Brewing Rut, how do you deal?

[elproducto]

Background, I've been home brewing since 2007. I've won multiple competition awards, and like to think I can brew pretty good beer.

Lately, it feels like I can't brew a beer I'm happy with. I'm not sure if I have a bad case of house mouth or what, but styles I've brewed dozens of times come out being super lackluster.

I haven't changed any of my process in ages (been brewing on a Grainfather G30 since 2018).

It's really taking away my desire to brew and it's a hobby I love.

Wondering if other folks have found themselves in a brewing rut, and what they've done to right the ship.

 

[Willy]

Background, I've been home brewing since 2007. I've won multiple competition awards, and like to think I can brew pretty good beer.

Lately, it feels like I can't brew a beer I'm happy with. I'm not sure if I have a bad case of house mouth or what, but styles I've brewed dozens of times come out being super lackluster.

I haven't changed any of my process in ages (been brewing on a Grainfather G30 since 2018).

It's really taking away my desire to brew and it's a hobby I love.

Wondering if other folks have found themselves in a brewing rut, and what they've done to right the ship.

The answer is always .... Keep brewing. Try a recipe that is new and sounds tasty. Or , try tweaking an older recipe with modest variations to see what works better. Take good notes as it's too easy to forget.

Last 18 months I spent 75% of my brew making on tweaking and perfecting a few styles that I love (Irish Stout, Czech pilsner, English Brown and Irish Red). The new focus yeilded great results and I now do 10 g batches because I have dialed it in to my taste for that style. Currently tweaking my German Pilsners and going to make a Märzen which I haven't done for years.

My point is ... Keep your head in the game and make it interesting. It is not easy - it's hard. Make it hard. And then... Finish strong, having achieved your goal.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

from the title: Brewing Rut, how do you deal?

I tend to switch between brewing 'experimental', refining recipes, and re-brewing favorite recipes.

If I'm 'in a rut' (for what ever reason(s)), I will find something else that is interesting: another (existing) hobby, a new hobby (rarely), or by switching how I'm brewing ('experimental' vs refining vs re-brewing).

 

[BeerNsteadofH2O]

I think every hobby has its high lights, and low lights,I have 3, so I can use one to deflect "down" times, sometimes just taking a break is all it takes, while on "break" read the forums, once you see what your missing, old spirit will return, at least it works for me.

 

[sibelman]

@elproducto , your "rut" post reminded me of a thread I started a while back. There may not be a fully satisfying fix for what ails you. (hey, there's a pun there)

For me, variety helps. Trying to make beer styles I haven't before energizes my enthusiasm for brewing.

Question: do you find that your "lackluster" feeling extends to commercial brews, or is this just a sense of disappointment in your own beers?

 

[elproducto]

@elproducto , your "rut" post reminded me of a thread I started a while back. There may not be a fully satisfying fix for what ails you. (hey, there's a pun there)

For me, variety helps. Trying to make beer styles I haven't before energizes my enthusiasm for brewing.

Question: do you find that your "lackluster" feeling extends to commercial brews, or is this just a sense of disappointment in your own beers?

I'll check out the thread, I love talking about this hobby

I mean the commercial beer I buy tends to always be what I expect. And it's not that my own beer is bad... it's just not great. And when I have 5 gallons of a meh beer to get through, I often end up dumping half of it.

I had thought of brewing smaller batches, but it always seems criminal when it takes the same amount of time.

I also have thought about starting to enter competitions again, but the cost to enter really drives me crazy especially since I always have to ship my entries.

 

[VTMongoose]

Right now I am really getting burned out myself, from competing. Every other competition I'm either absolutely killing it or getting totally shut out. Most of it is absolutely my fault, bad packaging, bad beer, or otherwise, but some of it is just bad luck or poor competition organization or judges. And the cost is absolutely getting absurd. This year alone I'll probably end up spending close to $1000 just on competing alone. Competition is important to me and has been extremely important to me in the past 4 years, but it's time to change things up.

So I'll share with you my game plan, and then brainstorm some ideas for you.

1. Take a year completely off from competing, and/or only submit one (1) entry per comp. (I will continue judging at comps and stay active in the community)
2. Brew styles I normally wouldn't gravitate towards - lately I'm on an English kick for some reason
3. Improve packaged beer consistency
4. Understand my ingredients. We all know CSI D-90/D-180 and C-120 malts like Special B, Simpsons DRC, and CaraAroma all impart flavors like figs, plums, and burnt raisins. I want to unravel the mystery behind what flavors are imparted from which ingredients rather than simply re-brewing kitchen sink recipes that I know work
5. Simplify my recipes. I brewed a lot of smash beers in the past year and a half and some of them shocked me. Munich malt can taste like caramel? Pilsner malt can taste like melanoidins? Yes, with the right, and fresh ingredients, and the right process, you don't NEED a kitchen sink malt bill or cheater malts
6. Make my own candi sugar and experiment with it in Belgians
7. Brew with different yeast strains than the ones I know work for me

I have a few other ideas for you @elproducto from other times I got burned out:

1) Brew more smash beers
2) Brew more split batches - eg yeast A vs yeast B OR hop A vs hop B
3) Fill out scoresheets for your beers by yourself. Put your judging hat on. What is detracting from the drinkability of the beer? Is it too sweet? Too bitter? Is there too much of a certain flavor? Or were the ingredients just stale/old?
4) Brew beers that blatantly disregard style guidelines. Brew an American IPA that's low in IBU's. Dry the snot out of an Imperial Stout. There's no rules.
5) Dump beers that suck. I have no hesitation anymore. Every sip I have of a beer I've made that is mediocre makes me feel worse about myself. I will not keep a keg of a mediocre beer in my keezer when I can dump it and replace it with another very easily. Dumping bad beer is part of becoming a good brewer.

 

[elproducto]

Right now I am really getting burned out myself, from competing. Every other competition I'm either absolutely killing it or getting totally shut out. Most of it is absolutely my fault, bad packaging, bad beer, or otherwise, but some of it is just bad luck or poor competition organization or judges. And the cost is absolutely getting absurd. This year alone I'll probably end up spending close to $1000 just on competing alone. Competition is important to me and has been extremely important to me in the past 4 years, but it's time to change things up.

So I'll share with you my game plan, and then brainstorm some ideas for you.

1. Take a year completely off from competing, and/or only submit one (1) entry per comp. (I will continue judging at comps and stay active in the community)
2. Brew styles I normally wouldn't gravitate towards - lately I'm on an English kick for some reason
3. Improved packaged beer consistency
4. Understand my ingredients. We all know CSI D-90/D-180 and C-120 malts like Special B, Simpsons DRC, and CaraAroma all impart flavors like figs, plums, and burnt raisins. I want to unravel the mystery behind what flavors are imparted from which ingredients rather than simply re-brewing kitchen sink recipes that I know work
5. Simplify my recipes. I brewed a lot of smash beers in the past year and a half and some of them shocked me. Munich malt can taste like caramel? Pilsner malt can taste like melanoidins? Yes, with the right, and fresh ingredients, and the right process, you don't NEED a kitchen sink malt bill or cheater malts
6. Make my own candi sugar and experiment with it in Belgians
7. Brew with different yeast strains than the ones I know work for me

I have a few other ideas for you @elproducto from other times I got burned out:

1) Brew more smash beers
2) Brew more split batches - eg yeast A vs yeast B OR hop A vs hop B
3) Fill out scoresheets for your beers by yourself. Put your judging hat on. What is detracting from the drinkability of the beer? Is it too sweet? Too bitter? Is there too much of a certain flavor? Or were the ingredients just stale/old?
4) Brew beers that blatantly disregard style guidelines. Brew an American IPA that's low in IBU's. Dry the snot out of an Imperial Stout. There's no rules.
5) Dump beers that suck. I have no hesitation anymore. Every sip I have of a beer I've made that is mediocre makes me feel worse about myself. I will not keep a keg of a mediocre beer in my keezer when I can dump it and replace it with another very easily. Dumping bad beer is part of becoming a good brewer.

Great post, thanks.

I agree with you on dumping beer, I actually don't feel bad about it. Annoyed? Sure, but life is too short to drink bad beer.

 

[BrewZer]

5) Dump beers that suck. I have no hesitation anymore. Every sip I have of a beer I've made that is mediocre makes me feel worse about myself. I will not keep a keg of a mediocre beer in my keezer when I can dump it and replace it with another very easily. Dumping bad beer is part of becoming a good brewer.

Don't dump beer if you can afford the storage space. Ever had a pork roast slow-cooked in beer?

Don't answer that - I know the answer. If you had, you'd never dump a mediocre beer.

 

[Broothru]

This thread came at just the right time for me. A year ago, I was totally bummed out. And I’d just won a Best of Show in a comp. And yet I felt, for some unexplainable reason, unfulfilled.

Was it burn out? Maybe. Was it the reality of facing major surgery and an unknown future? No doubt played a big part. So I took a step back to the sidelines for some serious self-reflection.

After a few months I dipped a toe back into HBT, allowed myself to think about brewing again, and decided to throw myself back into the game by doing everything I could possibly do to brew my best Kolsch ever!

Kolsch has always been my White Whale, often and always getting very close but never harpooning my Moby. The time off and the disciplined focus on doing my best on this one goal was therapeutic. The beer is finishing a month long conditioning, and bottling for the comp will be next week with submissions the Saturday after next.

The process encouraged me to brew five more for judging, and honestly I think they’re all potential winners. Taking a break and realigning my gyros was probably one of the best things I’ve ever done in brewing. It showed me how much I really love this hobby, and how much satisfaction I derive from it.

I have high hopes of doing well with my upcoming entries, and surely hope my Kolsch shines for the judges. But honestly, I don’t much care about accolades right now. I’m just glad I decided to ‘show up’ and give it my best. That’s what I take pride in now.

 

[BeerNsteadofH2O]

I've only ever dumped 1 brew, and disgusting doesn't come close to describing it-the term that comes to. Mind is puke worthy, that being said, sometimes aging several months can make a big difference and clean up some undesirable off flavors, and then, if i make a sub par beer and drknk it,, ill be alot more careful the next time I brew if I force myself to drink it.. then again I love bratwurst boiled in beer- nothing goes to waste!

 

[Skeeter686]

I mean the commercial beer I buy tends to always be what I expect.

I had thought of brewing smaller batches, but it always seems criminal when it takes the same amount of time.

So... what are your expectations for commercial beer? Just because your expectations are being met, doesn't mean that it's good beer.

Have you considered doing large batches and splitting them to get more experimentation in? I agree that the time for smaller batches is about the same, but you could potentially do a single mash and split the boil (different hops maybe?) or even just split the fermentation (different yeasts, temperatures, etc.).

 

[Dland]

Back to the original post referencing winning completions brings me to my first bit of advice; Recipes and style guidelines are good when getting started, but they can get in the way if one pays too much attention to them.

I'm drinking a brew right now w 100% Dinglemans pils, moderately but flavorfully hopped with cluster and tetanger, 34/70, lagered for 5.5 months. It is too simple a recipe for anyone who shares recipes to bother. But I made it to please an audiance of one. If I could buy anything locally that was as good, and also not oxidized, I probably would brew less often

Other implemnts to going to the next level in no particular order, which you are probably already aware of, but I had to learn;

Post fermentation oxidation, ok that is number one.

Fermentation temp control

Brew water. I'll add as an aside, in my first iteration as a home brewer in the early '90s, me and a pal were brewing some really good beer. When we started brewing at another place with a different well in the same county, the quality of the brew fell of a lot.

All grain vs extract; I know there are many here who brew beers they really like from extract, that have won awards, no offence intended, but for me going from extract to partial extract to all grain was a logical progession, from which I would never walk back.

Limitations of a brewing in a one vessle brew device; I'm going to go out on a limb here, because I've never used one, but pretty sure the contraption has its limitations as compared with a 3 V system or even a fully found B&B rig.

 

[AzOr]

Maybe revisit some of your first few recipes. Brew what you wanna drink, whether it’s a BJCP style or not.

Similar thing happened to me a few years back and I decided to brew a nut brown, because that was one of my first solo batches, LME no less.

I don’t know if it was the nostalgia, or that my skill had improved but I really enjoyed that beer.

 

[pdxal]

Don't dump beer if you can afford the storage space. Ever had a pork roast slow-cooked in beer?

Don't answer that - I know the answer. If you had, you'd never dump a mediocre beer.

I'll add that you could always distill bad batches if they don't turn out as expected...

 

[Halfakneecap]

Background, I've been home brewing since 2007. I've won multiple competition awards, and like to think I can brew pretty good beer.

Lately, it feels like I can't brew a beer I'm happy with. I'm not sure if I have a bad case of house mouth or what, but styles I've brewed dozens of times come out being super lackluster.

I haven't changed any of my process in ages (been brewing on a Grainfather G30 since 2018).

It's really taking away my desire to brew and it's a hobby I love.

Wondering if other folks have found themselves in a brewing rut, and what they've done to right the ship.

Have a break. Don't brew for a few months and try different beers etc, or old faves.

I've had a few breaks in the 20yrs i've been brewing. I always get keen again. Do NOT get rid of your gear haha, you'll regret that

 

[Snuffy]

I like to go down to the local taproom/beer importers and seek inspiration from something I've never tried before. It's time for research.

 

[Brockness Monster]

I just came back from a 7-year hiatus in brewing. I had been brewing professionally two years before that and became disenchanted with the industry. The only benefit to having taken that many years off is coming back to the hobby with a fresh outlook. That said, I feel like I have forgotten so much that I feel like a newbie again. I have made rookie mistakes with my first two brews and on the third I'm finally feeling like some of the old knowledge is resurfacing. Whatever you do, don't give it up entirely. There are a lot of people getting back into it right now from long breaks that wish they weren't away that long. By all means take a break, refresh yourself with a trip somewhere, maybe even forget about beer for a while and focus on health, family, community. Make it a season or two, but don't take too long because you may end up regretting it.

Another thing for me was that as soon as I turned it into a job it stopped being fun. Maybe the competitions are having an effect on your enjoyment.

 

[Broothru]

I just came back from a 7-year hiatus in brewing. I had been brewing professionally two years before that and became disenchanted with the industry. The only benefit to having taken that many years off is coming back to the hobby with a fresh outlook. That said, I feel like I have forgotten so much that I feel like a newbie again. I have made rookie mistakes with my first two brews and on the third I'm finally feeling like some of the old knowledge is resurfacing. Whatever you do, don't give it up entirely. There are a lot of people getting back into it right now from long breaks that wish they weren't away that long. By all means take a break, refresh yourself with a trip somewhere, maybe even forget about beer for a while and focus on health, family, community. Make it a season or two, but don't take too long because you may end up regretting it.

Another thing for me was that as soon as I turned it into a job it stopped being fun. Maybe the competitions are having an effect on your enjoyment.

^^^THIS^^^

 

[hottpeper13]

I like the other hobby statement. I started gardening again after cutting the Ash trees down. Only brewed 3 times this summer, I really want to get back to brewing twice a month in the fall and winter.
You mentioned "house mouth", or for me it was when a friend said all your beers have the same caricature of back flavor. Not bad just the same. I did a deep clean, taking valves apart and running a brush thru the CFC. No more house flavor.
I also started to do minor LODO practices to up my game and enthuse me more.

 

[Conehead]

I am sick of brewing Kolsch and Lagers. I have gone back to British Bitters. Not having much luck so far. It has been like 10 years since I have brewed one. Like the replies stated, keep brewing.

 

[Basspaleale]

The answer is always .... Keep brewing. Try a recipe that is new and sounds tasty. Or , try tweaking an older recipe with modest variations to see what works better. Take good notes as it's too easy to forget.

Last 18 months I spent 75% of my brew making on tweaking and perfecting a few styles that I love (Irish Stout, Czech pilsner, English Brown and Irish Red). The new focus yeilded great results and I now do 10 g batches because I have dialed it in to my taste for that style. Currently tweaking my German Pilsners and going to make a Märzen which I haven't done for years.

My point is ... Keep your head in the game and make it interesting. It is not easy - it's hard. Make it hard. And then... Finish strong, having achieved your goal.

I agree with Willy, the last 2 years I've chased that perfect, elusive, German Pilsner. Which, IMO, ment improving my LODO practices as well as learning to make a good sauergut. I no longer enter any competitions or brew what my friends prefer, I guess I started brewing for myself and I'm a much happier brewer. In addition, my friends drink more of my pilsner than they ever drank any of my other brews. Cheers!

 

[Snuffy]

Another thing for me was that as soon as I turned it into a job it stopped being fun. Maybe the competitions are having an effect on your enjoyment.

Nothing ruins a hobby like a timeclock and a W-2.

 

[JohnDBrewer]

Our club helps with being in a rut. We do the wheel of beer each quarter. Spin the wheel for the category number, spin it again for the subcategory letter. Whoever wants to join in brings their beers to the meeting a quarter out and everyone judges them. Not BJCP forms judging and such, but which one does everyone like the best. This quarter it's 26a Single Trapist, last was an American Brown. We've done Helles Export, Schwarzbeir, Scottish Export, Lichtanhainer to name a few. Gets you out of a rut and out of your comfort zone. I hadn't done a west coast ipa in years, so I decided to make a lawnmower, session version. On my 4th iteration for the year. Surprised how fast those kegs are emptying. Not sure if it's an ipa or apa at this point, but it's kept me interested, plus my future daughter inlaw is a hop head and she'll be here later today for the weekend to taste v4, which I just kegged recently.

 

[jdauria]

I hear you brewing wise, if it wasn't for the Master Homebrewer Program (MHP) , I would most likely only be brewing six styles over and over again...German Pils, Helles, Schwarzbier, Czech Dark and Vienna Lager...with maybe an occasion Kolsch or Alt and I can see just doing that over and over would probably drive me nuts. What MHP does, is force competitve brewers out of their comfort zone. To rank up and earn MHP medals, you need do brew x number of styles from x number of categories. Thus you really need to make beers you would never make. Some of these beers I would never make include a Catherina Sour, Berliner Weiss, Weizenbock, Baltic Porter and so on. Next year I plan on focusing on British and Scottish styles for MHP, while mixing in some of my regular beers here and there.

 

[elproducto]

I agree with Willy, the last 2 years I've chased that perfect, elusive, German Pilsner. Which, IMO, ment improving my LODO practices as well as learning to make a good sauergut. I no longer enter any competitions or brew what my friends prefer, I guess I started brewing for myself and I'm a much happier brewer. In addition, my friends drink more of my pilsner than they ever drank any of my other brews. Cheers!

This speaks to me. I've decided to focus on lager brewing as they are some of my favorite styles
I'm going to start with Helles and really try and tighten up my process. It will give me a sense of focus which I think will help.

@Basspaleale do you have any resources on LODO? I've looked into it before but some it seems pretty extreme. Would be interested in simple changes I could make to my process.

 

[WesBrew]

I've enjoyed my brew club over the last couple years. It kind of keeps me connected, even when I'm not feeling it. It's also been a nice opportunity to sample different styles and discuss recipe and process. A California Common came out of that and is now on my annual to-do list. Love it.
Maybe your tastes have changed? I'm probably not going to brew anymore big malty beers or experiments. Lately, I prefer to drink true to style and lean towards lighter, drier styles. With a few exceptions that is what I'm brewing these days.

 

[elproducto]

I've enjoyed my brew club over the last couple years. It kind of keeps me connected, even when I'm not feeling it. It's also been a nice opportunity to sample different styles and discuss recipe and process. A California Common came out of that and is now on my annual to-do list. Love it.
Maybe your tastes have changed? I'm probably not going to brew anymore big malty beers or experiments. Lately, I prefer to drink true to style and lean towards lighter, drier styles. With a few exceptions that is what I'm brewing these days.

Unfortunately I live in a small town with now brew club, and only one other homebrew. I belong to a virtual club, but it's difficult to share beer obviously.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

I haven't changed any of my process in ages (been brewing on a Grainfather G30 since 2018).

It might be worth looking into changing your process. Brewing advances--you may be finding that your beer doesn't compare as well as it used to even though you're still putting out the same quality beer.

I.e. I started brewing in 2006. At the time, I was killin' it. Doing great in comps. Spent time dialing in my process by ~2010 to the point where I was REALLY happy with what I was brewing. Kept on with it, but what I started noticing was that the quality of brew from other homebrewers kept going up, while mine stayed the same. I used to go to the "Southern California Homebrew Festival" where 35-40 homebrew clubs would descend on a campground and spend a day serving beer. In my early years, I'd be pleasantly surprised to find beer I actually wanted to finish. The last time I went--it was more surprising to find a clunker. The level of the hobby kept progressing.

It was 2015 that I made the swap from standard water with a Campden tablet to an RO system. 9 1/2 years brewing, and I was floored by the fact that it took my beer from "very good homebrew" to being "commercial quality". I realized that I didn't even realize what I was missing until I made a change.

Without knowing your process, I'm not sure where/how you should prioritize tweaks. Maybe it's something in your hot side process. Maybe it's moving to RO water (if you're not already doing it). Maybe it's LODO. Maybe it's something different in filtering/fining.

But I'm sure there's *something* that can push your beer up a notch, to the point where you're happy with what you're making.

 

[elproducto]

It might be worth looking into changing your process. Brewing advances--you may be finding that your beer doesn't compare as well as it used to even though you're still putting out the same quality beer.

I.e. I started brewing in 2006. At the time, I was killin' it. Doing great in comps. Spent time dialing in my process by ~2010 to the point where I was REALLY happy with what I was brewing. Kept on with it, but what I started noticing was that the quality of brew from other homebrewers kept going up, while mine stayed the same. I used to go to the "Southern California Homebrew Festival" where 35-40 homebrew clubs would descend on a campground and spend a day serving beer. In my early years, I'd be pleasantly surprised to find beer I actually wanted to finish. The last time I went--it was more surprising to find a clunker. The level of the hobby kept progressing.

It was 2015 that I made the swap from standard water with a Campden tablet to an RO system. 9 1/2 years brewing, and I was floored by the fact that it took my beer from "very good homebrew" to being "commercial quality". I realized that I didn't even realize what I was missing until I made a change.

Without knowing your process, I'm not sure where/how you should prioritize tweaks. Maybe it's something in your hot side process. Maybe it's moving to RO water (if you're not already doing it). Maybe it's LODO. Maybe it's something different in filtering/fining.

But I'm sure there's *something* that can push your beer up a notch, to the point where you're happy with what you're making.

Yeah , so I undersold it a bit. I've made improvements to my process like , closed transfers, pH and water adjustments. I just meant I'm still brewing on the G30.

I have thought about RO, and may try that.