Why I brew

Went to a friends house over the weekend. He is a great guy, always telling me how good my beer is, even that it’s better than what we can get at the local micro-brewery (ok I don’t think it THAT good, they make some really nice stuff).

I brought some of my own and he had a selection of Sam Adams brews. We both had two glasses of my stout, and then had a glass of the Sam Adams stout.

As I was drinking it, I thought to myself “This is good, but mine is better.”

THAT is why I brew…one of the best feeling of satisfaction Ive had

I have to admit that I don’t often think my beer is better than some of the best commercial beers out there.  But I usually like it better, and I think that’s due to the fact that I brew it for my tastes.

Exactly, but sure is nice when others agree!

Because I critique the hell out of my beer and want to dump it all before it is time to drink it yet my friends and some other people ask for seconds.

That’s why I brew.

+1

This.

I have to admit that I brew for me.  It’s a creative outlet and I like my beer better than most commercial beers I have had.  If my friends and family appreciate it great, if they don’t then I really don’t care.

That may sound selfish and it probably is but I’d still be brewing even if no one ever complemented my work.

Woodworking and cooking I do for others.

Paul

I like to drink beer. Making it myself sets me apart from those that do not. When drinking beer that I made it can be said that no one else is drinking a beer exactly like this. Anywhere.

And I go through it pretty quick with my unquenched thirst. Have to brew or I will run out. ;D

Agree with all of the above.  I also really enjoy learning about the variety in taste and style preferences of my friends and family. They’re all over the place; girlfriend loves the pils, old roomate digs the Schwarz, guys at work want the oatmeal stout and IPA. I love 'em all. Even if I don’t really dig a beer, it’s helps me understand something I’ve done wrong or things I don’t appreciate about ingredients.

My wife won’t let me buy beer so I sneak out in the garage and make my own. She’ll never figure it out. :smiley:

[quote]Because I critique the hell out of my beer and want to dump it all before it is time to drink it yet my friends and some other people ask for seconds.

That’s why I brew.

[/quote]

Yup.

I agree that there are tons of commercial brews that are better than mine but generally I only buy new stuff for inspirational purposes these days.  I began brewing in my late teens because I thought I’d save money? Of course we know that’s impossible. In my twenties, I brewed just to brew.  I thought quantity was cooler than quality. Now that I’m in my late thirties, married with 2 kids, I’m lucky to brew when I can. When I do I want to brew the best beer I can. I’ve become very meticulous in my process an thanks to forums like this my beers are a million times better than when I started this obsession.  I suppose “I brew” because it’s one of the best feelings to handcraft a recipe and hit all your numbers.  2nd to that is walking out of the beer store empty handed because you can’t find anything better than what you have at the house.
-JKL

I started brewing because I love beer. Understanding he process and ingredients just gives me a better appreciation for the beer I drink.

Also, I have a big creative drive, especially in the kitchen. Whenever I try a new recipe I almost always tweak it right from the first try to make it better suit my tastes or give it a new twist that interests me. That’s a big reason why I got into brewing. I don’t think I’ll ever set out to brew a “better” version of a beer I love, but I will definitely take them as inspiration to build beers that interest me.

I brew now to make the beers we want to drink.  Lagers have become more and more of the yearly list.

We have lagers that are fresh and do not have the staled taste we get in imported German lagers.  Those are great drinkers in the summer. We will get our tastes recalibrated on an trip to Germany in the coming months.

Another reason to brew is to make some beers that are not available.  A CAP?  How about a Graetzer? Those have turned out “yummy”.

It seems to me that there are two general definitions of “better” beer, and they probably summarize why most of us brew. First there is the (theoretically) objective measure that a BJCP rating provides. Brewing beers for their competitive kudos is a fine and worthy pursuit. Then there is the more subjective “what I/we like” measure. That’s the one I tend to brew by. I have three active taps on my kegerator. The first has always been (and may always be) my current version of a Pale Ale. While I do like PAs, my wife loves it (“If Momma ain’t happy, ain’t NOBODY happy”), and all my friends and family ask for it when they’re here. My second tap is whatever I like the most; right now that’s a Rye Ale. My third tap is seasonal/experimental, currently a Brown Porter. I’ve never submitted a brew to a competition, and may never do so; not because I somehow disapprove of the competitive concept, but more that I get my strokes from people (and me) liking my interpretation of a style.

I brew because it’s FUN and the end product tastes great. Like others, I know my beer is not as good as commercial brews. I’m still a rookie. It does give me great satisfaction to produce a beer that I like and that my friends and family enjoy. The best compliment I ever got was from my brother-in-law and his wife, when tasting my version of a commercial beer, they said they liked it better than the commercial version. I can’t take credit for the recipe, thanks to NB for that! I also brew as a form of therapy and relaxation, nothing better than heading to the garage to start a batch. Getting in the “Brew Zone”, it clears the mind and rejuvenates me.

This was my original reason.  Not just styles but breweries I love that aren’t distributed here.  I may still set up a spike strip on I-70 if they keep trucking all the Deschutes across Kansas into Missouri without stopping here!    >:(

cheers–
–Michael

For me, it started a few months after I moved to a dry county (hence the handle DCBC—Dry County Brewing Concern).  Beer runs took nearly an hour round trip and I thought it would be fun to make my own.  I did extract for a couple of years, we had our first child, and I left a kit I had purchased shortly before he was born sit in the fridge for a couple of years.  A few years later, a friend of mine got the homebrew bug.  There was something competitive in me that wasn’t going to let him be the one brewing all the good beer.  So I bought some ingredients and brewed a mediocre Kolsch.  Later that month, I read Denny’s page, realized all grain didn’t require welding, and have never looked back (even though I eventually gave a welder a good chunk of change to weld me up something nice … twice).

My buddy who got me back into brewing just went pro and opened his own production brewery in Dallas.

So much for my being competitive. :wink:

In the end, I love what I brew.  I have entered a couple of competitions and have scored in the 40s with my Helles.  Now, it amounts to brewing and having on tap fresh beer that I couldn’t otherwise have.  I really like German styles and this ensures I have on tap something that hasn’t been in the cargo hold of a ship or something that I just can’t get here.

I’m way over critical of my beer, also.  I don’t feel like I brew good beer often enough, at least not beer as good as I expect.  But every once in a while I surprise myself and brew something awesome, and that keeps me brewing.  I’m trying to get a list of recipes down that I know I can expect to be like that.  I’ve got 3 or 4 now.  I enjoy when other people tell me a beer I brewed is really good, it doesn’t seem to happen often enough.  I brew for myself mostly, though.  It’s probably the best hobby I’ve picked up to date.