I brew my own, on occasion. I can buy better, but I keep working on it. It's a hobby.

Yes, yes you can make GREAT beer. As a hobby, I've learned a lot. My focus is very much on yeast these days ......

I am a homebrewer and a conneseuir of commercial beers as well.
Most homebrewers cannot make beer equal to really high quality commercially produced craft beer. They lack the experience and equipment to do so. What "preservatives" are they thinking are in commercial beer? What chemicals?

I have about $400 worth of equipment, which is more than most but much less than some (like gun owners kind of). I can't replicate some of the modern hop techniques that craft brewers are using to the same degree.

Homebrewing is a fun hobby but it helps to be realistic.

Homebrewing at one time took off because you could only get coors or bud type beers locally. Since the microbrewing craze has expanded the types of beers offered as well as the distribution of these beers, it is much easier to get beers that are much better than what you can brew. It has turned homebrewing into more of a hobby than a necessity than it already was.

I make my own ciders.

I have a mango and peach cider going, currently.

I will largely agree. But what I can do that is more difficult for a business is to WAIT. I bottle age my high ABV Belgians at least one year, usually two, and sometimes 3. The taste does change over time.

Yes, and that's why I have a cellar with about 50 liters of commercial brews laid down to age in the bottles. I agree the taste changes over time. One of my favorite beers takes 12-15 months to fully mature.