Has home brewing changed your tastes in beer?

[Morrey]

Before I began brewing, I seemed stuck in a rut and bought the same beer most of the time. Now that I brew frequently, I am discovering many styles and beer choices that are amazing. How do you roll?

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

Yeah I can relate. Pretty much drank the same beer before brewing. Now I usually look for variety packs if buying commercial. And rarely buy the same variety case.

 

[stz]

It depends very much on your brewing philosophy. I think many people fall into this idea that 'good beer' is commercially successful beer because why would it be successful if it wasn't good? I still meet many home brewers who are fixated on producing exact clones of commercial beer. The thing is though, as brewing was originally a cottage industry with people producing it on a small scale such as per household or estate tailored to local taste with quirks of local ingredients when you move back towards this method of production it is inevitable that the definition of good must part with or expand to contain more than what might just be considered commercially successful. This is invariably more interesting to me as it can be focused on the subjective opinion of what tastes good to a small group of weirdos rather than trying to appeal to the broadest possible palette due to commercial pressures. You can use small amounts of rare, difficult or opportunistically obtained ingredients much more readily on the small scale rather than trying to leverage economies of scale or focus on priorities with very little to do with what tastes good such as ease of transport, storage and mass manufacture. So I'm passionate about beer which is local and therefore fresh because I often believe this is some of the best beer. You end up having to seek out stranger beer because I want to try it, support it and figure out how they might have done it and if the intent of the brewer is to produce the best possible beer they can with an understanding of this it is usually some very tasty beer because the priority is on the beer and its taste. This is why when the phrase craft beer comes up I suppose it can be rightfully maligned within the context of an everyday mass culture commodity like beer, but has been so important to the industry otherwise. Yes I'm aware I said 'brewing philosophy' unironically ha ha ha.

I was thinking about this today while scrubbing the mash tun. Why strive to brew average beer with poor ingredients or good beer with average ingredients. Go big or don't bother. The best restaurants in the world are using the finest ingredients to make world class food and people are happy to pay for it and they are booked out every single night. The idea that it is more noble to make average beer with poor or average ingredients because that is somehow a demonstration of a 'real' skill or a technique somehow superior to making great beer with great ingredients is just the sour grape rationalisation and a waste of limited time. That is what makes it such a brilliant hobby, being able to make something free of the constraints of commercial pressure and having to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

 

[Morrey]

I agree, stz, that we can certainly get what we choose from brewing according to our personal brewing philosophies.

I am one who is driven to experiment, but my changes may be totally insignificant to many. A good example of my experimentation is within a series of NE IPA's that I have brewed in the last few months. Instead of replicating the same recipe as before, I substituted one different hop (1 of 3 used) for one used previously. Then I flipped my SO4/Cl ratio from 1:2 and tried 2:1 next time I brewed, but only one change at a time. For this reason I am always pushing to see if I am improving, or in certain cases, going backwards.

In my opinion, home brewers have so much more latitude than commercial operations for many reasons.

 

[hellesyeah]

Maybe I am not the best person to say this but since I am a relatively new brewer, I am so excited about trying new beers that I don't have time to stay with one all the time. I want to try them all. Maybe in a few years I'll settle on a few recipes to call my house favorites.

Thanks for making this post OP. I thought I was weird for wanting try lots of beers I haven't even had commercially before. Kind of gives me some confidence.

 

[mongoose33]

It hasn't been so much that I'm brewing a greater variety of beers at home, but that I'm more willing to try something new when I go out. I expect at some point I'll expand my repertoire at home, but unless I like a beer from having had it elsewhere, I doubt I'd brew it. The exception would be a recipe that looks interesting.

 

[Morrey]

It hasn't been so much that I'm brewing a greater variety of beers at home, but that I'm more willing to try something new when I go out. I expect at some point I'll expand my repertoire at home, but unless I like a beer from having had it elsewhere, I doubt I'd brew it. The exception would be a recipe that looks interesting.

That is a very good point, Mongoose33. Broadening our beer horizons is very rewarding to me. Several years I snubbed IPA's, but now they are in my pipeline. Being a home brewer means I can adjust the aspects of the beer I didn't care for (harsh bitterness) and control what I didn't like before.

Your excellent Cali Commons is an example of a beer that was completely off my radar screen, but now is destined to become a house favorite. Took a leap of faith.

 

[Weezy]

I'm finding myself wanting to brew more and more session ales and lagers. Its hard to find anything under 6.5% anymore when I go out. Heck, half the new "pale ales" are 7-8%. It's nice to have simpler things some times (a lot of times), with less assault on my palette.

 

[ChelisHubby]

It hasn't been so much that I'm brewing a greater variety of beers at home, but that I'm more willing to try something new when I go out. I expect at some point I'll expand my repertoire at home, but unless I like a beer from having had it elsewhere, I doubt I'd brew it. The exception would be a recipe that looks interesting.

When I am out and at a place that sells beer I look for something that I don't normally have or drink in order to expand my knowledge of what I like and so on.

 

[mongoose33]

When I am out and at a place that sells beer I look for something that I don't normally have or drink in order to expand my knowledge of what I like and so on.

That's usually a conundrum for me. I like to drink beer I like, but do I branch out from that to something I might or might not like?

That's why I like samplers....I can get a sense of a beer without committing to a pint of Oh...My...God...that's....nasty.

I have a buddy who does the RateBeer thing. He has something like 569 different beers rated. Apparently he lives to rate.

Me, I'd generally rather just drink beer I know I'm going to like.

 

[Morrey]

I'm finding myself wanting to brew more and more session ales and lagers. Its hard to find anything under 6.5% anymore when I go out. Heck, half the new "pale ales" are 7-8%. It's nice to have simpler things some times (a lot of times), with less assault on my palette.

Interesting that you say this....I was looking for a light beer with low abv that would be a thirst quencher and not make me feel wobbly on a summer afternoon after yard work. I found a recipe on Denny Conns blog for a 3% rye/wheat. Had no clue what it would taste like, but brewed it to find it is really good and hit the nail on the head for my goal.

Point is I'd never find this beer commercially. Maybe in a specialty pub but not around me locally.

 

[SGTSparty]

It hasn't been so much that I'm brewing a greater variety of beers at home, but that I'm more willing to try something new when I go out. I expect at some point I'll expand my repertoire at home, but unless I like a beer from having had it elsewhere, I doubt I'd brew it. The exception would be a recipe that looks interesting.

This is me too for the most part. I have 4 taps so I keep 2 of my favorites (2 of things like Porter/Nut Brown/Stout), 1 of my wife/family's favorite (IPA), 1 seasonal (Blonde currently, sometimes wheat or cider).

But I when i go out or buy beer I'm constantly trying new things. got a 50 dollar gift card for my birthday to a local craft beer store and was like "Hey i want to explore styles, show me what you have in Milds, Blondes, Vienna lagers, and Bitters. Really helped me understand the style as they relate to the style guidelines and then helps me decide if I like a style enough to brew up 5 gallons of it.

 

[SGTSparty]

That's usually a conundrum for me. I like to drink beer I like, but do I branch out from that to something I might or might not like?

That's why I like samplers....I can get a sense of a beer without committing to a pint of Oh...My...God...that's....nasty.

I have a buddy who does the RateBeer thing. He has something like 569 different beers rated. Apparently he lives to rate.

Me, I'd generally rather just drink beer I know I'm going to like.

I just started using the untappd app basically just to keep a record of what I liked and didn't. I keep general notes elsewhere too but if I'm trying to learn a new style its nice to have a quick reference on my phone of what I've tried and how I felt about it.

 

[Morrey]

I totally agree with your collective experimentation approaches. Brewing a 5G keg that sucks is not a good way to go about things although I will brew a beer based on other's suggestions since I figure that person is reliable.

Those 4 oz sampler flights are a great way to experiment and I have found several beers that I cloned from that format. Another way I roll is to put together a mix and match sampler 6 pack with beers that look interesting. Occasionally I find a winner like that as well.

 

[agrazela]

I'm finding myself wanting to brew more and more session ales and lagers. Its hard to find anything under 6.5% anymore when I go out. Heck, half the new "pale ales" are 7-8%. It's nice to have simpler things some times (a lot of times), with less assault on my palette.

This is kinda where I'm at, too.

With the equipment and processes (and investment) I have, I can't make a hoppy IPA as good or as inexpensively as I can buy a good commercial craft brew, so I don't even try anymore. And I don't like the super-high IBU bombs at all, nor do I find a 10%+ ABV malt beverage particularly refreshing....I can make those, but why?

But what I can do is:

Make a reasonably hoppy, pleasantly bitter, moderately alcoholic pale ale, using whatever hops, yeast, and malt bill I want, considerably more cheaply than commercial; this what I usually do.

Make a lager, a Kolsch, a blond ale, a cream ale, or whatever other "not an IPA" brew that is cheap and doesn't suck; this is what I do when I'm having company that are not hop-heads.

(I do like porter, stout, Belgians, etc...but typically not enough to make a whole keg's worth. Those I usually buy.)

I'm often willing to try the fad-of-the-moment / fruit-infused / hot pepper / weirdly spiced craft brew...but they all suck, and deep down inside you know it, too. They are typically more revolting than inspiring.

 

[chickypad]

I voted for the middle choice as it's probably closest, but I think what I am more than anything is an "inventory brewer", meaning I'm all about using what I have in stock. I frequently sub in different base and specialty malts, hops, and yeasts, but I usually consider it the same recipe if the basic features are kept (i.e. subbing a noble hop for another noble-like hop, a clean neutral yeast for another one, using slightly different roasted or crystal malt combos but in the same general percentages).

Allowing for those minor alterations, the few favorite recipes that I return to repeatedly are mainly ones that I can't get easily locally, and I'm with you guys on the lower gravity beers being appealing to brew. I think most of us have IPA's out the wazoo at the local grocery, but it's really hard to find a nice brown porter, or really any porters that aren't imperial strength. Same with milds, Belgian singles, etc. My other faves are ones that are just so much better to me young, like a watermelon wheat and now I think I can add NEIPA to that list.

 

[eyebrau]

Yes, my tastes have changed. I used to be a major hophead, but as I discovered how easy it is to make good IPAs, DIPAs, APAs, etc, and learned how easy it is to hide flaws with a lot of hops, I got seriously turned off to these styles. Also, when I learned the difficulty of lagers and the extra time and effort they take, I was intrigued, and my favorite styles now are lagers. I've grown a major appreciation for breweries that put in the effort for making a good lager, and with tying up a tank for so long with lagering. Not to mention the perfection of a well made German lager...

 

[kh54s10]

I have a couple of beers that I make fairly regularly. One is a brown ale that I make fairly close, but have never done exactly the same recipe. The other is a pale ale that I have been "tweaking". In the first couple I made bigger changes, now I am making small changes. I don't have it quite where I want to settle as finished.

So, 93 batches, no two exactly the same.....

 

[Jtk78]

I haven't been brewing long enough (under a year and 11 batches total) to have a favorite recipe. I've brewed 2 NEIPAs (2nd to be bottled Saturday) and I'm planning my 2nd Belgian Wit, but both recipes have been changed slightly. I'm all in for new right now.

And homebrewing has certainly opened my eyes to beer. If I buy beer, I'm probably going to pick up a variety 6 pack to try 6 different things. Rarely order the same beer twice if I'm out.

 

[catdaddy66]

I believe I had two years worth of AG brewing before I ever repeated a recipe or style. Wanted to learn about so many types that I tried all that I could find.

Then I found 3-4 favorites that became my 'house' beers. Now I make changes to these to see how differing ingredients work with each style. I still make new varieties but spend more time refining my favorite styles.

I still have a few days before I bottle my first fruit beer, a cherry wheat.

 

[bleme]

Before I started brewing, I bought Alaskan Amber, Anchor Steam, Fat Tire, or SA Octoberfest. Now, I will only buy a beer if I've never had it before. Otherwise, I'll just have water.

My brewing follows the same lines. I've never brewed the same recipe twice. While I brew Stouts, Porters, Pale Ales, and American Wheats pretty often, I also like to brew things I just can't buy (like Saisons). I'm considering changing that policy pretty soon though. I recently made a beer that was so tasty and so cheap that it might become a regular.

 

[secondbase]

I have 5 or 6 recipes I love and come back to once a year, but I brew new recipes the rest of the time. I have been honing in on some yeast strains that I really enjoy using along with finding the perfect water profile, hop schedule and grain bill for my saison. It's a daunting yet delicious task.

 

[mattdee1]

I usually go in cycles.. I'll come up with different things to try -- techniques, ingredients, etc. -- and often they turn out well but inevitably one of these experiments will go sideways and it "scares" me back into brewing a tried-and-true recipe. For me, one of the worst things is to have 2 brews in a row that suck, because it's demoralizing.

I also find that I spend a LOT of time brewing basic, approachable beers that a wide audience will enjoy. While I like those beers (especially in summer), my enjoyment of them certainly is not commensurate with the lopsided amount of time I spend on them. But, I don't really have a choice because a big part of the fun for me is sharing what I make, and unfortunately, if I brew big stouts or IPAs, I'll be the only one drinking them most of the time. One thing I like to do to make things a bit more interesting for myself on these basic beers is to do 10gal batches and dry hop the crap out of half of it so I at least have something with a bit more complexity to show for my efforts.

 

[Funkychef]

It hasn't so much changed my taste​ in beer, but after starting all grain, i have an appreciation for the different flavours that malt, yeast and hops bring to the table, but instead of taste I have a more analytical look to beer, much like what food is like to me.

But I enjoy most styles of beers, because its beer that brings us here!

 

[Metalhead_brewer]

Definetly had,i used to buy the same beer from the only 2 producers in the country switching from time to time, always liking more the "strong ones"(4.3-4.5 ABV), since i started brewing, this strong ones now seems watery to me, now i rarely buy this beer just when i have to go to a party i preffer to stop by and buy a six than carry with my bottles, now everytime i open and serve a beer even comercials i can avoid to look at his color, smell it and taste it.:rockin:

 

[Metalhead_brewer]

Interesting that you say this....I was looking for a light beer with low abv that would be a thirst quencher and not make me feel wobbly on a summer afternoon after yard work. I found a recipe on Denny Conns blog for a 3% rye/wheat. Had no clue what it would taste like, but brewed it to find it is really good and hit the nail on the head for my goal.

Point is I'd never find this beer commercially. Maybe in a specialty pub but not around me locally.

Can you tell me where exactly this recipe is, as it looks very refreshing i'd like to give it a try this summer

 

[brewcat]

For my brewing, I stay within in a range of beers and may try something new from time to time.

I think I've only brewed two new recipes this year. I have enough recipes I love to have on tap. Some might get brewed once a year others multiple times a year. Then new recipes might get tweaked multiple times. Not necessarily enough drinking time and space to have new all the time.

 

[Morrey]

Can you tell me where exactly this recipe is, as it looks very refreshing i'd like to give it a try this summer

Sure.....Look for the Wit/Rye by James Spencer

The website is Expermental Brewing and the blog is called 14 Session beers

It uses Nelson Sauvin which is a good thing and a bad thing. Good thing is the hop makes this beer great, bad thing its really hard to find.

Since the ABV is so low, I call my version "The Half Nelson"

 

[Metalhead_brewer]

Sure.....Look for the Wit/Rye by James Spencer

The website is Expermental Brewing and the blog is called 14 Session beers

It uses Nelson Sauvin which is a good thing and a bad thing. Good thing is the hop makes this beer great, bad thing its really hard to find.

Since the ABV is so low, I call my version "The Half Nelson"

Excellent, never heard of nelson sauvin before but i searched it's profile and looks awesome, i found the recipe and hops online, i love wits and i cant wait to give it a try, i have some wheat here and a washed safale-s05 from last brew as well as kent goldings, just have to buy rye and nelson and i'll be ready to go yeaaah!!:rockin:

 

[TBC]

Yes, always drank miller lite. As soon as I started drinking homebrew when I went to have a miller lite I could immediately taste popcorn. I will still drink miller lite when I'm doing yard work because I want to be productive.