I've been maintaining my starter for a few weeks now, and I think my
bread tastes pretty good. It has a sour but pleasant taste, a bit of
tang (not the astronaut drink), and when my wife doesn't force me to
use almost entirely whole grain flour, a respectable crumb, too.
Obviously I have some kinks to work out, but if the taste of the bread
doesn't change I won't mind.
The catch is that I am using my own starter, nurtured from whole grain
rye and water, so I have no concept of the particular buggers eating
and farting in my dough. Scientifically speaking, anyway. I know they
are there, and they can double a batch of dough, but how does the
bread they produce stack up against bread from Carl's starter, or one
of SF's bakeries? Not that I expect to put anyone out of business, but
I'd like to know if I am on the right track. And I have an ego to
inflate, you know.
So, what is a person to do? Do one or more of you fine bakers request
some dried starter and put it to the Pepsi challenge? Or can someone
recommend a noteworthy sourdough baker(y) in the southern CT area? Or
does someone want to say, "Son, it's not a competition. We don't love
our children because they are smarter or better looking than others;
we love them simply because they are our children." (Well, some people
do.)

Thanks,
Matt