" Harder " to brew

[williepete]

I've had other people before tell me that certain types of beer are more difficult than others. For example I was told that a stout is the most difficult to brew. I was just wondering if that's true? And if so should I try several others before a stout?

 

[thehaze]

It depends if the resulting beer matches your expectations. Some Stouts can be very complex in terms of grain bill and adjuncts, yeast management ( high gravity worts ), mash pH, etc. A dark beer could be more forgiving than a pale one, which cannot really hide some flaws, if present.

But it depends what kind of Stout you want to brew. Maybe start with a light ABV Stout and brew bigger next time, just so you can see what is all about. Brewing can be both easy and hard and there are quite a lot of factors that go in, like the human component, choice of yeast, grains, hops, adjuncts, fermentation temp., etc.

 

[Gameface]

I've had other people before tell me that certain types of beer are more difficult than others. For example I was told that a stout is the most difficult to brew. I was just wondering if that's true? And if so should I try several others before a stout?

I wouldn't say stout is the most difficult.

There are certain beers that require additional steps and techniques, some that require more ingredients,etc. If you are formulating your own recipes it can be harder to hit the right balance on beers with more ingredients and higher ABVs. But if you're brewing from a kit or an established recipe it really doesn't matter nearly as much.

 

[passedpawn]

Pilsners, and especially light pilsners (i.e., with rice and other adjuncts to lighten them), are the most difficult for me. Dark beers and sours have been the easiest. Hoppy beers are hit or miss.

 

[kh54s10]

I find dark beers that are not extremely high gravity beers are among the easiest. Any mistakes don't result in glaring off flavors. Light beers do not have the malt flavors to cover up an off flavor you may encounter through processes or bad ingredient selection.

No beer is actually difficult to brew. Getting it to taste spot on is what is difficult.

 

[GPP33]

With extract, stouts mean steeping grains so it does get more complex than something that’s only using LME or DME. For all grain I think stouts are among the easiest for a few reasons.

You’re dealing with robust, not delicate flavors.

Usually only one or two hop additions, beers like IPAs can keep you on your toes during the boil. You can even get away with one 1oz addition so you don’t even need a scale.

Clarity is pretty much irrelevant

Lots of grain flavors to cover up minor mistakes

I think O2 impacts beers with huge malt back bones less. Certainly less than something hoppy.

You’re probably not going to need to dry hop it. Or do anything special for secondary.

The grain bill can be more complex but as a beginner brewer you’re probably using a kit or established recipe so this part doesn’t really add any complexity at all.

Look up Yoopers oatmeal stout recipe. Makes a yummy brew!

 

[williepete]

I was actually looking at that for one of my next ones

 

[Yooper]

I think the only things "harder" to brew are multi-step decoction mashes, which are rarely done these days, or a very light lager where the water and mash pH is more critical.

Generally, stouts and brown ales are more forgiving of using a wider variety of waters (no need for distilled, generally) and the ingredients cover some fermentation mistakes.

A light lager is probably the most difficult to get right, because there is no place for a mistake to hide. Water and fermentation temperatures are crucial, and it's tough to make a great one.

American amber ales or Irish reds are generally fairly easy and straightforward as well. Anything darker in color than a pale beer can often be very good for beginners.

 

[mongoose33]

Some of what is "harder" has to do with water suitability, if you're doing all-grain. And if the water is not suitable, then the mash won't work as effectively. That all can be addressed by starting with RO water and using a water calculator and dosing the water with various salts and such, but it's not as easy as just using one's tapwater--which may or may not work.

The only thing in various types of beer I personally find more difficult is managing dry hopping. Trying to do that and limit both potential contamination as well as oxygen ingress is challenging. I can do it, it's just more fiddly.

 

[passedpawn]

I interpreted the intent of the original post to mean "harder to make a beer that tastes good".

 

[TechFanMD]

I think stouts are easier in two ways. Mistakes are covered a bit up by the flavors of a stout. You aren't worried about clarity like you are in other styles, and off flavors are often masked by the malty/smoky/chocolate flavors. As others have said, lighter beers that are low in hops can be extremely difficult to get right. Any off flavor, whether from the process or choice of grains, has nothing at all to hide behind. I would even go so far as to say the process can be easier, since scorching or mash temp flaws may be more hidden.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

There really is not a "harder" or "more difficult" style. There are however differences in styles that the brewer needs to be aware of and mitigate through additional steps or different processes.

A good example would be a brew containing a large quantity of pilsner malt. The brewer needs to be aware of DMS, higher boilover potential, and a higher mash pH than he may be used to. Simply boiling long enough to remove the DMS and property adjusting the pH mitigates these issues.

Another example might be a bohemian lager. The brewer needs to provide cool fermentation, then raise the temp for a diacetyl rest, then provide ample time to dissipate possible sulfur levels. More difficult? No. Just different processes. You can't make that lager by simply treating it like an ale and tossing the fermenter in your 90 degree garage.

Brewing a wheat or wit, we need to choose the levels of clove and banana notes based on our personal tastes. This may involve step mashing and/or a fairly accurate fermentation temperature control to achieve our goals. It also involves choosing the correct yeast for what you want to do. Changing any of those, very much changes the final product. Sometimes when a brewer clones someones recipe, they might not understand the specific steps the original brewer used, and the beer doesn't taste as good as expected. Again, thats not "harder", its just learning and applying the correct process and knowing how to adjust for your own desired outcome.

Brewing requires knowledge, practice and skills. As the knowledge and skills grow, the brewer broadens his horizons and brews better and different beers. It's as simple as that.