Better beer

[FirebladeAdam]

I recently found myself in a position of not having any beer ready to drink, so I bought a box of cans to drink. It's been a long time (a couple of years) since I actually bought beer from a shop to drink, and I was really unimpressed! I got some Abbot Ale, which I used to like before my foray into AG brewing. Perhaps it's because my beer doesn't contain any preservatives and things, but I'm really hankering for my own booze right now. This just tastes of fermented sugar; so my question is this... I can't believe I'd ever admit to thinking this but here we are... does anyone else feel like their beer is actually better than the stuff we can buy?!

 

[Brewnaldo]

I recently found myself in a position of not having any beer ready to drink, so I bought a box of cans to drink. It's been a long time (a couple of years) since I actually bought beer from a shop to drink, and I was really unimpressed! I got some Abbot Ale, which I used to like before my foray into AG brewing. Perhaps it's because my beer doesn't contain any preservatives and things, but I'm really hankering for my own booze right now. This just tastes of fermented sugar; so my question is this... I can't believe I'd ever admit to thinking this but here we are... does anyone else feel like their beer is actually better than the stuff we can buy?!

I find it incredibly difficult to judge. I cant switch off my overly critical mindset when drinking my own. Sometimes I am sat there thinking "is this even beer at all". I know that sounds stupid but genuinely, I do that. The odd blind test I hvae done generally stacks up ok. But I always know which beer is mine. What I should do is brew a beer then not taste it unitl its conditioned, and have my first taste blind against a commercial beer of similar style.

 

[Agentgonzo]

I'm certain that some of my beers are better than some mass produced ones. But in the same breath, it's never been as good as some excellent commercial beers (both craft and mass produced).

Abbot ale is was never a great beer IMO.

 

[Leon103]

I am not the world's best brewer so there is better beer out there.

I am not so worried about abbot ale though

 

[FirebladeAdam]

Ha! I completely agree about Abbot Ale! It's awful stuff. Amazing they get away with it. I think we can all make a better beer than that.
So what commercial beers are better than what we can produce at home in your opinion?

 

[MickDundee]

I’ve had some amazing beers that I doubt I’ll get close to with my own efforts, but I’ve also had plenty of commercial beers that are either flavourless or taste like bad Homebrew (I’ve even had an oxidised commercial beer, and a couple of commercial gushers).

I had a couple of cans of an English pale I got in a Christmas gift box last night, and it was like bad Homebrew - I’m also pretty sure the yeast used was S04.

 

[Clarence]

I recently found myself in a position of not having any beer ready to drink, so I bought a box of cans to drink. It's been a long time (a couple of years) since I actually bought beer from a shop to drink, and I was really unimpressed! I got some Abbot Ale, which I used to like before my foray into AG brewing. Perhaps it's because my beer doesn't contain any preservatives and things, but I'm really hankering for my own booze right now. This just tastes of fermented sugar; so my question is this... I can't believe I'd ever admit to thinking this but here we are... does anyone else feel like their beer is actually better than the stuff we can buy?!

Back in the day when I used to brew from kits and/or extract, my beer had a characteristic home brew "twang", which I'd got so used to that I'd miss it in a pint of bog standard pub bitter and I'd always finish off with a pint at home.
I had a bottle of Sam Smith's Nut Brown Ale the other day and the dark sugar was the prominant flavour. Not nasty or anything, but not something I really want in my beerglass.

 

[FirebladeAdam]

Yes it's pretty amazing what goes on sometimes; I had a bottle that was a 'limited edition' beer that tasted like my beer when I've used the yeast too many times. Shockingly bad, I've thrown better away.

 

[Cwrw666]

I collect beer labels - most peeled off bottles I've drunk - so tend to pick beers that I haven't already got. Have to say I've drunk an awful lot of absolute bilge water, not from the big boys but from microbreweries and `craft' breweries.
One of my local breweries I'm sure waits til it's kegs are on the use by date - and then bottles it and sticks a new use by date on it. I've even had a bottle bought direct from them that was totally gone off. There was a use by date on a sticker on the label and on peeling it off there was a previous one from the year before.
These days I tend to drink Guinness down the pub - not because it's great stuff but it is at least pretty consistent. A pint of real ale on the other hand so often leaves me wishing I was home drinking my own beers.

 

[moto748]

I'm a Guinness pub-drinker too. But when I go home and crack one of my own stouts, it may not have the mouth-feel of Guinness, but it certainly has more in the way of flavour!

 

[jof]

My son informed me the other day that none of the beers in the gastro pub he works at are as good as those I make.
(He is comparing pub draft with my bottled).

Not a bad comment from a 19 year old - I've brought him up on proper beer . OK, he drinks doombar when out, but it's better than the usual.dish water his friends drink.

Having said that it won't touch anything with IPA on it in a pub.

But I've been pleasantly surprised at some of the guest ales at spoons recently, even the Mrs remarked some were quite similar to what I make.

Other than that I think we are pretty much self sufficient in beer, although we do rotate through red wine & gin for a bit of variety

 

[Old Fart At Play]

Ah I remember when my beer always had that 'twang'. I still don't know what it was.
If buying I like Proper Job or West Indies Porter

 

[Brewshed]

Ah I remember when my beer always had that 'twang'. I still don't know what it was.
If buying I like Proper Job or West Indies Porter

Proper Job and West Indies Porter are my go to beers from the shops. I have a good recipe for Proper Job that I have done many times and I think I might actually prefer mine now. After ages hunting for a recipe for West Indies Porter (including trying to get one out of Guinness) I have now found one and today is the day I brew it for the first time. Fingers crossed!

 

[FirebladeAdam]

Proper Job is quite a good beer I think, it's in my local on a hand pull. I'm always amazed how hoppy it is, and so clear. I can choose one or the other with my beers! And even then the hop element fades fairly quickly. I'd love to know how breweries do that.

 

[Leon103]

I collect beer labels - most peeled off bottles I've drunk - so tend to pick beers that I haven't already got. Have to say I've drunk an awful lot of absolute bilge water, not from the big boys but from microbreweries and `craft' breweries.
One of my local breweries I'm sure waits til it's kegs are on the use by date - and then bottles it and sticks a new use by date on it. I've even had a bottle bought direct from them that was totally gone off. There was a use by date on a sticker on the label and on peeling it off there was a previous one from the year before.
These days I tend to drink Guinness down the pub - not because it's great stuff but it is at least pretty consistent. A pint of real ale on the other hand so often leaves me wishing I was home drinking my own beers.

Name and shame (bluestone)

 

[Cwrw666]

Name and shame (bluestone)

Oh I couldn't do that. But here's a clue - at the brewery they have urinals with each one labelled with such as `Carling Black Label'. Very amusing - I can only assume there's a staff toilet somewhere labelled `********* brewery'.

 

[bobukbrewer]

My beers are better than most commercial beers, but not as good as dark star beers or Hawkshead beers. My home made bread is pretty good too, but not as good as Tesco sourdough loaves....

 

[MrRook]

I know that some of my beers are as good as, or better than some commercial brews. I also know what to brew that I will like.

 

[chrisbjones202]

Name and shame (bluestone)

I've picked up a few cases from Cilgwyn and ordered a few cases over lockdown for father's day etc where they got steadily worse. I think they have lost their way unfortunately.

 

[Old Fart At Play]

Proper Job and West Indies Porter are my go to beers from the shops. I have a good recipe for Proper Job that I have done many times and I think I might actually prefer mine now. After ages hunting for a recipe for West Indies Porter (including trying to get one out of Guinness) I have now found one and today is the day I brew it for the first time. Fingers crossed!

Good luck!