Is this normal, or have I lost it?

[PeteOz77]

OK, so I wa always the adventurous bloke int he crowd. I would always try the new beer that I hav never seen, and to be honest, I never really knew what I was tastin, or if it was good or not, only that I like it or I didn't.

Since I started homebrewing, my tastes have changed. I spend less money on beer in general, but I do spend a LOT on craft bews when I can find them ($27 for a 6 pack at teh local bottle shop). I know that's par for the course, but here's where it get a bit disfunctional...

I have 3 great brews on tap in my kegerator right now. I savor every drop of each of them and I live in fear of the day when each tap runs dry. I brew often enough to keep multiple kegs conditioning ( I now have 9 cornies, and have given up on the sankes, except 2 which I keep for brewing special occasion beer where they will need a kegerator that accepts Sanke connections)

So..... I have recenly started to HOARD my nice home brew. I buy expensive boutique beers to enjoy when I get home from work and even some BMC so I won't "Waste" my precious Home Brew.

I'm not even going to ASK if this is normal behaviour, but I am going to ask if anyone else does this?

Home brew is SO much cheaper than craft brew or even BMC here, and it's foolish to not drink my own brew.. but it's Soo nice and it takes so much time and effort to make it, that I almost feel like keeping it for special occasions.

Keep in mind that I cannot buy an IPA or a good pale ale here for under $60 a case and I can brew it for under $20 a case.

Maybe I just need to get off my lazy arse and brew more often so I don't feel a need to "protect" my good stuff?

 

[Revvy]

I know exactly what you're talking about I have to suppliment my homebrew stash on occasion with store beers...It keeps me from guzzling a whole batch of something great right away....For example I'm really really digging Yooper's dead guy clone, and all my primaries are full for with beer or mead right now, and the beer won't be online for another 4 or 5 weeks. I'm down to a few 6's of 3 other brews as well....

When I'm rounding out (as opposed to buying commercial beers to try a new style or just 'casue I like it,) I try to buy within the same style that I have on hand...That way I justify it as being for taste testing purposes... Since one of my beers is my house amber, that I'm tinkering with to perfect, I've got a couple sixes of different amber ales in my fridge to see how they do theirs.

But I do find that I often have to restrain myself from reaching for another Dead Guy Clone and instead grabbing something else, I just want that to last for another few weeks until I can get another batch up and running....

 

[Fingers]

You need to brew more. I still buy commercial ales, but it's more for variety sampling or a treat than anything else. I would NEVER buy BMC to preserve my homebrew stock. That's just crazy.

I go through a keg every two weeks. I brew ten gallon batches so I need to brew at least once a month to maintain stock. I've been brewing a little more frequently than that so that I never have to worry about conditioning time. By the time I'm ready for the next keg, it's well aged. This will also hedge me against a spoiled batch. The next brew on deck is about 10 or 11 weeks old so the one behind it is about 8 or 9. Each is ready to go.

Brewing more will also hone your skills so that you have more and more batches that are 'the good stuff' and will decrease your dependence on BMC. Don't give into the dark side, step away from the swill.

 

[Revvy]

I should clarify...I NEVER buy BMC...my suppliments are all craft brews.

 

[CBBaron]

Yes and No.
I don't buy BMC ever!!!!!
I don't buy craft beer to drink instead of my home brew.
But I do hoard my home brew some. I like to share samples of my home brew but I try to make sure the majority goes to me. I know my brother and BIL would take much more of my beer than I give them but they only get 2 or 3 beers from each batch to sample. A few other friends get a sampler pack every so often. But I don't give away 6es of any one beer.

Ofcourse I'm not a heavy drinker so I can brew a little more than 5 gal a month and keep up.

Craig

 

[bethlehembrewer]

I do the same thing. Never BMC, haven't touched that poision in years. We have a store that has a really good selection about an hour from here which happens to be close to SWMBO rent's house. I always stop there an drop some cash.

I have noticed latley that when I go out to dinner, like the past 2 night since my dad is here, that any beer I get tastes like crap. Even Sam Adams. The entire dinner I think: "god I can't wait to get back and have one of my beers." This does not happen with the stuff I buy at the store though.

 

[PeteOz77]

OK, By BMC, I mean "Commercial Brews" which for me is still usually a premium brew like Cooper's Sparkling ale, Cooper's Pale Ale, or at Least Boag's Premium. It's not like I stoop to "Bud Light" or anything like that.. I would drink water before I drank true BMC swill.

I was actually very happy when I found out this week that my Local has Stella on Draught!

 

[Schlenkerla]

I suppliment my beer stock with commercial beers for a few reasons.

1. Not give good homebrew to people who won't appreciate it.
2. Comparing styles to my recipe.
3. Don't want to drink something before its ready age-wise
4. I don't have a dark or light beer (right style) for the occasion.
5. Options for people who don't want what I have on hand.
6. Desire for Non-Alcoholic as needed (Clausthauler Amber)
7. Company leaves it behind...

(Most of my commercials are usually Sam Adams) I have some New Belguim, Hoegaarten, Saranac, Breckenridge, Sierra Nevada...

The most common reasons for me are #'s are 2 & 3. As for others 1 & 5.

#6 is usually when I go to HB partys to cut down on my ABV consumption.

Helps stop this.

I don't buy BMC, its in my fridge only because of #7.

 

[bru-er]

Keep in mind that I cannot buy an IPA or a good pale ale here for under $60 a case and I can brew it for under $20 a case.

Why is good brew soooo expensive there?

 

[PeteOz77]

Why is good brew soooo expensive there?

All alcohol is expensive here, as it has a government excise on it (along with ciggies and petrol). All beer that has an alcohol content over 3.5% and is sold in bottles (as opposed to kegs) incurs a tax of 39.63 per litre of alcohol contained in it. So a case of 375ml bottles @ 4.5% ABV has $16 tax on it. Ciggies have 25¢ each tax on them.

 

[boo boo]

Well I like all beer and can even say I do on occasion buy BMC type beer and enjoy it.

I don't buy any beer often and usually buy imports when I do and prefer my own most of the time.

 

[vfinch]

This thread just solved my dilemma that I was pondering while have a beer outside in the nice weather, should I brew my next batch this weekend even though I have 2x5gal batches on the go? So I'll be brewing a nice hefeweizen, yum...

 

[PeteOz77]

All alcohol is expensive here, as it has a government excise on it (along with ciggies and petrol). All beer that has an alcohol content over 3.5% and is sold in bottles (as opposed to kegs) incurs a tax of 39.63 per litre of alcohol contained in it. So a case of 375ml bottles @ 4.5% ABV has $16 tax on it. Ciggies have 25¢ each tax on them.

I should mention that they can justify the huge tax on alcohol and tobacco, as they are probably the two biggest causes of health problems in AUS, and all necessary health care is FREE in Australia to everyone. I guess it only makes sense to tax the people most likely to be a burden on the system. Best thing about it, is that it's a voluntary tax.... Don't smoke or drink and you don't pay the tax...but you still get the health care!

 

[PeteOz77]

This thread just solved my dilemma that I was pondering while have a beer outside in the nice weather, should I brew my next batch this weekend even though I have 2x5gal batches on the go? So I'll be brewing a nice hefeweizen, yum...

It's not possbile to have too much beer on hand. I have 9 cornies now and a couple of 16 gallon Sanke kegs (Only use these for parties etc.) and around 300 x 750ml bottles and most of them are full.

Time to take a trip to the recycling centre again.

 

[Fingers]

All alcohol is expensive here, as it has a government excise on it (along with ciggies and petrol).

I wonder if that's a commonwealth idea. We've got extreme vice taxes in Canada too. Despite what many claim about homebrew not actually being cheaper, in PeteOz and my case it's pretty close. I pump as much money as the next guy into brewing, but you can drop some serious coin on commercial beer if you like to quaff regularly. The absolute cheapest garbage we have still works out to over $1 can even if you buy 24.

 

[david_42]

Can't say I hoard. I buy & drink commercial brews largely because there are styles I like to have occasionally, but don't want to have a keg of them around. I'll probably stop making barleywines, just because it takes so long to finish 5 gallons drinking it 4-6 ounces at a time and only in cold weather.

Personally, I think you need help. Hoarding isn't too big a problem, but buying BMC to 'save' homebrew is clearly in the WTF? category.