Given a beer brewed by an experienced brewer that meticulously measures, weighs and calculates every detail (a perfect process, hitting all numbers) and a beer brewed by an experienced brewer that is “casual” in measuring, weighing and calculating, perhaps skips things they deem unnecessary - what differences would be experienced in tasting the final product?
I guess it would depend on how ‘casual’ the brewing is. Too casual and things like sanitation, fermentation control, pH control, etc. could cause a multitude of issues. If you’re ‘conscientiously casual’ you could certainly brew good beer.
Couple thoughts
- There are very few agreed upon “perfect” processes.
- Things they deem unnecessary… if that means what I think it means, then no meaningful difference between the two.
No difference. Kind-of what I suspected but doesn’t hurt to ask.
Good question actually. Could fuel a great discussion. I’m of the mind that folks that want to seek meticulous perfection should do so. But it’s also ok to just slap it together. And everything in between. I’m still searching out which details are important and which are not. As they say, Not all who wander are lost.
I don’t think it is that difficult to brew decent beer.
I agree. It is harder to brew genuinely good beer, and really hard to brew great beer. I think attention to details and being a little OCD is the only consistent path to great beer. It can happen once by serendipity, but it takes a great deal of effort & thought to make lightening strike more than once in the same spot.
It is the way life works - beer is no exception.
Some things that I’ve seen omitted (or not done due to lack of ingredient/equipment/knowledge but still made drinkable beer):
1.) Whirlfloc/Irish Moss
2.) Hydrometer readings (OG and FG!)
3.) Fermentation Temperature measurements (still fermented in an area that’s at an acceptable temp)
4.) Yeast Nutrient
5.) Pitching Temperature measurement
6.) pH
7.) Water Adjustments
There’s probably more but I guess beer is versatile like that.
I’m the casual one. I have been brewing a little more like my cooking lately, a little bit more seat of my pants and not measuring everything. I still measure grain, hops, water volumes etc. but for instance this weekend I brewed two beers and didn’t measure gravity until it was ready for the fermenter (it tasted like the right gravity during the boil) and didn’t bother with brun water because I know what needs to go in the beers I made. I estimate strike water volume in my head. I eyed out the gypsum and baking soda in the palm of my hand and only checked mash ph of the stout I made.
that is fun to me, others probably would hate it. I, and others, like my beer. I didn’t do that when I was new, I had to learn what things worked and what things looked like, tasted like, and smelled like.
For sure. I use my touch of OCD to my advantage ;D. I do agree that it’s not hard to make good beer. Consistently really good, another story. Every time I make a beer I ask myself “Would I pay $ for this?”. If the answer is no, I’m pissed. There’s room for lots of approaches.
+1 to Jon’s llast sentence. Everyone should find their own way and brew true to themselves. It should be that everyone does it different. Know thyself.
I tend to be a lot more meticulous the first few times I try a new style or first shot at a new recipe. Once I’ve gotten something where I want it, brewed it consistently I will get a bit more lacadazical and everyone still likes seeing an old friend back on tap:)
So if the same beer were brewed both ways could they be distinguished in a triangle test?
I suppose I wouldn’t be the one to ask…
Exactly. this isn’t brain science or rocket surgery. It is like cooking. You either get it or you don’t. You pay attention to the details to make the best beer you can make. If you care you’ll make good beer. If you don’t you won’t.
Yup. But can you taste the difference?!
Obviously. There are no dumb questions. Except this one. 
Two beers, from the same ingredients that taste noticeably different due to eliminating “unnecessary steps” during the process. Hrm… not so sure, but I’m sure that experiment’s been done before… or not.
If you make an omelette and cook it two different ways you make two different omelettes.
Yea, but beer’s perhaps a different animal. Leave out a whirlfloc tablet can you taste a difference? I suppose if you keep leaving things out the difference might become noticeable but I’m not overly convinced.