Everyone Use Recipes Or Just Make It Up?

[Simon W]

Like others, I usually work on a recipe a few days in advance, using style guidelines, books on beer(like Michael Jackson etc) and Beersmith.
Only done one brew following a recipe and that was this one for the '08 Xmas case.

 

[drsmurto]

I have my Promash recipe database set up with folders for each style of beer. Also one for experimental beers like chilli beer ect, one for planned brews that im playing with the recipes ect.

I also always do a brewing session and save it with the filename starting with the year, then the month, then the day and then the brew name. Like this

09.11.27_german pils

This way they get filed in order of date brewed in the sessions database and i can go back for years to brews i did and check out what i used in them. and they are easy to find in dated order. Promash saves them with the recipe name first and when you have over 100 sessions in the folder finding a brew can be tough.

hope this helps

cheers

I do this in beersmith Tony. Put a number in front of the beer name 001, 002 etc and then tell it to order by name. You can order by date if you want as well but i use the numbers to identify bottles. Well. I did. Before i kegged. Still do it but now not sure why :huh:

Yes, i know you dislike beersmith

But then i have a tad over a years worth of brews to organise so its not difficult. For those of you who have brewing AG for several years it no doubt gets more tricky.

I have a large chunk of the recipeDB saved in beersmith as well as dozens from the Flavour of the week threads. Yet to brew 1 exactly as listed tho

 

[Jakechan]

Yet to brew 1 exactly as listed tho

Aha! Another one

 

[Bizier]

I am not AG yet, but I am definitely in the vein of Tony in that I never repeat anything OR follow a recipe verbatim, but I am only up to my 29th beer. But that also goes for cooking food, I always want to make it mine somehow. And also the same as Butters that I will make changes mid-brew and re-calculate with software to make it feel right.

 

[warra48]

I make up my own recipes, mostly.
I have recipes in my BeerSmith data base, kindly sent to me by DrSmurto, Kevnlis, and Trough Lolly.
Although those may form the basis of some of my recipes, they are always modified before I brew.
I like to play around on BeerSmith, and will usually manipulate my recipes several times before I brew them.
I have set up sub-folders in my Recipe section for brews planned, current drinking brews, and brews all consumed. The recipes have a consecutive number in front of the name, so sorting is easy.
It's all part of the enjoyment of brewing as a hobby.

 

[Jase71]

Jakechan, first of all - love your Pink Floyd avatar.

As far as the subject, well isn't this a question that might just as soon be in the "Beer - Art or Craft" thread ? No, because it would be bogged down in literary inferences.

Whilst I'm quite a newbie myself, I am already thinking of the "what's fermentable?" angle. I'm largely on the various liquid malts right now, but wonder about getting that damned SG up with other goo, like treacle, golden syrup, honey, maple syrup, or whatever else (I draw the line at 99% aloe vera, no sugars AFAIK)

Outside of that, what about the many sugars available ? Look in the asian/eastern stores, and theres al manner of sucrose that would bring a unique flavour to a brew, and may not have been touched upon.

Palm sugar, anyone ?

Go for experimentation, I say.

 

[ford-ute]

Ive been brewing for a few years now mainly K&K and am now starting in extract and i dont think i have ever followed a recipe exactly it may only be a small change like add honey on a whim or i have even tried coffee beans ( dont try this with pale beer not good) but i like to experement but one problem i do have is that i have never kept records so i have never been able to recreate a beer again if i wanted to but it all sorts of fun to try new thing most of the time my beers have been drinkable ( once again no coffee in pale beers) and every now and then you are surprise with some thing fantastic but if you dont keep records your stuffed now im doing extract brewing i am starting from scratch following only recipes i generate on beertools.com

so i say have fun with it it is a science but why not play with it