Home brewing- Lessons Learned

[mscg4u]

So in my short adventures of home brewing (about 3 months now) I have learned many lessons. From my first brew to my last bottling weekend (last weekend) I can't even count how much I have learned, and how you can't really understand the lessons that you read in Palmer's book or on this website until you are doing it or make the mistake. My biggest example would be relaxing, let the beer condition, and everything will be alright. I was so stressed that I have just totally failed at what seems to be a fairly simple process (on the surface). My first brew was a failure (we won't get into that), and I thought I fixed all my problems from my first one, just to make totally new ones for my second. As it turns out, my second brew has turned out great with time...and I am sure my just bottled amber will be great too.
I suppose with this thread I really just wanted to share that my biggest lesson learned is to relax, and things will turn out if you follow the advice and "guidelines" provided in this forum and the many great brewing books...

What is your biggest lesson learned from home brewing?

 

[unionrdr]

Hmm...that's a good one. I learned patience & time from wine making from age 15 to about 30. Then I/we got the idea to try brewing beer,after watching videos from craigtube,steeljan,pho,revolutionary brewer,& others. They showed what home brewing had become now, vs what it was like when pop was brewing stouts & what not.
So,to start,I'd have to say the biggest lesson learned is learning what goes into a style of beer before trying to push the boundaries. Kinda like Jimi Hendrix,he found total freadom within total control. And that not quite getting what you want the 1st time is ok. Just tweak it & try again. But with that anxium it should also be understood,as a comic book hero put it once,science without conscience is treason to science. In otherwords,brewing without regard to what the constituents will bring to the outcome is wrong.
Gotta have some rhym & reason in there,so to say.
That's what the learning curve with beer has taught me up to this point.

 

[bkorver]

I would say patience is the number one. If a beer tastes good after 2 weeks in the bottle, give it 3 more and it will blow your mind!

Also, it is good to start off with kits, but try to understand what is going on in your pot and why the kit uses crystal 40 instead of crystal 60 and what would change if it did. Once you get a handle on that it is easier to tweak things. Learn the why as well as the what and you will be on your way to improvising kits into better beers, and eventually get away from the kits all together. That's when you feel like a true brewmaster...

 

[unionrdr]

Well said. That's what I've been trying to do from the get go. After my 1st kit that came with my micro brew starter kit,I did my own thing. What a rush,man...:fro:

 

[geetee]

Glad to know there are other homebrewers in Fayetteville

 

[cooper]

For me it has been to always steep the grains in 1.5q/lbs of grains when doing extract batches and then bring water up to full boil and aerate really well.

For all grain it has been to always make sure your water is appropriate for the style you are brewing (using RO water) and have a pH tester on hand to verify you are in the 5.4 range at room temp in the mash.

 

[TyTanium]

You don't actually save money by homebrewing.

 

[DangerRoss]

Biggest lesson learned is when in doubt take a gravity reading.