How to tell if beer is good

Yakima 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
B

bluefoxicy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2008
Messages
199
Reaction score
3
Location
Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD
I have UPS shipping me some equipment, including:

  • 1 Large Dial Thermometer 9" probe
  • 1 10 Gallon MegaPot - Stockpot
  • 1 Star San 32 oz
  • 1 Wash Bottle 500ml
  • 2 1/2" ID Thermoplastic Tubing
  • 1 Auto Siphon 1/2"
  • 1 Breakdown Test Jar
  • 1 Thermohydrometer
  • 1 21" Stainless Steel Spoon
  • 1 28" Plastic Paddle
  • 1 7.9 Gal Fermenting Bucket
  • 1 Lid for 7.9 Gallon Bucket
  • 5 Bubbler Air Lock
  • 5 Three-Piece Airlock
  • 1 4.5" Funnel
  • 1 8" Funnel
  • 10 Universal Carboy Bung Drilled
  • 3 6.5 gallon glass carboy
  • 3 1000mL Erlenmeyer flask

... I don't have a device to tell me if the beer is good though.

How do I tell if the beer is good?
 
What exactly are you asking? There is only one way to tell if the beer is good, taste it!
 
You have one built in. It's called your tongue, and if that doesn't work properly, there's always the rest of your digestive tract!
 
If you have never had beer, but are serious about brewing beer you need to try commercial examples of the styles you are brewing. Knowing what they taste like will help you assess the quality of yours.
 
BerserkerBrew said:
you went all out for someone who doesn't even drink beer!
Click to expand...

I'm an extreme hobbyist! I'm learning to play guitar... I took Music 101, Ear Training 1, Piano, and Voice class to improve my general understanding of music in order to make me a better guitarist. I also started studying electronics, and built my own guitar amp.

I'll also be brewing a sweet mead in parallel. Haven't ever even seen mead.
 
I'm missing something here...You're saying that you've ordered a bunch of beer making equipment, but never have had beer....

May I ask why you want to get into homebrewing then, if you don't even know if you like beer?

I'm not trying to pick on you, it's just that most of us got into this because we loved good beer already, before trying to make it.

There are so many styles of beer out there, and different brewers versions within the style...how do you even know what you want to brew?

You need to try as many different styles of beer as you can to decide what you like...Is there a microbrewery or a brew pub where you live? That's one way to get a handle on tasting many beers cheaply. Also finding a beeer store that allows you to make up mixed sixers (even trader joe's allows that.)

Another option is a sampler pack from one brewery like Sierra Nevada, where they give you one or 2 of each style of beer that they make.

Here is a list of Styles of beers.

# 1. LIGHT LAGER
# 2. PILSNER
# 3. EUROPEAN AMBER LAGER
# 4. DARK LAGER
# 5. BOCK
# 6. LIGHT HYBRID BEER
# 7. AMBER HYBRID BEER
# 8. ENGLISH PALE ALE
# 9. SCOTTISH AND IRISH ALE
# 10. AMERICAN ALE
# 11. ENGLISH BROWN ALE
# 12. PORTER
# 13. STOUT
# 14. INDIA PALE ALE (IPA)
# 15. GERMAN WHEAT AND RYE BEER
# 16. BELGIAN AND FRENCH ALE
# 17. SOUR ALE
# 18. BELGIAN STRONG ALE
# 19. STRONG ALE
# 20. FRUIT BEER
# 21. SPICE / HERB / VEGETABLE BEER
# 22. SMOKE-FLAVORED AND WOOD-AGED BEER
# 23. SPECIALTY BEER
Click to expand...

If you go here, it will give you info on the style as well as some commercial examples of the style.

http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/catdex.html

I would personally, if I couldn't go to a brewpub and taste my way down a list, but could find a store where you can make up a mixed 6'er, then I would choose 6 styles that sound interesting and get one of each style to taste.

For the first time I would not go above # 14 though...

For example I would do a 2, 7, 10, 12, 13 & 14...and try to find one of the commercial beer examples given in the bjcp style guide for each style...then you will have an idea if you even like those styles....Then you can move on and try another batch of styles, or if you really love a certain style, then go back and get 6 more of the same style to see how different breweries brew the same style of beer.

Take lots of note, like keep a beer notebook...If you look at this post, you can get an idea of how I make tasting notes of a beer I try for the first tim...the format is pretty standard how beer reviewers and geeks do it...just note your impression as you drink it.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/772416-post10.html

Man, if you lived in Michigan I'd give you a crash course in beer tasting...I'd have you meet me at one of the brew pubs in town, and take you down through their list.

If you have questions, or need help with something, you can pm me if you want....
 
BerserkerBrew said:
Go to your nearest Whole Foods (there are two in Baltimore) and get a selection as Revvy recommends.
Click to expand...

Wholefoods sells mixed sixers? Cool!!!

If it's whole foods, they probably have a decent selection...

A good site that I use to look up info on any specific commercial beer (I also submit reviews myself for them) is Beer Advocate - Respect Beer.

You can type the name of the beer in the search function and it will give you the reviews and notes on it...For example tonight I picked up some founder's Centennial Ipa, since I never tried it before, I looked it up


Founders Centennial IPA - Founders Brewing Company - Beer Advocate

Here's one of the beers I tried recently and added my review, Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale - Stone Brewing Company - Beer Advocate

You will ultimately be the one to decide if a beer, whether you brewed it or not, tools like hydrometers can tell you if you brewed it correctly, but your tastebuds will be the final judge.

:mug:
 
Revvy said:
Wholefoods sells mixed sixers? Cool!!!

If it's whole foods, they probably have a decent selection...

...
Click to expand...

most Whole Foods will let you pick any bottle out of a sixxer and as long as it isn't individually marked you get it for $1.99
I have done this at several Whole Foods across the country, so no reason to think the ones in Baltimore aren't the same.
 
Revvy said:
I'm missing something here...You're saying that you've ordered a bunch of beer making equipment, but never have had beer....

May I ask why you want to get into homebrewing then, if you don't even know if you like beer?
Click to expand...

Every couple weeks I'm able to do something I couldn't do before. It's a skill. Whether it's using a debugger and Python to isolate and exploit a new security hole in an application (September), rocking out on Guitar Hero (January, followed closely by real guitar), or brewing beer, I'm always finding something new to occupy my time with.

I can always make something other than beer. I wanted to try sweet mead originally, but beer brews faster so I can study the intricacies of the general brewing process much quicker. Besides, I might make something I like.

Revvy said:
I'm not trying to pick on you, it's just that most of us got into this because we loved good beer already, before trying to make it.

There are so many styles of beer out there, and different brewers versions within the style...how do you even know what you want to brew?
Click to expand...

I'm thinking I'll start with something simple; use full malt extract instead of playing with corn sugar; try to balance the bitterness properly (boil hops); and maybe rack into a secondary with some dry hops (this is said to supply a pleasant flavor; maybe I'll rack part of the first batch and compare the results). I might split the batch and make some non-alcoholic as well, to provide a comparison basis for that.

At the end of this, I'll have something pretty basic, with some racked into dry hops, and with some non-alcoholic (I know ahead of time that boiling off the alcohol also destroys most or all of the flavor added from the hops, so won't de-alc any of the batch racked into dry hops). This will give me a starting point and a basis of comparison for several parts of the process, and some direction. It'll supply comparison of the "hoppiness" flavor specifically; and also allow me to determine if it's too bitter, not bitter enough, or has too much alcohol taste (probably too much malt then, don't know this one; can't adding more malt improve the flavor and cover up the alcohol due to non-fermentation of complex sugars?).

Just have to find a recipe that suits a beginner, right?

(Yeah, I've been told I take too much of a technical approach to everything... *shrug*)

Edit: Hmm. I think I just answered my original question. Though I'm still not sure what beer should taste like when it's good. o_o
 
bluefoxicy said:
Every couple weeks I'm able to do something I couldn't do before. It's a skill. Whether it's using a debugger and Python to isolate and exploit a new security hole in an application (September), rocking out on Guitar Hero (January, followed closely by real guitar), or brewing beer, I'm always finding something new to occupy my time with.
Click to expand...

That's awesome! I wish more people would adopt that attitude, especially older people, to just experience or try something different every now and again, people limit themselves to a very narrow world of experience...it's a good way to stay sane! :mug:

I have a similar philosophy, if someone asks me for a "favor" or asks if I'd like to try something, I always say yes (except if it involves loaning money, so don't ask Ohiobrit :D) Even if I have no experience, I give it a try...

So far I have been a clown (after having a crash course in juggling)
I've been Santa Claus, I've hot air ballooned, I've done a high ropes coarse, I've MC'd a music festival, I've marched in parades, I've gone door to door for political candidates, I umpired a Vintage 1880's Base ball game...and a ton of other stuff that I am too drunk on IPA's to recall.

I should make a list one day...
 
Revvy said:
That's awesome! I wish more people would adopt that attitude, especially older people, to just experience or try something different every now and again, people limit themselves to a very narrow world of experience...it's a good way to stay sane! :mug:
Click to expand...

I spent the weekend in my apartment staring at a wall.

It's not just a good way to stay sane. I damn well need it. Running out of stuff to do gets extremely boring after a short while!

I know a few people who change jobs every few years; one folk has managed to take himself from working on cars, to managing a multi-million-dollar mutual fund, to running core IT/networking/security for small businesses... and he's thinking he wants to field change again. By contrast, my dad got out of the military after a short service and immediately got a corporate job, worked his way up, landed at a desk, and has been there ever since.

I've been in computers for a while, but still have worked at a Web host, as a consultant doing security work (including: hacking into banks!), ALMOST landed a job doing exploit development, and even wound up almost doing some government work but my clearance got denied. My hobbies impart a ton of technical experience, much more than my actual employment has.

Unless you are a freaking amazing engineer, you can always be replaced by your employer. Face it, even a pit mechanic only has specific, easily-taught technical knowledge and experience; engineers have to invent new methods for accomplishing tasks with extremely high quality, and even doctors have to alter procedures on-the-fly into never-been-done territory to save many patients (see the recent home-brewed dialysis machine). Chances are you're not an engineer or a doctor. Still, if you have a diverse skill set, you can always replace your employer anyway so who cares?

Oh, by the way, the more diverse your experiences, the closer you are to being a freaking awesome engineer and possibly saving lives no one else can. When you've got that much raw experience everywhere, you can relate anything to anything else, and quickly solve horribly abstract problems most geniuses can't even approach. I know this from experience, because I usually start out my own ground-breaking solutions to problems nobody around me can solve with, "You know, when I had to (totally irrelevant rant about something not even remotely related)" and then apply the same process that worked there to the problem at hand.

Sounds like you like to get out a lot and do stuff. Don't ever stop. Even if you don't start solving the world's problems or saving lives, your life will be rich and exciting even well into your retirement.

End irrelevant rant.
 
I kinda know where you're coming from. I tend to go all-out with hobbies too. The ones I've liked, I've never left...although I do get engrossed with one or two at a time and go back to others after, sometimes, years have passed.

First it was tropical fish... I ended up writing for some aquarium hobbyist magazines over the years. Then astronomy. I have a pretty cool 6" Newtonian reflector beside me here. Then I taught myself to play guitar, then really got into it and started building them. I've recently gotten back into brewing after three years off or so. All the while into computers (since the advent of the home computer, really)... and ended up in IT for a living, first self-employed doing web development and hosting, and now working in a large company's IT department. Right now I'm kind of in brewing and guitar-building mode.

Anyway, I'm babbling, but my point is I know what you're saying.

But as far as your question, "How to tell if beer is good..." As has been stated, let your tongue be your guide. Pick up a copy of Brewing Classic Styles and How to Brew. (Actually, you can read an earlier version of How to Brew for free: How to Brew - By John Palmer .)

There's a thread floating around here somewhere that I started a few days ago where we were posting our personal beer "progressions." Might be worth a look at the types of beer people tend to start drinking and move toward.

Take a look at RateBeer.com and try to find a few of the highly-rated beers to try. (I've found that the BJCP's "best examples" of each type aren't my personal favorite examples of every type, but they're certainly good beers... and I'm an expert in nothing but my own taste.)
 
Rick500 said:
Then I taught myself to play guitar, then really got into it and started building them.
Click to expand...

I build tube amps :)

Rick500 said:
But as far as your question, "How to tell if beer is good..." As has been stated, let your tongue be your guide. Pick up a copy of Brewing Classic Styles and How to Brew. (Actually, you can read an earlier version of How to Brew for free: How to Brew - By John Palmer .)
Click to expand...

Someone recommended Extreme Brewing by Calagione, citing specifically that it contains a somewhat complex but doable recipe for a really good beer flavored with molasses and some other stuff. I have three carboys though, and am looking for a very basic beer to start with; however, that will probably hit one of them right off.
 
You have an interesting way of going about things. Never had beer, going all out on your equipment, considering brewing complex beers right off the bat. While I don't think your approach is the best way of going about things, Good Luck and I hope your beer turns out well.
 
bluefoxicy said:
I build tube amps :)
Click to expand...

Awesome! :rockin: I went to school for EE... got into some amps but have not built a guitar amp.

bluefoxicy said:
Someone recommended Extreme Brewing by Calagione, citing specifically that it contains a somewhat complex but doable recipe for a really good beer flavored with molasses and some other stuff. I have three carboys though, and am looking for a very basic beer to start with; however, that will probably hit one of them right off.
Click to expand...

I haven't read that one yet.

For a basic beer, search the forums here for EdWort's Bee Cave Haus Pale Ale. There's a mini-mash recipe in the thread. I brewed it; it turned out great. Simple recipe too.
 
McKBrew said:
You have an interesting way of going about things. Never had beer, going all out on your equipment, considering brewing complex beers right off the bat. While I don't think your approach is the best way of going about things, Good Luck and I hope your beer turns out well.
Click to expand...

Trust me it's not the best way, it's the fastest way I've found to learn though. Also the person who recommended that book said the recipe was easy enough for a beginner to pull off if you follow instructions.. I haven't got it yet though, so we'll see.

As for the equipment, well... we're talking 10 gallon kettle and SHIPPING for the carboys being the most expensive components here, and everything else comes out dirt cheap. Saves me the need to upgrade $80 equipment to $120 equipment "if it becomes a serious hobby" ($40 vs $120?), yet I can avoid getting a $300 pot with a thermometer and tap plus a $100 false bottom and a grain mill right off (I can always add the thermometer and tap too, they sell those parts for upgrade and I have titanium boride drill bits). The economics makes sense to me.

I need to get a drop-in floating thermometer.... :(
 
I gotta say that brewing when you haven't even tasted beer is like becoming a porn star when you're still a virgin. But I'm curious how it turns out. For all I know this could be the secret to the greatest beer ever made. :D
 
I would recommend finding a brew pub and asking if they have anything "cask conditioned". There are very few commercial brews Im crazy about, but I almost always like the cask conditioned brews.
 
Well truth be told you wont be disapointed with your first batch if you dont know what it is supposed to taste like anyways. So go with it. Your certainly at the right place for advice as all of the fine brewers have helped me with even the most mundane apects of home brewing. Plus if you decide its not your cup of tea or beer for that matter i'm sure we could help you get rid of some of that brew equipment.
 
ChshreCat said:
I gotta say that brewing when you haven't even tasted beer is like becoming a porn star when you're still a virgin. :D
Click to expand...

I have to admit this was my first reaction to this. Most people I have known hated the taste of beer when they first tried it, just like many other "adult taste", it grows on you.
This is intriguing in a way, now I will not suggest lining up 12 < 10 year old kids to do a tasting test. It's illegal and they all would vote for cool aid.

I have grown exponentially as a home brewer when I started to collect some beer snobs as friends and really listen to what they comment on. I spent a long time brewing what I like, but to grow you have to test and challenge yourself.

Best of luck, and there are a lot of FAQ's, and stickies here that will give you a good background, and thoroughly confuse you.
 

Similar threads

F
For Sale Selling all my equipment
Replies
0
Views
378
fan1cowboys
F
V
No sign of fermentation after 48 hrs
Replies
3
Views
383
odie
odie
Arbe0
how much beer in 3 gallon carboy?
Replies
7
Views
778
IslandLizard
IslandLizard
B
For Sale Complete All-Grain Brewing Setup For Sale — with corny kegs - Seattle
Replies
1
Views
820
gorlox18
gorlox18
Cool_Hand_Luke
For Sale Glass Carboys - FREE to good home
Replies
1
Views
696
Cool_Hand_Luke
Cool_Hand_Luke
Yakima 300

Latest posts

Back
Top