How long before you were brewing GREAT beer?

[Graeme]

So, I've been brewing about two years or so. I started all grain roughly a year ago and I have to say I'm really enjoying about it. I don't mind messing up now and again because it just provides me with more knowledge for my next brew. I'll be honest and say that I've really only brewed a couple of beers that I would consider great. These were just simple/solid recipes. I just cracked open my lastest porter last night. I used cocoa nibs and vanilla in secondary and so far (3 weeks bottled) it's a bit of a mess, this was pretty disheartening for myself and my brew buddy. I think for the next year or so we are going to get back to basics and keep it simple

How long before you got your consistency and started turing out great brews?

Happy brewing!
Graeme

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

For me it came when I took recipe formulation out of the equation, and just focused on dialing in my technique. What I mean by that is about a year ago I stopped trying to come up with all my own recipes, and only brewed tried and true recipes from books and this site. That basically gave me the confidence to think that if the beer doesnt come out well it was me, not the recipe. A couple months of that got me great results and consistency. Now when I formulate my own recipes, I feel like I have taken the process out of the equation, so I know if it doesnt come out I can tweak the recipe not my process.

Short answer, a few years of on and off brewing once or twice a year, followed by about 4 months of brewing every weekend (which has continued...so much beer...)

 

[coastwx]

It's been a little over a year and I've very happy with my AG PA/IPA's. The last few batches in particular have great balance and a wonderful citrus aroma. The goal now is to expand to other styles like stouts and porters and then I'll move to more unusual recipes. I grew these Aji Dulce peppers that are the heart of Porto Rican sofrito this year and these suckers have the most unusual sweet fruity aroma that could be very interesting in a beer.

 

[jessup]

6 years later i'm finding every batch is better than the last. it really took about 5 years to find out what techniques worked best.

 

[bighand]

I've been brewing for a little over 2 years and this year I think I have brewed a few great beers. In the last year I have only brewed one beer that I thought was not good. I have mainly been focusing on my process and brewing different recipes from Brewing Classic Styles.

 

[BigJerk]

once I discovered this site and started following everyone's advice (esp. revvy) and started letting my beers age properly before drinking (as well as proper temp control during the summer) my beers magically got better and better.

 

[Jawbox0]

Its been almost two years now since the very first beer I did on my own. I'm very much in the same boat as you right now, I've had a handful of beers that I've loved, and some that I've not liked all that much, a couple were absolute disasters.

The thing is, I know there are things I can do better, I've got a checklist of upgrades to my process to make. The biggest, I think, will be the temp controlled fermentation chamber. As someone else mentioned, I think I'm also going to try to dial in my process with some established recipes to eliminate some variables.

Anyway, as long as I keep seeing improvements in my brews, I'll be happy.

 

[malkore]

I had peaks and valleys in my beers. The more I tried to 'screw with recipes' the more 'generic' my beer got.

So I did a few SMaSH brews, and started turning to some proven recipes with only slight modifications with purposeful intent. It helped a lot, and my beers all became distinct again.

Lately I've turned back to simple ideas like yeast pitching to further improve upon the finished product (proper starters, yeast nutrient, and more careful aeration...plus temp control).

 

[lmacmil]

So, I've been brewing about two years or so. I started all grain roughly a year ago and I have to say I'm really enjoying about it.

I have brewed six batches, all from kits (Brewer's Best, Williams, Austin Homebrew) and have liked everything but my latest (Austin Homebrew Bell's Oberon clone). My palette isn't sophisticated enough to rate something great but a couple of craft beer drinking buddies have liked everything I've made. For a kit brewer like me, I think it's easy to make a very tasty beer and hard to screw something up. The only problem is when you do brew something you don't like (as I just did), then you've got an awfully lot of beer to get rid of.

 

[dummkauf]

For me it was when I went to doing full boils and doing extracts with steeping grains, that made a huge difference. I now bounce between extract and AG depending on what I'm making and how much time I have, but making a "great" beer is also very subjective. I've got about 15 batches under my belt now, and I would classify 2 of those as "fanfriggintastic!!!", not that there was anything wrong with the other batches, they were all very very good, but those 2 were just absolutely amazing!!!!

 

[jfr1111]

All my beers so far have been good. I got offers (again) from people to buy some of it last night.

I haven't made anything that I would call great though: drinkable, flavourful but not distinct like many of the craft offerings. My winter warmer has great potential though, it just needs some tweaks, namely a bit more hop character and body with maybe a touch of chocolate/roast. Bob's mild was also fantastic, but again, it was "missing" something.

 

[dvdanny]

My hoppy hefe is probably closest to being "good" Everyone who's had it loves it because there just aren't any hoppy american hefeweizen that are available.

I had a friend of a friend wan't to go into business with that beer, but I can't stand working with business people, being an engineer (i'm sure most engineers would agree with me here) i don't see what they do as very hard, they use business jargen to confuse people who didn't cop out and take a business major when in plain english most that crap is logic.

 

[IffyG]

The biggest step towards me making 'great' beer was reclaiming my old college mini-fridge to use as a fermentation chamber with proper temperature control. I've brewed three batches since I got that (one of which is still in primary) and they are certainly better than the first 6 or so.

Honestly, I think the big difference was having he ability to cold crash. Now I can see through my beers and have a great appearance with almost zero yeast in suspension makes them taste that much better.

 

[jjones17]

After about 6-8 batches

 

[Calder]

The more I brew, the further away a great beer seems to be. Don't get me wrong, I think I brew really good beer, and it keeps getting better, but I get more critical of it too. I'm on to batch #180.

I think 90% of what I brew would be respectacle up against craft brews ...... I just can't make a decent Hef for some reason.

 

[Marko73]

I'll let you know. .

 

[2wide]

Most of my thirty odd brews have been 'drinkable' with a handful as 'very good'. I got my come-uppance with a WCPA extract with steeping grains. It was kegged in two Tap A Draft bottles. I swear the first keg tasted within shouting distance of Sierra Nevada and I thought my brewing had finally arrived The second keg tasted like cardboard. Live and learn.

 

[JNye]

I had peaks and valleys in my beers. The more I tried to 'screw with recipes' the more 'generic' my beer got.

So I did a few SMaSH brews, and started turning to some proven recipes with only slight modifications with purposeful intent. It helped a lot, and my beers all became distinct again.

Lately I've turned back to simple ideas like yeast pitching to further improve upon the finished product (proper starters, yeast nutrient, and more careful aeration...plus temp control).

+1 Everytime I have cut corners in the past my beer has suffered. I have since been brewing less, because great beer is alot of work and I refuse to cut corners anymore.

Another thing is proven recipes. If you screw around with recipes and you don't have a lot of experience you are taking a chance at having 5 gallons of meh. I will tweak recipes and even build them by mixing and matching. But i do my research(start with a proven recipe, and steal/borrow from others with reviews).

Also know what you like/drink. Don't brew something you have never tried because it has a 10 page thread of guys raving about the recipe. This has helped me, I only brew staples like APAs, IPAs, Browns, Porters, and just starting at Lagers(marzen mostly). Point is I can buy the occasional stout, saison, barleywine, belgian, I just don't need 5 gallons of it.

 

[shelly_belly]

Man, all of my beers (15 AG) have been great so far. I haven't tried to make my own recipe yet, there's too many good ones here!

 

[rico567]

In three years and perhaps 50-60 batches, I have yet to dump a batch. Some have been better, some I won't repeat. A few have been standouts. What keeps me at it is all the variety, the variables that must be controlled, and that there's always that "room for improvement."

 

[biochemedic]

I have to concur with a lot of what has been said, but i especially agree w/ rico (just above)...it's the variety and constant room for expansion (not to mention that I-made-it-myself satisfaction) that keeps me interested. I think all of my beers have been good, and a couple have been awesome...those are the ones that have become stock repeats for me.

I think the biggest improvment (so far) has been getting an outdoor burner and going full boil. The next steps for me (which I'm thinking will indroduce further quantum improvement) will be a more efficient chill (immersion...Santa should be bringing...), going all-grain (just about there), and eventually temp control for fermentation.

Edit: I wanted to add that being more hands-off with fermentation (longer primaries, and even elimination of secondary) has made a huge difference too.

 

[broadbill]

I think I've finally brewing some consistently good beers over the past few years. Like other have mentioned it came down to:

1. Use established recipes. I don't have loads of time to brew, so I rely on established recipes that i modify if I want.
2. Fresh ingredients: you can't get any fresher than wort from AG, but if I understand that you can get some fresh LME/DME that is just as good these days (it wasn't when I first started brewing). Late addition of LME/DME also helps (something we didn't think about way back when).
3. Proper temp control.
4. Proper aging time.

 

[Graeme]

Very interesting to read everyone's responses. It also offers me allot of hope for my future brews! Starting in the new year I am definitely going to go down the road of brewing tried and tested recipe's from here. It will know doubt increase results and also help me understand what each component offers the beer so that it will leave me in good stead to put recipes together myself down the line

 

[coypoo]

I have been brewing for a little over a year now (24 batches, 17AG) and there have been some really good ones in there, but also some "meh's." I would say that beginning people should really focus on the technique of brewing first. Use other people's recipes and focus on how to execute them. We decided that we "knew" what we were doing and decided to start writing our own recipes about 2 AG batches in. 2 beers turned out really good, some were pretty good, and a couple were not so good at all. Now, I can say that I now "how" to make anything because I've got the right procedures in place. I dont rush primary at all, I pitch enough yeast, I know my efficiency, boil off rate (mostly, depends on the weather sometimes) and I know how to control my yeast pretty well. Only after knowing how to make beer can I try to be creative and write my own recipes. Making clone brews is a great way to learn what recipes should look like as I think people try to make everything "complex" by adding a bunch of malts to a beer. Some beers only need 2 or 3 different mlats to be great. This was our problem early on and our darker/malty beers turned out really good, but our IPAs were very poor.

This is what the hobby and forums like this are all about- progression. No one is going to make an award winning beer their first batch, and every batch wont be an all-star. But as you brew more and more there will still be the standouts, but the outliers wont be as far away anymore.