Opinion from my HBS store owner

[PhoenixCoyote]

Hello Fellow Brewers,
I have posted before about the first 4 batches i made back in December. I was away until 2 weeks ago so finally got to taste them. I thought they all tasted harsh and bitter. Yesterday i took a bottle each of all 4 batches to my local HBS. The guy said they tasted good. He said my problem is that i am use to American hoppy commercial beer and not an all malt beer. With that said, are there beer kits or recipes that are not "all malt"? I am unable to do lagers or pilsners at this time. Another problem is that i never really drank ales before. I know ales are easier to make and ferment though. So i think i would like hoppy over malty. Or like scotch, get use to it LOL.

I use to live in Alaska,they make their own beer there at The Alaskan Brewing Company in Juneau. Their ales are the only i have drank before. Their flagship is the Alaskan Amber, very bitter. You have to drink few to get use to it, after that it doesen't matter because it is strong. Mostly i had the ones in the bar which was from a keg, Alaskan Amber from a keg taste better than from a bottle. They have seasonal beers like the Winter Ale and the Summer Ale. Winter Ale is made with spruce tips. Of course all their beers are dark.

My question, advice, opinion from you all is, should i stick with hoppy beers if i can make them, or try different ales and experiment with them until i find what i like?

To be truthfull here, i was use to drinking hard stuff, vodka,rum etc. But need to cut back on that stuff and go back to beer. The hard stuff is more dangerous to me. So i am not a usual beer drinker, anything you guys can recommend will be appreciated.

Sorry for the long post, thanks for reading and replying. Have a great day!

 

[homebrewer_99]

Tough questions to answer. We don't have your tongue to judge by.

I would recommend you buy different beers and try them. Since you'll be researching many beers be sure you write down their names and take notes on what you liked and did not like.

 

[Monk]

I second that. As you try different beers, you will start to understand better what you are tasting (i.e. this is hop flavor, this is malt flavor, this is malt bitterness vs. hop bitterness, etc.). Certain styles of beer are famous for a particular flavor: IPA for malty flavor with lots of hop bitterness, flavor and aroma; belgians and hefeweizens for their fruity/estery flavors and aroma; browns and stouts for cocoa/roasted malt flavor, etc. If you can identify what your tasting and whether you like it, you're on your way to making a beer you will love.

 

[pariah]

Go to a large liquor store, stock up on a variety of different styles, imported and microbrewed. Grab some India Pale Ale style beers (maybe Bridgeport IPA or Dogfish Head IPA). They should be a good thing to compare to what you have brewed, to tell if yours is particularly bitter and harsh.

Then again, he said it was "all malt", with no hops?...so an IPA might not be the best to compare, who knows.

 

[brewhead]

My question, advice, opinion from you all is, should i stick with hoppy beers if i can make them, or try different ales and experiment with them until i find what i like?

i wouldn't "stick" with any one beer really. sky's the limit. i have a few tried and true recipes that either are my favorites or are my firends favorites and i brew those more often. but i love putting together recipes and experimenting. i mostly do not brew to a style. i prefer to brew to my tastes.

 

[Wolf]

I don't like the really hoppy beers like IPA's either. Try a Cream Ale (very smooth, sort of lager like) and Wheat Beers, they sound like good fits for you.

 

[SteveM]

One thing I do for flavored beers (like fruit beers) is to substitute rice solids (you could also use syrup) for malt extract. The idea behind this for fruit beers is to let the flavor being added to be more dominant, but the bottom line is the the basic brew is lighter in color and flavor. There is about a one for one equivalence to the malt equivalent. You can still use an ale yeast. I've never just made up a batch like this without adding something to it, but it could be done. I may try it just to see how it comes out.

If you look at the label for Budweiser, you will see that they use rice and other grains - apart from economics (I gotta believe rice is cheaper), they do this to lighten up the flavor.

You can also use the very lightest steeping grain available and leave it in only for a fairly brief period, and don't try to squeeze out anything from the grain bag when you take it out of the water. This will also make your beer lighter. I would not advising skipping the steeping grains altogether if you are an extract brewer. In my experience, it is tougher to get a long lasting head otherwise. I understand that there are some proteins that come from steeping grains that aid in head retention.

If clarity is an issue for you, pay attention to clarifying your beer if you make it light colored - it is much more noticable if a light colored beer is cloudy.

I guess I would only add that most people "roll their own" because they are not all that satisfied with what you can buy in the mini-mart (and those preferences are for strongly flavored, malty, hoppy brews usually). If that's your preference, there is no reason not to just buy the beer you like off the shelf.

Note - comments are from an extract brewer who uses only ale yeasts.

 

[olllllo]

Not sure if you went to Brewers Connection or Home Brew Depot, but if you go to the Depot, Ken has a book with an Alaskan Amber clone. It was my last batch and it's conditioning now.

I sampled the wort last night and it seems right on.

BTW: I buy from both, and I intend to check out What Ale's Ya. Hopefully the valley can support a few more LHBS's.

 

[casebrew]

Isn't there a home brew club in Phoenix? Here in San Diego we have QUAFF. I went to a meeting where 16 different homebrews were sampled. 1-2oz per serving. Some too malty, some too hoppy, some too spicey, one was contaminated. What a range! All but one was better than Mega swill. It was worth the annual membership fee for the education my palate got that night.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

I don't like the really hoppy beers like IPA's either. Try a Cream Ale (very smooth, sort of lager like) and Wheat Beers, they sound like good fits for you.

Same here.
Brown ale, Kolsch, Hefewiezen, American Red ale, Belgian Trappist ales are all examples of ales that are not hoppy beers. Now I'm getting thirsty!

 

[PhoenixCoyote]

Not sure if you went to Brewers Connection or Home Brew Depot, but if you go to the Depot, Ken has a book with an Alaskan Amber clone. It was my last batch and it's conditioning now.

I sampled the wort last night and it seems right on.

BTW: I buy from both, and I intend to check out What Ale's Ya. Hopefully the valley can support a few more LHBS's.

Hello,
The only place i have been to is What Ales Ya because they are close. Chuck is the owner. I like the summer and winter ales better than the amber.

Chuck has a small store and only carries one namebrand beer kit. I want to check out the other stores when i can. Thanks.

 

[PhoenixCoyote]

Hello,
Just wanted to say thank you to all that replied with advice, comments etc. It is appreciated.

 

[dancingbarefoot]

If you like malt, use malt. If you don't, don't. Simple at that, no matter what the guy at the LHBS says.

(If you're ever in Alaska again, try the house brews at Moose's Tooth. Smooth!)

 

[PhoenixCoyote]

If you like malt, use malt. If you don't, don't. Simple at that, no matter what the guy at the LHBS says.

(If you're ever in Alaska again, try the house brews at Moose's Tooth. Smooth!)

Hello,
I didn't make it to Moose's Tooth last time i lived there. I also want to check out Humphy's and Glacier. Thinking of moving back, but need to save money first and find work.

 

[boo boo]

There's a world of beer out there and I fear I'm too old to try them all. Over the past couple of years since I took up brewing again and with the help of the net, I have discovered the joys of tasting international brews instead of the regular BMC type of beer that I'm used to. When I brew a clone of a beer that I know I would like and taste it, I say, hmmm this is what this beer tastes similar to (the style)
Pale ales, porters, and stouts are now part of my regular inventory and only to think that it was a few years ago that I would have said "drink that black beer, are you out of your mind".
Remember that an all malt beer tastes diferent than a adjunt and malt brew and enjoy them all.

 

[Dave R]

See, this is the problem I'm having also. As a newbie homebrewer, I really have no idea of what type of beer I like. The only references I have are Michelob, my favorite, Coors Light, next favorite, and Budweiser, can't drink it.

I'm embarrassed to admit, I have no idea of what hops tastes like, what beers are ales, what beers are lagers etc. It's basically overwhelming.

I want to go to the lhbs and ask for a kit, which he makes right there, but have no idea what to ask for. I guess I'll let him decide and try that.

 

[boo boo]

What I do is remind myself when I try a new beer that it IS beer and even though I may not like the first taste, by the end of the bottle or glass I find that I have enjoyed it anyway and would order another. Next you know it is a beer that I would brew as I quite liked the taste. You find diferent tastes like for instance roast malt, chocolate malt, the sweetness of crystal and the diferent tastes of the hops as it strikes your tongue and the bitterness it imparts to the flavor it leaves as you drink it. So much to drink and taste that I have been brewing diferent recipies to get diferent brews to taste and everyone have been awesome.

 

[PhoenixCoyote]

See, this is the problem I'm having also. As a newbie homebrewer, I really have no idea of what type of beer I like. The only references I have are Michelob, my favorite, Coors Light, next favorite, and Budweiser, can't drink it.

I'm embarrassed to admit, I have no idea of what hops tastes like, what beers are ales, what beers are lagers etc. It's basically overwhelming.

I want to go to the lhbs and ask for a kit, which he makes right there, but have no idea what to ask for. I guess I'll let him decide and try that.

Hi Dave,
I know what you mean. It has been a learning experience for me as well. I liked the colors of the ambers and darks etc, then tasting it was like "woa". I was not use to that kind of flavor. Been drinking miller and coors too much. I am now focusing on hoppy beers, straw colored etc. Pale ales, American light etc. Have a continental pilsner i bottled a week ago. Can't wait to try it.

I actually bought a 6 pack of Black Ale today at the store. It is strong, chocolately etc. You don't want to drink all 6 of these like you do coors in one hour. This stuff i think would be best with a cigar after dinner type of thing. I have also bought wheat beer, honey brown, nut brown ale to just try and taste.

Off to the store in this 115 F heat today to get some millers to slam down, then will bottle my cider. Good luck.