What are your contrarian/"unpopular" beer opinions?

[DromJohn]

Balance is overrated.

 

[brewstergalVT]

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.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Brett saisons are possibly the best beers on the planet...And pellicles are awesome! 😉🍻

 

[Murphys_Law]

I brewed a Brett saison today and used a carboy as primary (first. Time. Ever.) just to see the growth.

 

[brewstergalVT]

Glad to see I'm contrarian!!

 

[GPP33]

Brett saisons are possibly the best beers on the planet...And pellicles are awesome! 😉🍻

My opinion is people that think like this are wrong. And need to shut their beer holes!

 

[TANSTAAFB]

🤘

 

[JonM]

Underpitching and deliberately stressing Hefeweizen yeast is silly.

 

[oylerck]

How do you sanitize in a dishwasher?

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.

 

[oylerck]

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!

You mean 7% isn't sessionsable???

 

[oylerck]

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!

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.

 

[Mainer]

You mean 7% isn't sessionsable???

Everything is sessionable.
It's just that some sessions are shorter than others.

 

[NCSU_Brewer]

In addition to craft beer, I actually like PBR.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

I miss Lonestar...

 

[JonM]

This guy?

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1487710303.966906.jpg

 

[Fizzycist]

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.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

This guy?

View attachment 389902

Nope, THIS guy...

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Here's my new addition: whirlpooling doesn't work for crap.

Maybe when you do it. I find a nice hop/trub cone in the middle of my kettle after the knockout.

To be fair, I use a pump through a CFC to chill during whirlpool, lasting about 15 minutes, and then I let it settle for another 5-10 mins.

 

[GPP33]

Here's my new addition: whirlpooling doesn't work for crap.

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.

 

[FatDragon]

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.

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.

 

[Bosh]

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.

Only time I care is if I'm not going to be able to give the beer a good cold crash. Hop floaties can lead to bottle bombs. Other kinds of trub into the fermentor I don't much care about.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Contrarian opinion:
Unless your base water has an unusual pH, you really don't need to worry about controlling mash pH.

Here's why:
Your grains should get you in the right ballpark all by themselves.
For those of you who check your pH every time, how often do you actually have to adjust it? My guess is not that often (again, unless your brew water has an unusual pH).

And if your pH is outside the optimal range by a point or two, the only thing you'll lose is a small his on enzymatic efficiency, which in the grand scheme of things won't throw your beer off by a noticeable amount.

Caveat: if you are using other additives that will change your pH, like SMB, you should monitor it because you are artificially modifying your water's natural pH.

 

[GPP33]

Only time I care is if I'm not going to be able to give the beer a good cold crash. Hop floaties can lead to bottle bombs. Other kinds of trub into the fermentor I don't much care about.

Everything sinks in my fermenter, never had hop floaters. I always brew a little extra though so I can leave the really thick stuff in the kettle.

 

[Bosh]

Everything sinks in my fermenter, never had hop floaters. I always brew a little extra though so I can leave the really thick stuff in the kettle.

Well doing this:
1. Pour wort into fermentor with spigot on the bottom.
2. Pitch yeast.
3. Throw in loose dry hop a few days later.
4. Don't cold crash.
5. Bottle from spigot on bottom of primary fermentor.

Isn't a good idea. Been there done that. I'm smarter now.

With beers without enough hops in loose to goop stuff up I don't give a crap.

 

[rhys333]

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.

I just pass it all through a strainer. Catches the crap and aerates a bit too.

 

[rhys333]

Contrarian opinion:
Unless your base water has an unusual pH, you really don't need to worry about controlling mash pH.

Here's why:
Your grains should get you in the right ballpark all by themselves.
For those of you who check your pH every time, how often do you actually have to adjust it? My guess is not that often (again, unless your brew water has an unusual pH).

And if your pH is outside the optimal range by a point or two, the only thing you'll lose is a small his on enzymatic efficiency, which in the grand scheme of things won't throw your beer off by a noticeable amount.

Caveat: if you are using other additives that will change your pH, like SMB, you should monitor it because you are artificially modifying your water's natural pH.

Before I adjusted water my all-grain beer was aweful. Mash pH was too high due to alkalinity and my beers turned out astringent. The impact of being off slightly does seem to me to be far lower than many brewers think though.

 

[Rhaop]

Before I adjusted water my all-grain beer was aweful. Mash pH was too high due to alkalinity and my beers turned out astringent. The impact of being off slightly does seem to me to be far lower than many brewers think though.

I made decent beers with a 3 vessel system for 3 years, after switching to BIAB 3 years ago(at the recommendation of my lbhs) my lighter beers really sucked and no one would admit to me that there was a strange bitterness on the finish everyone said it was hop bitterness, well after much reading I determined my mash ph had to be high due to the full volume mashing, the same guy that recommended BIAB had no answers for me, so after alittle more research i bought a cheap kh and gh aquarium kit using a calculator on kai's website i now add 1/2-1 tsp of calcium chloride and alittle acid malt according to ez water, problem solved


My unpopular opinion is notty is not a clean neutral yeast, the ester profile dominates my palate even fermented below 60* F unless i use it in an IPA, i've tried s-04 and mj's dark ale with similar results

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

My unpopular opinion is notty is not a clean neutral yeast, the ester profile dominates my palate even fermented below 60* F unless i use it in an IPA, i've tried s-04 and mj's dark ale with similar results

Oh no! I'm presently fermenting a brew in my garage using Nottingham yeast, and with the garage temperature holding over the past 3-1/2 days of active fermentation at between 61 degrees and 63 degrees F. It's nearing completion (about 2.5 bubbles per minute as seen in the airlock, down from a high of a bit over 120). Now I'm concerned.

My unpopular opinion is that whereas it is necessary to adjust mash pH downward if above 5.5, it is not necessary to adjust mash pH upward if it is below 5.2. A recent Brulosophy exbeeriment was conducted whereby they brewed a batch that was mashed at pH 4.45, and it came out just fine. And the panel of taste testers could not determine any statistical difference from the same batch brewed at a mash pH of 5.3. It took 19 ml of 88% lactic acid to get the 5 gallon batch to mash at pH 4.45, and the panel of taste testers couldn't detect the presence of lactic acid tainted flavoring either, again finding it statistically indistinguishable from the control batch. A two for one disproof of myths currently accepted as common logic. It can't get much more contrarian than this.

 

[Rhaop]

"Oh no! I'm presently fermenting a brew in my garage using Nottingham yeast, and with the garage temperature holding over the past 3-1/2 days of active fermentation at between 61 degrees and 63 degrees F. It's nearing completion (about 2.5 bubbles per minute as seen in the airlock, down from a high of a bit over 120). Now I'm concerned."


I wouldn't be concerned the batches i fermented with notty didn't goto waste friends and family loved them, it's just not my cup of tea, I won't lie though I haven't used liquid British yeasts yet afraid to dip my toe in the water so to speak lol

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

I wouldn't be concerned the batches i fermented with notty didn't goto waste friends and family loved them, it's just not my cup of tea, I won't lie though I haven't used liquid British yeasts yet afraid to dip my toe in the water so to speak lol

What is your opinion of Fermentis SafeAle US-05 vs. Nottingham for cleanness? Was Nottingham as bad in this regard as S-04?