Rules For 10 Gallon Batches

You've been there. Well, if you have a system capable of 10 gallon batches you may have been there. You've done the 5 hour brew day, pitched your yeast and waited (somewhat) patiently for the yeast to do it's work. You then wait another week or two for maturation. Finally it's time to try your latest concoction, low and behold, it's underwhelming.

Maybe you haven't been there, but I've been there more than I like to think about. Now I'm stuck with 10 gallons of a beer where all I can think about is how well it didn't turn out. So the following are a set of rules and/or questions I ask myself before brewing 10 gallon batches.

1. Is this a tried and true recipe? If not by me than someone I trust?
2. How well do I like this style normally? Do I really want 10 gallons of it?
3. Will I be aging any of this beer?
4. How fresh are the ingredients I'll be using? Am I cleaning out the refrigerator? If so it's probably not a good idea for a 10 gallon batch, old ingredients can make a beer underwhelming.
5. Will the style last a few months?  Is it a NEIPA that needs to be drank right up or a Barley Wine that will last years?

So there it is. But really, the important ones I think about first are number 1 and number 4. You should know it's a good recipe and that you're using fresh ingredients that will yield good results. If you have both of these just one of the others is enough for me to brew that 10 gallon batch.