What do ya do when you get a bum homebrew?

[Lerxst]

What do you do when you get a not so good homebrew from someone else?

Are you honest (but kind about it) or do you just focus on the positive?

[Ó Flannagáin]

Completely honest. Haven't had a terrible one yet though, except the hefe mdd made with the dry hefe yeast. That was terrible.

[MrMarbleHead]

I think that you have to be honest with them. If not how are they going to learn. That is one of the things i like about swaps on the forums is that you are going to get unbiased feedback from someone with no personal feelings toward you. I know that i have had a couple of friends blow smoke up my ass just because we're friends and they didn't want to hurt my feelings, F'ing pansies!

[mdd134]

I guess I would be kind, but would try and point out the flaws.

Yes that wheat I made with dry yeast was bad, thats why I gave it to O'Flann lol

but a lot of people say they have used that yeast with good results. I have since made that same recipe 3 times with white labs WLP320 and it is so good.

[DrunkenSatyr]

I try to be as polite as possible but brutally honest. If there are major flaws and they think it is comp worthy...... I ask them if they want the truth before I tell them.

[Monster Mash]

I had a salesman come into my office, one of those guys that don't shut up. He mentioned he started homebrewing and I told him I've been doing it for many years so he ran out to his car and proudly handed me a couple bottles. He went on and on about how everyone loves his beer and it's the best beer he's ever had.

I took them to a fellow homebrewers house and we poured a couple glasses. We both took one sip and spit it out, it was the most vile infected beer I ever tasted.

Luckily he never came back so I didn't have to break the news to him.

[Lerxst]

I try to provide constructive feedback with out being brutal or cruel....unless it's a friend and then it's all about busting balls! I figure that I give the feedback that I would want in that same situation...if there is a flaw, I want to know and know how to avoid it in the future.

[marzen41]

honesty is the best policy. we had a guy in the hbc when we had a hbc who made awefull beer we were always polite and accentuate the positive his beer never got better.

[Ó Flannagáin]

I just don't understand how people can consistently make bad beer. I mean, I've had my batches that were off, but I learn from them. It seems like you almost have to try to make bad beer over and over and over.