Favorite styles to brew and why

Though this initially felt like a "Who is brewing this weekend?" or "What’s in your fridge?" thread, I hope it comes off differently. In as much as I’d like to find out how the palates of those on this board have changed over the years and how much of that has been driven by commercial trends.

Over the past hundred or so brews I have realized that I really like to brew the beers that I am good at brewing. No surprise there. Light-colored moderate gravity hoppy beers would be the first type. 100% Brett fermentations are the next. I’ve also done beers that were a combination of the two thought processes. Don’t ask me why, but I seem to have a penchant for brewing those two broad styles of beer.

The next category are beers that I like to drink, but are very challenging and there isn’t a whole lot of information out there regarding them. Of course I’m talking about sour beers. My first two attempts were all but undrinkable (though I did) and my third was only a slight improvement over those two. Since then I have combined my penchant of brewing with honey and mixed sour fermentations to pretty decent success and now have five sour beers going, four of which are more classic examples than the wine-strength sour braggots. I still don’t feel like I have a great grasp on the style as far as the end product goes, but what I do feel is that I have a very good idea of the techniques and ingredients that make sour beer what it is. I’m anxious to see if I’m right when I bottle a blueberry and blackberry sour in a couple months.

All of that said, I’ve done a WHOLE BUNCH of experimental beers and some attempts at variations on classic styles that were not "bad" but are nothing that I’d want to brew again. Many of them were tried repeatedly, but there was just something about the ingredient or the style that just didn’t work out and I just didn’t have the patience or didn’t enjoy the style or concept enough to try to trouble shoot the beer any further.

How about you guys?

I like to brew milds & lagers. Pretty much any type of lager, though my preference would be an adjunct pilsner. The maize really lightens it up and works great. I also really enjoy making mead.

Just about anything, though I tend to brew weird things, so to speak. Basically, I like to brew what I like to drink (and my wife, to a certain extent), which is often things I can’t buy off the shelf or at breweries often. Usually this is dark beers or fruit beers with stuff in them. I also love brewing really hoppy beers because I love drinking really hoppy beers.

Originally posted by NobleSquirrel
I like to brew milds & lagers. Pretty much any type of lager, though my preference would be an adjunct pilsner. The maize really lightens it up and works great.

Originally posted by NobleSquirrel
I also really enjoy making mead.

Haven’t brewed in a while, however I enjoyed blending the most. I’d often work with rye, oats and wheat therefore the actually style may indeed be regarded as Specialty Grain. Arguably enjoyed alternative grains the most. Anyway, I blended together a Witbier with a rye IPA. It came out decent.

Originally posted by drowland
which is often things I can’t buy off the shelf or at breweries often.

Originally posted by drowland
Usually this is dark beers or fruit beers with stuff in them.

I mainly brew highly hopped IPAs in the 6-7% range. I find them fairly easy to brew, and the freshness of kegged homebrew can’t be beat. It’s rare lately that I drink a commercial IPA that I think beats my own. Somewhat due to freshness, and somewhat I think because I usually use hops like Simcoe and Citra in copious quantities. To me, those hops give the flavors and aromas that IPA is all about.

I do enjoy brewing a stout and a Belgian occasionally as well, but I always find myself longing for hops when I have one of those beers on tap. I only have one beer ready at a time. It’s easier for me to run out and buy a bottle of darker beer than it is to grab a fresh, tasty IPA. And even though I’m not entirely displeased with my previous attempts at stouts and Belgians, I’m not quite as good at brewing those styles. So, what I can buy is usually a bit better.

I will admit I’m still new to all grain brewing, so I’ve not made a stout or Belgian without extract. But I have plans to do so, come cooler weather. Hopefully, I will get better at brewing them.

Overall, my brewing interest really does lie with IPA, standard strength stouts, and medium to strong Belgians. My favorites styles to drink. I would love to try brewing saison sometime.

Originally posted by HornyDevil

Originally posted by NobleSquirrel
I like to brew milds & lagers. Pretty much any type of lager, though my preference would be an adjunct pilsner. The maize really lightens it up and works great.

So . . . mostly highly sessionable beers?

Originally posted by NobleSquirrel
I also really enjoy making mead.

What about mead makes it enjoyable? Never made a proper mead, but I have experimented with quite a few varietals of honey, so I’m curious.

Originally posted by temporrari
I find them fairly easy to brew, and the freshness of kegged homebrew can’t be beat. It’s rare lately that I drink a commercial IPA that I think beats my own. Somewhat due to freshness

Originally posted by temporrari
and somewhat I think because I usually use hops like Simcoe and Citra in copious quantities. To me, those hops give the flavors and aromas that IPA is all about.

Originally posted by temporrari
I only have one beer ready at a time.

Originally posted by temporrari
I would love to try brewing saison sometime.

Mead is my favourite at the moment.
I’m about to make a very sweet one with date honey which i’l spice with cardamom in the secondary, then i’l probablymake another one with fresh pomegranate juice added which should give it fantastic colour and flavour

Originally posted by tomer
I’m about to make a very sweet one with date honey

Originally posted by tomer
another one with fresh pomegranate juice added which should give it fantastic colour and flavour