Would any of you vets recommend, to a beginner, to start really simple with ingredients to really learn how ingredients effect flavor? For example start with 2row malt and chinook hops. Then the next batch 2row and adding the chinook at different times. Then next batch maybe 2row and cascades...then keep on adding ingredients slowly until you really gain understanding? If yes, what would be the first few batches you would start with?? Thanks everybody!
That's the conventional wisdom...but some take the "balls to the walls" approach and just see what sticks I brew what I think I might like to drink but, yes, keeping the variables to a minimum, is probably a good idea...damn it! cheers
Welcome to the BA site. Besides being a new homebrewer, are you also new to drinking craft beer? The answer to your question may guide our answers. Your proposal to brew what is called 'smash' beers (single malt and single hop) is a great way to learn flavors, but I think learning basic style tastes should come first. For a beginner homebrewer, I think I'd recommend brewing a recipe of a style that could be compared to a known benchmark beer so that you have an opportunity to practice your brewing skills as well as having an outcome beer that can be compared to your goal. For example, a well known beer that is easily available is Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale. Find a clone recipe for it and brew that beer, and then buy a 6-pack to compare. Admittedly clone recipes are never exact, but it's a place to start the learning process.
For what it's worth, most of my beers have become much better since I started keeping the recipes more simple... Not a bad plan to start that way imo
Thank you for the input so far. I like the idea of benchmarking to get my skills up to par. My craft drinking experience is pretty solid...I actually went through the entire book "The Conplete Beer Course"...and when I mean went through, I had at least 1 beer of every style in the book...like 70 beers??? The book recommends various brand/style for every type. The plan for now seems to get the skills and then bring it back to the simple side of things. Now saying that, would you say Sierra' Pale is really the beer i should attempt first? Any other suggestions? Preferably beers with fewer ingredients.. Thanks again.
If hop flavor is your preference vs. malty, then go for it. If malty is your thing, then find a clone recipe for a porter or stout beer that is available on store shelves near you. Many popular beers of the basic styles have clone recipes that can be found on the internet. But pick something that has a flavor that you'd consider yourself an 'expert' at recognizing and evaluating, that way you can then evaluate your brewing skills.
It took me a while to learn to keep it simple. Right now I have a grist base for the styles I brew alot. My ipas are 2row, munich, and a touch of gno for that little somethin extra. My saison is half wheat, half ppils with a touch of saueer malt. I change my hops on the ipa for somethin different, I change my yeast for my saison.
I started with an Anchor Porter clone. I feel it was a great place to start. But Sierra Nev Pale is great too.
