[kgs]

I tried to come up with a better description for this post. I was enjoying a glass of the second brew of my Belgian fermented with La Chouffe yeast, Belgian pils, etc. and thinking with a smile that maybe this should be the only recipe I brew. It wasn't a serious thought, though honestly this is the best beer I have made in over ten years of brewing and I've pulled it off twice on two different systems, so you can see where I might go there.

Then I wondered... have there been homebrewers who hit a recipe and stayed there?

I tend to go all over the place with recipes, occasionally rebrewing if I'm experimenting (much as I do in my baking where I was deep into Bakewell tarts and macarons before the pandemic hit). I just began wondering if there was that homebrewer out there who said "this is really great, I do not need to brew a million different things" and cranked out (or still cranks out) that one recipe.

[majorvices]

I launched a brewery by brewing the same recipes over and over again- be careful.

[dmtaylor]

I’m going to start working on perfecting certain recipes to be my mainstays. I’ve always brewed different styles pretty much at random and hardly ever brewed the same thing twice in a row. I definitely have a few favorite styles now that I want to focus on more intensely.

[ynotbrusum]

My unicorn is German Leichtbier.  Low ABV but enough flavor to fully satisfy.  Likewise ordinary bitter.

[roger]

It was always a goal of mine to develop those "mainstays" but after a couple of decades of brewing, I've conceded. Not going to happen, and that's OK with me. It all goes back to the question, "Why do I brew?" Experimentation is enjoyable and satisfying. Winning competitions just doesn't do much for me. Opening a brewery? NO, NO, and NO.

I do respect those who have the discipline, patience, and talent to repeatedly produce the same perfected beer time after time.

[BrewBama]

My goal is to be more intentional. I want to brew a few good beers across the color/flavor spectrum vs becoming a jack of all trades, master of none.


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[pete b]

I think I will always want to brew a variety of beers but English Bitters have become my house beer. Three of my last six brews have been 4-4.3% ABV bitters and I can see that trend of one bitter for every one other style of beer I brew.

[Bob357]

After 13+ years, I just brewed my last all grain batch, due to age and physical limitations. Will be gong to partial mashes for as long as I can. Have been doing mostly APAs and IPAs (west coast) and seldom brewed the same beer more than a few times. As I thin down my process and get rid of equipment and odd bits & pieces, that will just be taking up space, thinking seriously of dialing in a house IPA and a house Pale Ale to keep on tap. I've got a 3 faucet tower on my keezer and generally keep a cider on tap for my wife. Might occasionally brew the odd beer on a whim and probably bottle them. It would be nice to reclaim most of the space my gear is stored in and greatly reduce my inventory.

[goose]

My Amarillo IPA is brewed the same way every time, as is my Saison and Coffee Porter.  They always come out tasting the same and are always good.

Note:  If I were to modify my Amarillo IPA, my wife would probably inflict severe bodily harm on me! 

[tommymorris]

This year I was doing lager, APA, lager, APA progression.  Then I added some ambers, browns, now a porter, next an IPA, and suddenly I am all over the place again...

I have stuck with lager, ale, lager, ale.  I like that. I always two choices in the keg fridge.

[Megary]

This year I was doing lager, APA, lager, APA progression.  Then I added some ambers, browns, now a porter, next an IPA, and suddenly I am all over the place again...

I have stuck with lager, ale, lager, ale.  I like that. I always two choices in the keg fridge.

This is kind of the way I brew but my 2-Keg rotation is a little different...

House Porter
Beer
House Stout
Beer

Repeat.

The "Beer" is a random style and usually something more pale, but I'll throw in the occasional Brown.  I like to keep a dark and pale beer on tap at all times.

[raf]

I think I will always want to brew a variety of beers but English Bitters have become my house beer. Three of my last six brews have been 4-4.3% ABV bitters and I can see that trend of one bitter for every one other style of beer I brew.

This is where I'm at as well. I think I've subconsciously gravitated toward a few styles that are difficult or impossible to find commercially (in my area, at least).

[ravenwater]

I can imagine a brewer who might be content with dialing in a handful or less of favorite beers then limiting their output to those few satisfying beers - - but I've never met that brewer in 12 years of brewing. Myself, I don't think I've every brewed the same beer twice. I've done re-brews of many that were tweaks seeking to improve and come closer to my imagined ideal. I enjoy the challenge of trying to make a decent version of a diverse number of styles. The shortcoming of this approach is that while I make many beers I'm very satisfied with I also may make some good but not great beers because I'm always changing things up - and I'm okay with that. I have not met a beer style I dislike and I'm all about the variety.

[denny]

I have maybe 4 orm5 recipes that I brew repeatedly.  I've been brewing and e4inking beer long enpugh to have developed preferences based on my tastes and I seldom stray from those.  Yers go, I brewed a wide variety of styles and crazy experiments, but those days are gone.

[hopfenundmalz]

Of late the most often brewed are German Pils and a 6.2% IPA using Michigan Chinook.

I've got a tried and true Barleywine recipe, CAP, and a thing that is an homage to Balantine IPA.