Hi all,
I joined the club a couple of months ago but things have been hectic so I haven't had the chance to post until this weekend.
I've been brewing for a few months now and have learned some lessons along the way. In order to learn what style I enjoyed the best (and to avoid buying loads of equipment before I knew that I enjoyed brewing), I started and intend to continue brewing in 2 gallon batches. This allows me to brew small enough quantities that I'm not afraid to experiment, and I tend to split the batch in two and do something different at fermentation stage (e.g. dry hopping or different yeasts).
Some info about my brewing preferences:
- I like hoppy beers but I don't understand the popularity of dry hopping. I've enjoyed beers better that had more aroma hops in the boil and no dry hopping.
- I'm not particularly interested in brewing "to style". I'd much rather brew something that I really enjoy than stick to a set list of or set quantity of certain ingredients for that style. For example, I recently split a batch of IPA between US-05 yeast and T-58 to see what a spicy Belgian-esque IPA tasted like (it was very interesting and drinkable).
- I'm a scientist by background and love experimenting. I'm looking forward to learning more from the group about the chemistry of brewing and the effect that different ingredients have on the brew. I'd like to move beyond following recipes and really refine my brews based on what the different ingredients will add to my desired end product.
I look forward to some interesting chats and tasting some interesting beers!
Welcome on board Doc.
Welcome on board.
BTW, Belgian ipa is a "style", namely 21B :D The bjcp are constantly trying to keep up with all the weird and wacky beers that they think are going to stick around.
However, like you said, brew what you enjoy and you'll always keep coming back for more.
I tend to like to brew to style first and then start experimenting, so I have a base or control to evaluate against. After that, it's all about changing one variable at a time and seeing what wonderful things happen.
Quote from: DrSardonicus on February 14, 2016, 06:47:16 PMI like hoppy beers but I don't understand the popularity of dry hopping. I've enjoyed beers better that had more aroma hops in the boil and no dry hopping.
Both techniques will contributes lots of aroma and flavour, but dry-hopping tends to deliver a more grassy or resiny character than late kettle hops. Both are useful techniques. Personally, I prefer late kettle hops in moderately hopped beers, but lots of dry hops in my bigger and hoppier IPAs where that grassy character is very complimentary.
Quote from: DrSardonicus on February 14, 2016, 06:47:16 PMI'm not particularly interested in brewing "to style". I'd much rather brew something that I really enjoy than stick to a set list of or set quantity of certain ingredients for that style. For example, I recently split a batch of IPA between US-05 yeast and T-58 to see what a spicy Belgian-esque IPA tasted like (it was very interesting and drinkable).
Nothing wrong with that. But brewing "to style" can be a great way of advancing and perfecting your brewing skills, as you have a defined target to aim for. Belgian IPA is quite a common style these days. Flying Dog do a fantastic IPA called "Raging Bitch" (!) which is fermented with a Belgian yeast.
Thanks for all the replies! Yes, I can certainly see that brewing to style helps to find out what you like and what you don't. I suppose what I meant was that I don't understand when I'm reading forums to find recipes and I come across posts from people saying "don't do that, it's not in line with the style you're aiming for". If you think it's going to taste good, why not just do it?
I didn't know Belgian IPA was a thing - thanks for pointing that out! I'm not surprised, it's great.
I look forward to learning more from you all.