted barley and make it simpler? Because you can't and still make the same beer.

 

[bracconiere]

Lots of good info here on the interweb, also a lot of silliness.
.

silliness? where? we're all tackling life's serious issues here! Now someone needs to start one asking what's better, Brithish or American base malt...And then one about german or NZ hops...We'll get all the answers to life's questions!