How many possible beers exists?

[akh876]

I need the help of a mathematician. Based on how many types of malt, number of hop varieties and strains of yeast, how many possible variations of beer are there? We can exclude adjuncts from this. A base malt must be included in each variation.

 

[TEWNCfarms]

A lot

 

[mongoose33]

Based on my calculations, 4,342,388,709.

At least.

 

[day_trippr]

Unless one constrains the result to only SMASH recipes, the number is going to be at least 4,342,388,709...

Cheers!

 

[FatDragon]

How many variables are you considering? it wouldn't be too hard to calculate the number of possible SMaSH beers following the exact same recipe with different base malts, different hops, and different yeast strains; you'd just have to figure out how many base malts, hop varieties, and yeast strains qualify for the calculation, maybe using the Beersmith ingredient list as a guideline, for example. But when you consider adding different specialty malts, various mash temperatures, different amounts of each type of grain, different hop schedules, multiple hop varieties, etc, it's effectively infinite.

 

[RPh_Guy]

The ingredient amounts are a "continuous variable", therefore infinite beers.
Easy question.

 

[Kickass]

Is one ounce of simcoe different than 3/4 of an ounce? How about 4.6%AA vs 5.1%AA? What about a 5gal batch vs same ingredients in a 5.5gal batch? Because a beer can be drastically different from one brewed with the same stuff but different quantities, you can dice this pretty fine.

 

[parjay]

I think it is about the same as the number of possible songs.

 

[4of7]

I say 4 base beers

 

[RPh_Guy]

I say 4 base beers

I'll bite.

What are the 4 beers?

 

[lschiavo]

Less beers exist thanks to me.

 

[4of7]

I'll bite.

What are the 4 beers?

Do not roast me Dr.. I say 4 based on how many types of lme or dme. Remember I am saying base beers not styles.Like asking how many colors are there. I see primary colors ,then styles. I Am not a "Beer Troll".

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

42

 

[mongoose33]

Do not roast me Dr.. I say 4 based on how many types of lme or dme. Remember I am saying base beers not styles.Like asking how many colors are there. I see primary colors ,then styles. I Am not a "Beer Troll".

Well, you know what label I'd place on you.

Here's the Ritebrew page with Briess LME.

http://www.ritebrew.com/category-s/1920.htm

It has 8 different types. I guess that's more than the four you indicate, but then, such a being as yourself has as his goal angling and trying to reel in those who are unsuspecting.

Hopefully this will make people less likely to take the bait.

 

[jack13]

Literally interpreted, the answer would have to be that there is an infinite number of 'beers'.

However, I don't think the spirit of the question would allow for, for example, brew A and brew B to be considered 'different' because brew A used two more grains of base malt than brew B.

A more meaningful interpretation, I think--or maybe it's a totally new question--comes down to how many different beers the average person could discriminate.

If a million beers were prepared that represented the full spectrum of beers and were lined up in meaningful ways, you could then figure out how many beers apart, on average, you have to give a person before they can reliably tell whether they're the same or different (i.e., half the time you'd give them the two different beers and half the time the same beer twice). Then divide 1 million by that number. So if people, on average, need beers to be 10 apart to tell a difference, I'd say there are 100,000 beers.

And if you found that people could tell beers right next to each other apart, then go back and make the distinctions smaller...TWO million beers? But my gut tells me that the opposite would be true, and you'd learn that 1 million was actually way too many to start with.

Obviously there are insurmountable issues (what's the full spectrum, how to line them up) that prevent a definitive answer...just approaching the question in a different way.

Having said that, truth be told I agree with AZ: 42.

 

[dmtaylor]

The ingredient amounts are a "continuous variable", therefore infinite beers.
Easy question.

We have a winner! Give this man his prize. Infinity is the only correct answer.

 

[Qhrumphf]

There is only one True Beer(TM). You 2017-join-daters are still using hops like chumps.

 

[grampamark]

42

Of course. That explains life, the universe, everything.

 

[bob1852]

Do not roast me Dr.. I say 4 based on how many types of lme or dme. Remember I am saying base beers not styles.Like asking how many colors are there. I see primary colors ,then styles. I Am not a "Beer Troll".

Since SRM is well recognized as the measurement of beer color, and there are far more than "4" numbers on the SRM scale, I'd say you're incorrect...

 

[day_trippr]

42

Of course. That explains life, the universe, everything.

With all respect to Douglas Adams, HBT broke that answer years ago

 

[Pugnacious Brewing]

Belgium alone has some 1100 recognized styles of beer in production alone. When you consider that the country as a whole is slightly larger than the state of Massachusetts, throughout the world you may find another 42 styles.

 

[kh54s10]

In the words of Carl Sagan: Billlllions and Billlllllions...

 

[dmtaylor]

In the words of *Carl Sagan: Billlllions and Billlllllions...

*Donald Trump

FTFY

 

[myndflyte]

Even if you go for just the number of beers from breweries in the US. In 2017 there were 6372 breweries and if you assume that each of them produces 8-10 different beers, then there are 50,976-63,720 different beers. Sure styles will overlap but based on the sheer number of ingredients available for brewing, you'll probably won't find 2 that are exactly same down to every grain and hop.

 

[Vale71]

42

Wrong. It's actually 73.

 

[SEndorf]

I have 7 taps.
So the answer is 7
That was easy.....

 

[kevin58]

I read somewhere that there was a Scottish brewery... one of the well known names but I don't remember exactly which one it was... that brewed one single recipe and then at packaging used brewers caramel to change the color and sold it as several different styles.

 

[mulletmaster]

Do barrel aged count? Do you get bonus points for making your own barrel from an old back porch?

 

[seatazzz]

I hate math. So .

 

[Qhrumphf]

I read somewhere that there was a Scottish brewery... one of the well known names but I don't remember exactly which one it was... that brewed one single recipe and then at packaging used brewers caramel to change the color and sold it as several different styles.

That's not unheard of at all around those parts.

There's an English brewery (at least one, probably more) that reportedly added brewer's caramel to a Bitter and sold (sells?) it as a Mild.