[majorvices]

I brew my own recipes exclusively now and, especially now, I am basically only brewing about 4 recipes over and over and over again - mixing in a few seasonals as they come along.

I have brewed other's recipes in the past but I have only ever bought two kits - the one that came with my first brew kit and the B3 "Pliny the Elder" kit about 5 years ago.

When I first started brewing I used to tweak the Papazian recipes in his two original books. But I have always been the kind of brewer who takes a recipe and "makes it his own". Those Papazian book (TCJ and HBC) were great inspiration design books, though.

[babalu87]

I brew my own recipes exclusively now and, especially now, I am basically only brewing about 4 recipes over and over and over again - mixing in a few seasonals as they come along.

I have brewed other's recipes in the past but I have only ever bought two kits - the one that came with my first brew kit and the B3 "Pliny the Elder" kit about 5 years ago.

When I first started brewing I used to tweak the Papazian recipes in his two original books. But I have always been the kind of brewer who takes a recipe and "makes it his own". Those Papazian book (TCJ and HBC) were great inspiration design books, though.

Toad Spit Stout!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm pretty much down to my own recipes as well. A tweak here a tweak there and almost any recipe could be your own. Like bread

[vista]

Toad Spit Stout!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm pretty much down to my own recipes as well. A tweak here a tweak there and almost any recipe could be your own. Like bread

ya, i agree with that...it's hard for me to take a recipe verbatim that i find online and not do something differently. at the same time, the recipes i've followed and the kits i've bought and stuck with, for the most part, have all treated me well.

[blatz]

I've also found kits to be a little more "economical" in that I'm not left with a lot of odds and ends of specialty grains and hops laying around - you get what you need. 

yeah - I can see that.  Guess it depends how you buy/stock your stuff.  

I keep my brew supply areas like I keep my kitchen pantry - stocked with all my essentials - always having Pils/Pale/Munich/Vienna base malts, Med and Light Crystal, Victory, and a few others.  Simcoe/Columbus/Centennial/Amarillo//Magnum/Tett/Hallertau in the freezer and at minimum US-05 and 830 in the fridge.  

With that 'pantry' always being restocked, I can pretty much brew any of my house recipes at the drop of a dime, and in turn I build all my recipes around what I like to stock.

[dak0415]

Started 7/11/2006.  My first 9 batches were extract.  11/4/2006 I "sponsored" an all grain brew demo at my LHBS and never went back to extract.  I've never bought a kit.  I've looked to other's recipes for inspiration, or to figure out why my beer didn't taste like I thought it would, but never copied one.  This weekend will mark my 95th and 96th batches.  Looking forward to the century mark in September.

[hopaddicted]

Radical Brewing by Randy Mosher is a great source for base recipes. They get you in the ballpark without the frills.

[beersk]

Radical Brewing by Randy Mosher is a great source for base recipes. They get you in the ballpark without the frills.

I've been meaning to pick this book up.  There's some great ideas in this thread...thanks guys.

[theDarkSide]

Mix it up.  Not much of a recipe creator...don't know enough yet.  Do a lot of Jamil recipes from Brewing Classic Styles and clones from Can You Brew it.

[pweis909]

I make my own but pay attention to how others have constructed good recipes, e.g., Brewing Classic Styles.  Even when I am being strongly influenced by another's recipe, I invariably make hop or grain switches due to availability, impulse, and/or sheer laziness. 

[dr.g]

I'm just starting to look to other recipes, online and in books, for inspirations. I just started brewing about a month ago and am totally hooked. I am still extract brewing, havent bought the equipment yet for all grain. Hopefully soon though.

[novabrew]

I mix it up.  I do mostly recipes I've found here or others that I've tweaked somewhat.  But I still do kits occasionally, just being lazy.

[hopaddicted]

Radical Brewing by Randy Mosher is a great source for base recipes. They get you in the ballpark without the frills.

I've been meaning to pick this book up.  There's some great ideas in this thread...thanks guys.

Definitely pick it up. In addition to tons of recipes (to include obscure and "extinct" styles), he also explains beer history and good explanation of styles and methods of brewing different brews. Great read! John Palmer's How to Brew may be the definitive how-to book, but IMO Radical Brewing is the #2 must have.

[troy@uk]

I don't like to brew another's recipe verbatum, but don't know enough to stray too far either.  I like to read the Classic Beer Style Book for the particular style (currently it is Porter), and then read the section in the Brewing Classic Styles, and finally I go searching through Zymergy and BYO back issues for a recipie to tweak with my new found knowledge on a particular style.

[Podo]

the first few years I brewed it was kits exclusively.  Nowadays, I mix it up and brew recipes that are real popular on the forums (Denny's RIPA and BVIP, some others), ones that I make up myself.  I use Jamil's book when I want to try a category I've never done before, just to get a good baseline.

[mnstorm99]

I'm no chemist, and I only have the basic knowledge I need to make beer.  I got into this hobby to create recipes, same reason I love to cook.  I started creating my own recipes about 5 batches in, with a few misses along the way I believe I really know now how to build a recipe from scratch and the ingredients I am working with.  I say "keep it simple", as big complicated recipes don't usually translate into a complex beer, but simple well calculated recipe formulation always works well.