What's the single most important aspect of making a great-tasting beer?

[NCBeernut]

9. sanitation

It doesn't matter what you do with #1-8 if you wind up with an infection, you're beer won't be "great-tasting."

This. Without question. You can get away with the other stuff on there and still have at least drinkable beer. Of course to actually make good beer, other factors come into play.

 

[babalu87]

Other

Paying attention to detail

Recipe
MEH

Take an all Pils....Pils have ten brewers make one cant tweak it, its a Pils...........gotta brew as is over half are gonna suck because details weren't paid attention to

 

[hal2814]

Our 4 chief weapons are:
1. Fear
2. Surprise
3. Fanatical Devotion to the Pope.
4. That's it! There's no fourth thing.

On a more serious note, you can't distill brewing down to one important lesson. Most lessons are important. Several factors like fermentation temp and sanitation are so crucial they can destroy a beer.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

11. Other

Trying often.

 

[Scimmia]

9. sanitation

It doesn't matter what you do with #1-8 if you wind up with an infection, you're beer won't be "great-tasting."

Bingo. If your beer is infected, the other stuff is really and truly pointless.

 

[j1laskey]

I work in a lab "doing science" daily....and if brewing is considered a science...then it is without question sanitation...Have you ever smelt the inside of a 37degreeC incubator with a cell culture that has an infection??? Terrible!

 

[johnnyboy1965]

Self satisfication

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Self satisfication

Clean out your PM box! ******!