30 replies to this topic

[ColdAssHonky]

I think a lot of homebrewers make big beers harder than they need to be. Because they want to be at the top of the guidelines rather than the bottom or middle. You see the post of the 1.100 BGS, BDS or American Barleywine where they cannot get them to finish, the brewer would have probably had a better chance if they aimed in the 1.080-1.090 (which is still a big beer) but I think people shoot for that magic 1.100+ and end up with poorer quality product.

LOL. The guy that started that thread... what a douche.

[earthtone]

HAHAHA @ BeerPants - good one dude :)Hey george! Give my dry stout recipe a try before you give up! :unsure:I think that the general sentiment that the beer with less to "hide behind" are the most challenging to nail as you really can't have any flaws.That said, if you toss BJCP styles out the window it's pretty easy to make a delicious and very simple brew: 2-Row + Bittering Hops + Ale Yeast.....

[denny]

American light lager is the toughest IMO.

[glennh2os]

for me - a lite beer - under 4 % - that still has mouth feel and character. sounds easy enough but it has been my quest.

+1 .. A great session beer is also my holy grail

[dmtaylor]

+1 to American Light Lager. I've come close, but mine ended up too sulfury, even after months of conditioning. Next time I'll try a different yeast strain.Also, I have made a few attempts but still have not managed to make an Oktoberfest that comes anywhere near the authentic German imports. Someday, maybe, I'll figure it out...... You?

[davelew]

+1 .. A great session beer is also my holy grail

I don't think a session beer should be great. I think a session beer should be pleasant to drink, the kind of beer where you take a sip, keep talking, then look down and wonder where the rest of the glass went. With that said, I've enjoyed this simple recipe, which disappears faster than any of my other beers:7.50 lbs Maris Otter0.75lbs Crystal 601 oz. EKG for 60 minutes1/2 oz. EKG for 20 minutes1/2 oz. EKG at flameoutWLP022 Essex AleThe recipe is also good with all Fuggles instead of all East Kent Goldings. I have not liked the versions I made mixing different bittering, flavor and aroma hops.

[japh]

I think it is very hard to make the same beer twice as home brewer and have it identical in a taste test. At least it is for me. Mine always turns out very similar but never identical in taste.

OTOH, if you're a homebrewer, why care too terribly much if you make an identical beer? If it's good, it doesn't matter if it tastes exactly like the last beer.

[ColdAssHonky]

OTOH, if you're a homebrewer, why care too terribly much if you make an identical beer? If it's good, it doesn't matter if it tastes exactly like the last beer.

+1 most of the time, but if you're trying to nail a particular profile or get rid of a flaw...

[denny]

OTOH, if you're a homebrewer, why care too terribly much if you make an identical beer? If it's good, it doesn't matter if it tastes exactly like the last beer.

It does to me...I like to know that the next batch of Rye IPA will taste like the last one. Otherwise, why would I follow a recipe?

[zymot]

A true lambic would be the most challenging (read impossible) to brew unless you are in the specific region because anything else that used cultures rather than natural inoculation is a pseudo-lambic.However I think were looking for techniques in the various brewing rather than a technicality like that.

Isn't this a variation on the old "You cannot make a lager beer unless you use a lager yeast." logic?

[earthtone]

It does to me...I like to know that the next batch of Rye IPA will taste like the last one. Otherwise, why would I follow a recipe?

+1 If I like a beer I make one day, but it comes out different every time I make it and I liked it one way best, it matters a lot to me that it will come out to satisfy the thirst I have for that taste. It also affirms your technique, ability and ingredients if you can replicate a process. If it comes out different, something has changed and if you don't know what that is, it doesn't speak loudly to your ability as a brewer.For it is the ultimate satisfaction to craft a recipe, decide I like it enough to replicate it, and then do it and have another batch of exactly the same brew. I'm sure KenLenard can agree with this as he has a set group of recipes in constant rotation and all of them are tried and true. If they didn't come out the same every time it wouldn't make any sense to make the same brew twice!