I'm getting in a rut

[FedoraDave]

I've been brewing mostly recipes I've done before. Nothing wrong with that; I want to have familiar and well-liked beer in my pipeline. It's like hanging out with old friends; you're comfortable with each other, everything is cool, and you know what to expect.

But I'm starting to feel as if I'm just marching in place, and while I'm enjoying the beer I'm making, and the process of making it, I'm not finding it as interesting or challenging or exciting as I have in the past.

When I was experimenting with hops, I was really enjoying myself. And I was educating myself on hop characteristics, so I could make intelligent choices when formulating a recipe or dabbling in a certain style. I'd like to experience that enjoyment again, so here's what I've decided.

I noticed a lot of my recipes start with 2-row and then include specialty grains for color, body, flavor, etc. But what about some other base malts? Up to now, I've limited myself, and don't really have the familiarity with Maris Otter, Munich, Victory, Vienna that I should have. I'm not big on wheat or rye beer, although I've used these malts as adjuncts, and maybe I should do more with them, too.

It's time to push the envelope a little and experiment with what's out there. At the worst, I'll make some less-than-stellar beer. But in any case, I'll have gained more expertise and be able to make better decisions when it comes time to formulate recipes.

[gwcr]

Not a thing wrong with keeping the favs in the rotation. After all, one of the great parts of this hobby is brewing what you like.

I use Maris Otter as the base malt for my Irish Red. Not sure you can make a less than stellar beer with MO if it fits the style.

Think back to when you got that MB kit a few years ago, and how mad scientist we all wanted to get. Tis the season to re-capture that feeling. Experiment away!

[Beer-lord]

I agree. Get outside your beer-box and try other things. I've not done many of the same beers twice but want to but I'm constantly trying different things, many not far off from what I've done but subtle things and I still feel like a kid.
But, like anything in life, sometimes just a simple break will do.

[joechianti]

Variety is the spice of life! Go for it!

[Gymrat]

Marris Otter makes the best Red Ales, Stouts, Porters, and of course Scottish Ales. I love using Munich as a base malt for my Ambers.

[DaYooper]

I came across this today:

Pale ale: base malt plus a half-pound of caramel malt
Amber ale: pale ale plus a half-pound of dark caramel malt
Brown ale: pale ale plus a half-pound of chocolate malt
Porter: amber plus a half-pound of chocolate malt
Stout: porter plus a half-pound of roasted barley

It looks like an interesting way of converting one of your favorites into a completely different style. It was Drew Beechum's take on keeping from getting bored with SMaSH beers yet still keeping things relatively simple.

Less than stellar beer is also good, since you learned something, and learning is what this is all about. And 99% of the time it will still be drinkable, and 100% of the time it will be better than BMC.

[ScrewyBrewer]

There you go Dave, have the best of both worlds. You can always swap out the 2 row with Marris Otter while keeping everything else the same and compare the differences. But even after stretching your recipe boundaries a bit don't be surprised to find yourself back brewing your favorites again, its all part of what makes brewing such great fun.

[berryman]

I'm not big on wheat or rye beer, although I've used these malts as adjuncts, and maybe I should do more with them, too.

Dave, you should revisit some wheat beers, try a Hef or play with some Belgian yeast, do it on a small scale like a LBK in case it's not quite what you like. A simple extract Hef I've made LBK size: 3 lbs wheat LME, .5 lb extra light DME, 4 oz Carapills, .5 to 1 oz Saaz hops or hops of your choosing, and a wheat yeast like WL 300 or of your choice. A good summer beer. Also I like nutty brown's for a change of pace and a different type of flavor.

[jhough]

Dave, I got in a rut also. My cure .........computer crashed and I lost most of my recipes. Now having to start mostly from scratch ...... I think I'm enjoying the process more now.
Joe

[MadBrewer]

I know exactly what you're saying. I've always enjoyed putting together my own recipes, of course that is always hit and miss. Some have been good, some great and some not so great. But hey, that's how we learn. When I want to brew a style that I don't know much about or how to brew a good example I turn to Brewing Classic Styles. It's a great recipe resource, and they are all solid tried and true recipes. I have brewed about 10 beers from the book, all have been great. The Scottish Ale, Southern English Brown in particular were award winning in competitions that I entered. Just saying it has been a big help to me when I'm thinking outside the box.

The rut I have of my own is I mostly brew dark beers. I love to brew Porters, they may be my favorite style. I enjoy a hoppy beer here and there, but I am no hop head IPA drinker. So when I do want to brew a hoppy beer, there's a lot I don't know, so many new hops out there I haven't had. The next round of batches will probably be hoppy beers, I have my mind on nailing down a good house APA and IPA.

[jimjohson]

Dave, I got in a rut also. My cure .........computer crashed and I lost most of my recipes. Now having to start mostly from scratch ...... I think I'm enjoying the process more now.
Joe

I have lost pictures in the past when HD's have crashed. So I keep my recipes on the pc, the iPad, and a notebook.

[mashani]

I pretty much am always trying something new because I like variety. I have a few standard beers I keep around but most everything else I do is one of a kind.

[FedoraDave]

There you go Dave, have the best of both worlds. You can always swap out the 2 row with Marris Otter while keeping everything else the same and compare the differences. But even after stretching your recipe boundaries a bit don't be surprised to find yourself back brewing your favorites again, its all part of what makes brewing such great fun.

That's a good idea, and it's actually what I had done when experimenting with hops. I created a recipe with a very simple grain bill and kept changing the hops bill. Eventually, I kept the recipe with Simcoe hops and it's turned into my signature beer, FedoraDave's American Ale.

I know I'll be brewing my favorites on a regular basis, because they're good beers, and I just like to have them available. What I'm hoping is that this process yields some new favorites that I can add to the rotation.

[Ibasterd]

I haven't been doing this that long ( just over a year), but I haven't brewed the same recipe twice yet. I have made a few beers that I wouldn't mind brewing again because they turned out pretty good, but I enjoy trying something new every time. There are so many styles and variations within those styles, that I like the excitement of getting a different result every time. If I want the same thing consistently, I'' buy a commercial beer that I like. I have made a nice saison that I may try again in the summer, to see if I can replicate it consistently, but for me, the excitement is in making something NEW!

[braukasper]

Dave I use Munich malts as base malts. Even the Munich 30 has enough conversion power to be used on its own. One of my Dads favs is the 30 with German noble hops.