How many original recipes have you brewed?

[grathan]

Let's define original as 3 or more ingredients not dictated by a previous recipe...




I am up to 4 and I have learned more from brewing these 4 beers than I have from brewing 20-30 defined recipes.

 

[estricklin]

These days I almost never follow a recipe I've found somewhere, I get ideas from other recipes but seldom follow one to the T. Per your 3 ingredient rule, I'd say 50-75 maybe. You do learn a lot from brewing your own recipes. The BEST way to learn about homebrewing though, is to just brew! Buy your hops and grains in bulk and just go at it.

I'm doing a Bud Lite clone as we speak, what recipes have you formulated so far?

 

[grathan]

These days I almost never follow a recipe I've found somewhere, I get ideas from other recipes but seldom follow one to the T. Per your 3 ingredient rule, I'd say 50-75 maybe. You do learn a lot from brewing your own recipes. The BEST way to learn about homebrewing though, is to just brew! Buy your hops and grains in bulk and just go at it.

I'm doing a Bud Lite clone as we speak, what recipes have you formulated so far?

Nice, that is quite a few recipes! I have mainly done IPA to this point because it allows forgiveness for overdoing and learning about hops.

White wheat, heavy crystal hops lager. mmm drinking atm.

British/American IPA with Safale 04.

A massive Centennial single hop beer. I've done this 2x now and the latest had like 20 oz in like 3-4 gallons.

And then a couple beers using 5 gallons of 1.080 maple sap a friend gave me. Stuff tastes like maple sugar candy with cascades yum!

 

[Qhrumphf]

Let's see.... out of all the batches I've brewed, there's been a few times times I've used someone else's recipe (and i can name them- an IPA kit with my brother in law as his first batch, the White House Honey Ale although that was adapted the only major change was swapping base malt in place of extract for all grain, and then Stone VE 2.2.2 from their webstie and a Stone AB clone from CYBI). Every other batch I've ever brewed has been my own recipe. Then there's been a bunch of my own rebrews of my own recipes with or without small tweaks. So I'd say I'm somewhere in the 80-85 distinct recipes I've created/brewed.

 

[duboman]

I'd say around 50-60 truly original from scratch recipes although some have been tweaked a few times until I got them where I want them


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[grathan]

Let's see.... out of all the batches I've brewed, there's been a few times times I've used someone else's recipe (and i can name them- an IPA kit with my brother in law as his first batch, the White House Honey Ale although that was adapted the only major change was swapping base malt in place of extract for all grain, and then Stone VE 2.2.2 from their webstie and a Stone AB clone from CYBI). Every other batch I've ever brewed has been my own recipe. Then there's been a bunch of my own rebrews of my own recipes with or without small tweaks. So I'd say I'm somewhere in the 80-85 distinct recipes I've created/brewed.

How do you work in ingredients you haven't tried yet? Like it would be easy to just follow a recipe that has a new ingredient that is fairly balanced instead of just throwing it into a random recipe?

 

[grathan]

I'd say around 50-60 truly original from scratch recipes although some have been tweaked a few times until I got them where I want them


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That's great Duboman! how many of the 50-60 would you say are where you want them?

 

[Qhrumphf]

How do you work in ingredients you haven't tried yet? Like it would be easy to just follow a recipe that has a new ingredient that is fairly balanced instead of just throwing it into a random recipe?

I know what I like, and many of my beers are similar in that regard. I suppose it'd be helpful if I go pro in that regard.

For example, all my English beers get the same base malt (it was Crisp Maris Otter, I decided to give Thomas Fawcett Maris Otter a go, and I think that'll be the new standard in my house), most of em use Dingemans Biscuit malt, and then a various English crystal malts (predominantly Crisp 45L or 77L, and sometimes Simpsons 150L), predominantly use East Kent Goldings hops with lower amounts of other English varietals here and there, and all use the same yeast (Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire). Since that's the bulk of what I brew, and there will be changes in specialty grains here and there (extra malts like roasted malts, changes in percentages, etc), but the base is pretty standard, when I'm trying something new I pretty much already know what I'm going to get.

Beyond that, I'm the type of brewer that likes straightforward and true to style beer. So it's rare that I try an out of the box ingredient, and when I do, it usually takes a rebrew or two to get it right.

I know my ingredients well enough that if I want to brew a new style, I can put together a recipe off the top of my head based on what I like, what I can get, and what I may have on hand, double check it against Brewing Classic Styles or something to make sure I'm in the ballpark (with Belgian and English beers I usually am, sometimes I'm a little further off with American and German beers since I brew less of them).

Point is, once you know your base ingredients well, coming up with a recipe where you know what you're going to get is pretty easy. Adding in something screwy (say, like the Durian Wheat my friend wanted me to create, which I absolutely refused), that's a different story. I tried a 5-way split chili pepper beer. Some were better than others, but while I'd rebrew the base beer as is, I wouldn't repeat a single one of the pepper additions as is.

 

[Yooper]

I have no idea. Maybe 200?

 

[govner1]

Let's define original as 3 or more ingredients not dictated by a previous recipe...









I am up to 4 and I have learned more from brewing these 4 beers than I have from brewing 20-30 defined recipes.

I haven't kept a specific count & don't feel the urge to go through my logs but I'd guess 10-15.


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[grathan]

I know what I like, and many of my beers are similar in that regard. I suppose it'd be helpful if I go pro in that regard.

For example, all my English beers get the same base malt (it was Crisp Maris Otter, I decided to give Thomas Fawcett Maris Otter a go, and I think that'll be the new standard in my house), most of em use Dingemans Biscuit malt, and then a various English crystal malts (predominantly Crisp 45L or 77L, and sometimes Simpsons 150L), predominantly use East Kent Goldings hops with lower amounts of other English varietals here and there, and all use the same yeast (Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire). Since that's the bulk of what I brew, and there will be changes in specialty grains here and there (extra malts like roasted malts, changes in percentages, etc), but the base is pretty standard, when I'm trying something new I pretty much already know what I'm going to get.

Beyond that, I'm the type of brewer that likes straightforward and true to style beer. So it's rare that I try an out of the box ingredient, and when I do, it usually takes a rebrew or two to get it right.

I know my ingredients well enough that if I want to brew a new style, I can put together a recipe off the top of my head based on what I like, what I can get, and what I may have on hand, double check it against Brewing Classic Styles or something to make sure I'm in the ballpark (with Belgian and English beers I usually am, sometimes I'm a little further off with American and German beers since I brew less of them).

Point is, once you know your base ingredients well, coming up with a recipe where you know what you're going to get is pretty easy. Adding in something screwy (say, like the Durian Wheat my friend wanted me to create, which I absolutely refused), that's a different story. I tried a 5-way split chili pepper beer. Some were better than others, but while I'd rebrew the base beer as is, I wouldn't repeat a single one of the pepper additions as is.

wow, great stuff with the specific malts there. thank you. I know that is in the future for me, for now I just know I would like more "honey malt" or "Aromatic" without regard to malster. I definitely want to do more experimental stuff. I've feel I've passed the hurdles of basic brewing process having brewed a few decent beers in a row and definitely want to focus on ingredients.

 

[bzwyatt]

I've been brewing only for about 18 months, all grain for a year. I did a few recipes from this site, then a few from books, then I started making my own. I brewed maybe 20 recipes and I wasn't really happy with many of them. They sorta got worse. So I am going back to simple, 'proven' (by Jamil and Daniels, mostly) recipes to try to get more of a foundation in understanding my ingredients and recipes.

 

[grathan]

I have no idea. Maybe 200?

wow, that's a ton! You must mainly work on them solely or do manage to do other people's recipes as well?

 

[Yooper]

wow, that's a ton! You must mainly work on them solely or do manage to do other people's recipes as well?

When I first started brewing, I did mainly other recipes from either kits or others from books. When I found this forum, I did several from this forum and still occasionally do go back and redo one of them.

I still brew a Pliny clone when I feel like a good IIPA, and haven't changed it unless I'm out of something.

I write recipes for other people as well, but generally don't brew them.

When I brew a style that isn't so familiar to me, particularly darker German lagers, I usually refer to the style guidelines or look at some recipes from someone who does brew that style a lot and is expert in it, but that doesn't happen much any more as I'm pretty familiar with most beer styles at this point and a BJCP judge. Being a BJCP judge, one of the requirements is to memorize the style guidelines so I usually have it in my head somewhere!

I haven't brewed sours, as I don't care for them, but I've pretty much brewed most other styles.

 

[duboman]

That's great Duboman! how many of the 50-60 would you say are where you want them?

I have 10 beers that are a regular rotation on tap and in bottles and then I consider everything else a "lab" beer as I always experiment with different hops and malts and yeast but the ones that are "standards" probably took 5-10 trial batches each to get them where I want them


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[catdaddy66]

Not many, I've just started to try original brews. Maybe 4 but I've got a fever! And the only prescription... is more homebrew! Lol


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[drainbamage]

5 or so, really within the last 2-3 years. The first couple were just extract with different grades of Crystal malt, but I'm starting to branch out more. I do have a few more that are on the drawing board and haven't been brewed yet.

 

[Saiko]

If I gave the same recipe to two different brewers...

 

[Leithoa]

I've got about 9 unique beer recipes.
4 of which I'm happy with and got where I wanted on the first try(Pale Ale, dunkleweizen, & a partigyle RIS/porter). My white whale is a chocolate stout. I can't seem to balance roast malt and get the chocolate flavor I want, though it gotten decent reviews from BMC folk. I chalk it up to mash pH issues and not knowing the grains.

 

[ruger988]

I've only done one original recipe to date, though most of my brews have been kits/other people's recipes with modifications/additions. My one original I honestly think has been my best balanced beer overall but unfortunately I didn't take very good notes since I didn't expect it to turn out very well. I'll be trying to replicate it this weekend.

 

[MindenMan]

I have been using my own recipes for the last two plus years. I will count later tonight.

 

[hunter_le five]

None yet. Not a single one.

Been brewing 6 years. I've had a lot of success following "tried and true" recipes from others; the last couple years or so it's been mostly HBT-member recipes. I'm enjoying seeing for myself what others have done, and learning a lot on the way.

Eventually I'd like to start formulating my own "house" recipes (through much trial and error, I assume), but for now I'm too busy enjoying the fruits of others' collective labors.


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[MindenMan]

I have been using my own recipes for the last two plus years. At first estimate 16, one of which won a Best of Category of Porter/Stouts.

 

[Braufessor]

I am another who tends to "brew to style". I went through the normal transition of Extract Kits - All Grain Kits - "Hey! What can I add?" - Buying in bulk and "putting together kit beers myself" - And, eventually "making my own recipes....... that were not really all that truly unique."

I have come back to beginning with a "starting point."

I generally always start with a tried and true recipe - Brewing Classic Styles, Zymurgy NHC Winners, Recipes off of this site, etc. I almost always try to brew them "as is" to start if I can get the ingredients, or unless something in particular catches my eye to change.

From there, I will tweak the recipes in the future a bit if I feel I would like something different. I guess, at this point, I have brewed dozens or hundreds of recipes that meet the criteria of "3 ingredients changed"....... But, to be honest, I don't know that I feel comfortable saying that these are "original" recipes. My Ordinary Bitter, for example, started as "The Innkeeper" from Northern Brewer. I changed the yeast several times, used all EKG instead of EKG and Fuggle, and recently kind of combined it with the Boddingtons clone from Orfy on this website. So, does that make mine "original?" I don't feel like it does. It does make my beer good though - and that is what I really care about.

I can certainly write my own recipes. But, let's be honest - If I write a recipe for a Bo-Pils...... what is going to be unique about it? Pils malt, Saaz Hops and Czech yeast. Maybe some munich, or carapils? Maybe a touch of Vienna? I am one of those that does not think there is a really "unique" recipe for the vast majority of styles.

That said, I feel like my British Dark Mild is "mine." I feel like my American Amber is "mine"..... both in the sense that I have brewed them so much, in so many different ways that I think they are pretty unique, and unlike most other examples I ever see.

I also think the real area where you can impact your beer in unique ways is in the process and changes you make there- temperatures, water treatment, correct practices, etc. Ultimately, the process is what will really make a beer "unique."

 

[MaddBaggins]

I did kits w/specialty grains from LHBS (kits were designed by the owner who is a certified brewmaster) for probably 12 years. I finally stepped into making up my own DME/specialty grain recipes about 6 years ago which led to all grain brewing.
At this point, I almost exclusively, make up my own recipes. Some I love, others, I wouldn't do again. I have probably 20-30 recipes (including the meh ones). I've recently stepped into brett and sour territory.

 

[beergolf]

I brew like I cook. I look at a lot of recipes and notice the similarities for a particular style, and then tweak them to what I want. When I first started brewing, I did a kit for my first brew. My second brew was from the recipe data base. My third was a recipe I made up. I still occasionally do a recipe from the database ( Bell's Two Hearted and Zombie Dust are a couple )but I would estimate that about 80-90% of my brews are recipes I put together. I have done over 160 brews so the number of original recipes is pretty high. I can usually get pretty close to what I am looking for on the first try. If I like how it turned out I often will make small chnages to dial it in.

For me one of the fun things about homebrewing is recipe creation. Very satisying to make up a recipe and taste the results.