What are your contrarian/"unpopular" beer opinions?

Yakima 728
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Auto Siphons are fickle, inefficient, and can be a headache to use. This is a much better idea:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP7_sWVvdWA[/ame]
 
Building a keezer with a space for air flow around the freezer is a waste of time. 1/4 plywood has and R factor of less than .33.

Over engineering is over rated.
 
I think my hombrew's name, Crackpot Brewing, says it all:
- You can brew good beers with extract as long as it's fresh and balance it out with a nice grain bill.
- Brewing is a journey, enjoy the trip.
- Brew what you like, the way you like. Do what works for you.
- Bottled beer tastes (slightly) different.
- Balance matters the most, not necessarily how much wacky ingredients, ABV or IBUs are in it.
- Hot pepper beers are good for drinking about one bottle.
- Why clone a beer when I can just go buy it?
- Style, schmyle. Sometimes it's fun to brew something totally off-kilter.
- Charging $6 or more for a 12 oz bottle is ridiculous!
 
Vandulus said:
- Why clone a beer when I can just go buy it?
Click to expand...

My first clone attempt, Dogfish Head 60-minute was to see if I could (not great). Side by side tasting is a good learning tool.

My most common clone, Redhook Double Black Stout, is because I can't just go buy SWMBO's favorite. It hasn't been available in Middle Georgia since 2006. Nor can I refind St. Landelin La Divine. Then there are one-offs (Terrapin Reunion '10, Redhook 8-4-1 Expedition Ale), and Stone has discontinued Sublimely Self-Righteous.

BTW, you do know Oliver Wendell Jones cloned Bill.
 
Vandulus said:
I think my hombrew's name, Crackpot Brewing, says it all:
- You can brew good beers with extract as long as it's fresh and balance it out with a nice grain bill.
- Brewing is a journey, enjoy the trip.
- Brew what you like, the way you like. Do what works for you.
- Bottled beer tastes (slightly) different.
- Balance matters the most, not necessarily how much wacky ingredients, ABV or IBUs are in it.
- Hot pepper beers are good for drinking about one bottle.
- Why clone a beer when I can just go buy it?
- Style, schmyle. Sometimes it's fun to brew something totally off-kilter.
- Charging $6 or more for a 12 oz bottle is ridiculous!
Click to expand...

I agree with everything except the clone item. I can brew a clone for much less than it costs at a store. If I drank more highly hopped IPAs then maybe that would not be the case. It is also a challenge.
 
DromJohn said:
My first clone attempt, Dogfish Head 60-minute was to see if I could (not great). Side by side tasting is a good learning tool.

My most common clone, Redhook Double Black Stout, is because I can't just go buy SWMBO's favorite. It hasn't been available in Middle Georgia since 2006. Nor can I refind St. Landelin La Divine. Then there are one-offs (Terrapin Reunion '10, Redhook 8-4-1 Expedition Ale), and Stone has discontinued Sublimely Self-Righteous.

BTW, you do know Oliver Wendell Jones cloned Bill.
Click to expand...

Yep, after a few unsuccessful tries with a gerbil :D I still remember the tagline about while Oliver was asleep, bringing back someone who filled many lives with joy .. and spittle/kitty litter.
 
ba-brewer said:
I agree with everything except the clone item. I can brew a clone for much less than it costs at a store. If I drank more highly hopped IPAs then maybe that would not be the case. It is also a challenge.
Click to expand...

For me time is at a premium, so I'm more than happy to spend the money instead. Also I like many different styles so more than a six pack, quickly gets old. But hey, that's why I'm contrarian!

I do greatly respect those that invest the time and effort to come up with a great clone recipe. Salut!
 
- Stir plates are unnecessary for most standard gravity ales. I'll even go as far as to claim they offer zero benefit over a no-shake starter in this situation. They are great at producing oxidized beer that either gets tipped down the sink or directly into a main batch though.

- Many yeast strains produce excellent beer fermenting in upper end of their temperature range (often better than at lower temps). Why buy a wonderful, estery strain only to ferment it like a lager?
 
Dry yeast makes great beer for any clean style. I use S-05 for almost every beer I make. I only buy liquid for styles in which the flavor profile is yeast dependent. For me that is primarily Belgian, Brett, saison, and maybe a kolsch
 
DromJohn said:
My first clone attempt, Dogfish Head 60-minute was to see if I could (not great). Side by side tasting is a good learning tool.

My most common clone, Redhook Double Black Stout, is because I can't just go buy SWMBO's favorite. It hasn't been available in Middle Georgia since 2006. Nor can I refind St. Landelin La Divine. Then there are one-offs (Terrapin Reunion '10, Redhook 8-4-1 Expedition Ale), and Stone has discontinued Sublimely Self-Righteous.

BTW, you do know Oliver Wendell Jones cloned Bill.
Click to expand...

I can see clones as being very educational but for me education always trails behind me not having enough beer I want to drink and wanting more beer.

Also I couldn't really do a fair comparison since the bottled beer in Korea is usually old and treated very badly so it wouldn't be a fair comparison.

Also lots of the stuff I end up doing are inspired by historical recipes but I don't bother to do straight up clones as I can't compare due to my tragic lack of a functional time machine.

For example I'm gearing up for a Victorian porter but not cloning any specific porter, just making sure I have the basics of lots of IBUs, straight forward grainbill without stuff like biscuit or crystal and long brett aging and that'll be close enough.
 
After reading through this whole thread, I have to say"wow"! What a bunch of opinionated jerks:). I thought beekeepers were bad. Anyway, I love brewing. I do it cheaply and with joy. It's fun! I like what I make and so do most of my beer drinking friends.Rarely do I buy commercial beer or worry about trends in what's hot on the beer scene. Beer is food, and I have learned to cook it up just the way I like it.
 
Beesnbeer said:
After reading through this whole thread, I have to say"wow"! What a bunch of opinionated jerks:). I thought beekeepers were bad. Anyway, I love brewing. Blah blah with joy. It's fun! Blah, blah, blah.
Click to expand...

Yeah yeah, bee keeper. Unless you have something contrarian to add that will stir the hive, keep it to yourself. :)
 
Saison shouldn't be fermented at high temperatures. Many Saison yeasts produce a better beer when fermented at lower temperatures (upper 60's to 70F).

And leave Brett out of Saisons!!!! Why is it that folks insist on ruining an otherwise fine Saison with Brett?

Imagine if the majority of breweries added Brett to their IPA/DIPA and without warning. Sure, maybe Brett was 'traditional' in IPA's but we've learned how to prevent it and that the beer is better without it, so please don't do it with Saison.
 
Silver_Is_Money said:
How do you sanitize in a dishwasher?
Click to expand...


Some dishwashers have a sanitize button but whether it gets hot enough I don't know. I wash bottles in the dishwasher and most labels come off. If not I take the remainder. On bottling day I stick the bottles in the oven and then turn it on to 180 for 20 minutes. Not preheat, just gradual. Then let them cool down before bottle as not to kill the yeast.
 
SirHC_ said:
I love session IPA. Yeah, it's a marketing ploy but it is some tasty beer. Point brewery is one I thoroughly enjoy.
That and marketing plots are not necessarily a bad thing. I like the pretty cans!
Click to expand...


You mean 7% isn't sessionsable???
 
Vandulus said:
I think my hombrew's name, Crackpot Brewing, says it all:
- You can brew good beers with extract as long as it's fresh and balance it out with a nice grain bill.
- Brewing is a journey, enjoy the trip.
- Brew what you like, the way you like. Do what works for you.
- Bottled beer tastes (slightly) different.
- Balance matters the most, not necessarily how much wacky ingredients, ABV or IBUs are in it.
- Hot pepper beers are good for drinking about one bottle.
- Why clone a beer when I can just go buy it?
- Style, schmyle. Sometimes it's fun to brew something totally off-kilter.
- Charging $6 or more for a 12 oz bottle is ridiculous!
Click to expand...


I clone right now to see what is different about each beer. Recipe has to be exact and there are a few breweries that will help with larger details. I'm not at the point I can say 9 lbs this 2 oz this and have a good beer. Or maybe I am, just haven't tried yet.
 
I'm still in the pro-bottle camp, even though I just got my first keg setup.

Agreed on "Why clone what I can buy?", but if it's a clone of something commercial you can't readily buy, that's not really applicable.

I didn't realize my propensity to use crystal in almost everything was contrarian.

Here's my new addition: whirlpooling doesn't work for crap.
 
Fizzycist said:
Here's my new addition: whirlpooling doesn't work for crap.
Click to expand...

I like this one! Maybe if you have a pump it'll work but I gave up trying to stir up an effective whirlpool long ago. Came to terms with the fact that it doesn't matter if a buch of crap makes it into the fermenter.
 
GPP33 said:
I like this one! Maybe if you have a pump it'll work but I gave up trying to stir up an effective whirlpool long ago. Came to terms with the fact that it doesn't matter if a buch of crap makes it into the fermenter.
Click to expand...

I just dump the entire damn kettle in the fermenter. Sometimes if there's a TON of trub I reach the point of stopping and leaving sludge in the kettle, but usually it all goes in. I believe that whirlpooling must work under some circumstances, but it's never worked for me.
 
SSBrew 300

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