Have you tried to brew a beer like your fav commercial beer?

Question

Just tried to you do not need to be a superstar brewer.

Answer 1

Yes i have and everyone really like it.Currently i'm waiting for theweather to cool down to make a big batch from the raw grains which is one of my questions posted here.I'm looking for the recipes because my beer is better than the commerical but it cost me more to make it than to buy it.I wish i had a micro brewery business.

Answer 2

No, but everyone who has tried my home made wines say they are better than you get from the stores.

Answer 3

I have with very limited success. I went through a phase of brewing only Belgian ales, American-Style Pils (yes with rice, found it very difficult), and just high gravity beers. But with such great selections availability from great brewers I just brew a few fav styles now.

American Budweiser-failure

Chimay-failure

Duvel-failure

others as well.  By failure I mean although drinkable they were not close to the commercial brand flavor/quality.

Answer 4

I've tried "clone brews" (as they're commonly called, there's entire books for them) a couple of times but by the time I'm done buying ingredients and brewing I've usually diverged greatly from the recipe.  For example, I once went in to a brew thinking of doing a Prima Pils clone but walked away with a surprisingly good strawberry Pilsener.  I have however accidentally brewed beers that were uncannily similar to some of my favorite beers.

Answer 5

Since most commercial beer is c**p, you don't have to be "superstar" brewer. Brewing micros is a bit more interesting, mainly Ales, and darker.

Don't forget to CLEAN EVERYTHING EXTREMELY WELL, with some bleach, otherwise your beer will be all foam the second time.

Answer 6

Not my "favorite" but I have made some clone brews. My favorite book of clone recipes is Charlie Papazian's "Gold" book, in which he cloned only gold medal winners. His recipe for Miller Lite is especially good, if you like that style.

Answer 7

I've never tried. I figure if I can buy it, I will. When I make my own, I like to try something I can't get anywhere else.

I do get ideas from things I've tried, though. Once I had a maple porter from a brewpub called the Woodstock Inn. They make it as a seasonal deal, and I think I'd like to make my own maple porter in the fall.

Answer 8

Yes,  many times.

I bought a book some years ago called "Brewing beers like those you buy" and it contained dozens of recipes.

I tried all of the beers I used to drink, and was very impressed with the results, however brewing 5 gallons at a time did result in a few lost days!

I don't know if this book is still in print, but look out for it, you should be able to recreate some classic beers.