Best homebrew you ever had?!?

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Yooper

Yooper

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I'm feeling bogged down by all the negativity around here today, and all the silly arguments over nothing. I need to go to my happy place- BEER!

So, since I'm a positive person, I want to know from all of you:

Describe the best homebrew you've ever had. Tell the circumstances, including who made the beer and the type of brew it was. If you've ever recreated it yourself, or if it was YOUR beer, please post the recipe along with what you might do differently next time.
 
My buddy's that was a five-year old barleywine he brought over Christmas Eve. Or perhaps my same friend's Wee Heavy that I helped him brew early Jan. 2009. I still have 24 bottles that I'm going to let age for years.

Here is his write-up on the Wee heavy.
A Strong Scotch Ale "Wee Heavy" by the name of BIG MOTHER won the most recent Hawg Haus competition. It is a version of the late Dr. John Griffins 140/160 schilling recipe. The only real changes in the recipe were the use of the White Labs Edinburgh yeast strain, and the addition of some melanoidin malt. I felt that Dr. john would approve.
I attempted to follow his lengthy proceedure for this monster of a beer. I've brewed it three times in as many years and never come close to the gravity intended. Dr. john would do two mashes for a five gallon batch only retrieving the sweetest, maltiest wort. For my ten gallon system I mashed three times. Call me lazy.
This recipe shows the total grain bill not individual mashes which were divided evenly across the board.
60 lbs Golden promise malt
4 lbs Carapils
2 lbs Crystal 20
2 lbs Crystal 60
2 lbs Crystal 90
2 lbs Crystal 120
8 oz Black barley
2 lbs Melanoidin malt
6 oz East Kent Goldings hops
WLP Edinburgh Yeast strain with 2.5 liter starter Ferment beginning at 68 degrees reducing to 65 over the first three days.
After two weeks there was visible activity in the carboy. I racked into secondary and let sit for a month at a cool 58-60. This caused a problem at bottling since the yeast was all worn out. A month before the competition I popped open a few bottles and sprinkled some American Ale dry yeast in each. I sprinkled just enough to cover the surface and held at room temp. Hey it worked. Now I need to do the same with the rest. S.G. 1.112 after 2 hour boil. F.G. 1.030 The massive grain bill has allowed me to make a beer off the second runnings that still has a starting gravity of 1.055. Quite tasty too.
The name BIG MOTHER came from more than just the obvious. It was the name of Neil Sparks chopper he flew under fire in Vietnam. He was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism. BIG MOTHER sustained damage from hostle fire but managed to get home after recovering a very alive and thankful Bud Verich. Thanks Neil, and thanks to Dr. John for the inspiration.
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Charlie P's Palilalia Pale Ale!! My own brew...I just LOVE this stuff! Going to attempt an AG version this Sunday.

I don't know anyone else who brew's so I have nothing to compare.
 
I'd have to list two. The first is my IPA made using a basic grist of 2-row, munich, and light crystal along with half a pound of simcoe pellets.

The second is a pale ale made simply from applewood smoked 2-row and a nominal bittering hop addition.
 
there are quite a few home brewers that hang out at my local brewery & i've had some really good beers be it all grain, partial or extract. but there have been a couple of standouts.

a partial mash Belgium Jasmine Trippel that was brewed by the assist brewer. another outstanding beer from the same fellow was a 3 yr old 12% Belgium Quad from extract.

from another friend of the brewery was an excellent all grain 10% RIS that he won a local competition with. the prize was to have his beer brewed at a brew pub.

there have been many others that includes wine, mead, cider & spirits.
 
My Extra Stout and Irish Red. I love those beers. My others beers have been great, but those are excellent. I'm trying to perfect 6 different beers. This guy I work with made an awesome Porter, one of the best porters I've had to date.
 
The best home brew i ever had is a honey porter i brewed on 1/4/2010.It was uncarbed and siphoned out of my secondary.It has to be the best because It's the only home brew I've had yet,It's still sitting in secondary.
 
My favorite so far was my first...a Brewer's Best Robust Porter.

It showed me what I could do with a little patience and know-how. And it was a doorway to a new and exciting path with BEER at the end of the road.
 
Best beer i had was a imperial porter. 18% if i remember right. Was super malty and it was at a local octoberfest. I was told it was $100.00 batch of beer with all the rock candy that was in it.

I dont have the recipe....But it was a beer i will never forget.
 
Best homebrew so far is one of my own. (But disclaimer: I've only been brewing a year, and I don't know anyone else around here who homebrews. Anyone out there in New Westminster?)

Very simple 1 gallon batch: 1.5 lb Gambrinus ESB (I'm told it's like Marris Otter), 0.25 lb palm sugar, 0.5 oz Willammette @ 60, 0.25 oz Willammette @ 5. Wyeast 1056 for yeast.

This came out pretty high alcohol for me: 7% ABV. But it's smooth, crisp and so tasty. I dislike heavy big beers, and this is just the opposite. You'd never know it was 7%.

I've only got 5 bottles of this stuff left. I'm trying a 5 gallon batch, only with Wyeast 1762 (Belgian Abbey II). I'm very curious to see how it turns out.
 
i drove about 30 miles to buy some corney kegs off craigslist. i got to the address and this guy greeted me in the driveway. he was an impish looking dude with long black hair in a messy pony tail. it was freezing outside so we went inside where it was, due to the lack of functioning heat, still freezing (though my host didnt seem to notice!)

though it was 9 in the AM, he offered me a tasting of his 3 beers on tap. he had the kegs on the floor in the living room, as the house was at perfect serving temp.

he had a beat-up couch and a TV that didnt appear to work. other than that, the house had no furniture. he poured a belgian wit, then a scottish ale, then a baltic porter.

the wit was perfect. spicy nose with a subtle bitter orange finish. crisp and refreshing with just the right amount of body.

the scotch ale was probably around a 90-100 schilling. malty sweetness with that smoky aftertaste and slight hops in the background.

the baltic porter was too good to even describe.

i looked at his brewing set up and it was a bunch of rigged up, homemade plastic crap. it was the best homebrew i had ever had or have had since. he gave me about 20 pounds of raw wheat that he had grown and harvested. i add some of it to my hefe and wit.

wierd guy,awesome beer.
 
blackwaterbrewer said:
i drove about 30 miles to buy some corney kegs off craigslist. i got to the address and this guy greeted me in the driveway. he was an impish looking dude with long black hair in a messy pony tail. it was freezing outside so we went inside where it was, due to the lack of functioning heat, still freezing (though my host didnt seem to notice!)

though it was 9 in the AM, he offered me a tasting of his 3 beers on tap. he had the kegs on the floor in the living room, as the house was at perfect serving temp.

he had a beat-up couch and a TV that didnt appear to work. other than that, the house had no furniture. he poured a belgian wit, then a scottish ale, then a baltic porter.

the wit was perfect. spicy nose with a subtle bitter orange finish. crisp and refreshing with just the right amount of body.

the scotch ale was probably around a 90-100 schilling. malty sweetness with that smoky aftertaste and slight hops in the background.

the baltic porter was too good to even describe.

i looked at his brewing set up and it was a bunch of rigged up, homemade plastic crap. it was the best homebrew i had ever had or have had since. he gave me about 20 pounds of raw wheat that he had grown and harvested. i add some of it to my hefe and wit.

wierd guy,awesome beer.
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Wow, weird. Sounds like one of my "beer dreams".
 
The Amarillo IPA I made on big brew day 09, then dry hopped with 2oz Amarillo was magnificient. Beautiful white head that stuck around, perfect aroma, lil spicy in the nose. Malty enough too, not a 120 minute or something ridiculous. Just what I wanted from it. I tried to reproduce it recently and go bigger, but it didn't turn out as good. I need to go back to the basic recipe and just make that again.
 
Unfortunately I have only my beer to sample, lots of homebrewers around just not getting out very much. My last one that I bottled Anxiety IPA with simcoe and amarillo hops is unlike any beer I have ever tasted in a very good way. I know there are lots of beers with that combo but not quite this favor profile.

I should start a homebrewing club in the midcoast area!
 
I've only tasted my homebrews and the brews that my LHBS has on tap, but every time I've tried one of their recipes, mine is typically better. My favorite brew that I've been making for a while now is Ed's Haus Ale. It's just plain delicious and damn good with everything.

Thanks for the recipe Ed,
J
 
ISLAGI said:
My favorite so far was my first...a Brewer's Best Robust Porter.

It showed me what I could do with a little patience and know-how. And it was a doorway to a new and exciting path with BEER at the end of the road.
Click to expand...

+1 on this kit.

I only have a couple batches under my belt, but this was my first batch brewed with borrowed equipment. I have had a couple of my friends HB that were good, but it was the porter I brewed from that kit that made me buy my own equipment.

FWIW, my buddies, my father, and even my in-laws raved about this beer (and drank a lot of it) so I know it was not all in my head!
 
I've only had a small amount of other people's homebrew, so I would have to pick one of my own. My Scottish 80/- turned out awesome. I can't wait to try it again, now that I've gone all-grain. Here's the recipe:

1580 Ale of Concord (5 gallons)

Mini-mash at 154 degrees
1 lb. Vienna
.67 lb. Crystal 120
.12 lb. roasted barley

60 minute boil
5 lb. extra light DME
1.33 oz. Willamette (4.8%) @ 60 min
Whirlfloc tablet @ 15 min

Wyeast #1728 Scottish Ale yeast
 
I'd definitely have to say my weizenbock. It was my second batch. It was my first AG brew, and everything seemed to come together just right except for the mash temp. Unfortunately, it was just a half batch to test using a yeast starter (my first for a yeast starter). I sure wish I would have made a full 5 gallon batch. While it was a bit different than what I was shooting for (Schneider Aventinus), it's still crazy good.

Here's the recipe:

Recipe: Zerschmeissen Weizenbock
Brewer: Victor
Style: Weizenbock
TYPE: All Grain

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 2.50 gal
Boil Size: 3.50 gal
OG: 1.078
FG: 1.016
ABV: 8.1 %
Estimated Color: 15.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 17.6 IBU
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item
4 lbs Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM)
3 lbs Munich Malt (6.5 SRM)
12.0 oz CaraMunich II (60.0 SRM)
0.50 oz Tettnang [5.10 %] (90 min)
0.12 oz Tettnang [5.10 %] (5 min)
1 Pkgs Weihenstephan Weizen (Wyeast Labs #3068) (1 liter starter)


Mashed @ 150 degrees for 60 min (yes, being my first AG, I missed my target of 152)
 
I have several equally good homebrew memories that weren't mine. The first was a clone of Weyerbacher's Double Simcoe IPA from a fellow WHALE. Another was HBT's own AnoldUR's Belgian Wit about a year ago. There was also two amazing beers at NHC last year, both at Deathbrewer's club booth. The plum Lambic and 22ABV barleywine. Very very tasty stuff.
 
I haven't been able to sample too many other brewers beers so I'll have to go with my own. It's a tie between Jack the rIPA and Best Laid Plans (both available in my dropdown).

If it was a question of which beer I'd made the most, that would be Orfy's Mild Mannered Ale.
 
Best I ever had was at my sister's wedding.

We did a 'homebrew-off' thing where all of our homebrewer friends brought their best beer and we all voted at the reception. My brother in law's brother's (sounds weird, eh?) brewed a Hazelnut Stout. It was the most unconventional way to ever brew a beer, but it was amazing.

It sounds like they ran the hot wort (!) through espresso-ground hazelnut coffee multiple times and then fermented as usual. Everything i've ever read says it shouldn't work - but i'll be damned if it wasn't one of the most amazing homebrews i've ever had. Period.
 
Other than my own, I only tried someone else's once. It was a friend that had a bottle her friend made. I don't remember anything about it, so that should tell you something.

So, I think the best, most balanced beer I made was the Newcastle clone I made last year. Either that or my Imperial Stout which I'm going to make next. Hopefully it will be as good as the last one...
 
Unfortunately, I have had very limited experience trying other people's homebrew. Working 60-80 hours a week and most weekends will do that to you. Maybe one day I can work less and meet some homebrewers. Nevertheless, the best homebrew that I have had is my mini mash version of Tasty McDole's Janet's Brown Ale. If you aren't familiar with it, it is a bigger, hoppier version of an American Brown Ale. It started out with an intense Centennial aroma, but at 8 weeks old it has mellowed and is fantastic. I have had a couple friends try it and they asked for a second (and third) pint.

If you are interested, the recipe is all over the Internet and it is in Brewing Classic Styles. I even contacted Tasty to thank him and he was a really cool guy and very pleased that he was able to help.

Eric
 
I have a glass of my Best Bitter that I am drinking right now and I think it is the most complete homebrew that I have made/tasted. Most of my recipes need refining, but this one is pretty good as it stands right now.
 
overflow said:
Denny Conn's Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter. Simply Superb.
Click to expand...

I have a short memory and limited homebrew tasting experience, but I think zman's version of this which I tried last week at a homebrew club meeting is possibly the best I've had. Prost!
 
Smoked doppel-rauchbier from a guy in the local club. It took 3rd place last year at final round of NHC in smoked beers category. Smooth, complex, amazingly well balanced.

My second favorite would have to be another club members' 3-year old clone of Hair of the Dog Fred from the Wood. My own El Dictador IIPA in my dropdown would be third.
 
i havent tasted many homebrews brewed by others....but the majority of what ive brewed so far have been recipes from here

a lot have been good but my favorites to date have been dennys BVIP and dudes LWPA
 
The most memorable homebrew I ever had was my Bro-in-law's Habinero brew. First homebrew I ever had and at the time the only beer I had liked. (The rest being BMC) Talk about waking up my taste buds. "Beer can actually taste good?"

The best I've had might just be my rye. (scored 35, so I'm not just crazy.) A friend and I brewed 10 gallons and used two different yeasts. His got infected, mine scored really well.

I need to rebrew and see if it's still as good.

B
 
Best I ever had was my saison. The recipe is in my dropdown and I wouldn't change a thing on it. It's my favorite beer, period, homebrewed or storebought. Temps are climbing into the 90's here and I'm kicking myself for not thinking ahead and brewing up a batch. I'm going to try to get at least two batches in bottles over the next couple months so I have some to last through the winter.
 
the best I ever had was a modified version of Denny Conn's Rye IPA that I brewed. it was my second all grain and my first "WOW!, I made a really, really, good beer". the LHBS didn't have mt. hood so I went with cascade and had to make a grain substitution. red wheat malt instead of wheat malt. but it was one of those brews that everyone, even BMC drinkers, seemed to love and want more of.
 
I only tasted mine. And I've got two batches under the belt.

The second is, by far, the best. Charlie Papazian's Who's in the garden grand cru is excellent, and received praised by friends and family who thought that beer was just plainly excellent.
 

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