Beer you like but have never brewed?

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There's all kinds of stuff that I enjoy a pint of, but just can't imagine having 5 gallons of it tying up a keg. For example, I used to make a Burton Ale each year for the winter, but it would frequently linger into the following autumn. I really enjoy that style, but I just didn't drink it at a suitable velocity to justify tying up a keg for most of a year.
 
Bramling Cross said:
There's all kinds of stuff that I enjoy a pint of, but just can't imagine having 5 gallons of it tying up a keg. For example, I used to make a Burton Ale each year for the winter, but it would frequently linger into the following autumn. I really enjoy that style, but I just didn't drink it at a suitable velocity to justify tying up a keg for most of a year.
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Yeah, I've had some of those too.
 
Snark_Wolf_Brewing said:
Used to like Sam Adams Cherry Wheat before someone at the brewery decided it needed to taste like cough syrup instead of beer. I've been trying to find a good cherry wheat recipe ever since.
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My daughter says that cherry stuff tastes like medicine. I think it turns me off from using them. I've put them in some sours, but nothing else.
 
Joewalla88 said:
Yesterday I was drinking a scotch ale, and was thinking about how much I enjoy scotch ales, and thought about how I've never brewed one. Has anyone else encountered this? I'll have to put it on the to brew list.
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I brewed quite a few Scotch Ales back in the 90s. I haven't brewed one since 95 according to old brew ledgers. I think you're on to something, it's about time to brew a Scottish.
 
For some reason there are numerous styles I’ve never brewed before. This has been a year of adventure for me, knocking four off the list so far. Never brewed before but on my to-do list before the end of the year is: Vienna lager, English brown, Scottish ale, California common.
I think a lack of variety at breweries is driving this in my case. Too many sours and dirty ipas
 
Miraculix said:
Really nice peppery and simple saisons... Nothing fancy, no spices, just yeast, malt, grain and hops. Never managed to brew a good one. But I will!!!
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I just did one of those earlier this summer. I more or less put it together from a few different recipes in a couple magazines and on here, and I'm really happy with how it turned out.
I don;t have my notes in front of me, but it was something like
7lbs pilsner
1.5lbs vienna
1lb rye
1lb cane sugar.
1/2 oz bittering hops at 60,
1 oz saaz at 15 or so,
fermented with BE-134.
I made sure to keep the fermentation warmer than I usually like to get those spicy esters out.
 
jrgtr42 said:
I just did one of those earlier this summer. I more or less put it together from a few different recipes in a couple magazines and on here, and I'm really happy with how it turned out.
I don;t have my notes in front of me, but it was something like
7lbs pilsner
1.5lbs vienna
1lb rye
1lb cane sugar.
1/2 oz bittering hops at 60,
1 oz saaz at 15 or so,
fermented with BE-134.
I made sure to keep the fermentation warmer than I usually like to get those spicy esters out.
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I used 134, to me it never showed the amount of spice I'm expecting from a good saison. I kind of gave up on dry saison strains, I had them all. Also in different temperature ranges. They made all very drinkable beer, but not what I personally consider a good saiso. I think my best bet will be liquid yeast. 70% pilsner, 30% flaked wheat, noble hops, shouldn't need more imho.
 
Miraculix said:
I used 134, to me it never showed the amount of spice I'm expecting from a good saison. I kind of have up on dry saison strains, I had them all. Also in different temperature ranges. I think my best bet will be liquid yeast. 70% pilsner, 30% flaked wheat, noble hops, shouldn't need more imho.
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THat sounds pretty good too. I used the rye to get a little extra spice in there.
I was going back and forth with the 134 and T58, and I read that the 58 was more bland. RIght now I don't have a LHBS, so I have to get everything mailorder, so I don't trust liquid yeast through the mail.
Maybe come winter time I'll try the liquid route, see what the difference is. I harvested and froze some of the 134 so Ill be able to brew up a fresh batch to compare side by side.
 
jrgtr42 said:
THat sounds pretty good too. I used the rye to get a little extra spice in there.
I was going back and forth with the 134 and T58, and I read that the 58 was more bland. RIght now I don't have a LHBS, so I have to get everything mailorder, so I don't trust liquid yeast through the mail.
Maybe come winter time I'll try the liquid route, see what the difference is. I harvested and froze some of the 134 so Ill be able to brew up a fresh batch to compare side by side.
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Actually, I think I have confused 134 with t58. I think I might have not even tried 134 yet.

T58 really is bland. Like really really bland. Good IPA or pa yeast at higher temperatures though!
 
Never brewed a sour. Don’t really want to wait a year to find out I made a mediocre (or worse) beer. May need to make an alt beer some day. Mmmm. Love Scottish ale; have one on the fermenter now. Never brewed a block, but really like them. Never brewed an IPA, but that’s because I’m not big on hoppy beers in general so no real interest.
 
The high ABV-stuff in general, i.e from 8% upwards. I like one from time to time, be it an IIPA or some belgian strong ale, but I cannot imagine drinking myself through an entire batch of the stuff. I might attempt a belgian dark strong sometime in the future, but I'm unsure yet.
 
porterguy said:
Never brewed a sour. Don’t really want to wait a year to find out I made a mediocre (or worse) beer. May need to make an alt beer some day. Mmmm. Love Scottish ale; have one on the fermenter now. Never brewed a block, but really like them. Never brewed an IPA, but that’s because I’m not big on hoppy beers in general so no real interest.
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There is the modern easy way of making sours which doesn't take longer than a regular beer.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/fast-souring-modern-methods.670176/
 
I have been wanting to brew some malty German styles. Thoughts of brewing a Doppelbock have bounced around in my head for the past few years. Around the start of COVID, I picked up the ingredients for a Dunkles Weissbier to brew for a club competition that never happened, so I never got around to brewing the beer.

There are several styles or recipes that I have brewed in the past that I would love to brew more often. Stuff like an Irish Red, Smoked Porter, Milk Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Rye IPA...maybe even a Pumpkin Ale.

On the other hand, I can be pretty happy just brewing my core styles (mostly Pale Ale, IPA, Trappist, Saison, with an English Mild/Brown/Porter/Stout mixed in). I still have lots to learn and trial with just those styles. My few attempts at brewing Imperial Stouts have been good but not great, so I want to devote more effort into that style. I have not figured out how much effort I want to put into improving my Hazy/NEIPA game.
 
Taket_al_Tauro said:
The high ABV-stuff in general, i.e from 8% upwards. I like one from time to time, be it an IIPA or some belgian strong ale, but I cannot imagine drinking myself through an entire batch of the stuff. I might attempt a belgian dark strong sometime in the future, but I'm unsure yet.
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I have found that smaller batch brewing (in the 2 to 3 gallon range) really helps with working in trial recipes or brewing bigger beers. High ABV beers benefit from several months of aging (maybe not IIPA). While I keg most of my batches, bottling off a case or so of a Quad, Barleywine, Imperial Stout, etc. works out well.
 
Lot of good and interesting styles here, many of which I've brewed. One I have not brewed that I enjoy is Maibock or Helles Bock. I plan to brew one for spring of '22. Probably brew it in January and let it lager for at least 2 months before tapping.
 
My brew queue:
Alternate between Drom John and SWMBO's choice.
Drom John queue: Not ESB/IPA; IPA; Experimental; ESB
My IPAs alternate between Leftovers IPA and Commercial Clone IPA.
My ESB alternate between Leftovers ESB and Redhook ESB changing one ingredient (IOW a half-ass SMaSH),

I've slotted in different styles into the Not ESB/IPA slot.
I did a Belhaven Scottish Ale clone for that slot.
Later I did a Terrapin Reunion '10 clone, a Scottish/Belgian in my Experimental slot for the reductions.
 
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Lambic/Geuze

(I know I also *couldn't* brew one if I tried, unless I moved to Pajottenland. But I'd be satisfied brewing a spontaneously fermented beer. That tasted like a Geuze.)
 
lager/pilsner
I have glycol and have had the ability to lager for quite some time now (a couple years) and I plan to do my first pilsner in the fall. I don't have a recipe for a lager yet so that will be the next one to cross of the list. I am more of a pilsner guy then lager but my wife likes lagers so welllll ya know.
 
I've never brewed a lager. My dessert island beer is Pilsner Urquell. But I live in CZ and it's cheap here and I know I'll never come close to replicating it. So I stick to beer styles that are hard to come by in my neck of the woods.

I've got a rye lager in my sights though so we'll see.
 
Beernik said:
I love Kolsch & if a brewery has one on the menu, I’ll judge them based on how how close they come to a real Kolsch.

I haven’t brewed one because I doubt I could make it to my standard.
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Similar perspective and dilemma.

Kolsch and Helles have been my perpetual unicorns. In early July I brewed both for a competition next month in hopes of not only winning but especially to gain useful criticisms and advice from BJCP certified judges. Both are currently lagering and getting better day by day.

Of course I've had to 'sample' few (strictly for Quality Control). While they still may not be on par with local examples, let alone those I enjoyed in both Koln and Munich, these are both quite nice and I'm getting better with each brew session.
 
Any lager. I just don't have the equipment (spare fridge, mostly). I largely prefer them over Ales. I could do a two gallon batch in my mini fridge but I don't know if it's worth all the time and effort. Someday.
 
Falstaff said:
Any lager. I just don't have the equipment (spare fridge, mostly). I largely prefer them over Ales. I could do a two gallon batch in my mini fridge but I don't know if it's worth all the time and effort. Someday.
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Anvil has a kit with a controller and submersible pump to control fermentation temp from a cooler of icewater. 99$ i think. It works
 
CascadesBrewer said:
Thoughts of brewing a Doppelbock have bounced around in my head for the past few years.
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Yes! Thoughts of brewing a Doppelbock have bounced around in my head for the past few days, ever since I had a glass of Ayinger Celebrator and thought, "My God, that's good!"

I'm building a recipe now, but my main problem is lack of temperature control beyond frozen bottles in a water bath, which is not enough for true lager temperatures. But I have been encouraged by reports from Brulosophy and elsewhere that Saflager W-34/70 yeast can perform well even at ale temperatures. So I plan to give it a shot in a 2.5 gallon batch this weekend.
 
hamachi said:
Yes! Thoughts of brewing a Doppelbock have bounced around in my head for the past few days, ever since I had a glass of Ayinger Celebrator and thought, "My God, that's good!"

I'm building a recipe now, but my main problem is lack of temperature control beyond frozen bottles in a water bath, which is not enough for true lager temperatures. But I have been encouraged by reports from Brulosophy and elsewhere that Saflager W-34/70 yeast can perform well even at ale temperatures. So I plan to give it a shot in a 2.5 gallon batch this weekend.
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I know its not exactly how it's supposed to be done, but I've used cal common yeasts when I could lager or didn't have space for it, and it gets pretty dang close. Not sure if that's a route you'd want to go or not, but might be worth looking into.
 
jrgtr42 said:
same here. My rice just turns fuzzy and green.
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i didn't get green till i was trying to save money and put it in the oven with the light on, to sporeulate, to save money/ figured at this rate i'd need a lot to try and dial it in. but the vintometer didn't work for telling me if i was improving or anything. now i have a refrac, and hydro. can tell. been thinking about doing some koji rice in my mushroom glove box. so it doesn't go sour. and trying again! just in case the inbev try's forcing them to sterilize barley! ;) still got a quart jar of dirty spores i can clean up....

edit: imagine english wasn't my native tounge reading that! lol
 

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