Two Brews identical...

[MEB]

Ok, how many brewers here have HONESTLY done two batches that were absolutely identical?

Iv'e never managed it. I've got close on a few. I'm up to 40 something brews now and no matter what i cannot duplicate a brew. Close, for sure but never identical. There is always a slight difference. Usually in the brewing stage but always a distinct difference in the beer itself.
Personally with my experience of volumes of water i think it would be almost impossible to duplicate a brew in such small volumes. Especially with different bags of grain.

 

[BrewStew]

the only brews i've done more than once so far was Genius, oh and Wasp Stinger, but that's still in fermenter.

it tasted the same every time.. but then again that was going from memory as i had none left of the previous batch to compare with :lol:

 

[Vossy1]

:hmm: ...don't really know as one never survives to the next :drink:
I only really register brews I don't like, and they are few and far between

 

[Wez]

:hmm: ...don't really know as one never survives to the next :drink:

:lol: Same here

 

[Ian]

I don't know as my 4 AG brews have all been different, but last night while working my way (rather quickly) through a litre of my Treacle Stout I decided my next brew was going to be that recipe again. So once I do it I will see :

 

[Buzz]

I have a house ale that I do over and over again. Apart from one time when it came out weak, hazy and lost most of it's hop character (not sure what went wrong with that one), the others are very samey.

Trouble is, I've always drained the keg before the next one is ready so, I've never actually compared side by side for an exact comparison but I'd say the good ones are pretty damn close.

I use malt from the same maltster and replicate the same water treatment, which I guess helps.

 

[Louthepoo]

I've done a couple of Black Jack stouts that are as close to identical as i think you'll get - i know they're identical because i bottled them and still have a few from the first brew. Think it might be easier to do that with darker beers though - the light beer i did a couple of times was noticeably different even though i followed the first brews timetable to the letter!

 

[kage72]

Homebrew is like Snowflakes. No 2 are alike.

There are so many variables and without a commericial brew setup it's near impossible to duplicate a beer. I have brewed the same recipe 5 times (a very popular honey blonde ale), I've had differing OG's, bitterness, clarity, alcohol content, etc.

The crush I get from my homebrew shop is inconsistant, my water chemistry changes (tap water), my technique changes (I'm a very relaxed brewer), even the bitterness profiles (AA) of the hops are inconsistant from 1 year to the next. Unless you can find a way to make all of these factors (and more) consistant, you're fighting a futile battle.

All this being said, I will say that in my opinion - the best measure of a homebrewer's skill is consistancy. A great brewer will know how to eliminate variables or compensate for inconsistancy, adjust water chemistry, presisely grind the malt, create a process that is completely consistant. I salute these brewers, but I am not one of them. Still, I've produced some very fine beers! As long as I can learn something from one brew to the next, I'm happy.

Kage

 

[Vossy1]

I agree with a lot of your points Kage/MEB but I'd like to offer a different point of view.

For me part of brewing is the mystery of brewing itself.

Having tasted my latest oatmeal stout, which I hadn't before my first reply, I can honestly say that it's as close as dammit to the others.
The malt is the same...fact...it was crushed en-mass with all my other malt.
The hops are the same...from the same packet albeit slightly older.
The salt additions are the same..though naturally, the water may be different....I could sort that with a RO unit if I wanted.

I know some beers are reverse engineered...ie, they need to taste like a standard sample..... :shock:

As above...for me part of making ale is the lovely subtle difference between the brews.
It gives me something to think about...why did that happen...what did I do differently...why are they all so much better than shop bought

I am as guilty as the next man of repeat brewing my fav's...ie, oatmeal stout

And to be totally honest, it's impossible to compare beers as they are live entities. A truely great cask ale can be truely great one week, and average the next.

The answer would be to pasteurise it, but then we'd have standardised, pasteurised.....probably homogenised ****, and there's plenty of that about :lol:

 

[jamesb]

I am as guilty as the next man of repeat brewing my fav's...ie, oatmeal stout

Charlie Papazian would say that's the way to go. He can't understand why people try all sorts of recipes everytime instead of refining one recipe until it's perfect before moving on.

I've only ever brewed the same recipe twice so far and that's only because I liked it so much (A version of Wez's Wezerection).

But I'm still a relative novice. I want to see how different things affect the beer, how different hops bitter and taste, etc. It adds to the excitement to me. Tasting a new batch for the first time is akin to opening your christmas presents as kid for me.

I do have a list of those now that I will start refining in time though.

 

[Kingfisher]

I am as guilty as the next man of repeat brewing my fav's...ie, oatmeal stout

Charlie Papazian would say that's the way to go. He can't understand why people try all sorts of recipes everytime instead of refining one recipe until it's perfect before moving on.

I've only ever brewed the same recipe twice so far and that's only because I liked it so much (A version of Wez's Wezerection).

But I'm still a relative novice. I want to see how different things affect the beer, how different hops bitter and taste, etc. It adds to the excitement to me. Tasting a new batch for the first time is akin to opening your christmas presents as kid for me.

I do have a list of those now that I will start refining in time though.

I know what you mean Jb. So many hops and so little time (in my case)