Deceptions when you share your beer

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Wirk

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Today I shared with my family an IPA that I was very proud of, it got 4 place in a BJCP contest(a judge gave it 42 points, the rest of them gave me around 36-38).

I only had a few left ... they ask me if they could try my beer, I say yes and the first thing someone asks me "can you serve your beer ice cold?" I reply "what?" and she says "put it in the freezer, I've tried homebrew and if you don't drink it near zero its horrible".

Ughh after serving my last bottles they drink a little and then they left the glasses half full... 4 out 5 glasses half full after they left my home.

Now I understand the prejudice against homebrewing, is not about the average homebrewer producing low quality beer is about people having a different concept about what beer is and how should it taste. :mad:
 
I've had it happen to my IPA also I find that people who don't drink anything but BMC don't like IPA's and think that is what all homebrews are. I now keep a few less hoppy homebrews for the BMC drinkers.
 
Terrible. I always offer a sip before giving a full glass or bottle unless I know its someone who is a beer person. Hombebrews are few and far between that I will try and go no way I can drink that.
 
:p I've become very stingy with my beer. I don't pass it out. Someone must plead with me to get some. They know it's special. I even WATCH them drink it. :mad:

It freaks the **** outta them! :)
 
I'll gladly open one for all to taste. That way if someone doesn't like it, I haven't just wasted beer by giving everyone a full glass. Wirk, I would have definitely drank what was left behind. I shed a tear whenever I hear that someone dumped homebrew.
 
Different people like different things.
Offering a taste prior to a pint is a good idea.
Most of my friends really like what I brew and when I've got a couple six packs of premium beer and a keg or two of my beer, no one is interested in the store bought beer.
 
whitebirdfeathers said:
People as a general rule are stupid.

Quote of the day!

There a few milder beers that I pull out when guests are around but they don't get the more extreme stuff unless they want it.

I've gone so far as telling one Natty Ice swiller to take his own crappy beer next time! Good natured, of course - he just wants his effervescent inebriators. I tell him all the time that vodka in club soda is a cheaper, more bland, and more effective inebriator that Natural Ice will ever be!
 
Quote of the day!

There a few milder beers that I pull out when guests are around but they don't get the more extreme stuff unless they want it.

I've gone so far as telling one Natty Ice swiller to take his own crappy beer next time! Good natured, of course - he just wants his effervescent inebriators. I tell him all the time that vodka in club soda is a cheaper, more bland, and more effective inebriator that Natural Ice will ever be!

2 out of 3 ain't bad...
 
I've come to find there is only a certain number of people I will give my beer to. I've witnessed people say eww and proceed to dump it down the drain in front of me. This was a great beer, placed in competition and all. When I first started brewing I wanted EVERYONE to try my beer. Now after a few years I can give a ****. I enjoy it and the majority of my friends do as well. Family is off limits. They can continue to drink their Bud Light.
 
I brew a lot of session beers. Those are the ones that everyone loves and can't get enough of. I brew IPA's and APA's and save those for myself. Everyone once in a while someone will ask about those and will only pour off a taster. If they like it, I pour them a whole glass.
 
I had a similar situation happen, My father wanted to have a few of my double dry-hopped ipa's (only homebrew, I had). I should have said no, when he wanted the beer ice cold. He asked for a frosty mug too. I was crushed. After all the work I put into this small batch, I vowed not to give him anymore of my ipa's. He just doesn't enjoy/deserve this style of beer. I learned to save them for myself.
 
I have a 4 Tap Keezer........ anytime I have friends over it seems the tap with the Blonde or Cream Ale is the only one that ever gets used. Used to feel bad that no one liked my good, more complex beers......but now just realize their the ones missing out.
 
Now I understand the prejudice against homebrewing, is not about the average homebrewer producing low quality beer is about people having a different concept about what beer is and how should it taste. :mad:

I hate to say it but your first problem was sharing an IPA. They are most decidedly an acquired taste and unless you know they enjoy hops, you are setting yourself up for what you experienced...
 
I've come to find there is only a certain number of people I will give my beer to. I've witnessed people say eww and proceed to dump it down the drain in front of me. This was a great beer, placed in competition and all. When I first started brewing I wanted EVERYONE to try my beer. Now after a few years I can give a ****. I enjoy it and the majority of my friends do as well. Family is off limits. They can continue to drink their Bud Light.

Funny you should say that.
I've got family that would love most any well made craft beer but I've also got family that I wouldn't waste a beer on.

Back in the 70's or early 80's they made generic beer. White can with black letters that said BEER. Generic was the rage at that time.
My dad actually drank that stuff! Not giving him my beer. Complete waste of a beer.
He wouldn't like it anyway.
 
Ouch, that really hurts.

I keep a couple cases of more mainstream commercial beers around to prevent just such catastrophes--the obligatory Red Stripes, Coronas and some Sam Adam's BLs for when people come over. If they ask to try the homebrew, I'll give them a drink of mine, and if they want a whole one I'm happy to oblige. But let's face it--homebrew is not everyone's cup of (barley) tea. Speaking for myself, homebrewing was my gateway to darker, more complex, more flavorful beers, not vice versa. And I try not to get down on people who don't dig my nut brown ale or my dunkle. I'm happy to share with those who want it, but I'd much rather give people beer they'll enjoy and save my stuff for those who really appreciate it. My sister in law doesn't like dark beers, but she'll drink the cream ale I make, and loves my ciders. Everybody's got their own thing.

And yes, I absolutely would have drunk those leftovers after the guests departed.
 
I have to be pretty careful what beers I give my family.

My dad is the worst. He grew up with the cheapest of the cheap in the 60s and 70s and the coldest of the cold. I poured him a hoppy-ish dark irish red which was at 55 degrees. All he could say is that he can't drink warm beer. So I stick a couple bottles of blonde in the fridge for him. Most of my beers get an "it's okay" from him, so I unfortunately don't get to give him much.

My FIL is obsessed with Guinness. Anything "lighter" is bland and anything "heavier" is too much. He loves my milder stouts but he can't handle anything more flavorful than that.

My mom will try anything and will lie and say she likes it. She won't drink more than a few sips of anything.

My wife won't drink anything darker than 10 SRM but loves anything I make that looks light.

Finally, my cousin doesn't brew himself, but helps me brew and likes a wide array of beer. Luckily he "gets it" and I can share more with him.
 
A pack of 2oz plastic cups are "must have" when company comes over.

Better.... I found sampler glasses for a quarter apiece. They have really thick glass, look like they are the same ones that restaurants use for holding tea lights. I have about 18 of them, stacked up. When people come over for beer tastings, I hand em out... They really come in handy, not just for group tastings, but for doing triangle tastings, and sampling different ratios of blends of whatever you happen to be doing at the time. They're also handy for measuring out your hop additions ahead of time.
 
Have kinda the opposite problem. 3 or 4 buddies that quaff my IIPAs and Blacker than death Stouts like they were water.

Actually bought some Killians the other day to feed the trolls so that my kegs wouldn't bear the whole brunt. They like good beer, so Killians is OK. Not great, but passable.
 
Yup it's definitely a slippery slope. My buddy and I both brew, and if we're together at one of our houses on a Friday night, it's scary how much destruction we can wreak on the homebrew supplies.

We tried brewing 10 gal. batches together to reduce our time and increase our stocks, but we couldn't make it work--either I'm way too anal about santization/timing/measurement, or he's way too indifferent, because we were driving each other crazy. Instead, I just make sure I keep my stocks high enough, and we usually try to switch to commercial brews after the first three or four to limit the damage.
 
I host a poker game every few months. I have to have Labbatt's Blue Lite for 1/2 the crowd, who won't even try anything else. The other half will drain a 5-gallon keg of Amber Ale in a few hours.

Tasting cups are a must. I keep a supply of the plastic ones when I have parties. I don't mind someone dumping 2 ozs of beer, but dumping a full pint is painful to watch. I also make it a point to have some Blonde Ale on hand. That's always a hit.

I usually hide the really good stuff like IPAs and Reds. Most people really don't appreciate them. I make them available to a select few. I'm always happy when someone asks for them though.
 
the only beers I give out to friends/family in bulk are my session ales which everyone drinks. I save the stouts, porters, and IPA's for my craft beer loving friends/family. Why waste a good brew on someone who doesn't appreciate it?

the beauty of most friends only liking your session ales is that those beers are much cheaper and easier to make!
 
the only beers I give out to friends/family in bulk are my session ales which everyone drinks. I save the stouts, porters, and IPA's for my craft beer loving friends/family. Why waste a good brew on someone who doesn't appreciate it?

the beauty of most friends only liking your session ales is that those beers are much cheaper and easier to make!

I need 2 more kegs so I can do a "Lite" Pale ale and just keep it on hand.

I refuse to Lager anything just for some BMC lover.

If my session ale is too flavorful, then GO EFF YOURSELF.
 
I need 2 more kegs so I can do a "Lite" Pale ale and just keep it on hand.

I refuse to Lager anything just for some BMC lover.

If my session ale is too flavorful, then GO EFF YOURSELF.

Biermuncher's "Cream of 3 Crops" Cream Ale recipe on these forums . I've made 5 batches of it so far, 11 gallons for a wedding and everyone drinks it, even wine drinkers! Cost is about $25 to brew 11 gallons including the yeast and propane costs for AG if you buy your grain in bulk.

I actually enjoy drinking the lighter session home brews most of the time as I can have 3 or 4 and not fall asleep! Also great summer ale for yard work!
 
I saw this thread just in time. Lots of family coming over tomorrow. I brought 3) 6 packs of different styles. Blonde ale, Fat tire clone and a pumpkin ale. I will give out samples it would break my heart to see my beer go down the drain.
 
Lesson #1: Don't cast pearls before swine. If someone isn't going to appreciate it, don't offer it.

However, that type of behavior is incredibly rude. I guess it is just the way I was brought up, but I would always praise and try to finish whatever a host offers me, and thank them afterwards.
 
My bro-in-law invited a friend from his grad program over for Thanksgiving yesterday, and they came out into the backyard where I was BBQ'ing the turkey with a couple glasses of my nut brown ale. By BIL mentioned that I had brewed it and they guy was shocked. "Wow, this beer is fantastic!" Most of us switched to wine at dinner-time but he kept on with the homebrew, I was pretty gratified by how much he dug it. I get very generous with those who appreciate good beer, and quite stingy with those who don't...
 
I've found that a lot of younger people seem to appreciate craft brews more than older people.

I throw a work party every summer. A lot of twenty-somethings show up. I put out homebrew and BMC. I go through a lot of hombrew, especially stouts and IPAs. They will try anything.

Most of my poker buddies generally stick to BMC. They're all my age.
 
*Door Shuts*
*Grab half full glasses*
*Drink*
*Remember to yourself next time...*
"...I only share my beer with my homebrewing / probrewing brethren."
 
Meh.

  1. Not everyone likes what I like. I can accept that. If they don't like it, I hope they don't finish it. It is worse to be disingenuous than wasteful. And, false praise is a lie.
  2. Also, it's possible my beer is shat. In my experience (with other brewers), we deceive ourselves sometimes. We want to like our beer so much, after all we put into it, we are willing to overlook a lot. To quote the bard, "Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds".
 
Meh.

  1. Not everyone likes what I like. I can accept that. If they don't like it, I hope they don't finish it. It is worse to be disingenuous than wasteful. And, false praise is a lie.

Exactly. If I make a crappy batch of beer, I'd rather be given some constructive criticism than:

*sip* (With Bitter Beer Face) "Yeah, it's um, really good. No thanks, I don't need another...I don't want to drink all your supply." *sneaks off to pour the rest down the drain*
 
My dad is the only person who drinks my beer on the reg other than me and even if he doesn't particularly care for it he'll at least finish it. I also have an aunt and uncle who drink mostly craft beer so they get a six pack for Christmas sometimes.
 
You know it's good to read a thread like this every now and again. Reminds me of all the facts and solutions, and being proactive (whatever that means to you) to avoid folks wasting beer and/or folks saying something offensive without knowing it.
 
Exactly. If I make a crappy batch of beer, I'd rather be given some constructive criticism than:

*sip* (With Bitter Beer Face) "Yeah, it's um, really good. No thanks, I don't need another...I don't want to drink all your supply." *sneaks off to pour the rest down the drain*

I definitely agree with this. But again, it comes back to knowing your audience. If you give a RIS to someone who exclusively drinks and enjoys miller light, don't be surprised if they don't have a lot of nice things to say about it. That could be (a) because it tastes like poo, or (b) because they just don't like or aren't accustomed to the style. I find constructive criticism really helpful, as long as I have confidence that the person who is giving it is someone who is familiar with what the beer is "supposed to" taste like, and can point out ways that it comes up short. But getting blanket criticism from people who don't know a porter from a bitter from a saison from a bock doesn't really help improve your beer all too much.
 
Meh.

  1. Not everyone likes what I like. I can accept that. If they don't like it, I hope they don't finish it. It is worse to be disingenuous than wasteful. And, false praise is a lie.
  2. Also, it's possible my beer is shat. In my experience (with other brewers), we deceive ourselves sometimes. We want to like our beer so much, after all we put into it, we are willing to overlook a lot. To quote the bard, "Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds".

I seriously doubt that any of your beer is shat, but I take your point.

My Epic IIPA and Blacker than your soul Stout are beyond question. They turn out every time. My Pale Ale is pretty darned solid as well.

If I make something experimental, I am open to comments, but they are generally positive.

No, my problem is that people like my beer too much.

Big Halloween bash. 2 kegs of homebrew (Belgian strong, IIPA) and 52 bottles of my not quite so dark Stout, 24 pack of Miller Lite.

Drink whatever the Hell you want not gonna hurt my feelings.

Next morning, the only thing left was 13 Miller Lites.
 
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