Your best OMFG moments...

[seatazzz]

We all have them, be we new to homebrewing or with many years of experience. That moment in time, when you taste your creation, and just have to step back and go, OMFG; this is something awesome. Would love to hear others chime in, because I just had one 20 minutes ago.

A few weeks ago I brewed up a batch of Iron Horse Irish Death clone, recipe courtesy of my friend Jon Sleight at www.jonshomebrew.com. It turned out really well and has been on tap for a week or so now. First couple of days on tap was pretty close to the original, and very happy with it. Two days ago I tapped my latest lager and I've been drinking on that. Tonight I pulled a pint of the Death, and the flavor has mutated into something I never expected; still very dark and roasty, but now with strong notes of toffee and a slight bourbon-y flavor that just makes it even better. I have never tasted a beer like it before so I have nothing to compare it to, but I REALLY like it. It is by far the best dark beer I've ever brewed and I'm just gobsmacked by it.

So, what brew of yours just made you stand back and say OMFG? Post recipes and processes if you want.

 

[day_trippr]

Well, jeeze, aside from setting a high bar, it seems the recipe for this epiphany remains in the shadows

Anyway, the closest revelation I can proffer which likely pales by comparison is the first time I brewed with the brand-new "Citra" hops back in 2008. I did a blonde with it and was so stunned by the prominent characters I stuck four bottles in a cooler with ice packs and went straight to my lhbs (moment of silence for the departed) to bang it off the owner and whatever staff was on hand.

I was already a huge fan of "C Hops" - actually grew Cascade, Centennial and Chinook for seven years and had more than I could use - but Citra was a whole 'nuther animal. That experience solidified my desire to really get into the whole home brewing thing...

Cheers!

 

[Kent88]

One of the best beers I've made, IMHO, was my first attempt at a basic berliner weisse. I made a one gallon test batch, kettle soured, left to age for a couple days in a kettle in my oven that I treated like a proofing box before briefly boiling it and fermenting it with US05. I remember making it from pilsner malt and wheat DME. For some odd reason I did a single decoction because the vessel I was mashing it in couldn't handle an infusion and I needed to warm up the mash.

When it was young it was absolutely vile, but after about three months in bottle it lost that nasty funk that was like wet socks or wet silage and became something pleasantly tart, with almost a lemonade characteristic to it.

I had not actually tried a berliner weisse yet, and the first commercial example I did try tasted like mine did when it was young. I knew from smelling it that it was like that.

I found a couple of bottles about a year after I thought I had finished it, and it was still amazing. Isn't light beer not supposed to age well?

I don't understand why I haven't brewed this beer since.

 

[TheMadKing]

Mine was when the last time I brewed a Märzen using all base malt and decoctions, and then properly lagered it for 3 months and it was absolutely fantastic. I brought it to my homebrew clubs oktoberfest party and the keg kicked in the first 30 minutes which was happy and sad at the same time!

Also, Irish death is one of my all time favorite beers. It's particularly good if you are at the Iron Horse brewery in Ellensburg too. I'm a former Washington resident and it was always one of my go-to's

 

[Transamguy77]

Years ago I made a “big chewy stout” it was absolutely delicious! It had everything I was looking for, it was roasty, and chocolatey, and had great mouth feel and I so enjoyed it, it was one of the best beers I ever brewed and I have made it a couple of more times but it was never as good as that first brew.

That beer was brewed before I was making yeast starters and fermentation control so maybe that had something to do with why I can’t replicate it again.

 

[Cyclman]

I was trying to knock off boulevard bourbon barrel quad. Found a quad recipe, added Heavily roasted oak, homemade candi, then sour cherries. Might be the best beer I ever made. Didn’t write anything down, I’ve been trying to replicate it ever since.

 

[shelbymedic]

A few years ago, I wanted to brew a pepper beer because of how much I love Birdsong Brewery’s jalapeño pale ale.
I have a west coast ipa recipe I brew multiple times a year so I decided to use that as my base. Well since I had no guidelines on how much pepper to use, how long to have it in the beer and when to do it, I just went for it. I added three dehydrated Carolina reaper peppers (hottest pepper on earth) for three days. This was in between the primary fermentation and secondary with more hops afterwards.

so. I keg the beer and have a taste.
horrible. It literally put a sweat on your brow. I called a brewer in town and he said to put the keg aside for a month or three to see if the heat mellowed out.
I took his advice and ended up with one of the best beers I’ve ever brewed. I ended up calling it All Hot and Bothered.

 

[Pkrd]

Well, jeeze, aside from setting a high bar, it seems the recipe for this epiphany remains in the shadows

https://jonshomebrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/IRISH-DEATH-CLONE.pdf

For me: Sitting in a bar in Burlington VT I ordered a Sierra Nevada (yeah, I know, stupid place to order that), and it tasted just like what I had on tap back home, 10,000 miles away.