My own recipe

[Forrest]

Hi, it has been awhile since I have posted on the forums so I will reintroduce my self. I am currently a culinary student. I have been making my own beer for the past several years and my ultimate goal and dream is to open up my own restaurant where I serve my own beer paired with what ever dish my customers have ordered.

The food at my restaurant will not be a problem, as I am only 6 months from graduating culinary school. But while I have been making beer for the past several years, I have always used kits to do so, especually thehomebrewery.com's kits as they are very good. But since I hope to eventually serve and sale my own beer, I really need to start playing and toying around and try to create my own recipe. But I really do not know where to begain. Anybody I guess can say, well I want this malt combination and that hops combination but what I am really referring to is ingredient quantities. Being a student, I am on a limited income and when I make a batch of beer, that pretty much becomes my drinking beer for the next month as the cost of the ingredients prevents me from being able to buy any beer for about a month or so. So, if I make beer, it needs to be drinkable which is why I am scared to just throw ingredients in my brew pot and see what happens. So I was wondering if anybody had some suggestions for me. I guess the first step is to figure out what is the style of beer that I want to make a recipe for. Well, since stouts and porters are my two favorite beer styles (especually stouts) then I guess I want to try to come up with a stout recipe first, I am also interested in playing around with the idea of a Rye Stout as I love stouts and Rye beer and I think the two would go well togather. But once again, I don't know where to begin.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[wild]

Try the book; Designing Great Beers by Ray Daniels. I think you'll find just what you're looking for.

Good luck,
Wild

 

[cowain]

My advice - find an experienced brewer and have that person be your partner. You take care of the food, they will take care of the beer. I plan on opening my own brewpub in 5 years or so and will be partnering up with someone to do the food.

Think of it this way - you just went to school for however many years to learn how to do the food well, why would it take any less time to learn how to do the beer well?

 

[Forrest]

Thanks for the book suggestion I will check it out.

Cowain, You are right in what you said, but I do not plan on opening my own brewery/restaurant right out of school. I will be going to Europe for at least two years after I am done with school. I am talking at least 10 years down the road if that. That is why I want to start developing my reciepe now. Thank you for the advice.