The best beer you never made...

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bransona

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We've all done it. That one seemingly shining, brilliant idea for a brew --- a chocolate dipped orange wit, a bourbon and rum aged double brown ale, a hop monster with 5oz per gallon --- and haven't ever gotten around to brewing it! The kids needed you. You're broke. SWMBO spent your time and money on her problems. Whatever the case, you just haven't made the thing. I want to hear about your awesome inspiration though! Tell us all your best idea :D

For me, I've had this thought of a "Moaka" stout for a little while, but no budget for it. I brewed up the 888 RIS a while back and it's amazing. I want to make it again and age it on chocolate, coffee, and oak (http://www.blackswanbarrels.com/honey-comb-barrel-alternative/). So it's a mocha stout...but really, it's a Moaka stout... I can taste it already, but my wallet says "Maybe try drinking cheap beer, jerk"
 
I'm dreaming of doing a few batches in a 5 gallon barrel. Starting with something a little malty and then moving on to my first true sour beer.

I've got a very solid technique down now using a keg for sour mash (never ever have off flavor/aroma and sours nicely in 2 days) but I want to do something with the complexities of a true sour fermented beer with the subtle wood/spirit flavor from a previously used barrel.

Figuring in total it'll take me about a year to age the bigger/malt forward beer just for 4-5 months and then get the sour in for the remainder or until tastes the way I want it.

I've wanted to do this for a while but every time I get ready to put the money down I just rationalize that I'll need beer in 4-5 weeks too. So the simple quick turn around gets me.
 
The best beer I never made hasn't been made yet simply because the season is wrong. There is a PYO cherry orchard near me that has great sour pie cherries. As cherry season approaches I will be brewing a Belgian Dubbel that will go into secondary with a whole heaping pile of fresh picked cherries as soon as I pick them.
I have high hopes that this will be my best beer ever (not never) made.
 
A helles export that closely resembles, if not is exactly like, Ayinger Jahrhundert or a Munich Helles like Weihenstephaner Premium.
I've gotten around to brewing them, just haven't gotten them right yet.
 
Nothing new or revolutionary But in the List and just haven't had time...

1. I want to age my Espresso Stout in a Bourbon Barrel.

2. Also one day do a Belgian blonde w/ WLP644 Saccharomyces "Bruxellensis" Trois
Then a version of it w/ Whole Coffee beans during cold crash
 
Me and my buddy want to do a brew, and have been talking about it for a while, where we use an entire sack of grain for a 10 gallon batch. The recipe comes in at 1.150 and also calls for 3 lbs of hops (not the 5 you mentioned but 4.8 oz per gallon ain't bad). The plan is to get some slurry from a local brewery and also pitch some WLP090 to help it attenuate. Targeting 15-16%abv.... One day...
 
I keep telling myself that I want to brew a Cherry Wheat that'll put the nasty cough syrup flavor of Sam Adam's Cherry Wheat to shame....but I've never gotten around to it.
 
Right now I think it's a kettle-soured pineapple saison aged on light oak cubes + gin. I've had the inspiration to play around with gin-aging after a local hibiscus gin-barrel saison and Gigantic's Pipewrench. Don't have a heat wrap & controller yet for kettle souring.
 
I've always wanted to do a Solera project with an RIS. I would brew 15 gallons of RIS, transfer it to a 15.5 gallon keg. Then every year take 5 gallons out and put 5 gallons of finished RIS back in. The thought of adding fresh beer to aged beer every year and watching how it change, and being able to change it based on the flavor I want, intrigues me. I need to finish my basement before I start this project so that I have a place to store it without moving it too much.

I've also wanted to do a Kiwi American wheat with Citra hops. No reason why I haven't done it yet, just keeping the pipeline full!
 
I have a recipe for a Maple Strong Ale that I've been wanting to do for a while. I just haven't convinced myself I've found the best source for the darkest and strongest flavored maple syrup.

The recipe also includes using a piece of hard maple in the form of one of those Black Swan Honeycomb Barrel Alternative thingy that I plan to toast lightly in the oven. The only ingredient I don't currently have in stock is the maple syrup.

I'm hoping to brew it at some point this spring, so it has time to age a bit before drinking it as temps start to drop next fall.

I have been fiddling with this recipe for probably more than a year. :tank:
 
I really want to try denny conn's boubon vanilla porter. It seema like such a good recipie I keep putting it off telling myself i need to get practice on simpler brews...
 
I keep telling myself that I want to brew a Cherry Wheat that'll put the nasty cough syrup flavor of Sam Adam's Cherry Wheat to shame....but I've never gotten around to it.

I once made 10 gallons of my standard American wheat ale, and drank the first 5 gallons after kegging it I kind of "forgot" about the second 5 gallon carboy. I didn't really forget it... I simply didn't get around to bottling or kegging it. I discovered some pasteurized cherry juice concentrate, at a local food co-op. The full bottle was a bit more sugar than needed to prime a 5 gallon batch of wheat ale, but I thought, what the hell!?! I sanitized and purged a keg. I poured the bottle of concentrate into the keg. I then racked the American wheat ale onto it, and let it prime. I was careful to pull a bit of yeast over as well. And I used a spunding valve to correct the carb level. I gave it 2 weeks to prime. It was the best Cherry Wheat I have ever had! My daughter is a big fan of lambic. And she liked this even more. I am going to do this with half of every batch of wheat I make.

Mike
 
As for my dream brew, I created a recipe for an American Barleywine that I really want to brew. In preparation for it, I made a "Wee Heavy" Scotch Ale. It finished out nicely, and is currently aging (and priming) in a keg. Once I see how it ages, I will grow the balls to make the Barleywine.

Mike
 
I want to brew on my boat!

Even just a 1 gallon batch. My SWMBO is scared of the stove in the boat so we don't use it very often. But I think this summer IT'S ON!

Now all I need is a name for the beer!

Cheers
Jay
 
I want to brew on my boat!

Even just a 1 gallon batch. My SWMBO is scared of the stove in the boat so we don't use it very often. But I think this summer IT'S ON!

Now all I need is a name for the beer!

Cheers
Jay

SWMBO beer. Scared Wife Made (on) Boat Oktoberfest.
 
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