So, i just got into homebrewing this summer and am about to bottle my third batch. i went from curious to obsessive pretty damn fast. so far, my first three batches have been cream ale, chinook IPA and the irish red ale. all pretty basic for the most part.
I know that I am by no means an expert but i really want to create something that is my own through and through. I was wondering if you all can give me some tips about creating your own recipe. is there a resource to find which types of malt goes well with Hops X, Y and Z or is it mostly trial and error? i am thinking that i would probably try to make some sort of a pale or india pale ale for my first attempt.
any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. thank you. cheers!
[quote=“mcdillon27”]So, i just got into homebrewing this summer and am about to bottle my third batch. i went from curious to obsessive pretty damn fast. so far, my first three batches have been cream ale, chinook IPA and the irish red ale. all pretty basic for the most part.
I know that I am by no means an expert but i really want to create something that is my own through and through. I was wondering if you all can give me some tips about creating your own recipe. is there a resource to find which types of malt goes well with Hops X, Y and Z or is it mostly trial and error? i am thinking that i would probably try to make some sort of a pale or india pale ale for my first attempt.
any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. thank you. cheers![/quote]
Not sure i should be giving advice becuase only finished 1 batch but i also went from curious to obsessive. Im way more interested in recipe design than followign kits. I like to look at recipes from Nb and others, recipes that people like and see how they design them then just put your own spin on them. Substitute a hop substitute a grain… Also beer smith is pretty handy.
I have not read it yet and also am just beginning to design my own beer recipes, but many people recommend:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/review/product/list/id/631/category/331/
I agree with what has been said here as well. I would also get a copy of brewing classical styles. I make my own recipes now, and I look at a lot of standard recipes for the style and add my own twist.
Even better than Brewing CLassic Styles, is Designing Great Beers by Ray Danniels. There are no recipes, just statistical information on ingredients etc for major styles. Really helps to take your brewing to the next level. Tons of great information.
Better yet, get 2 or 3 books to compliment each other. Brewing Classic Styles does have a broader range of beer styles.
Ray Daniels book is what did it for me and now I almost only brew my own recipes. Books a little dry but packed full of useful information, good history on most beer styles (excluding Belgians) and has charts that are really easy to reference and apply. I’d grab that right away along with some brewing software. I use Beersmith and you can pick out a style of beer and it gives you parameters like gravity, IBUs, color range and ABV. Now you obviously don’t need to stay in those style guidelines but it’s a useful tool to make sure you’re not doing something ridiculous.
Oh yeah, and don’t forget the first and most important rule, keep it simple! You’ll be temped to toss a ton of stuff on a grainbill but don’t do it. Start out easy with just a few ingredients, put your first recipe on here for suggestions and then add to it or take away the next time you brew it.
