"The IKEA Effect", or yet another reason why I love my homebrew

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ajfranke

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I came across this article describing what academics have termed "The IKEA Effect", or the theory that having a hand in making something causes us to grow more attachment to that object.

Article: http://neoacademic.com/2011/09/22/unfolding-the-ikea-effect-why-we-love-the-things-we-build/
Journal Paper: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1057740811000829

After reading the abstract, I immediately thought of my homebrew. Do I like drinking it because it's good beer? Or do I like it because it's passable beer, and *I* made it?

But the authors' study also raises an interesting point: in cases where the study subjects didn't complete their building tasks, they showed less attachment. Does this effect make it easier for homebrewers to dump spoiled batches?
 
I tend to think it's passable to good,but we perceive it as the greatest contribution to mankind because we made it. Not to mention it's something we finished ourselves. An achievement of sorts. So we'd naturally value it more highly than someone elses.
 
My first two batches had off flavours, but I drank them anyways because *I* made it. Not sure I would have drank it otherwise. Though my 3 batch tastes good, so maybe it'll be a beer i let others try!
 
I dunno if I don't think my beer is objectively good, I end up dumping it or giving it away. And if anything I feel I am probably a harsher critic of my own beer than someone else's.

The only batches I drink are the ones I really enjoy drinking. If it wouldn't score in at least the 30's in a competition I end up dumping it or giving it to people who don't care what their beer tastes like.

Life is too short to waste on drinking sub-par beer.
 
My first two batches had off flavours, but I drank them anyways because *I* made it. Not sure I would have drank it otherwise. Though my 3 batch tastes good, so maybe it'll be a beer i let others try!

My first few batches (7 of 8 were Mr. Beotches) were bad, but in the interest of science, I drank them. Tried earlier this year with fresher Mr. B ingredients and Notty yeast - not much of an improvement. If I hadn't made them, I would have politely declined a second. I also toughed it out through a foamy infected batch, trying all sorts of methods to please the angry foamy volcano gods. Came close but no cigar.
 
I dunno if I don't think my beer is objectively good, I end up dumping it or giving it away.

Life is too short to waste on drinking sub-par beer.

I agree. If something obviously turns out poorly, I dump it in relatively short order. I'll usually give it a few pints, if it's bad and my roommate isn't drinking, down the drain it goes.
 
biochemedic said:
I think the answer comes from the sharing...do your non-homebrewer associates place as much value on your brew as you do?

I had similar thoughts. It begs testing: homebrew vs. commercial, looking at the brewers' opinions and those of their bystander friends. Of course, one difficulty is that there is so much subjectivity in what makes "high-value" beer. Even if clones are brewed, and labels are removed, the definition of "good" beer to a homebrewer or a bystander depends much on their respective expectations.
 
My wife is usually brutally honest with me and she told me recently she can't drink a number of beers she used to after drinking my homebrew. My future brother in law is a huge fan and now brews, as well as my inlaws. My parents want to put my beer on tap at their house/pool bar. A number of my friends who are strictly BMC drinkers are coming around to them.

I had one person tell me my beers are gross, but she doesn't really drink beer at all. Probably shouldn't have started off with the IPA I poured for her husband.

My Marines, who never hesitate to give me a hard time in good fun want to buy my beer.

I've had a pair of batches I don't care for and don't share, but the ones I like I do.

I've been happy with how they've turned out and I'm tough on them with judging them. I've never entered a beer into a competition.
 
I dont know but i do know when i really make a good beer because a few of them stand out way more than the others. Im enjoying my first lager a hell of a lot more than Heavy Seas Prosit octoberfest imperial lager.Most of my beer is average to great just like in the store.Except the only ones ive dumped are from the store or mine when they are not carbed. And i shure enjoyed my first pumpkin ale @ 8 months compared to a good handfull of commercial pumpkins ive tried this year.
 
I think the answer comes from the sharing...do your non-homebrewer associates place as much value on your brew as you do?

Yeah but do they only drink bmc? Hmm.:)
I always say 'be honest" how does it taste? But if they dont drink anything but light beers i dont give a **** what they think for the most part. And ill probably wont even give it to them to begin with, with a closed light mind.
 
I definitely notice when a beer truly stands out, but I can honestly say I have only made two batches that I legitimately did not like. One stout was way too "thin" with barely any flavor, and a barleywine experiment went completely wrong. I think a lot of the people on this forum are TOO harsh when judging their beers. I've never dumped a batch and don't see myself ever having to unless I'm experimenting and get a little too frisky.
 
I agree. If something obviously turns out poorly, I dump it in relatively short order. I'll usually give it a few pints, if it's bad and my roommate isn't drinking, down the drain it goes.

Totally. I can tell when I make a beer that is not good & I'd rather drink something good. I also know with 90+% certainty what beer my SO will/will not like.

For guests who haven't had the particular beer on tap yet, I always serve them two small (2-4oz) glasses at the same time, so they can choose which of the two taps they like better.

I no longer solicit uninformed people's feedback, i.e. ask them if they like it. When I present the beer, I just tell them, "if you don't like it that is fine... don't drink it."
 
Well,like other things in life the artist is most critical of his/her own works. It's the nature of the beast.
I like the fact that my wife is a good critic of my beers,& is now fermenting her second batch. I guess I'm doing something right.:mug:
 
A lot of homebrewers beer tastes like crap to me and the go banannas for it. I can only guess it's because they made it and it's passable.
 
I have always been my beer's toughest critic. There have been a couple batches that I found almost unpalatable but my semi-seasoned beer drinking friends have said it tastes good. But a majority of my beers, typically the ones that I find average to good, have only received good to excellent reviews by even the most seasoned of my beer drinking friends.

I can understand how the "ikea effect" might make you more attached to your creation, but I would be surprised if it effected your objectivity to the point where you could not decipher a good beer from a bad one.
 
My first batch tasted bad to me therefore I didn't drink it. I did have a hard time getting rid of the last few bottles though. Hmm odd
 
Just like Frankenstein or "the modern Prometheus" all over again...Victor can't wait for his creation to come to life. An all-consuming passion. But is totally mortified when it does.
 
I like the fact that my wife is a good critic of my beers,& is now fermenting her second batch. I guess I'm doing something right.:mug:[/FONT]

Tell me how you managed that. My wife has almost no interest in brewing. I also offered to teach her how to play poker well enough to beat most people in the casinos in Vegas, but she hasn't taken me up on that either. Although, she has picked up enough through osmosis to beat all her friends when they play.
 
A lot of homebrewers beer tastes like crap to me and they go banannas for it.

I'm with you. The average home brewer thinks their homebrew is god's gift to man; it usually isn't.

There are simply two kinds of people out there:

-Those that are their own worst critic
-Those that think their beer is great regardless of the naysayers

I definitely fall into the first camp. I feel that while I do nit-pick too much at my beers, I make better beer because I am critical. And yes, I've given up on batches and poured out some beer. Life's too short to drink crappy beer, espeically when I can just make another batch.
 
I don't buy it. #1 I have plenty of "some assembly required" furniture. It ain't IKEA, it's Sauder. I HATE the assembly, and I don't like the furniture other than it fits the budget and performs the function in a passable manner.

I do find a satisfaction in "do-it-yourselfing" - but it is the satisfaction of independence - I often keenly aware of my product's shortcomings. The affection I have is more of a "I don't need no steenking (insert name of professionally made product)" attitude.

I don't think the IKEA effect can be so strong as to cause somebody to think that something that is only so-so is really top-notch.

I would also point out that there are some things professionally made that will never come close to home-made. Hostess baked goods are one of them. I'd rather eat a flopped homemade brownie that stuck to the pan than a Ho-Ho. Oddly enough I've met people who prefer a Twinkie over a homemade chocolate chip cookie.

Finally, a large part of my motivation for "do-it-yourselfing" is value. While I might not be able to brew better than the best microbrew - I can certainly brew a better beer than Miller and that beer will be cheaper than microbrews. An old internet aquaintence of mine was involved in the wine importing trade. He said you could always spot a wine-snob wannabee because they would be raving and gushing about how excellent the most expensive wines are. He said the guys who REALLY know and enjoy wine get excited about a good value - something that is better than the price indicates.

I believe that's what All Grain homebrewing provides - value. A good beer, that is a fraction of the cost of what you'd pay in a liquor store or brewpub.
 
Pride's the best seasoning.

To me, my beer is delicious. Maybe I'm being insufficiently self-critical but screw it. It tastes good. There's lots of it. Down the hatch.
 
I agree. I've never made a batch so terrible that it had to be dumped (crosses fingers). But I have had batches that needed more time in primary & bottles to clean up. They still turned out decent to pretty good. But I am critical about tweaking my ales...it's a never ending quest.
 

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