How Good is your Homebrew?

Not a great idea, but you do it anyway?

 

If you didn't vote "better than average", you're doing it wrong

 

I've been brewing for a few years now, and I am definitely getting better and better.
I have a spot in my basement where I ferment. I can't control things to the degree, but the area stays in low to mid 60s most of the year. I've been getting pretty good results from there. The downside is where I live I don't have a real dedicated area for it all.
We are thinking of moving, probably some time this year, and one of the things we'll be looking for is a place for me to brew. I'll be looking into induction burners, which is the other part that I've been having some trouble with - getting mash temps exactly where I want them, along with getting a fermentation fridge, along with building a keezer.
I've had more than a few batches I'm extremely happy with, and others less so. I have a stout fermenting now that I wonder how it'll end up - I had no end of trouble with the mash temps, it went from a bit too high to way too low with only a small cold water infusion, and then wouldn;t go back up no matter how much hot water I added back in.
I did get fermentation taking off in under 15 hours, and steady activity for most of the week, so I think my numbers are going to be close to where I want them.... we'll see how it turns out.

 

I have come across so much bad homebrew, made by people that are just happy to get something that is alcoholic and passable compared to swill lager from the majors. No, I haven't been to prison... but close.

Do I think my homebrew is better than the average BA homebrewer that positively contributes to this forum. No.

Is it better than the average homebrewer at large. Yes.

 

I voted don't know because I rarely drink other people's homebrew. Sad but true. Or maybe I'm not missing much. I don't know where the average sits. I do have a better grasp of how my homebrew compares to commercial examples and I would say it is average relative to commercial examples of similar styles. That's partly because I brew what I like so I can adjust recipes accordingly - it's not entirely objective.

 

I voted better than average, I'll admit it. That doesn't mean I'm happy with every beer and there's no room to improve, there totally is! But I've also tasted a lot of "meh" to crappy homebrew from others. A lot of people don't feel the need to search for the awesome information available both in print and online and are just happy to produce something drinkable.

I will defend competitions for a moment. While the abilities of judges vary (sometimes greatly), the volunteers try their best and competitions remain a great way to get honest feedback. Winning medals can feel like a bit of a crapshoot sometimes but over time I think scores even out to pretty accurate.

 

I said "don't know". I'm not in a club (and don't do contests), only tasted one other brewer's beer but he moved. Based on some of the absurd questions that get asked here, I would imagine that my beer is at least as good as the average brewer's and some of mine are way better than average.

 

I brewed for about 10 years before I went to Belgium on a "fact finding mission". Before then I brewed Friday night get drunk juice, after the trip I started researching and improving my techniques. Starters for liquid yeast and very strict temp control during fermentation completely turned the quality of my beer around. I am by far my harshest critic and I'm often not completely happy with a beer, but I had a pro brewer friend for years who gave me very honest feedback both good and bad.
I entered 2 beers in the Bluebonnet comp in Dallas 2 years ago, the only time I've ever entered a beer. My brown ale scored 41.5 in the first round, 41 in the finals but didn't place. The Belgian strong dark got a 38 in the first round. Both scores tell me I brew pretty good beer.

 

I voted "about the same as homebrew at large" because I'm a relatively new brewer and I'm still learning how to make better beer.

I began brewing in November with 2 extract batches and quickly transitioned to all-grain. Brewed 6 all-grain batches since then...the last two of which are still in primary. Since starting all-grain, I began rinsing and repitching yeast slurry to increase pitching rates. With the most recent two batches, I began using yeast starters and put together a freezer/controller combo for fermentation temp control. Because many of these batches are still fermenting or conditioning, the jury is still out but from preliminary tasting, I think the results are promising.

Attended two "brew-offs" at the local homebrew shop with multiple individual brewers and brew clubs. I was surprised at how unimpressive a majority of the beers were, one was even infected (band-aid flavor...at the time I didn't know that's what I was tasting). The last event I only tried 2 or 3 brews I thought were good or very good. Compared to those few, mine are not quite there yet, but getting there, IMO. My second batch of pale ale went to a competition this month, but I've not got scoring back yet. Hoping to get some good feedback there.

From the preliminary results of my limited experience, I can say that pitching rates, starters, and fermentation temp control have led to a better end result.

 

So I'd like to know how Vikeman's original conversation that led to this poll went, and if the results of this poll echoed that conversation more or less. Just curious.

 

I believe that beers are above average when the masses come back for more, and they come back for more!
I too brew because I enjoy it when I do (most of the time). I have had brew days go completely wrong and still made some pretty amazing beers. I have dumped some because I don't like it, I have had some I don't like that others have come back for more (so I let them have it) not me.
And still I keep doing it because if I stopped I might have a riot on my hands.
Cheers

 

I can't vote. But I'll put my 2 cents in. I feel like most of my homebrews are average. Three guys on my block brew, and there are beers I make that are better than theirs, and beers I make that are way worse. In coompetition my beers hover around the mid thirties with a couple being in the high 30s and low 40s and a couple being in the mid 20's. It is what it is. I have onebeer out that is NOT tasty beer. The rest have been palatable, and while I wouldn't buy most of what I brewed after the first six pack, I can also say that for about 90% of the beer out there. This poll leads me to believe that I should join a homebrew club to get some perspective on what's going on out there.

 

How many others have heard "This is good; it doesn't taste like homebrew"?

 

My favorite is the "where do you make this?" question followed by the wide-eyed response when they find out it's my garage.

 

On the other end of the spectrum... I had a keg mild that I added coffee to that I forgot about in the keezer that is going on a year old. My brother in law pulled a pour the other day and said, "wow, this is the first time your beer actually tasted a little homebrew-y.".... the keg got dumped this past weekend.

 

I really envy you guys that have 5 gallons of beer that can be forgotten about. I just can't produce enough to have a backlog like that.

 

If you are in Southern California ever, feel free to drop by... Having 12 kegs and enjoying the act of brewing more than drinking, means I usually have 8-10 kegs in the keezer full of beer. I tend to brew a lot, then have parties where all my friends come over and drink as much as they can and fill their growlers.

 

I'm highly critical of my beer but I don't just judge it for what it is or looking for flaws, I'm also judging it against what I expected. I think some of my beers are quite good but I've had my share of misfires and flaws. The amount of experimentation I do inhibits rebrewing the same recipes to perfect them. However, the desire to experiment normally exceeds the desire to perfect.

Based upon the homebrew judging I have done I feel like my beers are almost always well above the quality of the average homebrew. There, I said it.

 

I just don't have the storage capacity, or brewing time, for that. Working on both, however Thanks for the invite!