Deciding On Your Next Homebrew

[jfin22]

So many beers, so little time.
I have been brewing a for a few years now. But just started more brewing frequently using brew kits. I have chosen the types of beers that I think I will enjoy and have not had a bad experience with a kit yet.

I am wanting to branch off and start buying grain at my LHBS and either use BeerSmith for my recipes and quickly move into formulating my own masterpiece.

The problem arises as to what beer I want to brew. How do you choose what you want to brew next? Do you do like my local brewery and keep certain beers at all time and venture out with other beers when you have enough of the everyday beer on tap. Or do you try different styles with each brew session? Or do you go by a brew calendar and keep on tap the beer of the season?

I know in the scheme of things that it all boils down (no pun intended) to what I like. But just curious how others decide.

 

[aprichman]

So many beers, so little time.
I have been brewing a for a few years now. But just started more brewing frequently using brew kits. I have chosen the types of beers that I think I will enjoy and have not had a bad experience with a kit yet.

I am wanting to branch off and start buying grain at my LHBS and either use BeerSmith for my recipes and quickly move into formulating my own masterpiece.

The problem arises as to what beer I want to brew. How do you choose what you want to brew next? Do you do like my local brewery and keep certain beers at all time and venture out with other beers when you have enough of the everyday beer on tap. Or do you try different styles with each brew session? Or do you go by a brew calendar and keep on tap the beer of the season?

I know in the scheme of things that it all boils down (no pun intended) to what I like. But just curious how others decide.

Personally I try to brew alternate batches of "light" and "dark", playing around within those confines with whatever sounds interesting/tasty. For a "dark" batch I might brew a porter or dubbel and for a light batch maybe a pale ale, IIPA, or wheat. Lately I've been brewing frequently enough that setting aside bottles and building up a variety has been nice.

 

[kh54s10]

I like almost all styles of beer so I try new styles frequently, But there are times when I do similar recipes a few time in a row. I have no rhyme or reason as to what comes next. I have a lot of recipes started in Beersmith. I often go to them, check them to my on-hand ingredients and choose one that looks interesting at the time.

 

[Seismogenic]

I've been trying to alternate between brewing a batch of something that I haven't brewed before, and brewing a batch of something I have to see if I can improve on it the next time around.
But in terms of picking which new recipe to try next? Sometimes I want to have a specific thing ready by a specific time, but sometimes, it's just whims.

 

[grizzly2378]

I like variety, so I try to keep a selection of different beer styles in the rotation. An IPA, a stout, a porter, a pale ale, a saison, a wheat beer of some sort. So, if I just bottled an IPA, I probably won't brew another one for awhile with the exception my Fresh Squeezed clone, which is the best beer I've made so far and I like to always keep it on hand (while also trying my hand at other IPAs).

I'm relatively new to homebrewing, about a year and a half in, so I like trying different things too. I'm brewing my first sour this weekend (Consecration clone) and have been meaning to try some British bitters and Abbey-type ales too. Getting a chance to try new things that aren't easily available in your area is one of the exciting things about homebrewing (I live in South Dakota and our craft beer selection is fairly pathetic).

 

[HB_in_Subic]

I like variety, so I try to keep a selection of different beer styles in the rotation. An IPA, a stout, a porter, a pale ale, a saison, a wheat beer of some sort. So, if I just bottled an IPA, I probably won't brew another one for awhile with the exception my Fresh Squeezed clone, which is the best beer I've made so far and I like to always keep it on hand (while also trying my hand at other IPAs).

I'm relatively new to homebrewing, about a year and a half in, so I like trying different things too. I'm brewing my first sour this weekend (Consecration clone) and have been meaning to try some British bitters and Abbey-type ales too. Getting a chance to try new things that aren't easily available in your area is one of the exciting things about homebrewing (I live in South Dakota and our craft beer selection is fairly pathetic).

I do exactly the same but I am in a craft beer wasteland. So there is nowhere but up..

I have 2 or the recipes that are my main go to's and then I do something every 3rd batch making something new or rarely seen here.

 

[Sailingeric]

I make up most of my beers. I start with a hop or hops I want to try, see what style of beer I want to go with for the hops I am using, look on here for which grains and yeast work best for what I am shooting for, then I adjust my recipe for the ABV I want, and hit the local brew store and brew away.

 

[Psylocide]

I basically decide like, a few days before brew day. I only keep two kegs going at once for now and I blow through them so quickly that whatever I feel like drinking, I'll brew. Usually IPAs or APAs.

 

[NickTheGreat]

I tend to do two brews when I brew ( i can repurpose water, and it doesn't add 100% more time to my day)

So I like to do "a classic" and maybe something new. If I'd ever get around to brewing again while those two are still fairly full, I'd probably do something more crazy!!!

 

[firerat]

I keep try to keep 1 IPA/PA/APA and 1 stout on tap at all times. when I start running low, I'll make one of those.

I don't drink nearly what I used to though so running through those is taking longer and longer so I make a lot of small experimental batches and bottle those.

There's really no rhyme or reason for what I may choose to brew aside from availability of ingredients. For example I just brewed a blood orange hefe because there were some kick @$$ blood oranges at the farmers market.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I tend to brew more for the season the majority of the time. In late winter/early spring I'll brew up a hoppy pale ale to drink once the temps warm up and I can sit on the patio. For July I'll brew up something like a citrusy APA or a witbier. Fall I'll usually have a Dunkel or a Rye or something of the like, and then in winter I drink more porters.

Of course it all changes and whatnot: if I can get fresh hops from a friend, I'll usually pick them in the fall and throw them right into the kettle and make a hoppy pale ale to show off the hops. But my brewing tends to be focused more on the weather than anything else.

 

[rodwha]

I have found that I like most styles too, and I generally begin my brew selection right after I've ordered my ingredients, always working a month ahead.

Though I have many beers that I've created that I feel are quite good, I don't really work towards always having it on hand. And I generally work on something I haven't made in a while and possibly even something new.

 

[revco]

I've been trying to keep an eye towards the future and brew for what I want my keezer selection to look like at any given time. I generally keep at least a couple pale-ish beers (be it a pale, pilsner, blonde, whatever) on tap at all times as these tend to be what I gravitate towards most of the the time. The third tap is usually something amberish - an amber, saison, brown, red or whatever sounds good at the time. My last tap I reserve for whims/specialty, which typically might be something darker like a stout or porter, maybe a berlinner weisse or a foray into something I've never done before.

Sometimes these are tried-and-trues, but more often than not, I like to find something that is a new-to-me brew. I have a number of recipes that are in rotation and maintain a "best of" list in BeerSmith for things I absolutely know I want to brew again. When my creativity slumps or I just have no idea what I want to brew, I usually hit this list for an idea.

This year, I've been doing things a bit different and making a conscious effort to try and hit the beer seasons on my specialty/whim tap. So that's things like an Irish red on St. Patty's, Oktoberfest in September, pumpkin in October and so forth. When there's a bit of time between "festive beer drinking" holidays (except every other day that ends with a Y), I've been focusing on brewing styles I've never, ever had before.

For bigger beers, these tend to go straight to bottle since I don't tend to tear through them like I do others and I reserve the kegs for beers that I know I'll down relatively quickly. I can only have so many imperial double triple oak aged yada-yada's before you're like, wow, I need to be somewhat productive in my life.

That's my philosophy, broken down! Hope you figure out what works for you!

 

[Surly]

I approach what I brew much like I approach the building of my brewery. Started with kits, then 5 gallon all grain. Then 10 gallons brews and finally my 15 gallon dedicated brewery. I will grow no more.

Small steps. Planning. It is a hobby. I have treated it as such.

I began brewing beer from recipes from well regarded brewers. The styles are those I enjoy the most. Five styles developed over time to become as consistent as I am able. They are called, "house brews".

Now, time to expand styles, return to bottling for long term aging. I will develop that part of my hobby using my conical build and racking arm. This allows me to experiment with different dry hops using the same base batch.

My next goal will to begin brewing on a schedule that will allow a particular style for a particular season. That sounds easy, right? But the key here is to hold such a large backlog/inventory of enjoyable beers that I am not drinking the pipeline dry too soon.

 

[VApatriot]

It all depends on what styles you like yo drink or want to try. I have made a list of recipes from the HBT recipe database of beers that peek my interest. I've made a few so far like Centennial Blonde and SWMBO Slayer both of which I've made and enjoyed thoroughly. Yooper posted one called Fizzy Yellow Beer that I'd like to make too. Look at the database, it's nice because you can read numerous comments and decide if you might want to try one. Check it out.

 

[gometz]

All of the above.
I usually plan ideas months in advance, but then I'll let new ideas slip in between. Then if I notice my plan is too similar I'll break something in. I also plan by season, so I'll rarely brew a dark beer in the spring or summer.

For instance, right now I have a Gose fermenting, I'm brewing a table saison tomorrow, then a sour saison next week. I had planned a rye saison next until I realized what was happening. So now the next batch will be a pale ale to add in something hoppy. This means in about 6 weeks I'll have 2 sour beers, a yeast driven beer, and a hoppy beer ready. I am now trying to decide on what comes next (something malty?).

 

[tbred]

I normally work on one recipe until I have it "perfected". (at least in my mind) In between I just brew whatever I find interesting!

 

[adamdillabo]

I base most of mine on yeast I have going now. When I bottled my ESB I did a english brown. The week a bottled my Cali common i brewed another one. After I bottle my Oberon I plan to do a 2 hearted clone.

I try to brew every weekend and try to bottle one every week. So I tend to have 3 going at all time or least that's the plan.

 

[LoudHousebrew]

I have been brewing a lot of blonde ales doing a hop study. then mix in a different specialty every other batch. the blondes are all about learning hops flavors and effects while keeping a high volume of easy to drink session beers on hand. Then every other batch I try something different. That allows me to stockpile a nice variety but still have a lot around for friends and family to plow through. Right now I have a couple of belgians, a wee heavy, and an imperial stout about to go in a barrel till thanksgiving. I have 20 gallons of blonde right now so i am doing a quick red replacement (the st paddys beer was too popular) . Next up will be a chili beer and a lighter scotch ale. Ill knock out a big blonde batch in between these so I am planned about two months out.

 

[jfin22]

Been at work and trying to read this to get ideas.

Thank y'all so much for the information and the time to post your comments.

As I get started on my new hobby of brewing, I think I am going with the route of what I like best. (IPA's, Porters, and Stouts). As I get better equipped and become more knowledgeable, I will start branching out to different and unique brews.
Eventually getting into testing different recipes with varieties of hops, malts, and yeasts.

I am going to go to my first local Homebrew Club meeting next week and will continue to absorb as much knowledge as I can.

It's amazing how simple brewing beer really can be but how the complexity never ends.

Thanks for all of the input.
Cheers!

 

[guitarguy6]

I usually brew once a week and generally do a brown/pale/amber ale. Crafting a truly great recipe usually takes a while. The pale and brown ale recipe that I've been working on since last August is finally where I want it to be after brewing them both many, many times. Just adding a little bit more or less of a grain or hop can change the taste quite a bit so the only way to find the balance you like is brewing the same recipe over and over again.

 

[Wolfdust]

I have 2 temperature controlled fermentation chambers, mini fridges with stc1000, so not so necessary in the winter but a must in the summer. I have one keg so I will have 1 brew for the keg which is usually lighter and lower abv that you can keg in a month or so aka the short brew. The other usually holds the long brew like stout, strong belgium, barely wine, lager and so on to bottle. I usually get my ideas of what to brew by looking at all the recipe kits online northern brewer, more beer, aih ect. If something looks good i find the recipe or one close and brew it. I have also brew a few off the recipe database here on hbt with good success. Cheers 🍻

 

[Brew_G]

I brewed my first beer this past October, and I've been brewing at a rate of about one beer every month. With giving it away to friends or serving it at parties, I haven't been able to keep a true pipeline of a variety of beers going.

The little lady gets kind of annoyed when I take 5-6 hours of a weekend to brew a beer (she watches the two-year-old all week, so I can understand her frustration when she gets stuck watching her again all day on a weekend), so that's the first limitation on the amount I can brew. I also only have one fermenter, so I'm limited by that, as well. And I bottle, so it's not as if I can keep all kinds of different beers on tap and replace them when the keg kicks.

A few months ago, I set up a schedule of beers that I wanted to brew over the next year. Each of them is my own recipe, often inspired by clones of beers that I like. I've made some changes here and there, mostly because I'm developing a greater curiosity about certain hops, but I'm generally keeping to the schedule. If I could get the time to brew every 2-3 weeks, I'd be doing a lot more slight tweaking of various recipes to get a feel for how small changes to a recipe can affect the final product.

 

[Wolfdust]

I am a single parent (wife is disabled) I mash sat afternoon while the 2yr naps and boil after he goes to bed for the night. I do it this way this because I otherwise get to much help.

 

[Onkel_Udo]

I have three house beers of which I like to have at least one on tap and one in the keg carbonated at all times. Since I like to drink beer, the volume of house beer needed to keep up with demand tends to require that they take up 2/3'rds of my brew sessions in winter and about 3/5's in the other two months of the year.

I have been brewing long enough I know what I don't like so I do not brew those styles but I have not figured out all the things I DO like. The non-house beer brew sessions are usually something I have not tried before but think I will enjoy. That said, most of my recipes are developed based on what I have on hand (I buy bulk hops, base grains and usually one commonly used crystal malt) or where I just have to get a # of specialty grains from the LHBS.

Another hint, using a small beer (say and Ordinary bitter or Pale Ale) as a starter for a bigger beer (1.060 or more) that will taste good with the same yeast is a huge money and time saver.