BYO Recipes
- Thread starter MrBJones
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk:
My experience is that I cannot keep up with all the recipes in the database here on HomeBrewTalk, many of which have extract and all grain versions and have feedback from members that have tried the recipe.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=54
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=54
MidAtlanticBrew
Well-Known Member
I second the recipes here on HBT ..... the safe bets are those with lots of replies and the bonus is that members try and post variations of the base recipe which i find help more quickly me tune a recipe for my taste. So in essense, a recipe here gives me the starting point, like recipes everywhere, but also a virtual second and third brew, done by others.
I find the majority of the BYO recipes to be quite good. I have brewed many of them with great results. And as others stated, they can also be used as a starting point and you can of course add ingredients to put your own personal experience and flair into it. That of course is also optional. The recipes are very good as-is.
A few years ago they had a recipe from Faust in Miltenberg Germany. After brewing it, I had to make a trip over there to try the real thing. I've been there twice now. SO be sure to pick a recipe that requires a road trip!
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MapleGroveAleworks
Well-Known Member
Disagree with the lots of replies part. Alot of the recipes on here, especially the hoppy ones 5+ years old are incredibly outdated. They've been around so long and there weren't that many recipes around then as there are now so the replies just ballooned and people assume lots of replies means it's the best recipe which is sad.
While I agree that simply going off of traffic volume as opposed to actual reviews is silly I'm not sure I see the logic in a 5 year old recipe being no good.
Most of my go to commercial IPAs have been around longer than 5 years. Maybe the most well known IPAs....Pliny the Elder and Heady Topper, both much older than 5 years. The "west coast hops", are all older than 5 years, hell the 3 C's have been around for over 60 years. What has so drastically changed in 5 or even 10 years that makes them obsolete?
I'd say don't be afraid of a recipe that has stood the test of time and is still getting traffic, just make sure you read what that traffic says. Even if all of the feedback isn't good chances are it's at least decent and some people think it's great. Having hundreds of responses to the recipe you brew is a great way to help you learn about what makes a beer that you do and do not like.
Interesting you should mention this... earlier just this morning I was browsing through my recipe database (in StrangeBrew) and I was considering brewing the Faust Schwarzviertler recipe which came from that BYO issue from I don't know when. Perhaps I will need to give that a try!
DurtyChemist
Well-Known Member
I can't say I've ever brewed a bad batch from BYO. My step brother just brewed up their Apple Pie recipe from the November issue, I brewed the Australian Sparkling Ale from September 2015, and my step father brews a Belgian Dubbel from one of their issues. The authors used in their recipe sections are typically well respected brewers like Gordon Strong and Jamil or they're professionals giving you clones or beers close to their beers.
If you do, I found that adding more smoked malt makes the beer taste closer to what you get in Miltenberg. IIRC, the recipe calls for 5%. 7.5% is better. It probably has something to with the freshness of the malt.
Thanks for the tip!!
