Chris-x1 wrote:Now you can get just about every style and variety of beer from the supermarket and specialty shops.
Speciality shops yes - at a price usually, supermarkets? Not for me (when I can find rauchbier or schwartzbier in Tesco I'll be a VERY happy man!
Chris-x1 wrote:Making small changes from one batch to the next allows you to identify what change is responsible the difference between one batch and the next. Making a host of changes leaves you with no idea
Yes, if they're the same style but if you want to make something different then you'll need to change a few things. Rather than between-batch change taking off some of the wort and fermenting with a different yeast can give a guide, splitting the boil etc. are all ways of learning and varying within a brew rather than between batches - and gives you even greater comparability as there's no other extraneous variables from between-batch changes (water quality, boil length etc.)
Chris-x1 wrote:but if just making beer is more important to you than trying to understand the effect of changing ingredients and variables then I agree this sort of tip isn't relevant to you.
It's not about making generic 'beer' but making different styles and feeling the freedom that all grain gives yo to make the beers you love but are hard or expensive to buy. The beers I've made so far have been across a huge spectrum of styles and tastes and that's been wonderful. I'm not
yet compelled to refine any of them but I'm sure that will come at which point this advice is indeed sage - however as outlined above this can also be done within a batch rather than between to gain variety from one wort. I'd say that's "the best" way to learn effects of single variables rather than between-batches an is controlling variables even more.
Chris-x1 wrote:However it could be argued that taking the time to understand the ingredients and a slightly more scientific approach allows you to ultimately be more creative rather than leaving it in the lap of the gods as to whether all your time and effort is rewarded with a beer close to what you actually wanted rather than something that bears a vague similarity.
I do a LOT of research on recipes, in recipe books and in plugging in numbers to software in advance of brewing so it's far from haphazzard or just making 'a beer' - there's usually one that I'm aiming for but I also want to make a beer that's mine not a clone. Everything I've made so far has been VERY close to what I wanted and not a 'vague similarity'. I'm sure that one will become a beer I love so much I want to refine it (and I'm sure that will be a dark lager). And then refinement can also go in other directions: less hassle (e.g. using melanoidin malt rather than decoction mashing) and tryin different yeasts until i have something that i can mak consistently, but at the moment variety still floats my boat and that's a joy of brewing.
Chris-x1 wrote:One of the advantages and one of the reasons often listed for all grain brewing is a greater control over the brewing process and the outcome
Another is the variety of ingredients available compared to extracts (certainly in the UK) and the possibilities that arise from that...
Chris-x1 wrote:so it is fair to assume that this approach is relevant to at least some people.
I think it's relevant to all people, ultimately... but so is recognising the limits and parameters of it as an approach. This sin't to disagree or argue for the sake of arguing but to advocate another view and approach as being equally as valid, and the approach you take needs to be aligned with what you want to achieve and where you want to go, what you want to make and explore or refine. So it's not a 'best' way to which others are inferior but a 'best' way to achieve an outcome. In that way changing everything to make something different next time is as valid as refining an approach and learning the subtleties of a variety - it gives a sense of freedom and possibility. The question becomes 'what do i want to brew next?' rather than 'what one element should I change next time?' or 'how can I improve this?', and they are different questions suiting different approaches. I'm not advocating 'throw it all together and hope' but seeing recipes as
guides not
rules and seeking variety as being as valid as seeking refinement. As such I don't disagree with your view, far from it, but I think this other approach is worthy of consideration as well if variety and exploration are what flicks your switch. it's the difference between reading BYOBRAH and reading Radical Brewing.
And if advocating a 'best' approach I'm sure there's also a really good argument for learning all the maths and doing your recipes and calculations by hand as well compared with using software, but software makes life a lot easier and the creativity and ideas to be simulated in advance and thoughts and ideas polled from forums like this so they help inform variety and experimentation that would otherwise be totally haphazzard.