I don’t have one in my hand…that’s why I’m waiting! 
A wise man once told me that the beat beer in the world was the one in front of him. Perfect. But surely you have a favorite? Or are there just too many to count?
It’s boring and obvious, but it would have to be my Rye IPA.
The most asked for brew on my taps - I’m presently out of stock and it may get brewed today!
It’s a good one for sure. Only brewed it once. Loved it. How long did it take you to refine it to where you wanted it?
Tough to say, but one of the funnest brewing experiences I’ve had was a couple weeks ago. I woke up to a blanket of fresh snow and a message saying that the office was closed. So, I decided to brew. I didn’t use a recipe, just went by feel and experience and some guessing. It went incredibly well and was a lot of fun. “A little of this, a little of that!” I bottled it yesterday and I think it’s going to be a damn good, refreshing session ale (1.039 OG, IBU’s in the 50’s).
The best beer I ever brewed was the all grain Patersbier kit from NB. I dont care for belgain beers but this one did not have any of the phenolics that I usually get. I have rebrewed this kit 4 times and it has never been anything close (always belgainy) I wonder if somehow the yeast packaging got messed up. I tried it one time with US05 but that turned out so clean it was like water.
Look to your yeast health proper ferm temp (65 or so) and proper yeast pitching quantities (not too much, not to little) will help you control those phenolics and esters.
12-15 batches to hone the recipe and make sure it was repeatable.
Sometimes the boring and obvious are the best, boring being subjective. Like I said, there was a kolsch I was brewing for a while that I was just amazed by. I really nailed it. It’s not something I would want to sit down and drink everyday but I was highly impressed by it and managed to nail the simplicity of the beer.
Need to brew that one again. Wife’s b’day is coming up.
Based on my taste test this weekend, this might be my answer. we’ll see what the NHC judges say in a few weeks. 8)
otherwise, a few batches of my robust porter or the “what the funk is that smell?” guava perry with french saison yeast I made last summer would be high on the list. And just about every IPA I’ve ever made.
cheers–
–Michael
I think my first all-grain batch was my favorite, a wedding beer for my best friends. I was paranoid, anxious and scared. I measured and re-measured all of the ingredients, studied and re-studied the recipe and formulas from Denny’s site and in the end it all went perfectly and the beer turned out fantastic.
Gotta be my IIPA I brewed last winter. Did a triangle tasting with Double Trouble and Hopslam and couldn’t decide which I liked better.