Tried & True Recipes

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by bifrost17, Feb 2, 2013.

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  1. bifrost17

    bifrost17 Initiate (0) Dec 16, 2011 Washington

    So I'm pretty new (ish) to homebrewing. I've helped one of my buddies brew about 5 batches, and now I've got 3 solo batches under my belt. So far every beer I've brewed has been a different style, just kind of experimenting as I get into homebrewing. I was just wondering if any of you more experienced homebrewers have some recipes that you brew on a pretty consistent basis, that you just have perfectly dialed in and you know what it's gonna turn out like every time. I'm hoping that once I get a 2 keg kegerator setup that I'll be able to constantly have one beer on tap that is consistently the same, probably something like a hoppy pale ale, or an ESB.
     
  2. inchrisin

    inchrisin Pooh-Bah (2,013) Sep 25, 2008 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah

    Jamil Z's Kolsch ale with a touch of acid malt to lower your pH. If you're extract brewing you won't have to worry about this. It's beautiful after 3 months. Use the Wyeast.
    His dry stout is fantastic too. One of these is ALWAYS on tap at my house.

    " I'm hoping that once I get a 2 keg kegerator setup that I'll be able to constantly have one beer on tap that is consistently the same, probably something like a hoppy pale ale, or an ESB."

    That won't happen. :slight_smile:
     
  3. mnstorm99

    mnstorm99 Initiate (0) May 11, 2007 Minnesota

    102 batches under my belt, and not a single re-brew. But, I brew pretty simple recipes, so the malt bill is often the same or very close to others I have brewed before. I do a lot of pale ales (IPA, APA, ESB) and use much of the same ingredients in them, sometimes the percentages are just a bit different...and the hops are almost always different.
     
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  4. bifrost17

    bifrost17 Initiate (0) Dec 16, 2011 Washington


    I brew all grain, I'll be sure to check that recipe out. Why won't my idea happen??? Haha are you thinking I'll get bored of having one constant beer? You might be right....
     
  5. mnstorm99

    mnstorm99 Initiate (0) May 11, 2007 Minnesota

    I have a two tap kegerator, I think this is a big reason I never do the same batch twice. As far as commercial beer I do keep much of the same around, so homebrew seems to give me my variety.
     
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  6. inchrisin

    inchrisin Pooh-Bah (2,013) Sep 25, 2008 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah

    You'll need a 9-15 cubic ft keezer before you keep one beer on tap all the time.
     
  7. bifrost17

    bifrost17 Initiate (0) Dec 16, 2011 Washington

    Ahhhh okay, I never thought of it that way. I guess if I want a constant consistent beer around I can just rely on commercial breweries, and use homebrewing as an outlet for creativity and experimentation. Thanks for the wisdom my friend!
     
  8. bifrost17

    bifrost17 Initiate (0) Dec 16, 2011 Washington

    I've got the space for that.
     
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  9. mnstorm99

    mnstorm99 Initiate (0) May 11, 2007 Minnesota

    If you have the space, go bigger as you will eventually want to anyway. I would love four taps of homebrew on at all times, but space is an issue.

    Another point, if you're new to homebrewing a tried and true recipe would probably help early on. I had a lot of mis steps in my first couple years because I was fixated on the "next" beer and less on the process. Once I simplified and focused on the process my beer became great.
     
  10. wspscott

    wspscott Pooh-Bah (1,934) May 25, 2006 Kentucky
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I agree with this, if you have the space, make a keezer. I have 6 taps on the keezer in the garage with space for an extra 2 cornies. I frequently think that another 2 taps would be nice.

    For a basic recipe, 10lbs Marris Otter and 1/2lb of caramel malt (change this up depending on what you feel like, i.e. C20 or C60 or a little C20 and a little C120 and so on). Try Wyeast 1272, 1450, 1968, 1028 for yeast. Go american or english (or a mix) for hops. I like hoppy PAs, so I aim for .75 -1 BU:GU, with lots of late additions. A good experiment would be same number of IBUs, but Centennial for 1 beer and Goldings for another. Then you can try different mash temps, 148 vs 154 and in between.

    hope this helps
     
  11. bifrost17

    bifrost17 Initiate (0) Dec 16, 2011 Washington

    Thank you all for the tips and advice!
     
  12. inchrisin

    inchrisin Pooh-Bah (2,013) Sep 25, 2008 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah

    This is exactly what he DIDN'T want :stuck_out_tongue: Tried and True not Throw some Darts. While your advice is good for a novice homebrewer, it's also great that he wants to get a few brews under his belt, learn his process and drink some confidence-building beers in the process. Pony up, bud!
     
  13. scurvy311

    scurvy311 Savant (1,111) Dec 3, 2005 Louisiana

    I would also add, pick up a copy of Brewing Classic Styles by Jamil Z. and John P. These are all award winning brews from every style in extract and all grain for each.
     
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  14. uptomonto

    uptomonto Initiate (0) Dec 15, 2012 Indiana

    I'll second the rec for getting a copy of "Brewing Classic Styles". The recipes are proven, and provide a great basis from which to either copy exactly or to experiment and develop your own take on a classic style. Myself, I'm trying to dial in on a great Pale Ale, based on Jamil's, which I hope to make my constant. BUT, I keep adjusting the recipe a little each time I brew it (every 2-3 batches) and hope soon to nail it down. But then again do we ever reach a point where we stop experimenting?
     
  15. TIMMYJ21

    TIMMYJ21 Initiate (0) Apr 29, 2010 Minnesota

    Honestly that jamil book is good ,but those are old school award winning recipes 5 to 6 years ago., the stuff that's brought to competitions now is a bit different now a days, great for getting a base idea and going from there. Homebrew talk.com is a great resourse, lots of recipes and new winning recipes with in depth process
     
  16. scurvy311

    scurvy311 Savant (1,111) Dec 3, 2005 Louisiana

    I don't disagree that it may be a little "old school" to use your language, but a homebrewer that is just starting out would take years to get where that book will get you for a few dollars and a few batches. I'll never recommend that book to go to GABF, but if you need proven recipes so that you can take your system and homebrew quicker to where you want it to be without brewing the same batch 20 times, Brewing Classic Styles is a great start. The title says it all..."classic" styles...not guaranteed winners. It was never inferred or implied that the OP or myself were going for competition beers. He wanted recipes that, to paraphrase, "would turn out good every time". How many times do we see discussions from every new brewer, to there credit, wanting to come up with there own recipe and they want to use 3# of "crystal something" for a recipe. It would take many batches to dial that back to a level that was satisfactory...or he or she could just start from a point supplied by Brewing Classic Styles.

    I do agree with you when you said
    which is really all the OP asked and the only thing I implied.
     
  17. bkov33

    bkov33 Zealot (630) Dec 5, 2007 New Jersey

    the recipes in jamils book are solid recipes but they are no where near impressive. they are good but wont blow you out of the water. look for the 5star recipes with tons of comments in the homebrewtalk recipe database
     
  18. reverseapachemaster

    reverseapachemaster Zealot (722) Sep 21, 2012 Texas

    Picking a really solid recipe and rebrewing it a lot is one of the best ways, if not the best way, to nail down your process. You know what the recipe should taste like each time and you'll be able to trace variance and errors in your process to a taste. You'll also be able to pinpoint the errors and correct them.

    That said, I don't do this because I don't drink enough/have people come over to drink enough to go through that much beer and I want to experiment almost as much as I want to make good beer. I have rebrewed a very small number of beers over the past three, almost four years. I make a recipe, brew it, figure out what I want to change, note it and then never end up coming back to rebrew it. There are a handful of exceptions but I have at least a couple years worth of recipes I would like to brew before I come back around to some of my older recipes.
     
  19. yinzer

    yinzer Initiate (0) Nov 24, 2006 Pennsylvania

    There is nothing wrong with BCS. Just like a Pro-brewer has no qualms over sharing his recipes, partly because anyone who could actually clone it wouldn't take advantage - I think that it might be an advantage if the recipes are a bit pedestrian. Which they aren't. Sometimes the KISS approach is the best.
     
  20. hopfenunmaltz

    hopfenunmaltz Pooh-Bah (2,611) Jun 8, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah Society

    My German Pilsner. Simple ingredients, fairly involved process = a great beer.

    Process is part of any recipe.
     
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