Home brew or comercial beer

Right lads and lassy's

I was drinking a few home brews at home and dicided it was just not ready after 2 or 3 as in not fully carbonated yet so i left it and i started drinking some heinkein i had in the fridge but o my god my home brew tasted far nicer than the comercial beer and my home brew was just not ready yet i can just imagine what it is going to be like when it is fully finish.
Now im a lager drinker but my last few brews have been ale and im starting to like the ale more than the lager. I find the ale more tasteful and just a better finished beer.
Has this happened to anyone where you start to enjoy your home brew more than comercial beer in the pub or your favourite beer to drink when you do go out to the pub??

I have always preferred an ale over the standard lager since I started drinking beer but for me it took me a while before my beers where on par or better than a lot of commercial examples. It is also all subjective. My thing is that I can make a hoppy beer and have it fresher and younger than any commercial example which gives it an advantage unless I am at the brewery.

Drink what you like, life is too short to settle for sub-standard beer.

My beers are not yet better than their commercial counterparts, but I can't wait for the first one that is!

The only times I've had a commercial beer since I started brewing is when I was in a restaurant and since I've been brewing, I don't drink much at the restaurant either. I like my beer better. It's worth waiting until I get home to drink.

I always go for the homebrew first. The only time I buy any beer is if its because I've never had the style, or don't know of a way to make it on my own.

I think because homebrew is done on a small scale, it's a lot easier to define your beer than it is to find a commercial equivalent. Though, I don't live in a place where there is a lot of quality commercials available, so I might be biased.

Homebrew wins it for me.

I drink a fair amount of craft beer and an occasional BMC, but I can honestly say that I prefer homebrew to Heineken as well.

YES I feel home brew is the best brew, I will order com beer when we go out but only if they have something good, at chillies the other day I ordered a blue moon heff the waitress came back and said their out but they have bud budlight and coors light, I had ice ted. My wife says I'm a beer "snob" now but I don't care. I have 3 hb on tap at home and also have several other bottles of store bought to offer people if they don't like the hb. (hopping they will dink it and leave my hb for me) but now they just ask for the hp so I have had corona sam adams, sierra nevada, and heff in the beer cooler for months now.
BREW THE BEER YOU DRINK, BREW THE BEER YOUR SERVE!!!!!!

I drink a ton of commercial beers. There's plenty of excellent beer out there. Heineken I won't drink because I don't like it. I would rather just drink water if I didn't have any other beer available.

I drink plenty of homebrew but there's so much great commercial stuff out there, it would be a shame to miss it. Plus, sometimes I get ideas for new recipes from commercial brews.

weirdboy said:

I drink a ton of commercial beers. There's plenty of excellent beer out there. Heineken I won't drink because I don't like it. I would rather just drink water if I didn't have any other beer available.

I drink plenty of homebrew but there's so much great commercial stuff out there, it would be a shame to miss it. Plus, sometimes I get ideas for new recipes from commercial brews.

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+1

I homebrew because I like making beer. If I just wanted to drink it, it is an embarrassment of riches out there in just about any metro area.

Maybe in Ireland Heineken tastes better. Here in the states it is a nasty skunky beverage.

weirdboy said:

I drink a ton of commercial beers. There's plenty of excellent beer out there. Heineken I won't drink because I don't like it. I would rather just drink water if I didn't have any other beer available.

I drink plenty of homebrew but there's so much great commercial stuff out there, it would be a shame to miss it. Plus, sometimes I get ideas for new recipes from commercial brews.

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Spot on.

Yea heinkein is a very popular beer here in ireland and there is not alot of different beers here where i live and i love tasting new beers thats 1 of the reasons i took up the hobby of brewing you have a hugh variety of beers tastes and styles to choose from.

There are plenty of good commercial beers around - but I don't particularly care for Heineken. There's little compelling reason to buy imports these days. Beer is fragile and very difficult to transport. You are almost always better off buying local, and what's more local than you own kitchen?

SteveM said:

There are plenty of good commercial beers around - but I don't particularly care for Heineken. There's little compelling reason to buy imports these days. Beer is fragile and very difficult to transport. You are almost always better off buying local, and what's more local than you own kitchen?

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I disagree with the import belief. I have had many many excellent imports. I also appreciate the fact that while you or your local brew pub are trying to imitate a particular style that some brewer in Scotland, Ireland, or Belgium has been brewing it for hundreds of years. Just don't buy anything in a green, clear, or light brown bottle and you will generally be pleased. I will agree that the beer coming from my kitchen is darn good though.

rjwhite41 said:

I disagree with the import belief. I have had many many excellent imports. I also appreciate the fact that while you or your local brew pub are trying to imitate a particular style that some brewer in Scotland, Ireland, or Belgium has been brewing it for hundreds of years. Just don't buy anything in a green, clear, or light brown bottle and you will generally be pleased. I will agree that the beer coming from my kitchen is darn good though.

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Actually, I don't try to imitate any European styles. I've done a couple over the years but mostly I like American beers better - APAs mostly.

The fact that they've been brewing for hundreds of years doesn't prove that they make beers that please my tastes. I would argue that the Germans are so bound up by their beer purity laws that they find it very difficult to innovate. Belgains are much freer in their thinking, and sometimes I will buy some of those.

But as a professional logistician, I can tell you that maintaining good cold chain management is difficult and expensive, and the chances that a product (beer or anything else) will go out of ideal shipping temperatures gets better when transit times and distance increase.

Yes, your homebrew can be much better than commercial beers of similar styles. I often have a commercial beer or micro brew beer alongside one of mine of the same style, and mine win regularly. I also have friends, non-beer drinkers, etc. perform blind taste tests of mine alongside others, and they will often favor mine.

I should note that I can't take that much credit for my tasty brews since many of the recipes that I brew come straight off of this forum.

I have 4 categories of beer that I partake in:

Home Brew - Typically my first choice, better than usual commercial beer selections. I have been fortunate to brew beer that tastes as good or better than most beer that you can get locally (typically equal to or not quite as good as Specialty beer outlined below).

Specialty Brew - These are more like special occassion beers that I pick up when I travel, or they are items that I just haven't had. These are usually pricey, and I keep about 15 to 20 of these on the shelf to try from time to time with friends/brewers.

Filler Brew - These are my typical store-bought beers (Sam Adams, Corona, Newcastle, etc.). Stuff that you can get most anywhere that is pretty good, but not as good as home brew. I typically have these after my 3rd beer because the taste doesn't matter that much at that point. Also for my friends who don't drink the styles that I have on tap.

Last Resort Beer - BMC, etc. I typically only drink this when I am at a function where other options are not available. I am not opposed to this beer, but I typically won't buy it just to have around. Then again, I will drink the crap out of it if it is free.

I try hard not to be a beer snob. I am a new brewer with only three batches under my belt. I am most pleased with my recent all grain porter. I've been drinking some commercial beers as research to learn more about the different flavors out there, but can't afford to drink them regularly. I am a fan of all beer, even stooping to the occasional Milwaukee's Best Light. I usually drink some bourbon on the side to make those taste better! I can admit that since I've been brewing, the commercial light beers are fewer and farther between.

I live in a dry county in Western Kentucky where the beer drinking culture is non existent. I recently found a store within a 30 minute drive that has a huge selection of craft brews and imports and offers a few for sale in growlers. i will be spending more time in that neck of the woods for sure.

SteveM said:

Actually, I don't try to imitate any European styles. I've done a couple over the years but mostly I like American beers better - APAs mostly.

The fact that they've been brewing for hundreds of years doesn't prove that they make beers that please my tastes. I would argue that the Germans are so bound up by their beer purity laws that they find it very difficult to innovate. Belgains are much freer in their thinking, and sometimes I will buy some of those.

But as a professional logistician, I can tell you that maintaining good cold chain management is difficult and expensive, and the chances that a product (beer or anything else) will go out of ideal shipping temperatures gets better when transit times and distance increase.

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APAs are an imitation of British Pale Ales, which have been brewed from a very long time. The only true American style of beer is California Common which was created by German immigrants doing the best they could to make a lager without cold storage facilities. I would agree that Reinheitsgebot makes it difficult to innovate but provides standards for very good beer. I rarely go outside of it's principles, but that is more preference. I would also say that there is a wide variation in temperature that a bottle beer will endure without much, if any, deterioration. Especially when that beer is filtered, as many imports and domestics are.

I do understand your buy local philosophy. I also adhere to that to a certain degree, especially with food, but your signature says think global drink local which would disagree with your statements about the beer that you claim to brew unless I am misunderstanding it's meaning (that and the recipe in your profile for a Dos Equis Clone, which is a Mexican beer created by a German immigrant making a traditional lager).

Homebrew is very good. American microbrew is very good. Imports are very good. Beer is good!

I think avid homebrewers forget how lucky they are to be able to brew and drink what they want, the way they want it...when they want it.

You say you like Boddington's Pub Ale but would like a little more aroma? Brew it.
You love a good commercial stout but would like more roast flavor? Brew it.
You like Sierra Nevada but wish it was a bit more malty? Brew it.

I drink very little beer when I'm out. I know the good stuff...the stuff made specifically for me...is waiting for me at home.

I like the beer I'm making, it's certainly as good as any mid-grade beers I've had. But there are some beers I'll come across sometimes that just blow me away. If I can make as good a beer as those someday, I'll be proud. I'm assuming those Belgian monks have more time on their hands than I do, and hundreds of years to perfect their recipes.

rjwhite41 said:

Maybe in Ireland Heineken tastes better. Here in the states it is a nasty skunky beverage.

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I think that's because you haven't had it in a can where the skunk isn't there.
It's actually a nice refreshing lager. PU in a bottle can be just as skunked, but in a can is heaven.

For the most part I drink the beer I make, but there are times I want a comercial beer to try. The good ones I try to replicate.

Mrtickel said:

Yea heinkein is a very popular beer here in ireland and there is not alot of different beers here where i live and i love tasting new beers thats 1 of the reasons i took up the hobby of brewing you have a hugh variety of beers tastes and styles to choose from.

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James Joyce, also an Irishman, loved that stream of consciousness stuff too. He also loved to put back a pint or ten.

I usually prefer homebrew, but there are a lot of great commercial beers out there. The main reason I don't drink them is because they are VERY expensive as compared to my HB which is just as good.

For example, a 4 pack of 90 minute IPA from Dogfish Head costs 9.99 at the store. That's 2.50 a beer. I can brew the same beer for like 0.75 a beer, and I'll have a ton of it.

I love commercial, craft, and micro brews. Heck, I love beer and I thought I was quite a connoisseur of beer until I started homebrewing. I can't believe how much my world has opened since I started. I appreciate so many different aspects of beer besides taste now and I love to try different styles and brands to get ideas for my own brews.

I love this hobby! :rockin:

rjwhite41 said:

APAs are an imitation of British Pale Ales, which have been brewed from a very long time. The only true American style of beer is California Common which was created by German immigrants doing the best they could to make a lager without cold storage facilities. I would agree that Reinheitsgebot makes it difficult to innovate but provides standards for very good beer. I rarely go outside of it's principles, but that is more preference. I would also say that there is a wide variation in temperature that a bottle beer will endure without much, if any, deterioration. Especially when that beer is filtered, as many imports and domestics are.

I do understand your buy local philosophy. I also adhere to that to a certain degree, especially with food, but your signature says think global drink local which would disagree with your statements about the beer that you claim to brew unless I am misunderstanding it's meaning (that and the recipe in your profile for a Dos Equis Clone, which is a Mexican beer created by a German immigrant making a traditional lager).

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We can agree to disagree on a lot of this - it's mostly semantics and differing opinions.

In my opinion, APAs are not an imitation of British styles, but rather a style developed based upon British IPAs. The very different flavor and aroma of American hops give them a much different taste signature. No one would mistake a British IPA for an American APA. But again, this is largely semantics and opinion.

As far as transportation and temperature management goes, beers are very hardy when it comes to cold temperatures - they can mostly come through unscathed. But heat is a different issue. Heat will ruin any beer, whether or not it has been pasteurized, filtered, canned or bottled. This is true for most products (in a previous position, I used to manage world-wide distribution of vaccines, including millions of doses of flu vaccine - so this is not just me making stuff up).

And my Dos Equis clone recipe - if you read it, you will note that I commented that I found from researching it that it was basically a traditional central European lager, which is why I placed it in the category of European Amber Lagers. What I said: "I always assumed that there was something exotic about Dos Equis because I associate it with eating enchiladas and tacos but based on the recipe, it is a pretty standard central European lager." I make no claim that it's in any way a North American style.
[Edit]I brewed it once, as a favor to someone who asked me to try it. I don't love it and would not generally bother to brew a beer that I could just as easily buy. It's the one and only clone I ever attempted.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f59/

Both! Even when I've got my home brew, I still buy my commercial faves. Just less often. Sometimes I want a beer that I didn't make.

SteveM said:

We can agree to disagree on a lot of this - it's mostly semantics and differing opinions.

In my opinion, APAs are not an imitation of British styles, but rather a style developed based upon British IPAs. The very different flavor and aroma of American hops give them a much different taste signature. No one would mistake a British IPA for an American APA. But again, this is largely semantics and opinion.

As far as transportation and temperature management goes, beers are very hardy when it comes to cold temperatures - they can mostly come through unscathed. But heat is a different issue. Heat will ruin any beer, whether or not it has been pasteurized, filtered, canned or bottled. This is true for most products (in a previous position, I used to manage world-wide distribution of vaccines, including millions of doses of flu vaccine - so this is not just me making stuff up).

And my Dos Equis clone recipe - if you read it, you will note that I commented that I found from researching it that it was basically a traditional central European lager, which is why I placed it in the category of European Amber Lagers. What I said: "I always assumed that there was something exotic about Dos Equis because I associate it with eating enchiladas and tacos but based on the recipe, it is a pretty standard central European lager." I make no claim that it's in any way a North American style.
[Edit]I brewed it once, as a favor to someone who asked me to try it. I don't love it and would not generally bother to brew a beer that I could just as easily buy. It's the one and only clone I ever attempted.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f59/

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I will agree to disagree on this one. I think it is semantics and a difference of opinions as you stated. Good brewing!

BTW, I did not read the recipe, I just saw that it was there.