What inspires your brews

If it's ever anything more than "This sounds like a beer that I'd like to drink and I can't readily buy", it's usually from music, either song titles or lyrics. Slayer and Leatherface have been the most used.

 

@MrOH beat me to it: "This sounds like a beer that I'd like to drink and I can't readily buy".

And I suppose I should also state beers that would cost too much to buy. For example I bottled a batch of Quad yesterday. Those two cases of Quad would have costed me over 300 bucks at my local beer retailer.

Cheers!

 

I guess I am more basic. Drink a beer I like, try to make it. Or drink a beer that seems off, and brew it better.

 

Setting up a 4 tap keezer has been a major inspiration for me (and the source of 10 lbs of weight gain). I’ve settled on routine of having a British beer, Hoppy Beer, Belgian, and Lager on tap at all times.

I generally brew a new recipe every time and often do minor variations on a select style of beer - there is just so much to try that keeps things exciting. The urgency of having to finish a keg so you can get a new beer in there is an element I enjoy as well

 

Agree with those above: I have a beer that I really like, but couldn't afford two cases of, so I try to replicate it. I also like to experiment with different hops and yeasts.

Also the seasons. Pumpkin beer in fall, big, boozy stout in winter, fruit beer and low ABV IPA in summer...

 

Same as all above. If I see a commercial, highly-hyped beer that has me curious to try but I can't get it without trading (which I don't do) I'll find a clone recipe and brew it.

 

Me , family and friends all like beer, and get a ton crap or praise depending on availability, amount and type of brew available.this may sound weird but it is what I like, especially when I get them all right, or right enough.

Music does fit right in with brewing, not of inspiration but blues rock or @MrOH Black Lable Society older stuff, drives the brew day or evening.

and above all the War Dept loves my beer and that trumps all.

 

The plan or inspiration I've been following lately is brewing the basic stuff that is becoming harder to find in stores, or too expensive for what it is. Ie Blonde Ale, Wheat Beer/Hefe, Porter, Stout. This is also stuff I'm happy to drink 5 gallons of and I'm usually happy with how it turns out.

While I really enjoy NEIPA and Fruited Sours, I don't always want a 5 gallon keg of them, and these are SO easy to find in stores these days I'll buy a pack or two a week, leave the $10/6 pack "basic" beers on the shelf, and drink those from my kegerator.

 

A lot of what's been written above applies to me. But I have also become more interested in historical beers and when I resume brewing (not anytime soon, sadly), I hope to brew several historical recipes that Ron Pattinson has published. His blog is here:

http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/

I like the idea of getting as close as possible to something that might have been enjoyed in 1860 or 1920 or whatever. Of course ingredients have changed a lot, but then again there's also been a resurgence of interest in historical beers, and so for instance you can now get Chevallier barley malt, the dominant malt of the second half of the 19th century in Britain.

You can never know how close you've gotten, I suppose, but I imagine you learn a lot by trying, and hopefully the beer is good too.

 

Yes, that is indeed the case.

Every year I brew a batch of the original 1896 Michelob and also a batch of a Classic American Pilsner as would be brewed in the 1800's. Are this beers 'accurate' for what was brewed then? Maybe or maybe not but I enjoy drinking them nonetheless. I had an 1896 Michelob earlier this evening.

Cheers!

 

It's often dictated by what ingredients I have on hand. If it looks like I have a chance to brew in the next few days I'll look at what stock is in the basement and come up with something. The LHBS is an hour away and fairly expensive so I seldom go there on a whim.

Usually something that is unavailable or expensive in stores but it may be a generic pale ale if the yeast or base malt selection is limited.

 

I'm not much of a whiz at coming up with my own recipes, so I often look for inspiration in many places. A 1983 trip to Munich introduced me to Schneider Weisse and loved it. So when I read an interview about Schneider Weisse a number of years ago discussing the brewing process and ingredients, I was all over that. I brew a that or a Weizenbock every year because I really loved it. Sometimes, it comes from reading. I read Chris Colby's story about an ESB he came up with that tied into a British adaptation to the US Sherman tank in WWII (the Firefly). I'm a sucker for a good story... I've brewed it twice and I know I will again!

 

And here I though Cream was your inspiration

 

LMAO.... I never put that together until now... Thanks for the laugh!

 

I brew for specific individuals. I've been dialing-in an overhopped IPA for the wife for a while now, just getting the hop combination/concentration right. Styles are nice and all, but brewing a beer that perfect for just one person is a real challenge of creativity and technique, which keeps me engaged and active in the hobby

 

I would say books, beers, brewers, people and traveling. Inspiration seems to come at random from all of these areas.

@HOPTOMIC_BOMB you begged a question... how does boxing inspire you?

 

I'm inspired by limited local availability of certain beer styles that I like and a curiosity that leads drives me to try different ingredients, usually but not always traditional beer ingredients like malt, hops, and yeast strains, but sometimes adjunct grains, sugars, fruits, and spices.

 

Several things inspire me. I like challenges, so when I read about a top beer that I enjoy that does not have a disclosed recipe, I will sometimes spend up to two years working out the recipe. This involves a lot of research: reading as much written about it as possible (by the brewery or through reviews), trying out others' attempts, visiting the brewery several times and asking questions, discovering the source water, contacting the brewmaster, etc. In this way, I have managed to come up with the actual complete recipe for at least one of the most highly rated beers, as well as another popular one. The recipe ended up being quite different than what most people presumed.

But what inspires me most is - taste. I have a certain "taste" in my mind that I'm trying to replicate. I have spent years playing around with recipes and processes, and have made many revisions to try to capture that "taste". So far, I'm only close. But I enjoy the challenge and the fact that every brew I make is a little different. These differences teach me a lot about the brewing process and the subtleties that each ingredient or process makes. I think as I age, my taste changes, so this pursuit is like a dog chasing its tail :-)

It's a big part of what makes homebrewing fun and enjoyable!

 

I really try to get out of my head space when brewing. By that I mean I specifically set aside the time and the effort. There is NO inspiration by design.

So whatever music is on while brewing, George Benson or Led Zep or Chopin or Morphine or Beatles or Count Basie or Sinatra or Springsteen, I could go on...no influence. Not in planning not in purchasing not in brewing. It's spontaneous.

Brewing, for me, is very much freedom. From responsibility. I'll make a beer. Probably close to my intentions but almost always good.

And when I'm done I am satisfied. Brewing with a pre planned outcome is just one step too close to stress for me.
But that's just me.

Cheers.