A “classically-trained-chef-turned-food-editor” by the name of Chris Dudley published an article on Esquire.com entitled “Why Nobody Wants to Drink Your Home-Brewed Beer.”  Mr. Dudley shows himself to be less than informed on home brewing, specifically, and brewing in general. Some of the replies in the comments section are quite good as rebuttals to the article that paints home brewing with a brush that is way too broad (well, you might skip the comments that call the author an idiot!).

Chris Colby replied to the Esquire piece on Beer and Wine Journal with an article entitled, “5 Reasons Your Homebrew Doesn’t Suck.” Mr. Colby doesn’t rebut the points made by Mr. Dudley, but he provides a few reasons why many of us love to brew our own beer. I particularly like a quote toward the end of the article:

…let’s face it — some homebrew does suck. Not all of it, certainly. Some of the best beers I’ve ever had have been homebrews. Then again, some of the worst beers I’ve ever had have been homebrews, too.

I’ve said this as well. In the process of brewing there will be some less-than-stellar brews.  Mr. Colby goes on to advocate for providing resources and assistance to neophyte brewers.  I couldn’t agree more. We should work toward providing the best brewing education possible. We CAN make excellent homebrew!

My goal:  I strive to make beer for which I can truthfully say, “If I paid for this at a pub, I would not be disappointed.”