Most important factor to produce good beer?

[bricks]

Other than sanitation, what do you feel like is the most important factor in producing good quality home brew?

How about regulating fermentation temperature? Or having a lot of patience?

Just curious what every one thought may be the biggest factor other than sanitation.

Thanks. I will now sit back and enjoy a few honey/orange cream ales while waiting on the replies to flow in !

 

[Jaybird]

a good recipe is a nice place to start:cross: . Then sanitation, yeast health and fermentation control. Not just temp control but controlling the entire fermentation from the amount of O2 to the pitch rate to the PH to the temperature to the vessel geometry, etc etc etc.

Just my opinion anyway..

Cheers
Jay

 

[jskinner10]

Cleanliness, sanitation and fermentation control. Sorry, those are three factors but they're all equally important!

 

[BigFloyd]

Control of pitch/fermentation temps (for the yeast being used) plus pitching a sufficient number of healthy yeast cells.

That and patience.

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

Time.

 

[Cyclman]

+1 on Sanitation and Fermentation control.

 

[Tippsy-Turvy]

Meticulosity.

I'm still new to brewing yet I find it pretty procedural and straight forward. My screw ups have come from not being meticulous (in my case in temperature control and bottling day procedures).

 

[Braufessor]

Sanitation, Sanitation, Sanitation......

Then -
Temp. control, yeast starters, Water, Quality Ingredients, Tried and True Recipe's, Patience, Note Taking

 

[davekippen]

Ferm temp control (If I can only pick one)

You should set this up as a poll so people can ONLY pick one!

 

[Jaybird]

note taking

TRUE THAT!!!

Cheers
Jay

 

[Colorowdy]

Imagination

 

[Bulls Beers]

For me temp is most important. Once I really controlled my temp, my beer came out great. Second would be healthy yeast and then time.

+1 on notes. I have notes going back 7 or 8 years. I sometimes refer back to them.

 

[Darkness]

I would say consistency in everything. Quick boils, fast chills,healthy fermentation. Oxygenating fermentation to really kick start it. I noticed clearer beer when I built my RIMS setups and also hop spiders cut down on trube and give better yeld.

 

[Chug]

Aside from having quality ingredients ie; grain/hops and a healthy, happy, and properly pitched yeast, I found my biggest jump in quality was when I started controlling my ferm temp. But I also started building my own water from distilled around the same time, so a combination of all the above.