Home Brew Is Stronger Than Bought Beers.

[Slightly]

Why does everyone I tell about my brewing habit inform me this? Why do people think this?

 

[bum]

In my experience there are two reasons for this:

1. it tastes like something

2. it is stronger - I haven't made a single batch under 4.5% (not even GBs or cider). Am looking at my first Mild or something soonish though.

 

[Sammus]

Also I think that in the same kind of brews that are home brand kits fermented in the middle of summer at 30C and taste like shite (ie stereotypical homebrew image), they also do it just to get pissed, so it's not uncommon to add a heap of extra sugar to make it super strong.

I've seen a million posts come up on these forums in teh last couple years about newbs wonder how to make as strong a beer possible...

 

[Dutchbrew76]

Why does everyone I tell about my brewing habit inform me this? Why do people think this?

well i supose it comes from the bad publicity some older generation brewers have left behind, most people can think of a relitive or friend of the family that was into the home brew scene 20 or thirty years ago that caused a lot of headaches (due to badly brewed rubbish) and exploding bottles. yet today we have a hobby or even an art form in some cases that renders this stereo type obsolete. problem is because of the lack good publicity and people being happy to drink commercialised rubbish it will take another 30 to 50 year for this attitude to change.

 

[QldKev]

I think it's the stereotype of the fools that get a kit and add 2kg white sugar, brew hot and think themself a hero; cause they have made a 7% ish beer, and then call it 10%.

Most my brews I aim for around 4.5%, so mine are generally a bit milder than commercial stuff.

QldKev

 

[brettprevans]

stereotype + ignorance. homebrew = homestill moonshine etc etc.. its BS. i get it all the time.

 

[nathanR]

when I first got my fermenter thats all I wanted to do :beerbang: now all I want to do is make good drinkable beer and do some experiments

Like the real raspberry ale that is now brewing

but I usually put 1kg of dex and .5 of malt in my brews but am now slowly changing my ways

 

[manticle]

I also get asked that. Many of my beers sit between 5 and 6 percent so some are stronger. Obviously things like tripels and dubbels are going to be stronger.

My response is usually that it depends on what you're making and that I have fairly close control over the final outcome. Most people just have no concept how beer is made (I know I didn't until I started trying to find out) so homebrew = can and exploding bottles. It's like any other nerdy/obsessive hobby - why should we expect anyone else to know or care as much as we do?

 

[cdbrown]

Most of my brews are generally a tad over 5% so that fits the theory. When I was younger we used to brew super strength rubbish by inreasing the sugar in the brew. Nasty stuff.

 

[bum]

In my experience there are two reasons for this:

1. it tastes like something

2. it is stronger - I haven't made a single batch under 4.5% (not even GBs or cider). Am looking at my first Mild or something soonish though.

Just want to point out I thought he was talking about people who'd had his beers - not just randoms. The above is slightly OT I suppose.

 

[Pollux]

I get the same at work all the time, someone finds out I brew I get the usually questions "Does it get you drunk?" and "how much does it cost a case"..........


If I was just out to get shitfaced cheaply would I have bought a keg setup, built an AG rig, run a fermentation fridge???

 

[whitegoose]

I think it comes from the idea that homebrew is "rocket fuel" - uncontrolled, made by people who just want to get pissed.

 

[earle]

I think it also comes from an ignorance about beer. I've had people tell me that my highly hopped midstrength ale is strong. They equate taste with alcoholic content, or are unable to discern the difference. They just know that it doesn't taste like the bland megaswill they usually drink.
Now I ask them how it is strong?
- Strong in taste?
- Strong in bitterness?
- Strong in alcohol?

It cracks me right up when they declare they will drink brand x (megaswill) but wouldn't touch brand y (also megaswill) because it taste's like cat's piss. :lol:

 

[komodo]

I think a lot of it is to do with the fact that most people associate home brew with either teenagers (18/19yr olds) trying to make cheap beer and get pissed quick, middle ages tight asses, or retired old buggers with no taste buds left from the pack a day habbit making rocket strength beer in the shed when they arent mowing the lawns or cleaning the lawn mower.

Then you get the craft brews from commercial craft breweries which are generally higher alc% than the mega swill breweries so people associate smaller batch sizes with increased alc%.

Plus I think most of us would generally make a brew with a 5-7% alc for most of our brews. I know most I've made have been in that bracket and I'm currently looking into making a "small" beer (as close to 0% as possible whilst still having "beer" taste) for my younger brother who doesnt drink. IMO its harder to make a full flavoured beer at a lower alc% than it is to make a higher strength full flavoured beer.

It cracks me right up when they declare they will drink brand x (megaswill) but wouldn't touch brand y (also megaswill) because it taste's like cat's piss. :lol:

Why? I bet you used to have your prefferances when it came to mega swill. I know I did (and still do)

 

[Bribie G]

I've always been a 'hit' drinker, I usually skull a few back quickly then ease off, I love the initial "aaaahhhhhh" sensation as the ethanol hits the frontal lobes and the rough corners get knocked off the world, so I usually do a mid - 5% brew. However if I was a slow and steady sipper which many beer drinkers are then I'd probably go mid 4% instead.
I've been having an internal battle lately, my dark side wants me to do another toucan headbanger 9% stout, but my sensible side keeps protesting "not that, it's EVIL stuff". MMMM toucan toucan :icon_drool2: :icon_drool2:

 

[QldKev]

Toucan is soo yesterday, Trican or Quadracan is the only way!!

QldKev

 

[bum]

Dodecacan!!!

^aides water conservation too.

 

[Supra-Jim]

Dodecacan!!!

^aides water conservation too.

You can eat it with a spoon! :beer:

Cheers SJ

 

[Phoney]

I've been having an internal battle lately, my dark side wants me to do another toucan headbanger 9% stout, but my sensible side keeps protesting "not that, it's EVIL stuff". MMMM toucan toucan :icon_drool2: :icon_drool2:

I know what you mean! I saw Coopers stout cans on sale at Coles yesterday for $4.50 each. My fermenting fridge is going be tied up for the next 8 weeks with a pilsner, im wondering if I can pull off your toucan stout on the kitchen floor in a cube as soon as the weather cools off....

It took me 9 months to finish that last batch! Evil stuff indeed, but oh so tasty

 

[QldKev]

:icon_drool2: