23 replies to this topic

[Buzz Buzzard]

I have ten different varieties of hops in the freezer now. just as i decide to brew 1 or 2 different beers 80% of the time for a while. want to work on my basics in finer detail for a few sessions get a couple beers to the point i could brew them blind. i have almost always brewed seat of the pants. some big hits,wild flavors big fails etc... time to settle things down a bit get more consistant.

[Genesee Ted]

Get yourself a brewing notebook and take good notes.

This

[Buzz Buzzard]

i have been using beer smith for this. better note taking is a great start

[djinkc]

I still do quite a few by the seat of my pants. Just getting better at it and looking at old notes sometimes

[MtnBrewer]

I still do quite a few by the seat of my pants. Just getting better at it and looking at old notes sometimes

I think the ability to control your process better has got to help consistency right? I hope so cuz that's a big part of why I want to upgrade to a HE/RIMS.

[djinkc]

I think the ability to control your process better has got to help consistency right? I hope so cuz that's a big part of why I want to upgrade to a HE/RIMS.

Yeah, process control absolutely. And finally listening to people that knew a lot more than I thought I did at the time.And lots of brewing. I would guess in the last five years I've brewed more than anyone else posting here, excepting the pros.Not that brewing a lot automatically makes you good..........

[BarelyBrews]

I used to do that a lot. Said to myself it would be "beer", ok or great it usually was. Now i try to be more Inspired before i make beer, sometimes from a commercial beer, sometimes for recipes i find. As i get longer in this hobby i find i want to see the better end product and not so much the i'm brewing to brew. And my notes have improved a lot, i laugh about the lack of info from my early years.

[gnef]

I would say that if your beer is decent already, work on one aspect at a time and figure out the impact of that one factor. If you do this enough, you will be able to hone nearly all aspects of your brewing in time.

[MtnBrewer]

It just all depends on what your goals are. If you're brewing just to have beer in the house, then you don't need to worry about all the details (reTodd comes to mind). If that's the case, you don't really need a brewing forum after about your 4th batch. If you want to push yourself to get better, then consistency is key because you can't make a change to a process that isn't repeatable and expect things to get better.

[SchwanzBrewer]

I was very much a seat of the pants kinda brewer. No notes. Now I have a whole page at least per brew. The beer was good, now its getting even better.

[MyaCullen]

I try to put on paper what I expect from a recipe before even create it, then work form previous experience to achieve the result I want, and note what things happened during the process, from starter to grind, to mash, to pitch, through fermentation, and impressions of the finished product, and try to correlate the process with the result

[al_bob]

All good suggestions, and I like gnef's for really understanding the effect of changing any one part of the process up. That's hard to do for me and is tedious, but good advice.

[Buzz Buzzard]

the happy with my beer thread got me thinking about ways i can tighten up and get better

[al_bob]

the happy with my beer thread got me thinking about ways i can tighten up and get better

Take every aspect of your process, analyze it, and compare it to proven practice, and see how you really stack up. Be honest with yourself.

[SchwanzBrewer]

Take every aspect of your process, analyze it, and compare it to proven practice, and see how you really stack up. Be honest with yourself.

This. It's tempting to cheat your OG by a point or two to make things look pretty, but why bother?

[Buzz Buzzard]

To be honest dont sweat OG, or FG.They are what they are when the brew is said and done.I am not saying I dont strive to hit them but dont sweat em either if they are not exact.Most times I dont even measure FG.I was having trouble getting close even a little while back on OG so I adjusted technique a bit and that resolved.I have made a lot of experimental batches, now it is time for me to make a few batches over and over.El Burro Negro, a modified Hop Chameleon, and an original of mine Sir Walter Ryely are going to be my primary rotation for a bit.Until I A) have a nice stockpile of them feel that I have got them stone cold down. C) I dont want to drink them anymore.

[MtnBrewer]

To be honest dont sweat OG, or FG.

Already backsliding.

[Buzz Buzzard]

you said be honest, it is what I have been doing