Why I brew

[leejoreilly]

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.

[metron-brewer]

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.

[udubdawg]

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

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

[dcbc]

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.

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.

[beersk]

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.

[deepsouth]

i live in mississippi, so i brew my own beer. 

[alcaponejunior]

My own second batch really did come out great, and it feels wonderful to know I brewed it.  I'd happily pay eight or nine bucks for a commercial brew like this.  I doubt every batch I brew will be this good, but I certainly intend to keep trying anyway!

[tomsawyer]

I enjoy hobbies for the learning experience, and theres a heck of a lot to learn about homebrewing and beer in general.

[gymrat]

I am therefore I brew

[chezteth]

My wife actually started homebrewing before I did.  After helping her for awhile I decided to brew up some of my own stuff.  It was all downhill from there ( or uphill depending on your perspective ).  There is so much to learn about homebrewing which feeds my thirst for knowledge.  It also is a great way to create my own recipes & if it turns out well then others may enjoy it as well.  I like to say that half the fun of brewing is sharing.  I really enjoy the feedback I get from friends & family.  I am always striving to improve my process & product to make the best beer possible.  There are so many styles that it makes it fun to brew up new ones that we have not done before.

[Delo]

I brew for my love of beer, which is the same reason that I cook for my love of food.  I agree about being over critical about brewing(and cooking) and although I brew mainly for my taste, it’s a great feeling when someone else is enjoying what I’ve made. Brewing also has given me an appreciation of all beer styles and the techniques of making each of them that I would have never gotten by just drinking them….and as cheesy as it may sound, it’s almost a spiritual or therapeutic thing for me on brew day.

[dbeechum]

I brew because it's either this or world domination and this is more fun. Who wants all those naggy people nagging you that their life sucks? 

[Slowbrew]

I brew because it's either this or world domination and this is more fun. Who wants all those naggy people nagging you that their life sucks? 

In internet years this is ancient but if you ever decide to pursue world domination it has some very useful advice.  http://www.eviloverlord.com/lists/overlord.html

 

Paul

[yugamrap]

Why I brew has changed a bit in the fairly short time (4.5 years) I've been doing it.  These days, I brew because it's a good break from all the other "noise" in my life.  I'm pretty focused on brew day, so there's not a lot of time to get distracted by all that other stuff.  I also enjoy tinkering and building gadgets for my systems, and trying to make better batches of certain styles.  Among other things, I'm on a quest to be able to brew a consistently great Helles. 

[The Professor]

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.

Well put, as usual Denny.
I feel the same, pretty much.

"Better" is a pretty subjective term.  There are definitely a small handful of fine commercial brews that hit the bullseye for me.   But by and large I find that most commercial brews (from big breweries and small ones) lately seem to fall short of what I've come to expect.  I suppose, in the overall picture, that maybe  I've simply gotten so accustomed to my "house flavors" that my preference long ago shifted to homebrew. 
So for that reason alone, the homebrew is better because I can make exactly what I like.  And it is a lot less expensive than so many commercial beers of the same quality.