Best compliment you've received?

[MindenMan]

I have new neighbors across the street from my house that we did what we could to help them settle in. They baked some fantastic Christmas cookies and brought us over a tin of them. Wow, amazing cookies... So (my wife and) I reciprocated with a few of my home brews and they said how much they enjoyed them. (I then found out he had been in the "beer business" for ten years.) Three or four weeks ago I gave him one of my nine month old Cran-Apple ciders, and he told me if it was available for sale at a store he would buy it, as well as commenting the style was "European." I used European red wine yeast, and I told him he had "quite the palate".

 

[phug]

My wife's boss and her husband both came to a party of ours two summers ago where we only served home brew. He's from Burundi and when he tried my applejack (started out as a 17% 1.030-ish applewine) he said it tasted exactly like something his uncle used to make. Flash forward to now. Wife's boss asks if they can buy some from me if I have more. Apparently every month or so, he's been asking her to ask my wife to ask me and she kept forgetting. He of course can't remember my wife's name, but remembers mine even though we've met once. I sent them my last bottle as a gift yesterday and today I got a thank saying that it tastes exactly the way he remembers it.

A year and a half of anticipation to live up to and I didn't disappoint. That felt good.

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

I'm not at all impressed with "Bud-light lifers" opinions. My best complements is when I make a beer that doesn't stand up to my expectations, but multiple other craft beer dudes truly enjoy them. You can see it in their eyes...

 

[madscientist451]

With that, what is the best the compliment you have received as a homebrewer?

My G/F gave me the best compliment: "I'd rather wrap my lips around a bottle of your homebrew than anyone else's"

 

[pablosbrewing]

In 1994 I made 16 cases of decent beer for my sister's wedding and got raves from the guests. The band tried to steal 2 cases. People were still drinking it at brunch the following morning. So yeah, early success

Fast forward 20 years. In 2014, then assistant brewer at Rising Tide in Portland, ME, Sean Spence, blind tasted a keg fill that I had given to my future son-in-law. At that time Joe worked at upscale Rosemont Market and they always had a super selection.

The response I heard back floored me: "NO WAY is this homebrew, show me the bottle. I have to meet this guy".

So I got invited to spend an afternoon hanging out in the brewery with "Spence" and Tasting Room Ambassador Dan Keller, talking about home and commercial brewing - that was a pretty great day.

Someday I'll brew that one again - it was an AB SMaSH that finished at 1.010 - and close to 9% ABV. I called it SMaSHed Bastard.

 

[pablosbrewing]

Last Friday was beer club. 13 guys, I'm the only brewer. There is alot of douchie-snoberto going on, one guy especially. I brought my 4-hear-old Belgian quad and a 1-year-old Belgian IIPA with Simcoe/Citra. Nozzle-nose was immediately put off, because "homebrew."

After trying both, he was raving and promising up and down that he will market my beer for me. Both beers were a huge hit amongst most of the others present, as well. It was quite flattering to have my two beers be the pick of the evening from 25 beers total.

Quad will make em talk

 

[GrogNerd]

after 20 batches of so-so beer, I'd almost given up.

didn't brew for about a year & a half, then did a quick extract batch (Deschutes' Fresh Squeezed clone) and was my first ever with fermentation temperature control (thanks, BrewPi!)

my best brew ever. that batch ended up being my first beer that placed in top 3 of brew club competition. out of 13 entries, it beat out beers made by the top brewers of the last couple years.

my other brew club loved it, said it might not be an exact clone, but it was a dang good beer, very drinkable. very surprised when I said it was extract

then the ultimate compliment; the other day, I saw one of the guys from the 2nd brew club, he had just gotten back from a trip to Bend, OR, had Fresh Squeezed from their tap room and said he preferred mine

 

[Qhrumphf]

EDIT: Only after it was much too late to do anything about it, I found out the new BJCP categories do not include a Robust Porter anymore. After making up my mind I was going to enter the contest anyway, I chose to enter it as English Porter. The nice thing was, both judges picked out all of the characteristics I wanted this beer to have; the problem was those characteristics weren't for a Brown Porter.
My scores were 33 and 34, and the winning scores in my category were 42.5 and 43. I am bummed out the R/P category is now gone, but that is okay with me. I once again submitted entries to see how close to style I was brewing, and if there still was a Robust Porter category (according to the judges' notes) I may have gotten a very high score instead of the ones I did receive.

I do believe that "Robust Porter" was renamed "American Porter" and the actual style stayed much the same. Even allows for "English" interpretations. Given that you can have an English American Porter, it seems stupid to me. But given that "Robust Porter" is an invented name anyway, I suppose it doesn't make a difference either way.

 

[tdbc2011]

This past weekend someone from work came by my house, he did not know that I brewed beer. In the past he had told me that he did not care for beer. He asked for a glass of water (my r.o. system is on the patio by my outside two tap fridge). I asked if he wanted water or beer, he tried a Pale Belgian Ale and said this doesn't taste like beer. I like it.
He went on to try 6 more different brews that I have on tap. He did not like the IPA's and stouts but did like a Schwarzbier and an Alt.

 

[GQT]

Brought a few bottles of my stout to my two best friends in another city. Has to be said that those friends are not just advanced but senior drinkers with a special thing for dark beers.
We poured it into three glasses. After the very first sip those two without saying a word confiscated my glass, and brought me some Guinness from the fridge.
They drank my stout in silence.
That was perhaps the best praise I had in my entire (adult) life.

 

[Tactical-Brewer]

"Hey, this is actually really good. D@mn Joe, you made actual really good beer!" from my "Lost a lot of friends due to his no filter" brother in law. Lol

 

[gmcapone]

I was at a homebrew club meeting and the head brewer for a local brewery tried my barleywine. He really enjoyed it and started talking to the guy next to us.

Pro brewer: Hey, you really have to try his beer.

Club member: I actually just got back from the doctor and he said I need to limit my alcohol consumption. (I don't remember the reason)

Pro brewer: You can start your diet tomorrow. Try his beer!

🤗

 

[bransona]

My ipa hating, brown ale and darker friend just texted after trying my latest ipa.

"I really like that ipa."

That's a big one in my book.

 

[Onkel_Udo]

Mine is a bit odd. Seasoned homebrewer of similar ilk to myself...KISS but make good beer...had my Dark Mild that is basically a 3-season house beer for me. We were at the track after a successful day one of racing with 8 hours of racing to go the next day so most of us are taking it pretty easy on the consumption:

"I could drink this all night...actually I could drink this all winter."

Me "It is only 3% alcohol so why not?"

"Yeah, lets bring the keg to our paddock and tell lies around the fire."

His team won his class the next day.

 

[BamaPhil]

A buddy of mine, who's a big porter fan in general, had his wife set up a blind taste test between my porter and Bell's. He preferred mine!

It was affirming, because I honestly thought the same thing, but hadn't tried them side by side.

 

[m00ps]

I knew a guy once that would drink my beers.
I mean, he's still alive and all

 

[bobeer]

Had the main yeast guy come to a club meeting a couple months ago. I used his yeast to make a belgian blonde ale and he said it was "a very nice beer" and "could drink it all day on a hot summer day" That's probably my claim to fame compliment but the best I've gotten from beer drinkers is "it tastes like something I'd buy in the store." Which is pretty much as good as you can get!

As long as I make beer I think is good I can keep complimenting myself all day long. Hahaha.

 

[guldalian]

Had a guy tell me he would forsake all other beers except Rogue Hazelnut Nectar and my pale ale/summer smash. Can't say I agree with him.

 

[kev211]

Went to my in-laws tonight for "beer-30". Aka, all of their friends coming over for apps and drinks. I brought two growlers of homebrew (a black ipa and honey blonde ale). Two people at two separate times asked me what brewery I bought the blonde ale at (blank growler) because they wanted to go pick some up. Really awesome feeling! Although, the black ipa is probably my favorite beer I've ever made so that was kinda funny that no one really mentioned it.

 

[fourstring]

A couple of coworkers are on the 'bottomless 4 pack' program; keep bringing back the empties and I'll refill from stock with whatever I have around. We work in a high stress industry so drinking is a usual thing.

I heard a few weeks ago that making it into the 4 pack club was akin to entering some sort of inner circle among the office politics (which I don't have time for). But it made me smile.

 

[jcaggiano]

You could totally sell this!

 

[HiImBrian]

A friend of mine once said he disliked my IPA equally as much as most commercial IPAs. I guess that means I'm doing something right! haha

 

[the_ale_scale]

Got a good score on untapped by a friend or a friend (whom I don't know). This gentleman is also a member of a beer group on FB so at least I know he drinks good beer

 

[MarkZ56]

"My teeth didn't fall out after I drank it"

It was only my second beer. I've yet to make a beer I'm really comfortable sharing yet.

 

[scallopking]

Donated a keg of Nelson IPA for a local brew fest and they killed it. Best compliment I could have received.

 

[stratslinger]

I've got a stout recipe I've been refining for a couple years now - 2 iterations back, I entered it in a competition that was judged, among others, by an area LHBS and Brewery owner. He didn't score it particularly highly - but he found me afterward to explain.

He told me that it wasn't quite to American Stout style, but (and this is where the comment comes in): he emphatically told me "Don't change a thing! This beer isn't 100% to style, but it's damn near perfect for what it is." I've since shared a bomber with him of newer iterations, to the exact same advice (little does he know I've been making very minor tweaks - but nothing that's intended to impact flavor).

 

[EtchyLives]

I brought in some bottles of Texan Punk Monk to the office a few weeks ago since some of the folks I work with found out I brew and wanted to try it. My boss came back the next day and started telling me about how my beer wasn't good homebrew, it was one of the best beers he's ever had. I was thinking he was just being nice and all that, thanked him for his nice comments and went back to work.

Next thing I knew I can hear him talking to one of our offsite guys about my beer. Then to another. Fast forward to last week when I was asked to brew up the only beer to be served at our upcoming company BBQ. I feel special.

 

[Dangeruss]

I've got a stout recipe I've been refining for a couple years now - 2 iterations back, I entered it in a competition that was judged, among others, by an area LHBS and Brewery owner. He didn't score it particularly highly - but he found me afterward to explain.

He told me that it wasn't quite to American Stout style, but (and this is where the comment comes in): he emphatically told me "Don't change a thing! This beer isn't 100% to style, but it's damn near perfect for what it is." I've since shared a bomber with him of newer iterations, to the exact same advice (little does he know I've been making very minor tweaks - but nothing that's intended to impact flavor).

If you could share the recipe I would be truly grateful