Recipe tweaking

[TrickyDick]

Howdy,

So I've been a bit inactive this last year with minimal brewing. Sold my propane brew rig and now have an indoor electric setup that I've used once.

In adapting some old recipes to the new system I assume there will be some differences. One of biggest differences will be the mash tun & HERMS coil dead space. Aside from these minor mash differences, I was getting ready to dust off a recipe I have brewed maybe five times now. Each time is gets a little better, with minor tweaks for color and yeast availability.

It's an Esb recipe based on a popular "bass ale" clone recipe that I have tweaked here and there over the last few years. Friends and family all like it, and I even sent in as an entry to NHC where is made mini Best of Show. I'm wondering, once I adapt the recipe for the new equipment, how exactly does one take a really good recipe and take it to the next level. I'm sure that only a part of this comes from the recipe, with things like quality ingredients, strict procedure and sanitation throughout the brewing process, from start to finish, also making a contribution. At some point, the recipe will come into play I suspect.

I'm just sort of throwing this out there to see what folks have to say about fine tuning process in turing something good into something exceptional.

TD.

 

[m00ps]

thats a pretty broad question. Id try changing the water chemistry, yeast strain, fermentation profile, and other things aside from hops & grain if you are looking for minor tweaking. Most people seem to just focus on the hops and grain

 

[radwizard]

When am working on a recipe, I usually have a specific goal in mind. For example color, bitterness, dryness, clarity, or something of the sort. I have made a bunch of beer that I could drink all day long, but needed improvement in some form.
You should try and figure what you want different from the beer. Or just brew a bunch of beer and get as many people to drink it as possible and take take notes on their criticisms.

 

[Brettomomyces]

Another tactic you could try is to enter it in a bunch of contests and then take all the feedback and document it, look at what was commonly noted by the judges. Maybe someone notices a touch of oxidation, or they might even leave some suggestions. Then taking this feedback make one change and rebrew it, document, and try again.

Like m00ps mentioned, water chemistry and yeast are good ways to really tweak the final product, especially if you haven't done much with your water before.

 

[mblanks2]

Water chemistry.

 

[Fienix]

I second water chemistry. Also, you probably already do this, but yeast starter and fermentation temperature control have really improved my beers.

 

[TrickyDick]

I'm already doing water chemistry: Bru'N water spreadsheet is part of every brew and I check the pH when I am brewing to see where it is. I use RO water to brew with and adjustment is a necessity.

I know I'm being pretty broad here is how to tweak a recipe.

As far as yeast goes, I am somewhat limited in selection most of the year unless I want to pay $50 for overnight shipping with ice packs on the liquid yeast. FL heat is brutal.....

When it comes to fermentation, I have a BCS controlled fermentation setup that keeps the fermenting beer within the desired range with datalogging.

Oxidization is a potential issue. Purging everything is on a list of what I must strive to do.

I like the advice about picking one factor to address and improve from one batch to another. I have done this to dial in the color on my old brew system. What the software predicted was not always what you ended up with. Knowledge of your system is helpful here and I am at the bottom of the learning curve on the new system.

I think head retention is one area I'd like to see improved. clarity is another. I think for IPA brews, freshness matters most, and is hard to keep a batch fresh unless you drink more than you should or have a lot friends to help you out.

TD