I often find myself agreeing with Loomis J's music and audio posts, now I have to second his beer observations (except that I've enjoyed many a Pliny over the past couple of years). Do music, sound, and beer tastes correlate? Is Loomis a Burgundy and Borolo fan, too? Are entangled quantum systems at work here? Mysteries abound, I suppose.
I especially agree that Sam Adams is underrated, possibly because it's a big company these days. Their chocolate stout, in particular, is a great example of delivering excellence on a style that's often abused by smaller, more fashionable producers. I think Sam Adams generally does a great job of balancing hops bitterness and malt sweetness, something that seems to elude most of the more revered craft brewers IMO.
For those claiming home brews rule, I'd point out that one big difference is consistency. Like a restaurant vs a home cook, the restaurant needs to make its signature dishes taste the same each time. Even if it tastes good, variation from one meal to the next is a problem. It's very tough for most home brewers to achieve that consistency because precise temperature control is key, and the systems required to achieve that are too expensive for most home brewers.
Final note: If you find yourself in San Diego, check out White Labs. They are a commercial yeast supplier and they have a tasting room that features up to five examples of beers that are brewed identically, except for the yeast strain. AFAIK, it's the only place in the US (world?) where you can do such a controlled tasting. Kinda like finding an audio retailer with five identical turntables - except each is equipped with a different cartridge - feeding the same system. The rarest of A/B/C/D comparisons.
