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Miscellaneous Musings: The Freshness Factor



I stake no claim to being the Greatest Homebrewer in the WorldTM. There are plenty of homebrewers out there who have been at this longer than me. They have brewed many a fabulous beer. All I'm doing is showing people how to brew really good beer without taking out a second mortgage. A simple setup, proper sanitation and practice, practice, practice are all it takes.

Having admitted I'm not an AHA master, I like the beers I brew (with the exception of this one anyway). Some beers come out better than others, but I have yet to dump a batch. In addition, I've made plenty of friends and colleagues happy.

With the backstory out of the way, I'd like to focus on what I call the Freshness Factor.

Over the years, I've reviewed several kegs worth of beers on Beer Advocate. Since I returned to brewing, a pattern has emerged. The scores I give now are generally lower than what I used to give. I don't think this means I've suddenly become a BJCP expert who can detect every little flaw in a brew. What I mostly found was that all of a sudden many commercial beers lacked a certain something that I couldn't quite nail down.

Shuffling back through old reviews, I noticed that when I was in Germany for Oktoberfest a few years back, the beer I was drinking there was better than the same brew here. I highly doubt that it was because the Germans are sending the US an inferior product (a myth I've heard more than once). What my friend and I realized was that it was the beer's freshness that made it better.

It's a simple question really. Which would you rather have: a beer at a brewery's tap-room, or that same beer after it's had an unknown journey from Brewery, to Distributor, to Liquor Store, to you? I imagine most of us would prefer the former. I know that I do (A quick note: Yes, there are a lot of beers that benefit from aging. My favorite local Pils isn't one of them.).

Many beers I've had came from a long ways away. I feel freshness is what was lost in their journey. Over time flavors fade, especially those from hops. To prove it, hang onto a bottle of one of your favorite local beers for a few months. Then try it side by side with a fresh bottle, or better yet, a fresh glass at the brewery's tap-room. I promise that the change will be noticeable, with IPAs leading the pack.

Beer doesn't get any fresher than homebrew. You're there when it goes into the bottle or keg (Admit it. You sneak a taste). And you're there the first day it's ready to come out. By the time you've polished off a batch, the beer has maybe been in that bottle or keg for a couple of months. Unless you're standing in line the day it's released, commercial beer doesn't stand a chance against that.

I think this is a big part of why I brew. I want fresh beer and it doesn't come any more fresh than what I brew myself. 
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