5 replies to this topic

[johnpreuss]

Something happened.... at first I thought it something that happened since we moved into the new house a year or so ago.... then I looked into my brewing notes.... it goes back even further.  Over the last 2-2.5 years 25-30 batches.... I have made 3 beers 90% of the time.  90-95% base malt, 5-10% crystal malt C-Hops - mainly Columbus, Centennial, and Cascade and Simcoe.  US05-1054-001 for yeast.  IBUs 50-65 OG1045-55.  The only exceptions I had were 3 lagers, and twice I used English hops instead of c hops.

 

I used to change it up, make different styles of beers.... I have no desire to anymore.  No offense to Ken... but look at his recipe page. There are a ton of similarities in his recipes and my brewing journal looks much the same for some time now. 

 

I have this going for me.  CONSISTENCY. My beers come out how I envision. The beers have few flaws - esters, phenols, astringency.

 

I have "experimented" if you want to call it buy adding 1-2% Black Malt or Midnight Wheat to make an AMBER, but they typically end up brown.  I also have found my pallet doesn't discriminate crystal malts between 40-80L at 5-7.5% usage. Honestly I don't see much in color difference at 10% of the grist.  I'm going to attribute to I believe that the lovibond rating of crystal is an average and you can/will have variance.  However, I can tell the difference between American and British Crystal malts.

 

I do have my next two brews planned.  A Samuel Adams-esque Lager and a 100 IBU / 1.070 OG IPA, So I guess I'm stepping out of my comfort zone... well not really. I've been making a lager one out of ever 4 batches lately so it's fitting into the norm.  And the IPA.. well it's US05, C Hops and some crystal 60. 

 

I don't know if I've gotten boring with my brewing or I have began brewing what I want to drink.  The one thing that looks to stand out is that this all started about the same time I started brewing 10-13gal batches.  So maybe the idea of 12 gallons of a Trippel just isn't very appealing to me.

 

Just a few observation of my brewing.

[3rd party JKor]

Yeah, man, brew what you like.

 

I'm on 3 gallon batches now.  I'll agree with you that 12 gallons of a style your just experimenting with is a lot to handle.  When I was brewing 12 gal batches on a regular basis, anything that I didn't love to drink ended up in the back of the chest freezer untouched.

[neddles]

Interesting thoughts. I have to believe I would be the same way if I were brewing bigger batches. More tried and true recipes. Although split batches are still just as easy as always (if not easier) at that volume if you want to look into doing new yeasts, dry hop combinations, or other post fermentation additives (herbs, spices, brett, etc) Sometimes time for brewing is restricted and you just want to go with what you know will work and be tasty. No harm in catering to that.

[HVB]

When I first got "Brewing Classic Styles" I had envisioned one day brewing all the recipes in there so I could have covered all the styles.  Fast Forward to today and I mainly brew APAs and IPAs, I love my hops, some dark beers and the occasional farmhouse beer.  I brew for me and family that likes my beers, I do not have much time now to experiment so I just go with what I know will come out good and be liked.  I do have a Dunkel on the agenda for this month so that will be another foray into lager territory that is new for me.

[johnpreuss]

I love drinking lagers... and without the time I use to have to brew I have resorted to almost strictly using dry yeast. So W34/70 has been and will be my workhorse for the forsee able future. I actually think I may try it on a APA, Chils says it's cleaner than us05 even up to 60 or so.

[gnef]

I think it is great to be introspective to your brewing without being judgmental of it. We all go through different phases in brewing, life phases, space constraints, priority shifts, etc.

 

I say brew what bring you the most joy. If it is a few beers brewed consistently that you enjoy drinking and making, I think that is great. 

 

If experimenting and doing different batches does it for you, I think that is great too.

 

If you can't brew due to life, I think that is great as well.

 

My brewing ebbs and flows all the time. Sometimes I will have gaps of 8 months or more, just due to life, time, energy, etc. Then I will find the times to do 6 batches in two months, or something like that, and that is also great.

 

It sounds like you've found a good rhythm for your life right now, and things might change in the future.

 

I have found that for me, there are certain beers I like to have on tap as often as possible that are good day-to-day drinks. I also like to have certain beers that are good 2-3oz taster sizes every now and then that I brew maybe every year or every 2-3 years. Then if I have the time and space, I like to brew new styles to check them off my list. I do have a long term goal of brewing all the main styles, but I don't let that get in the way of making sure I have beer on tap that I enjoy drinking every day.