Hi.
I have found over the years of brewing at home that the general public ( friends and relatives who don't brew ) expect the beer that you may serve them to be pretty much the same as the beer they may get in the pub.
When they come to my home some bring Crown Lager some bring West End Draught some bring Cascade etc and the list goes on.
I find that the majority opinion nearly always rules; in other words, if you have two or three West WEnd, Blonde, Super Dry, drinkers then comments are generally negative indicating that the beer is not the same as they are used to. Having said this I notice that most still are happy to drink the beer offered.
Then you may get the people who don't stand in the bar at the pub knocking these beers down like there is no tomorrow and then you can offer them a beer, maybe an APA or an Amber or a California Common or any other beer that you may have brewed.
I have had some say that they have enjoyed one of my APA's more than any other beer.
No boasting here.
I have a workmen's house that I quite often stay in, in another regional town on the Eyre Peninsula and I have found that when I buy JS or LC or any other beer and leave it in the fridge then, the guys will drink it without comment. But you guessed it. It is replaced with the regulatory Blonde, Super Dry, West End etc, etc,
This indicates to me anyway, that, the price is the major factor with the majority of beer drinkers in Aus (or at least SA).
I agree with Screwtop and his comments. Both beer and wine is to be appreciated for what it is. Beer is not expensive.
There is some bad beers (including HB Micro and Mega) as there is bad wines but within the wine parameters the product is not often considered a HB but a small winery or a bad year etc etc.
After all, there is not many homes that the general public may be invited to, that, serve HB wine and , or beer.
So as a response to this original post I call myself a "fence sitter", although I reluctantly call myself a beer snob if it comes to a bad beer.
It is an interesting topic and the more we all can do tho introduce the megaswilling public to "good" beer the more we will find people enjoying the match of beer and food or just enjoying a quality beer after a days work to "quench" their thirst.
Cheers