How do you feel your homebrew compares to more common craft beers like sierra nevada, blue moon, magic hat, etc? How about any microbreweries or brew pubs in your area? How much of your love for your brew is because its your baby vs. the actual taste in comparison to a microbrew? Are you working with extract, PM, or AG?
When I brew with extract, I can definitely tell a difference between it and commercially available craft brews. When I do an AG batch, assuming it's a decent recipe, it's absolutely the same quality that is commercially available.
That said, it is possible that it tastes better because I made it myself, but other people tell me they think it's as good as they can get from a professional so take that for what it's worth.
I am all grain, and it is hit and miss. For the most part, I think my beers are better than I get at craft breweries. The big one here in St Louis is Schlafly's. I had their ESB last weekend at a bar, and the first thing I said after trying it was "mine's better". And I like my pale ales better than their, but that is just because my PA focus on hops and theirs focuses on malts. Their PA is actually very good IMO. Just made differently than mine. I don't particularly like SNPA, or any other beer that just goes crazy with Cascades, so I always think my beers are better than those.
Of course, with all that said, I have made some yuckos too. One of my most recent beers was an attempt at one of Thomas Jeffersons ales, and while drinkable, and with moments of good, it is all around a bad beer.
I've only done extract, and I've only drank 2 batchs worth (red ale and irish stout). My beer is good, and my friends think it is good too, but it doesn't compete with Old Pennisula (local Brewery) or Bell's (which is local for me)
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He who goes to bed with itchy butt wakes up with stinky finger.
I'd like to think that some of my beers are better than a good number of craft beers that area available.
I'm also honest enough about the beers that I make to acknowledge that I've had some real stinkers and also some that may be good, but are not near the quality of craft brews. That's all part fo the fun in brewing though. If it's not what you want you tweak is and brew it again.
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Originally Posted by the_bird
Well, if you *love* it.... again, note that my A.S.S. has five pounds.
I'd say most of my beers are comparable in quality, be they extract, PM or AG. The best are hard to compare because they are outside of style and not by just over-hopping. My porters are right up there with the best, but my stouts, I can only say they are good.
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How does your homebrew compare to craft beer?
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