 |
| Sam Calagione & Dann Brew |
I thought it’d be a good opportunity to talk about beer. Well, feedback on beer. It doesn’t matter whether you’re an extract brewer starting out or an advanced home brewer doing all grain. Feedback is an integral part of how you brew your beer.
That doesn’t mean you have to compromise on what you brew. It means you listen and understand what people say about your brews.
I know it’s difficult, especially when you start out and expect great results. Some people are just lucky (or good) enough to get it right first time. Others, like myself, took a while to nut things down and get it right. More often than not: your first brews aren’t going to win many people over. It’s not all doom and gloom, though. There is a very positive side to this somewhat negative feedback: learn from it, understand what is being said and speak to other brewers that have more experience.
Gaining that knowledge about your ingredients and how the process works is paramount to success. Additionally, some people learn differently too. I know brewers who like to clone beers. That is, drinking a beer they like and finding out how to brew it ‘home brew style’. I, on the other hand, generally like to understand a particular ingredient first.
Regardless of how you approach the start of your brewing, get advice off other brewers. Get ideas on how to do things. It may not fit what you want but at least you get an idea. Every brewer I know experiments. Why? It’s the creative side of brewing that allows each of us to showcase our talents. Some beers may not turn out great, but, again, learn from it, understand what is being said and brew it again. Sure, it’s a bit of trial and error but well worth your investment.
I remember my first beers. Heck, I wouldn’t give it away to farm animals let alone give it to friends. Sure, I drank it but that was only because I wanted to brew and learn from my mistakes. Boy, were there lots of mistakes.
My question I still have to this day, though: there’s so much information out there, how do you decipher it all? For me, it’s always been about trust. At first you look around the internet and find all sorts of information (useful and not so useful). You’ll gradually learn from those comments and from your own brewing experiences to accept that information or to reject it. After a while you’ll be used to brewing a certain way, using certain ingredients, understand what those ingredients are and how they taste. Trust your own instincts first, then follow others if they agree with you.
It’s funny, but when I started brewing everything tasted ‘awesome’. That was until I gave my beers to others out of my ‘circle of trust’. Then the real feedback began. I learnt many a harsh lesson. Some beers were best suited to the toilet bowl than in someone else’s stomach. Still, it’s a matter of persisting and not getting too paranoid. You’ll eventually get there, you just need a bit of time, effort and a good dose of patience.
I should probably point out that no matter how well you do you’ll always have someone not like your beer. It’s a fact of life, just like everyone will not like a decision you make. That’s democracy at work. 70% of people may absolutely love your beer, but the other 30% have ‘meh’ written all over them. It’s a fine line between feedback and brewing for the crowd, but stick to your guns and if your product is actually good – people will come in droves to taste it.
Whether you’re throwing a party with 50 people and you have beers on tap, to a quiet event with a couple of mates, be sure you brew to your strengths. You’ll get both positive and negative feedback. That comes down to what people like, and I can assure you that’ll vary quite a lot. Don’t be afraid of the negative comments even if it’s “…this is really shit”. Okay, so someone doesn’t like it, but if you have many other people say it’s great then you know that person merely doesn’t like the style. Find out what style they like and give that style a shot next time you brew.
I guess the whole point here is that although you’ll never please everyone, feedback is integral to help you improve how you brew. Once your brewing Improves you can actually play to those strengths. If people like malty beers but not hoppy, experiment with a malty recipe. Whack in some Munich or Crystal-like malt that gives it that ‘malty’ flavour. Back off the hops, mash higher and use a yeast which attenuates to something like 1.014.
Just be sure you’re true to what YOU want to brew, but also mindful to be open to feedback – good and bad. A good brewer welcomes feedback, while a bad brewer is stubborn and both doesn’t care or listen. Remember, home brewing is about having fun and it’s not a life and death situation. Brew, learn, enjoy, review, get feedback, brew again then repeat cycle.
Even as a kit brewer, I’d encourage you to write your own blog or take notes. These notes include: ingredients used, when they were used, what temperatures (if any) were reached and general tasting notes. Over time it allows you to better understand your brewing habits, styles and tastes. It allows you to learn from past mistakes. Sure, you’ll probably revisit those mistakes but you’ll get out of that habit soon enough.
I’ve probably rabbited on a bit too long, but the pros always outweigh the cons in being provided feedback of your beer. I mean, breweries never stay stagnant…..they always grow and improve. So should your perspective on home brewing. That could merely mean brewing that perfect Pale Ale or that perfect Stout. Brew it, learn from it, enjoy, review, feedback and brew it again. In no time at all you’ll have a fantastic beer that most of your friends will enjoy. Now, do that several times with different styles and you already have flagship beers that all your family and extended family will enjoy.
Hopefully this encourages you.
Questions? Feel free to drop me a line at: dannbrew@gmail.com
I'll do my best to answer as quickly as possible.
Cheers and beers!
dann
