tried a few commercial brews yesterday...not impressed

[sputnam]

My stepdaughter is a HUGE craft beer fan (lives in Asheville) and I've been trying to make a beer that WOWS her. I've gotten a few "Yeah, that's pretty good" but I'm looking for more enthusiasm. IPA's and Sours are her fav's but she'll drink most anything. Anyway, I asked her what she likes that I can get at the local Total wine and more (obviously can't get any Wicked Weed there). Here's her list:

Ballast Point - Sculpin Habanero
Ballast Point - Sculpin Grapefruit
Westbrook - Gose
New Belgium - Slow Ride
Oskar Blues - Pinner

I've had all except the grapefruit Sculpin and I gotta say I'm not impressed with any of them. They are all decent beers but nothing to brag about. From what I can tell she likes her beer dry (probably 1.010'ish). So my next brew is gonna mash at 146° and get 1/2# sugar added with a crap load of hops (galaxy, amarillo, centennial, simcoe). That should do it.
I am curious about something....almost every commercial beer I try, I find it thin in body and kinda watery feeling. I wonder if it is because (in general) the yeast has been filtered out? I keg, so I guess eventually I am drinking beer equivalent to filtered and my beer always feels a little creamy (i typically use tap water but have tried RO with chemical additions).

 

[yeahfairly]

I had the OB-Pinner when I was in Key West last month.... It's a simple Pale but I enjoyed it... Not as much as a Founders ADIPA though!

 

[FarmerTed]

I haven't had Slowride yet, but Sculpin, Pinner and Westbrook Gose are damn good beers. If that's what she likes, it's what she likes. I wouldn't try to force home brew on her. If it were me, I'd just stick to brewing what I wanted to drink.

 

[cyberbrew]

I'm on board with her picks, those are top notch beers in my opinion. As for the thinness of those beers, mash temp is most likely the culprit of thinning them out, I don't think it has anything to do with filtering. I prefer my beers thinner and bone dry. I mash around 147 (end up around 1.008 with US-05). "Full bodied" beers to me are ok, but more filling than I'm usually looking for...personal pref I guess.

 

[Paps]

.
I am curious about something....almost every commercial beer I try, I find it thin in body and kinda watery feeling. I wonder if it is because (in general) the yeast has been filtered out? I keg, so I guess eventually I am drinking beer equivalent to filtered and my beer always feels a little creamy.

To me, it sounds like you are talking about the `mouthfeel` of beers.
I've yet to filter half a batch and drink it side by side with it's unfiltered version but i would imagine it to some extent would indeed affect the mouthfeel.
HOW MUCH...i cannot say. I too feel that most commercial beers lack mouthfeel but then again, i run everthing through beergas/nitro and a restrictor plate (think guinness style tap)

If your stepdaughter likes the thin mouthfeel beers, she likes the thin mouthfeel beers, it seems to me she also likes some fruity esters so perhaps try S-04 or a belgian strain with LOTS of hops. Try to get her to accurately describe the flavors she likes/dislikes aboyut a beer as if she were a BJCP judge at a contest. This could help you figure out exactly what she wants from a beer and as a brewer use it as a guide to possibly achieve that.

cheers.

 

[sputnam]

I haven't had Slowride yet, but Sculpin, Pinner and Westbrook Gose are damn good beers. If that's what she likes, it's what she likes. I wouldn't try to force home brew on her. If it were me, I'd just stick to brewing what I wanted to drink.

I'm not trying to force anything on anyone. I was just looking at examples of what she thought was good beer. I would really like for her to say a beer that I made was awesome. Even if the beer isn't my thing, it would still be a great compliment. But, as I sip upon her "favorite commercial" brews, I wonder if I'm capable of achieving the thin, watery mouthfeel I find so common in store bought. As I stated above, I will mash waaaay lower than ever before and add sugar to dry the beer out.

 

[flars]

I sympathize with your predicament. I found some commercial beers that were pretty good, and then have been brewing clones. The clones, as I've brewed them, have more body and are much more enjoyable.

Poor commercial beers can be a gateway to expanding the palate.

 

[bobeer]

The Ballast Point stuff is too rich for my blood. It's decent beer though but I hate paying $15 for a 6 pack of anything and I really don't get the hot peppers in beer trend these days. It doesn't taste like anything but heat. I love spicy food too but these beers just don't do anything for me. I'd rather eat a spicy dish and wash it down with a nice dry IPA or island lager or something.

But she has good beer choices if that's what she likes! I don't think there's anything wrong with brewing a beer that fits into her pallet. I'd still get her beer but also brew one to compete with the commercial offerings you buy. Brewing is about sharing and having a good time!

 

[Teromous]

I prefer regular Sculpin but Grapefruit Sculpin is delicious too. Ballast Point is one of my go-to breweries. They have quite a few normal beers that I buy regularly (Sculpin, Even Keel, Longfin, Dorado, Big Eye). Anyway I think that the hop bill you've selected should hit it right out of the ballpark.

 

[urg8rb8]

My stepdaughter is a HUGE craft beer fan (lives in Asheville) and I've been trying to make a beer that WOWS her. I've gotten a few "Yeah, that's pretty good" but I'm looking for more enthusiasm. IPA's and Sours are her fav's but she'll drink most anything. Anyway, I asked her what she likes that I can get at the local Total wine and more (obviously can't get any Wicked Weed there). Here's her list:

Ballast Point - Sculpin Habanero
Ballast Point - Sculpin Grapefruit
Westbrook - Gose
New Belgium - Slow Ride
Oskar Blues - Pinner

I've had all except the grapefruit Sculpin and I gotta say I'm not impressed with any of them. They are all decent beers but nothing to brag about. From what I can tell she likes her beer dry (probably 1.010'ish). So my next brew is gonna mash at 146° and get 1/2# sugar added with a crap load of hops (galaxy, amarillo, centennial, simcoe). That should do it.
I am curious about something....almost every commercial beer I try, I find it thin in body and kinda watery feeling. I wonder if it is because (in general) the yeast has been filtered out? I keg, so I guess eventually I am drinking beer equivalent to filtered and my beer always feels a little creamy (i typically use tap water but have tried RO with chemical additions).

Have you tried the regular Sculpin? That is an awesome beer.

 

[smcinco]

I agree on Sculpin. It was mind blowing in its day but so many hop bursted IPAs have passed it up in my opinion. I think it needs an update eliminating any roasted malts. I don't know what the point of habanero Sculpin is, it's disgusting IMO. And I don't know any gringos who love spicy foods more than I do.

 

[JordanKnudson]

I find that many of my friends and family really like beers that sit in that intersection of flavor and "drinkability" (aka light-bodied and dry). I, like you, simply like it when they like my beer, so I try to hit that target when I'm making beer for them. FWIW, I've had good luck in that department with many wheat styles (hoppy American wheats can win over a Blue Moon drinker AND and IPA aficionado).

 

[Sammy86]

I can understand where you are coming from OP...my best friend and I have completely different tastes in beer...the best I get from him is it's good just not my style that I usually drink. So I've decided to take it for what it's worth and brew what I like. My brother drinks plenty of it and I get high praise from him.

I've got to admit that list she gave you has some damn good beers on it though...that grapefruit sculpin is delicious!

Cheers!

 

[gstolas]

You have to take into account when those brews were packaged and where they traveled from. It matters especially with hoppy beers. I live in the Midwest......if I see a beer from the coast from 2 months ago......you get the picture

 

[bobeer]

I'll add that brewing a beer with fruit in it is much better than buying a commercial beer that is made fruity by "natural flavors" added. Whatever that is...

The best is this snack I bought my kid once. "Flavored with natural flavor and other natural flavors." I threw it right out. Nothing beats pure, actual real ingredients, in stuff that you make yourself.

 

[Paps]

. "Flavored with natural flavor and other natural flavors.".

Beaver ass gland secretions........for sure.
They're natural...........
(they really DO use this in immitation vanilla flavoring)

 

[dpatrickv]

I sympathize with your predicament. I found some commercial beers that were pretty good, and then have been brewing clones. The clones, as I've brewed them, have more body and are much more enjoyable.

Poor commercial beers can be a gateway to expanding the palate.

Personally I wouldn't consider any of those beers he listed as "poor commerical beers"

Some people just enjoy different styles. Sounds like she likes her IPAs west coast style. Dry, thin bodies and loaded with hops. Gose's are a totally different beast as well.

I think mashing around 148 and loading up the tropical hops would be the right direction to take with her. I personally love the same style of beers. I also rarely mash above 148 for any IPA.

 

[LostBoyScout]

Not a Habanero Sculpin fan, but love the grapefruit.

Sounds to me like you've just dialed in your HB to be exactly what you want, and now it's hard to go back

 

[Jim311]

Buy a six pack of her favorite beer and then bottle something of yours stylistically similar in the same bottles and have her drink it. Maybe there's some bias in there somewhere.

 

[jaydlaw]

OP,
try a saison with added hops. they are pretty dry, fruit-like and somewhat peppery. fermentation is also a breeze. no real temperature control needed.

 

[LandoLincoln]

To be honest, the commercial beers weren't very impressed with you either, so...maybe all of you need to step up your game.