41 replies to this topic

[positiveContact]

Ah, I actually just saw those beers on the shelf for the first time the last time I was at the store.  TBH, the labels turned me off. 

 

Do you know anything about the brewers/brewery? 

 

also I hear you about the labels.  a little too D&D for my liking.

[neddles]

I've had terrific to horrible beer from every kind of label. Do you guys use label art as a factor in trying a new beer?

[positiveContact]

I've had terrific to horrible beer from every kind of label. Do you guys use label art as a factor in trying a new beer?

 

maybe if I knew nothing about the beer.  hard to say.

[3rd party JKor]

I've had terrific to horrible beer from every kind of label. Do you guys use label art as a factor in trying a new beer?

 

 

Sure, who doesn't it?  How else are you going to assess something when you have no other information?  Sometimes all you're left with is how it looks. 

 

I'm not saying it's a good method, but you need to make the decision somehow.  That's why marketing exists.

[neddles]

Sure, who doesn't it?  How else are you going to assess something when you have no other information?

I didn't say you had no information, but to answer your question I would say the bottling date. The style. Is it in a can or bottle? Have you had any other beers from this brewery? What trusted opinions have I heard about the beer? Does the package have a list of the malts, hop varieties or even the yeast on it?

 

Im not saying I can't be marketed to, but if all I know about it is that the label is duchey, geeky, or elegant, monochromatic, etc. I probably won't buy the beer at all. If it matters to you that's fine. I was merely curious.

[positiveContact]

Yeah, I would really only use the art on the label as an indicator if I didn't have much else.  of course I would only buy a style I'm likely to enjoy and old beer is never a great idea.  but beyond that if I know nothing of the brewery/beer I have to use something - if the artwork/design makes me think they have their shit together that's a good sign.  better than nothing anyway.

[3rd party JKor]

I didn't say you had no information, but to answer your question I would say the bottling date. The style. Is it in a can or bottle? Have you had any other beers from this brewery? What trusted opinions have I heard about the beer? Does the package have a list of the malts, hop varieties or even the yeast on it?

 

Im not saying I can't be marketed to, but if all I know about it is that the label is duchey, geeky, or elegant, monochromatic, etc. I probably won't buy the beer at all. If it matters to you that's fine. I was merely curious.

 

 

What if all the factors you listed are more or less the same?  At some point it just comes down to an emotional decision.  I don't know if I've ever found myself in that situation with beer because I am very knowledgeable about it and I know what I want.  When buying something like wine, I definitely have to resort to making a decision on something surperficial because I just don't know how to parse the difference between 20 Cabernets.

 

In this case, I just saw it in passing and it stuck out to me as sort of a weird label.  I wasn't considering that particular beer.  Just a passing thought of it being odd imagery to have on a label due to the fact that it clearly appeals to a very specific part of the population.  That caught my attention because in the case of something like beer you want the appearance of your product to be as broadly appealing as possible. 

[neddles]

What if all the factors you listed are more or less the same? 

Some factors are frequently the same. There is a whole lot of beers on the shelf that all follow this pattern. They are IPA or pale ale, they tell me nothing of what hop varieties or malts are in them, they are in bottles and they have no date. They all get ignored. Another example, they are european in origin, the bottle is green, the bottling date is not given just a nebulous "best by" date. They all get ignored. That eliminates about half the inventory from my consideration. After that I have never seen all the other factors I listed above be the same. I am no different than you, I know enough that there is always something about the beer itself that will help me choose. If I am down to the artwork I am either in an otherworldly good bottle shop or I am going home empty handed. That's just me.  

[positiveContact]

Some factors are frequently the same. There is a whole lot of beers on the shelf that all follow this pattern. They are IPA or pale ale, they tell me nothing of what hop varieties or malts are in them, they are in bottles and they have no date. They all get ignored. Another example, they are european in origin, the bottle is green, the bottling date is not given just a nebulous "best by" date. They all get ignored. That eliminates about half the inventory from my consideration. After that I have never seen all the other factors I listed above be the same. I am no different than you, I know enough that there is always something about the beer itself that will help me choose. If I am down to the artwork I am either in an otherworldly good bottle shop or I am going home empty handed. That's just me.  

 

I'm not that well versed on commercial beer.  I think if I went by your standard I'd rarely try anything new (not that that happens much anyway )

Edited by Evil_Morty, 12 January 2016 - 02:37 PM.

[neddles]

I'm not that well versed on commercial beer.  I think if I went by your standard I'd rarely try anything new (not that that happens much anyway )

Locally it's uncommon for me to try something new. I just don't buy much commercial beer anymore. When I am out of town and have access to lots of beers that are new to me my standard usually nets me several good new beers to try.

[HVB]

While looking around my files for something to brew this weekend I found that i had saved this version of Mike McDole's Janet's Brown Ale that was scaled down.  I have never brewed the original JBA but I have read wonderful things about it.  Not sure if this id the direction you want to go with your beer but I think I may give this one a go, with some tweaks, in one of my next brewing sessions.

 

Session Janet’s Brown Ale

Original Gravity: 1.052
Final Gravity: 1.016 4.7% ABV
IBU: 63

58% Rahr Two-row
14% Crystal 15
 9% Crystal 40
 9% Carapils
 7% Wheat Malt
 3% Chocolate Malt
32 IBU Northern Brewer at 60 minutes
12 IBU Northern Brewer at 15 minutes
 8 IBU Cascade at 10 minutes
13 IBU Cascade at 0 minutes (30 min rest)

Dry hop with Centennial at 1/2 ounce per gallon.

Notes: Mash at 156F for 45 minutes. Boil 90 minutes. Ferment at 68F with California
Ale yeast for 4 days raising to 70F until terminal gravity. The 0 minute hop addition is at
flameout and is followed by a 30 minute whirlpool rest. That addition can be moved to 20
minutes if a whirlpool rest is not used.

[3rd party JKor]

While looking around my files for something to brew this weekend I found that i had saved this version of Mike McDole's Janet's Brown Ale that was scaled down.  I have never brewed the original JBA but I have read wonderful things about it.  Not sure if this id the direction you want to go with your beer but I think I may give this one a go, with some tweaks, in one of my next brewing sessions.

 

Session Janet’s Brown Ale

Original Gravity: 1.052
Final Gravity: 1.016 4.7% ABV
IBU: 63

58% Rahr Two-row
14% Crystal 15
 9% Crystal 40
 9% Carapils
 7% Wheat Malt
 3% Chocolate Malt
32 IBU Northern Brewer at 60 minutes
12 IBU Northern Brewer at 15 minutes
 8 IBU Cascade at 10 minutes
13 IBU Cascade at 0 minutes (30 min rest)

Dry hop with Centennial at 1/2 ounce per gallon.

Notes: Mash at 156F for 45 minutes. Boil 90 minutes. Ferment at 68F with California
Ale yeast for 4 days raising to 70F until terminal gravity. The 0 minute hop addition is at
flameout and is followed by a 30 minute whirlpool rest. That addition can be moved to 20
minutes if a whirlpool rest is not used.

 

 

Interesting.  I ended up doing a variation of JZ's ABA.  Actually, I changed it quite a bit, I don't know if it can really be called a variation any more.  I'm looking for something on the drier side, so I think that recipe is a little much on the crystal.  That has a pretty aggressive hopping schedule, too.  65IBU for a 1.052 beer?  That seems like it should be overwhelming, but with all that crystal, maybe not?

 

I'll post my recipe when I get a chance.

[HVB]

Interesting.  I ended up doing a variation of JZ's ABA.  Actually, I changed it quite a bit, I don't know if it can really be called a variation any more.  I'm looking for something on the drier side, so I think that recipe is a little much on the crystal.  That has a pretty aggressive hopping schedule, too.  65IBU for a 1.052 beer?  That seems like it should be overwhelming, but with all that crystal, maybe not?

 

I'll post my recipe when I get a chance.

I liked that it was not dry as that was something I was looking for, a sweeter brown.  I am with you on the IBU's and that was one area I would tweak.  I would think 40 IBU's would be the sweet spot for me.  Seeing I would be using 1469, West Yorkshire on this, I may cut back on teh crystal as well or just dump the carapils and make that up with base.

[3rd party JKor]

Here's the recipe.  Much lighter on the crystal than Tasty's recipe.  It may even be a little on the low side.  We'll see.  

 

My mash efficiency was a little better than usual so OG was 1.050 instead of the planned 1.047.  

Batch Size (Gal):         3.30    Wort Size (Gal):    3.30
Total Grain (Lbs):        5.90
Anticipated OG:           1.050
Anticipated SRM:          20.6
Anticipated IBU:          36.0
Brewhouse Efficiency:       76 %

   %     Amount     Name                          Origin        Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 84.7     5.00 lbs. Golden Promise                Great Britain  1.038      3
  4.2     0.25 lbs. Crystal II                    Great Britain  1.033     64
  4.2     0.25 lbs. Caramel Pils Malt             Belgium        1.034      2
  2.5     0.15 lbs. Victory Malt                  America        1.034     25
  4.2     0.25 lbs. Chocolate Malt                Great Britain  1.034    475

   Amount     Name                              Form    Alpha  IBU  Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  7.40 g.     Summit                            Pellet  14.28  27.7  60 min.
 16.00 g.     Amarillo 2014                     Pellet   7.38   8.3  15 min.
 21.00 g.     Simcoe 2014                       Whole   14.10   0.0  0 min.
 10.00 g.     Amarillo 2014                     Pellet   8.40   0.0  0 min.

60 minutes @ 152

Fermentis  Safale US-05

 

[positiveContact]

Aren't you worried about apricot flavors or something with that yeast?

 

I like the use of victory there.  I think that will be great.

[3rd party JKor]

Nah, i love apricots!

[HVB]

I am thinking of giving something like this a try

 

8-Two Row

1-Wheat

.75-Caravienne

.5-Chcolate

.25-Brown Malt

 

Bitter with Northern Brewer and do a mix of Cascade/Willamette at 10 and whirlpool

[3rd party JKor]

Just transferred this and I think it turned out pretty good.  Finished at 1.014.  I think the Amarillo/Simcoe late hops may have given it a little more citrusy/fruity finish than I wanted.  We'll see how it is when it's carbed up.  As of now, I'd go with something more floral/earthy to finish.

[positiveContact]

Just transferred this and I think it turned out pretty good.  Finished at 1.014.  I think the Amarillo/Simcoe late hops may have given it a little more citrusy/fruity finish than I wanted.  We'll see how it is when it's carbed up.  As of now, I'd go with something more floral/earthy to finish.

 

that's typically what I go with for browns.

Edited by Evil_Morty, 27 January 2016 - 02:12 PM.

[cavman]

I won't comment on the crystal malt used but I would have used a different yeast. Wy1318 or preferably wlp007