Just starting - with Questions!

[bobonthenet]

What is usually the next step for people? I've pretty much just been brewing with kits, although a couple of times I have modified the kits slightly. I would like to start creating more varieties more often. I also started reading, The Joy of Homebrewing, which I think I've owned since I originally started brewing a while back but never picked up. I've got the basics down pretty solid but I feel like I've just been sitting on that first step for the last decade. Although I have been drinking great beer the whole time.

 

[passedpawn]

[moved out of Introductions and into Beginner's Brewing]

 

[bobonthenet]

I'm going to repost this question to the beginners forum later on with more detail about what I've brewed, my current equipment and so on.

 

[passedpawn]

I'm going to repost this question to the beginners forum later on with more detail about what I've brewed, my current equipment and so on.

Too late!

 

[dobes]

your next step should be to find ways to improve your beer. No matter what system or method I try I always do it in the hope that I will improve my beers.
If it doesn't work I try something else. The best part about it is there are so many different ways to do things and make good beers you will never run out of things to try.

 

[bobonthenet]

I just recently moved and now have a great deal more space for brewing than I used to. This is a major motivator in wanting to improve. One of the biggest things I noticed right away is what a difference the water I'm using can make.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

You've been brewing from kits. Now check out some of the recipes from the Recipe/Ingredients forum. Look for extract with specialty grains. You can make your own "kit". Pick a style you like - pumpkin ale. Search out a few recipes and pick and choose which elements you think you might like. Piece them together into your own recipe. Then you can post it here and get some feedback. Or take it to your LHBS and pick their brains. Then go ahead and brew it. After a while, you'll get to know what you like and can take more liberties and create entirely original recipes.

 

[unionrdr]

I agree with brewhouse. Try some of the recipes on here, or bits & pieces thereof. Plug'em into Beersmith (they have 2.2 for sale now). The program allows you to play around with the recipe before you even by the ingredients. I love that aspect of it. Made me wish I'd have bought it sooner.

 

[KendallAdkins]

My next step was buying BeerSmith. It is extremely helpful in putting your own recipes together. If you know what you want your beer to end up being, BeerSmith can get you there (with some tinkering).

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah, once you set it for what style you want, it all goes from there. Then the sliders tell you where you're at with IBU, color, etc.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

+1 on getting/using BeerSmith. More than well worth the small expense.

 

[BansheeRider]

As others have said Beersmith will help and give you a visual experience of building recipes. The next step I would say is moving up to AG if you haven't already. All grain recipes in my opinion are much easier to alter and give you more control over your brewing. AG recipes also helps the brewer identify what each ingredient does for the beer regarding color, flavor, and body, unlike extract because you never know what exactly is in the extract or how fresh it is. Get some experience brewing all grain recipes and then switch it up a bit. This is what I do currently and I've been brewing for a while. I still haven't created my own recipe yet, mainly because I've picked up other hobbies since I've started brewing.

A good AG recipe to mess around with is BM's Centennial Blonde here on the HBT recipe section. I've brewed it 3 times each time trying different ingredients. The recipe is basic and cheap, costs me about $14 for a 5 gallon batch.

Good luck!