77 replies to this topic

[SchwanzBrewer]

I got home the other night from dinner with the GF to find a bunch of friends playing video games at my place. They had taken a break and were in the kitchen drinking my homebrew. Now, I don't put a lot in the fridge at a time so it can't get drunk too fast, but it is kind of irritating considering I was trying to find out how long it takes for the beer to clear. All of these guys are BMC drinkers. They hardly ever have a beer that isn't a lager and actually has plenty of hop flavor. They happened to be drinking my 2nd batch which was supposed to be an SNPA clone, but after reviewing the recipe was more like an MLPA with the SNPA hop schedule, thus its new name, Bastard Ale. It has way more bittering than any beer they had that night and tons more aroma. They all proclaimed that they liked it, but they all had really different things to say about it. My roommate thought it was smooth, another friend said it wasn't over carbonated, and one guy guy said it tasted just like shock top!? He had been drinking shock top (my GF's beer) because we didn't have any bud light, which was his beer of choice so I figure his pallet was ruined, but still, I know hops can give a citrusy aroma but Shock Top!? Are you kidding me? They started machine gunning questions about beer and before I could answer they all said it was good and left for a party. I went though a gambit of emotions after they left.Now, all of them were buzzed by this time and still my first thought was these guys wouldn't know a good beer or an ale from a lager, what a waste of time and effort for those bozo's to be drinking it.I felt really snobby, so I opened up a bottle of Bastard Ale and relaxed on the couch. Has anyone had had these experiences or been able to deal with the educating the BMC'ers? Have I become a beer snob? Will agent moose and squirrel survive the rapids and beat Boris and Natasha to the moon base?

[MtnBrewer]

Palate?

[stellarbrew]

I've never had the experience of returning to my house to find uninvited guests drinking my homebrew. Had that happened to me, the gambit of emotions I would have run through might have included indignation, resentment, and anger. No offense, but it seems like your friends were taking advantage of you to get a free pre-party buzz going, and it wouldn't have mattered to them whether it was craft beer or Colt 45, just so long as it contained alcohol. I guess I might have felt differently back when I was in my twenties, but being the crotchety old man I've become, I would have no patience for such friends.

[MtnBrewer]

Gambit? (Apparently it's my day to be grammar police. Sorry guys. )

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Palate?

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Gambit? (Apparently it's my day to be grammar police. Sorry guys. )

It's really for the best - I'm not sure if this is even grammar (I should know b/c mine is pretty bad). This is just spelling and/or proper use of words.

[stellarbrew]

Gambit? (Apparently it's my day to be grammar police. Sorry guys. )

Yes, I conspicuously borrowed a turn of phrase I wouldn't normally use.

[Given2fly]

I've never had the experience of returning to my house to find uninvited guests drinking my homebrew. Had that happened to me, the gambit of emotions I would have run through might have included indignation, resentment, and anger. No offense, but it seems like your friends were taking advantage of you to get a free pre-party buzz going, and it wouldn't have mattered to them whether it was craft beer or Colt 45, just so long as it contained alcohol. I guess I might have felt differently back when I was in my twenties, but being the crotchety old man I've become, I would have no patience for such friends.

+ 1As for the other responses, so what if someone spells something incorrectly or uses a word to describe something that you don't care for - is this board turning into the green board all over again? If you don't have something to add to the discussion/post, I don't see a reason to post anything at all.

[pods8]

Yeah the uninvited part throws me. College turf was different but if I brewed in college I would have had my stuff under lock and key so I could decide when it got drank otherwise it'd be gone the first chance it was presented.

[Deerslyr]

+ 1As for the other responses, so what if someone spells something incorrectly or uses a word to describe something that you don't care for - is this board turning into the green board all over again? If you don't have something to add to the discussion/post, I don't see a reason to post anything at all.

Agreed... the mis-use of words annoyed me in the past. With what I do, every word has meaning and can mean the difference between hundreds of thousands of dollars over a number of years. But, I know what these posts are meant to convey. That being said...It's time to teach your "friends" a lesson. Make a beer that is relatively inexpensive... heck you could even make a 2.5 gallon batch... it's all you would really need. Toss in some liquid smoke ala Racuhbier, but be sure to toss in too much. Rauchbier is definitely an acquired taste, even for those of us who enjoy craft beer. I think most either love it or hate it. Then, when you ferment it, be sure to ferment it well above the recommended temperature. At bottling, be sure to undercarbonate. I'd suggest overcarbonating it so they get gushers, but this is your place you'd need to clean. Don't drink them yourself, but leave them in the fridge for them to "enjoy". You get the idea right??? Make the crappiest beer you can and teach those A-holes a lesson. I agree with Stellarbrews initial response. BTW, what the hell were they doing at your place while you were out for dinner??? Frankly, if I'm not there... then neither are my friends... regardless of whether I have a kick ass game console.Oh... and to be sure they take the correct bottles, label them something cool, like World of Warcraft Firewater, or something linked to the gaming.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

+ 1As for the other responses, so what if someone spells something incorrectly or uses a word to describe something that you don't care for - is this board turning into the green board all over again? If you don't have something to add to the discussion/post, I don't see a reason to post anything at all.

you laughed a little when you saw that picture of a pallet. admit it!! come on!!!And the a full gambit is just plain incorrect (this isn't a matter of opinion or tastes). He meant to say full gamut. If we correct here where it doesn't matter we'll be saving people the embarrassment in real life. I didn't know the green board was known for grammar/spelling nazis...

[SchwanzBrewer]

A) Quit being so darned picky and answer the question if you please irregardless of the grammar; PunctuaTION, or spellin. 2) Would you say I had a plethora of emotions?Niner) These guys have pallets regarding nuances in beer, not palates. Beta) My roommate invited them over to play video games and such before they went out, which is fine, but I am not sure how I feel about them drinking home brew (They only drank 4 bottles and I would have given them more to taste had they asked first).MtnBrewer: You're on double secret probation mister!

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Agreed... the mis-use of words annoyed me in the past. With what I do, every word has meaning and can mean the difference between hundreds of thousands of dollars over a number of years. But, I know what these posts are meant to convey. That being said...It's time to teach your "friends" a lesson. Make a beer that is relatively inexpensive... heck you could even make a 2.5 gallon batch... it's all you would really need. Toss in some liquid smoke ala Racuhbier, but be sure to toss in too much. Rauchbier is definitely an acquired taste, even for those of us who enjoy craft beer. I think most either love it or hate it. Then, when you ferment it, be sure to ferment it well above the recommended temperature. At bottling, be sure to undercarbonate. I'd suggest overcarbonating it so they get gushers, but this is your place you'd need to clean. Don't drink them yourself, but leave them in the fridge for them to "enjoy". You get the idea right??? Make the crappiest beer you can and teach those A-holes a lesson. I agree with Stellarbrews initial response. BTW, what the hell were they doing at your place while you were out for dinner??? Frankly, if I'm not there... then neither are my friends... regardless of whether I have a kick ass game console.Oh... and to be sure they take the correct bottles, label them something cool, like World of Warcraft Firewater, or something linked to the gaming.

is this why most people have such low expectations for homebrew?

[MakeMeHoppy]

Well I have a nice Pale Ale that BMC drinkers will try and have a couple of. Since you are offering them homebrew you are ALWAYS going to get the it's good comment because they don't want to offend you and have never tasted anything like that. If they find it drinkable you do get the 'yes, that is good just like (insert currently popular beer name here)'. I also got shock top once, but I also got Guiness once. Of course my APA was not as 'heavy' as Guiness, but it tasted like it.What kills me is the way that a BMC drinker can distinguish their brand from all other BMC brands, but cannot distinguish an APA from a stout. I can't tell you how many times I've heard things like "I can't drink Mich Ultra, I drink Mich light" etc. My opinion is I gave them a chance. Every so often someone will come along and try other styles and learn to like craft beer, 90% of the time all you get is they can tell others that they know some crazy guy that actually makes beer in his basement./end rant

[MtnBrewer]

Take it easy, I'm just clowning on you guys. I thought the use of the word pallet was pretty funny and then when stellar used "gambit" it was too good to pass up.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

What kills me is the way that a BMC drinker can distinguish their brand from all other BMC brands, but cannot distinguish an APA from a stout. I can't tell you how many times I've heard things like "I can't drink Mich Ultra, I drink Mich light" etc.

It's like they are calibrated too sensitive so anything outside of the light american lager all tastes the same to them. The gain is turned up too high...... or they are full of shit

[SchwanzBrewer]

Well I have a nice Pale Ale that BMC drinkers will try and have a couple of. Since you are offering them homebrew you are ALWAYS going to get the it's good comment because they don't want to offend you and have never tasted anything like that. If they find it drinkable you do get the 'yes, that is good just like (insert currently popular beer name here)'. I also got shock top once, but I also got Guiness once. Of course my APA was not as 'heavy' as Guiness, but it tasted like it.What kills me is the way that a BMC drinker can distinguish their brand from all other BMC brands, but cannot distinguish an APA from a stout. I can't tell you how many times I've heard things like "I can't drink Mich Ultra, I drink Mich light" etc. My opinion is I gave them a chance. Every so often someone will come along and try other styles and learn to like craft beer, 90% of the time all you get is they can tell others that they know some crazy guy that actually makes beer in his basement./end rant

This is the first one my roommate liked. The first time I let him try it he didn't like it, but that was right after it finished carbonating and it was still a little harsh. This time he thought is was much smoother, to quote him "I like it now that it is smoother, but I couldn't drink this all the time like I do with Yuengling ". It should be noted that they had at least two beers each before they tried mine so I am sure just about anything would be good to them at that point. And I have told everyone not to hold back on the likes or dislikes. They can't hurt my feelings on it, I won't get better if I don't get honest feedback.With the amount of brewing that I have been doing it really would seem like a shame to brew an uber nasty beer. I would rather make enough so I don't have to worry about someone having a few. Rich

[SchwanzBrewer]

Take it easy, I'm just clowning on you guys. I thought the use of the word pallet was pretty funny and then when stellar used "gambit" it was too good to pass up.

*furiously looks for a horse head to put in MtnBrewers bed.*

[MtnBrewer]

*furiously looks for a horse head to put in MtnBrewers bed.*

They can't hurt my feelings on it, I won't get better if I don't get honest feedback.

[Deerslyr]

is this why most people have such low expectations for homebrew?

Could be! For the homebrewer who doesn't want his "stash" messed with on a regular basis, this is the perfect gambit (yeah... I was pretty proud of myself for being able to work this little used word into the thread in the right context). LOLHere's how I look at it... Rich is young in age and brewing experience. Those first few batches are babies and you can be very protective of them. So it sucks when someone takes without asking. However, I would admit that based on my reading of the intital post, that I thought several bottles were consumed. And by several bottles, I mean ten or more. Had I known it was only four, my suggestion might not have been that extreme. At this point, Rich is brewing for himself. I have no doubt that as his stores grow, he will be more than willing to share. But we all get to that point in our own time. But I still contend that if you wanted to hoard it all for yourself, that there is nothing like a really crappy beer to deter would be bottle thieves.{This post has been visually checked for any errors in spelling and proper usage. Any errors are due to the limitations of the poster, who got a C in his English Writing class in college.}