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Schmidt

Read books, drink beer.
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My friend and I have only completed three batches of beer. We started with and IPA and moved on to a couple variations of porter. For our next batch we are wanting to play with flavors a bit more and experiment with what works with what. We are hoping to branch away from rigid recipes but make our own based on the tried and true. However, I am torn on what type of beer to focus on this time. Any suggestions?
 
Did a brown beer recently that was quite good. 8# Vienna malt, 3# various crystal (10, 45, 70) and wyeast 1099 whitbread. Mashed at 155.
 
when i was starting i liked browns the best.. enough dark grain to serve as trim, but not a stout, or porter. :mug:

of course now that i got a tip from someone else here, i stopped caring. and urinate into my fermenter to sanitize it! ;)

but to slightly plagiarize, "Just Brew It!"..


i'd be curious how long a 5 gallon batch lasts you? or in other words, how important it is? when i get bored of trying new stuff and want a 'sure thing', always go to the dark side of the spectrum.
 
when i was starting i liked browns the best.. enough dark grain to serve as trim, but not a stout, or porter. :mug:

of course now that i got a tip from someone else here, i stopped caring. and urinate into my fermenter to sanitize it! ;)

but to slightly plagiarize, "Just Brew It!"..


i'd be curious how long a 5 gallon batch lasts you? or in other words, how important it is? when i get bored of trying new stuff and want a 'sure thing', always go to the dark side of the spectrum.
I definitely prefer the browns and darker, probably will go along with something like that. "Just Brew It" I like that. I wish for the confidence to approach it that way.
 
Dunkelweizen! Lots of flexibility in the recipe, not hard to brew, and hard to find commercially.

But only if you like Hefeweizen, of course.
I can honestly say I have never encountered a dunkelweizen nor have I heard of the subcategory before, but it seems intriguing.
 
I wish for the confidence to approach it that way.


3 batches into brewing? i'm rooting for you! just don't let the dope cooks/inbev intimidate you out of it, like they did me...resulted in much lost cash, and a short prison stay! after that i'm homebrewing for life! :mug:
 
oh, and the batch i plan on brewing saturday, it's going to be an experiment, 100% store bought light munich to compare to my homemade....

in my case, it'll be 20lb's in a 10 gallon batch, and will last me a week, so even if it's so-so, no biggie.....and if you're not the drinker i am, there are people who brew 2.5, 1, 3 gallon batches.....to me that would be a lot of work for a twelve pack, but if a twelve pack tastes you a week? we're even!
 
We are hoping to branch away from rigid recipes but make our own based on the tried and true. However, I am torn on what type of beer to focus on this time. Any suggestions?

I definitely prefer the browns and darker, ...
Craft Brew and Brewing did series of articles titled "Make your best ...". For example "Make Your Best American Brown Ale (link)".
 
oh, and the batch i plan on brewing saturday, it's going to be an experiment, 100% store bought light munich to compare to my homemade....

in my case, it'll be 20lb's in a 10 gallon batch, and will last me a week, so even if it's so-so, no biggie.....and if you're not the drinker i am, there are people who brew 2.5, 1, 3 gallon batches.....to me that would be a lot of work for a twelve pack, but if a twelve pack tastes you a week? we're even!
Yeah with the equipment we currently have, we do two 2 gallon batches back to back. I would like to move up, but my facilities are a little limiting. I'm not super concerned about a mediocre beer here and there, but my brewing bud is a little uptight.

Also thanks for the advice.
 
we do two 2 gallon batches back to back


extract then? if you're doing partial mashes, and thinking brown. i'd go with some dark munich, stay away from the stouts that use a lot of roast barley....hasn't been converted to simple sugars...


edit: at least that's the way i understand it.
 
extract then? if you're doing partial mashes, and thinking brown. i'd go with some dark munich, stay away from the stouts that use a lot of roast barley....hasn't been converted to simple sugars...


edit: at least that's the way i understand it.
Ok! I'll look into that.
Yeah I looked at stouts, but I want some more practice before attempting something like that.
 
For our next batch we are wanting to play with flavors a bit more and experiment with what works with what. We are hoping to branch away from rigid recipes but make our own based on the tried and true. However, I am torn on what type of beer to focus on this time. Any suggestions?
Do you like Belgian dubbels, tripels, and quads? Personally, I like them a lot and have brewed several of them in my short (since August 2020) homebrew career. I enjoy the interplay of flavors coming from the specialty grains, from adjuncts like amber or dark candi sugars, and from the yeast.
 
Yeah I looked at stouts, but I want some more practice before attempting something like that.


honestly, you just got me thinking creativly....you could swap crystal malt for munich, and get the diastatic power to convert roast barley in a partial mash...would be VERY interesting might try something like that in the future! thanks for the idea! :mug:
 
Do you like Belgian dubbels, tripels, and quads? Personally, I like them a lot and have brewed several of them in my short (since August 2020) homebrew career. I enjoy the interplay of flavors coming from the specialty grains, from adjuncts like amber or dark candi sugars, and from the yeast.
I do like the quads I have tried, but I was worried that the process would be too much for a beginner.
 
honestly, you just got me thinking creativly....you could swap crystal malt for munich, and get the diastatic power to convert roast barley in a partial mash...would be VERY interesting might try something like that in the future! thanks for the idea! :mug:
Well I'm glad you got something out of this too. I am definitely taking notes.
 
I do like the quads I have tried, but I was worried that the process would be too much for a beginner.
Assuming you can source the ingredients and Belgian yeast, the process is no harder than any other variety, and easier than, say, an IPA with its numerous hop additions. Mash or mix, boil, add hops and adjuncts, chill. Then "pitch low and let it go".
 
I've gone from dark beers with several different caramel malt additions to using just a few malts to get even better flavors.
IMO, I would suggest pick a flavor profile and then build the grist to get that. Get all the flavors in the batch from grains, hops and the yeast. Don't add anything else. Experiment with that and it will make generating recipes easier.
I have a breakfast stout on deck that flavor profile is expected to be coffee, bacon with a hint of chocolate. Might ditch the chocolate between now and brew day. Since I have the grains on hand (whole grains) and I crush them on brew day I have the flexibility to do that. Hell, I could change the grist at any time before they get run through the mill.
Also actually look at what the yeast will give you in the batch. Back when I started (2010) not a lot of people really cared about that.
 
For just selecting another beer type to try, just spin the wheel or do an eeny, meeny, miney, moe.

At some point, you need to concentrate on the same recipe and see that you can get repeatable results and also experiment on that same recipe to see what minor changes of brewing practices... temps, sparge, etc, do for you.
 
Craft Brew and Brewing did series of articles titled "Make your best ...". For example "Make Your Best American Brown Ale (link)".

Josh Weikert's Make Your Best series covered my first dozen or so batches. Brewed my way through all the British styles, plus the American Brown since it used the same yeast. Not one of those recipes was a dud.

Since then I've found myself seeking more accurate representations of UK brewing (via reading UK brewers), but that's all in the journey of figuring out what kind of brewer you want to be and what kind of beer you want to drink.

As a new brewer testing the waters, learning new styles, looking for inspiration, you wouldn't go wrong sifting through the Weikert recipes.

https://beerandbrewing.com/category/Make Your Best/1/
 
Re: the quad and difficulty for a beginner. Fermentation temperature control will be the key to success and likely reason in the case of a dumper. Same goes for any style with a moderate to high gravity.
 
Re: the quad and difficulty for a beginner. Fermentation temperature control will be the key to success and likely reason in the case of a dumper. Same goes for any style with a moderate to high gravity.
I disagree, as long as you can chill down to 60 F or so before pitching, and ferment in a room that doesn't get too warm. I have made several successful Belgians in the downstairs family room with my only "temperature control" being to open the sliding door in the early morning if the weather report says it's going to be a hot day. Also, quads age well. So in case you do end up with too hot a fermentation and get some fusels in your batch, you can just bottle it, put it aside, and taste it again in 3, 6, or 12 months.
 
Yeah with the equipment we currently have, we do two 2 gallon batches back to back. I would like to move up, but my facilities are a little limiting. I'm not super concerned about a mediocre beer here and there, but my brewing bud is a little uptight.

Also thanks for the advice.

Plenty of great advice already given so I won’t bother attempting to contribute there.

But maybe get your “uptight” brewing buddy to drink more on brew day. That should loosen them up a bit. 😜
 
I disagree, as long as you can chill down to 60 F or so before pitching, and ferment in a room that doesn't get too warm. I have made several successful Belgians in the downstairs family room with my only "temperature control" being to open the sliding door in the early morning if the weather report says it's going to be a hot day. Also, quads age well. So in case you do end up with too hot a fermentation and get some fusels in your batch, you can just bottle it, put it aside, and taste it again in 3, 6, or 12 months.

Well not to be pedantic, but you're controlling temperature. However minimally. For some brewers, temp control is glycol. Others, putting the fermenter in a big bucket of water.

Heat from high ethanol will smooth out, I've experienced it in my bigger beers. Fusels, I understand will not. Besides, better to age a properly fermented beer than hope time in the bottle will fix preventable fermentation problems.

But then again, we each choose which kind of brewer we want to be.

Cheers.
 
First of all, you don't need to change styles to begin varying something you already know. Dial it in, play with ingredients and ratios, make it your own! Small changes and good notetaking is key. That shouid be the focus of your first 50 - 100 batches IMHO.

Looking out a little further, I've been having a lot of fun playing with lagers. It depends on the equipment you have because it introduces you to the technique of decoction step mashing, so you need very flexible temperature control and extra gear both for that and fermentation. You will also want to be able to keep fermentation temperature around 55F for about a week, then ramp it up to about 65F for a few days and then have a way to lager at about 35F for a month or so, but it is all worth both effort and the wait.
 
Plenty of great advice already given so I won’t bother attempting to contribute there.

But maybe get your “uptight” brewing buddy to drink more on brew day. That should loosen them up a bit. 😜
Great advice! We actually have a rule where we don't brew without drinking, feels like a necessary step in the process.
 
First of all, you don't need to change styles to begin varying something you already know. Dial it in, play with ingredients and ratios, make it your own! Small changes and good notetaking is key. That shouid be the focus of your first 50 - 100 batches IMHO.

Looking out a little further, I've been having a lot of fun playing with lagers. It depends on the equipment you have because it introduces you to the technique of decoction step mashing, so you need very flexible temperature control and extra gear both for that and fermentation. You will also want to be able to keep fermentation temperature around 55F for about a week, then ramp it up to about 65F for a few days and then have a way to lager at about 35F for a month or so, but it is all worth both effort and the wait.
How would you suggest to regulate temperature that low?
 
Really good fermentation chamber, or a chill coil/rod/etc. inside the fermenter connected to a glycol chiller. With my latest hardware/gear additions I now have the ability to chill/cold crash a batch separate from another.
Ok, we have considered getting a chill coil for a few reasons, but I hadn't decided if we needed one yet.
 
How would you suggest to regulate temperature that low?
There are plenty of folks who brew warm lagers as well, with saflager 34/70 yeast at ale temperatures. Havent done it myself, but I'm planning on it this summer.

Disclaimer, I have basically only skimmed most of the messages here. I tended to gloss over during all the Belgian talk. I ferment a lot of lagers using a rubbermaid container, ice bottles, and a little fan to circulate the air a bit. It's a lot of switching out bottles, but I can bring it down a solid 12-15F from whatever the room temperature is.

That being said, I agree with the guy who suggested dunkelweizen. So good and quite forgiving.
 
There are plenty of folks who brew warm lagers as well, with saflager 34/70 yeast at ale temperatures. Havent done it myself, but I'm planning on it this summer.

Disclaimer, I have basically only skimmed most of the messages here. I tended to gloss over during all the Belgian talk. I ferment a lot of lagers using a rubbermaid container, ice bottles, and a little fan to circulate the air a bit. It's a lot of switching out bottles, but I can bring it down a solid 12-15F from whatever the room temperature is.

That being said, I agree with the guy who suggested dunkelweizen. So good and quite forgiving.
How exactly does that work with Ice bottles?
 
How exactly does that work with Ice bottles?
It's a sketchy set up. I use plastic fermenters (fermonster, big mouth bubblers). I can chill my wort down to about 60-65. I plop the fermenter in the middle of the plastic tub and stick 4-6 ice bottles around it. I poked some holes into the side and set a fan up to circulate the cool around. Cover the top/sides in a few towels and blankets. Change out the bottles as needed. I keep the fan (and a heat mat, just in case) hooked up to an inkbird. Its not a very sophisticated method, but it works for me and allows me to ferment reasonably well between 52-55F. Tilt hydrometer confirms the temperature of the wort vs the inkbird probe. I lager in my beer fridge after packaging. Although this might not work super great in Texas. You might need to get a bit fancier.
 
It's a sketchy set up. I use plastic fermenters (fermonster, big mouth bubblers). I can chill my wort down to about 60-65. I plop the fermenter in the middle of the plastic tub and stick 4-6 ice bottles around it. I poked some holes into the side and set a fan up to circulate the cool around. Cover the top/sides in a few towels and blankets. Change out the bottles as needed. I keep the fan (and a heat mat, just in case) hooked up to an inkbird. Its not a very sophisticated method, but it works for me and allows me to ferment reasonably well between 52-55F. Tilt hydrometer confirms the temperature of the wort vs the inkbird probe. I lager in my beer fridge after packaging. Although this might not work super great in Texas. You might need to get a bit fancier.
Yeah the temperatures here could really make that difficult, but I love that setup, very creative. I have already been paying more in electricity just trying to keep my fermentation closet cooled properly (68 degrees F).
 
Note that fermentation is exothermic, it creates its own heat. If the closet is 68, a beer in active fermentation is in the low-mid 70s.
That is a good point. Currently I do not have a better way of measuring the actual temperature of the beer, but I am hoping to upgrade fermenter equipment soon.
 
There's plenty of thermowell designs out there. I'm sure one of them would work for your current fermenters. OR get a thermometer that sticks on the side of the fermenter.

I used the sticker ones early on. I have had thermowells deep inside my fermenters for a long time though. I would place a stopper in the opening to reduce the amount of outside air influenced the actual reading. Using an inkbird (bluetooth connected) thermometer with a remote probe does a great job. Just be sure that you calibrate it against a known accurate thermometer. I did that again the other day in preparation of using them in the new conicals. I'll check them on first use to make sure the glycol chiller matches their readings (or that they are all in sync at least).
 
That is a good point. Currently I do not have a better way of measuring the actual temperature of the beer, but I am hoping to upgrade fermenter equipment soon.

It's just something to be aware of. The answer may be to buy more gear, improve the setup of the gear you have, or be sure the yeasts you're using are happy in the mid-70s.

We purchased the old freezer to store extra breastmilk while my wife was nursing my now 3yo. When it went dormant, I started brewing with it. It's been a great run brewing with English yeasts, but we've got another kid on the way in July and I figure I'll lose the freezer by August. With new brewing gear out of the budget, I'm planning on shifting to kveik. That stuff wants to be in the 90s. Come late-Autumn the basement will be back in the low-60s and I'll get the standard yeasts going again.
 
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