Do I sound smug...
#1
Posted 10 April 2009 - 03:35 PM
#2
Posted 10 April 2009 - 03:47 PM
A little smug... but you have to remember that a brewer gets accustomed to "house flavors", which will taste very foreign to you. Not everyone can, or wants to, brew AG. And extract can make perfectly great beer. One of the best beers I made was a Hefe from an extract recipe/kit from my LHBS. With all that being said... I brew AG because... well... I can! (and it's fun!)So my LHBC had their annual comp this last month and the judges had quite a bit of beer left over from those who didn't make it past the first round. One of the organizers had a great idea to get us at the meeting to try and guess what styles they were entered as and each table got a 6er to try. My table got second. That aside, some of the beers that were entered were really not very good. I assume all comps are different as far as the level of entries, but it has become clear to me that a lot of homebrewers mix together a few cans or a kit and think that they are going to win awards? I have made some beer in the past that didn't turn out as I had thought it would, so by no means am I perfect and I don't want to come off arrogant. But I would also assume that most people who would be attempting said kits would have some experience drinking commercially available examples of the style they are trying to brew. Are they as good as that? If not then why enter it. And here's another can of worms, but extract twang... People seem to be amazed that I knew their beer was made from extract...
#3
Posted 10 April 2009 - 04:21 PM
#4
Posted 10 April 2009 - 04:27 PM
I'm pretty critical of my own stuff. Seemingly more than other people are. Maybe they are just being politeI always encourage people in our club to enter. it doesn't matter. Some people send in beer that they know isn't right but hoping to get some pointers. Ultimately though, I think brewers can have a blind spot for their beer. They drink as they think they made it, not really how it is. It's tough and that's why you ask for opinions.
#5
Posted 10 April 2009 - 04:37 PM
#6
Posted 10 April 2009 - 05:12 PM
#7
Posted 10 April 2009 - 05:14 PM
#8
Posted 10 April 2009 - 05:17 PM
#9
Posted 10 April 2009 - 06:34 PM
#10
Posted 10 April 2009 - 06:38 PM
#11
Posted 10 April 2009 - 07:08 PM
#12
Posted 10 April 2009 - 10:47 PM
If you get fresh extract, and you do full boils, you'll have very good beer that's hard to impossible tell from All Grain, IMHO. OldFart did some AG vs Extract stuff over at the other board. I know that StoutFan was part of some of those.One thing that I'm thinking is that and AG brewer is also more likely to have better fermentation temp control, just because they are more likely to be more 'into' the hobby. An extract brewer with good fermentation temp control is going to make better beer then an AG brewer without.I do agree with much that has been said already. I have judged at comps and have been given beers after the competition that did not make it to further rounds. Some were very good and some were not so good. I typically enter only beers that I feel have a chance of placing, but many brewers will enter just to get feedback. With the quality of extracts today when full wort boils are used, it's nearly impossible to detect extract vs all-grain. In some cases it's easier to detect all-grain beers over extracts. There are several extract brewers in my homebrew club that nail style guidelines (and win awards) consistently.
#13
Posted 11 April 2009 - 07:54 AM
I think there is a lot of truth to this statement. Since being active on the board my beers have improved exponentially simply due to the critical thinking I have done about my brewing process and recipe formulation.This isn't a rule but chances are if you spend your time on a board talking about brewing and such you probably are going to be a leg up on other folks right off the bat.
#14
Posted 11 April 2009 - 07:56 AM
I'd find it really hard to believe that my beers would have advanced to this point with out the folks around here helping out.I think there is a lot of truth to this statement. Since being active on the board my beers have improved exponentially simply due to the critical thinking I have done about my brewing process and recipe formulation.
#15
Posted 11 April 2009 - 12:22 PM
#16
Posted 11 April 2009 - 01:40 PM
A bit of a thread jack, but ... THIS. I pretty much only do the club only comps anymore because I think a lot (not all) of the BJCP judges are full of crap. I brew what I like and I give it to the club for feedback which I value and appreciate because I know them and their experience level ... I think only one of them is BJCP certified, but I treat all their feedback as equally valuable. I think it comes down to feedback you can trust as valid, if that is from a comp great, but that is just not for me. Yes, some HB is crap, but we have all brewed crap at one time or another, and wouldn't be where we are at if it weren't for the experience of brewing crap ... just my $.02 on this.I am also not big on BJCP, but that is another topic. I guess I come from a standpoint that is very foreign to a lot of other people (not just homebrewers). I had no idea how much people enjoy competing with each other in everything they do. Maybe I should be more competitive?
#17
Posted 11 April 2009 - 02:04 PM
Most people are full of it. It's true. This doesn't just apply to judging beers.A bit of a thread jack, but ... THIS. I pretty much only do the club only comps anymore because I think a lot (not all) of the BJCP judges are full of crap. I brew what I like and I give it to the club for feedback which I value and appreciate because I know them and their experience level ... I think only one of them is BJCP certified, but I treat all their feedback as equally valuable. I think it comes down to feedback you can trust as valid, if that is from a comp great, but that is just not for me. Yes, some HB is crap, but we have all brewed crap at one time or another, and wouldn't be where we are at if it weren't for the experience of brewing crap ... just my $.02 on this.
#18
Posted 11 April 2009 - 04:17 PM
#19
Posted 12 April 2009 - 04:57 AM
What would cause that? Soap residue somewhere?We were just having this conversation at a local homebrew gathering. I have swapped beers with a number of other brewers from across the country and I have tasted things you can't imagine. I'm serious... some of these people will say, "Dude... you gotta taste my blonde ale!". Okay... it arrives and it's dark brown and smells & tastes like hairspray. I think that a lot of homebrewers think their beer is the bomb because they made it and it looks like beer. Not good.
#20
Posted 12 April 2009 - 05:51 AM
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users