How should we run the brew review?

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Upcoming brew swap - the options

  • Restrict it to one style, you have full choice of ingredients

  • Restrict the ingredients not the style / strength

  • Just go hog wild and permit anything (except chillies) in the brews


Results are only viewable after voting.

J_P

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Following on from our apparent collective decision to brew and swap beers I'm curious as to what the rules on ingredients are hence I've set up this poll.

If this ever gets off the ground perhaps we could make this a quarterly swap and agree a different style or ingredient list.

Penny for your thoughts?

John
 
I went for option 1 restricting to style only for this one, but my original idea was an ingredient restriction, and I'd like to try that next time I think it would be interesting.

Good idea to do it quarterly :cool:

Oh and, stickied this post for now :)
 
Interesting :hmm:
Personally, I'd like the yeast to be the variable, with each of us helping the other, to get water as near as dammit for style.
That way you might be learning on 2 fronts, yeast and water treatment.
I think it would be difficult to add more variables as then the comparison will be harder to make.

Having said that, the variables could be something other than yeast and water, but if we include hops and malt then there might be no comparison to be made as everything will be very different.

So I've not voted :whistle:
 
I think the malts and hops should be restricted to ones that can be obtained by everyone. i think it's an unfair advantage if someone has access to something others dont. so Maris Otter, and the usual adjuncts. and your most common hops.

i think the challenge should be to brew something special from a restrictive set of ingredients. as for yeasts, i think the same. i dont think it's fair if someone has access to a local brewery's yeast, that others wont have.

just my two pints ;)
 
Cross threading J_P for a mo.

If we do send beer as far as NZ then surely a beer that travels well would be in order...maybe a old time IPA :hmm:
It would make a lot of us brew something we've never done before, and if we could arrange a collective shipping, it may be cheaper to send MEB all our samples in one go :drink:
 
I do like the idea of an old style IPA and also restricting grain, hops and yeast to easily accessible ones. I also like the idea of a collective funding to ship to NZ. Ireland won't be an issue IMO I don't mind being the 'fence' for the Anglo/Eire swap and I think AT is the same "over dere"!
 
I think sending me a batch of brews is the best idea anyone's come up with EVER

and i include man on the moon, penicilin, free money, woman, cars, beer, bed, everything. :clap: :clap: :clap:

In fact, i'm so excited my left nipple has gone hard. The right one has too but you can't see that. :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
I like the idea of just setting a style - it would interesting to taste everyones ideas and comparing it to my interpretation.
 
Hopefully by the end of this week we will have an agreement on what we are going to do:

So far, we are restricting it to a style of each individuals choosing limited to only certain ingredients but use what you want, and we're all flying 1st class to deliver them in person to MEB in NZ. Have I got that right :lol: :lol:

Seriously though, what are we doing :whistle:

Personally I like the idea of setting a style and guideline for OG and IBU and seeing what everyones interpretation is, I also like the idea of brewing something that you wouldn't normally do. I'm happy to go with the flow though :D

Edit - I've just re-read everyones posts, everyone has good points to make :hmm: this is gonna be hard :? but we'll pull it off :D
 
Personally I like the idea of setting a style and guideline for OG and IBU and seeing what everyones interpretation is, I also like the idea of brewing something that you wouldn't normally do. I'm happy to go with the flow though

I liked the idea of a premium bitter (1040 - 1046) and it just so happens that I am planning to brew one at the weekend ;)
 
Personally, I like the idea of being quite restrictive, tying the recipe down to style, Gravity, bitterness and colour, then seeing what people come up with . . . I see no reason to restrict yeast . . . use the wrong one and you are out of style . . . it may be a great beer but it needs to be in style ;) Thats the reason I came up with a standard bitter as we should pretty much all know whats going on in there, and therefor what should not be there.

As for sending an IPA to MEB just what sort do you want ;)
 
We could adopt the "ready steady cook" strategy where we have an ingredients bag and a few stock items and each quarter we pick fresh ingredients :hmm:
 
I think JP and Aleman have it along the right lines. :clap: :clap: :clap:

Sticking to the above guidelines would allow a little creativity and the brewer could 'show his own' interpretation of the style. That'd be really cool i reckon
 
Specal/Best/Premium Bitter style

Aroma: The best examples have some malt aroma, often (but not always) with a caramel quality. Mild to moderate fruitiness. Hop aroma can range from moderate to none (UK varieties typically, although US varieties may be used). Generally no diacetyl, although very low levels are allowed. 8

Appearance: Medium gold to medium copper. Good to brilliant clarity. Low to moderate white to off-white head. May have very little head due to low carbonation.

Flavor: Medium to high bitterness. Most have moderately low to moderately high fruity esters. Moderate to low hop flavor (earthy, resiny, and/or floral UK varieties typically, although US varieties may be used). Low to medium maltiness with a dry finish. Caramel flavors are common but not required. Balance is often decidedly bitter, although the bitterness should not completely overpower the malt flavor, esters and hop flavor. Generally no diacetyl, although very low levels are allowed.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light to medium body. Carbonation low, although bottled and canned commercial examples can have moderate carbonation. Overall Impression: A flavorful, yet refreshing, session beer. Some examples can be more malt balanced, but this should not override the overall bitter impression. Drinkability is a critical component of the style; emphasis is still on the bittering hop addition as opposed to the aggressive middle and late hopping seen in American ales. History: Originally a draught ale served very fresh under no pressure (gravity or hand pump only) at cellar temperatures (i.e. "real ale"). Bitter was created as a draught alternative (i.e. running beer) to country-brewed pale ale around the start of the 20th century and became widespread once brewers understood how to "Burtonize" their water to successfully brew pale beers and to use crystal malts to add a fullness and roundness of palate.

Comments: More evident malt flavor than in an ordinary bitter, this is a stronger, session-strength ale. Some modern variants are brewed exclusively with pale malt and are known as golden or summer bitters. Most bottled or kegged versions of UK-produced bitters are higheralcohol versions of their cask (draught) products produced specifically for export. The IBU levels are often not adjusted, so the versions available in the US often do not directly correspond to their style subcategories in Britain. This style guideline reflects the "real ale" version of the style, not the export formulations of commercial products.

Ingredients: Pale ale, amber, and/or crystal malts, may use a touch of black malt for color adjustment. May use sugar adjuncts, corn or wheat. English hops most typical, although American and European varieties are becoming more common (particularly in the paler examples). Characterful English yeast. Often medium sulfate water is used.

Vital Statistics:
OG: 1.040 - 1.048
IBUs: 25 - 40
FG: 1.008 - 1.012
SRM: 5 - 16
ABV: 3.8 - 4.6%

Commercial Examples: Fuller's London Pride, Coniston Bluebird Bitter, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Robinson's Northern Glory, Shepherd Neame Masterbrew Bitter, Greene King Ruddles County Bitter, RCH Pitchfork Rebellious Bitter, Brains SA, Harviestoun Bitter and Twisted, Goose Island Honkers Ale, Rogue Younger's Special Bitter
 
:lol: :party:

The problem for me is that I don't like ANY of the example ales at the bottom :shock: .....mine are definately better...but you can be the judge of that :cool:
 
That is a wide category V1. The consensus is probably right in that we should narrow it down a bit for our purposes.
 
Perhaps its just my perception but I would have agreed with most of what it said but I never thought that the likes of TLL and B&T were in that category. It would be quite difficult to judge a London Pride against a TTL. That, my friends, is why I am not a beer judge. :lol:
 

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