Sounds familiar, man ! I also do the same in reverse - I’ve brewed long enough I don’t need fake praise. I tell brewer friends to critique my beers. It’s made me better.
Many people when I was younger and even now say things like, “Do you know that stuff is made ‘from the bottom of the barrel’”? When I was young I didn’t know what that meant. After brewing for 16+ years I still have no idea why people say that. Someone actually just said it to me a few weeks ago and I said, “the bottom of what barrel?” and he said, "You know, the bottom of the barrel of… " and he trailed off without finishing. People will ask me how beer gets its color and I’ll show them my big container of specialty malts and it all gets clear at that point.
I have encountered similar situations with commercial brews on tap at specialty beer bars. The bartender will suggest a beer to me and it is poured very flat and when asked about the beer, I let him know that it needed additional carbonation to be evaluated properly. The bartender will often get quite defensive and say something like “it comes carbonated by the brewery”…duh, so what happened to it while it was on your system, then?
I remember buying a Budweiser anniversary beer in the mid-2000s that explained the beer was the best beer because it came from the top of barrel.
In spite of the stupid advertising around it, it was a pretty good beer. I’d buy it again.
I often get asked what I think about people’s beers. I usually ask “do you want to know if I like it or do you want to critique it with me like it’s in a competition?”. Then we go from there.
I’d ask for the answer to the first question first. Lol
That’s pretty much what I do. I will also tell them why I like it or don’t like it, if they really want to know. For example, I’m not very fond of coriander, so I won’t like a witbier or gose if it’s too prominent (for me). So, I may not like it, even if it’s a classic example of the style.
I’ve had a few times where people were handed my beer not knowing what it was and then after drinking some were informed that I made it. Then a look of shock comes over their face as they ask, “you made this?”
If I can do it as good as the pros in a craft beer drinking crowd that’s something.
Since we are patting ourselves on the back it’s also very common for my wife to have a beer when we are out and be displeased that it’s not as good as my beer. she is kind of biased though 
I think the best compliment is when a fellow home brewer asks for your recipe.
true that.
I’ll need to start withholding information. usually homebrewers who try my beer already have access to the recipe.
Honestly, that’s pointless. I couldn’t care less who has my recipes, because the chances of them exactly replicating my process and results aren’t very high. Usually the only people I know who are worried about sharing recipes are those that think someone else will brew a better beer with them.
it was a joke!
I wasn’t referring to you. I know people that are very protective of their recipes. One pretty much admitted that was why.
ah - sorry for the confusion. since you quoted me I thought you were. I don’t withhold anything.
If someone brewered my recipe, and entered it in a comp against mine, and won, I think that would be cool. Of course I would still take all the credit lol
Hasn’t happened to me yet. Closest was a club brew day where me and another couple guys split a wort and dry hopped and fermented with different yeasts. Mine outscored the other two by a couple points, but none of them won because the comp was when they were a little past their prime.