What do you say when....?

What do you say when a fellow brewer shares a beer with you and it is really not very good?

I had this situation occur a while back - I gave him one of my better brews and he loved it, then he gave me a glass of a beer that was....well lets just say it was not all that great.  I tried to comment on the positive aspects (the carbonation was good?), and politely choked it down, but I was at a loss for words - especially when he offered me another.

Thoughts?

Brad

You gotta be cruel to be kind.

Beer is a matter of taste. You have your view he/she has theirs.
I fee lit is your duty to let them know what you think. It may be a bit harsh to say "This beer is crap", but you can politely say why you do not like it, what it is that you do not like and suggest what you may have done to change it to your taste profile.

Afetr all the guy may have a serious bacterial problem and you could be the one to help them out.

There are a few commercial brews that I cannot stand. There is nothing wrong with them, I just cannot drink them. Someone must like it other wise it would not sell.

Jon L.

To be honest I base my comments on what they think of their beer.
I have a mate who brews a beer that is, in my opinion only, far from what I would call drinkable, in fact it is fermented high and fast, is a kit and kilo of sugar brew that tastes caramelly and fruity. But he thinks it tastes great, and while he comes to my place and drinks my HB until it runs dry he is happy with his method and results.
So, when he brings over a bottle to brag, I highlight The clarity or color of his brew and sugget ways to improve it without putting it down.


Cheers
Andrew

Yea just tell them what you think.

I tell everybody I give my beer to to be honest and tell me what you think.  That way know what beer to give and not to them and I tell them you won't hurt my feelings.  Everybody likes diff. beer.

Last year a friend drank my Triple and did not like it all.  No biggie!  He just not get that the next time the beer fairy dropped a sixer at his back door.

I hope we can all take it if someone does like a brew we make.

Don

you gotta remember beer is food after all. As a Chef I some times forget that everyone is differant and that food is a very personal thing. ( it's right up there with sex) I think that Charlie said it best "As for me I'll have one of my own"

Skip

  It doesn't hurt my feelings if someone doesn't like my beer, I know that I make good beer.
  On the other hand there are a lot of good beers out there that I just don't care for.

I had a similar experience with a friend who made some wine from grapes that were growing on their property.  I tried to hide the fact that the wine was terrible - in fact everybody did.  In the end, though, they found out what everybody was thinking and it ended up hurting their feelings more than it would have if I had just come out and told them that it was bad.

If you just come out and admit it, you can all choke down the bad beer while joking about it!

I think that you just have to seperate the subjective from the objective. If it is too hoppy for you, that is one thing. If it is too hoppy for the style or to be drinkable, that is another.

Pointing out that a beer might be a little maltier is one thing. Pointing out that it has an infection and should be tossed is something else entirely.

I agree chubber!

If it is infected it is another story.

If you just don't like it, it is a matter of taste.

I have a few beers I don't give to many people just becouse they are over the top and I make them just for me ;D  I know 9 out of 10 wont like them.  And that is ok with me.

Don

I think everyone has made some good points that I agree with.  But I would ALWAYS take it from the perspective of the individual asking.  Is he interested in feedback?  Is he wanting your opinion to help him get better?  Or is he proud of his accomplishment and wanting kudos?  Based on that I would reply appropriately.

As many pointed out, it could always be a matter of style.  I, personally, LOVE BIG Belgian beers.  But most people I know still think Bud Light is the be-all, end-all for beer.  No way am I going to worry about what they think of my beer because I could brew a world-class beer (in my dreams) and they still wouldn't be capable of appreciating it.  I, personally, don't care for stouts. I can appreciate a good one, but more than one is too much for me.  Doesn't mean it's a bad beer, just isn't the beer for me.

Taking all of that into account, I would then use the same "coaching" philosophy I used in th Army and when coaching kids.  If he just wants kudos, then I'd find something positive about it and leave it at that.  If they want feedback and I'm not a fan of the style, I'd point out that I may not be the best judge.  If they want feedback and I usually care for the style, I'd point out the what the bad parts are first, and then offer a few ideas that might address the problem.  Then finish with a positive on what did go well and what they did right.  ALWAYS keep the criticism on actions involved and keep the positive on the Individual.

An example, "Hmm, that's an interesting aftertaste.  You might have let the fermentation run a little high leading to that banana-like flavor.  All in all, not a bad first effort.  You've obviously got the right color and malts in here.  A little more tweaking and you'll put Anheuser out of business"

That's where I'm at with it.
I love to critique my friends' brews. And I love their feedback as well. You gotta dish it out if you want to take, to flip a coined phrase.
But if someone's just wanting to share their beer with me, I try to be polite, enjoy what I can out of it. If there's something seriously wrong I'd probably have to tell them to justify not drinking any more of it.
The style thing can be really helpful here. If there's a lot of diacetyl, you can mention that this "style" usually doesn't call for that, and suggest ways of toning it down. I had a friend's "IPA" the other day that was nothing at all like an IPA, but I loved thebeer. It was well-balanced, malty, toasty caramel, and just enough bitter to keep you going. Excellent. But I had to tell him it was a sad IPA, ribbing mostly, but also so he doesn't waste his time entering it as an IPA when it might actually go somewhere as an Amber, for instance.

I belong to a local brewing yahoo group and one member asked us what we thought of our LHBS. I was kinda in a hurry and just laid out my opinion factually, this was my response:

Dirty
Cluttered
Rat droppings everywhere
Questionable age of perishables
Overpriced
Not much inventory.

I realized about an hour afterwards I could have been a lot more diplomatic and still gotten my message out, my ears started turning red, and I considered yanking the plug out of the back of my computer.
Flaming responses started immeddiatley because the owner is a nice guy and helps out starting brewers and attends all of the local functions.

If I was a diplomat I would have said.
Eclectic Setting
Colorful Decor
Exclusive Merchandise Priced Accordingly.
Conservative Selection.

I guess the moral to the story is be honest but take a deep breath and form a polite but straightforward opinion.

Cheers
Kevin