Best Source for Recipes

My method for brewing is the same as it is for cooking. I find and read 5-6 recipes taking note of the best aspects of each then formulate my own recipe using what think are the best parts. With that said I use this site, Homebrew Talk, American Homebrewers Association, mostly and then other sites google feeds me to find recipes. The basic google search of something like "English brown ale recipe" can give you a bunch of recipes to read but you need to understand the process enough to decipher which recipes work and which are crap.

 

When I write a recipe I often start by taking a look at Brewing Better Beer by Gordon Strong. Sometimes I also reference Brewing Classic Styles by Jamil Zainasheff. Next I think of an example of a beer I like, thinking about what I like and I don't. I may even Google if there's a clone. Then I kinda put it all together. Take a basic structure and amend.

 

What exactly are you wanting to make? Keep in mind that BA's recipe forum is still quite young compared to others. Many of us on here also have blogs where we store the bulk (if not all) of our recipes.

 

http://beersmithrecipes.com/

 

I like to brew clone recipes for beers that I'll probably not have the opportunity to find on a store shelf, so I use the book CloneBrews. Or if I can't find a recipe there, I've always found version(s) of the clone recipes on the internet somewhere. The clone book has ingredients/procedures for all recipes for extract, mini-mash and all-grain brewing. I've used it too to brew beers that I can get in my local store just to taste for comparison which is fun. Most have been close to the real thing, and all have been good.

 

American Homebrewers Association website has a recipe section for NHC winning entries that is a good place to get ideas.

 

Pretty much my process as well. Although to be honest I have brewed several awesome recipes that are posted in BA's recipe forum. As well as a couple that were posted in the forums, but not in the recipe database. Don't discount it.

 

Must be a Wisconsin thing; the brats, cheese curds, beer and the Go, Pack, Go, has programed us to think alike haha

 

I usually hit the bjcp style guidelines and Designing Great Beers as well. I don't usually clone beers, or follow recipes for that matter. I typically start with the style, and brew a simple recipe based off of that.

 

I don't need no stinking beer style judge!,!, lol.

And I never have seen the style guide lines. I do ,like @SFACRKnight , start with a style and go from there. Style have been picked up from beer smith, brew monkey and reading a lot of side panels off of recipe kits. Then there is a great forem like this where folks openly discuss recipes, what they like, don't like and some really like to fine tune things like water, timing of hops, use of different bug, bacteria and more.

Lots of info here and other site, but defiantly don't discount this recipe site. My fav is @JohnSnowNW house pale
.

 

Permit me to recommend the book Designing Great Beers by Ray Daniels. It is not a book of recipes but it provides very good guidance on how to formulate a beer recipe for given styles of beers.

Cheers!

 

"Good artists copy; great artists steal."

Find your favorite examples of the styles you want to brew and then steal their recipes (and processes).

 

"Best Source for Recipes" ...experience and experiment

"We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it—and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove-lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove-lid again—and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore. "

Mark Twain

 

I'll put in a word for the Mad Fermentationist blog. Mike Tonsmeire writes excellent recipe notes and the nice thing is that he typically writes up a review of the beer later so you can see his impressions of how it turned out (check the bottom of a recipe post for a link to the tasting notes). The other cool thing is that he'll often brew several iterations of the same basic recipe, changing a few variables as he refines the recipe. All of his recipes are compiled on one page.

 

I'm not saying blindfold the cat...proper preparation and anticipation can give the cat a fighting chance.

 

what is probably the best resource to go for those still doing extract brewing recipes (beginners)? I've done some steeping grains + LME or DME but that's where my equipment is current at and plan to stay here for a while.

 

I'd say probably "Brewing Classic Styles." Or, if you see an all grain recipe you like on the recipe forum (or wherever), convert it. Plenty of people here can help you do that.

 

Thanks.

Was thinking of trying a Kolcsh for the first time for a nice summer brew, but I've been kinda blah on the style with exception to Victory's Kuhl Kolsch and Sierra Nevada's Kolsch which were my 2 stand outs. If I can find extract recipes similar to those 2 I'd be good with trying that.