What's been your biggest beer-improver?

[MartinOC]

I'm coming back into brewing after a 10-year hiaitus & have been trawling-through a lot of threads here to get myself back up to speed on techniques/ingredients/gear etc..etc..since I last introduced malt to water, boiled the result with hops & then fermented it into a drinkable product & I'm loving the learning-curve!

I did a LOT of reading & research years ago & was able to make award-winning beers as a result of (what I consider) my better knowledge at the time, based on what was known at the time. However, things have definitely progressed.

There's SOOO much improvement in every aspect since I was last "hooked" by homebrewing & have already decided to get-together a lot of new "toys" to play with, but I'm curious on other's experiences/anecdotes on what they think has made the single biggest improvement in the quality of their brews over the past few years.

Tell me your experiences on:

GEAR: Does better gear make better beer, or are you just spending a lot of dosh unnecessarily, when
knowledge will get you through? Are all the electronic brains really worth it?

YEAST: I've realized that I was horrendously under-pitching in the past & my best beers were dumped onto the lees of a previous brew. Will a stir-plate REALLY make that much difference?

INGREDIENTS: Have they REALLY improved that much in the past 10 years to make that much of a difference?

WATER: I've always added calcium & tried to replicate the "traditional" profile of whatever style I was brewing, but are we getting anal about it?

FERMENTATION TEMPERATURE: Control - is it that important, or should we just be doing what our ancestors did & just brew to the seasons?

This list is by no-means exhaustive.

For the record, I used to do everything manually (ie. no electronic wizardry) & enjoyed the whole 8-10+ hours I would spend in the shed with the stereo cranked-up, getting messy, transferring everything by hand, spilling shit all over everywhere, *******-up mash-temperatures, drinking too much & wandering-around in my own head-space in the process. Again, for the record, I used to have a 5-level, 5-vessel, gravity-fed system that allowed my to do multiple brews &/or parti-gyle beers in a single day.

Having read-over a lot of stuff here, I'm inclining towards going the whole HERMS/PID/No-chill (something I did 20 years ago!)/Chill & whirlpool/STC-100-controlled fermentation fridge/Keezer..etc..etc...

Guys, I think I'm asking here for some guidance in restraint from my own potential economic melt-down.

Save me from myself, please????

Slainte!

Martin

Edit: I think I've opened a Pandora's Box here....

 

[Blitzer]

Fermentation Temperature.

I listened to Brewing Network Sunday Show where the Chris Graham from More Beer lists the essentials to buy. He lists a kegging at number 2 and yeast starters.. this is crazy.

Keeping a constant and correct ferment temp definitely is that one thing without you will have terrible (apple & licorice tasting) beers.

 

[manticle]

you can make great beer with expensive equipment or cheap equipment.

The member of our brewclub recognised for the most number of placings over the last comp year brews in a bag in an apartment and no chills. Basic setup good brewer.

I use the same esky, mill and kettle I started with and every time I entertain the idea of 'upgrading' I return to the old trustys. Knowing your equipment is more important than what that equipment is. Automated suits the time poor or those who are clever enough to design and build their own.

What do you aim for from your system? Are you a recipe designer or system designer? Do you like building or brewing?
Do you like consistency or experimentation? Do you just like having beer around?

 

[manticle]

And to actually answer your questions - fermentation temp control for me, while primitive for ages, was very important. Other major factors would be conditioning time/methods and ingredients.

I'd say understanding what you're doing and why and how to troubleshoot are key to everything.Other tweaks like water and step mashing helped too but overall it's the ability to critically evaluate and problem solve.

 

[431neb]

You are gonna hear temp control a lot so let's get that one outta the way. After that I just followed the path of least resistance whether it be effort or $$. I'm failing - but if I went nuts = divorce / bankrupt! Still on the journey. Everything I look at now is through beer goggles. Good fun.

 

[hsb]

Great advice about knowing your system, definitely more important than bells and whistles.

Yeast and temperature are the big two basics I guess. a temperature controlled environment of some kind is worth it and cheap to setup. Yeast doesn't need any equipment beyond what's already in your kitchen.
Ingredients are much the same for everyone so no discernible difference.

Other than that, it's just cooking, for shed dwellers.

 

[dent]

A will to improve your brewing is the best upgrade you can have. If you're not interested in brewing beer better than before, with learning and practical experience, your beers will never be any good.

 

[jc64]

GEAR- I like the addition of a pump to my system the most, just makes my day easier

YEAST- A stir plate will be better, but I just shake mine by hand when I walk past. (That's if I don't use dry yeast h34r: )

INGREDIENTS- Well more variety = more options

WATER- I never have tried to get my water to a certain 'style' - I just use ez water calculator to get me in the place I want to be in regards to minerals and PH

FERM TEMP- If you want to brew by season then cool, but controlling the temp of ferment is obviously really important

As Manticle said BIAB and No Chill wins awards so it's possible to make great beer with a pot and a HDPE container

 

[MartinOC]

you can make great beer with expensive equipment or cheap equipment.

I know. That's why I asked whether the knowledge I have is enough.

Knowing your equipment is more important than what that equipment is. Automated suits the time poor or those who are clever enough to design and build their own.

Yep! I put many years of thought into my initial system (now broken-down & scattered & re-assigned). Currently, I'm time-rich, but keen to use my head to design a better system.

What do you aim for from your system? Are you a recipe designer or system designer? Do you like building or brewing?
Do you like consistency or experimentation? Do you just like having beer around?

Salient points. I used to design recipes (by hand, with a swag of books around me & a calculator & a big note-pad). Now I'm getting older (smarter?), I'm inclining towards systems, since there are a heap of programs that can do all the calculations I used to do by hand. I'm not really "handy", but can fudge my way around power-tools (but not electronics).

I see system-design as a natural extension of both consistency AND experimentation (ie. temperature-control & time-management).

Yes, I DEFINITELY like having beer around as well!!!

 

[Lodan]

In order

1. Temperature control, or more accurately, keeping the beer under 21degC (early kit brews were poor examples, later kit and bit brews were good)
2. Using malt extra instead of sugar as an addition to kit beers
3. Adding small amounts of steeped grain

 

[mmmyummybeer]

Temperature control always seem to keep coming up as one of the most important things you can do to improve your beer on pretty much all these styled threads. I guess you could do the ancestry thing and brew to the seasons but there beers probable weren't as good and with so much available to set up a good temp control at minimal cost why not.
Also sounds like Beersmith might be right down your alley too, or any of the other fine brewing software out there, I'm just familar with Beersmith that's all

 

[MartinOC]

A will to improve your brewing is the best upgrade you can have. If you're not interested in brewing beer better than before, with learning and practical experience, your beers will never be any good.

Precisely why I started this thread!

Maybe some newbies will also benefit from reading it, as I'm sure there's a heap of knowledge out there.

 

[Muscovy_333]

Stating the obvious, but cleanliness and handling has to be up their with looking after your yeast

 

[Bridges]

Stating the obvious, but cleanliness and handling has to be up their with looking after your yeast

I was going to add no rinse sanitizer. Easier effective sanitation.

 

[waggastew]

A good mate is just starting HB'ing so I have been mulling over what are the biggies to focus on. +1 to above for:

1. Sanitation - Vast majority of probs I have had/tasted in HB related to poor sanitation/low level infection
2. Temp Control - Fridge and STC-1000. Its not just 'right temp range' but temp stability over time
3. Yeast Happiness - Pitching rates (I use rehydrated dry yeast alot because I don't have lot of time to get starters right), nutrient and aeration

As you can see these are mostly 'cold-side' things not recipes/ingredients which most new HB'ers seem to focus on. I am not saying hot-side is not important but to me that stuff seems to be more forgiving e.g. missing mash temp/efficiency targets etc.

 

[MartinOC]

Thanks to everyone so far. I appreciate your input.

Just to qualify - I've won a few State/National prizes (& one International), so I've got the basics down-pat.

I'm after information/anecdotes on improving my overall AG regime, since I want to do things better than I did in the past (perhaps by pure arse than class?).

So far, it's been "Temperature-Control" & "Yeast-Husbandry" & I'm taking that on board in a big way (SWMBO won't like me adding to the power bill, but I'm sure I can assuage her concerns.....somehow..... ).

I know I can make good beer, but I want to do it better...

 

[manticle]

Working out which aspects you want to improve will lead to what additions/changes should be made.
One minor thing you've mentioned - I'd say water appropriate to beer style, not water associated with an alleged local profile from an unknown point in history.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

I find white kittens are better than black ones...

 

[MartinOC]

Working out which aspects you want to improve will lead to what additions/changes should be made.
One minor thing you've mentioned - I'd say water appropriate to beer style, not water associated with an alleged local profile from an unknown point in history.

You wouldn't be a Guenzel-Swarzbier-fan, then, I'm taking it?

 

[Blitzer]

I find white kittens are better than black ones...

and derailed... enjoy