Taste a lot of beer styles. I started out trying to brew really boring beer, because I did not know what good beer tasted like. Also try not to over analyse, if you are enjoying the beer then it must be good. Off flavours are like weeds - a weed is just a normal plant growing where you don’t want it. If you are enjoying a flavour it is not an off flavour.
What's your best tip for making brewing easier and better?
- Thread starter Yooper
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Focus on making beer that you like. When you plan your first brew day, that day will be hectic and rewarding. Beer is forgiving. You can miss the mash temp a few degrees, you can miss your pH a couple points, you can miss your target fermentation temperature by a few degrees. That doesn't mean the beer should be dumped. More than likely, it'll be a good beer. So take good notes so you can refer back and make adjustments and learn as you go. The most important advise for me would be to start out with an easy brew kit. I suggest an extract kit or partial mash. That way you are using equipment that is likely laying around the kitchen somewhere. This is just my opinion! And most importantly... RDWHAHB! (Relax, don't worry, have a home brew). After the first beer is under your belt, your confidence and direction you want to go will grow.
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Exactly. It's surprisingly hard to screw up beer to the point it's undrinkable. I did extract kits for 5 months or so when I first started, did 6-8 of them. Then I did 1 partial kit and preferred it, I was weirdly intimidated by all grain at the time. Then I went to a brew day and watched how the all grain process was done, and had a buddy who did all grain with me on the first batch. After that I've done nothing but all grain, once I got past the intimidation it was incredibly relaxing for me.
Also, yes document everything. I have a written notebook I use in addition to using the BrewersFriend note sections.
Also, yes document everything. I have a written notebook I use in addition to using the BrewersFriend note sections.
fully agree with you there. once you realize people thousands of years ago did this without sanitation and temp control, you relax a little bit.
and i couldn't wrap my head around all grain either until i saw it in action at a class. make big pot of oatmeal, wash the grain. it's as simple or as hard as you make it
Do not take short cuts, stay on point. Ask questions.
A watched pot never boils.
And the corollary: the pot will boil over the second you think you can go do something else
And the corollary: the pot will boil over the second you think you can go do something else
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I, too, am an over-documenter. Starting a few brews ago, I can even tell you the pH of my finished beer!
