What does it taste like?

[evil.soup]

I am brand new to brewing but I have been quite accomplished at lager and cider drinking over the years, as such, I understand the flavours of different types/styles of ciders and lager when they are discussed in this forum.

However, I have a major lack of knowledge when it comes to beer and stout. Now, I am well aware of dark stout of course and I have tried light American IPA's so I have an idea of the flavour profiles of something like that, but when people start talking about bitters, porters and milk stouts, I am clueless as to what they are like to drink.

I know there is a simple solution to my lack of knowledge and that would be more drinking/testing. That said, I have experimented a couple of times with things like Shipmanns IPA, Speckled Hen, McCewens Champion and Doom Bar, but I dont really know what types of drinks these are, so it makes it difficult to judge what I may like to brew.

I don't like all of the ones I have tried, Shipmanns was too hoppy for me and Doom Bar just wasn't right to my taste, can't recall why I thought that, it was something I tried at the end of a long night. Speckled Hen was easy to drink and Champion I found rather good, if not a bit like rocket fuel! Would recommend it if anyone likes a strong tipple and hasn't tried it.

I guess what I need is maybe a link to something that describes different beer styles/flavours and links the flavours to the brands as a comparison.

Or, if anyone is able to give a whistle stop tour of the styles people mostly brew and flavour profiles, that would also be great. I just want an idea of what I may like, so that I can make up a taster shortlist rather than try every beer along the bar A-Z, that could be fun of course, but expensive lol!

 

[Sadfield]

Taste is subjective, but something like ratebeer could be a useful resource here. Search individual beers.

https://www.ratebeer.com/ratebeerbest/
As could (the often maligned) BJCP guidelines. Rough style guides.

https://www.bjcp.org/style/2021/beer/
Books by Melissa Coles, Mark Dredge or Jeff Alworth are usually a good resource, too. Sit down, drink beer, read about beer.

 

[Rwilts]

There are lots of books that provide the details your looking for, have a look at the what's on your shelf thread.

 

[Rwilts]

Additionally I don't normally drink commercial beer at home but was recently gifted 25 cans of commercial beer of different brands , I have to say very underwhelming, most of those claiming to be hoppy IPA were exactly the same tasting.
And whilst I appreciate that a hoppy IPA should have similar characteristics, there was literally no variation

 

[evil.soup]

Taste is subjective, but something like ratebeer could be a useful resource here. Search individual beers.

https://www.ratebeer.com/ratebeerbest/
As could (the often maligned) BJCP guidelines. Rough style guides.

https://www.bjcp.org/style/2021/beer/
Books by Melissa Coles, Mark Dredge or Jeff Alworth are usually a good resource, too. Sit down, drink beer, read about beer.

Thanks for those, can't view them at the moment with work restrictions, but will have a look later.

 

[evil.soup]

Additionally I don't normally drink commercial beer at home but was recently gifted 25 cans of commercial beer of different brands , I have to say very underwhelming, most of those claiming to be hoppy IPA were exactly the same tasting.
And whilst I appreciate that a hoppy IPA should have similar characteristics, there was literally no variation

Yes, imagine it is difficult to add a brand to a flavour style. I guess I don't want to risk making 40 pints of beer I don't actually like, so I need to get some comparable tasting underway based on what I will learn from this thread.

 

[Rwilts]

Try a red ale , I am a recent convert !

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Whatever you brew yourself is exceedingly to be so objectionable that you can’t drink it… last resort you can always make it into a shandy or cook a Carbonnade Flemande with it :-)

 

[Caramel Ox]

I can relate to not knowing what the different beers are like, and I am still very weak on British beers. I think you can work around it though because brewing is very slow. You only need to find one recipe you are interested in and try that, if you like it do it. Then you have another month to decide what’s next.

 

[jof]

Also, once you have found a recipe you like, just make small changes to explore.
Changing hops is an easy one, but you can get different beer styles by adding a small amount of specialist malt. Crystal malt is an easy addition, chocolate malt makes a big difference, so have a look at the effect before you decide to add 50g or 500g

 

[Bjorn Toulouse]

I guess I don't want to risk making 40 pints of beer I don't actually like

Ha, nobody does but we still drink it

 

[Rodcx500z]

Can i just add, yeast also makes a big difference, get a good base malt i tend to use crisps extra pale then find yourself a chart which gives you % of the adjuncts to use ie crystal,amber, biscuit, and so on, have you got brewing software i use brewfather i find it very easy to use and you can try it for free, some use brewers friend which is also free to try, i tend to stick to bitters pale ales and ipa's so yeast and hops play a big part of my brewing you can find on line what hops bring to the party, having said all that some of the best brews i have done have been user uppers, good luck luck on your journey and have fun

 

[evil.soup]

Ha, nobody does but we still drink it

Lol yeah it wouldn't go to waste, I am sure I could live to like it after maybe 20 of the 40 pints!

 

[evil.soup]

Can i just add, yeast also makes a big difference, get a good base malt i tend to use crisps extra pale then find yourself a chart which gives you % of the adjuncts to use ie crystal,amber, biscuit, and so on, have you got brewing software i use brewfather i find it very easy to use and you can try it for free, some use brewers friend which is also free to try, i tend to stick to bitters pale ales and ipa's so yeast and hops play a big part of my brewing you can find on line what hops bring to the party, having said all that some of the best brews i have done have been user uppers, good luck luck on your journey and have fun

I am pretty much brand new to the party and I have only been researching for the past 3 to 4 weeks and have my first kit brew on day 12 I think it is today. I haven't had a great delve into brewing software as yet, but I have taken a look at a few calculators for brew recipes etc.

I am really not keen on a strong hop flavour so that is one of the reasons for wanting to get a better idea of flavours and styles.

 

[evil.soup]

I can relate to not knowing what the different beers are like, and I am still very weak on British beers. I think you can work around it though because brewing is very slow. You only need to find one recipe you are interested in and try that, if you like it do it. Then you have another month to decide what’s next.

That's a fair point to be honest, would still mean trying a lot of beers to find one I would like to start with, if any that is. In my mind, I am looking to lager, cider and dark stout, but I guess I don't know what I do or don't like in the beer world yet.

 

[Rodcx500z]

lager, cider and dark stout,

I have fermenting at the moment 20L of cider, 10 2L cartons of tesco apple juice and yeast, first time i have done this i thought it will be nice for the warmer weather

 

[evil.soup]

I have fermenting at the moment 20L of cider, 10 2L cartons of tesco apple juice and yeast, first time i have done this i thought it will be nice for the warmer weatherView attachment 85764

That's exactly my plan for my next batch, but just 9ltrs I think at the moment with some frozen black cherries added in the fermentor. I don't have enough bottles yet for a 20ltr batch at the moment.

If the current lager I have on the go is ready to bottle, I could be starting the cider Sunday.

 

[An Ankoù]

I am brand new to brewing but I have been quite accomplished at lager and cider drinking over the years, as such, I understand the flavours of different types/styles of ciders and lager when they are discussed in this forum.

However, I have a major lack of knowledge when it comes to beer and stout. Now, I am well aware of dark stout of course and I have tried light American IPA's so I have an idea of the flavour profiles of something like that, but when people start talking about bitters, porters and milk stouts, I am clueless as to what they are like to drink.

I know there is a simple solution to my lack of knowledge and that would be more drinking/testing. That said, I have experimented a couple of times with things like Shipmanns IPA, Speckled Hen, McCewens Champion and Doom Bar, but I dont really know what types of drinks these are, so it makes it difficult to judge what I may like to brew.

I don't like all of the ones I have tried, Shipmanns was too hoppy for me and Doom Bar just wasn't right to my taste, can't recall why I thought that, it was something I tried at the end of a long night. Speckled Hen was easy to drink and Champion I found rather good, if not a bit like rocket fuel! Would recommend it if anyone likes a strong tipple and hasn't tried it.

I guess what I need is maybe a link to something that describes different beer styles/flavours and links the flavours to the brands as a comparison.

Or, if anyone is able to give a whistle stop tour of the styles people mostly brew and flavour profiles, that would also be great. I just want an idea of what I may like, so that I can make up a taster shortlist rather than try every beer along the bar A-Z, that could be fun of course, but expensive lol!

I'm surprised Doom bar is to anybody's taste, but they seem to sell it.
Don't get too hung up on categorising tastes. Greene King IPA for example is more like a bog standard bitter, even when it's at it's very best. Compare that with a pint of Marston's Old Empire IPA. The two have absolutely zilch in common! Cask bitters vary widely depending on the hops, yeast and strength, but most are recognisable as bitter. But is it a bitter when it's bottled or is it a pale ale?
My advice would be to find a beer you like and then try and get as close to it as you can. I spent years brewing little else than Summer Lightning and drinking the same when I went out. It's not classed as a bitter, but I've had beers as pale and less better that are called bitters.
Or, stick to lager as there's probably a reason why you're more familiar with that kind of beer. I.e. you like it!

 

[An Ankoù]

That's a fair point to be honest, would still mean trying a lot of beers to find one I would like to start with, if any that is. In my mind, I am looking to lager, cider and dark stout, but I guess I don't know what I do or don't like in the beer world yet.

Lots of research indicated.
Check out the local beer festivals.

 

[evil.soup]

I am lucky enough to have Grey Trees Brewery a stones throw from the house and as such, they have their own small specialist pub in town, so I need to get the lads to pop in there as they do have a lot of different craft options I could try maybe. I did have a marshmallow stout in there once, was very nice but too sweet for more than a couple of pints.

Ueah, maybe I should stick to lager, considering a small stove top AG Stella style recipe from crossmyloof.

Just thinking I need to become more cultured maybe lol