I’ve only been brewing for a few months. Mostly extract kits but did an all grain too so have a little bit of an idea of how that works. I’ve made about six batches in which four of them were distinctly different recipes and have been pleasantly surprised (and lucky) that these have turned out as enjoyable as they have. There are so many variables considering grain, hops, water profile, boil time, yeast, etc, etc that it seems impossible to figure out which knob to tweak. How do you go about dialing in on a recipe and producing something that goes from enjoyable to favorite? Is it just experience or is there a guideline of some sort?
Brew it repeatedly. Change no more than one thing at a time.
Kinda. My recipe amounts and ratios are fairly stable. But it seems there is always a new ingredient to try so I never really stop experimenting.
As Denny says! - repeating while changing one thing at a time is a solid way to go from “I like this” to “I’m loving it and wouldn’t change a thing.” This approach is for those who are patient. Having said that, I’ll also say I’m impatient so have been known to change more than one variable at a time BUT this has been based on researching recipes on a specific style from sources I trust to get a good idea of recipe essentials for a solid example of a style, tasting/smelling ingredients and reading about them to know what their contributions may be, and reading a lot on homebrewing to understand what the impact of changing a variable may be in a finished beer. I’d say don’t be afraid to experiment but try to have a sense of WHY you are doing what you’re doing with regards to a tweak in a recipe.
I agree with this advice. I’ll add that at some point its good to get some sensory training (BJCP is good) and have some beers judged (formally or informally)- it allows you to become more aware of flavors, aromas, mouthfeels, etc. that you might not be tuned into. Yes, judges are not always right. But if they are on to something that you are not yet aware of, it is helpful.
I agree with the rest as far as rebrewing and changing one thing at a time. I would add that before this works well, you need first to concentrate on producing consistent results. Without consistency, you can’t be sure whether any resulting difference is due to the change you made or an inconsistency in your process.
Yes get your process down, then work on recipe tweaks - one change at a time. But also be ok with brewing two to four different styles, so you don’t tire of a style. When I started I made so many oatmeal stouts that I grew tired of them…YMMV. But I learned that style inside and out. Now I brew mostly lagers, then some British Bitters, and rarely, but happily, dry stouts. Cheers.
Equipment-wise: I dialed everything in over a Summer using using the same Pale Ale/Blonde Ale basic grist changing only the C malt:
95% base (85% Pale, 10% Munich or Vienna)
5% C malt (60, 40 or 20)
I varied the hops to keep it interesting and to explore new flavors.
I am now very confident in my system and processes so I can easily sub in/out and get predictable results.
Recipe-wise: you just gotta brew it, tweak it, brew it, tweak it, etc till your results match your expectations. Some personal ‘rules’ I’ll bend some I won’t.
[quote=“BrewBama, post:8, topic:30517, username:BrewBama”]
This right here^^^^^^
I was really intimidated when I first started to make my own recipes because of the myriad of ingredients and factors: yeast, fermentation temps, malts, mash temps and ph, water chemistry, hops, hopping techniques, oxygen ingress and on and on. But when you just focus on the beer you want to make you automatically limit the factors. One thing I like to do is use a recipe for commercial example of a style I like as a start (don’t get hung up on “clone”). Once you make a beer and get interested in improving it the chase becomes fun IMO and you automatically learn about yeasts, malts, etc. as you pursue your goal. And along the way : BEER!
One of the things I don’t see in the above comments, which are pretty much right on as far as adjustments go, is to make a change with a purpose. After brewing a recipe, take good tasting notes, identify what you think you want to change and then look at the recipe and figure out how you want to change it. Here it is good to get an understanding of the different flavors and aroma contributions of your ingredients. Start by looking up the specification sheets and flavor/aroma descriptors – and this applies to yeast as well as the malts and hops. Then go back to what Denny first posted and change one thing at a time. The follow up notes will give you some idea of the impact of that change and the experience in how to manipulate future recipes.
So it sounds like being methodical is the way to go. As well as what, specifically, I’m trying to change and picking a single variable at a time. I’ll start there, thanks for all the great input.
Yep, you got it. Cheers!
The best ones are brewed often. Changes are made to ingredients and process to dial them in.
Right, Jeff. And then something new comes out and the process changes! I just got a steam condenser for my anvil foundry and tweaking starts all over again…but I love to brew and welcome the challenges. Between the new ingredients available and brewing on two or more setups, I can always find something to try out. Cheers to the OP and enjoy the hobby, it provides endless satisfaction and infinite inquiry!
With the caveat to remember that it’s a hobby and supposed to be fun. Don’t be afraid to do something off-the-wall if it sounds interesting.
Thanks for the reminder! Being only a few months old to this process I have to remind myself to keep it fun – and like not trying to cram a brewday into 3 hours 
I’m also a firm believer in changing a single element at a time to the extent possible - the essence of “dialing in.” Combined with a multitude of information gathering, it’s hard to go wrong.
I’ve never brewed a kit, every recipe started as a blank sheet, only because it forced me to understand what the ingredients [and other factors] were doing for me in the brew process. This approach has served well, although, as mentioned requires patience AND good record keeping!
-Cheers!