[Saccharomyces]

Kelly Johnson of Lockheed's Skunk Works is credited with coining the term "Keep It Simple, Stupid" while his team was designing the U-2 spy plane.  He did so to combat the tendency of engineers (especially young engineers) to over complicate things.   Anyone who has ever seen a U-2 up close or a photo of a U-2 can attest that the team applied the KISS principle.  I was taught that principle early on as part of the embedded computer system design and implementation team for a deep sea salvage platform.  I had a really good mentor who was twenty years my senior who reminded how much easier it is to verify a simple design than a complex one.

With that said, we have all seen a steady progression to make brewing at the amateur level more and more complex, to achieve a level of accuracy and repeatability that is just not warranted in a hobby.  Part of what makes brewing without the need to meet a profit margin is that it frees one up to make mistakes, often happy mistakes. I think about my first all-grain brew house back in 1993 and wonder how I was able to make drinkable beer by today's gear standards, but I made my share of good beer (I also make quite few duds).  I am starting to see a trend here where people are wanting to simplify brewing by long-time posters on this forum (it is a hobby after all).  That was my goal when I returned last year.  Previously, I was spending so much time collecting obscure yeast cultures, working on a yeast bank, and slogging my way through yet another yeast publication written by a Ph.D. for Ph.D.s that enjoying brewing was starting to become progressively more difficult.  I am certain that everyone who has decided to scale things back has reached this point.  I guess what I am trying to say is that in order to stay with this hobby over the long haul, one needs to keep the fun high and the drudgery low.  If you are one of the members who has or is looking to simplify his/her brew house, what are your thoughts?

[denny]

Hence Simple Homebrewing.  For me these days, it's more about enjoying the process and less about the beer.

[RC]

Hence Simple Homebrewing.  For me these days, it's more about enjoying the process and less about the beer.

It's the opposite for me. I enjoy the beer, less the process. I want to keep it simple not to enjoy the process more but to be done with brewing as quickly as possible so I can get on with the rest of my day.

[neuse]

I keep it simple. I think if I made it complicated, I would loose interest. I've read about LODO - that would drive me crazy. KEEP IT SIMPLE.

[Saccharomyces]

It's the opposite for me. I enjoy the beer, less the process. I want to keep it simple not to enjoy the process more but to be done with brewing as quickly as possible so I can get on with the rest of my day.

I enjoy the beer too, but the beer is not enough to drive me to brew. There are a lot of really good craft beers today. The physical labor involved in brewing helps to bring my mind and body back into balance.  My heaviest use of a computer outside of work is posting to this forum.  That is by design.  It is the reason why I will never use brewing software.  I still use a calculator for IBU approximations and Bru'n Water for water adjustments when the bug hits me, but everything else is done by hand. I used to use a paper log for my recipes and brewing observations.  Lately, I have been typing-out recipes in a text editor because my handwriting is not the best and I would like to be able to share my recipes with others.  I still write the original draft on paper.  That is why I always work in PPG instead of an efficiency based on a theoretical maximum extraction rate.  I just do not find efficiency calculations all that useful in a brewery because I cannot look at a gravity and a grist composition and tell how much grain I am going to need directly using an efficiency value.  I know how much grain I am going to need when using PPG because I keep a running average and +/- deviations of my batch PPGs based on the amount of base malt used in a recipe.  As anyone who has brewed all-grain for any significant amount of time knows, the percentage of base malt in a recipe is the primary driver when it comes to extraction rate.

[ynotbrusum]

I also do my recipes in handwriting, but then I enter them in Brewers Friend merely to have a clean and legible record to print and save.  For me that is part of the fun - having the readable one page printout to show someone who inquires...though it is less interesting to my friends and family than it was years ago.  I brew mostly just pale lagers and Bitters though.  My enjoyment comes from the new malts and hops used in my standard recipes and seeing how the final beer can differ quite a bit with ingredient choices selected.

[narcout]

I guess what I am trying to say is that in order to stay with this hobby over the long haul, one needs to keep the fun high and the drudgery low.  If you are one of the members who has or is looking to simplify his/her brew house, what are your thoughts?

I'm with you on this one. 

My system was never all that complicated until I bought a RIMS a couple of years ago.  It turned out to be more than I was willing to deal with, and I sold it last year.  I'm happy with my current iteration which allows a two step mash without much hassle. 

I do think there is something to be gained from a third step up around the 170° mark (and also for continuous recirculation), but I can live without it for now.

[denny]

Hence Simple Homebrewing.  For me these days, it's more about enjoying the process and less about the beer.

It's the opposite for me. I enjoy the beer, less the process. I want to keep it simple not to enjoy the process more but to be done with brewing as quickly as possible so I can get on with the rest of my day.

That's one of the reasons we wrote Simple Homebrewing...people have lives.

[BrewBama]

I think simple is in the mind of the brewer.

Today’s all-in-one systems seem simple but are fairly complex given the recirculation, computer display, Bluetooth/WiFi connection, etc. However, they are simple to operate (as long as it all works) and cleanup (a single unit).

...but at the same time, I think my system is simple compared to some I’ve seen but is more complex compared to others I’ve seen. I have a BK, MLT, HLT.  I just added a small 4 gal pot containing a HERMS coil I’ll recirculate thru with an RTD in the recirculating loop and a 1.5kw element which is all controlled by a PID. I have a rotameter, sight glass, chuggar pump, valves, hoses, etc.  It all sits on a 5’ table in the laundry room. This could seem complex at first glance but to me it is fairly basic probably because I’ve added components over time.




Having said that, too often in the past I’ve seemed to get in my own way to let perfect get in the way of good. So, a cpl yrs ago I developed process controls where I could and simplified my recipes, water chemistry, etc. 

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. ...but I do want to ‘play’ as well. So, I’ve recently adopted using small batches for experimentation with grain, hops, yeast, water chemistry, etc. and plan to use my 5 gal pipeline for my tried and true recipe rotation.

As far as whether I like the process or the product better: I guess it’s both. I enjoy the process and have fun doing it ...but I get satisfaction from producing a well crafted beer.


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[denny]

I think simple is in the mind of the brewer.

Today’s all-in-one systems seem simple but are fairly complex given the recirculation, computer display, Bluetooth/WiFi connection, etc. However, they are simple to operate (as long as it all works) and cleanup (a single unit).

...but at the same time, I think my system is simple compared to some I’ve seen but is more complex compared to others I’ve seen. I have a BK, MLT, HLT.  I just added a small 4 gal pot containing a HERMS coil I’ll recirculate thru with an RTD in the recirculating loop and a 1.5kw element which is all controlled by a PID. I have a rotameter, sight glass, chuggar pump, valves, hoses, etc.  It all sits on a 5’ table in the laundry room. This could seem complex at first glance but to me it is fairly basic probably because I’ve added components over time.




Having said that, too often in the past I’ve seemed to get in my own way to let perfect get in the way of good. So, a cpl yrs ago I developed process controls where I could and simplified my recipes, water chemistry, etc. 

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. ...but I do want to ‘play’ as well. So, I’ve recently adopted using small batches for experimentation with grain, hops, yeast, water chemistry, etc. and plan to use my 5 gal pipeline for my tried and true recipe rotation.

As far as whether I like the process or the product better: I guess it’s both. I enjoy the process and have fun doing it ...but I get satisfaction from producing a well crafted beer.


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Simple is definitely in the mind of the brewer.  One pf the first things Drew and I say in our Simple seminar is that its a personal choice.  We provide options, you get to choose which, if any, apply to you.

[fredthecat]

i agree with KISS in two or three regards these days:

1. i would 100% recommend anyone starting the hobby these days to not discountall-in-one systems. they are just so affordable and (seem - i don't actually have one) like they can save a ton of space on a separate mash tun etc, time and energy. buying the right all-in-one set is actually KISS. i will end up getting one some day im sure.

2. simplify recipes, within reason. im really tempted to make a stout that is simply 92% pale, 8% black malt. the worst beers ive made have been really complicated. im tired of messing up on the recipe side. there isnt always anything totally wrong with 3% crystal 20, 2% crystal 40, 5% crystal 80, 2% brown malt, 3% pale chocolate malt - but the imagined complexity wont be there imho. its much more about the fermentation and will distract you from that and other more important factors.

3. kind of related to no.2 - but make beer you want to drink every day - ie. think very carefully about a smoked malt, chili pepper infused sweet porter. this might be different for people who are very social about their brewing and share the majority of it, but im not.

[Saccharomyces]

That induction cooktop that is sold under the Mai Cook label.  I purchased my first one of these 3500W induction cooktops in late 2015.  Back then, they shipped the induction cooktop to the U.S. with a Chinese plug.  I worked with one of their engineers to wire it up to a NEMA 6-20P and that is the plug with which the cooktop ships today.  Their power cord wiring color scheme is different than we use in the U.S.

[allenhuerta]

Hence Simple Homebrewing.  For me these days, it's more about enjoying the process and less about the beer.

I love how simple my process has become since moving to electric. Water ready when I wake up, no babysitting they flame, just mash, boil, transfer, and clean. I wasn't getting burned out, but there were days I planned to brew but didn't want to or decided to skip because of the effort. Also, the beer coming out the other end is really nice as well

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[erockrph]

I definitely got in a bit too deep several years ago. When my life got hectic, I couldn't keep up with all the brewing projects I had going and had planned. I got burned out and ended up taking a couple of years off because of it. I got back into regular brewing last year with a focus on keeping my process as streamlined as possible. It makes it a lot easier to fit time for brewing in my (still hectic) life.

That said, while simplicity may be an important goal in my brewing, what works for me might not work for everyone else. Years ago I was brewing 7 extract batches back-to-back-to-back in one brewday and enjoying every second of it. Simplicity works for me now, but there's room in this hobby for simple,  complex, and everything in between.

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[Fire Rooster]

My thoughts are that involved or simple are both fine.
Some enjoy the processes more, and others just the beer, or both.
My brother has every gizmo known to man for fishing, and enjoys the
outing, catching fish or not. The little kid with a long stick and fishing string
enjoys being outside, and catches fish also.

The simplest possible methods are used, without sacrificing quality of beer,
and we may have disagreements on how this is obtained.  This however
has opened my eyes to things that would have never been considered on my own.
Which makes this forum valuable to me.  Processes over time have evolved,
and still are.  Recently ditched hop spider for muslin sacks.  Hops are no
longer crammed in hop spider, no cleaning, muslin sacks are squeezed
then thrown out.  Its believed hop utilization has also increased, with hops flowing
freely in the wort.

I have simplified things to the point that the only easiest way (all grain) is for someone else to do it
,or just buy beer.  Most brewing days are enjoyable, some days are not.  Most brews are very good
,and others are just alright, but better than anything bought.