Anybody else brew beers you never really intend to drink?

[thisisbeer]

I love to brew. Being outside on brew day is extremely relaxing and makes my days off work much more enjoyable. But I find I brew way more than I can drink alone. I have a couple of friends that enjoy some craft beer but none that prefer hop forward beer. Which is my favorite thing to drink. I have tried converting them, and have to some extent. But there tastes are there tastes. So I end up brewing a lot of blondes, wheat beers, shiner bock style beers, and things of that sort. I don't dislike these styles but my friend's tend to kill the kegs long before I get in the mood to drink one. But I enjoy when people like my beer. So I enjoy brewing it for them. It probably makes up 40% of all my brews. Does anybody else enjoy brewing for other people as much as for yourself?

 

[JDGator]

i brew porters and stouts for my dad. i drink a few, but they are not my favorite of styles.

 

[mysteryshrimp]

My next brew day is for a wedding.

I have made a batch specifically for testing the effects of different yeasts at different temperatures. Because I wanted the yeast effects to shine, I made it pretty bland and not very hoppy. I've also made 1 gallon smash beers with vienna, munich, most of the pale malts, even smoked malt, just to see the effects of each base grain all by itself.

 

[AnOldUR]

Got a Cream Ale that I’ve been brewing exclusively for a neighbor who mows my lawn and his wife. Wait . . . he doesn’t mow his wife, or does he?

Actually entered it into competition that’s being judged this weekend. Since it’s not a style I care for, figured it might be a good idea to see if I’m doing it right.

 

[Zoidberg]

Yea I brewed a version of George Washington's small beer. Got 7 bottles, might drink 2.
I also make sure to always have some wheats on hand for the lady's in my life (wife/mother/mother in law/friends girls) I like them but prefer other styles

 

[Daphne-weizen]

I brew pale ale for my husband. He loves it but its not my favorite style of beer. I like hefes the best, but I'm willing to try other styles that I think we'd both enjoy, like saison for instance.

 

[patthebrewer]

Yup......Once heard of a commercial brewery that fermented beer with yeast isolated from the beard of the brewmaster.....aaaaannnndd in keeping with the spirit of being a mad scientist, I brewed and extra 3 gallons of wort for my bushwick lager, separated it and dropped a dozen or so of my own beard hairs in it. Sure enough it worked....produced a surprising lager that was not bad at all, definitely a sour beer......couldn't find anyone willing to drink it though so I dumped it.

 

[grathan]

I used to worry that I had to drink everything. Now I just shrug and keep brewing. I drink the best first and dump whatever goes stale. I don't know many people who like homebrew.

 

[peanasky]

I've got a family friend who LOVES craft beer. He helps me drink some homebrew, and in return I get some pretty awesome car advice. The family just bought a nice auto repair place that they've worked at for quite some time.

 

[boilerbrewer]

I just did an American wheat for my SIL's pharmacy school graduation party. I'm not really a fan of more than a pint or two of wheats, but I promised whatever she wanted.

 

[fearwig]

No, but sometimes I drink beers I never intended to drink.

 

[poptarts]

I used to worry that I had to drink everything. Now I just shrug and keep brewing. I drink the best first and dump whatever goes stale. I don't know many people who like homebrew.

Not to be rude but this sounds really wasteful and either your friends dont like craft beer or you need to up your game, homebrew should pretty much taste identical if not better than commercial craft beer.

 

[troy2000]

Not to be rude but this sounds really wasteful and either your friends dont like craft beer or you need to up your game, homebrew should pretty much taste identical if not better than commercial craft beer.

'Not to be rude'? I don't see how your comment could be taken any other way.... Lighten up.

It's his brew kettle. He can make whatever he wants to make, and do whatever he wants with it. And the fact that he apparently has a circle of friends who prefer Bud Light or wine hardly proves there's something wrong with his homebrew.

 

[Flipadelphia]

Not to be rude but this sounds really wasteful and either your friends dont like craft beer or you need to up your game, homebrew should pretty much taste identical if not better than commercial craft beer.

Or he can just do whatever he wants and you can not worry about it.

 

[thisisbeer]

Not to be rude but this sounds really wasteful and either your friends dont like craft beer or you need to up your game, homebrew should pretty much taste identical if not better than commercial craft beer.

Ya, I have dumped a few good beers just because I didn't have room for them. This winter I brewed a really well received stout. But with the weather warming up I don't see me or anyone else really drinking any and I needed the keg. I didn't have room to store anymore bottles or care to really make room. So I dumped probably a little over a gallon of what was left. It's not that my beer is bad by any means. I also am a little on the opposite end of the spectrum on brewing to save money that some people do. Not that there is anything wrong with that by any means. I just love the brewing process (aside from bottling) so when I want to brew, I brew. My wife tells me all the time I spend way to much money on this hobby. I currently have 4 kegs and I'm working on a kegorator for 8 so this should be less of a problem in the future.

I don't get the "frat boy party foul" of wasting beer.

But maybe we are just the vast minority.

I understand the hard work put into making the beer and not wanting that going to waste. But if I already enjoyed 3 1/2 gallons of it, I don't see where my work went to waste.

 

[kombat]

And the fact that he apparently has a circle of friends who prefer Bud Light or wine hardly proves there's something wrong with his homebrew.

He didn't say they were BMC/wine drinkers. He said they don't like "homebrew." That's different from not liking craft beer. His statement leaves open the possibility that they like craft beer, but not the homebrew beer he is making, which would suggest substantial flaws in his process. As Poptarts said, his beer should taste as good - or better than - commercial craft beer.

If it's true that his friends don't like ANY craft beer, then that's a different story. But he didn't say that. He said they don't like "homebrew." Homebrew isn't it's own flavour, and if the people you're serving it to have developed the opinion that it is, then there is room for improvement in your brewing.

 

[grathan]

I definitely need to up my game. Certainly homebrew can taste as good as some commercial beer, but I'd be willing to bet 9 out of 10 regular BMC drinkers can blind taste test the homebrew against commercial beer every time.

 

[JustLooking]

I'd be willing to bet 9 out of 10 regular BMC drinkers can blind taste test the homebrew against commercial beer every time.

Only if the homebrew was a BMC clone.

Those suckers are challenging to brew.

 

[grathan]

right, It's not like BMC drinkers are gonna even drink a robust porter... Those are the people I know who drink beer. It needs to be exremely clear, Extremely fresh, and the flavors need to blend ever so delicately without a single one standing out.

 

[opiate82]

I definitely brew beers with other people in mind. Generally my Blonde and American Wheat aren't for me, but I'll drink them if nothing else is ready.

I also recently entered a contest where the beer style was drawn at random and round 1 was a robust porter. I had never brewed a porter and rarely drink them, but it did well enough to move onto the next round. I have enjoyed a few pints of it but will probably bottle and give away a lot of it.

 

[whitesheperd]

Well then send me a few bottles


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[MaxStout]

I can't say that I've ever brewed a beer that I didn't intend to drink, but I have brewed beers for others to enjoy more. I made an oatmeal stout for my wife, who prefers malty, roasty beers. Of course, I have some too, but she will drink the majority of the batch.

 

[beernbourbon]

I brewed a Corona clone for my BIL.... he loves it, and it really is quite the challenge. The less ingredients, the more spot on everything must be. I can hide a lot of mistakes in a black IPA, but not so much in a 5 ounce grain bill. (ok, exaggeration, maybe it was 8 ounces).
I've also been working on the Blue Moon Clones I've seen here for a really good friend. So not a fan, and he loves his Blue Moon, but he's a good friend despite that.
I like the science and the challenge behind the brewing, more so than the beer itself. I'll not "up my game" just to satisfy someone else's desire to drink more. I drink what I like, and I like what I drink. If someone prefers BMC, even after trying a large selection of crafts, hey, it's their taste buds, not mine.....and mine change all the time. I used to LOVE Chimay Red..... bought one the other day, found it not to my liking any more. Doesn't mean I think Chimay drinkers are horrible people or that they are stupid for liking it. Just means I no longer want to spend my money on that particular type/brand/style of beer. I find it offensive that some people will denigrate others because of what they like/don't like. Do I occasionally make fun of my brother in law because he drinks iguana piss? Yeah, but oh wait, look, I started out by saying I make it for him. I wish people would relax and realize that there are as many different tastes as there are beers.
Sorry, I'll slink back to my brew station and continue to make the brews I want to make because <gasp> that's why I got into this, to brew what I wanted to brew not what someone else thought I should brew

(stepping down off soapbox now).... .

 

[poptarts]

'Not to be rude'? I don't see how your comment could be taken any other way.... Lighten up.

It's his brew kettle. He can make whatever he wants to make, and do whatever he wants with it. And the fact that he apparently has a circle of friends who prefer Bud Light or wine hardly proves there's something wrong with his homebrew.

Lets say someone came to my brewday and had some of my beers while we made a batch. Then they pointed out a way for me to not loose as much beer to trub loss and also pointed out that all my beers have a off flavor (a homebrew flavor if you will). I would not consider that rude at all, in fact I would be very happy to get this information so I could not only waste less beer but make my beer better.
And yes you are right this is America, or 'merica as your avatar suggests, and he can drop 1k on a batch of beer and then dump it down the drain all he wants. But I was just pointing out that maybe the money he is litteraly dumping could be used on a ferm chamber or some other means to make his homebrew taste less like "homebrew" as it sounds like his friends say.

He didn't say they were BMC/wine drinkers. He said they don't like "homebrew." That's different from not liking craft beer. His statement leaves open the possibility that they like craft beer, but not the homebrew beer he is making, which would suggest substantial flaws in his process. As Poptarts said, his beer should taste as good - or better than - commercial craft beer.

If it's true that his friends don't like ANY craft beer, then that's a different story. But he didn't say that. He said they don't like "homebrew." Homebrew isn't it's own flavour, and if the people you're serving it to have developed the opinion that it is, then there is room for improvement in your brewing.

Exactly.

 

[Braufessor]

yeah - I brew an American Wheat and a relatively light american pale ale.... Not that I don't drink them at all. I will go for a glass from time to time - but mainly keep it on deck for visitors. Brewed a couple sours for the hell of it.... not a huge fan of the style, but, figured I would take a stab at them. I will brew 5-6 gallons of something and split it into a 3 gallon keg to keep for myself and then put the rest in a 2.5 gallon keg and give it to some various friends that have kegerators. God knows I can't (shouldn't) drink all the beer I brew

 

[Rotgut]

Anybody else brew beers you never really intend to drink?

Nope.

 

[ong]

I don't brew with the intention of never drinking any at all, but I do brew styles that aren't my favorites, or that I'm unfamiliar with. I brew brandywines occasionally just because I think it's really interesting to taste a beer over time as it ages, but I don't super love the style.


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[Daphne-weizen]

I brew pale ale for my husband, its not my favorite style but he loves it.

 

[70ls1nova]

Yeah, I make cream ales (cream of three crops), blondes (sometimes with fruit and honey) and wheat beers for my wife and kids. They don't like hoppy beers or big stouts and porters. But they do enjoy these beers that i make for them. I wasn't really a fan of saisons but i made two in the fall. One pumpkin saison and one rye saison. I now appreciate saison's more.

 

[zardozap]

I made a 3 gallon batch of Milk Stout for my buddy. Turned out amazing according to him. To me however, stouts aren't really a style I care for. I've drank a couple. Just to see how the flavor evolved during conditioning, but it's not something I would regularly drink.

 

[Flipadelphia]

no

 

[AnOldUR]

Got a Cream Ale that I’ve been brewing exclusively for a neighbor . . . Actually entered it into competition that’s being judged this weekend. Since it’s not a style I care for, figured it might be a good idea to see if I’m doing it right.

Well, that was ugly. Scored a 26.5. Guess my neighbors are just polite.

Lesson for the day:
If you don't like how it tastes, don't serve it.

If it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck
And there's duck-do on your pick-up truck
Buddy you can bet your bottom buck
It ain't no armadillo

 

[SmCranf]

I brew a honey cream ale for my girlfriend, a honey beer for my honey

 

[rico567]

No, never. Well....I useta did. I would brew "Fruity Pebbles" (a clone of Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat) because the females hereabouts would drink it. Then they quit, and I haven't brewed it since- because it comes under the category of "a beer I wouldn't drink."

 

[grathan]

I run gambles sometimes on beer. Most times though I am maintaining the pipeline, but if I am caught up and want to brew an experimental batch with crazy ideas, (usually turn out awful and get dumped) it can be fun.

 

[Wig]

The only beer I'd say I brewed that I had no intention to drink from the get go was a Chocolate Habanero Sweet Stout. A coworker had enjoyed some other beers I gave to him, and being a connoisseur of peppers, he asked if I could make a pepper beer. I said sure. He brought me some chocolate habaneros from his garden and I thought I made a good choice for the brew

I researched how to use peppers, to try and get more flavor vice the heat. He said he liked it. I tried one for the heck of it after his praise, and I should have heeded me own call to not drink it. It was way to hot, it was hard to drink.

 

[Eugenio]

Yup......Once heard of a commercial brewery that fermented beer with yeast isolated from the beard of the brewmaster.....aaaaannnndd in keeping with the spirit of being a mad scientist, I brewed and extra 3 gallons of wort for my bushwick lager, separated it and dropped a dozen or so of my own beard hairs in it. Sure enough it worked....produced a surprising lager that was not bad at all, definitely a sour beer......couldn't find anyone willing to drink it though so I dumped it.

I must try this.

 

[fearwig]

Beard hairs in the fermenter. New meaning to the term "clone".