Attempt at an Extra Special Bitter. Result: A regular old mild British ale.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines failure as,
failure(fail·ure)
Pronunciation:/ˈfālyər, ˈfeɪljər/
noun
1 lack of success:
2 the omission of expected or required action:
3 the action or state of not functioning
Failure in brewing can result when bacteria, mold, or wild yeast spoil a batch. It can also occur from mistakes in the brewing process, such as steeping grains too hot (resulting in unwanted tannins), burning extract on the bottom of the brew kettle, incomplete fermentation (improper yeast, sick yeast, fermentation temperature too cold), or a bad recipe. I have experienced most of these at some point since I started brewing
Another form of failure is more subtle and occurs from a failure to achieve one's intended result. This happened to me in my last two batches. One instance was Club 33 British Ale, which I have already written about. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I gave it a special name. The other was my attempt to clone a Bridgeport ESB, which did not turn out at all like the original, did not meet and style guidelines for ESB’s, and turned out...decent.
So how then are these attempts "failure"? I brewed beer and that beer tastes good. In the case of the former, the beer was so good I intend to re-brew it.
The key to determining a "failure" lies in the definition of “success." If “success” is good, drinkable beer, then these are not failures. But, I disagree that this is truly success. I was inspired to write this blog by having achieved excellence home brewing. Excellence by accident (Club 33 British Ale) lacks the satisfaction of excellence by design (Mile’s Golden Belgian Ale). And in this sense, both beers are failures. I want to use my experience and creativity and create great beer.
I am glad, however, that I had these experiences early on. It taught me that, on the one hand, I should not let my frustration in having missed the mark blind me to what I have accidentally achieved. Instead, I should learn from it. On the other hand, it has taught me that I should be content to brew decent beer, but that I should learn from the mistake and try to brew great beer.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines failure as,
failure(fail·ure)
Pronunciation:/ˈfālyər, ˈfeɪljər/
noun
1 lack of success:
2 the omission of expected or required action:
3 the action or state of not functioning
Failure in brewing can result when bacteria, mold, or wild yeast spoil a batch. It can also occur from mistakes in the brewing process, such as steeping grains too hot (resulting in unwanted tannins), burning extract on the bottom of the brew kettle, incomplete fermentation (improper yeast, sick yeast, fermentation temperature too cold), or a bad recipe. I have experienced most of these at some point since I started brewing
Another form of failure is more subtle and occurs from a failure to achieve one's intended result. This happened to me in my last two batches. One instance was Club 33 British Ale, which I have already written about. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I gave it a special name. The other was my attempt to clone a Bridgeport ESB, which did not turn out at all like the original, did not meet and style guidelines for ESB’s, and turned out...decent.
So how then are these attempts "failure"? I brewed beer and that beer tastes good. In the case of the former, the beer was so good I intend to re-brew it.
The key to determining a "failure" lies in the definition of “success." If “success” is good, drinkable beer, then these are not failures. But, I disagree that this is truly success. I was inspired to write this blog by having achieved excellence home brewing. Excellence by accident (Club 33 British Ale) lacks the satisfaction of excellence by design (Mile’s Golden Belgian Ale). And in this sense, both beers are failures. I want to use my experience and creativity and create great beer.
I am glad, however, that I had these experiences early on. It taught me that, on the one hand, I should not let my frustration in having missed the mark blind me to what I have accidentally achieved. Instead, I should learn from it. On the other hand, it has taught me that I should be content to brew decent beer, but that I should learn from the mistake and try to brew great beer.
