This makes me think of an opinion that seems pretty unpopular — if you are done with the beer, it’s OK to dump it. It’s better to put another beer on tap, than sit with beer you don’t want to drink.
You can make excellent beer without stressing about your water profile, HSA, etc… Quit making things so complicated (unless that’s what you’re into).
I live in Belgium and very rarely drink commercial Belgian beer (I mostly drink my own beer, which is technically always Belgian, but rarely “Belgian style”).
Dry yeast is awesome.
I share theoman’s unpopular love of dry yeast. I use it almost exclusively; only exceptions are when brewing kolsch or biere de garde.
+1
^^ I usually finish kegs, but if I’m ready to put on a beer I’m excited about, I have no qualms about dumping a perfectly good partial keg I’m bored with. Friends and family usually get first crack at it before I dump.
Also, in contrast to some (and no offense intended) I just don’t like dry yeasts nearly as well - any of them. 05 is more powdery and takes longer to clear than 1056. I don’t brew many British styles any more so I won’t count the dry English ones. But there’s not one dry Belgian strain that holds a candle to the liquid cultures IMO, and I’ve used them all. Dry lager strains take longer to clear as well IMO. I have several friends that make good beer with dry strains. Each his own.
One last unpopular opinion. Quit with the culture appropriation! You can’t brew Klickitat Jim beer if you aren’t Klickitat Jim. But I’m ok with you calling it Klickitat Jim Style Beer.
Agreed. I expect them tp go the way of the Black IPA.
Agreed with both
If I were a betting man I would take bets on this one. NE IPA’s are just getting started and will be huge. Unlike Black IPA’s which are just the same thing but darker, these beers are a true innovation, and to those who like big hops flavoroma but want a smoother drinking beer, they are a big improvement.
Amazing what American brewers using German Brewhouses and low oxygen brewing techniques can do! 8)
So it’s an APA.
I still have to taste the first homebrewed sour beer that I really like.
No, its an IPA. But low oxygen beers are smoother in nature. There is a malt bitterness that is not present in Low oxygen beers, the Germans call it “Herbstoffe”(grain bitterness).
No, its not an APA. It is definitely its own thing. An APA is much closer to a regular American IPA than and APA is to a NE IPA.
I would say you’re looking at a small, specialized sample. On this side of the country you seldom see them.
Ha! Can’t say I disagree!
I remember when Anchor Liberty Ale was considered to be one of the original American IPAs, and too bitter for some palates (including my own). Heh heh.
But I think you will, which is my point: its going to get big.
Brewing small batches are okay.
Decoction mashes can be useful.
One can make good sour beer without using barrels.
Fruited sour beers do not need pounds and pounds of fruit per gallon.
One does not need the fanciest equipment or hottest ingredients to make great beer.
It’s okay for people to have different brewing goals.
I see them plenty, but most aren’t very good.