Proper info for proper responses?

[Head First]

Nosybear brought up a point that is very relevant to this portion of the forum. I'm not trying to step on anyone's toes because lots of us do it including me. Ask for feedback on recipes that are not complete. There are so many variables in brewing that without the right info it is impossible to give a good response. There are lots of reasons to discuss recipes of your own or one you found and want to try so for good feedback we need to put volumes of all ingredients including water or batch size. Maybe even your type of brewing. If it can affect the outcome of a recipe it needs to be included.
Ok I will step down off the box now. Thanks, and happy brewing!!!

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

that precisely why Im very short and vague when it comes to some answers, ask a general question, don't expect a detailed answer

 

[Nosybear]

...and most of the time, why I don't answer at all. The first factor is always the brewer's intent: What beer do they want to make. Without that, any critique is merely punching in the dark.

 

[J A]

In my opinion, the best way to get informed feedback is to post a link to the recipe after it's worked out to a reasonable degree. That way everybody can see the intended mash temps, batch size, percentages, IBU's, hop schedule etc.
Without that we're just making very generalized comments about ingredient interaction or preferences. It's true that most new brewers have no idea that the ingredient list is far from a "recipe" in and of itself and that it may or may not accomplish what they intend depending on system, process, etc.

 

[Mark D Pirate]

Would be a great world where newer brewers could just know how to formulate recipes , i'm still learning !
when i have time and someones already got the broad strokes down and just need some details i have no issues helping them .
For me i have a look at other recipes in a similar style and see what looks tasty or has won awards and try to see how to fit it to my brewery and tastes
There's a beer and brewing blog called Beer : Simple i quite like that touched on this aspect of recipe formulation a few weeks ago http://www.beer-simple.com/brewing/

 

[J A]

Would be a great world where newer brewers could just know how to formulate recipes , i'm still learning !

With even a rudimentary version of a recipe in the calculator (most of us lacking knowledge to nail down every single detail), specific points can be addressed. Even stuff that's left out completely can be noted and a newer brewer gets some input about his specific brew as well as a better understanding of how the calculator helps formulate a plan to put everything together and have a predictable outcome.

 

[Mark D Pirate]

Agree completely JA
as long as the broad strokes and a clear intent are there the members here are often very willing to help with the details

 

[jmcnamara]

That's am interesting read Mark, I'll have to take a look at the rest of the site. Thanks!

 

[GFHomebrew]

I think that any Brewer who follows this forum with an open mind can adjust their brewing according to other informed Brewers on this site within reason and equipment . As you all know I always flick an estimated recipe up on the forum for critique better all your brewing eyes looking at a recipe than just mine I can glean what I thinks appropriate for each and hopefully come out the other end with a more defined recipe on hand for brew day.

Having access to more knowledgable Brewers on this site has easily led me to being a more confident Brewer and a Better Brewer in my biased opinion .

 

[Nosybear]

Would be a great world where newer brewers could just know how to formulate recipes , i'm still learning !
when i have time and someones already got the broad strokes down and just need some details i have no issues helping them .
For me i have a look at other recipes in a similar style and see what looks tasty or has won awards and try to see how to fit it to my brewery and tastes
There's a beer and brewing blog called Beer : Simple i quite like that touched on this aspect of recipe formulation a few weeks ago http://www.beer-simple.com/brewing/

I've just finished one of the better beer books I've read in a long time, "The Secrets of Master Brewers". It has recipes but it's also a world tour of several brewing traditions. The interesting thing to me is how experimental the pros are. Of course once they hit on a recipe that works for them, they stick to it (again, emphasizing my point that 80% of good brewing is process, 20% is the recipe). But getting there: I like the approach. If you are in a place like Belgium or Germany that has a tradition, you have a framework for your experimentation. You aren't just mixing ingredients blindly and hoping something good comes out of it. The American tradition is all about late hops. If you understand the tradition, you can formulate within the framework and have a better chance of having something come out. The NEIPA craze is an expression of American tradition. A German brewer wouldn't even think of it. Okay, to the point (as he rambles, something he should start doing on his blog), even the pros have to experiment. A recipe that works great for me might need tweaking by you to get it to work great on your system with your process. So there's no right way to formulate a recipe and, again my soapbox, if your process isnt dialed in you'll never know if it's the process or the recipe causing the batch-to-batch variation.

 

[Mark D Pirate]

I'll check my local library for that one ,Thanks Nosy

I'm a big big fan of late hopping , yesterday's brew didn't see any hops until 20 mins