What beer, if any, are you trying to aim for?

[Dave49]

Just wondered about the general approach that you guys have to brewing. Do you have a favourite commercial beer that you try to aim for in terms of flavour/character etc, or do you brew for completely different reasons?
I have two beers that I particularly like, and they are McEwans Champion, and the dark Belgian Leffe beer. The Champion weighs in at 7.3% abv, and the Leffe at 6.5%. I tend to favour the darker, heavier beers, and for that reason will probably never try to brew a pale ale.
Another question. Once you've brewed a beer that you love, do you stay with that, or do you tend to jump around a bit and try other varieties?
Just wondered.....:grin:
Dave

 

[Covrich]

I never try to clone anything, because you could make awesome beer but the need to draw reference can lead to disappointment because it will be different even for better or worse it will be different.

I just try to pick a style I fancy and then build a recipe around that, that could be borrowing a recipe from say greg hughes or online and using that or changing it up a bit.

I am yet to do a repeat brew because and this is especially when you go all grain, the options and styles are just almost unlimited.. it is like giving a kid free rein of toys r us..

 

[Bigjas]

I like most varieties of beer :lol: but my favorite commercial one at the moment is Ringwoods Old Thumper. The brewery is not too far from me and I have attended a couple of their brewery tours with tasting afterwards. Graham Wheelers book has a recipe for it, so now I have a couple of AG brews completed, I might give it a go........

Jas

 

[chub1]

I have just borrowed CAMRA'S brew your own british real ales from GHW on here.
Lots of beers to try and clone both AG and extract. I will have a pop at one or two just to see how they come out. Basically i have been punching ideas through the recipe builder on here and really enjoying doing that. Have also been told that cloning probably won't produce a beer too much like the original.

 

[joe 90]

as covrich says

I am yet to do a repeat brew because and this is especially when you go all grain, the options and styles are just almost unlimited.. it is like giving a kid free rein of toys r us..

yes its true the sky's the limit when all grain brewing i have brewed with orange peels lemon peels, treacle, honey, and molasses and never had a bad beer yet :drink:

 

[Sandimas]

Uley Old Spot
http://www.uleybrewery.com/ales_old_spot.htm

Currently on V4 and getting close, but still not there. I like doing clones.

 

[MickDundee]

I'm just having fun experimenting, making beer and saving a bit of money, especially at Christmas (I spent £28 on 8 bottles of Inveralmond Santa's Swallie last year, I've priced up the DIY Dog Santa Paws recipe and can get the ingredients for 20L from GEB for around £10). I did have a go at an Anchor Steam Beer clone, which is one of my favourite beers - the end result was very good, less body and needing a touch more bitterness but I actually think I preferred my version.

 

[IainM]

I just want to make good beer. Whether it's a hoppy IPA, a refreshing English bitter, a comforting stout, a funky Belgian or an unusual hybrid, I enjoy them all for their own qualities. Maybe once I've nailed the techniques I can start challenging myself to try to reproduce commercial products. Until then, if it tastes good I'm happy.

 

[TheRedDarren]

I never try to clone anything, because you could make awesome beer but the need to draw reference can lead to disappointment because it will be different even for better or worse it will be different.

I just try to pick a style I fancy and then build a recipe around that, that could be borrowing a recipe from say greg hughes or online and using that or changing it up a bit.

I am yet to do a repeat brew because and this is especially when you go all grain, the options and styles are just almost unlimited.. it is like giving a kid free rein of toys r us..

To the OP this is a great question!

I've got to say that Covrich and I regularly agree on how we go about producing beer and I find it interesting the he doesn't enjoying cloning.
I love it!
The reason being that I learn loads from what grains, hops and yeast contribute to the 'finished' product (I say 'finished' as a live beer is never finished....). My first attempt was Hoegaarden, one of my favourite summer beers, unfortunately I nailed (to my palette) on the second attempt, but this did show me the difference that pale malt and Pilsner malt can have on beer.
Next up was Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, I got close after two attempts, but it took me five to really be happy with it. This one showed me what hops addition timings could do to the final outcome.
To echo previous sentiments, the scope is endless, and I get why you wouldn't repeat a brew, but cloning is a process that has taught me loads about how small differences can radically change the outcome of a beer. I find that fascinating.

To answer to original question: I don't try for anything other than making it clean, drinkable and a clear representation of the style.
I don't always get there but I'm getting my more consistent with creating good brews!

 

[GHW]

I love hops so I start with what hop i'd like to try.

I'll tinker a bit with grain bills but mostly it's about the hops for me. A limited horizon maybe but that's what I like.

The one clone I attempted was rather good though, but a simple brew, boddingtons.

I do also pick recipes that are kind of clones, maybe alter a few things, but don't worry too much how close they are, as long as they are good beers.

 

[Simonh82]

I've tried to make a couple of clone type recipes but these were always my attempt at creating a similar beer rather than using an established recipe.

I'm not expecting an exact match but hoping for something that hits the same spot.

I'm making a Brewers Gold clone at the moment. The info I found about it suggested it was a SMASH recipe with just pale or lager malt and Brewers Gold hops.

I decided to add a small amount of crystal and I used Admiral for bittering as the Brewers Gold was only 4% AA. I would have had to use way too much of it to get to the bitterness I wanted, that it wouldn't have left much for flavour/aroma.

I just tasted a sample from the trial jar and it's great. Very close to the original.

I'm just happy experimenting and making beer, wherever it comes from.

 

[brumbrew]

I've never tried to clone a beer either. For me it's about trying to make something you can truely call your own.

Sure I'm aware what's in the clones and what constitutes a style of beer. But as said, swapping malts, hops and now for me yeasts, it's an open door!

 

[GlentoranMark]

My whole reason for coming back to brewing was drinking a black lager in a pub called U-Fleku in Prague. I have a recipe but no temperature control, for that I need a brew fridge and a brew shed.

I'd also like to do a lager clone, something like Carlsberg. I've friends and relatives that only ever taste this stuff. I'd like to produce something similar to show them that it is possible to brew it at home and maybe persuade them that there is more variety and taste in the stuff I brew.

 

[peteplus1]

I'm a massive fan of trying new beers and enjoy a well hopped IPA as much as a milk stout. I wanted to go about my brewing to produce something that I really like first and foremost. So when I started brewing I wanted to create something I already knew was a lovely drink. I've followed recipes so far and made clones of Mikkellers Milk Stout, Guinness extra, a brewdog 'Moshi Moshi' and several pales. All passed the test and I'll continue to do this until I'm happy with my brew day going 100% right. Thought Id bodged several attempts with a mistake here and there but so far so good!

 

[LarryF]

I've only done a couple of AG's that cane out as per the beer engine I fed them into which was a relief but my sparge water was too hot so gave on off tast that is now thankfully fading. I'm putting my last kit on this weekend and will be looking to buy enough grain for six brews. Two light ales, two dark ales and two stouts with a view to getting my technique down pat and by the last couple even start tweaking my efficiency. But as said before I just want to brew good and very drinkable beer that gets me the highest accolade..."You brewed this?"