fighting the sterotype!

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Joos

Joos

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Most non home brewers seem to think homebrewed beer is like bath tub gin or moons shine made in an old radiator.A good friend of mine who I haven't seen in years(before I took up homebrewing) stopped in the other night.He drank at least 5 or 6 different styles of my beer.He thought they were great and wanted to split the cost with me(not knowing I brewed them).I gave him some mead and told him"my buddy made this about a year ago".He then said"Am I gonna go blind?".So I told him that I had made every beer he just drank.He didn't believe me till I showed him the brewery(my kitchen).Now hes coming over saturday to learn how to brew!

I'm sure this thread has been posted before,But we need to stop the discrimination!!
 
Pfft, screw that. If people don't want my beer because they think it'll make them go blind, it was brewed in my tub, or any other false stereotype, that's fine. More beer for me.

The people that are actually willing to learn a bit about the process and show some genuine interest are the ones who get the free sampler 6-packs. From there, word spreads, and pretty soon everyone at work is asking if they can come check it out.
 
It's mostly ignorance on the part of people who don't know and aren't willing to educate themselves about hb prior to forming an opinion on it. Bring your friend into the addiction and then set him free on the world to convert others.
 
haha thats the plan.Iv'e got quite a few friends into brewing so far.That way they can bring good beer over my house instead of just drinking all of mine.I'm thinking about putting out a tip cup:D
 
I agree, my biggest annoyance is when people think the only good beers to drink is Budweiser or any other mass produced commercial assembly line made beers... i was chit chatting with someone the other day and told her i make my own beer, she then proceeded to tell me how she's tasted homebrew before and she finds it to be the grossest thing and cannot understand how i could ever drink it....... GRR!!!!
 
I had an amazing time the other night serving homebrew to the public at a glass blowing demo. I was thrilled to have given away a full keg of my own beer, and between the whole club we gave away probably 40 gallons. Many people had their first experience with homebrew and were shocked.
 
G_Brew said:
I agree, my biggest annoyance is when people think the only good beers to drink is Budweiser or any other mass produced commercial assembly line made beers... i was chit chatting with someone the other day and told her i make my own beer, she then proceeded to tell me how she's tasted homebrew before and she finds it to be the grossest thing and cannot understand how i could ever drink it....... GRR!!!!
Click to expand...

Thats the worst part! not Iv'e tried a stout or Iv'e tried a kolsch or whatever it is.Just Iv'e tried homebrew.Luckly my friend loves craft beers.My BMC drinking friends wont even get a sample unless they are really interested.
 
well, it will be a difficult process, because we have plenty of ignorance, and fear even within our own community(look at all the brewers who believe you can get candida or some other Pathogen from our beer.). So it's a two-fold battle that many of us fight...first here we have to educate our fellow brewers, THEN we can be better ambassadors of beer culture to the general public.
 
And that stereoytype and ignorance even exists still in Law enforcement....take a look at this old cops episode.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXTqCZi8iOM]YouTube - BABC Cops Bust Home brewer - BEER Cops Humor Seattle,WA[/ame]
 
llazy_llama said:
In all fairness Revvy, that video was from about 17 years ago. I don't know that it's fair to say that the prejudice still exists based on a video from 1992. :drunk:
Click to expand...

Ask the people who still have cops stopping by or at least driving by on brewdays....there's at least one thread on here about that every quarter.....
 
llazy_llama said:
In all fairness Revvy, that video was from about 17 years ago. I don't know that it's fair to say that the prejudice still exists based on a video from 1992. :drunk:
Click to expand...

Well, brewing had only been legal for 15 years at that point. And apparently beer can make you go blind.
 
I think it was on basic brewing where they were covering the Utah's legislature homebrewing legalization hearings, some member's still held those stereotypical beliefs.

Look at the fact that there's still, what 2 states where homebrewing is still verboten?
 
I don't think that cop had any idea how to make moonshine.You cant use a cooler as a still.
 
I know, my point was just that what you said could be taken the wrong way. Between bored police and overbearing homeowners associations, we still have some hurdles to overcome.

And man, I hope that guy got a big settlement check for wrongful imprisonment. :mad:
 
Revvy said:
I think it was on basic brewing where they were covering the Utah's legislature homebrewing legalization hearings, some member's still held those stereotypical beliefs.

Look at the fact that there's still, what 2 states where homebrewing is still verboten?
Click to expand...

Alabama, for one. Then again, I don't see why Alabama wants to legalize it anyway. I mean, what's wrong wit da beer dey got? Da beer dey got drank pretty good, don't it? :drunk:
 
I don't have that problem at all. My neighbors and friends love my beer.

In fact, a lot of them who only buy style 1-A prefer my pale ales and Belgians over my cream ale. My DeKoninck clone was the most popular one to date!

On Saturday at a party for SWMBO's friend they blew through about 6 gallons of my beer in three hours. Every can of mass produced beer brought to the party went back out to the cars. That's the ultimate compliment IMO. :)
 
I think some people see a copper coil and assume it's for condensing (distilling). When I finally got an IC I wondered if my neighbors would assume that.

Seems like it was a bit questionable that the guy should have a search warrant issued for his home. On what grounds?
 
I think homebrew's bad reputation has a kernel of truth to it. We think our beer is great because we can "appreciate" it, but in reality a lot of homebrew is just not very good beer.

I'm not calling anyone out by name, I'm just saying that everyone and their brother seems to have an uncle who brews nasty, yeasty beer in his basement. I've also read a lot of threads on HBT about people going out to their local homebrew clubs and sampling a bunch of really crappy beers.

Homebrewing has changed a lot in the past 10 years. It wasn't always this easy to make good beer at home. Homebrew's bad reputation will take a long time to change, and its not all the fault of the ignorant masses.
 
I agree with Beerthoven. Not to be a downer, but most people homebrewing are making bad beer. It is still fun and cool and everything, but at the end of the day, it isn't good beer.

Also, location has a lot to do with it. In Wisconsin, beer is a very important part of our culture, and homebrewing is very popular. Almost everyone is excited to try my beers when they are around, even if they know they won't like more than one glass, most everyone wants to try it out.

The beers I currently brew are pretty good. Not all of them are great, but they are quality and definitely better than the beer most people are drinking, so people are often impressed.

The media can be a big help too. HBT's Cardwookie and myself were just the cover story for our local newspaper. We had 4 or 5 pictures and a two page story about homebrewing and the hobby in general. Don't worry, HBT got a shout out :D
 
Agreed.

9 times out of 10 you taste someone's homebrew or homemade wine and it's complete crap. Bottom line is though, if you get educated about what you're doing you can make very good stuff (i'd like to think i make a nice product). But i agree, there's definately more bad homebrew then good homebrew out there, which is probably what contributes to the negativity...

As far as someone thinking it will make them blind as Joos initialy posted, that's just stupid...... it's beer, not poorly made shine..
 
I'm most certainly in agreement with both BK and Beerthoven. We have to remind ourselves once in a while that HBTers represent but a small albeit influential (relatively speaking, of course) percentage of total homebrewers.

A couple salient points to consider:
- Overall, there are more extract (kit + kilo or other permutations) brewers in the hobby than AG or even PM brewers.
- I would say that the overwhelming majority of those in the hobby are also occasional brewers, just a few times a year. I brew a lot (4-6 times per month at times) - and I'm definitely in the minority compared to the entire HBing world.
- There is also a percentage of brewers who brew not for the enjoyment of the hobby, but for 'survival' - makin' beer for personal consumption and nothing else. Do I really need to mention everyone's favorite whipping boy, CraigTube?

I have great neighbors and they see the enjoyment that I get out of brewing and share in that when they sample my latest batch. If the local LEO wants to stop by because of 'suspicious activity', I'd welcome it and chat it up with them for as long as they cared to hang around. Guess what - one happens to be a neighbor. ;)

Some comments,
Jason
 
I'm still doing the extract and partial grain (only started HB back in dec) but every brew I've done, everyone's liked them. Haven't seen a prejudice against HB around here. Even the local beer snob gave my stout a thumbs up.

My dad used to brew about 30 years ago and is excited to see how far the hobby has come. We were talking over some of the bock I brewed up and how methods differ anymore, along with available materials. Apparently he and his buddies used to bottle it immediately after fermentation (3 or 4 days) and then go to drinking it a few days later. He wanted to know what filters I used, etc, to get the beer so clean, had to explain that I let it sit a good 3-4 weeks in the fermenter and then a few weeks conditioning before I crack them open.

I expect the "All the homebrew I've had is horrible!" which I have heard before, has something to do with that, people trying their hand and enjoying what they've created but honestly creating something kind of nasty and forcing it on their pals.
 
I'll admit: I've never had a home brew I liked.

There.
I said it and feel much better.
(I've probably one had a handful, and they've mostly been some big ass stout which aren't to my taste to begin with)

That said, I had a bit of an epiphany a couple of weeks ago regarding beer freshness, processing, etc. I was thinking about the difference between Red Stripe here in the States (bottled in CT) vs. Red Stripe in the Caribbean (bottled in Belize)...worlds apart. (Nice and cold on the beach probably helps a little too ;)) Realizing that, what are the big commercial breweries keeping from me as a beer drinker? The only way to find out is to either (a) buy good micro brews which is difficult given my location or (b) brew my own. I'm kind of an eccentric DIY type anyway, so option b won the day...my first batch is fermenting right now (it's killing me to not go mess with it). Yes I'm a noob, but the journey has to start somewhere, right?

I really don't give a flying flip about the stereotypes since I'm not really interested in what other people think about me to begin with. I'm into this deal for my own selfish reasons-- not to go on some kind of missionary quest to rid the world of bad beer. If I can educate some one about good beer and/or share this this with other like minded souls, that's great. If someone doesn't like it, so what?
 
in mississippi, homebrewing is still illegal.... this has crossed my mind a time or two when posting pictures on facebook.....

would the cops care? i dunno... i have a friend who's a DEA agent and another who programs computers for law enforcement departments and both of them are pretty excited to try my first batch.....

still that cloud hangs over the deep south.
 
Yes, I admit that a lot of homebrew isn't all that great. I've had very little bad homebrew, but a lot of meh stuff. There's a 'homebrew' taste that I keep getting, that I think I've decided is an unbalanced amount of hop flavor. Not sure, though; it could be an extract twang, but it's present a bit in my Law of Fives (AG) where I didn't go to style and just tossed some stuff together. Again, nothing wrong with them (LoF is particularly good after a glass or two as a drinking, not savoring, beer) but when you take a sip you know damn well that it didn't come from a brewery.

That being said, there's a ton of great homebrew I've had, which may balance out the meh stuff in volume and definitely does when balanced for enjoyment. NAH club barleywine? Oh man.

I used to hand a six pack to anyone who didn't hate beer, but have toned down my evangelism a bit, mostly because I was giving away all my damn beer! If someone is interested in my brewing then they'll get some to try, especially if you come to my house, but besides that I'm torn between 'think whatever you want' and 'no stop spreading lies, you must be saved!'
 
Revvy said:
I think it was on basic brewing where they were covering the Utah's legislature homebrewing legalization hearings, some member's still held those stereotypical beliefs.

Look at the fact that there's still, what 2 states where homebrewing is still verboten?
Click to expand...

Mississippi and Alabama still outlaw it. Mississippi couldn't care a flying flip, considering the Highway patrol handles alcohol enforcement and is the one that breaks up the stills. I actually got pulled over for going 10 over & swerving, which I did while coming around the curve when he hits his headlights on me, with carboys, yeast, grain and other misc. equipment about a year ago....

The cop, deciding it was 3 AM and I had TX plate decided to ask me about all of that stuff. I told him it was all for brewing purposes to which he replied,
"Is that actually legal?"
"Legal to own anyways."
*call back over his radio*"Is homebrewing equipment legal?"
*response back over the radio*"Heck if I know. Never heard of it."

Ended up talking to another cop for a few minutes about beer and was sent off being told to have a great morning.
 
I just don't get out and socialize enough to offer my beer to everyone. I got a few close friends, and the only one's who drink beer are not impressed so far, and possibly with good reason. I'm still learning. I've made some beer that I thought was very good, and some that I just drank. I'm not all that picky.

I know one or two others that might like it, but one is a recovering alcoholic, so I wont' be offering, the other is seen so seldom that I just don't think about offering at that time, if I even have any at that time!

You got two problems: Lots of people making subpar homebrew, out of ignorance, and lots of people not liking homebrew due to being used to the tastless fizzy stuff they are used to.

Then there is us.
 
Beerthoven said:
I think homebrew's bad reputation has a kernel of truth to it. We think our beer is great because we can "appreciate" it, but in reality a lot of homebrew is just not very good beer.

I'm not calling anyone out by name, I'm just saying that everyone and their brother seems to have an uncle who brews nasty, yeasty beer in his basement. I've also read a lot of threads on HBT about people going out to their local homebrew clubs and sampling a bunch of really crappy beers.

Homebrewing has changed a lot in the past 10 years. It wasn't always this easy to make good beer at home. Homebrew's bad reputation will take a long time to change, and its not all the fault of the ignorant masses.
Click to expand...

I hear ya. I had a friend bring his friend over to my place this weekend to check out my brewing equipment because he wanted to get into it. Well he was telling me how his buddy ( I am 3 people deep now) carbs his beer by letting the fermentation go and bottling it before the fermentation is done.

I was like wow I don't think I am that confident of where my fermentation is at in order to get the right carbonation let alone all the other reasons that is wrong.

Anyways, they had several of my beers and I turned a few BMC drinkers into something else.
 
Apparently that's how a lot of German homebrewers do it (according to Kaiser when he was on Basic Brewing Radio, one of his three hundred appearances :)). I think it's simpler to wait it out and add a bit of corn sugar, but if you take daily readings then it could be easier (and shorter).
 
deepsouth said:
in mississippi, homebrewing is still illegal.... this has crossed my mind a time or two when posting pictures on facebook.....

would the cops care? i dunno... i have a friend who's a DEA agent and another who programs computers for law enforcement departments and both of them are pretty excited to try my first batch.....

still that cloud hangs over the deep south.
Click to expand...

I'm going to be serving a bunch of my cousins from down your way a couple of kegs of my brew at a family reunion in June. We will see what they think.

:mug:
 
I have given up on worrying about the ignorance of the masses in the ways of homebrew. I am always happy to enlighten and share, but with the number of people that believe BMC is as good as it gets, I don't think I will make much head way.
 
To use an analogy: Lots of people enjoy playing bad golf. They'll play bad golf as long as they play golf. They don't really want to improve or work on it very hard...they just enjoy playing.

And that's cool...nothing wrong with that. It's all for personal enjoyment.:)
 
flyangler18 said:
Do I really need to mention everyone's favorite whipping boy, CraigTube?
Click to expand...

OMG!! i started making beer about a year ago.. didn't know of this website yet... Seen Craig tube, LOVED his videos cause he made it seem so easy!! and would explain how great his beer tasted!

ya after 5 to 10 batches of terrible beer that i coudln't even give away i started realising that perhaps craig tube's beer might not be so hot either! Read for months on this website, read palmer's book.. i'm now on batch #18 and making great beer... I saw craig's wine making videos recently... Found it funny how his wine could be that good and only a month old... my dad's been making wine for as long as i can remember and it takes alot more aging then that to make nice red wine..

i think i'l spend the next 10 minutes of my life searching "craig tube" on this website lol..... see what i can find
 
Wow, I never saw Craig's video before. I almost wonder how bad or good beer that method makes. I have always steeped grains with an hour boil of DME and hops.

I may have to make a Bock that a friend gave me of LME in this way just to see how it works. It will kind of be fun to go backwards before I go forward to all grain:p

Does anyone use or used this brewing style and willing to comment on it? Did you get as good beer as with partial mash, etc?
 

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