I agree that I freely give away homebrew. I usually have way way way more than I can ever drink so I give it away to any and all lol. Most of my friends are ‘beer friends’ and don’t show up empty handed. Some that do I don’t mind. Honestly if it was always beer for beer I would then be stuck in the too much beer camp even further… So it’s good it’s usually only a bottle or 2 when people come over… and they get multiple pints in return… or just multiple pints for free… Either way I’m good.
As for your particular situation I would probably just say something ‘jokingly’ about how you always give them beer and they never bring you any beers. I think most people know there is that twinge of truth in jokes and they will get the hint… I guess if they didn’t get the hint and I really cared I would just tell them… “Hey bring some craft beer when you visit.”
In the past I’ve designated certain homebrew as “not ready” regardless of whether that was true, to keep visitors from cleaning me out.
But that was when I had only 2-3 homebrews in the house at any one time. These days I drink about 1 beer most days and make about 3.5 gallons a week. The math doesn’t work out unless it is being given away or dumped when it starts to get old.
I get where the OP is coming from, but I think he’s created a lot of it. “it is always up to me to serve beer” and “they expect me to bring homebrew or store bought beer.”
I doubt that the family declared that he was the only person who can bring beer and if he doesn’t bring something one time maybe they’ll stop expecting it. As the “beer expert” they probably just think his choices will be better and need to be coaxed to purchase a bit of it themselves. Show interest in what they bring, mention some other good choices, and encourage them to do it again.
Basically, instead of being the Beer Guy, just be the Homebrew Guy, who supplements the beer others bring with homebrew if he’s got any to share.
Anybody who comes to my house is welcome to as much of almost anything I have on tap as they can handle. But before I let people pull a pint of a specialty beer like a rauchbier or something sour I give them a 4 oz taster glass. I do get irritated at glasses half full of those beers sitting on the counter attracting flies.
I don’t bottle beer so i rarely take homebrew to parties(I take my own storebought stuff to share) and I don’t let people fill growlers to take home-if I’m not good enough to drink WITH my beer is too good for you.
+1. Yeah, I love to share my beer with people but I definitely try to serve the right beers to the right crowd. I don’t have too many people over who are die hard BMC drinkers, but I would try to steer them to a pale ale, cream ale or kolsch over one of my quads or a wee heavy for sure.
I am happy to share w/anyone that wants to drink my HB. I brew way more than I “should” drink. I’m usually critical of what I brew and am continuously surprised when people lay on the praise for my brews. Which is why I’m slow to be in clubs and such. I’d be an awful judge, and am slow to compliment others on sometimes very good beers.
I have a buddy that works in food product development. He always turns me on to his “expired” fermentables. I try to make enough beer and mead to keep him stocked for sure.
In my family we were taught that it’s rude to go to someone’s house as a guest without bringing something to show one’s appreciation. That can be almost anything. When I know it would be appreciated, I bring along a growler of homebrew. Sometimes, I bring along something unusual for others to try if they’re interested. I recently made a trip to Wisconsin and brought back some nice New Glarus fruited sours. I took those with me to Thanksgiving dinner at my Aunt’s house and shared them. It was interesting because some of the family hadn’t had a sour or fruited beer before, but really liked what I brought.
If your guests don’t bring beer you find satisfying, maybe you could suggest they bring something else to go with your beers. Maybe there is something they cook that you like and could ask them to bring. My wife and I have a friend who almost always brings guacamole, which is fine because she makes it fresh and has a great recipe. Sometimes she just brings the ingredients along and prepares it when she arrives.
When it comes to my guests who aren’t so sure about homebrew, I have sampler trays I built that each hold four 3-oz glasses. I usually have four beers on tap so, when someone new comes by I offer them a sampler of whatever is on tap then let them decide whether they’d like a full pour of something.
I do the same with growlers - a great way to show appreciation for being invited over. I have sampler glasses and moved to 10 oz nonic style glasses for my standard house sized “full pours”. It works better than having full shaker pints or larger as the standard size. It helps moderate some of the guzzlers - though only slightly for the zealous beer suckers.
Either way it is of no mind of mine…I have actually now started having empty keg anxiety - waiting for a keg to empty, so I Candace a place to rack to, so I can free up a fermenter and brew again! That is a huge change of mindset, especially when I have over 15 cornies and growing…don’t tell my wife :o
I have always asked, when invited to someone’s home, I ask “what can we bring?”. More often than not the answer is “you don’t need to bring anything”. I normally bring a couple of bottles of wine anyway (one to serve at the gathering and a special one as a thank you).
When I have invited people to my home for an evening, weekend or a week I fully expect to supply all the food and drink necessary for the time frame they are staying. If they invite themselves then some of it is on them.
What really bugs me is when people come our Oktoberfest carrying a 12 pack of BMC and then leave it in my beer fridge at the end of the night. I typically have 5 beers on tap in a wide range of flavors and these folks won’t even take a taste of any of my beers. That is frustrating. One year I actually keptthe 5 left over Coors Light cans in the fridge for a year and served them to these folks at the next O-fest. It was for naught thou. The never even noticed it was 12 months old.
I can see your frustration if people are over a couple times a month but in my case, folks only come a couple times a year and I’m happy to share.
I don’t mind sharing my homebrew with people who will appreciate it. I do get a lot of people who ask to try/bring/give them beer and sometimes it is borderline demanding free beer. Like my wife and I are expected to bring free beer anywhere we go. I brew a wide variety of beer so not only do I get the request for beer but also to bring a whole variety pack. There’s a lot of, “I should have told you to bring some of that homebrew beer.” Told me. Not asked me.
I know with my friends it doesn’t come from a place of being selfish or rude. They wouldn’t be my friends if I believed that. They are just interested in trying out the beers and it comes across in the wrong way. Like since I make it at home it’s just free and for some reason if it’s beer there’s an unlimited free supply. I have friends that do other things at home or cook dinner. I never tell them to make me a steak before they come over. It’s just sort of a weird dynamic. My friends are generous in other ways so I overlook the way it is requested. They also don’t push if I tell them I don’t have anything to share at that time.
However, people who are not my friends or family don’t get that grace. My wife’s coworkers occasionally request beer from us. I am friends with some and they are welcome to my beer but guys I’ve never met have no entitlement to my beer. I’m not sending my wife with six packs of beers to people I don’t know. They want to come try my beers then they should ask to hang out with me and have some beer. We’re not running a free beer delivery service.
Good Points, ram. I like to share my beer, but I don’t feel like giving it all away. Some of my friends seem to think, as you mentioned, that we as homebrewers have an unlimited free supply of beer. It makes me think of the ad that Charlie has in Zymurgy - this is my homebrew, make your own.
My old man got three bombers from me for his 90th. Someone asked me where’s mine? In my most sincere sounding voice I replied, I didn’t know you wanted some.
I generally go this route too. If I’m going to host, I’m going to host and do it up right. I thank people for bringing stuff to share but don’t expect it. By the same token, I’ll bring a growler or two with me to a dinner party or bbq because I’m proud of my beer and like sharing it. I’m always puzzled when folks show up to things with beer and don’t share it- sets an awkward tone in my book.
I thought they did put cat piss in Yuengling bottles.
As far as sharing homebrew, I rarely take it to family gatherings as it is not much appreciated there. I’m happy to bring it to parties where it is requested and guests at our house are welcome to drink it if they like, or not.
The two taps at my house are open to all guests. If I know they have a less discerning palate or only like certain styles I’ll pour a taster first…like others I hate to see a half full pint sitting around at the end of the night. My friends know I homebrew, but they also know my style selection is continually rotating, so if they want something specific they bring it.
As far as parties…I often bring homebrew, but usually just for me. Most people (casual beer drinkers, not craft beer enthusiasts) will stick to what they know, be it BMC, Shocktop, or Sam Adams. They often like my homebrew, but are satisfied with drinking the same old thing.