Home Brews compared to Micro Brews

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Genghis77

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I turned out what I thought was a bad batch of Nut Brown Ale. As I was cold weather brewing at the end of fermentation and weather had been warm at the beginning, I used first an ale yeast, then a lager yeast. I wasn'y happy with the result and aftertaste.

Anyway, I bought some micro brews for some comparison. Among which was Full Sail Wassail, a seasonal beer. It was awful and had all the worst characteristics of my Nut Brown Ale, but worse. I ask how do they actually manage to sell this stuff? In fairness, Full Sail Amber wasn't bad, but neither was it outstanding. Killian's Irish Red was good, but like Coor's nothing special, just targeted to appease the masses.

What I have arrived at is my good brews are really outstanding compared to store bought microbrews. And my apparent failures are still better than most. Now I realize there are some very good microbrews too. But my selections at the store are limited. I have a nearby brewpub that has six excellent beers on tap or for carry out in bottles.

For those of you that think you brewed a bad batch, you might want to reconsider the results. It may not have been the beer you expected or wanted, but it may have been very palatable to others. I am expirementing with a wide range of brews hoping to find something I really like. A full bodied dark lager that is between 40 and 60 on the IBU seems a good target

I've had skunk beer and other brews obviously ruined by store shelves. But have never had such problems with home brews
 
One of the big downsides to homebrewing is, your standards tend to creep higher and higher. Once you know how to make good ale :p , there just isn't any excuse for bad.

Full Sail Wassail is a real disappointment this year. Jubelale is ok, but not their best year. Golden Valley's TanenBomb is great, as is Pelican's Winter Fest. They aren't bottling it due to the screwy laws here, so, I'll have to work my way through the liter growler before it turns. :cross: Picked up some Bridal Vale there last week, but haven't tried it yet. Still waiting on the IPA Brut, hasn't been bottled yet. Missed the Holiday Ale fest, but I expect I'll hit a few more seasonals before year end. :D New Year's, Black Panther Stout arrives.
 
I haven't had this year's recipe, but last year's Wassail was great! They even outdid Anchor's special ale last year. And that's saying something, because Anchor was good last year also.
 
Due pack of to poor planning, I ran out of my own home brew. So I reverted to a six pack of Michelob. I find that by chewing on some whole Willamette hops, it ain't half bad that way and actually tastes like beer rather than water. I find myself craving stronger hop flavor and aroma the longer I am into brewing.

Only bad batch I have really had was one of Gyser beer. Lost half the beer in foam straight out of the bottles. Problem was incomplete fermentation before bottling. Got to make a few mistakes to learn from experience.Hydrometer helps solve a repeat.
 
I know what you're talking about. I have trouble finding good commercial brews any more, let along ones I like as much as my brews. And everyone who drink my beer tends to become more and more of a hop head and get spoiled so they don't like commercial beer too.

I bet it has a lot to do with freshness/handling. A freshly baked loaf of bread is always going to be better than one from the store.

Cheers! :D
 
Ha...that kills me what you guys say about Macrobrew...I'm in the same boat! I haven't bought store beer in quite some time, but I've had about a case of MGD sitting in my fridge for I don't know how long. It's there for people who don't care for my beer, but the truth of the matter is that everyone who's had my beer doesn't want MGD.

Right now I'm drinking the last bottle of the first batch I brewed, back in May. It's an IPA that's WAY over-hopped. (This is how I learned that trub definitely needs to be removed from the wort.) Still, I'm hooked on my home brew. I'd rather drink one of m HB's than just about any store-bought. I'm glad I have enough of my current Pumpkin left to last me another week or so, then my Wit is ready to rock. Right about the time I break into the Wit, my Oatty will go into bottles. And right about then, the Caramel Vanilla I'm going to brew this weekend will go to the secondary. It's the circle of life.
 
I still enjoy many off the shelf craft brews, the problem is the prices are killing me. I've been drinking a crapload of SNCA lately because it is relatively cheap compared to anything by Dogfish. Once the SNCA goes away, hopefully I'll have enough of a homebrew stock to hold me over for a while.

But I'm definitely starting to have a hard time handing out 9 bucks for a six pack lately. It is high quality beer, but yikes man.
 
ORRELSE said:
But I'm definitely starting to have a hard time handing out 9 bucks for a six pack lately. It is high quality beer, but yikes man.
$9 for a four pack is even worse...that's was DFH 90 minute and all the Young's stuff is hereabouts. :eek:
 
Has anyone tried to buy beer in Hawaii? $14 for a six pack of local Maui lager - ridiculous! But that's not the worst part. Local liquor stores here in colorado sell it for 6.49:p The OP has a great point, though. I too have just finished a Nut Brown and was dissapointed with the result. But after trying some twisted pine brown ale I was thoroughly surprised by the comparison.
 
I know what you mean about the commercial off-the-shelf stuff. I travel a lot so I tend to pick them up for sampling.

I also try some based on other recommendation on this forum. Last week I picked up a 6er of Real Ale Pale Ale and I have to say it is way hoppier than I like. I've only had 1 so the remaining 5 are for give away's when company arrives.
 
Hello all! My name is Michael and I'm just getting back into brewing. I used to brew beer and had a few trials at wine. Think I'm going to start a brew of beer this weekend. It's been a while... about 8 years since the last brew. Actually found my equipment last month...got it all but the Carboys... never got into chillers but have a book on how to make all that stuff;) I started with a friend about 15 or so years ago.

Reading this thread took me back to why we started to begin with. There was not many micros then. The beer choices was very disappointing. Coors... Bud (I shredder at the very thought that Bud is a beer:eek: ). I remember sitting back with him and contemplating having a Coors from the fridge and we were like... nah.... theres gotta be something better. Hell.. why don't we just make out own... we can certainly do a better job then Coors (I sit here thinking.... IMAGINE THAT.... just how big of heads did we have at the time you know... ). But thats the thing. As someone in this thread said already... once you know what a good one taste, your criteria jumps a bit.

So where is the criteria now? Well we have had an assortment of micros do thier thing. And many are doing pretty good. However... we know better. And we are holding micros to our criteria because they started out with the same criteria... saying that there is something better and that they could do a better job. However even though a lot of good things are comming out of the micros they still have to appeal to in many ways... "the masses". I am sure you guys have seen it left and right as I have here in the Detroit area... micros are going under.

Anytime this happens, of course, we the creators, can always produce something a bit creative... something that is unique. And if it turns out bad. So what. How much did we loose:D
 
Well, first, thank god there are micro brews. Otherwise all we'd have is coors and bud (shudder). And really, didn't most of us start because of some great micro we had?
Some good micros I've had: Rogue Dead Guy, Odell Five Barrel Pale Ale, Boulevard Bully Porter, Left Hand Sawtooth Ale, Alleycat Amber Ale...

That being said, I have even in the limited time I've been brewing, created beers that I like more than most of those. But I would never have known what to go for if it hadn't been for beers like those.
 
It's a very local special brew, but I have enjoyed the "Big Hoppy Monster' by Terrapin brewed here in Georgia in Athens.

Yum Yum... but you'd better like hoppy ales!
 
Since my drinkable brews have run out, I am trying a couple more microbrews. The first is Lagunita IPA. First impression, very good. I finally have found one that has cranked up the hops the way I like them. Good aroma, the head is creamy. Overall you can tell this has an adaquate amount of barley malt. Definitely like this one and very much like my own attempts at an IPA, even stronger than my own hops. Wish they rated their IBU's and the ABV. Other IPA's I have tried were weak disappointments.:D
 
I started with extract kits, usually with extra corn sugar to boost the content. Then did two Braggots one with raspberries, and got both of them to about 15%, and very excellent. Then went on to pale ales using grain and hops with some good results. A couple were batches of Imperial Stout with sweet cherries and raspberries for a really unique flavor. Then did the same with peaches and raspberries that wasn't nearly as good. The two that just finished are extract ales with added pellet hops for extra aroma and slightly more bitterness and that worked very well. Bottom line is: not one drop has ever been poured out and so far everyone has enjoyed them. Sometimes you gotta try different things to figure out what works for you. It's still fun and (usually) cheaper than buying it from the store.
 
I tried Deschutes Black Butte Porter. Pretty impressive, though a little light on the ABV at 5.2% Very smooth and malty.

I've been noticing the supply of Lagunitas and Terminal Gravity IPA's is getting depleted. Both seem to be selling well.

Suprisingly, my local store doesn't sell any Sam Adams. Mainly sales are of the megabrewers cheapo swill. Milwaukee's Best, Bush etc. But they do have a few good ones from the micros.
 
I think part of the problem is that there was such an explosion of microbrews - seems like everyone thought they could start a brewery. So, naturally some of them will be sub par.

That being said, the quality of beer in America (not counting the macros) is amazing overall. The range of choice is great, too. I travel a lot for work and I love seeking out local brews.

Still, one of my favorite beers is made in a little brewery a few miles from me - "Hopluia.". The name says it all :)
 
Just trying a Henry Weinhard's Blue Boar. It would be a good beer. But I get a taste of skunk. Probably due to green tint bottle and lots of bright flourscent lights in the store. This one says a lot for better things come in brown bottles.:mad:
 
Well, I'm pretty well lit again...:drunk:

I "found" 18 - 1/2 liter bottles of a Kilkenny's Irish Ale that I bottles in Sep 05. I've had them in the garage at 41F for 10 days and, man, whoa!!! I am not driving tonight! I haven't even finished my second one!:drunk:

Definitely brewing this one again -- double batch...:eek: !

In defense of microbreweries...they started like we did...dreamt of sharing our brews with the masses...reality and Federal/State regulations set in...then there's the bank...(Psst! They want their $$$ back and then some)...State regulates your ABV% while you lower your ingredient standards to keep your head above "beer" (you thought I was going to say "water" didn't you???)...

Man, keep it REAL! Continue brewing good homebrew where homebrew should be brewed - at home! (Did I just have like a Yogi Berra moment or what?)

Slante!!!

There was a young man from Kent,
Who's d*ck was so long that it bent,
So to save him some trouble, he folded it double,
Instead of coming, he went!

A'nodder rund fur me boys!
 
Genghis77 said:
Just trying a Henry Weinhard's Blue Boar. It would be a good beer. But I get a taste of skunk. Probably due to green tint bottle and lots of bright flourscent lights in the store. This one says a lot for better things come in brown bottles.:mad:


I don't know why some breweries insist on using green bottles, especially so many of the foreign ones. It's stupid - like if you went to the grocery store and they sold milk at room temperature.
 
alemonkey said:
I don't know why some breweries insist on using green bottles, especially so many of the foreign ones.
It began as an advertising gimmick here in America.
Wild
 
I still buy Guiness now and again, and I will usually pick up some Harpoon or Wachusett if it is on sale, but I have pretty much converted to only drinking my home supply when at home. I got an IPA at a local MB that was good, but I actually thought that my regular ale was a)better tasting and b) hoopier than the IPA. I think that it is part "everyone likes their own cooking", and part "quality is inversly proportional to the profit margin"......that said, I still enjoy a lot of different types of beers, and love going to the MBs and taphouses, but I also know that, barring a catastrophic brew session, my home stuff is going to be at least as good, IMHO, and I am the only one I am trying to please in this department.
 
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