Brewers Asset To Craftbeer Bars?

[Rowy]

On my recent stay in Melbourne and in fact at times in Brisbane I have spoken to various people behind the bar and they all tend to love the idea of people brewing their own. I think most of them have 'got' the fact that to go through the trouble that AG brewers do we truly love the golden drop and as a follow on enjoy tasting all different styles and types. One of the blokes at Deja Vu the other night said he had a few regular customers as brewers and they always bought other people in to try 'real beer' instead of the other crap. His words. He said they were a great help in converting people. This got me thinking. Our hobby has clealry advanced from the days of Brigalow K & K's and the reason for brewing being it was cheaper. Whether the cost was the initial motive for getting into the hobby it soon morphs into something much more. When out and about we in fact pay more for decent beer than we did in our megaswill days. So the question for those that got into the hobby for costs; have we in fact become a cog, all be it small, in the commercial brewery world anyway? Over to you gents.................................

 

[beerbog]

I can vouch that cost isn't a factor anymore.......... :icon_drool2:

 

[JDW81]

I can vouch that cost isn't a factor anymore.......... :icon_drool2:

Although I do like being able to punch out a 25L batch of hefe for less than 30 big ones.

 

[Spiesy]

Hard to say.

I buy less beer than I used to, as I make it, but when I do by beer - it's good beer.

But, I purchased good beer only, for years before brewing - it's what got me into brewing... the savings was a secondary.

I know there's still people out there who just brew cheap and nasty beer because it's cheap, and have for years - I doubt they're helping the "commercial brewery" world at all.

 

[DU99]

i think its getting something to suit our palette,not being dictated by the "Big Boys" of what we should be drinking..

 

[Rowy]

I agree whilst my consumption wouldn't break the 'Big Boys' it does feel somewhat liberating not to be drinking their product.

 

[Crusty]

After several years of making my own All Grain, I find it harder & harder to find commercial beers that I like these days.
It's fantastic to be able to manipulate a beer to precisely how you like it. It was never about costs for me but more of a chemistry, science hobby that interested me more at the start. I love offering people a beer that I've made when they drop round & get rather excited watching their initial reaction when they have a taste of their first ever All Grain beer.................Priceless!

 

[komodo]

I just love the bling

 

[labels]

I would have to say YES.

In a way we have made a significant difference. Most small enterprise micros are started by experienced homebrewers. In America, Sierra Nevada and Sam Adams (Boston lager) were both started by ex-homebrewers from what I've read.

In my home bar, I have a few people over every few weeks, different people I know from my local watering hole, the Para Hills Community club with a membership of over 14,000. Although only a few come over at a time, word gets around. I have not had one single beer drinking person over yet that wasn't impressed with the beer I serve which is sesssionable.

Most of the beer I make I give away, to promote home brewing, to promote anyone that has gone professional - micro, to make it known that this level of quality can be done at home and also stress the part multi-national breweries play in controlling the beer manufacturing, marketing and distribution - the politics of beer, Woolworths integrated vertical marketing - same with Coles and so it goes on. I'll stop now, I can get carried away with this subject and you can see why.

-=Steve=-

 

[amcqueen]

Once you start home brewing its like enlightenment to Buddhists..... You find what it's all about....

 

[beerbog]

Hard to say.

I buy less beer than I used to, as I make it, but when I do by beer - it's good beer.

I 100% agree with that quote. $55 for 6 bottles of beer is testament to that!

 

[bum]

$9 each is a lot, is it?

 

[browndog]

Brewing good beer at home is at double edged sword, my local got Hop Hog on tap and I was excited to give it a whirl. Unfortunately it was a letdown.

 

[bruce86]

I hope it doesn't stop you trying it again bd. It is an amazing drop.

 

[stakka82]

As mentioned above, I love it because I can control the ingredients and hence the beer by making an infinite number of adjustments.

I love getting to know a new ingredient, and how that ingredient works with others. Galaxy is a great example of this - I've been using it for over a year now and while it's still not my favourite hop, I have figured out how I can make it synergise with other hops for a sum greater than the parts of the hop bill. It took a year for me to really figure that out, and that's just ONE ingredient out of hundreds! I have a lifetime to enjoy exploring the myriad of different grain, hop and yeast combinations, not to mention adjuncts/weird ingredients/ph/salts/ferm temps etc.

The best part though is when mates come around for a drink with a sixer of something, have a glass of homebrew, and then stop drinking the sixer they brought round. I don't say anything but just smile quietly to myself... that feeling is the best.

 

[bum]

Brewing good beer at home is at double edged sword, my local got Hop Hog on tap and I was excited to give it a whirl. Unfortunately it was a letdown.

That's not from homebrewing, mate. That's from going to the States.

 

[pommiebloke]

Yeah it's not about cost for me, just ask the missus.

I am a nerd and a tinkerer at heart so for me it's all about the equipment, the process, the chemistry and the quality of the product. It still feels like magic to me that you can take a bag of grain and produce beer.