Do you find beer brewing too complex?

[Saunassa]

I made pale ale and cream ale in extract and partial mash kits to begin with. Fermenter with airlock, my wife's 'repurposed' stock pot,a thermometer and hydrometer and an autosiphon. After that whatever recipe kit I wanted.
I have just bought other things to make it easier like a bottling bucket and wand. Since I like to geek out on things and wanted to brew things differently I bought other equipment that is not really needed to brew good beer.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

OP, to each their own brother. Hobbies(and life in general) are about doing what makes you happy so brew the way you want. I've been brewing about 2 years and have progressed pretty quickly with the technical stuff. For me that's enjoyable, learning as much as possible in hopes it'll improve my beer. I really want to make really good beer because I got into this because I was so into the craft beer scene, and if my beer isn't an adequate substitute for that I probably won't keep doing it long term. And I think my beer has gotten quite good as I've dialed in my process.

My FIL on the other hand has been brewing for 7-8 years or so, and still does extract. He's commented many times that he just doesn't want to do all-grain like I do because he just doesn't think it's worth it and thinks his beer is good. His beer being good is debatable haha(my wife really dislikes it) but that is due to some flaws in his process, but most importantly he likes it and is happy. Good beer can definitely be produced without sweating every detail.

 

[wepeeler]

OP, to each their own brother. Hobbies(and life in general) are about doing what makes you happy so brew the way you want. I've been brewing about 2 years and have progressed pretty quickly with the technical stuff. For me that's enjoyable, learning as much as possible in hopes it'll improve my beer. I really want to make really good beer because I got into this because I was so into the craft beer scene, and if my beer isn't an adequate substitute for that I probably won't keep doing it long term. And I think my beer has gotten quite good as I've dialed in my process.

My FIL on the other hand has been brewing for 7-8 years or so, and still does extract. He's commented many times that he just doesn't want to do all-grain like I do because he just doesn't think it's worth it and thinks his beer is good. His beer being good is debatable haha(my wife really dislikes it) but that is due to some flaws in his process, but most importantly he likes it and is happy. Good beer can definitely be produced without sweating every detail.

Maybe your FIL needs to dry hop during fermentation for better beer! I'm kidding, of course

OP, as others have said, do you man. Every brewer gets comfortable doing what works for them, and just like anything else, you'll get better with practice and continue to do what works for you. That's the beauty of brewing. It's literally just cooking. We all can make chicken parm, but I'm sure we all make it a little differently.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

Maybe your FIL needs to dry hop during fermentation for better beer! I'm kidding, of course

Haha that's funny man. He should definitely try that and also remove the chlorine from his brewing water

 

[WhiteRhyno]

For me, its the complexity that I love!

I love tinkering around down in the basement/brewery, even when I am not brewing. The whole science of it is never ending. I doubt I will ever learn everything there is to know about this fine craft.

Today for example, I just made myself a mini hop-cannon. Pretty stoked with the outcome, from bits and pieces I had lying around. These are the sorts of things I love doing, fine tuning everything until you can produce the perfect beer.

Each to their own

 

[balrog]

Repeatability sometimes requires a little complexity for stability and/or ease of executability. YMMV.

 

[mongoose33]

I'm the kind of guy who will take a hobby to the extremes. I started with a Northern Brewer extract kit, a basic kettle, bottle conditioning.

Today I have a RIMS system to control the mash, a conical fermenter, electric brewing, a steam catcher so I can brew inside my garage in the winter, a glycol system to chill the fermenter--and a great keezer with beer always on tap.

But you know what? Along the way I did Brew-In-A-Bag, and I produced some pretty good beer doing that. It's a very simple all-grain method, and pretty easy and relatively quick.

I miss that. A brew day used to be 3.5 hours max from starting setup to done with cleanup. Today, with the more "advanced" system, a 5-hour brew day is lucky.

I might even have enjoyed brewing more back in those days.

 

[Sebastian Weetabix]

Beer is like SEX. The first time will be quite fun, but the more you learn, the BETTER it gets!

And if you do it wrong, you STILL get screwed!

 

[Jokester]

I find it complex to start with a grain, so much so, I have never done it. I am starting with a beer and making a Brut out of it.
So far I am yet to find anything go bad, but the last 4 batches of one bottle, I have not even washed the bottles. I also cover it with a shopping bag and leave it in the corner on the kitchen counter with an airlock, and wait till the airlock goes flat. Usually it goes in PET bottles then and gets frozen, however I also have put some of those that don't taste better when freeze concentrated into camlock bottles and a few grains of sugar and let it carbonate a week, then fridge.
Nothing has so far gone bad. There is a thick layer of yeast on the bottom, and I leave maybe 1/4" of the old beer and add 120oz of warm beer and amg. It literally takes off like a rocket at that point with carbonation escaping first just as fermentation takes hold and it flies through the 1.00 in 4 weeks.
I actually am not even sure I need to star sani the PET, cos they immediately get frozen. The camlock bottles I star sani of course cos they're outside for a week+ with more sugar. The camlock bottles have a yeast cake on the bottom as well after that week. I'm confused more than worried, in the bottle yeast multiplied so much to leave a 1/8th" cake in a week ? It is lightly carbonated at that point, should I put in more sugar and/or leave it longer ?

Cool.
Srinath.