So about a month ago I brewed my first Irish Red Ale. It turned out really well and I brewed a different style Friday night with four good friends. Well on of them brought over a twelve pack of Killigans Irish Red Ale. I didn’t do a side by side comparison that night because I don’t drink while I brew. But I just poured a pint of both and mine is definitely not as clear but it kills the Killigans in taste by quite a bit. This is a glorious moment for me. What are some recent brews that you have brewed and done a side by side color, taste, and aroma comparison and knew that you’re brew would kill the other in a blind taste test?
It’s awesome when you start getting into the commercial quality, huh? Past that “homebrew” thing.
I’ve not brewed anything that would “kill” a commercial. Though my Scottish 80/- is very similar to New Castle Brown. Not sure how to take that since it’s the wrong style, guess I should just call it an 11C.
My 1C Premium American Lager is not a Full Sail Session killer, but I like it better. Not as harsh or rough around the edges as FS. Its a preference thing, not better just different, but in a way I prefer.
Good for you man!
I’ve never done a side-by-side of anything, but I do occasionally have commercial beers that remind me of beers I brewed 15 years ago.
Killians Red is a pretty bad example of an Irish Red ale. It’s a mass produced reddish BMC type beer. That said, kudos to you for having the better beer. It’s a sign of a skilled brewer who can brew a beer as clean as a mass produced b eer!
I think that as homebrewers once techniques become relatively consistent and our unerstanding of ingredients solidifies, freshness is our big advantage when comparing our beers to similar commercial varieties.
I agree about the present state of Killian’s Red…not much to write home about.
However, when it was first introduced it was quite good (and was marketed and labeled as an “ale”, and definitely tasted like one in character).
It was actually quite good, and showed what the Coors brewers were really capable of.
But after a couple of years when it was rebranded as a lager and reformulated a few times, it seems that it was stripped of everything that made it at least stand out a bit.
The only things left now are the name and the color.
On a side note…I was recently given a bottle of Killian’s Stout…and it was not bad at all.
Predictably, it gets dismissed by the über geeks because 1) it is restrained and not ‘over the top’ (unlike many American stouts) and 2) because it is a Miller-Coors product.
I don’t drink much store bought beer, but I’d add the GK stout to my short list.
But I still prefer homebrew over any commercial beer.
+1
Yeah, it’s not that difficult to be better than a crappy beer. Try being better than Rochefort…
Even if Killigans is a horribl example its still awesome knowing what youve created in the garage. Denny you are right, I should set my standard high