As craft beer fans, we have our favorite beer styles; as brewers, we often work to perfect our own versions. Somewhere out there is the ideal German Hefeweizen and we’ll strive for that beer, both in our fermenters and in our glasses. From the Great American Beer Festival for commercial breweries to your club’s local competition, brewers are recognized for their ability to make the best beer in a given category.
But just as the world’s best musicians aren’t all playing in the top-end symphony halls, the greatest brewers aren’t necessarily brewing to a particular style. Some of them are blazing new trails which may eventually be codified into new beer styles or they may always stand alone.
While beer styles are a great tool for communication and marketing, they shouldn’t be straitjacket for your zymurgical creativity. If you have a set of recipes you always use or if you usually stay within the bounds of the BJCP styles, challenge yourself once in a while to ignore the style guide and go where your muse leads. If that sounds hard, here are some tips for getting your creative brew on.