At some point in home brewing, everyone asks the question of what their brew is like compared to a beer produced professionally. Whether you’re considering buying your first starter kit but want assurances on the end quality, or you’re not sure how to judge your homebrew, it’s only natural to feel apprehensive about the end result of all your hard work. The good news is that with the right ingredients and a careful hand it is definitely possible to have professional tasting beer from your home brew!
Temper your expectations, but aim for the best
It is absolutely possible for your homebrew to taste like professional brews. Homebrews have been made so good that breweries have picked up the product for mass production. Many craft breweries in the world also have roots in home brewing, where the freedom to create and experiment led to new ideas within the brewing industry. We know of at least one group of people over in France and the UK that have even managed to make professional tasting beer using only supermarket ingredients!
With that being said, it is unlikely that your first home brew batch is going to equal what you’ll find down at the pub. Brewing is a skill that takes practice, patience, and unfortunately probably one or two failures. So how do you get your home brew to taste as good as possible? First off, it is very important to judge your home brew fairly. Knowing the essentials of beer tasting will help you get an objective eye so you can not only say if you think your beer tastes good, but why it tastes good, and how it differs from a professional craft beer.
Tips and tricks for better tasting home brew beer
With a careful approach, you can go from a home brew that tastes like home brew to a professional finish. We’ve already created a guide to what off-flavours can be present in beer and how to get rid of them by taking care not to rush the brewing process. You also want to use the best equipment that you can. At 41 Pints of Beer we know how easily a leak, improper seal or poorly sanitized tank can ruin a batch of otherwise great beer, so be sure to use good quality equipment.
The next step is to know the flavour you want. Choosing the right yeast, hops and grains are important to get the flavour profile you are looking for. Lager yeasts are often called bottom-fermenting yeasts, while ale yeasts are top-fermenting. Generally, ale yeast will impart a richer, fruitier and more complex flavour, while lager yeast will give you a crisper flavour. If you’re aiming for a crisp, summer lager, using dark chocolate malt with ale yeast is not going to give you the flavour profile you are looking for. If you’re having trouble getting your home brew to that professional taste that you want, give us a shout and we’ll be happy to help you refine your home brew.
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