Has brewing affected your opinion of commercial beers?

[Waynep005]

Since I began brewing I have more respect for the skills of craft and large commercial brewers. The ability to make the same beer exactly the the same in large batches time after time is impressive.

 

[Ivypunx]

Yeah. I just have a few brands I will drink from. I love trying new craft in styles I like and from brands I like. I love microbrew still. But I will never touch anything from the big three, really havent in years unless I am at someones house and I need to be polite.

 

[FastAndy]

[QUOTE="Rhumbline"
Went to a local chain restaurant that brews their own and was equally unimpressed.

This isn't me saying that I brew better than the pro's, but I've noticed that if I'm as critical of the commercial brews as I am of mine they all fall short.

Anyone else experienced this?[/QUOTE]

Out of curiosity, which chain are you referring to?

 

[Rhumbline]

It was BJ's Brewhouse.

I tried an IPA and a stout. There was nothing bad about either one, I just thought the IPA was kind of bland and the stout was thin and without a whole lot of taste.

I understand they need to appeal to a wide audience, and Daytona isn't known for discerning customers so I can't fault them for playing it safe.

 

[Calichusetts]

I'm going to piggyback on what a lot of people have said so far:

Of course your palette changes once you start homebrewing...does that mean commercial beer gets a downgrade? I hope not. In fact, I am more impressed with great beers now that I know how hard it can be, especially experimental brews that come out well. I had a local brew that set up experiments around our state to trap wild yeast and used them to brew saisons...so amazing and different than anything I've had. Very few homebrewers could or would do something like that.

As for the freshness argument, that is nonsense. I get Maine beers that are two weeks old, as well as many other local brews. Maybe New England has a better craft scene than most but I doubt it, we are closer in proximity to breweries so that helps. You just need to find a reputable craft beer store and get to know the manager. I get most of my brews the day they hit the shelf. Have I had my share of old beer? Absolutely. I have only had one or two Mikkellers that weren't insanely old.

I try to only buy new beer. This has really helped me find some amazing brews out there that I wouldn't normally buy. And some are months old and still amazing and I wish I could get fresh.

Unfortunately, most homebrewers I meet give themselves way to much credit for their beer. Strangely enough, its usually the hombrewer that just says try this without puffing their chest or saying its amazing that makes the best beer. I have had a Belgian homebrew that blew me away...better than most. We did a blind taste test with other commercial brews and it made the top three. I made a lights out DIPA this year that just about everyone said was amazing and should be on a shelf. I am very critical of my brew and gave it around a 4 out of 5. They kept saying it was so good. I said "would you buy this or Heady?" Silence...end of story. The point being is we sometimes come across an amazing homebrew and people say its the best beer they have had. But when you compare it to some of the best commercial brews, it brings it back down to earth.

 

[fuzzy2133]

It was BJ's Brewhouse.

I tried an IPA and a stout. There was nothing bad about either one, I just thought the IPA was kind of bland and the stout was thin and without a whole lot of taste.

I understand they need to appeal to a wide audience, and Daytona isn't known for discerning customers so I can't fault them for playing it safe.

It is not just Daytona, I ran into the same problem too. The stout left me thinking I should have gotten a rootbeer.

 

[mytommygundont]

I had an epiphany moment the other night. My wife loves Sam Adams Octoberfest. It's pretty much the only commercially made beer that I buy. I tend to think that my beer is as good if not better than most of the stuff I'm buying at a liquor store, so we don't buy commercial beer.

Anyway, I bought the Sam Adams sampler pack. We got down to the end of the box and all that was left was Boston Lager. I cracked one open expecting to be completely unimpressed. Instead I found myself loving it. This is the reason that Boston Beer Co. is the largest craft brewer in the nation. They make good beer. I may just go buy another sampler pack tonight for the Broncos game.

 

[Dmlsys23]

I had Sam Adams Boston Lager on draft out of a Sam Adams glass and was blown away at how good it was. The times I've had it out of a bottle I liked it but wasn't wowed. That is a change from before I started brewing when I thought Boston Lager out of a bottle was the end all be all of beer after Killian's.

 

[progmac]

Jim Koch doesn't screw around. Boston Lager I believe uses a triple decoction. Pretty rare in the craft scene.

 

[mytommygundont]

Jim Koch doesn't screw around. Boston Lager I believe uses a triple decoction. Pretty rare in the craft scene.

I bet it's even triple hops brewed.

 

[Dmlsys23]

Don't forget it's bocked 3 times! (thank you funny things you overheard thread) That's where Triple Bock comes from.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

It was BJ's Brewhouse.

I tried an IPA and a stout. There was nothing bad about either one, I just thought the IPA was kind of bland and the stout was thin and without a whole lot of taste.

I understand they need to appeal to a wide audience, and Daytona isn't known for discerning customers so I can't fault them for playing it safe.

BJ's sucks. They put about as much care into the production of their beer as they do their pizza. They'd need to add some flavor to both to even begin to approach "bland"...

 

[Crito]

BJs at my location doesn't even brew their own beer. All contract brewing

 

[Dmlsys23]

BJ's sucks. They put about as much care into the production of their beer as they do their pizza. They'd need to add some flavor to both to even begin to approach "bland"...

I'm very sorry to say I agree with you. After tasting quality beers, BJ's just doesn't stack up anymore. Their regular menu is good though! Haven't had the pizza so I can't comment.

 

[Setesh]

I think brewing has made me enjoy commercial beers even more for two reasons:

1. The hunt for good examples of the next style I'm excited about brewing. I will often pick up a few beers that are good representations of the style and then use the one I like most as the model.

2. Trying to clone beers is fun to me. I really enjoy trying to clone my favorite commercial beers. To me the tweaking of a recipe over time is very fun and rewarding.

 

[glenn514]

My "go-to" beer, BEFORE I started brewing, was Miller Genuine Draft Light. Then, Miller decided to screw around with it, and it became Miller 64, that watered down, ultra-light beer. I had always been interested in the brewing process, and once I got started, I quickly realized that I liked not only the process, but also the product! Regardless of what I brew...and I've brewed some crappy batches...it's still better than Miller 64.

With that said, however, commercial brewing amazes me. The fact that a Miller plant on the east coast can brew a beer that tastes exactly the same as a plant on the west coast is incredible. That consistency of the brewing process is amazing. And there are still some commercial beers I enjoy occasionally. However, I prefer my homebrews.

glenn514

 

[ScottsBrew]

id say that since I have been brewing my own beer that the store beer here in my town has not changed at all. they still taste the same the only thing that's not the same is how I now don't have to put up with the ones I don't like. I can make my own light beer so that's fine for me but to people who love say bud light then they love it for there own reason i guess. As for myself i used to love many store brand beer but that was befor i got to try a fresh, none rice, beer lol... not some POS rice crap. anyhow im half in the bag on some nice lager so ya im ranting more lol.. cheers 17