Homebrew vs. Commercial beers

I have about 5 homebrews at any given time but I always buy commercial. I just enjoy having the many varieties and honestly, some commercial craft beer is so amazing to me that I just can't see myself not buying it. Even though that I do purchase a lot of commercial craft beers, I normally drink about 50/50 in a day.

 

Depends on what the homebrew pipeline looks like...right now it's a little thin...a Barleywine, Baltic Porter, and Cranberry Lambic on 3 of my 4 taps. The IPL on the other tap has a Rye Prickly Pear IPA "on the bench" (still in the fermenter), so I'm buying currently to keep from running out before I can get a 10 gal IPA batch going. Thankfully, my son has also been giving me some really good mixed "guilt 6 packs" for watching his dog.

 

1 in 10 or 1 in 20 is a beer that was commercially packaged.

 

I've consumed a lot more commercial beer in the past year than is typical, maybe 50%? I brewed a lot in 2015, but I had some kegging issues that prevented me from serving up my beer -- leaky taps, leaky gas line, and a keezer in decline, so I still have a lot of 2015 homebrew. I bought a lot of commercial this winter, which seemed to coincide with the arrival of some big name brands in the local market - Lagunitas, Ballast Point, Deschutes, and more -- lots of beers available now that I never tried. The beaten path of craft beer has only just reached the WI / UP border. I usually avoid big beers, but, I really seem to have developed a strong affinity for some big Lagunitas beers. I drank those at the rate I craved them, I would be asleep on the couch by 8PM every night.

 

Homebrew 99% of the time. If we go out I am the DD so there will be no problems. Commercial craft brews only when the are given to me. Been finding more local Homebrewers and we occasionally do swaps, but I am happy with my cellar and brew often to ensure there is plenty fr family and guests.

 

Don't go out a lot, so normally I drink way more homebrew than commercial. Lately, I have been drinking mostly commercial while I wait for my F***ing contractor to finish my patio/brew space. I you read on the news about a man beaten to a bloody pulp with an empty corny, it is probably about me and my contractor

 

I would also say I'm a 50/50 split. I seem to attend or host a lot of beer tasting events and many of those are comparing commercial brews or homebrew vs commercial. Also at bars its obviously always commercial…so I end up drinking a decent amount of commercial beer despite almost always drinking homebrew on an ordinary night.

 

At one point I went a few years drinking only my home brew, never buying beer unless I was at a pub. Then a few years ago I started buying more craft beer to help come up with new recipes. Right now I'm probably about 50/50 but if I'm buying beer its craft 100% of the time. The last time I had a macro beer was when I helped my wife's cousin move a couple years ago, he supplied bud light. It was hot so I drank the hell out of it.

 

I would guesstimate 90% homebrew when it's available. Almost exclusively homebrew when I'm hosting or attending a homebew-centric gathering. Similarly, with rare exceptions, I tend to ignore the guest beer list when I'm at a brewpub. Partly out of respect for the brewer, partly because I just find the house beers to be more interesting.

 

Homebrew most of the time. Most of the commercial craft beers I buy to bring home are to try something I've read about or I'm out of homebrew. I brew the best beer I drink!

 

I'm at about 95% homebrew vs. buying commercial beers these days. It has to be something limited release or something that I really really want otherwise I'd rather drink my own stuff.

 

I agree, I brew to my liking. I've had beers that didn't do well in competitions because they may not be exactly to style but I like them so I keep brewing them. I hardly buy some styles at all, like IPAs, because I'm usually disappointed and prefer one of mine.

 

Now that I have a multi faucet kegerator and a good pipeline of bottled sours and high gravity stuff I rarely drink commercial. When I do it's something rare or for "research" purposes. Or of course at pub or restaurant.

 

There are so many amazing beers being produced by commercial breweries right now that I don't want to pass up on them simply because I brew my own. I normally keep about ten beers on tap at any time and I *still* need more variety. That's where commercial comes in, but commercial is always consumed either at tastings (traded beer) or at the pub. The only time I buy cases is when I have people over and can't have the homebrew supplied destroyed for one reason or another.

70/30 in favor of homebrew.

 

I'd say about 30-40% homebrew and the rest commercial. It depends how much I've been brewing, which as of late hasn't been too much. I tend to brew relatively drinkable/sessionable brews like saisons and APAs and rely on commercial examples for bigger beers. That said, my Wheat-Whiskey Oak Aged Imperial Coffee Chocolate Oatmeal Porter is just about ready to bottle