Thanks for the kind words, Joe.

I think the "bitterness" you guys are detecting in mass produced stuff is an artifact of the production process. It's far different than a hop bitterness. You need a good amount of hop bitterness to balance out the sweet of the malt, if you don't it can end up extremely sweet and cloying. The bitterness you're running into isn't the normal kind of hop bitterness, though, I've noticed it before and it's almost got a metallic twang to it. I think hand crafted beers in general (be they home brewed or craft brewed in small breweries) tend to avoid that because there's a lot less automation and machinery in the process. When I formulate my recipes (and I brew my own recipes almost exclusively) I try very hard to balance all the different characteristics I'm going for and honestly most commercial beers are either so lightly flavored there's nothing to balance or they push them way out of balance in order to make a point.

I will have to say though that the AB brewers are some of the most technically proficient in the world (yes even compared to Europe, etc). The style of beer they brew has so little to hide any flaws that if it's not technically flawless any mistake will stick out like a sore thumb. I help new homebrewers all the time and invariably the first thing they say is "I want to brew budweiser" and I have to explain to them that it's incredibly hard to brew that style of beer and to nail it. That being said, I still don't like Bud

I'm glad you liked the 70 shilling. I will have to tell you though, that the 70 shilling came in at 3.7% ABV (alcohol by volume) which is lower than normal beers. The Junkyard Dog is an American style brown that is just a skosh above 5% ABV. I generally brew in the 4% to 5% range with only the occasional sortie above that (I have an IPA in the fermenter right now that should clock in close to 8% when all is said and done). I think the big difference is that you were sipping it and enjoying it, and honestly most people get a little bit of a buzz of homebrew quicker because they're taking their time and enjoying it.

That beer has done pretty well for me thus far with several firsts including a first round gold medal in the nationals. The junkyard dog has not done well in competitions though because it's not strictly "to style", it's not quite as hoppy as a normal american brown and I get dinged points for that. However, when all is said and done, the junkyard dog is a better beer in my opinion and is one of my favorites. Everyone seems to love it, it's just that when you brew competitively you have to hit very specific style marks and even if it's the best beer in the world it won't do well if you don't. I'm hoping you'll enjoy it.

-- Gary F.