Well.....I can't imagine wanting to do this without GREAT beer being what I was selling. I have no particular desire to start my own brewery, but I can tell you I wouldn't do it if I didn't think my product was fantastic.
One of my rewards as a homebrewer occurs when someone who hasn't had my beer takes a sip, there's about a 2-second pause while they consider what they've tasted, and then announce to me "
That's Goooood," as if they're surprised, which I suspect many are. Lots of homebrew out there, apparently, that's not so good, so it's a shock to them when mine is tasty.
There are tons of easier ways to make money than brewing; part of the reward for me would have to be non-monetary, i.e., that people celebrate my beer, that the compliments flow unabated.
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I'm not an expert on this brewing stuff; I love that there are so many here with the experience and are willing to share what they know. It's helped me immensely. I've improved my process, and even taken some stabs at recipe development. I have a new one that I'm incredibly pleased with right now, but until and unless I can repeat it....I'm not telling you or anyone else what's in it.
I brewed a pils in February; it's gotten good reviews, but this review, from a friend of mine with a palate
to die for, is what I live for in response to my beer. Of course, I want to like it too (and I do), but some of my reward is also others' reactions to it.
The pilsner is first rate all the way. It is outstanding in the general scenarios of quenching thirst, pairing with a variety of food, and recreational quaffing. I would rate it above average in the fourth condition: slow drinking as the yeast overtone became just a touch overpowering.
Character-wise, the malt choice and hopping were perfect. The body was spot on, especially for the lighter SRM. The hops were right on the money with both bittering and bouquet. I know some of the more popular European lagers (Urquell, BF, Becks) will punch harder in these categories, but I like this compared with American greats such as New Glarus Edel Pils. The one spot that was mixed was the yeast. I thought it was infinitely better than many (most) American mircrobrewery attempts at lager yeast, but it was still a touch more floral (both entertaining and distracting depending upon mindset I suppose) than I would call perfect. Still, given that the commercially available supply is nice but still constrained a bit, I am not sure that there is a better choice available. All in all one helluva good lager, and far superior to any microbrew lager available now. Did I say how much I miss Edel Pils?
I gave him that beer (along with a SMASH of which he was also quite complimentary) because I wanted a critical reaction. I'm looking for off-flavors, oxidation, anything that is wrong with the beer that might possibly be process-related.
My desire for good, critical but fair critiques of my beer comes from what may be the best advice, if you want to call it that, I've ever read here. It comes from Yooper, who described Ugly Baby Syndrome, the tendency of people to think their beer is better than it is. IMO, she's absolutely right, and as part of my growth as a homebrewer I've asked others whose opinions I respect to critically evaluate my beer. If there's a problem I want to know about it.
None of this is to suggest I'm a great brewer; I'm still learning, still making mistakes, can't hope to match the expertise exhibited by some here who have decades of experience. But the point remains: unless I'm convinced my beer is GREAT, not just decent, why would I or anyone else ever want to open a brewery?
It takes all kinds to make a world, people are allowed to make their own choices, and I've made my point, which people may or may not find useful.
