Has homebrewing had an effect on your BA ratings?

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by CO-Bloom, Jan 29, 2017.

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  1. CO-Bloom

    CO-Bloom Pundit (879) May 3, 2014 Colorado

    I generally rate things pretty high on this site. I try to rate things within style (even if it's not my favorite style.) which contributes to an average higher rating for the beers I review. However, I think one of the main contributors to my high BA ratings is that I have made some lousy home brew in my day. My first 3 batches were drain pours and I still haven't made something I am truly impressed by (though it is improving and I still love the hobby). With that said, this had led to a greater appreciation of well made beer because I have experienced the spectrum of off flavors. When I see such harsh and often dramatic critiques on well made beers (many of the large regional brewers) I wonder if they understand what truly bad beer can taste like? Haha. Now, I am sure some people can't fathom that their home brew stinks (just like no one thinks their kid is ugly) but has your experience home brewing or the consumption of friends home brew caused a greater appreciation for well crafted beer?
     
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  2. mikeinportc

    mikeinportc Grand Pooh-Bah (3,735) Nov 4, 2015 New York
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Yes.
    (& I haven't brewed myself since losing my stuff in a flood a few years ago.)

    It's also caused me to question how certain commercial breweries ( that I won't name here) can keep going, with beer that's no better, and often worse, than home-brewed stuff that I've had. :rolling_eyes:
     
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  3. Urk1127

    Urk1127 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,790) Jul 2, 2014 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Yes. And doing a few off flavor sit ins I can now pick out problems easily and what could have been done differently to fix them. It's actually ruined many beers for me that I had previously enjoyed haha.
     
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  4. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    I'm with you, OP. I haven't had too many issues when brewing, but between my mistakes and especially reading about other's mistakes in this forum, I know what the off-flavors taste like and how serious they are to be able to mark a lower score when I find one in a beer. Happily, I don't find those mistakes very often in commercial beers.
     
  5. NovaKane

    NovaKane Initiate (0) Jan 27, 2017 Virginia

    I'm only one completed batch into my homebrew journey and it was not perfect by any stretch. Yet I wonder the same, how do these breweries make money If I can brew decent beer at home theirs should be amazing.
     
  6. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    The truth is that if you're serious about it, you can make better beers than many pros. A major reason is that you don't have to cut cost corners. For example, a grain or hop bill that costs 50% more than another is nothing when brewing 5 gallons, but it could kill a pro brewery financially.

    Reasons mediocre breweries can make money...
    - Location/captive audience
    - Unsophisticated customers
    - Most people are not home brewers

    When it comes right down to it, pro brewers range from lousy to great, just like home brewers.
     
  7. CO-Bloom

    CO-Bloom Pundit (879) May 3, 2014 Colorado

    Totally agree that it goes both ways. I have had experiences with pro brewers were off flavors and even infections abound. I went to a somewhat local brewery where 5 of 7 beers were obviously infected. The head brewer was eventually removed because local kept getting sick. The dude could not admit that his beer had issues... It was bad. However to my original point, I find that I appreciate the subtleties and consistent quality of places like Sierra Nevada, Deschutes, Lagunitas, and the other national or regional breweries. I just don't get when people can say they are "terrible or garbage." Maybe I am too literal, here? I know some folks are just dramatic but I don't get it. I know it's a relative scale and it is subjective but I guess I am finding that appreciate the less intense styles and breweries even more because of my experience with bad beer (both home brew and pro breweries). But as you improve as home brewer I totally get how it swings the other way. It fun for me because I think I can truly appreciate almost every style, even though IPA's are my favorite.
     
  8. CO-Bloom

    CO-Bloom Pundit (879) May 3, 2014 Colorado

     
  9. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    My kids are ugly :slight_smile:, but my homebrew is sublime :grinning:
     
  10. pweis909

    pweis909 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,250) Aug 13, 2005 Wisconsin
    Pooh-Bah

    Homebrewers generally become more educated about beer. It helps you better identify flaws and hone in on things you like. Most homebrewers refine their tastes, I suspect. If you review beers, that information creeps into your review.
     
  11. redgorillabreath

    redgorillabreath Zealot (511) Mar 29, 2015 Pennsylvania

    I can only remember one beer, which used to be (late 1980's) the top brew available around where I live, which had quality problems that I noticed.

    Otherwise, what I notice is commercial brews having to be profitable products. Grain bills, hops bills, and conditioning time all cost $$$. So when I have a purchased brew that can stand up to what I can make at home (IMHO), I admire the fact that the brewery is finding a way to get that quality level out there in a way that can make the brewery financially viable.
     
  12. CO-Bloom

    CO-Bloom Pundit (879) May 3, 2014 Colorado

    All these comments are an encouragement to keep getting better! This is a bit of a side trail but how many brew days deep were you when you felt it was as good as some of your favorite commercial examples?
     
  13. 1beerbaron

    1beerbaron Initiate (0) Mar 24, 2009 Ohio

    It has me a much harsher rater. I tend to rate things fairly low compared to others. I am consistently low though, so there's that. I can critique better than I could before I homebrewed. I also have the attitude that if I can make amazing beer (not all are amazing, but I like to think I haven't made a bad beer in a while) at home and put the time and effort in to learning the process and tweaking, then someone getting paid to do it surely can.
     
  14. Ten_SeventySix_Brewhouse

    Ten_SeventySix_Brewhouse Zealot (744) Jul 20, 2016 Indiana

    I have the opposite experience you did. Before I started homebrewing, I thought all commercial beers were well-made and great-tasting. Once I started homebrewing, I started being less impressed by commercial beers, and actually being downright disappointed by most local breweries I visited.

    This is going to sound ridiculous, but maybe 6? My first two batches were extract. I thought they were good at the time, but today I wouldn't even want to drink them. First all grain batch (BIAB) was my third, and it had fermentation temp issues. Fourth was my first attempt at building my own recipe - ended up with a boring SMaSH. Fifth was an IPA recipe I created, and it was great, but ended up overcarbing in the bottles. My 6th batch was someone else's award winning English brown recipe, and I was very impressed with my rendition. Every batch since then has been equal to or better than most commercial examples IMHO.

    I'm not bragging by any means. I'm just pointing out that some of the smaller operations putting out sub-par beer have no excuse.
     
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  15. invertalon

    invertalon Pooh-Bah (2,249) Jan 27, 2009 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    For me, probably my 4-5th... I started right with all grain and quickly got into temp control and water adjustment and such, so the quality was there from the start aside from the learning curve of ingredients and recipe formulation.
     
  16. hopfenunmaltz

    hopfenunmaltz Pooh-Bah (2,635) Jun 8, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah

    I started Homebrewing a long time ago. I don't rate online, but I do judge Homebrew completions. As my palate and judging skills advance, I find that many commercial beers are not the best. There are the breweries that cut cost, but you have to remember there are ones that have economies of scale that minimizes costs. There are breweries that don't adjust the water, and it shows in some of their beers. Rushed fermentation and maturation shows. Style inaccuracy shows (don't hop your Kölsch like an IPA). And so on.

    So I have gotten more critical of commercial beers - and my own.
     
  17. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Jeff, I sometimes notice this from time to time in some local breweries. I get frustrated with this aspect. I can't help but think: if they only gave this beer a few more days of tank time.

    The plus of homebrewing is that we do not have production schedules that compel us to serve a beer too soon.

    Cheers!
     
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  18. redgorillabreath

    redgorillabreath Zealot (511) Mar 29, 2015 Pennsylvania

    I definitely notice that I am becoming more critical of my own brews.

    But I still enjoy the heck out of them. Like my grandma usd to say, "everybody's crow's the blackest". :wink:
     
  19. GetMeAnIPA

    GetMeAnIPA Pooh-Bah (2,559) Mar 28, 2009 California
    Pooh-Bah

    No, but I find myself less interested in new beers or beers I "must" have because in most cases I can brew a similar beer I'll like about the same or better. For instance, I never seek out "juicy" iPas because the ones i've brewed have been damn good.
     
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