How do YOU decide what to make next?

[BrewMan13]

I always create my own recipe. I create a rough draft way in advance, so I can tweak it along the way, and then be confident that I like it by the time brew day comes along. If it's a new style to me, I'll reference 'outside' recipes for ideas. Otherwise I'll use an existing one as a jumping off point. I'd say roughly half of my brews in any given year are totally new, and the other half are direct or tweaked re-brews.

 

[NitrogenWidget]

i'm still a newb.
So, for the most part i find recipes on the forums that multiple people have made and have come back and said it was good.
If I make them and my friends like them I keep them on my rotation of brews.

I may change things a little depending on what I have available.

but I really have not educated myself on specialty malts like I should so usually stick with base malts for most of my own concoctions.

 

[Jordan Logo]

wow! Didn't think I'd get this many replies!

Looks like most people so far create their own recipe. For those who haven't stated already/those who are first time posters to this thread - do you find a popular recipe on a forum, THEN tweak it to be your own, or are you literally creating your own recipe from scratch?

 

[Sebastian Weetabix]

I have two Picos, a Pico Pro and a Pico C.
The grain bill for my Picos are only four pounds inclusive.
So with one and a half gallons of water to start with, I like to just wing it sometimes.
I keep track of my hop additions and mashing temps in case everything sucks so I’ll know what NOT to do again.
I’m fascinated with water, grain, hops and yeast combining to make EVERY beer you can think of!
There are a gazillion and four different beers out there made with just FOUR ingredients!
That is just kewl as all get out!

 

[bracconiere]

my last batch, i guarentee, you'll never see another one like it....

but i'm familar enough to know it'll be good...dark grains make a sure winner by my taster.....

 

[day_trippr]

Looks like a porter trying to become a stout.
But, I gotta ask...why did you tell BeerSmith that was an Amber Ale?
And what's with all the enzyme additions?

Cheers!

 

[bracconiere]

Looks like a porter trying to become a stout.
But, I gotta ask...why did you tell BeerSmith that was an Amber Ale?
And what's with all the enzyme additions?

Cheers!

as far as the enzymes, that how it's 9.4% instead of ~7%....gotta watch my waist....and i tosed the roast barley in for just subtle finish of roastyness...wanted it be more carmely though....and with the special b hoping for some nutty notes.....if i had any low lovibond crystal probably would have thrown a bit in to make it a smooth transition....


edit: and i don't give a damn about style guidelines....

 

[grampamark]

wow! Didn't think I'd get this many replies!

Looks like most people so far create their own recipe. For those who haven't stated already/those who are first time posters to this thread - do you find a popular recipe on a forum, THEN tweak it to be your own, or are you literally creating your own recipe from scratch?

TL;DR-I use a brewing app to create a recipe that will utilize ingredients I have on hand. I like to brew on the spur of the moment and don’t have a LHBS nearby.

Unless one is set on creating a brand new beer style there really is no such thing as an original recipe; every “from scratch” effort is just one more reinvention of a particular wheel.

That said, if I want to brew a style which I don’t have a recipe saved for in my brewing app (I use Beersmith), I use the “add recipe” function and start mixing and matching ingredients appropriate to that style until the “sliders” on the bar graphs for gravity, bitterness, and color are in the middle of the range of those characteristics for that particular style.

When I first saw this thread I started thinking about how I use the software to put a recipe together and about what I wanted to brew next. It occurred to me that I couldn’t remember the last time I brewed a Brown Ale. I didn’t have a recipe, so I put one together in Beersmith. I brewed that recipe yesterday. I hit my desired volume into the fermenter exactly, and was 6 points higher than the calculated OG, so my efficiency was a little better than predicted. The OG sample tasted great and the beer was bubbling away this morning.

I could have just chosen one of the hundreds of Brown Ale recipes in the Beersmith database, but what would have been the fun in that? Besides, coming up with my own was based on ingredients I had on hand. If I didn’t have the exact ingredients for an existing recipe I would have had to go through the new recipe process anyway, in order to tweak the existing one to utilize what was in my stash.

 

[Jordan Logo]

TL;DR-I use a brewing app to create a recipe that will utilize ingredients I have on hand. I like to brew on the spur of the moment and don’t have a LHBS nearby.

Unless one is set on creating a brand new beer style there really is no such thing as an original recipe; every “from scratch” effort is just one more reinvention of a particular wheel.

That said, if I want to brew a style which I don’t have a recipe saved for in my brewing app (I use Beersmith), I use the “add recipe” function and start mixing and matching ingredients appropriate to that style until the “sliders” on the bar graphs for gravity, bitterness, and color are in the middle of the range of those characteristics for that particular style.

When I first saw this thread I started thinking about how I use the software to put a recipe together and about what I wanted to brew next. It occurred to me that I couldn’t remember the last time I brewed a Brown Ale. I didn’t have a recipe, so I put one together in Beersmith. I brewed that recipe yesterday. I hit my desired volume into the fermenter exactly, and was 6 points higher than the calculated OG, so my efficiency was a little better than predicted. The OG sample tasted great and the beer was bubbling away this morning.

I could have just chosen one of the hundreds of Brown Ale recipes in the Beersmith database, but what would have been the fun in that? Besides, coming up with my own was based on ingredients I had on hand. If I didn’t have the exact ingredients for an existing recipe I would have had to go through the new recipe process anyway, in order to tweak the existing one to utilize what was in my stash.

Exactly the type of reply I was looking for! Thats awesome!

 

[TwistedGray]

The poll and the question are somewhat unrelated, IMO.

Your poll doesn't really jive with the question.

I agree with these guys. I was disappointed when I read the questions.

Lol, anyways, I just decide on the style depending on what time of the year. I'll usually look at a few dozen recipes from here and through Googling and create something from all of those. I'd say a large portion of what I do is experimental. So far, so good.

 

[ba-brewer]

I have 4 taps that I try to keeping flowing with different beer styles. Lately the taps have a golden ale, an IPA, a lager and an English Ale. What get brewed next is based on what kicked or is going to kick soon. Even though I have a few LHBS close to choose from I keep plenty of malt and hops on hand to brew what and when I want. I use Beersmith and the inventory feature to keep track of stuff. What hop packages are open quite often dictates what the recipe looks like. I have quite a few recipes but I occasionally brew something from HBT that looks interesting.

 

[brewkinger]

Generally I follow the same basic premise. I buy a lot of hops in 4oz bulk packages, so once i open a package my goal is usually to use them up as quick as possible. I could vacuum seal and freeze them I know, but seems like extra work.
I have a rotation of about 5 beers that I make regularly with my inventory and any other recipes, I simply pay a little extra and get the specifics for that recipe so that I do not have to worry about having unused grains and hops.

I have on occasion allowed my next brew to be left up to my wife's coven to decide on. They are a fickle bunch and I do not want them to put a spell on me.

 

[Kharnynb]

I've got a bunch of recipes I do every year around the same time, maybe with minor modifications, like doing a porter early autumn so it's ready for winter time, doing a bunch of lager style beers near the end of winter to benefit from free cooling and so they are ready for summertime.

Other than that, I buy a bunch of malts, whatever hops are on sale that I like and throw stuff together

 

[danielthemaniel]

Great question!

Sometimes I'll get inspiration from a beer that I've drank and want to recreate something similar. Sometimes I'll come across a recipe that sounds really good. Sometimes I'll want to do a particular style. Sometimes I will try to brew something that is different than what I have on tap at the time. Sometimes I will choose to brew something that I do for that particular season. Sometimes I will brew something that for a festival I'm pouring at. Sometimes I'll brew a request by the wife or friends.

But the important thing to remember is: I will only decide what to brew that way(s). Every single time.

 

[eric19312]

When I am brewing in my wheelhouse I pull up recent recipe in Beersmith, do a save-as and start making substitutions based on hops and grains on hand. I buy those in bulk.

When I decide to try brewing a new style I do a fair amount of research usually starting with Brewing Classic Styles, then googling recipes. On these forums I will look for recipes with the most comments in the threads and then read those threads, not just the recipe. I really like to find a recipe with a lot of comments that attempts to clone a commercial example of the style and think these threads are a lot more useful than whether the recipe won one or multiple awards.

I really believe final product has more to do with process than recipe once you are in ballpark ingredient wise and find you can get a lot of ideas about what might be important in the process reading the longer threads all the way through. I don't try a new style often and it is a lot of fun to do the research while thinking about it.

 

[kevin58]

wow! Didn't think I'd get this many replies!

Looks like most people so far create their own recipe. For those who haven't stated already/those who are first time posters to this thread - do you find a popular recipe on a forum, THEN tweak it to be your own, or are you literally creating your own recipe from scratch?

I like to create my own from scratch. I begin by sitting down and making a list of the characteristics that I want to achieve. I then move to the specialty malts and dial in color and perhaps the unique flavor qualities. When I have these those two dialed in pretty close I then put in my base malt to reach the OG I am shooting for. I chose hops and yeast that will go along with the overall character of the beer.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

i have a 4 tap keezer that i try to keep a variety, i brew 15gal batches typically once a month, i usually have a dark beer, a hoppy beer, something light (kolsch, cream ale, pilsner) and the 4th is just whatever i feel like brewing at the time, right now its a belgian tripel, coming into warmer months likely a hefe. i have a porter and neipa recipe that i would consider to be my flagship as i brew them the most and they are basically always on tap. i use these recipes as my way of dialing in and perfecting them as much as possible.

 

[gunhaus]

In line with the original premise of this thread, I am somewhat curious as to HOW folks choose to brew? Are you rigidly dedicated to dialing in the recipe and process with an eye to consistent repeat ability in the end product. Or do you take more of a craft "ish" approach with slight differences batch to batch. I usually have at least three or four long term projects going - barleywine, RIS, etc. And I like to mess with new-to-me styles or brews I have not done before. But I have a handful of "standards" that i usually keep on tap in rotation. With these later, I very rarely brew them the same way twice in a row. I have ingredient combos and techniques I will revisit with each over time. But I really like the change of "changing them up". For instance with my Ordinary Bitter I never really change the grain bill, but I have used many yeasts, and many different hops and hop schedules to vary bitterness, aroma, flavors. I have grain bills where I might sub a darker crystal, or increase the roast, or raise or lower mash temp to affect body, ect. These days other than a few of the bigger long term beers, most of my beer is under 1.050, and in fact most are in the 1.030 -1.040 range. They are generally fairly quick to make and finish, and they are also easy to drink up in a hurry so it allows me a lot of room to vary things on a regular basis.

 

[eric19312]

In line with the original premise of this thread, I am somewhat curious as to HOW folks choose to brew? Are you rigidly dedicated to dialing in the recipe and process with an eye to consistent repeat ability in the end product. Or do you take more of a craft "ish" approach with slight differences batch to batch.

Rigid adherence to a perfectly dialed in recipe is what I'd do if I owned a brewery and had paying customers. Most of my volume would be standards and I'd want my customers to get what they expect batch to batch, even those that are pretty discriminating tasters. This would likely be hugely challenging and I think I might enjoy that challenge. I think the Budweiser documentary "Kings of Beer" gives a pretty good idea what this pursuit could be like.

But not for my homebrewing. I take a more relaxed approach. Yes I want a predictably excellent beer and I enjoy imagining how something might turn out, designing that beer in Beersmith, brewing it, and then comparing results to the original design intent. But I also want to RDWHAHB when I brew. Good beer time after time yes. Exactly the same beer time after time noooo.

 

[SouthBounds]

I brew every week and find inspiration in 3 areas:

1. Clones. This way I can test my brewing to the commercial guys.
2. Forum favs. There are some fantastic recipes here!
3. Sweep the kitchen. I take what is sitting around and see what happens. These are my "learning/experimenting" beers.

So back to your question (What do I mostly do?) - I mostly repeat and tweak these 3.

 

[day_trippr]

[...]edit: and i don't give a damn about style guidelines....

That's been well established, no need to point it out
I was just wondering why you hobbled the tool, that's all...

Cheers!

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I like to create my own from scratch. I begin by sitting down and making a list of the characteristics that I want to achieve. I then move to the specialty malts and dial in color and perhaps the unique flavor qualities. When I have these those two dialed in pretty close I then put in my base malt to reach the OG I am shooting for. I chose hops and yeast that will go along with the overall character of the beer.

Mastering Homebrew (the book) takes a similar approach for those looking for either a 2nd opinion or more details.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

In line with the original premise of this thread, I am somewhat curious as to HOW folks choose to brew? Are you rigidly dedicated to dialing in the recipe and process with an eye to consistent repeat ability in the end product. Or do you take more of a craft "ish" approach with slight differences batch to batch.

I will brew "experimentally" for a while (with most of my batches), then I'll brew "rigidly" for a while.

I usually have at least three or four long term projects going - barleywine, RIS, etc.

^^^ THIS ^^^ is something that I will be doing more of. For the last couple of years, I've brewed a single batch of barleywine/RIS in the spring so it's ready in winter. This past winter, I bought four small fermentors from a LHBS so I can do more long term projects.

 

[cmac62]

I do all of the above. When Tasty Brew was still going I did almost all of my recipe building there. I bought BS2, but really dislike the interface. I've been using brewer's friend lately and it is okay. To choose the next brew, I first see what I have on tap and in the wings, and usually do something different. When I first started brewing everything was big, 6% or higher, but recently I really am liking beers in the 4% range so I can have a few before I fall over. LOL. Also, recently I have been brewing, and therefore drinking, a lot of lighter beers. However, one of my three taps is currently a 13% Mole Stout, it is a great beer, but with only me and my son drinking it it may take months to kill. I only have 6-8 0z a night if that. I don't think I have ever brewed the same beer twice. This post is rambling. But I love brewing and seeing what I have on hand and making it up as I go. My son designed a Dill Pickle Gose. That was a great beer. Brew on.

 

[V-Fib]

All the above. I try to have a variety with one "normal beer" available for the people that have lived with nothing but American lagers their whole life.

 

[bracconiere]

That's been well established, no need to point it out
I was just wondering why you hobbled the tool, that's all...

Cheers!

LOL, i use the software so that i can keep track of effec., and cost mostly.....it's nice having a record...(i even take notes once in a while)

 

[cmac62]

LOL, i use the software so that i can keep track of effec., and cost mostly.....it's nice having a record...(i even take notes once in a while)

I'm the same, I'm doing good if I get the grain bill, hops and yeast written down. After that its a crap shoot. Some things like a heff or witt, simple simple, 50% 2row and 50% white wheat, heff or witt yeast and some bittering hops.

 

[bracconiere]

I'm the same, I'm doing good if I get the grain bill, hops and yeast written down. After that its a crap shoot. Some things like a heff or witt, simple simple, 50% 2row and 50% white wheat, heff or witt yeast and some bittering hops.

if i was going to do a wheat beer, i'd probably go 75% 2-row, 25% wheat, and toast a pound of the wheat in the oven.....

 

[cmac62]

if i was going to do a wheat beer, i'd probably go 75% 2-row, 25% wheat, and toast a pound of the wheat in the oven.....

that sound good. Maybe in the traeger instead, that would add a little. I think I'll back off on the wheat for the next one. I just heard somewhere that less wheat will keep the wheat beer haze in suspension longer. I wasn't listening to closely.

 

[day_trippr]

Not sure 75/25 is actually a "wheat beer". And where's the drama of contending with sticky mashes? Sheesh
I'm doing 10 gallons of my raspberry wheat tomorrow. 12 pounds of Weyermann pilsner and 10 pounds of white wheat malt...

Cheers! (...and a pound of rice hulls. Because I'm not actually crazy... )