I'm also in the less is better camp. That's not too say I don't mind trying new or different things, but I usually buy those brews rather than make em. I don't mind sampling and having a pint or two, but there's no way I would want a full keg of off the wall sh*t.

 

I like to think simple but not against a fruit beer or a complicated porter. But i steer clear of stuff like capn crunch or heavy spicing. Hell I'll taste most any offering though.

 

I'll drink damned near anything once, but I like beer flavoured beer personally.

 

Less is more. Unless I'm adding flavors and then less is still more.

 

Foot in both camps.

 

Ya I'm with Mark, I cant get enough of the mango NEIPA I brew, and neither can all my friends, but I love the ESB and Browns I brew as well.

 

Just a beginner, but definitely in the Belgian beer types. Well, blondes and tripels that is
I prfeer without too many extra's, but I can see myself using some coriander seed, orange peel etc

 

I want to brew a Tripel and try a lager even though I'm not much of a lager drinker. I mainly brew IPA and brown and Blonde ales. I need to expand my brewing but space and equipment keeps me in check

 

I throw all sorts of crap in my beers but I also like to brew basic beers.
I'll brew a succession of "booring" beers then get all out there on one.
Like the aniseed myrtle stout I'm still thinking of brewing.

Also at shopping with missus on weekend I see this jar if caramel topping like a jam spread thing had a look on the back ah no preservatives I said to the missus I might pop that in a brown ale!

 

I don't like to paint myself into any corners. I might have 4 or 5 different hop varieties in a batch, with 2 grains, or I might have one hop, and 6 grains. Or I might......
Flavorings or spices though I must side with Nosy, never want to over do it, keep it subtle.

 

I'm with you on this Craigerrr. I like to try off the beaten path hops with different grain combos as well.

 

I brew simple because that's what I prefer. That hasn't stopped me from making a damned good chili pepper beer, attempting to get the flavors of nutella into my beer, some wildly spiced beers, strawberry hefeweizens.... My working mantra is if I can make simple beers well, I can make complex ones well - I've reached the point where my recipe is changing things, I'm not seeing variability from the process. So when I go off the beaten track and do, say, a Speltweizen, I know the changes are from ingredients, not process.

And that's the basis of my recommendation to perfect a simple beer before going on to more complex stuff.

 

I love the picture! It is true in so many ways. I, myself, went the opposite way over the years. When I first started brewing I kept adding all kinds of stuff - ginger, chocolate, banana bread, spices, etc.

Now I love serving folks a flight of Shuttz beer and watching as they remark about how well balanced most are yet how they all taste uniquely different. I rarely add anything other than water, hops, malts and yeast these days...

The father's day porter I made had distinct notes of espresso and chocolate and everyone asked if I put one or the other in there! I loved smiling and saying "Nope. Not at all. What you taste is coming directly from the malts I used."

I do like to occasionally use things like chocolate, molasses, honey or corn though. Oh, and I typically make a cucumber blonde ale roughly every other year or so.

 

When it relates to Porters or Stouts, I can't see using 4 or less... because so much goes into these (malt wise).
Light colored and Orange/Red hues... I don't use more than 4 (typically 2 or 3).
Hops are a different topic for me, I use one for bittering! then 1 or sometimes/rarely 2, for flavor and aroma.
I try to keep my recipes very simple/basic. All the tastes come from the Malts and Hops.
To each his/her own; nothing wrong with imaginative/creative beers, I have tasted many that I like... just that I don't like them enough to have 10+ gallons available.

 

I thought it meant the 4 basic ingredients: water, malt, hops and yeast....

 

I agree, you are correct sir.
I went off on a tangent.

 

No worries. I too use more than 4 malts in a brown ale... I just wanted to make sure I didn't misunderstand.

I like an off-the-wall beer here and there too but like you surely wouldn't want 5+ gallons on tap!

 

I like a balanced jalapeno or habanero beer. I don't over do the peppers, just a handful as a dry hop.
You get the initial burn but it goes away before the next swallow.
Perfect accompaniment to spicy TexMex!