i have only brewed two batches, the second one was all grain, i came up with the recipe. i have several recipes that i have created, formulated, whatever you want to call it. one of the things that i believe is reading about what does what. i bought some books, how to brew (john palmer), dave miller's homebrewing guide, and the home brewer's answer book ( ashton lewis). these books are great for telling you how to formulate recipes. then i downloaded brewtarget and brewmate, both free. i decide what i want to brew, calculate it, then run it through the software. it is awesome learning how all this stuff works. i would have learned chemistry and algebra so much better if we were discussing beer recipes. there are calculations for everything in this hobby, understanding them will make you a better brewer. i am not saying that i am a good brewer, but my two beers have been awesome, i'm brewing an amber ale tomorrow, and i know it will be just as good as the first two. you have to trust what you have learned. i have read each of those books, i don't know how many times, plus all of the great info on this website. knowledge is priceless. plus it makes for good conversation.
