The clean version of..Do you really love your beer?

Honestly...do you LOVE the beer you make?

I do. I think I can make as good or better beer than most of the stuff I can buy. Obviously there are exceptions. I've had some blow me away commercial brews. I've had some real stinker batches of homebrew. However, I am pretty pleased with most of mine.

What about you?

It's generally either love or hate.

When I get it right - Murder In The Red Barn, I'm pretty sure the Pale As Bone APA - it's awesome. I love it.

When it's wrong - the mocha stout, the raspberry maple ale - I hate it, mostly because I feel like a dink for screwing up the recipe or the fermentation temp or whatever.

So, it's either love or hate - only a few times when it's just "good" or "medicore."

I am extremely impressed and happy with the beer I've been able to make.

Hah, I probably shouldn't be posting in this thread yet. But I was completely disappointed with my first beer. Its drinkable, but I don't like it. I don't think I screwed up the recipe or any technique enough to be the source of the problem, I think I just made a beer I didn't like. Too malty, not terribly smooth.

Second one... I'll find out in a couple weeks.

I'm with you Dude, I love my brew. I love the fact that I can fine tune it. More hops, less hops, more Rye, more raspberry and maple? WTF? What were you thinking 'bird?

I love and like some of my brews. I still buy certain beers that I am unable or unwilling to clone like Ruination ale. My 2 attempts have been less then steller compared to the real thing. I tend to be hard on my beers and demand more from them.
I have only 1 beer that my friends did not enjoy so I take that as a compliment. I still love the fact that I can take a commerical brew and then change it to what I really want and like and I have been pretty successful with that.
I have a spiced ale that I tried because I had a sixer of Anchor Christmas ale and it turned out pretty bad but I have others try it and like it. I thought that beer sucked big time. I hope they were just being nice but it was one of my worst brews ever.
Just curious if others have had that happen. I brew you did not like but others really enjoyed.

Once I get settled down and quit moving around so much I'll probably never buy beer again. I absolutly, LOVE the beer I make... every batch so far. Moving around is keeping me from having as much beer on hand as I'd like. Primarily cause I can't setup a kegging system and I have to bottle it all, I also have to order ingredients that take 8-10 days before I can brew.

Until I have my own house and can keep my supply steady I'll have to continue buying beer on occasion... but just to reiterate... I LOVE MY HOMEBREW!

Add me to the list: I'm continually amazed at how good the vast majority of my beers are. I think my batches are consistently at-least as good as $7/sixpack mainline microbrews, often better. And others who taste it seem to agree.

Also, living in a fairly small town, there are commercial beers that I just can't get at any price--it's very cool to be able to brew those styles.

I've never had a bad batch, although I've certainly had a few with some flaws that make them merely good instead of excellent. That's maybe 1 batch in 4.

So far, I've only made one batch that I hated and two that I thought were just ok. The rest have been outstanding and I LOVE them. I'm assuming going AG will just make my beer better, but I expect a couple of average batches before I really figure out the process.

omg yes

And I love it too a point where I should probably check into a clinic for 28 days

I love my beer, It's my friend.

I love my beer, but I don't think its as good as a lot of the stuff I can buy (I live down the street from a take-out six-pack place with the best selection I've ever seen). The reason I don't think my brew is fantastic -- as opposed to good & drinkable -- is I haven't brewed & tweaked recipes enough to understand how to fine-tune my final product. But, with every batch I make fewer minor mistakes, see an improvement, and I think I'm beginning to understand the art of the craft. I love my beer because its mine and it is good.... just not as good as lots of what I can get.

I put towels on my fermentors to keep the light out. I smell my airlocks more than a crackhead hits his pipe. Every day that my beer is in a carboy feels like a millenium.

In other words, yes, I love my beer. Even when it sucks.

So far, I've only made one batch I don't like--my sweet stout tasted like sweet yeast to me, but everyone else who has tried it has loved it. Maybe I just know what I did wrong, but damn, I can't understand how people like it. Everything else I've made has been phenomenal, really good beer. What a great hobby.

I'm not there yet. My sixth batch is in the final days of conditioning. There's been something seriously wrong with each the first five. Time does help. I'm learning to let my brews sit in the bottles for at least 6 weeks. My first attempt was barely drinkable, but about the time I finished the last bottle it was getting okay. Every batch is getting better because my techniques are improving. I just sampled my German Pils that's been in the bottle for two weeks to test for carbonation, and I can honestly say that it is going to be a damn fine beer. I expect it will be better than any of the German imports I can find because it will be fresher and didn't have to travel 8 gazillion miles to get to my fridge. I'm going to lock it away for at least another month before I savor it. This hobby has been very challenging for me because I like instant gratification. I tend to be a perfectionist and having to wait several months to figure out what adjustments I need to makedrives me nuts. I expect that a year from now I'll either be making great beers, or I'll have given up because it's too much trouble.

I love my beer and it loves me. Every time I pull a Hefe, Haus Pale, or Apfelwein from the tap and taste that first sip, I still can't believe that "I" created it.

The fact that SWMBO has the same reaction only makes it better!

What a hobby! I can't wait to build the Brew Hut!

I'm with ya'll. Still learning though. Have only done 9 kits and one diy recipe that didn't come out as well as I'd like. Still in search for the Holy Grail. Beer is like religion to me and it's proof that God does love us. I can sit in front of a glass primary and just watch it for hours, if SHE'D let me!!!!

Chimone said:

omg yes

And I love it too a point where I should probably check into a clinic for 28 days

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AMEN BROTHER!!!!

Although, last night i think i loved it a bit to much. Went over to a friends place that i meet at our local brew club. His garage would make most all of us jealous, except brewpastor. Anyway, i loved the hell out of my beer 6 pints worth) then drove over to his house and loved the hell out of his beer as well as some samples of stone ruination, and a couple other micros that clocked in around 11%.

I had a head ache this morn.


But yes, even my brews that are not my favorite style i would much rather drink than BMC.

My first two beers that I made, Diablo (canned kit) and Honey Brown (my own recipe) were drinkable, but I didn't really like them all that much. Most of it came down to the water though. I would really like to rebrew them with good water and see how my opinion is on them. (Our complex has treated drinking water)

The latest two beers I brewed were very good though and I really have enjoyed them thus far. Its been really fun getting to this point and through this forum and other readings, it'll be an even funner ride from here on out.

I love my beer and my beer loves me. Best of all, swmbo now loves my beer. She's usually the one who gripes when we run out. Second best of all is that my friends and relatives hate my beer. More for me and swmbo.

loop

I Love My Beer! This is easily the best hobby yet. It can be as simple or as complex as you let it. But lemme tell you, this forum will be the death of me. Before logging on here I brewed about 1 beer a month maybe less. I had 3 carboys of which I never had more than 2 full and never more than one beer fermenting at a time. Since joining this site I'm starting to think 3 isn't enough. I've got 2 beers in the secondary and 2 or 3 in the planning stages. I Love My Beer.

Out of the 20+ batches that I have brewed this past year, I have only produced one batch that I didn't really care for, but many of my "taste testers" said they loved it. Maybe its just me, but I find many of my beers better than any mirco and sure a lot better than any BMC. I love my beer and this time of year, cooler fermenting and secondary temps!

ayrton said:

I put towels on my fermentors to keep the light out. I smell my airlocks more than a crackhead hits his pipe. Every day that my beer is in a carboy feels like a millenium.

In other words, yes, I love my beer. Even when it sucks.

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My felings exactly. I have just barely gotten my feet wet in this fantastic world of homebrewing, and have only made one really good beer, but I love it. I love creating something that I can enjoy, and the process is great. My new favorite hobby, time for another carboy (shh... don't tell SWMBO).

I wuv my beer but I think I hate my yeast harvesting. I must be too sloppy on the procedure or try and stretch it too far. I've had too many 'wierd' tasting batches as of late. I'm going to do new yeast each time for a while and only do a dump on slurry if I'm re-using. Oh, and your Pub Ale I made is totally f'ed and needs to be dumped.

desertBrew said:

I wuv my beer but I think I hate my yeast harvesting. I must be too sloppy on the procedure or try and stretch it too far. I've had too many 'wierd' tasting batches as of late. I'm going to do new yeast each time for a while and only do a dump on slurry if I'm re-using. Oh, and your Pub Ale I made is totally f'ed and needs to be dumped.

Pub Ale is

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What happened?

at $8 - $10 a sixer for anything that might be worth drinking... I really enjoy my homebrew!! I am new to this as well but the beer prices are getting out of hand! and I super enjoy brewing!

later

Just as a bad brew day is better than a good work day...
My worst homebrew is still a better beer than most.
My least favorite was probably the Hefe. What was supposed to be a mid-tone wheat, turned into cup-o-clove.

That said...I'm kind of thirsty for one right now...

<-- Loves beer. It's more a way of life than a beverage.

Baron von BeeGee said:

<-- Loves beer. It's more a way of life than a beverage.

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Exactly.

I love my beer. It has become a real passion figures I love to cook and I love alchihols. Infact I had to keep my self in line but I think I am managing not only the drinking but the spending money for new crap. I have a porter that I think is one of the best drinks I have had even SWMBO is into it. And honestly I like the brewing as much as the drinking. I could brew all day well I have only tried extract and mini mash so I am not brewing all do or very involved but its fun! I would brew even if I didn't drink it and I would brew if you paid me thats for sure. I would brew here I would brew there I would brew anywhere I do so like homebrew you see.

Dude said:

What happened?

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Not really sure. It's got a sourish taste to it. I've experienced it with another of my batches that was not well. I'm going to let it sit on the tap for a couple weeks since there isn't anything else to tap but outlook is not good. I fear it was the yeast personally. Think it was 2 months in the fridge (saved) but it kicked off in the starter fine, smelled fine.

But, I'm getting right back on the horse this weekend. Wifey is heading out there tomorrow and coming back Tue. going to brew Sat & Sun. Might just go right back to the pub ale again. Really sucks though

desertBrew said:

Not really sure. It's got a sourish taste to it. I've experienced it with another of my batches that was not well. I'm going to let it sit on the tap for a couple weeks since there isn't anything else to tap but outlook is not good. I fear it was the yeast personally. Think it was 2 months in the fridge (saved) but it kicked off in the starter fine, smelled fine.

But, I'm getting right back on the horse this weekend. Wifey is heading out there tomorrow and coming back Tue. going to brew Sat & Sun. Might just go right back to the pub ale again. Really sucks though

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Alot of my earlier brews got that same sourish thing. Kinda sucked, but I was proud of them anyway. I think it had to do, in my case, with the hot summer temps.

Yeah, definitely have a love affair with my brews. I'm always so very sad to see the last one go. I might have to make an exception for a few...the sour oatmeal stout, the pine-tree-all-up-in-your-face Porter...but for the most part, I love 'em. And the ones that are my favorites...damn, it's SO hard to see the last one go. Like a f'ing funeral procession when I open it.

I'd have to say that for the most part I really love my beers. Now that I've started to get the hang of recipe formulation they have been consistantly better and better each time. The experimental stuff can be hit or miss, but that's kind of the reason behind experimenting, and I always learn something from it anyways.

Yes I love my beer!! I admit it I have a beer/brewing addiction. In the past year since I went all grain and 140 gallons later my beer has really improved, so much so that a friend of mine that is the head brewer at a local craft brewery even commented on how much better it was.
Now like Dude it's time to come up with a few standard recipes and some seasonal's.