Looking for input from the general public.

[mikeysab]

Thanks for all the responses guys. So maybe the distributor was a bad idea after all. The homebrew club that I've been invited to for over a year is where I'll probably test out my brews. Airborne has been telling me about it for awhile and I'm gonna check it out and see what some people think. Also, thanks for the link, Yoop. I was under the impression that to enter a competition, you had to hand in your entries in person, so I never bothered looking into it. I'll go that route, also.

The beers I give people to try are finally getting responses other than "This isn't bad" I recently brought 2 beers and a cider to a family function and everybody enjoyed them all. Friends and neighbors on my block are actually asking me for beer now, so i think my process is finally getting to where I can turn out good batches instead of crap. The brew pub idea is something that I"m not expecting to happen overnight. Opening a restaurant is something I"ve always thought of doing, so now that I can cook AND brew, it's returning to my thoughts more frequently.

I'm definitely going to get more involved with other brewers and competitions and see how things turn out. I'm brewing more often than ever now and brew days are becoming less chaotic, so we'll see what kind of feedback I get in the near future. Thanks to all my homebrewing brothers and sister for their advice and input.

 

[Homercidal]

The BJCP competitions are the way to go, but understand that you will be brewing to a (usually) exact style guideline that doesn't necessarily score for a good beer, just one that fits that style guideline. And they will be pretty blunt too.

I think the homebrew club is another great place to get not just feedback, but personalized help in fixing any issues, or just answering questions. If you have one close to you, it may be fun to join anyway.

 

[weirdboy]

"It's not bad" is what I tell people when I drink their beer and don't want to hurt their feelings with honest feedback.


Most of the time I just give people honest feedback, though, because if I go out of the way to have someone try my beer and render an opinion, that is what I am looking for.

 

[jgln]

"It's not bad" is what I tell people when I drink their beer and don't want to hurt their feelings with honest feedback.QUOTE]

That is what I say sometimes to guys with already inflated egos, better jobs, better looking, better looking wives, nicer houses who I am already jealous of...you know knock em down a bit. They already got everything else so I'm not lettin' em know they make good beer too.


...yeah, long night at work no one to talk to, I'm bored, sorry.

 

[el_caro]

Saw an interesting British tv show a few months ago about 2 guys who went through the whole process of making beer in their kitchen, getting finance for their business plan to open a brewpub in UK.
They initially sought public opinion by just taking a couple of kegs of their beer down to the high street and giving people a free sample and asking them what they thought.
The Financer (bank) suggested that was not satisfactory feedback and had them pay a company to arrange about 20 or 30 people into focus groups of paid surveyors to assess the beers. They got less favorable feedback from this group but it was more objective and useful. It gave them a better feel for how their product would be received by the paying customer. They went on to buy an old village pub and convert it to a brew pub and it seems it was a success.
Sure if you google it you will find the show and it is well worth downloading and watching.

 

[Special Hops]

Saw an interesting British tv show a few months ago about 2 guys who went through the whole process of making beer in their kitchen, getting finance for their business plan to open a brewpub in UK.
They initially sought public opinion by just taking a couple of kegs of their beer down to the high street and giving people a free sample and asking them what they thought.
The Financer (bank) suggested that was not satisfactory feedback and had them pay a company to arrange about 20 or 30 people into focus groups of paid surveyors to assess the beers. They got less favorable feedback from this group but it was more objective and useful. It gave them a better feel for how their product would be received by the paying customer. They went on to buy an old village pub and convert it to a brew pub and it seems it was a success.
Sure if you google it you will find the show and it is well worth downloading and watching.

Lol. I can just imagine the scene if you took keg of homebrew down main street USA and offered free samples to everyone.

 

[el_caro]

Lol. I can just imagine the scene if you took keg of homebrew down main street USA and offered free samples to everyone.

Yeah the Brits are a weird lot but I love their down to earth honesty. No I could not imagine it happening in the US.

 

[petey_c]

In a city famous for opinionated people, you'd think yer friends would be the ones to give you the most honest opinions (brutally honest). Maybe they don't know what they should be looking for or have a scale to compare it to. "Hey, nice mouth feel." or, "Oooh look at that head retention!" My beers have had an underwhelming response so far too. But, that's because they're still mediocre (in my opinion). I, like you, have been a member of a homebrew club (B.E.E.R.) and haven't made it to a meeting. Clubs and competitions will give you the true measure of your beer's quality (or lack thereof). Hey, in the end, if you enjoy your brews and your friends don't, f' 'em!