How do you decide what to brew?

[sgt. slaughter]

That sounds like an excellent new year's resolution to me. I have found most of the German styles easy to make but hard to make really good.

Since I'm terrible with commitment, I will make my brewing new year's resolution to brew MORE German styles in 2014.

[brewinhard]

I will typically brew several easier drinking beers in a row followed up by a high gravity brew that needs some aging to improve. This approach allows me to have a constant supply of fresh beer in my chest freezer along with an occasional strong beer for sipping along the way in rotation. It also helps me to keep my hands off the stronger brews until they are truly ready.

[bazookazilla]

I brew on a rotating schedule too. I used to plan out way ahead, but I inevitably run into a recipe that I want to tweak on which means brewing it 5-10 times in a row. Then I'll get back to the rotation until another one comes up. I've done a lot of styles, but now I just do about a dozen recipes or so that I stick to.

Any favorite recipes that you care to share??????????????????

[BigNastyBrew]

I tend to make a lot of Bitters (most often Ordinary) and German lagers. Sometimes when I brew something I don't normally brew, it's usually on a whim. I'm not a big stout fan normally, but I'm getting ready to keg a bitter, and I was thinking of making homemade black and tans just for kicks. So, I'm brewing a dry stout on Friday. Plus, the wife likes them a lot so why not?

[Millhaus]

I usually like to have a variety of styles on tap, so my brewing schedule depends on that. I usually have a dark beer, stout or porter, a hoppy beer, a Belgian and hopefully a lager.

I tend to brew a bunch of lagers between now and march due to colder ground water for coolling and then age until spring /summer for consumption.

Doing 10 gallon batches, I am able play with different yeast or dry hopping techniques to get two slightly different beers if I want.

[NervousDad]

I do the same, I have a Pale Ale/IPA, porter or Brown Ale and usual a seasonal on tap. I have four taps,but I can never get all of the beers on tap for for kicking a keg.

[HiveMindMead]

I go through phases in between brew sessions. My brew-toad is full of random batches I want to try. Rye this week, Belgian the next day, brown ale the next few days after that. Then, when it comes time to buy ingredients for the batch, I just brew whatever style I was fixated on at the moment. Right now my next brew is going to be a Belgian Dubbel / Amber Ale beer.

[j1m1]

I have about 3-4 recipes i make year round but there are seasonal brews as well. just about 6 months out from you lot, damn southern hemisphere.