Today I just winged it on a beer, calling it CCC APA. Seriously, it was a strange day, and by golly I was gonna brew, no matter what! Read the blog for the full story. Short version: Computer keyboard died, getting fixed. The recipe (on the blown up computer) was a 2-row malt base with only half a pound of crystal but three ounces honey malt and I think maybe some munich (lol, I'm not totally sure, and until I get my other computer back, I won't know). Not only that, but the thermometer died during the heating of the strike water. Had to use a thermometer from the original turkey fryer setup (goes from 50-300F by 5 degree increments). Oh well, approximation will be good enough! To be fair, when it was boiling it was slightly over 210, so not exactly calibrated, but good enough! So I winged it on the hops. Here's what I used... 0.5 oz cascade FWH 0.5 oz each cascade, centennial, citra at 7 minutes 0.5 oz each cascade, centennial, citra at flameout with 20 minute hop stand (I know the AA's but why bother listing them, lol). dry hop: 0.5 oz each centennial, citra 0.75 oz each cascade So we'll see exactly what this beer produces when I'm done! (comments welcome, but I bet it will be good, for any naysayers). Do tell about any times you've winged it or had to improvise on the fly due to "life" or "miscellaneous other" factors! Meanwhile, we continued to put together the brewhaus/mancave, framing the roof, one window, and one door, before it started pouring rain whilst we were about halfway done putting on the roof!
The history of beer is longer than that of computers and thermometers and stuff. You've been through it before. Winging it will work out fine.
I was thinking the same thing. Your "strange day" of "winging it" with healthy pure yeast, temp controlled fermentation, a functional working knowledge of fermentation, and thermometers for mash control compares very favorably to 10,000ish (+/- unknown years) years of beer making before. It will be great, assuming no other issues come up.
Sounds outstanding to me. If you know what you are doing, I think it's harder to make a bad beer than to make a good one. From your posts and blog, seems to me you make a lot of good beer. Still on extract (have one more batch to go before AG) and planned on a brewing a hefe for awhile now. Rearranging supplies and opened the box with the wheat DME to find all three 1kg bags were cut open, probably when the packager cut open another box. Being exposed to the air and humidity, I decided to use it right there with what I had on hand. Ended up brewing a American Wheat with a mini-mash of carabelge and 2-row pilsner, hopped 60, 15, 10, and FO with a total of 3 oz of El Dorado and US-05. Going to dry hop with another oz or two. Have no idea what to expect. Never tasted this hop.
I agree with the others. You may have been rolling with the punches, but you certainly knew exactly what to do. In the end, you will have fine AA no doubt. I do like that you committed to the theme though and didn't even take an OG. How about we embellish a little and say you didn't take a gravity because your hydrometer was struck by lightning.
