Your average pub pint compared to home brew?

[abeyptfc]

alright folks,I thought I would post this after having a few pints at a pub on Friday night and not being too impressed, it's not that the pints were off its just that they were a bit flavourless and *****! firstly I'm not a beer snob, I brew AG beers but I like them to have a bit of flavour, as opposed to alcohol hit!
I had a pint of Guinness extra cold and 2 pints of Belhaven best. the Guinness tasted like my Guinness did after 6 months in the keg, sort of flat and boring, not very roasty or coffee, almost like a kit stout. the Belhaven Best just tasted bland.do you guys find this aswell? I'm not a tightarse and like a gd night out but hate paying £3 odd for beer that I can brew better myself! I can't stand drinking fosters stella Tennents in pubs either, thats why I opted for Best and Guinness, wish I'd stuck to soft drinks!

 

[beermaker]

I don't go to the pub much these days, although I did go for a pint after work the other day. the pint was nice in itself (hobgoblin on hand pump) but pub pints always seem to me to be a little "thinner" than homebrewed pints. I suppose the beauty of homebrewing is that we aren't constrained by having to make beers that appeal to the masses generally or by economical factors and so can make highly personalised brews. Still enjoy going to the pub when I can though, something very satisfying about having a few jars with good company in front of the fire! :

 

[sam.k]

Im lucky, my two watering holes are run by saints and frequented by ale drinkers. I cant remember the last duff pint i had in either

 

[chrig]

Because we don't have to pay duty, wages and delivery costs we can afford to make a better pint.

I try to drink mild at the pub, you always get what your expecting that way!

 

[the golden heap]

Aim a new kit beer and wine maker, had good success to date. I used to eat at my local pub a lot, then got into cooking and most times can cook something tastier and I know where it comes from etc, I guess it's the same, can't wait to go ag!

 

[Robbo]

It's been over 20 years since I last had a pub pint, unlike abeyptfc, I am somewhat tight and won't pay ridiculous prices for a pint of beer.

Up until nearly 9 months ago if i wanted a drink other than wine I always bought my beer from the supermarkets.

 

[Dronfieldbrewer]

Yep,

one of the reasons why I went commercial....There are some stunning beers in pubs but there are some mediocre ones too.

 

[Aleman]

I aim my expectations of the beer depending on the 'style' of the beer. Generally this works ok, and I rarely find myself underwhelmed by a pint of cask beer . . . I had a pint of Speckled hen on Thursday, that was OK nothing that was going to blow my mind but then I know what OSH is going to be like (The Abbott had run out, and no way was I drinking Greed King IPA even if it was only 50p with the meal I had ordered).

There are stunning beers out there but they push way outside the style envelopes that when you encounter a beer that is well brewed to style you go "Ho Hum . . . not very good" when it is a perfect example of the style.

I would much rather have 3 or 4 pint of Adnams Bitter that one pit of these horrible hop monsters that I am going to taste all night.

Give me a well balanced beer any day

 

[kentmark]

I think it depends on what you're drinking out. For example i had a pint of london pride at a toby carvery recently (best of a bad choice!). I like bottled pride but it was very boring in taste. I think forced carbonated at pump which spoilt it as well.

 

[Scalli]

I very rarely go to the pub now, have hardly been since the smoking ban forced us all outside which is no good in this country. We have plenty of places selling Theakstones up this way so usually plump for a pint of OP. Cant ever remember getting a bad one, but only ever drank at the places that were beer pubs not places with food and snotty kids running around.

 

[cask is best]

I find if I drink my homebrew [kits] I have an enjoyable pint but can only manage 3 otherwise I know about it in the morning even tho I brew my brews between 4.1 to 5.1% so not massive by volume. Yet if I go out I can manage 6 pints with no ill effects.

Since been on this site I have taken an interest in people commenting on the colder the beers the more tasteless they are, been a real ale only drinker I have noticed this too. Get a pint at just below room temp and you can really taste the toffee, caramels, nuts, hops malt etc etc . I went in a pub I usually frequent in my home city was a good pub but has been taken over and have stopped going in because the London pride was top notch now it's chilled.


Still enjoy a night out but at this moment I'm supping a very nice velvet stout which is going down very nicely. :

 

[Pjam]

You do say 'Your average pub pint' and I reckon the 'average' pint is quite poor. Don't get me wrong, there's some brilliant beer on sale that I'll never match ..... though I'm gonna try :)

IMO there's a mixed bag out there and sometimes I get home and think 'hmmm, my homebrew is not too bad' :drink:

 

[TRXnMe]

I had two excellent pints today

One of our local pubs does s arange of cask and good keg ales, they had one on 'Lord Tredegar', the pub is the Tredegar Arms, so I tried a pint, damn fine, drank it and went back for another.

They also have 'normal' beers on tap, but appear to have enough customers who like tasty, hoppy / malty beers for them to have Abbot on tap in a keg and three other good beers on hand pump.

 

[peelman]

All depends on the pub as mentioned above. I had quite a few beers in Cardiff yesterday and some of them were rubbish.... But some of them were fantastic, namely all the Tiny Rebel IPAs and the zero degrees IPAs, (there were a few more but I forget :drunk: ) but I do love my hops.... :

 

[Scalli]

Have to agree on the cold beer, always been a fan of Newki Brown, and its always been the norm to serve it chilled. I have yet to find one person like myself who prefers it off the shelf and not the fridge.

 

[mickthetrick]

Have to agree on the cold beer, always been a fan of Newki Brown, and its always been the norm to serve it chilled. I have yet to find one person like myself who prefers it off the shelf and not the fridge.

thats how my mate and i drink it. out the crate. carnt stand it chilled. barmade were we go allways has a crate ready for us. good lass she is.

 

[joe1002]

I find if I drink my homebrew [kits] I have an enjoyable pint but can only manage 3 otherwise I know about it in the morning even tho I brew my brews between 4.1 to 5.1% so not massive by volume. Yet if I go out I can manage 6 pints with no ill effects.

That could be down to your fermentation temps. I have seen that high fermentation temps will produce fusel alcohol which can give you a headache etc.

What are your fermentation temps?

 

[oldjiver]

I have been disappointed by the "thinness" of many bitters I have had in pubs. My local Conservative club sells my favourite, Adnams Southwold Bitter, and as they sell a LOT it is always fresh (which makes a difference). I can only remember three pints that made me go "WOW" in my 66 years. First was Ridleys of Chelmsford bitter from the wood. 40 odd years ago when I was on Jury service ( I would have hung anyone after 3 pints). It was stunning. Second was a pint of mild from "The Harwich Brewery". I have never had a pint with so much sweet aroma. (Well done Paul!). Third (strangely) was Staropramer lager on draught, so malty and rich. I havent tried other peoples homebrew (apart from calumscotts, which was truly excellent) as I dont know any other homebrewers and as I am disabled I would have to use a car to get to festivals which would defeat the object.

 

[cask is best]

I find if I drink my homebrew [kits] I have an enjoyable pint but can only manage 3 otherwise I know about it in the morning even tho I brew my brews between 4.1 to 5.1% so not massive by volume. Yet if I go out I can manage 6 pints with no ill effects.

That could be down to your fermentation temps. I have seen that high fermentation temps will produce fusel alcohol which can give you a headache etc.

What are your fermentation temps?

Hi. They usually range between 18 to 21c But my latest brew a wherry ( yet to try. Still conditioning) was kept at a constant 21c as I treated my self to an aquarium heater so will have to see how that goes.

 

[mattyhall22]

I am really lucky that my local regular pubs are all local real ale brewers so the beers are always fantastic my main watering holes are "Burton bridge brewery" pubs and "the old cottage brewery" pub. :