Is it really?

[brewmadness]

Ok, so I am a total newb. I have brewed two extract batches and jumped all in and did my first AG a few weeks ago and bottled today. My first batch was a Brewers Best cream ale...just because it was easy and i picked it out quick when i was buying my equipment at the LHBS. The first one I tried I thought was ok, but I had nothing to compare it to. I had never had a cream ale before. It wasn't great, but it was pretty good. The second batch i did was a smoked porter from Brewers Best (I'm having one now). Pretty damn good I thought. As good as some porters I've had. So I was at a small local brew pub and noticed they had a cream ale on tap. Had to try it so I could compare. After one pint, I had to say....the one I brewed was better. I just finished my last cream ale and am loving my smoked porter. My first AG was a pale ale (slight variation of EdWorts haus pale ale) and I can't wait to try the final product. Is it just me being biased and that throwing off my tastes?? Or do many of you find your home brews better than a lot of commercial beers? I used to love killians...but I just don't see it any more. I want to try a red ale now and see how it compares. Again, I am a complete newb but have loved the outcome my efforts have produced. I only look forward to expanding on this wonderful hobby. And thanks to everyone on this forum. I have learned so much by just lurking around here and searching different topics. There are many knowledgable people here that are very willing to share what they know. You are very valuable to all of us new brewers! Happy brewing everyone!!

 

[BigB]

Personally I find most of my brews better than most commercial brews, to include most microbrews/brewpubs. I find many commercial beers to be clean but usually lacking something...too thin I guess. I am REALLY disappointed with most microbrew pubs... Their beers are usually flat because they rush them or they are very inconsistent. However, to be fair, there is usually a gem or two at most brewpubs.

 

[scottj19x89]

Isn't Killians a red lager?... unless they got an ale version that I'm not aware of. I just bottled my first batch ever that happens to be a red lager cause I also enjoy Killians.

 

[Yooper]

You know, I think most of us DO like our beers better than many commercial offerings.

The thing is, I've judged quite a few homebrew contests and I've found that the majority of the entrants are simply not good beers.

How do I explain that? Two ways, I guess. One is the "Find out what's wrong with my beer" group. They detect an off-flavor, but want an expert to help them figure out what it is. The second group are the "Parents of Ugly Babies". You know who they are! Their baby Johnny is the ugliest thing on the planet, and they show off all these photos you are supposed to "ooh" and "ahh" over. Each parent thinks their baby is beautiful. But geez, some are ugly.

Brewers can be the same way. They send in their "Ugly Baby" and it's just not good. They think it's awesome. But it's not. I mean, I'm so glad they love their Ugly Baby, but I've had more than a few really bad beers from the Ugly Baby Brewers.

And then when you gently point out a flaw: "This beer has a solid base but it's overwhelmingly tasting of chlorophenols....." They reply "Oh, yeah, I know, but isn't it good if you ignore that?". Um, ok. Yeah.

 

[Revvy]

I've done blind taste testing of a couple of my clones against the original, and usually my version prevails. The biggest one was yooper's dead guy clone against the original. It would win hands down, while my bell's amber clone would do about 50-50.

I think in a well made homebrew (either Extract OR Ag, btw, both clones were extract w/grains,) FRESHNESS is the issue that wins out. Homebrew just has a fresher taste than something that's travelled.

It may not ACTUALLY be better, but to the taster it is perceived as such. In fact one person said that my DG Clone tasted like they thought Dead Guy SHOULD taste like. Which I think was that it just was fresher and less travelled than the store bought version

That might be why, living in Michigan and pretty close to bell's, why going against a bell's product I only win half the time, Bell's doesn't travel far and has a higher turnover in metro detroit then Rogue does.

I've noticed the same thing in regional wines versus wines that travel a distance to get to us. Wines from local wineries just have a brightness, and freshness, that is missing with wines that may be made for.

 

[FromZwolle]

i think you've ruined yourself for cream ales. your cream ale was the first you had ever tried of that style, so every cream ale you try now is measured against that one. so if you try a cream ale at a local brewpub, like you did, your mind will tell you that it's not the same as your standard definition of cream ales, and therefore it's not as good. Plus your baby is always going to be just a bit cuter than anyone elses.


I find that i'll enjoy my homebrewed version over commercial versions almost every time for these two reasons:
1.- i tailor recipes to lean towards what I personally like about different styles.
2.- when a commercial brewery filters their beer it loses some of the body/mouthfeel i enjoy in my homebrew. It's what i have come to associate with good beer in my mind.



All that stuff aside, you're enjoying your beer, congrats! That's the goal of every homebrewer out there.

 

[spagyric]

On this subject, my first beer (AG porter) is just now staring to be ready to drink and I'm not particularly happy with it. I mean on some level I'm just stoked that I made beer, and it's certainly drinkable, but it's not what I was going for. I am longing for the day I open a home brew and know it's better than what I would have bought at the store. I imagine at some point I'll like what I make better just because it will be exactly to my tastes. As far as making something objectively great, that seems even more challenging.

I've always loved beer, and brewing has definitely helped me develop my pallet, but I don't always know what I'm tasting and how I would improve on it. I think I'm more likely to be critical of what I make than an ugly baby parent, but I'm curious how others develop their abilities to critically evaluate beer and improve upon what they make.

 

[FromZwolle]

I'm curious how others develop their abilities to critically evaluate beer and improve upon what they make.

experience. you just have to use the grains/hops a few times to know what they will bring to a beer. i always read up on what flavors a particular ingredient is suppose to lend, then throw it in a recipe i think is appropriate. after a while you can pick out individual flavors that a certain grain has. if you don't like the outcome, then you store that in your memory banks for later.

It's always best to start out with other peoples recipes, then, once you know what it is suppose to taste like, tweak things to what you think sounds good to your taste buds.