millsware
Well-Known Member
How many batches did it take until you brewed what you considered a great beer? So far I've brewed about 6 or 7 good batches, but not one that I considered great.
How long until great beer?
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Golddiggie
Well-Known Member
My first brew was bordering on greatness (to me, others thought it was great)... Since going all grain, I'm working to make a really great brew. My first all grain batch was a great English Pale Ale. My Irish Red didn't come out as I had wanted (was still really good, but not what I was after)... I have more brews in process and not ready to drink just yet...
So, to more directly answer your question... It really depends on who you ask. I think we are our own worst critics, since we have something in mind when we brew, and if we don't nail that idea, it's not a "great" brew in our own minds. Let some other people try your brew and you'll probably get much higher ratings/opinions of it...
Give yourself a break on how you judge the brews. If it tastes good (at least, or better) and it's close enough to what you wanted, plus other people can't get enough, then it can be considered a great batch.
I don't think anyone here, at least during their first year or three, was getting great batches every time. As long as you're learning with each batch, improving where you think you need to (or want to) I wouldn't worry about it...
After all, RDWHAHB...
So, to more directly answer your question... It really depends on who you ask. I think we are our own worst critics, since we have something in mind when we brew, and if we don't nail that idea, it's not a "great" brew in our own minds. Let some other people try your brew and you'll probably get much higher ratings/opinions of it...
Give yourself a break on how you judge the brews. If it tastes good (at least, or better) and it's close enough to what you wanted, plus other people can't get enough, then it can be considered a great batch.
I don't think anyone here, at least during their first year or three, was getting great batches every time. As long as you're learning with each batch, improving where you think you need to (or want to) I wouldn't worry about it...
After all, RDWHAHB...
Yep, because of this, I don't feel I've ever made a great beer. I think some of them have been pretty good though.
aggiejay06
Well-Known Member
I'd consider my 4th batch nearly great...and it wasn't by accident. It was at that point that I understood how important it was to control fermentation temperature. My first 3 batches fermented anywhere from 73-78 degrees at times (whatever the ambient temperature in my apartment was...and they were all during warm weather).
Also with my 4th batch, I learned not to rush to bottling...let the yeasties do their post-fermentation work.
Thanks to those 2 things, the beer started becoming (closer to) great!
Kaz
Well-Known Member
I have a pale ale on tap that I hopped entirely with home grown Nugget and Cascade...some days it tastes great, other days I think its not quite what I was after. Everybody else likes most of my beers, but to me they are always off just a smidge..
Well,here's my 2c worth. It's amazing that what we think we'll wind up with isn't always what we do wind up with. For instance,the pale ale I've got in primary now (2 weeks+) was an amber with a lil copper color. It tasted buiscuty,a lil carmely,with some hop flavor.
Now,it's more like the color/flavor of the Bitburger Pils I had last night. Might wind up pretty close to that. So even "happy accidents" can be a good thing. But,as was stated,we are very critical of the self as home brewers.
Now,it's more like the color/flavor of the Bitburger Pils I had last night. Might wind up pretty close to that. So even "happy accidents" can be a good thing. But,as was stated,we are very critical of the self as home brewers.
Golddiggie
Well-Known Member
I think it's better to think of it this way... If you were to go out to a bar, and they served you what you brewed, would you drink it happily, or send it back?
Depending on how much you want to make something really 'perfect' it can take a lot of time, or many batches. Then again, you could nail it right out of the gate.
I'm brewing the English Pale Ale again this week. I had messed up the mash the first time, so I want to do that part better this time. I've tweaked the recipe slightly, more for what I have on hand (grains)... I'll be crushing most of the grain right before mashing, so freshness will be there. The first time it turned out solid enough to warrant repeating.
I had more than a few people really enjoy that brew too...
Depending on how much you want to make something really 'perfect' it can take a lot of time, or many batches. Then again, you could nail it right out of the gate.
I'm brewing the English Pale Ale again this week. I had messed up the mash the first time, so I want to do that part better this time. I've tweaked the recipe slightly, more for what I have on hand (grains)... I'll be crushing most of the grain right before mashing, so freshness will be there. The first time it turned out solid enough to warrant repeating.
I had more than a few people really enjoy that brew too...
Good points. I figured I'd have to work & tweak to get this pale ale recipe the way I had intended. But yeah,I'd drink it & think it over as to how it could be better. I figure that's how we all think...
marcycaulkins
Well-Known Member
Good beer almost always. Really good beer sometimes. I'm hesitant to hand out the "great beer" accolade, because once I start thinking my beer is "great", I may get lazy and stop trying to make it better!
My first 2 batches were drinkable at best (both all extract) I switched to AG on the stovetop a la deathbrewer and made a caramel amber ale that turned out awesome ( I would choose it over any commercial amber) Was it because it was AG? Maybe, but it was also the first time that I controlled my fermentation temps (about 66 degrees) and let it sit in primary for 3 weeks instead of 2 and conditioned my water per my LHBS, and used an awesome recipe from this website (King Brians Caramel Amber Ale). So it was probably all of those combined. Hopefully I didn't just get lucky.
Golddiggie
Well-Known Member
I usually go with "Damned good" for ones that I consider worthy... If someone else considers it 'great', then I'm happier... Although you do need to consider what that other person drinks...
I have an uncle that drinks only Molson lagers, because they finish so clean... I gave him some of my home brew at a party in February... He said they were good, but he didn't like the 'after taste'... Meanwhile everyone else loved them... Can't please everyone... I do plan to make some lagers once I have a fermentation chamber and see if I can make something that finishes clean, but still has plenty of flavor to it... Probably not an easy task there. At least not for a new homebrewer (only been doing it since mid-November 2010)...
I think there are enough different styles to brew, that even if we think we've nailed one, we can work on others until we've got those down. It could take a lifetime (or longer) to have at least one recipe in every style that's really "great"... Especially to us.
BrewThruYou
Well-Known Member
My second AG batch scored a 41 in a decent-size homebrew competition (765 entries). My first AG batch scored a 23
Before going to AG, I did 3 extract batches. My second extract batch was pretty bad, but I'm mostly blaming the kit (American IPA with not nearly enough hops).
Screwed up my 4th AG batch pretty bad, but after that...it's been a string of very good beers. I'm only on my 10th AG batch right now, but I've been very happy with batches 5 through 9. I felt like everything started getting more routine and I started getting more comfortable around that point.
Before going to AG, I did 3 extract batches. My second extract batch was pretty bad, but I'm mostly blaming the kit (American IPA with not nearly enough hops).
Screwed up my 4th AG batch pretty bad, but after that...it's been a string of very good beers. I'm only on my 10th AG batch right now, but I've been very happy with batches 5 through 9. I felt like everything started getting more routine and I started getting more comfortable around that point.
Golddiggie
Well-Known Member
@BrewThruYou... Nice going... I did three extract batches, one PM, then went all grain since then. Going to be brewing batch #10 Thursday evening (that's the plan at least), which is all grain batch #6... I messed up the mash in my first all grain batch (tried to do a BIAB in a cooler that was the wrong shape/size), but have been getting solid brews anyway... I've been formulating my own recipes most of the time, or tweaking recipes that I was going to follow. I think that's at least half the fun of it.
JohnTheBrewist
Well-Known Member
I think getting to great beer is less a matter of how many brews, but more of determining what you think a great beer is and making changes in your process to get there.
To me, brewing is like playing an instrument. A good understanding of theory is helpful, but if one continues to practice with poor techniques, the results will almost always be less than stunning.
As far as technique goes, you need to pay attention to:
-sanitation practices
-temp control (I don't think you can make great beer without being able to maintain consistently appropriate fermentation temps)
-water chemistry
-patience (drink no beer before it's time)
I'd suggest starting with a recipe for a style you like and practicing it, making subtle changes as you go. Keep good notes on each change and how you felt about the results. You need to get a feel for what you didn't like about the brew that made it less than great (too bitter, too sweet, off flavors, etc.)You may want to go with smaller batches (maybe 1-2 gals) so you can brew and drink more often. (or split your brew into smaller batches to try different yeasts, etc.)
Keep things consistent. Only change one aspect at a time. Using RO/distilled water will ensure that your water chemistry doesn't change unless you want it to (read AJDelange's brewing water primer in the brewing science forum). I also like the SMaSH concept for this. Using a single malt and single hop variety will help you understand the effects of each change better.
Moose
To me, brewing is like playing an instrument. A good understanding of theory is helpful, but if one continues to practice with poor techniques, the results will almost always be less than stunning.
As far as technique goes, you need to pay attention to:
-sanitation practices
-temp control (I don't think you can make great beer without being able to maintain consistently appropriate fermentation temps)
-water chemistry
-patience (drink no beer before it's time)
I'd suggest starting with a recipe for a style you like and practicing it, making subtle changes as you go. Keep good notes on each change and how you felt about the results. You need to get a feel for what you didn't like about the brew that made it less than great (too bitter, too sweet, off flavors, etc.)You may want to go with smaller batches (maybe 1-2 gals) so you can brew and drink more often. (or split your brew into smaller batches to try different yeasts, etc.)
Keep things consistent. Only change one aspect at a time. Using RO/distilled water will ensure that your water chemistry doesn't change unless you want it to (read AJDelange's brewing water primer in the brewing science forum). I also like the SMaSH concept for this. Using a single malt and single hop variety will help you understand the effects of each change better.
Moose
