Where are we, homebrewers vs. latest trends

[mongoose33]

Okay mongoose, got it. Sorry to rant like that; guess I felt the need to explain myself further. Speaking of freedom, I really do enjoy the freedom to home brew, and brew whatever I want, which is usually different every time except for my core favorites. I cannot imagine brewing the same beer exactly the same every time, over and over like the macros. But then again, it would probably be good practice for consistency.

Do what you want; I'm not judging you.

You don't have to explain yourself to anyone.

(unless you're married)

 

[JohnSand]

This is a good thread, fun and interesting.
While I generally brew classic styles, I like to experiment by changing hops, subbing grain, and especially splitting batches between different yeasts. I'm thinking of an Amber Lager and a Belgian Pale from one wort next.

 

[ChelisHubby]

This is a good thread, fun and interesting.
While I generally brew classic styles, I like to experiment by changing hops, subbing grain, and especially splitting batches between different yeasts. I'm thinking of an Amber Lager and a Belgian Pale from one wort next.

That could be a challenge !

 

[JohnSand]

Not too much, I hope. The styles nearly match in color, abv, and bitterness. Noble hops are good for both. The yeast and temperature are what sets them wide apart. So I will brew one wort, split and ferment it separately, with the lager part in the ferm fridge.
Voila! (I hope)
I think my biggest success in splitting wort was a Belgian Pale Ale/Dubbel from one wort. I added dark candi syrup to half after fermentation started, increasing color, flavor and abv. Both halves were very good.

 

[eric19312]

I think the current hazy IPAs are fun for the homebrewer because freshness makes such a big difference in these beers. Many of the commercial beers, even highly rated IPAs will only be meh when tasted if they are more than a few weeks old. Had a can of Todd the Axeman this week that was extremely disappointing. Just bland amber beer with some hops and a lot of sediment. Every other time I've had the beer on draft (kegs of this never last more than a couple days) it has been fantastic.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I've never really understood the emphasis of hazy vs. clear beer. All the time on HBT I see people posting, "help: my beer is hazy". So what? Does it taste good? Are you creating a miller lite clone that you should be able to look through? Or are you upset that you think your Amber ale is hazy?

If hazy beers are a thing, good for those people who chase those things. I guess it's the little joys in life, the constant search.

 

[roadkizzle]

I've never really understood the emphasis of hazy vs. clear beer. All the time on HBT I see people posting, "help: my beer is hazy". So what? Does it taste good? Are you creating a miller lite clone that you should be able to look through? Or are you upset that you think your Amber ale is hazy?

If hazy beers are a thing, good for those people who chase those things. I guess it's the little joys in life, the constant search.

There are only really two times that I know of that I really care about the clarity of my beer.

When making something like a pilsner I find that when it's hazy the flavors taste a lot more muddled together. It doesn't have the crispness and I find it less enjoyable.

With a hefeweizen I love the yeasty flavors. So I really dislike a kristallweizen but love the hazy hefeweizens.

For IPA's I couldn't care less, for dark beers I normally couldn't care less (although I would prefer my schwarzbier to be clear because I want it to be crisp like a pilsner). Likewise for other english style beers.

 

[Denny]

NEIPA is a fad that will soon go the way of the Black IPA.

 

[Baja_Brewer]

NEIPA is a fad that will soon go the way of the Black IPA.

In that the bad ones will go away but the good ones will stay? As far as I can tell Black IPAs are an obscure, randomly seen beer due to lack of interest. NE IPAs, on the other hand, have a passionate following- despite the fact that less than half of beers that claim to follow the style are any good.

 

[Denny]

In that the bad ones will go away but the good ones will stay? As far as I can tell Black IPAs are an obscure, randomly seen beer due to lack of interest. NE IPAs, on the other hand, have a passionate following- despite the fact that less than half of beers that claim to follow the style are any good.

Black IPA had just as passionate a following at first, then people burned out on it. NEIPA hasn't been around as long, but I think it will go the same way.

 

[yourlastchance89]

I've never really understood the emphasis of hazy vs. clear beer. All the time on HBT I see people posting, "help: my beer is hazy". So what? Does it taste good? Are you creating a miller lite clone that you should be able to look through? Or are you upset that you think your Amber ale is hazy?

If hazy beers are a thing, good for those people who chase those things. I guess it's the little joys in life, the constant search.

I don't disagree with you on taste, but external aspects like appearance, aroma, and clarity are just as crucial in defining the true character of the beer. It takes true skill to master all aspects, something I feel all brewers should aspire to achieve. I'm not saying they should be read a book through it crystal clear, but some of these IPAs go the complete opposite trying to cloud the crap out of them. It's easy to brew a ****ty tasting & cloudy base beer and justify it through masking it by hopping the **** out of it and hiding behind the claim "that's the style bro". If that's the style, then I feel these NEIPAs are a regressed example of brewing, one that's harder to judge because its based off the opposite of what typically defines a good beer. Maybe I'm biased because I haven't really sampled many different types (haven't really felt the need based off what I've tried) but I don't see anything special with them.

 

[yourlastchance89]

Also I must say that I initially loved IPAs when I got into craft beers, but I've been worn out of them. It seems now any time I go to a stores section of craft brews 30%-50% of them are some kind of IPAs. The whole market is over saturated with them

 

[plazola86]

Why are new styles a bad thing? I see a lot of hate towards NE IPA style just because they're different. Why is different bad? This "fad" of style has brought and is bringing new brewing concept's that are new and exciting. Whirl pooling techniques, whirl pooling at different temps, yeast and hop interaction, that perfect water profile to make the hops shine but feel soft on the tongue. To each their own, every body has their own taste but you have to see the positive too.

 

[plazola86]

Forgot to mention this "oversaturation" of IPA's has brought along so many different hop varieties that ever body benefits from even if you don't like IPA's. Exciting times to be a home brewer right now I just don't see the downside.

 

[Denny]

Why are new styles a bad thing? I see a lot of hate towards NE IPA style just because they're different. Why is different bad? This "fad" of style has brought and is bringing new brewing concept's that are new and exciting. Whirl pooling techniques, whirl pooling at different temps, yeast and hop interaction, that perfect water profile to make the hops shine but feel soft on the tongue. To each their own, every body has their own taste but you have to see the positive too.

No, it's not becasue they're different. At least in my case, it's becasue I just don't like them.

 

[roadkizzle]

No, it's not becasue they're different. At least in my case, it's becasue I just don't like them.

Yeah. I don't dislike them because they're different. I do because they seem to just be popular because they completely oversimplify the flavors that make beer.

Look at Tree House's beers. Their IPA descriptions mention almost nothing except for juicy fruity flavors... Except for Sap which is almost 100% Chinook and is just piney.

I really think the smoothness is almost all about water profile. Oats in the grist will only get you so far.

I find citrusy hop flavors really boring... They are unexpected to a person who doesn't understand hops (and the transformation of linalool and geraniol into the other compounds can be fascinating for scientists) but from my realm they are the easiest flavors to pick out in beer, and they get really tiring after a pint.

 

[plazola86]

No, it's not becasue they're different. At least in my case, it's becasue I just don't like them.

Understood. I didn't like them either in the start to be honest, being from California I thought nothing beats a West Coast style IPA! I've done a full 180 after being lucky enough to try some great examples right from the source when I was on a work trip in Boston. I've come to appreciate both the same way for what they are. I think both West Coast and NE style have their place in this ever growing craft beer scene.

Off topic: I just started listening to your guy's podcast. Good stuff! I listened to the sticky hands episode recently and Block 15 sounds like a must visit someday.

 

[Denny]

Yeah. I don't dislike them because they're different. I do because they seem to just be popular because they completely oversimplify the flavors that make beer.

Look at Tree House's beers. Their IPA descriptions mention almost nothing except for juicy fruity flavors... Except for Sap which is almost 100% Chinook and is just piney.

I really think the smoothness is almost all about water profile. Oats in the grist will only get you so far.

I find citrusy hop flavors really boring... They are unexpected to a person who doesn't understand hops (and the transformation of linalool and geraniol into the other compounds can be fascinating for scientists) but from my realm they are the easiest flavors to pick out in beer, and they get really tiring after a pint.

My review of 10 NEIPAs, many of them from Treehouse....https://www.experimentalbrew.com/blogs/denny/oh-say-can-you-see-through-your-beer

 

[Denny]

Understood. I didn't like them either in the start to be honest, being from California I thought nothing beats a West Coast style IPA! I've done a full 180 after being lucky enough to try some great examples right from the source when I was on a work trip in Boston. I've come to appreciate both the same way for what they are. I think both West Coast and NE style have their place in this ever growing craft beer scene.

Off topic: I just started listening to your guy's podcast. Good stuff! I listened to the sticky hands episode recently and Block 15 sounds like a must visit someday.

Glad you like the podcast! Here's my review of 10 NEIPAs...https://www.experimentalbrew.com/blogs/denny/oh-say-can-you-see-through-your-beer

 

[roadkizzle]

My review of 10 NEIPAs, many of them from Treehouse....https://www.experimentalbrew.com/blogs/denny/oh-say-can-you-see-through-your-beer

Thank you very much. I've struggled to find good reviews and descriptions of the beers... On Beeradvocate the reviews all seem to be from up the brewers ass (I mean like a sycophant, brown-noser in colloquial terms).

I have struggled to find any more objective reviews.

 

[Denny]

Thank you very much. I've struggled to find good reviews and descriptions of the beers... On Beeradvocate the reviews all seem to be from up the brewers ass (I mean like a sycophant, brown-noser in colloquial terms).

I have struggled to find any more objective reviews.

You're welcome! Objective is what I do, based on my own subjective tastes!

 

[roadkizzle]

I will say after reading the reviews of those beers by Denny there's still not a single one that appeals to me to search out for... If someone hands me a can of one I'll happily try it but definitely not something I want to search out... Now I really DO want to search out Jack's Abby lagers, the Von Trapp lagers, I'd love to go to Suarez Brewing (I always think that should be in New Mexico or near El Paso... But that's probably because I'm so familiar with Juarez).

I am really excited about going to my first visit to PA to visit my family that just moved there, and I'd love to go to Yards in Philly... But there's nothing about the NE IPA's that seem appealing to me.

 

[Denny]

I will say after reading the reviews of those beers by Denny there's still not a single one that appeals to me to search out for... If someone hands me a can of one I'll happily try it but definitely not something I want to search out... Now I really DO want to search out Jack's Abby lagers, the Von Trapp lagers, I'd love to go to Suarez Brewing (I always think that should be in New Mexico or near El Paso... But that's probably because I'm so familiar with Juarez).

I am really excited about going to my first visit to PA to visit my family that just moved there, and I'd love to go to Yards in Philly... But there's nothing about the NE IPA's that seem appealing to me.

If you're in the Philly area, DO NOT MISS either Monk's Cafe or Victory Brewing in Downingtown.

 

[ericbw]

IPAs are over rated. That's the problem. Just my opinion.

 

[p_p]

Thanks everybody. It has been very interesting to read all your posts.

I guess the bottom line is that homebrewing should make you happy, if that means brewing again that solid recipe you've done a hundred times before or if you beleve it is time to make a locus beer, then so be it.

I understand how many craft breweries need to continuously attempt different things in order to keep up with and to keep the market moving. I guess us homebrewers do have full choice on what the destiny is.

In my post I was only thinking aloud. I am quite happy where my homebrewing sits compared to classic and new/innovative brews. I only brew 6-8 times a year and I want to make these count. The crazy stuff, I just shop for it and only if I come across something I say, damn, that was good, I could drink 5gal of this stuff, I may consider attempting the style myself.

This is such a great and contemporary hobby. Having the same people who write the books we read and feature in the podcasts we hear come out and engage in conversation is very unique. I like chemistry, but I know I will not get Mendeleev commenting on my post if I am disappointed with the table.

Great hobby, great forum.

Thanks again

 

[bajaedition]

IPAs are over rated. That's the problem. Just my opinion.

I have to agree, but the general public does not. I go into the store to get a sixer and over 50 percent of the craft brews are IPAs, with wheat beers making up a strong second.
But I guess that is god because we are fighting the watered down lite beer trend that has lasted way to long from the big breweries interested in profit over quality. I cannot understand how that they can get full price for Michelob ultra when it has so little barley in it.
That said, if you really want to see how good you can brew, brew a medium gravity american lager, you have nothing to hide behind and your chops had better be good because you are going to taste it if they are not

 

[bajaedition]

I've never really understood the emphasis of hazy vs. clear beer. All the time on HBT I see people posting, "help: my beer is hazy". So what? Does it taste good? Are you creating a miller lite clone that you should be able to look through? Or are you upset that you think your Amber ale is hazy?

If hazy beers are a thing, good for those people who chase those things. I guess it's the little joys in life, the constant search.

I think that there are 2 types of brewers, those who brew just good enough, and those who want to learn the entire realm of brewing. Those that want to brew a clear beer are just stepping up to the plate more than those who are satisfied with a hazy beer. Personally if I am served a hazy beer at a brew pup, I send it back. If I am going pay for a beer, the brewer needs to be able to make it clear. I can drink Tecate if I want cheap beer, and that is clear.