Do you like your beer better?

[mygar]

I don't know, for a total newb brewer, and only have tasted extract/steeped grain kits that I have brewed so far, I like my homebrew better than a lot of off the shelf beer. Is this just all in my head, or is it because it's fresh, or because it is just something that I made? Obviously, I notice slight flaws in my beer... but I want to reach for my own over commercial. I am hoping my first 2 all grain batches are even better!

You guys the same?

 

[VikeMan]

Is this just all in my head, or is it because it's fresh, or because it is just something that I made?

It could be any/all of this. Have others brewers or experienced craft beer drinkers, particularly ones who are not friends, tasted your beer? If you have an e-subscription to BYO, here's an article about how to get useful, unbiased feedback:
https://byo.com/article/how-good-is-your-homebrew/

 

[ApolloSimcoe]

I for one don't think its all in your head. There is, IMHO lottsa crap on the shelves these days. But i digress. When I first started brewing I was the same way. There is that euphoric moment of "Wow! I made this!." and you're hooked. I believe that most home brewers will go through phases where their beer is good, then they run into some issues and its not so good. They revisit their standards, improve process etc. and their beer is good again. Their beer will continue to improve as their knowledge and equipment improves. They begin focusing on the details. Then they are making great beer but always looking to improve. The always looking to improve their beer mentality is what I believe separates great brewers from the meh.

 

[bracconiere]

Have others brewers or experienced craft beer drinkers, particularly ones who are not friends, tasted your beer?

it wouldn't matter, all i'd have to do is call it "Angry", or "Arrogant"...they'd love it! i've often wondered why "Wife Beater..." was off the table.....

as far as my homebrew, i know only i LOVE it! as far as my malt....it's just a house plant at someone else's house dying for some warm water, to make beer with!

 

[mygar]

It could be any/all of this. Have others brewers or experienced craft beer drinkers, particularly ones who are not friends, tasted your beer? If you have an e-subscription to BYO, here's an article about how to get useful, unbiased feedback:
https://byo.com/article/how-good-is-your-homebrew/

I have had only family taste it and they really like it. My wife likes it a lot, because it "tastes clean" .. lol. But they are not beer experts by any means... either am I! No, to other brewers or craft drinkers so far. I don't have a BYO subscription, but at one point (far down road) getting feedback by folks who are knowledgeable would be very interesting.

 

[Maxkling]

You have more control with your processes.

The biggest issue I have with local craft brew is packaging. Sometimes they just can’t get it down right, and paying 10-15$ for a 6 pack is a problem. Carbonation may be off, weird sediment, rust taste from caps, and just isn’t the same from the tap at the brewery. Nothing worse than finding a beer you were in love with that you had at a brewery, then pour it in a glass and it’s no where near the same.

 

[mygar]

I for one don't think its all in your head. There is, IMHO lottsa crap on the shelves these days. But i digress. When I first started brewing I was the same way. There is that euphoric moment of "Wow! I made this!." and you're hooked. I believe that most home brewers will go through phases where their beer is good, then they run into some issues and its not so good. They revisit their standards, improve process etc. and their beer is good again. Their beer will continue to improve as their knowledge and equipment improves. They begin focusing on the details. Then they are making great beer but always looking to improve. The always looking to improve their beer mentality is what I believe separates great brewers from the meh.

Yes, I am pleasantly surprised how good it has been. Let me state it's NOT award winning beer, but really, I was expecting, meh … to ugh :/. But I made sure I could control my fermentation temps with an inkbird and fridge from the first batch, and I think this has helped.

 

[ApolloSimcoe]

Temp Control is Huge!

 

[Qhrumphf]

It's probably a combination of them all. For one, there's a lot of garbage on shelves even when fresh. And it's seldom fresh and often mishandled during shipment. Especially during summer not uncommon for commercial beer to spend a month or two sitting in a hot warehouse where even acceptably packaged beer will stale quickly (and few brewers have the clout to force complete cold storage through the distribution chain).

But, ugly baby syndrome, confirmation bias, whatever you want to call it, the "i made it therefore it is good" perception, conscious or subconscious, is everywhere in all walks of life.

 

[MMP126]

I think I am in the middle on this. All commercial beer runs the whole gammet for me. There is some garbage that my homebrew is a lot better then. But, there is also some absolutely amazing commercial beer that my homebrew cannot even come close to.

Another thing for me is cost. I can make a really good IPA, WAY better than some available. My brew costs me like $60/5gal, or like $1.20 per 12oz pour. Seeing some IPAs going for as high as $22 or $24/4pack, its really appealing to try to make a beer that is as good as what I can buy, but for way less.

Getting feedback can be hard. Getting your beer to people that are completely unbiased is a hard thing to find. Most people you share with are people you know, and they dont want to hurt your feelings. For this, I like BJCP, or trying to do tasting events.

But, having everyone like your beer is a crap chute. Everyone likes different things. If you and your wife, and some friends enjoy it, thats all you can really ask for.

 

[mygar]

it wouldn't matter, all i'd have to do is call it "Angry", or "Arrogant"...they'd love it! i've often wondered why "Wife Beater..." was off the table.....

as far as my homebrew, i know only i LOVE it! as far as my malt....it's just a house plant at someone else's house dying for some warm water, to make beer with!

haha too funny. Yep usually the "angry" or "arrogant" beers I am not a big fan of though. That means a big hop punch in the face!! But I am appreciating different beers now and am trying to train my pallet a bit more by going outside of my comfort zone. You will probably laugh at this, but I tried my first Pliny The Elder not too long ago. I was amazed how such a high bitter beer could be so balanced. It really changed my perspective on hoppy beers. I have since found myself getting more and more into juicy NEPA's

 

[bracconiere]

But, ugly baby syndrome, confirmation bias, whatever you want to call it, the "i made it therefore it is good" perception, conscious or subconscious, is everywhere in all walks of life.

thanks to you, i sprouted andree the giant! gives my beer extra teeth and everything!

 

[mygar]

You have more control with your processes.

The biggest issue I have with local craft brew is packaging. Sometimes they just can’t get it down right, and paying 10-15$ for a 6 pack is a problem. Carbonation may be off, weird sediment, rust taste from caps, and just isn’t the same from the tap at the brewery. Nothing worse than finding a beer you were in love with that you had at a brewery, then pour it in a glass and it’s no where near the same.

Yep, I actually have noticed some consistency issues at local breweries as well... seems some batches are definitely better than others.

 

[bracconiere]

You will probably laugh at this, but I tried my first Pliny The Elder not too long ago.

WTF is "Pliny the Elder"...i've heard it mentioned a lot? lol

edit: sounds like some sorta oak aged, IPA....

 

[mygar]

I think I am in the middle on this. All commercial beer runs the whole gammet for me. There is some garbage that my homebrew is a lot better then. But, there is also some absolutely amazing commercial beer that my homebrew cannot even come close to.

Another thing for me is cost. I can make a really good IPA, WAY better than some available. My brew costs me like $60/5gal, or like $1.20 per 12oz pour. Seeing some IPAs going for as high as $22 or $24/4pack, its really appealing to try to make a beer that is as good as what I can buy, but for way less.

Getting feedback can be hard. Getting your beer to people that are completely unbiased is a hard thing to find. Most people you share with are people you know, and they dont want to hurt your feelings. For this, I like BJCP, or trying to do tasting events.

But, having everyone like your beer is a crap chute. Everyone likes different things. If you and your wife, and some friends enjoy it, thats all you can really ask for.

Yes, I agree .. at this point, I am having a ball with it .. and really enjoying drinking my beer. And in the end, that's all that matters. And yes, man I am shocked on how much some of the 4 pack IPA's go for!

 

[bracconiere]

My brew costs me like $60/5gal, or like $1.20 per 12oz pour.

oh my god.....

My brew costs me like $60/5gal, or like $1.20 per 12oz pour. Seeing some IPAs going for as high as $22 or $24/4pack,

and damn, i'm glad i don't leave the house! before i spend that, i'd work on making industrial ethanol!

edit: at that rate what are people supposed to do? start mainlining beer?

 

[mygar]

WTF is "Pliny the Elder"...i've heard it mentioned a lot? lol

edit: sounds like some sorta oak aged, IPA....

It's pretty popular here in CA. I hardly see it in specialty beer stores. The bottles are dated and are expected to be consumed 1 or 2 weeks after bottling if I remember correctly.

https://russianriverbrewing.com/pliny-the-elder/

 

[bracconiere]

It's pretty popular here in CA. I hardly see it in specialty beer stores. The bottles are dated and are expected to be consumed 1 or 2 weeks after bottling if I remember correctly.

https://russianriverbrewing.com/pliny-the-elder/

hmmm, i've pretty much always made my own beer....not familiar with it..I remember the only "big" beer i liked when i lived in CA was deshutes, unlike 'angry', 'arrogant'...i liked the peaceful forest scenes....but can't get here now in AZ, nothing but miles of InBev!

 

[NGD]

WTF is "Pliny the Elder"...i've heard it mentioned a lot? lol

edit: sounds like some sorta oak aged, IPA....

Its a double IPA that’s incredibly smooth and distribution is extremely tight. They were fairly difficult to find in store up until a year ago. Pliny the younger, which is a triple IPA is damn near impossible to find unless your at a Russian River tap takeover.

 

[mygar]

hmmm, i've pretty much always made my own beer....not familiar with it..I remember the only "big" beer i liked when i lived in CA was deshutes, unlike 'angry', 'arrogant'...i liked the peaceful forest scenes....but can't get here now in AZ, nothing but miles of InBev!

Yep, went to school in AZ. Lived in Phoenix a bit too... lots of big box strip malls etc. But this 30 yr ago .. and craft brewing has exploded, so I am sure there are more breweries around there now. I went to U of A in Tucson, and there was a decent sized microbrewery there, "Gentle Bens" … my first introduction to a craft brewery. Loved the oatmeal stout back then!

 

[Rob2010SS]

It's funny - at the beginning, I definitely had ugly baby syndrome. I loved the stuff we made from extract and others were like, "Meh, it's beer." Since then, after improving processes and nitpicking the details, I think our beer safely competes with anything that we can get in the store locally. We have about 40 people as part of a "howler club" (some friends, some more aquaintances) with customized howlers who come to us and get fills when we have something they like and it's an awesome experience to have people that you don't hang out with and wouldn't call "friends" ask you for fills of your beer.

I do think some of it comes down to personal taste though. We had a NEIPA on tap that just kicked recently. I was in love with this beer as it was exactly what I was looking for. Hardly any bitterness but an explosion of hop aroma and flavor. I compared it side by side to 4 other commercial examples and I preferred it over those other 4 examples. I was worried I once again had ugly baby syndrome but I tried to analyze each of the 4 examples and pick out what it was that I didn't like - too much of a harsh bitterness in one, not enough hop aroma, not enough of that silky smooth body in another, etc. My point with this example is that the 4 commercial examples I compared ours to were good by all means, but just not what I wanted. The one we brewed was brewed to MY tastes so in my eyes, it was better.

 

[bracconiere]

Yep, went to school in AZ. Lived in Phoenix a bit too... lots of big box strip malls etc. But this 30 yr ago .. and craft brewing has exploded, so I am sure there are more breweries around there now. I went to U of A in Tucson, and there was a decent sized microbrewery there, "Gentle Bens" … my first introduction to a craft brewery. Loved the oatmeal stout back then!

i do have Elgin for wine? make a pretty good oak aged wine.....

 

[mygar]

Its a double IPA that’s incredibly smooth and distribution is extremely tight. They were fairly difficult to find in store up until a year ago. Pliny the younger, which is a triple IPA is damn near impossible to find unless your at a Russian River tap takeover.

Yes, I really want to try Pliny the Younger

 

[bracconiere]

that you don't hang out with and wouldn't call "friends" ask you for fills of your beer.

man, i don't want to get into people like that......i remember them from jail, but they were called "cooks"...they treated people like dirt....

 

[mygar]

It's funny - at the beginning, I definitely had ugly baby syndrome. I loved the stuff we made from extract and others were like, "Meh, it's beer." Since then, after improving processes and nitpicking the details, I think our beer safely competes with anything that we can get in the store locally. We have about 40 people as part of a "howler club" (some friends, some more aquaintances) with customized howlers who come to us and get fills when we have something they like and it's an awesome experience to have people that you don't hang out with and wouldn't call "friends" ask you for fills of your beer.

I do think some of it comes down to personal taste though. We had a NEIPA on tap that just kicked recently. I was in love with this beer as it was exactly what I was looking for. Hardly any bitterness but an explosion of hop aroma and flavor. I compared it side by side to 4 other commercial examples and I preferred it over those other 4 examples. I was worried I once again had ugly baby syndrome but I tried to analyze each of the 4 examples and pick out what it was that I didn't like - too much of a harsh bitterness in one, not enough hop aroma, not enough of that silky smooth body in another, etc. My point with this example is that the 4 commercial examples I compared ours to were good by all means, but just not what I wanted. The one we brewed was brewed to MY tastes so in my eyes, it was better.

Yep im sure mine are ugly babies … and yes, I can pick stuff off the shelf that will smoke my beer. I guess, I am having fun just brewing and trying my beer.. and would rather drink it for now. My first batch, the head retention is not that great.. and again .. it was and extract kit. But there were no steeping grains in it... and I suspect this is why the lack of head retention and lace. Just speculating. The flavor decent. But yea no batch is a tosser so far!

 

[Dinadan]

I think that tastiness it is subjective to a degree. But beyond a certain point ... it is either good or bad!

I like my homebrew better than a lot of commercial beer. And the funny thing is: some of the beers that are supposed to be great, I just do not like. There is a local brewery that I tried to support until I admitted (to myself) that I was having to force the beer down like it was noxious medicine. I think that took about ten beers!

I have wondered if there is a bit of The emperor has no clothes syndrome going on with some brands or styles. Or maybe I am just not capable of appreciating them like other folks.

I try to brew a very mild amber or dark ale because that is what I like. Something that just tastes good when I am sitting outside reading a book or watching the birds and sky, but does not demand my full attention with 60 IBUs or 9% ABV.

 

[bracconiere]

don't worry @mygar , like data said in "Measure of a Man"...if jordi see's better then normal people, then why is it everyone doesn't have to make their own beer...or words to that effect....

 

[Coastalbrew]

What I like best about my homebrew is the variety. I basically live in what I consider a beer desert. My only choices are anything distributed by AB or MC, IPA, double IPA, or triple IPA, and of course Guinness; if you want anything else your pretty much SOL. So I like to brew other styles that I can't get commercially. I'm only brewing for myself, and I enjoy the flavor of my brews very much. They are not as technically perfect as commercial beer, but so what!? To me, if you like the way your beer tastes, that's all that matters. RDWHAHB.

Cheers!

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

I sure like it better than paying $7, or more, a glass.

 

[mygar]

I sure like it better than paying $7, or more, a glass.

Um... have to agree with you there! But I have spent about 300 in eq so far.. so have to drink my own to pay that off. Another big thing for me is convenience. Takes 1/2 hr to a get to my favorite breweries, and sometimes the service is so chitty, it's like "do I have to beg to get another beer here?" So, for couple beers it's like a 2-3 hr endeavor and sometimes ticked off about service. Many times I have food too … so its like a 35+ outing. Now don't get me wrong, I like supporting local breweries and enjoy finding new ones. At same time, some of the vibes I get from them... I don't know... For the most part most are pretty good though.

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Any hobby has initial startup costs. Similar to a business. Think of any hobby. Over time, the costs come down as initial expenses are amortized over the (fill in the blank), in our case brewing sessions.

Also, IMO, breweries around here are all the same. For example. On the train ride home I see Port City in Alexandria, VA. Not close to my home by any means, but we, wife and I visit. What a PITA trip. Nice tap list. However, most of the brews are IPA. Sorry, don't like them.

Go to any brewery in this area and most of the brews are IPA or other brews available at other breweries. No one want to take a chance.

Several years ago, Winchester, VA had decent breweries and prices. Unfortunately, the price creep ($6.50, $7 per, etc, glass) has made its cancerous way there too.

What we need is a German Beer Garden. Anyone what do go into business with me? We'd kill it.

 

[mygar]

Any hobby has initial startup costs. Similar to a business. Think of any hobby. Over time, the costs come down as initial expenses are amortized over the (fill in the blank), in our case brewing sessions.

Also, IMO, breweries around here are all the same. For example. On the train ride home I see Port City in Alexandria, VA. Not close to my home by any means, but we, wife and I visit. What a PITA trip. Nice tap list. However, most of the brews are IPA. Sorry, don't like them.

Go to any brewery in this area and most of the brews are IPA or other brews available at other breweries. No one want to take a chance.

Several years ago, Winchester, VA had decent breweries and prices. Unfortunately, the price creep ($6.50, $7 per, etc, glass) has made it cancerous way there too.

What we need is a German Beer Garden. Anyone what do go into business with me? We'd kill it.

Ok we are on the same wave length here. Yep, most LOCAL places it's all IPA. Now, don't get me wrong, I am starting to enjoy more IPAish beers.. but literally there are places where all are IPA … and maybe a stout. (pretty much don't bother going there) Like you, I really appreciate German beer... and of course, Belgian. So my main hangouts are 2 Biergartens and a Belgian place. The Belgian place is pretty cool, as they do open vat fermentation in a sanitized room that you can observe. The beer is really, really good. Yes, all the beer here is 7.50 +. Now for these places I don't mind that too much. But here CA, we really do have some amazing breweries... im just speaking about what is local to me.

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

I'm envious as we have neither German Bier Gardens nor Belgian beer here (at least not at breweries). One of the reasons why I brew my own.

Local Manassas brewery, don't get me wrong, are nice people. However, they charge $7.00 for a cream ale. My cream ale kicks their a*s.

 

[davidabcd]

Extract w/grain brewer. Sometimes.

 

[mygar]

I'm envious as we have neither German Bier Gardens nor Belgian beer here (at least not at breweries). One of the reasons why I brew my own.

Local Manassas brewery, don't get me wrong, are nice people. However, they charge $7.00 for a cream ale. My cream ale kicks their a*s.

Yea 7.00 seems to be the norm no matter what it is. Also, I am not a fan on driving afterwards either. So, if I go out try to have my wife go with me at least. My wife's pretty good cook, so to ty my first batch ever (hefe) she did some homemade Bavarian pretzels. They were pretty good!

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

My wife's pretty good cook, so to ty my first batch ever (hefe) she did some homemade Bavarian pretzels. They were pretty good!

Sounds very good.

We've even visited breweries where they charge $10.00 for a (not even close) Bavarian pretzel. BTW, Lidl Grocery Store has good pretzels.

 

[mygar]

Sounds very good.

We've even visited breweries where they charge $10.00 for a (not even close) Bavarian pretzel. BTW, Lidl Grocery Store has good pretzels.

Dont think we have Lidil here. One Beigarten here sells a pretzel for 7.00 that will feed 2 people. It's like a medium sized pizza lol. So, there are some deals here and there I think!

 

[NGD]

If someone wants $10 for a pretzel and I’m not in a stadium of some kind then I’m going elsewhere. Havent been to a brewery yet thats worth those prices, and I’ve been to several very good breweries. For the most part I really like a majority of styles I’ve made. Some much better than a few Sac and San Diego area breweries. There are some styles I have yet to get past mediocre and appreciate brewers that can do it well.

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

If someone wants $10 for a pretzel and I’m not in a stadium of some kind then I’m going elsewhere. Havent been to a brewery yet thats worth those prices, and I’ve been to several very good breweries. For the most part I really like a majority of styles I’ve made. Some much better than a few Sac and San Diego area breweries. There are some styles I have yet to get past mediocre and appreciate brewers that can do it well.

Visit around here...

 

[mygar]

This is why... if I can brew a quality 5 gal batch for 30 ... it's a good deal!