Keep it simple, stupid?

JawZziff · Feb 13, 2016

I was going through my pile of ingredients, trying to organize things, and it got a little ridiculous how much little bags of random malts and hops I had lying around from previous batches. Generally when I pick a recipe I look at what I already have and then pick up what I need at the store. But I'm thinking it's time I simplify and pick a few "house" ingredients and base my recipes off those.

What say you internet? What are your desert island ingredients? What has the most versatility in your opinion? Please, deliberate.

KrausenCrazedCanuck · Feb 13, 2016

2Row
Caramel
And top it off with columbus hops
Cheers M8

wilserbrewer · Feb 13, 2016

Not much on following recipes here, keep sacks of 2 row, pale, Pilsner, Munich and Vienna on hand and about 6 lbs of hops in the freezer.

The Munich and Vienna play as my special malts or as smashes as well.

Sorry not much help, but don't feel tied to recipes I guess is my point.

MaxStout · Feb 13, 2016

Take some of those leftover grains and hops and make a bonus beer.

JawZziff · Feb 13, 2016

MaxStout said:
Take some of those leftover grains and hops and make a bonus beer.

bonus beer. that has to be the best combination of 2 words I think I've ever heard.

MaxStout · Feb 13, 2016

Last time I made one, I called it Leftoverture. It turned out to be a decent brown ale. 2-row, some crystal, a little black malt, a few ounces here and there of a couple others I can't remember, an oz. of Centennial, and a packet of US-05.

JawZziff · Feb 14, 2016

love the name. and the label. sounds like this needs to be my first step. get rid of the leftovers and then I like the idea of 1 base malt, 1 crystal, but I also think a nice dark toasty malt should be in there. then at least then I'm covering the spectrum a little better. hops are a whole other machine and I'm still not entirely confident in what I like in a hop. the same goes for yeast.

jrcrilly · Feb 14, 2016

I agree that it makes sense to use it all up with a mystery brew, then start over. I keep sacks of 2 row and maris otter on hand, and smaller bins (5-10 pounds) of several different crystal malts (40, 80, 120) plus chocolate malt, Munich 10, roasted barley, black malt, and a few others. This permits me to brew my normal stuff (pale ales. IPA, porters, stouts) with malts on hand.