I had some home-made mead at a party of the brewer. The bottle he gave us was excellent, it was a little like champagne, so I grabbed a bottle to give my parents... and when we drank it, it tasted awful. I don't know if we just stored it wrong, or if the quality just differs that much between bottles, or if I was just drunk at the party and didn't realize it tasted like boiled gasoline
My dad brews his own beer, it always turns out great.