How many styles have you quit

[petep1980]

For whatever reason I have really done poorly on a couple of styles.

I give myself 3 attempts to get something killer, and if I don't succeed in any of those 3 I quit.

Styles I have quit:
All grain American Pale & All grain American Amber
-for whatever reason the hops kick me in the ass, along with never hitting a consistent gravity it's nearly impossible for me to get a good IBU:SG ratio.

I am on my last effort at Oktoberfests (double decoction).
-My first one I fermented too hot, and the second one I broke glass in (had promise but I still count it as a failure). My third is currently lagering. It tastes good but wreaks of molasses, I'll give it a couple weeks to hopefully clean up and we'll see.

Success:
Robust Porter I am one for one

Pending:
ESB fermenting which has promise

So what have you quit?

 

[MeatyPortion]

I'm still at the stage where I haven't brewed enough to be able to quit something yet.

*awaits "I wish I could quit you" posts*

 

[cladinshadows]

You shouldn't quit styles altogether!

If you're having trouble with hitting target original gravity with all-grain, keep some LME or DME ready to go when you start the boil. Make sure you know what your boil gravity is supposed to be to hit your target OG. Take a hydrometer reading sometime during the boil and adjust with the LME/DME if required. No shame in that!

 

[Edcculus]

None. I don't think I'd "quit" a style. If you are having too much trouble, just pick up a copy of Brewing Classic Styles, listen to the Jamil Show, or use one of the great recipes from Edwort or Biermuncher. There is absolutely nothing wrong with brewing a recipe YOU didn't make.

 

[Evan]

For whatever reason I have really done poorly on a couple of styles.

I give myself 3 attempts to get something killer, and if I don't succeed in any of those 3 I quit.

Styles I have quit:
All grain American Pale & All grain American Amber
-for whatever reason the hops kick me in the ass, along with never hitting a consistent gravity it's nearly impossible for me to get a good IBU:SG ratio.

I am on my last effort at Oktoberfests (double decoction).
-My first one I fermented too hot, and the second one I broke glass in (had promise but I still count it as a failure). My third is currently lagering. It tastes good but wreaks of molasses, I'll give it a couple weeks to hopefully clean up and we'll see.

Success:
Robust Porter I am one for one

Pending:
ESB fermenting which has promise

So what have you quit?

Hitting your gravity in a PA has nothing to do with the style. like others have said, keep some DME around and just focus on process and getting your Eff down.

also, look into water profile with the hoppy beers and see how that changes the beer.

dont quit a style! some of my favorite styles i've had bad batches, comes with brewing.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

I am not quiting, but after my first attempt at an IPA I will be doing some hardy research before trying highly hopped "anything" again. I think my water may be a problem or maybe the way I used the hops.

Generally, my beers are adequate and fine to drink. I don't make incredible beer because I have never spent the time to detail a recipe (except my smoked porter), but the IPA is the only thing that I feel isn't going to work with my current setup.

Never surrender!

 

[Christian]

i've never quit a style but if i didn't get it right after a few try's i usually go back to something i did like and refine some procesess or move on to something else. I usually find that when i eventually go back to the one i didn't like too much, i end up nailing it.

 

[brrman]

If you find your beer to bitter then check your water. I had almost given up on all light beer styles until someone suggested I check my water profile (my dark beers came ouy great with my tap water)... Now I cut and treat my water when brewing lighter styles and my recent Blonde Ale just came out amazing.



That said, I quit Hefeweizens, mainly because I realized I just don't like them that much.

 

[Homercidal]

I am not quiting, but after my first attempt at an IPA I will be doing some hardy research before trying highly hopped "anything" again. I think my water may be a problem or maybe the way I used the hops.

Generally, my beers are adequate and fine to drink. I don't make incredible beer because I have never spent the time to detail a recipe (except my smoked porter), but the IPA is the only thing that I feel isn't going to work with my current setup.

Never surrender!

+1 I got some real good feedback on the IPA I sent in, and with that knowledge I can start to correct s few things, notably find out what my water is, and how it can impact the hops. Also do a better job with ferm temps, AS ALWAYS! Also probably need to double the late hops additions to get the aroma up a bit.

I have not quit a style, but I don't have that much time to spend brewing and way too much beer to drink, so I choose carefully and brew what I want to drink, and so there are a few that I particularly want to get good at. If I get enough ingredients together I might be able to brew a few odds and ends here and there.

 

[Grinder12000]

Not sure I've ever "quit" a style. I've brew some I just didn't like but I'm not sure it was the style.

BTW - any lighter brew you can use 5.2 buffer that will help a LOT!! My water is perfect for dark beer - poor for APA and IPA unless I full boil with5.2 buffer.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Sounds to me like you should quit giving up on styles and focus more on technique and water chemistry.

Brewing is only as hard as you make it. Water chemistry can be as simple as blending distilled with tap.

Sounds like you may have some high sulfate and sodium levels in the water you are using. This is the irony. The original Pales were brewed with Burton waters. That is some pretty hard stuff.

 

[rico567]

If you're not sure about your tap water, and can't get a handle on the water profile, I suggest adopting a "baseline" approach. I am unable to use our tap water, because we have a well that yields far too much dissolved iron & calcium. Since I started brewing 2 years ago, I've used nothing but the RO (reverse osmosis) water from the machines in the grocery story. It's $1.67 for 5 gallons, which isn't going to break the bank, and if I need something like Burton Water Salts, I can always add it. Since switching to AG, I also use Five Star's 5.2 buffer in every mash. I do know that I've had no problems with any pale ales, IPAs, etc. Good luck, don't give up.