What's YOUR ideal and perfect house beer?

[Braufessor]

I agree with much of your criteria - when I think "house beer", the two main criteria I would start with are:
1.) everyone likes it.
2.) low alcohol/session beer.

Quick turnaround is also key, so you can whip a batch or two up on a few weeks notice and have it in its prime for parties and gatherings. That said, probably my most popular house beers are -

1.) British Dark Mild
2.) British Bitter
3.) A smallish American Pale Ale in the 1.040 range with 25-30 IBU's or so.

4.) a fourth really popular beer of mine that takes longer is a German Helles.

I really love a good British Dark Mild though - pleases all kinds of beer drinkers.

 

[Yooper]

So has anyone else made any "rules of thumb" for house brews? I'm kind of interested in the thought process for the way you created your beer.

Here are mine!
1. Relatively low ABV, so I can have more than a couple.
2. Hops flavor and aroma a MUST
3. Cheap. Since I buy hops by the pound, and grow about 4 varieties well (others not so well ), buy grain in bulk, and reuse yeast, even IPAs and APAs are fairly cheap.
4. Must be medium bodied, and quaffable (not sweet nor too dry).

My goal is really a session IPA. I've made some that are really close to my Holy Grail, but nothing that screams "PERFECT!" yet. I'm trying to come up with something like 21st Amendment's Bitter American, using my homegrown hops but having more citrusy hops flavor and aroma but still balancing the malt backbone with it- and keeping it under 5% ABV.

I have other house beers, though- I have a house oatmeal stout for fall/winter. I have a house IPA. Since I'm a hophead, as is my husband, we normally have at least two hoppy beers and one "other" on tap at any given time.

Right now, I have on tap: House IPA; English IPA, Homegrown hops APA; and Fizzy Yellow Beer.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

I agree with much of your criteria - when I think "house beer", the two main criteria I would start with are:
1.) everyone likes it.
2.) low alcohol/session beer.

Agreed... And here on the left coast, I almost think that means "Session IPA"

Seems everyone who visits me hits the IPA first anyway, so I should make a version that doesn't get them then :cross:

Only problem -- not drinking all 10 gal of the batch before they show up!

 

[bizarrojosh]

Agreed... And here on the left coast, I almost think that means "Session IPA"

Seems everyone who visits me hits the IPA first anyway, so I should make a version that doesn't get them then :cross:

Only problem -- not drinking all 10 gal of the batch before they show up!

I have both of those "problems."

Having multiple house beers sounds awesome. I'm too experimental right now in my fledgling brewing to be able to really make several house brews. There's just too many styles to try! With experience and age I'm sure I'll make a couple that I can call my own and which I enjoy enough to make a house brew

 

[Grippe]

Yea I tell you truthfully - I cannot think of anything better that fits the OP's ask than Edwort's Haus Pale.

 

[danielofthedale]

To me a house beer should be one of the brewers favorite styles, low to low middle abv, and something friends/family will drink some of as well.

For me I would want my house beer to be a brown ale(English or American) or an ESB. I will go hit up my local soccer bar early on a Saturday and be there there till the early evening can enjoy browns and ESBs all the way and not get over my skis and it seems like even my non craft friends enjoy them.

 

[bizarrojosh]

That's a great criterion "it should be a favorite style of the brewer." Because if the brewer doesn't like it then why the hell make it right? Plus that's why yooper's comment was so interesting because she likes IPA's so much so that makes sense for her and her family. I'm going to add that to the front if you don't mind! Thanks for the input.

 

[danielofthedale]

That's a great criterion "it should be a favorite style of the brewer." Because if the brewer doesn't like it then why the hell make it right? Plus that's why yooper's comment was so interesting because she likes IPA's so much so that makes sense for her and her family. I'm going to add that to the front if you don't mind! Thanks for the input.

Go for it. I would not bother me at all. If I was in a home brew club I think it would be an interesting day to see what everyone hangs their hat on as far their house style would be.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

my criteria: whatever I have in the house.



oh. snap.

 

[D_Nyholm]

Mine is the orange/coriander cascade pale ale from this site. I think it is the best beer I have made and is slightly hoppy without being a face slap. The orange also adds a little more flavor and is great for the summer. The next time I brew it I am going to omit the orange and coriander and make it cheaper to grew. It is just 2 row and 60l from what I remember, maybe some Munich or Vienna but I am not sure.

 

[masskrug]

I built my all-grain "One Buck Bombers" off a Two-Hearted clone. All Centennial with a 16 pound malt backbone. I try to keep my 5.5 gallon batches under $25, yet keep them above 7% ABV.

 

[Beernik]

Here's my hazelnut sweet stout, just bottled tonight.

I'd like to point out that the bottle on the right is clear.

 

[mjdonnelly68]

For me, a nice Hefeweizen is the perfect house beer. Easy to make. Fast to ferment. Great flavor. Low ABV so you can have three in a sitting without breaking a sweat.

I've worked on a few 'sessionable' IPAs and APAs, but they always seem thin sub 5.0. Hefes taste spot on in that same range.

 

[Piratwolf]

Pale mild, "hop sesh", Patersbier, Saison, session porter--that's my current run alongside some bigger, hoppy beers

 

[Laszlo]

A nice Pale Ale with 10 lbs of 2 row and a touch of caramel 60. 1 oz of hops @60 for the IBU (30-40) and 1 oz at the end. I reuse WLP007 dry English ale yeast . Grain to glass in 3 weeks. This beer is clean and bright around 5% .Usually under 20 bucks. I am checking the gravity after the first week.