I just had a Cinder Bock from Sam Adams. Very enjoyable. I think we are fortunate to be living in the best of times for beer. Recently, I brewed a rauch beer with the satisfaction that I could not buy such a beer and had great satisfaction from brewing my own.
I began home brewing in the early 1990s because I could not buy such beers. Now there are few beers that I cannot buy. That’s awesome. But, why should I continue to brew when such a variety of craft brews are available?
I love brewing, but please respond with styles approaches that are not available at the store.
Fresh examples of english bitters and mild are extremely hard to find in the US. The ones that are available are priced way to high to be an every day drinker.
but please respond with styles approaches that are not available at the store.
I suppose if you live in the Pacific Northwest, the area stores have awesome beers!!!
However, in my neck of the woods, most stores carry the usual… so, some of my need/want is derived from limited local options. I have no desire to get good beers by mail, or drive 2+ hours to buy good beers.
I live in western KY, here are the styles i make cause I cant get them around here unless i go to a high end bar or drive an hour to paducah. This is why i brew
Lambics, bitters, belgians, pale ales, stouts, porters, mild ales, imperial porters and stouts, IPA’s of all sorts, Cream ales, wheat beers of all sorts, Heffeweizen I know heffe is a wheat beer but it is my favorite child in the wheat beer family, Kolsch, Bourbon Barrel Porter (cant get this unless I go to louisville), Bocks (besides Amber Bock Which i dont know if it is a real bock or not just always took for granted it was because of the name), irish red ale (besides Killians), nut brown ale, Mild ales, amber ales, extra pale, and many more i cant think of right now.
dont know if this is the response you want in the form you wanted it in, but I must say you sound very lucky with your local beer selection, and i think you should brew further outside the lines of what americans look at as beer. Like making a good chi Cha (which i know from experience can be good if you add cinnimon brown sugar and apples and drink young). Or maybe making oddity beers, something to keep it interesting. But honestly sounds like it is time to hang up this hobby for a little while, I have never heard anyone say they used to be a homebrewer, so I think you will circle around to the hobby, ounce you realize how much you like good beer at a somewhat cheaper price.
