Learning techniques

[Rowdyroddypiper]

Hi all. I started brewing right before the winter hit here in the northeast, and have since done many extract batches that turned out really drinkable. I have been fortunate enough to have a good friend of mine that has been brewing for a couple years now show me the ropes and help me nail down key concepts about brewing in general.

As spring and summer come along I plan on brewing all grain. My plan is to Brew the same recipe again and again. I think this will help me nail down the process and understand more about what is going on when I do things, rather than just following instructions. It will also give me the opportunity to change the recipe and or fermentation temps / time, to see the effect that this has on the final product.

So I guess the question would be what do you guys think about this idea? Is it beneficial to keep brewing the same batch like this? My plan was to try to brew something that I drink a lot of, which happens to be pale ales. What beer style do you think would be the most effective teacher?

 

[revco]

I think what you'll find when you do it is that the process is pretty much the same for most brews. If you look for relatively simple recipes (which most are), then you can have great variety and the techniques you use will be virtually the same from batch to batch. These basic techniques will be used over and over, regardless of what you're brewing in the future.

Probably the most important thing is getting a feel for your temperatures and where something out of your HLT will end up in your mash tun at a target temperature. This is different for all systems, but yours will behave in a somewhat consistent manner. (Brewing in freezing temperatures does change the game, though.) You'll be able to get a pretty good handle of this, regardless of what you're "trying to hit" since you'll see that such and such temp results in such and such temp. If you keep track of this and know your system's range, it's much easier to hit temps.

Once you get your equipment down and have a fairly good process that works for you, then you'll be in a position where you can start to experiment with other techniques. There's a lot of techniques out there to try, add them as you feel comfortable.

 

[Rowdyroddypiper]

Thank you for the reply. The advice is much appreciated! I have some idea already about the mash tuns we are using, but we are moving the whole operation outside so I'll definitely take some notes along the way. I have noticed a lot of recipes are pretty much the same thing, so Ill stick to less complicated brews for now and just try and taste how much the difference between all grain and extract is. It's all a very interesting learning experience for sure.

 

[muels]

I agree with revco. The techniques used brewing average/normal beers are the same. Base malts, a little bit of specialty malt and some hops. Other than mash temps there should be only a small difference between a pale ale, oatmeal stout, blonde, ESB, etc. Lighter beers like blondes and pales can be slightly less forgiving because they aren't as easy to hide the flaws. Something a little more flavorful or darker can help cover your inexperience, maybe a brown or stout. Odds are you will miss your mash temp by a little and be slightly off on your volumes till you learn your system. Plan all the steps out on paper and keep notes on everything, if something goes wrong you can figure out where and why. Find a recipe you like in the recipe section of the forum, after the original recipe there are normally comments which may example some of the processes specific to that recipe.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll get it!


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

 

[C-Rider]

Yea MIX IT UP. Unless of course you like that "one" beer so much that you don't mind having a few hundred bottles of the same thing. LOL

 

[MattyIce]

I see the value in brewing the same recipe a few times while you figure out your process. It will help you understand the effects of tweaking certain steps. You do not have to do this exclusively, but I see it as being valuable.

 

[TheHopfather]

When you're first starting out you are ideally looking at 6 weeks for a batch to complete (3 weeks in the fermentor and 3 weeks in bottles, you can shorten this time but when beginning the extra time will help clean up any off flavors). I would suggest getting a pipeline of 3 or 4 recipes going and just keep rebrewing those. You run the risk of getting tired of one recipe but it is beneficial to rebrew a recipe to tweak it and improve upon it. You can change hopping rates, play with your mash pH, switch up yeasts, ferment at different temps, etc. Doing this will really teach you what each of these things can bring to a recipe while also allowing you to really dial in a recipe. Using several recipes in a rotation can ensure you don't get tired of drinking the same beer all the time.

My $0.02.

 

[pwnshop]

I have a raspberry wheat recipe that my girlfriend likes so I keep doing that one over and over and trying to improve the beer and my method each time. This is the beer i give to her and her friends and give away to everyone willy nilly all the time.

I brew other beers for myself and try to change up that recipe each time. saison, stout, ipa etc.

I'd say get a crowd pleaser recipe and brew it a bunch of times and take detailed notes and shoot to improve it each time, while doing other brews in between that interest you more.