Free form brewing

[trigger]

How many of you have ever had one of those days where you just "go by feel" on your ingredients, then record the recipe afterwards?

I just did a batch of barley art today, 11 gal of something like an IPA

10 lbs. Rye malt
10 lbs. 2-row
1 lb. Caracrystal Wheat
8 oz. Crystal Rye
8 oz. Victory

3 oz. Amarillo for 60
2 oz. Glacier at 15, 10, 5, and 0

I started out the day thinking I'd follow a recipe, but as I was pulling out my grains I decided to just go with what felt good. I hope it turns out well.

 

[SilentAutumn]

This happened by accident to me about a month ago. I stopped in at a LHBS that is actually a convenience store with a few brewing supplies. Some of the ingredients seemed old and some just plain suspect. It was too late to go to my regular LHBS, so I just created a recipe on the fly with ingredients that looked good. Turns out I made a pretty good Mild. It was fun. Although a very basic recipe, it was truly my own since I made it up on the spot.

 

[Chuginator]

I think if you have a good foundation on what works and what doesn't, it's a fantastic way to experiment!

Then again... maybe it'd also be fun to not "go by feel," but pick random ingredients out of a hat - how else would a black IPA have come about?

 

[Hannable1975]

I actually do this almost every time I brew. If it is not a pre-assembled kit, my brews are the result of going to the LHBS, kinda grooving on the conversation, and then pulling something from the air.

It works for me - I have a few now that I liked enough to refine and rebrew.

I had a friend tell me - Hey - you're wasting time and money - you should follow a recipe and tweak that. I smiled and said I am - my own. It's a hobby. It's when I relax. To me the whole challenge and fun comes from the anticipation and enjoyment.

 

[Pick]

That is my style of brewing, as well. I really like my results, like this one, I threw together on a whim.

10# American 2 row
.5# Victory

150* Mash for 1 hour, batch sparge

.75 oz Hallataur @ 60 Minutes
.75 oz Hallataur @ 15 Minutes

1 packet Notty.

It's all gone, neighbors and brother killed that keg fast.

 

[BillyBock]

That is my style of brewing, as well. I really like my results, like this one, I threw together on a whim.

10# American 2 row
.5# Victory

150* Mash for 1 hour, batch sparge

.75 oz Hallataur @ 60 Minutes
.75 oz Hallataur @ 15 Minutes

1 packet Notty.

It's all gone, neighbors and brother killed that keg fast.

That's as about as simple as you can make it! And it made good beer that people like! I really love this hobby!

 

[GoodRatsBrew]

I agree... At the end of each year I have a bunch of small packages of grain lying about. That's how I started my Mother Hubbard's Cupboard LTD Brew. It's usually dark and on the porter side but each year it gets good reviews from friends and family so I keep doing it. Now ask me what the recipe is... fugedaboutit:cross:

 

[wonderbread23]

You're braver than me. I tend to be a control freak and like to manage all the variables in advance. That is an interesting recipe though. I don't think I've ever seen anyone use nearly 50% rye. How was the lauter?

 

[buzzkill]

I call it freestyle brewing and is how I do it. but I hate to follow rules.

 

[trigger]

You're braver than me. I tend to be a control freak and like to manage all the variables in advance. That is an interesting recipe though. I don't think I've ever seen anyone use nearly 50% rye. How was the lauter?

The sparge was gravy, I threw in 1.5lbs rice hulls at dough in and ramped from the mid 130's to 148 over the first 30 mins, then held 148 for an hour.

I've gone as high as 65% rye malt in the past, but only once have I omitted the rice hulls and regretted all 3 hours of it.

I usually make the recipes in BeerTools first, since I'm a control freak too, and then work on them 5 gal at a time with little tweaks, but this time I decided to roll the dice and just do 10 gal and see what happens. The crystal rye and victory were the bottom of the bin, so that's how they got in there, then everything else flowed. I pitched s-04 and both buckets are threatening to explode now 24 hours later.

 

[Homebrewtastic]

I haven't followed a recipe in a long while. And I haven't used a kit in ages. I'm a chef by trade and getting a feel for ingredients just comes naturally. I never really just throw in ingredients, everything that goes into a batch is for a definite purpose and everything I make is with a definite goal in mind.

The thing that helped me the most was smash brewing, getting a good feel for individual ingredients. It also helps to have a lot going at once.