[Warning! Ramble ahead! Mods feel free to dump it into the rambles forum. Hold on, it already is!
]
The funniest thing about all this measurement stuff mally is that whilst I write a lot of stuff on it, the
only reason I actually take any measurements now is for research. I actually hate taking measurements because when you are doing them to explore some brewing aspect, you usually have to take a billion of them before you can start to draw conclusions
.
It's a very funny area this measurement business. Measurements are such a double-edged sword that finding the right balance is difficult. For example, if I brew one of my favourite recipes, I wouldn't bother to take any measurements at all if BIABrewer didn't need them. Repetition has proved to me that if I put such and such ingredients in, I'll get my desired beer. For example, I haven't taken a final gravity reading in years because I now know how long a beer takes to ferment and that if there is something wrong in the end result, I will be able to taste it far better than measure it.
But, for me anyway, getting that level of confidence up to brew a beer without a hydrometer or refractometer took a lot of measurements/questions. (Many other brewers would naturally do this far earlier than me btw.) Initially I treated measurements like Gods. Once you start asking questions though you start to realise that a lot of answers out there on forums just don't add up....
[The most obvious example of this is when a brewer says, "I only got 65% efficiency on my brew." Such a question will invariably be followed with lots of advice despite the fact that the brewer probably doesn't even have an efficiency problem at all. 65% Efficiency into Fermentor is fine on a normal gravity brew. 65% Efficiency into Kettle is crap on a normal gravity brew. How often do you see a post on other forums asking, "Do you mean EIK or EIF?"]
At this stage, I certainly started to realise that measurements weren't as important as they are cracked up to be and probably started to intuitively look more at methodology.
I think there are a few natural brewers that, just like a great chef, just know and learn ingredients very quickly and how to massage them to produce an effect. Ask them a recipe though and they will invariably say ,a handful of this and a pinch of that." They just know!
Personally I love both 'extreme' brewers, those that take no measurements and those that take lots. I have learned heaps from both camps. The reality is that most brewers lie somewhere in between which is excellent.
Whatever the case, like a Smith and Wesson beats four aces, I reckon your tongue beats any measuring instrument.
Apologies for yet another ramble
,
PP
P.S. Mally, I am amazed at your sour mash experiment. I am the most boring brewer ever (lager/pilsner/cream/blonde/pale ale/ipa - you get the idea). I am never going to do what you are doing but love the way you are doing it and posting your results. No 'pinches' or 'handfuls' in your thread
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).
Not many vineyards in Bolton PP. I might just have to take it down to Walmart and check out the grapes in the fruit ailse.
.)
just need to figure out where to put the thermometer !! 
Mally I only said 5 words in my OP and between you PP and Bob you've wrote a book 
