How long's it been since you tried a new recipe ?

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Mutilated1

Mutilated1

Beer Drenched Executioner
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I was just kind of wondering how long it had been since you guys have tried a new recipe ?

Just passed the 3 year mark in the history of my beer brewing hobby and its been months since I brewed anything really "new".

Not that I'm complaining, I just know what I like, like what I brew and brew what I like. Basically stick to the same recipes each time at this point.
 
I rarely brew exactly the same recipe. I have a few tried and true recipes, but I usually can't help myself from tweaking it a bit, weather its a different yeast, or 4oz of some specialty grain....
 
Last weekend. I almost always brew somthing new.

I've only ever repeated a beer three times, and I still made minor tweaks to each. It's just too much fun to make new stuff!
 
Last Sunday? I brewed a Fat Tire clone which I never even had. I was in the mood for a brown sweet beer.

I have one house ale that I make one change in at a time to see what it does to "my" beer.

I made an oatmeal stout that was out of this world. When I brew it again, I will probably change the recipe a little.

David :)
 
Man I just realized that out of the last dozen or so brews I made only two were of my regular often brewed recipes. Everything else has been a new recipe...and most of those were one-shots that I probably would brew again.

There's like 10 mazillion beer styles out there and I end up discovering a style I had really tried or like and then wanting to brew one. This year it's been vienna lagers, saisons and wits (this one is really a surprise for me, but after trying Hoegaarden I am hooked.)
 
I make my Dunkel every 4th batch, so i have a breakfast brew on draft, but try to do something new the other 3.

Variety is the spice of life.
 
I just passed my 3rd year also, and I've almost always got a Stout (with slight variations), an APA, or ESB (with slight variations), an IPA (with slight variations) and something different on tap.

So 1 out of every 4 beers I guess
 
The last three batches have all been new-to-me recipes, as in styles I've never made. Took a look at the Book, I haven't duplicated a recipe exactly in almost four years!
 
This is Interesting, I thought most people (like my self ) had specific recipes that the brew often, but it looks like there's a lot of experimentation going on?

I have been formulating my own recipes for several years now, so I like to brew, re-brew, re-re-brew to get what I'm looking for (I'm on the forth round of my Golden heavy). It saves some money because I can re-pitch the yeast through several round. But I'll also try a few different batches in between to try out with friends, and the ones that I like of those I'll re-brew a few times to get right.

I have a California common that I all ways brew any time I change equipment or add a process, because I know what it should taste like, and can determine if the change was good.
 
Bsquared said:
This is Interesting, I thought most people (like my self ) had specific recipes that the brew often, but it looks like there's a lot of experimentation going on?

I have been formulating my own recipes for several years now, so I like to brew, re-brew, re-re-brew to get what I'm looking for (I'm on the forth round of my Golden heavy). It saves some money because I can re-pitch the yeast through several round. But I'll also try a few different batches in between to try out with friends, and the ones that I like of those I'll re-brew a few times to get right.

I have a California common that I all ways brew any time I change equipment or add a process, because I know what it should taste like, and can determine if the change was good.
Click to expand...

Actually I do have a few oft repeated favorites, my Bell's Amber "Clone", my Old Bog Road Brown Ale (In my recipe pulldown), my cream ale, my version of Yooper's dead guy clone, and this Ginger Orange Dortmunder-esque ale that I am trying to perfect. In the winter I brewed the dead guy clone and the cream as a lager, and tried another version of the ginger orange for this summer, but I've done a ton more first time batches in the last few months.
 
When I started, my first 20 batches or so were different recipes almost every time. Over the last winter I sort of got stuck in a rut - just doing a rotation between brown-amber-pale. I made slight tweaks to the recipe, but nothing too different.

This spring and summer I've been trying to get out of the rut. Brewed my first successful lager, first cream ale, first irish red, just did my first barleywine last weekend. (Note to self - never plan another brew with a 2 hour boil when the est high temp for the day is 107)

I actually split a lot of batches on my rig with friends who are interested in homebrewing but probably wouldn't get too into it on their own. They pay for their half of ingredients and for consumables like propane. They also do all the cleaning :D It's been at least 5 batches since I've had to clean a carboy. I like it because I'm lazy and hate cleaning, and also because it keeps a good rotation of beer moving through the pipeline (except this one keg of IIPA. It's the gift that keeps on giving, we just can't kill it)
 
About every third or fourth brew is a "repeat", beers I like to have on tap here. Otherwise, they almost are always new recipes. Even my annual maibock isn't the same recipe, since I want to have something different. The only beers I never change are my 60 minute IPA recipe and my Dead Guy recipe.

I like to brew a different style every week, and then usually a different version of that style. Right now, I have an APA on tap that is "new"; a blonde ale that is "new"; a California common (different recipe that I've never done before) that is also "new"; but my usual IPA (with a few tweaks this time) and the normal Arrogant Bastard clone. I'm going to oak 1/2 of the AB clone this time, which I've never done before.
 
I'm still working on finding brews I like enough to repeat again and again. Going through the popular IIPA's and stuff. The issue with that is that they are really good fresh and I've been drinking them at such a slow rate that it takes me forever to finish one, so I rarely have another going because I dont want to let one get old!

I've made Centennial Blonde the most, thats for sure, but that is a light, quick beer that many people enjoy (parties.) I've done DFH 60 min Clone twice, Bell's Two hearted clone once, Stone IPA once, and I have a Ruination on tap now even though the ABV is way low, so I think the hops will be way up. I've only brewed about 30 some odd batches now (~20 All-grain), so I'm still in the "trying things" phase
 
The only time that I rebrew something is when I "tweak it". My stout I have made four or five times and each has been slightly different. My pale ale I finally got tuned in right, but I have brewed up six different versions. I haven't been able to find a good IPA recipe, though have a screamingly good IIPA figured out.

I like to brew new and am working a Berliner Weisse soon, have a Black IPA almost kegged, and am about to brew up an Amber (new for me).
 
I don't understand not re-brewing, I mean you can be a good brewer and all but if you can't reproduce your beer...your getting lucky?

I found that re-brewing with little changes helped with really understanding how the ingredients come together to make a good beer great. But more over re-brewing shows you your weaknesses and problems in your technique that you need to address.
 
Bsquared said:
I don't understand not re-brewing, I mean you can be a good brewer and all but if you can't reproduce your beer...your getting lucky?
Click to expand...

For me, once I started brewing, I noticed competitions. Then I noticed they had categories. Lots and lots of categories: the BJCP style list. I think, counting cider/mead variants, there are 70+ substyles of beer! :drunk:
Your brewing process improves overall, even when changing the style every time you brew; plus, you get to see how certain components, and different yeast strains, can have a dramatically different flavor profile.

What does a classic Baltic Porter taste like? I have a good sense now (or at least how it differs from a Robust Porter, etc). Ive only been in the hobby for 1.5 yrs and have brewed about 35 batches (counting some aphelwine and meads), and still havent covered much ground with lagers.

In my rotation, I do a classic style (cuz Ive probably havent tried the style yet), then a clone (cuz I know what it is supposed to taste like), and usually a weird beer (maybe a Caribbean pirate beer with ancho and chocolate? banana chocolate milk stout, anyone?).

Plus, if you like the big beers (8+ months) or the long ferm time beers (Flanders Red, +14 months), seasonal beers (Oktoberfest, Christmas, etc..), you gotta plan ahead and stick those in at the appropriate times.

That rotation keeps me busy enough.

While I do agree with your repeatability point, how do you know youve explored enough to want to repeat?

I would say your process control gets better over time.. I know my brew day notes are WAY better now than even 6 months ago....Sometime, especially with a classic style recipe, you brew it never having tasted anything like it before, and you nail it, and you know it; you know its a classic style for a reason, and its not some magical flaw.... if your notes are good (and you have proper amount of yeast at the right temperature for the right amount of time and all that), I dont know why you wouldnt be able to reproduce it.... just have to the variables controlled! And the only way to learn about the important variable, is to brew a bunch, and I dont think it takes doing the same kind over and over again to achieve that.
 
I hope I'm not getting off topic, but I'm intrigued about this.

I agree that it is good to try different styles of beer, and experiment with yeasts, and there are a butt load of BJCP categorizes, but if you have only tasted the beer you have brewed,do you really know what that style should taste like? It can be hard to track down some of these esoteric styles, but I like to try to find an example or three and then try and brew some thing new.

I've been brewing a while now, and the first few years, I brewed some thing new all the time. But as I started to refine the process, I learned that with the consistence of the process, you'll produce good beer , and you can really taste the difference with subtle changes at some parts of the process, but not so much for other parts.

I guess a good example is the Golden heavy I'm working on right now. By changing the pitching temp by a couple degrees you completely change the ester profile. and this is the same recipe and with re-pitching the yeast.

1st batch: Pitched 68º held for 1 weeks brought up to 80º two week
2nd Batch: Pitched at 74º brought up to 80º and held for three weeks
3rd Batch : pitched at 80º held for three weeks.
4th batch :will repeat second batch.

1st had a moderate ester profile
2nd had a strong profile that I was looking for
3rd had vary little ester profile

And the good thing about re-brewing rapidly, was I had the three beers to compare them too each other.
 
I'm only 8 brews into homebrewing, but I've got no intention in the near future of repeating a brew. I've got ambitions of making every style of beer one day (with the exception of lawnmower brews). I am partial to stouts and IPAs so once I find a good recipe for one I may be so inclined to repeat, but only 1 out of every 4 brew sessions.
 
I've a lot of recipes that folks want me to brew again, but the only one I've done multiple times is the MO/Vanguard SMaSH as a blond ale. Goes quick and everyone seems to like it.
 
Tried a new recipe just last Sunday. I'm always brewing my Beagle Blonde Ale but do tinker with different hops.
 
Bsquared said:
I hope I'm not getting off topic, but I'm intrigued about this.

I agree that it is good to try different styles of beer, and experiment with yeasts, and there are a butt load of BJCP categorizes, but if you have only tasted the beer you have brewed,do you really know what that style should taste like? It can be hard to track down some of these esoteric styles, but I like to try to find an example or three and then try and brew some thing new.

I've been brewing a while now, and the first few years, I brewed some thing new all the time. But as I started to refine the process, I learned that with the consistence of the process, you'll produce good beer , and you can really taste the difference with subtle changes at some parts of the process, but not so much for other parts.

I guess a good example is the Golden heavy I'm working on right now. By changing the pitching temp by a couple degrees you completely change the ester profile. and this is the same recipe and with re-pitching the yeast.

1st batch: Pitched 68º held for 1 weeks brought up to 80º two week
2nd Batch: Pitched at 74º brought up to 80º and held for three weeks
3rd Batch : pitched at 80º held for three weeks.
4th batch :will repeat second batch.

1st had a moderate ester profile
2nd had a strong profile that I was looking for
3rd had vary little ester profile

And the good thing about re-brewing rapidly, was I had the three beers to compare them too each other.
Click to expand...

I like what you say here. It showcases the differences between us all. You seem to be looking at it from a "scientific" standpoint where you are attempting to recreate something consistently. When I brew, I am not letting the brew gods just take over, but I am letting them do their thing. I know that my stout will change a little each time, which might be the reasoning behind using a little different recipe or yeast. I found that I like the flavor or an american stout brewed with an english yeast and mashed at around 155. I did this by changing the recipe to have a lot of Chocolate malt and by finding that I liked a little less attenuated beer, at 1.015-1.018.

Also, since I don't bottle, I never have two of the same beers brewed at two different times available. I drink the keg, rebrew the beer, drink the keg, rebrew the beer....yada yada. In between the two though, I drink another style and so I can't really "remember" what the last version tasted like.

So much to do in so little time :mug::ban::tank::rockin:
 
since i'm new i'm trying different recipses each brew, will start repeating a B3 esb, i really liked. i need another bucket for brew more often.
 
I brew a new recipe every other beer about. I like to keep a pale ale on tap that is really consistant. It's actually REALLY freakin' good. I'm thinking about posting on here. I have other tried and trues that I rotate out of that spot also. Other than that it's experimentation time almost exclusively.
 
I do agree that brewing the same beer repeatedly is a good way to refine your process, but that was 6-7 years ago for me. Now, I'm confident brewing one-offs, so I do.
 
YooperBrew said:
I like to brew a different style every week, and then usually a different version of that style.
Click to expand...

Does that mean you brew two different beers a week ?

Can you really drink that much ? Thats kind of a lot of beer, not that I'm anyone to judge - I drink about 1 batch ( 5 gallons ) every week to 10 days not counting probably 1-2 cases of BMC over the same time period.

If you don't mind me asking, what do you usually have on tap that you repeat ?
 
Also, I probably should have been more clear about this, but to me -- I'm not all that particular about exactly how long a beer gets left in the primary, or how many days it gets left in the secondary -- a lot of that just depends on when the kegs empty, and when I feel like doing it.

What I meant by repeating a recipe is that basically I stick to pretty much the same ingredients, but I might substitute hops or something if I have leftover hops that I want to use up... something like that. One beer I've been brewing a lot of lately is a recipe, that sort of started out as a cross between "Jamil's Special Yellow" and a Classic American Pilsner recipe that I got out of Southern brew news magazine about a year or so ago -- and I've just been modifying it slightly each time I brew it, mainly just bringing the OG down to where its more of a guzzler session-type beer. Basically the same set of ingredients, I've just been cutting back each time so that now I'm hitting around .040 and ending up with something more familiar to a typical beer drinker instead of a beer snob - lol
 
My experimenting phase is pretty much over. I have recipes that I like, and brew them seasonally. Every once in awhile I'll get the itch to try a new recipe or style- this past spring I made a light lager that the BMC masses loved. But that was pretty much the only new recipe I did this year.
 
I'm just curious out of those who have tried different recipes, how many have tried a new category?
 
I made my first Saison a week and a half ago. I am always tweaking recipes, looking for the perfect beer and working with what I have on hand.
 

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