# Nsw Xmas Case 2007 - Consumption



## nifty (2/12/07)

Righto, this is the final list of beers in the NSW case swap.
Post your tasting notes below.


1. SJW - (1a-Bo Pils) (1b-Bav Lager) (1c-English Bitter) (1-d Duvel Clone) All ready to drink!
2. Stuster - English Summer Ale, WLP005, bottled 28/10 - ready to drink
3. Fatgodzilla - Ronald Reagan all American Ale .. Can drink now but probably needs at least a month more conditioning. A mid strength with Simcoe, Amarillo & Glacier, Wyeast American II ale yeast.
4. Barramundi - SWAPALE (US-05) (sorry guys due to time restraints its a kit beer)(bottled 6/11/07) tasted ok into the bottle)
5. Gulpa - Pale Ale (Nottingham) - Bottled 25/11 - give it a few weeks
6. nifty - esb (WLP023) Bottled 18/11/07. Best to drink it quickly.
7. KillerRx4 - JZ Oatmeal stout (WLP002) ABV 4.9% Bottled 6/10/07.
8. Peve - American Pale Ale - Golden - ABV 4.5% Ready to Drink
9. Steve (ACT) - Nelsons Bastard Ale (Nottingham) - Bottled 27/10/07 - ready to drink
10. Brewer - Blonde lager (WLP 830)Bottled 19/11/07
11. Punter- Summer Blonde (US-05)-Bottled 17/11/07-Leave it for a few weeks
12. Kabooby- Belgian Dubbel (WLP550)
13. floppinab - English Bitter (Nottingham) - Bottled 7/11/2007, ABV 4.9% - ready to drink but will improve over the next month
14. N/A
15 (underlined). Oblomov - Belgian Dark Strong Ale - WLP500 - Bottled 29-SEP, ABV 8.0% - ready to drink
15 (no line). goatherder. - Czech Dark Lager. Wyeast 2001. 5.1% abv. bottled 17/11/2007
16. HomeBrewWorld.com- American P.A. EzyBrew Fresh Wort. 514 Dry Yeast. Good to go for Xmas !
17. Beerslayer- Australian Pale
18. - see 15 -
19. Keith - Australian Farmhouse Ale - with extra alcohol, Wyeast 3711 VSS French Saison
20. Trent - Brown Porter
21. Thommo - Cream Ale - Nottingham, bottled 25/11/07, so will need 1 week before you fridge it.
22. Muggus - Armoured Hawk Ale (American Amber Ale) (US-05) ~8.0%abv Bottled 27/10/07 - should be good to go
23. monkeybusiness - something like a foreign extra stout
24. MVZoom - Clayton Koelsch - the one you have when not having a Kolsch. Needs 4 weeks more bottle conditioning (do not put in fridge) Started out a a Kolsch using Wyeast Kolsch yeast but appears more like an ordinary ale.
25. Tony - The Sheep Shagger. 7.4% ABV. 1.066, 66 IBU Bottled 25/10/07. Ready to drink.
26. n00ch - Foreign Extra Stout (Wyeast 1084)- Don't drink until christmas atleast, 26A- Hefeweizen (Wheast 3068)- Only bottled this week so leave some time to carb up then drink.
27. crozdog - The Johnny Nash "I Can See Clearly Now" Bright Ale
28. redbeard - English Bitter (Nottingham). Ready to drink. The sooner the better !


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## nifty (2/12/07)

I might as well kick off with a quick note about my contribution. 

It seems it has developed a bit of an infection. I cracked a test sample last night and it had a slight band aid taste. After I picked up from flops today, I put my no.6 in the fridge to cool down and have just cracked it, mmm bandaids.

When I opened it, there was a gassy pop but no gusher. It might be best to get this one out of the way now while it only tastes like half a bandaid in each bottle, than later.

My apologies people, I've never had a noticeable infection before. Bloody Murphy and his law, it had to happen on the xmas case swap.

nifty


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## Oblomov (2/12/07)

nifty said:


> 8. Peve - American Pale Ale - Golden - ABV 4.5% Ready to Drink


Drinking this one right now. Beautiful colour, nice head, smells excellent. Hoppy but not overpowering, nice balance. Dry finish. Excellent beer. 

Here's to hoping all 28 are like this one:


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## Muggus (2/12/07)

Can't wait to start getting stuck into them sometime in the near future. 
I might crack a bottle of my brew when I get a chance. It seemed decent out of the fermenter, but i'm still a bit paranoid that I somehow buggered up. :blink:


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## Fatgodzilla (3/12/07)

First two bottles drunk and appreciated. The Crozdog's Bright Ale (#27) was an lovely easy drinking thing that set me up nicely for Stuster's Summer Ale. (#2) Went from there to a large steak and a nice drop of Red. What better way to round off a weekend. Thanks men !

I'm planning two longnecks a tasting session, next one on Wednesday. Redbeard (#28) English Bitter and Steve's (#9) Nelson's Bastard Ale next cabs off the rank. So many beers, so poor a liver !


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## SJW (3/12/07)

I had Redbeards English Bitter #28 last night and I am not sure about it..............................
Carbonation was fine and all the rest was fine for a EB but IMO there was this funny after taste. I dont think it was an infection but put it down to being a hop that I have not used. Not a bad drop but I would like to see the recipe and find out where the after taste came from. 
We will see what the others think.

Steve


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## Stuster (3/12/07)

nifty said:


> It seems it has developed a bit of an infection. I cracked a test sample last night and it had a slight band aid taste.
> 
> It might be best to get this one out of the way now while it only tastes like half a bandaid in each bottle, than later.



Thought I'd better get this out of the way as you suggested, nifty. Poured a beautiful red colour (love to know the recipe for this one to know how you got that colour, might start a recipe thread). Tight, creamy head which lasted really well. I've had bandaids in my beer before, but I really didn't pick up any in this beer (full disclosure - it was pretty late at night, but only my second beer). What I did pick up though was astringency, very dry taste and a bit of a puckering aftertaste. Still, as I say, it was late so it could just have been me.

Sorry to hear about your dog, mate.


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## Trent (3/12/07)

I, too, am sorry about your dog, Nifty.
I just tried your ESB, and as Stuster said, it poured a lovely colour, crystal clear, probably a little too much carbonation, but other than that it really looked the piece. Unlike Stuster, however, I did manage to pick up the band aids, they were fairly prominent to my nose, and also on the palate (though I could see how stuster has referred to it as astringent). There is a VERY feint line around the neck, and I am very sorry to say that I couldn't finish it. Sorry that ya got a bad batch for the xmas case, but it will happen to the best of em.

Redbeard's English Bitter
I have not been a fan of some of Redbeards previous offerings (just my opinion, of course), but found this one to be much more pleasing. A little hazy, but a lovely colour, just the right amount of carbonation and plenty of esters and hops on the nose. It was fairly pleasant to drink, though I did pick up a "grassy" flavour in the aftertaste that I seem to be sensitive to. It wasnt as prominent as in some of my own beers - though my beers that have that flavour have always gone down the sink, until now (as I recently bottled a few stubbies of a particularly bad case, only to have friends tell me they could taste nothing wrong!). Either way, the grassiness detracted a little from the enjoyment, but I still thought this was a pretty good beer.
Thanks for sharing
All the best
Trent


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## Trent (3/12/07)

#2
Given that I am still holding onto Stuster's Bier de Garde from last case swap, I figure that I had better review his english summer ale early in the piece.
Very nice amber colour, fairly hazy (though given that it is straight from the fridge, it could be chill haze) and a nice dense white head. Malt and a little fruitiness on the nose, and a slight medicinal aroma (though I am using the same glass I just had Nifty's ESB in). Medium low body, moderate bitterness and some malt sweetness. The bitterness lingers into the aftertaste, and there is a moderate hop presence that has the grassiness that I found in redbeards beer, but much less noticeable. 
Not the best beer I have had from you, but quite an easy drinking beer that I am certainly enjoying.
All the best
Trent


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## Muggus (3/12/07)

Brew: #22. Muggus - Armoured Hawk Ale, Bottled 27th October 2007, 8.0%abv

Yeah, I know it's my own beer, but i'm also yet to officially try it and I figured what better way to kick off the case-swap tastings than try my own crappy beer and work my way up to the good stuff!  

Served chilled in glass.
Quite a pungent grassy fruit hop aroma, citrus and tropical fruits, something familiar but I can't exactly put my finger on, possibly passionfruit or guava. Some slightly noticeable caramel maltiness, and a note of alcohol as it warms. Pours a dense, murky, deep bronze body containing many a chunk of hop with a dense collar of off-white foam. Mild carbonation, full-to-rich bodied, lengthy palate with quite an assertive lingering bitterness. Hop character is dominant on the body; lemon citrus, unripe stonefruit, nondescript tropical fruitiness with a subtle hint of underlying maltiness, leading to a dry finish.
A word of advice: though I couldn't see myself drinking many of these, the abv is a creeper! h34r:


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## m_peve (3/12/07)

On your advice Nifty, I thought I'd get to #6 first up.
Great label, I didn't even have time to take the old labels off my bottles!! Sorry to hear about the dog.

A very attractive beer when poured, clear and a brilliant copper colour; though i am noticeably colour blind at times :huh: 
Perhaps too much carbonation for an ESB? Maybe caused by the rogue yeast?
Unfortunately, I got the 'band-aid' aroma and flavour as well, and i struggled to taste the beer underneath. 
Disappointing because given it's presentation, it promised to be a beauty!!

Cheers
Pete


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## nifty (4/12/07)

Yeah, it's a shame about the beer. I guess I'll have to look at my process, maybe I got a bit slack, although I can't see that I did anything different from all my other brews. I hope the brew I have fermenting now is ok. It tastes alright, but then, the xmas case was tasting good at bottling and 2 weeks down the track it is off.

Anyway, sorry guys, especially whoever got 2 of mine.

As for the assistant brewer, he had a good run at 15 and a half years. He was a good mate.

Cheers

nifty


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## kabooby (4/12/07)

Pretty tuff school so far for the beer judging h34r:


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## floppinab (4/12/07)

kabooby said:


> Pretty tuff school so far for the beer judging h34r:



Given it's my first case................ I'm more than just a little aprehensive  

Hmmm, I might sign up under another name and start talking my beer up before you blokes get to it


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## Stuster (4/12/07)

Trent said:


> #2
> Given that I am still holding onto Stuster's Bier de Garde from last case swap, I figure that I had better review his english summer ale early in the piece.
> Very nice amber colour, fairly hazy (though given that it is straight from the fridge, it could be chill haze) and a nice dense white head. Malt and a little fruitiness on the nose, and a slight medicinal aroma (though I am using the same glass I just had Nifty's ESB in). Medium low body, moderate bitterness and some malt sweetness. The bitterness lingers into the aftertaste, and there is a moderate hop presence that has the grassiness that I found in redbeards beer, but much less noticeable.
> Not the best beer I have had from you, but quite an easy drinking beer that I am certainly enjoying.
> ...



Thanks for the detailed review, Trent. I'm interested that you picked up a medicinal aroma (not sure if it's just the lingering effect of the earlier beer which sometimes happens, have to see if others pick up on it too). The grassiness is presumably from the dry hopping, used 15g of EKG on the 31L batch, so shouldn't be too intense. Easy drinking was the aim for this one, so glad that's how it seemed.


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## Gulpa (4/12/07)

I tried Nifty's as well last night on his advice. Agree re appearance etc and well carbed. The problem was there in my bottle if you went looking for it. I thought it was a quite minor aspect of the flavour . Ive had much worse :huh: and I didnt have any trouble finishing the bottle. Perhaps some bottles are better than others.


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## SJW (4/12/07)

I had Stusters #2 Summer Ale last night and and Peve's APA #8. Both great beers and great to drink with no problems that I could detect. 
Sorry about the lack of detail.

Steve


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## Trent (4/12/07)

Gday
Just tried a stubby of my porter, and it is drinking OK, but is fairly undercarbed. Dunno why, 'twas bottled 3 weeks ago. It wouldn't hurt to leave it another week or 2, but is drinkable now either way.
All the best
Trent


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## Trent (4/12/07)

#9
Steve's Bastard Nelson Ale
Pours a crystal clear golden amber colour, with a long lasting dense white head. Sweet caramel malt, some honey notes, fruity esters and moderate hops on the nose, though i cannot pick the hops. Slightly lemony - glacier? Anyway, there is a medium-high carbonation, firm malt and a pretty high bitterness. The lemony comes through in the flavour, adn the beer finishes fairly sweet. I would suggest that it is a little too bitter to be an easy drinking beer, and could benifit from a 5IBU drop, and maybe more. 
It is an enjoyable beer, though leaves me burping a little bit, and also a little bloated. As I said, nothing wrong with the beer at all, and the appearance is faultless, but when I started brewing, my beers were similar to this, very full in body, heaps of flavour and bitterness and something I loved to drink - only problem was they were too bloating to drink more than 3 or 4 glasses in a sitting. I find this problem in this beer (though I am being picky). I can only suggest mashing lower, or reducing the amount of crystal in there (if any) to make it more drinkable. There is just a residual sweetness there that I find distracting, or possibly a little cloying, that I found in my extract beers (though I mean no offense if this beer is all grain). I dont think I could drink more than the 2 glasses in the bottle, but I am certainly enjoying it. My suggestions are only to increase the drinkability, and be a little more to my tastes. Apart from that, it is a very well made beer, looks the part, and has HEAPS of flavour and character. Maybe try brewing it to a lower starting gravity next time, and if it is a mash brew, mash lower to get a lower FG, and you will have an excellent, easy drinker.
Thanks for sharing.
Trent


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## Keith the Beer Guy (4/12/07)

#28 

Loved the pour. Gorgeous colour. Aroma great complexity. Malt came through with hints of sweetness. Excellent.

Great mouthfeel with a pleasing creaminess. Carbonation level spot on.

Well balanced beer, malt well balanced by low/low med bitterness.

An odd flavour stuck out. Almost a hint of lemon with a perfume like character. I wondered for a while if it was a grain charcter, a little bit of astrigency perhaps, but in the end I think it's a hop flavour that stands out a little bit too much.

Overall, a good looking, easy going, easy drinking, enjoyable lighter style beer. Well made.

Thanks for the ale.

Keith


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## Steve (5/12/07)

Trent said:


> #9
> Steve's Bastard Nelson Ale
> Pours a crystal clear golden amber colour, with a long lasting dense white head. Sweet caramel malt, some honey notes, fruity esters and moderate hops on the nose, though i cannot pick the hops. Slightly lemony - glacier? Anyway, there is a medium-high carbonation, firm malt and a pretty high bitterness. The lemony comes through in the flavour, adn the beer finishes fairly sweet. I would suggest that it is a little too bitter to be an easy drinking beer, and could benifit from a 5IBU drop, and maybe more.
> It is an enjoyable beer, though leaves me burping a little bit, and also a little bloated. As I said, nothing wrong with the beer at all, and the appearance is faultless, but when I started brewing, my beers were similar to this, very full in body, heaps of flavour and bitterness and something I loved to drink - only problem was they were too bloating to drink more than 3 or 4 glasses in a sitting. I find this problem in this beer (though I am being picky). I can only suggest mashing lower, or reducing the amount of crystal in there (if any) to make it more drinkable. There is just a residual sweetness there that I find distracting, or possibly a little cloying, that I found in my extract beers (though I mean no offense if this beer is all grain). I dont think I could drink more than the 2 glasses in the bottle, but I am certainly enjoying it. My suggestions are only to increase the drinkability, and be a little more to my tastes. Apart from that, it is a very well made beer, looks the part, and has HEAPS of flavour and character. Maybe try brewing it to a lower starting gravity next time, and if it is a mash brew, mash lower to get a lower FG, and you will have an excellent, easy drinker.
> ...



Thanks very much Trent! Thats a great review I think?. It is an AG beer. The Hops are Nelson Sauvon - hence the name. Thats the first time ive ever had one of my brews scrutinized. Thanks for the tips.
Cheers
Steve


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## Trent (5/12/07)

Steve said:


> Thanks very much Trent! Thats a great review I think?. It is an AG beer. The Hops are Nelson Sauvon - hence the name. Thats the first time ive ever had one of my brews scrutinized. Thanks for the tips.
> Cheers
> Steve



My pleasure, Steve
Never tried the Nelson Sauvin hops before, they are quite distinctive, though eh? Sorry to mention extract there though! My early all grain beers (re-reading my post made me realise I didnt state that) along with my extract beers had that extra sweetness, that I have overcome by mashing lower. Drop the bitterness and body by a little each, and that will be an excellent beer, IMO.
All the best
Trent


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## m_peve (5/12/07)

Currently drinking #2 from Stuster. It poured well with a good long-lasting head. Gold in colour with a haze that seemed to clear as the beer warmed. Mild hop aroma; Medium body and bitterness. A well balanced, approachable beer that's a pleasure to drink. Thanks heaps.

Pete 

PS.What hops did you use in it? Or is it bad form to ask those questions here? :unsure:


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## crozdog (5/12/07)

just went to the shed to put a few bottles in the fridge & found a crumpled pile of glass in 1 crate!!! :angry:  I haven't found the lid yet but think it was #2 from Stuster.

Bummer I was looking forward to that one. You all may want to get it cold to prevent the same happening to you - or maybe it was a 1 off - I hope so.

On the same note I must advise I had 1 of mine (#27) explode the day before the swap, so it might be an idea to get into it soon. B)


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## MVZOOM (5/12/07)

#9 - Nelson Bastard Ale

I really enjoyed this beer. Thought it was going to be Savin hops from the name - and they delivered in spades! I got the same pour and colour characteristics as Trent, all good.

I thought the amount of body was great, however given the nature of the hops, the whole beer was a little sweet. There were lingering sweet passionfruit notes as it warmed up too (all good!). Maybe left a little longer in the bottle the hop fruitiness would dissipate, therefore toning the whole beer down slightly. 

All in all though, a nice drop - good stuff Steve!

Cheers - Mike


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## Stuster (5/12/07)

Peve said:


> Currently drinking #2 from Stuster. It poured well with a good long-lasting head. Gold in colour with a haze that seemed to clear as the beer warmed. Mild hop aroma; Medium body and bitterness. A well balanced, approachable beer that's a pleasure to drink. Thanks heaps.
> 
> Pete
> 
> PS.What hops did you use in it? Or is it bad form to ask those questions here?



Glad you liked the beer, Pete. Not bad form at all. All the details are in the recipe thread, here. It's Fuggles, EKG and Northdown. Maybe add your recipe in there too.  



crozdog said:


> just went to the shed to put a few bottles in the fridge & found a crumpled pile of glass in 1 crate!!! I haven't found the lid yet but think it was #2 from Stuster.



Bugger. Very strange. No problem with the ones I've opened so far (drinking a spare of that beer now actually) or other reviews. Anyway, it's ready to drink now and then I can get all my reviews done before Xmas. (when the reviews slow down anyway for some reason :lol: )


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## Fatgodzilla (5/12/07)

> just went to the shed to put a few bottles in the fridge & found a crumpled pile of glass in 1 crate!!! I haven't found the lid yet but think it was #2 from Stuster.



Crozdog, it's just the animal in you coming out. Don't throw the milk crates around !! :lol:


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## Muggus (5/12/07)

Brew: #6. Nifty - Some Sort of Extra Special Bitter, Bottled 18th November 2007, 5.8%abv

I buckled under the pressure, so I thought I might follow the crowd and crack Nifty's offering ASAP.

Served chilled in glass.
Malty sort of aroma, underlying notes of toffee, nuts and roastiness, possibly some citrusy hops with an odd metallic/medicinal note. Pours a delightfully clean reddish amber body with a dense white head. Carbonation is quite full, body is on the lean side. Nice malt flavours, toffee and nuts, hint of roasted malts, some earthy citrusy English-style hop character, with an ever present, slightly off-putting drying metallic note that lingers. 
Not a bad drop, certainly looks the part and has a decent malt profile, shame it didn't turn out as well as you hoped Nifty!

ps...Sorry to hear about your dog too mate. Good way to celebrate his life by brewing a beer though!


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## crozdog (6/12/07)

Just had half of Nifty's #6. Great tight fine head with a lot of carbonation - maybe a bit too much for style, but it certainly tops the beautifully clear dark copper beer well. Great malt aroma with a hint of hop & some phenolics. Masses of malt in the mouth with a good balance of hop bitterness & flavour. I initially detected some phenolics, but wouldn't really call it bandaid. This dispersed as the glass warmed. What temp did you mash/ferment at? I ask cause if finished a bit dry (again less noticeable when warmer).

All in all I liked this beer thanks - it was a lot better than some of the entries in the state comp I judged B) - some of em had a whole chemist shop in em not just 1 bandaid h34r:


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## goatherder (6/12/07)

#8 - Peve's Golden Ale

Great colour, very golden! The beer has good clarity and a small head. Loads of tropical fruit hop aromas on the nose. Plenty of hop flavour follows. There is some nice malt flavours in the background and a very dry finish. I'm detecting something a little out of place in the finish - not sure if it's some oxidation or some grain astringency. Other than that, a very enjoyable beer thanks Peve.


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## goatherder (6/12/07)

#2 Stuster's Summer Ale

Attractive golden colour peeks out from under the haze with an enviable head perched atop the beer. A good dose of English hop aroma along with some pleasant yeast characters is evident. There is a solid punch of hop flavour (and bitterness) up front which follows right through to the finish. The malt is well supportive of this and makes for good balance. The lively carbonation and the finishing dryness round this beer out as a very tasty well drinking beer. Much enjoyed thanks Stuster.


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## Fatgodzilla (7/12/07)

nifty said:


> Yeah, it's a shame about the beer. I guess I'll have to look at my process, maybe I got a bit slack, although I can't see that I did anything different from all my other brews. I hope the brew I have fermenting now is ok. It tastes alright, but then, the xmas case was tasting good at bottling and 2 weeks down the track it is off.



Had it last night and thought it okay. Given I may not be a great judge (yet) I couldn't really say I found much wrong with it. Happily drank the lot and plan to make a beer similar in style in my winter brewing program. Thanks mate !!

The kids loved the label and my daughter is now using the bottle as a flower vase.


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## Muggus (7/12/07)

Managed to get another couple of beers drunk during the week...

Brew: #1c. SJW - English Bitter
Served chilled in glass. 
Grainy biscuit malt on the nose, a bit of bread and toffee sweetness, perhaps a touch of floral hops in there too. Pours a slightly hazy orange-amber body with thick white foam and lace. Nice creaminess to the texture, moderate carbonation and body. Biscuity toffee-like malt flavours on the body with a touch of sweetness, some leafy citric hop character, with a note of bread on towards a drying, reasonably bitter finish. In true British style, it the flavour seems to develop and balance out with a rise in temperature. 
Not a bad drop, could very easily see myself downing a few pints of it fresh from the cask at a Ye Olde Style pub! 

Brew: #2. Stuster - English Summer Ale, Bottled 28/10/07
Served chilled in glass. 
Zesty citrus and leafy hops on the nose, not overdone though, some faint malt and breadiness. Pours a hazy pale copper body with a solid white head and lace. Moderate carbonation, full bodied, slightly creamy texture. A touch of malt sweetness, biscuit and honey-like, on the body supporting some grassy citrusy hop flavours. Finishes on a lingering dry bready note with a decent belt of bitterness. 
Not sure why i'm trying all of the English-style ales first off!? Quite a nice beer, certainly appreciate having one of these to come home to on a Friday afternoon after a long week of work.


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## MHB (7/12/07)

Sadly Punter (who hasnt picked his swap beers up yet) won't get to taste #17; it exploded in my shop today.

Several startled customers and some mopping later it's all cleaned up. But be warned #17 may be just a tough fizzy.

MHB


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## goatherder (7/12/07)

#6 Nifty's ESB

Coppery in colour with a subtle red hue, crystal clear and a good sized white head. Great looking beer. Loads of English hop aroma with some complex malt coming through as it warms. Plenty of hops up front in the mouth with some delicious caramel malt flavours. The bitterness is very solid, to the point where I get a slight metallic feel from it. The mouthfeel is deliciously creamy and the finish is crisp and dry. I must be in luck Nifty, I couldn't find any sign of the infection referred to by the other drinkers. This is a top example of an ESB I reckon, a fitting tribute to your mate Widget. Cheers.


#9 Steve's Nelsons Bastard Ale

Deep amber colour and very clear with a smallish head. Great tropical fruit aroma with some sweet malts in the background. The flavour is awesome - lemons and passionfruit with nicely balanced malts. The bitterness is well balanced by the slight sweetness in the finish. The carbonation is a little on the low side, maybe mine needed another week or so in the bottle. I've got two fermenters of beer ready to keg with NS in them, I'm very much looking forward to them now. A very tasty and drinkable beer thanks Steve.


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## floppinab (7/12/07)

OK First one for me.

8. Peve - American Pale Ale - Golden - ABV 4.5% Ready to Drink

Disclaimer : palate somewhat dented by 4 schooners of Matilda Bay alphas on redbeards insisntance this arvo after work!!!!!

Super super super clear (post ferm finings???), with a brilliant golden colour ever so slightly amberised. Was not expecting any clear beers this early after the swap and I only put this one in the fridge about 10 hours ago. Head fell away a little quickly but the class had had a couple of my AIPA's and greasy lips prior!!!! 
Earthy hop aroma not prominent but some nice hops there. I'm picking up some Aceto or Diacety aroma in there, not strong but something there.
Quite highly bittered but not unpleasant at all, quite well balanced with some nice Amero hop flavour up front and some nice malt complexity added in. Nice light body, again picking up a little diaceto on the back palate (low ferment temp???)

Generaly, a great session beer, could go several more or these........still being blinded by the clarity!!!!

.............just read goatherders review, matches my picking up something at the backend, not confident it's diaceto but something there. Not too distracting though, very good beer.


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## Tony (7/12/07)

#6 Niftys ESB

Exactly what goaty said....... im not going to try to discribe it better. I was very impressed with its clarity and perfect carbonation, head retention and mouth feel.

I can see where you get the bandaid thig from but i think this is hopa and malt and posibly a yeast ester but its not unpleasant.

I would be proud to brew a beer this clear.

Whats your secret mate?

#26 nOOch Stout.

Well it says to leave it till after xmas....... i was going to put redbeards beer in the frikdge but i fridged the wrong bottle.

poured it in the glass and thought...... Gee its dark for a pale ale.

Drank the first glass and mate...... i have to say.......

Ive brewed a few stouts in my time but this is the best stout i have had.

Its got a sweet malty finish with a great drinkable mouth feel. Carb is great and holds a nice head. 

SLight alcahol warmth that is smooth and pleasant, and not unwelcome on a friday night after a long week.

W hop character is there.... not sure what though over all that malt but its definatly there, even down to hop flowers and seeds in the second glass  

Dude...... you might want to look into something to strain them out of the firmenter when you bottle.

Both great beers and would be proud to have brewed them myself.

PS...... the stout did have a good head on it till i stuck myt greasy fingers in to see what the chunks were. And dont feel bad about the hops mate...... i sent a beer to Ash in perth a whila ago..... the robust porter i brewed for last years mash paddle and never got to enter..... anyway, it had a huntsman spider in the bottle :lol: 

Reconed it still tasted ok  

cheers


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## n00ch (7/12/07)

Ok....I'm sorry about the possible hop flower or 2...Quite embarrassed to see some hop flowers in there..... I was REALLY short on volume and obviously made the most of what I had left. :mellow: 

I am truely sorry Tony (and all who possibly get another flower!). Glad you liked the beer and I am guessing you got one of the beers closest to the bottom of the bulk prime. I have never had this before. At least you know I used great plugs! 

Mitch


----------



## Tony (7/12/07)

It wasnt a problem mate....... i just scooped them off the top and enjoyed.

It Is ready to drink now by the way. 

cheers


----------



## n00ch (7/12/07)

Well glad to hear other then the flowers it was ok. 

Ok well I change my comments from drink at xmas to drink NOW. It did CC for a good 3 weeks. 

Thanks for your helpful words Tony, and for being kind. I couldn't find my bottling wand (I am glad I only bottle 1 to 2 times a year) and had to make use of a narrowed down racking tube instead which had no way of blocking left over flowers.


----------



## Thommo (7/12/07)

That reminds me,

Mine will not be ready as soon as I thought it would be. I'll be trying another bottle in a week and will post the results. It was under carbed, and very underwhelming too.


----------



## Trent (8/12/07)

n00ch said:


> Ok....I'm sorry about the possible hop flower or 2...
> Mitch



Oh, you will be, Mitch, you will be....  :lol: 
T.


----------



## n00ch (8/12/07)

ooooohhhhh you are one of the harsh (read - honest) ones I was hoping didn't get a flower! :lol: No no Trent give me your most honest feedback, not that I would think you wouldn't


----------



## Punter (8/12/07)

MHB said:


> Sadly Punter (who hasnt picked his swap beers up yet) won't get to taste #17; it exploded in my shop today.
> 
> Several startled customers and some mopping later it's all cleaned up. But be warned #17 may be just a tough fizzy.
> 
> MHB



Damn,
Sorry about having to clean up a mess in the shop Mark.
I will have to pick them up next Sat. at the HAG swap.
Too much work on at the moment.
Cheers, Duane.


----------



## Trent (8/12/07)

Thanks for the warning, Mark, re #17.
I just put it into my fridge, and the cap seemed a little convex (though I could be just imagining it). Will drink it tonight.

#27
Crozdog's I Can See Clearly Now Bright Ale
Mate, that is one hell of a name, I cna see why ya didnt make a label for it . Anyway, it actually poured very hazy, so I could only assume the name was a piss take, but right at the end of my second glass is started to clear, so I may have had it too cold. 
There was an aroma on the nose that was familiar, yet hard for me to pick. it was a kinda sulfur aroma, that wasnt offensive, but didnt really allow malt or hops to show through much either. Started out sweet, and finished a little thin in body, if that makes sense, with moderate amounts of malt, bitterness and I think I got a little hop in there too. The carbonation was moderate to medium, so at least in my bottle there was no real chance of an explosion - maybe the bottle that blew up of yours had a weak spot, Croz? The sulfury hit that i got stayed with the beer through the course, maybe it was from the yeast that ya used, I dunno. I didnt pick up any real off flavours or anything in there, so it was obviously well made. It was quite drinkable and clean, I would suggest maybe getting a little more body into the tail end of the palate and try and get it a little clearer, but apart from that, it was just what I was looking for after a hot day at work.
Thanks for sharing
Trent


----------



## Trent (8/12/07)

#1c
SJW's English Bitter
Poured a nice amber colour, and had some chill haze in there, and a nice head. Funnily enough, I got a sweet aroma, with some Belgian style yeast character, and almost pear like esters! I peeled off the 1c label, and it said 46 underneath - this was definitely the bitter, right? I only ask, as it tasted very similar to my first ever attempt at a belgian, which was a Leffe Blonde clone. I used a dried yeast that seemed to leave a sweetness that I usually attribute to kits, but it was certainly AG. Anyway, I digress.
The sweetness stayed with the beer, and the esters and yeast character did aswell, perfect for an english bitter, but as I said, they were almost belgian in character. Not terrible, just surprising. The bitterness didnt seem all that high, and I would have liked a bit more hops in there. I would probably throw in a small amount of chocolate malt in there next time to darken the colour, and help dry out the finish a little bit. Some more late hops wouldnt go astray either. All up, it was a pleasant beer that was drunk with appreciation, it was just a little different to what I was expecting. Clean and well made, I wouldn't mind trying a bottle from your next batch of bitter, if ya dont mind. (we will do a swap of some sort!)
All the best, and thanks for sharing
Trent


----------



## Gulpa (8/12/07)

15 (underlined). Oblomov - Belgian Dark Strong Ale 

Thought I would give this a go being friday night and all. Nice dark ruby colour with low carbonation. Quite sweet and fruity on the palate, if I had to be more specific, maybe prunes. Alcohol very well hidden, I wouldnt have believed it to be 8% by tasting it. I thought the sweetness may become cloying toward the end of the bottle but it didnt. Excellent beer, I really enjoyed it. Thanks Oblo.


8. Peve - American Pale Ale - Golden - ABV 4.5% 

Tried Peve's beer on Thursday. Agree with other's notes so wont repeat. Nice beer, thanks Peve.


Cheers Andrew


----------



## Tony (8/12/07)

This sounds like a bottle of belgian SWJ gave me a couple of weeks ago when i was dropping of my cases. Im sure it had 46 on the top and it was exactly as you discribed. He gave me 2 bottles, one had 45 aqnd 1 had 46 on them im sure but i have been wrong.

#28. Redbeards English Bitter.

Nice beer mate. I love the colour of it...... i make my bitters the same colour. great bitter bite on the side of my tongue and its clean...... a bit too clean for the style.

2 things i recon it needs is a not so clean english ale yeast (try WLP005 or 1275 if you like them cleaner) and the hops..... while very enjoyable were a bit more "APA" level than a bitter. But this isnt a comp and i enjoyed your beer.

Cheers


----------



## Oblomov (8/12/07)

> 25. Tony - The Sheep Shagger. 7.4% ABV. 1.066, 66 IBU Bottled 25/10/07. Ready to drink.


Enjoying this one right now. Amber colour, a bit hazy. Creamy head that persists well. Very strong hop aroma. Taste is fairly bitter but it has has strong hops as well. I have never had a beer with this much hops, but I like it. Excellent beer. Afraid I might fall asleep now .....


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## Tony (8/12/07)

:lol: It sneaks up on you doesnt it. 

The haze is hop haze...... it got a bucket full of hop flowers at the end.....as you found out.

cheers


----------



## goatherder (8/12/07)

25. Tony - The Sheep Shagger. 7.4% ABV. 1.066, 66 IBU Bottled 25/10/07. Ready to drink.

Amber in colour with a haze which hints there might be some hops in there somewhere. A thick white head stands tall, painting the glass all the way down. A multitude of hop aromas are detectable - tropical fruits, citrus and fresh cut grass. The hop flavours lead and are followed by a good depth of bready malt. The finish drops away just a bit too quick - it could use a little more malt there. The 7.4% is very well hidden, this beer drinks very easily. The beer is well balanced and the carbonation is spot on. I was really looking forward to this beer and it hasn't disappointed. Outstanding thanks Tony.

To everyone else - drink this one soon, the hops are awesome and they won't last forever.


----------



## Tony (8/12/07)

Glad you liked it mate

I kept the malt low to make it a bit more quaffable for summer conditions, seeing as the swap was in december and as you said....... it wont stay that hoppy for long.

After looking at my records its actually closser to 8% abv B) 



Beerslayer: Australian Pale.

Well the first schooner didnt touch the sides...... must be OK.... Will pour another and review it.

OK....... If one went pop in marks store, it must have been double primed cause mine was fine. Its a tad over carbed and made me burp a bit but i dont mind a bit of gas im my beer.

I personally thing all it needs is a bit more botterness to make it more refreshing. There is a definate sweetness in the finnish that kind of gets a bit much after a couple but other than that.... a nice beer. Its very close to the aussie pale i have on tap at the moment. 

I would be interested to see the recipe specs on this beer actually.

cheers


----------



## Keith the Beer Guy (9/12/07)

Had Beer Slayers Aussie Pale Ale (#17) last night.

Amazing toffeed honey notes with lots of complexity on the aroma, with a hint of hop spiciness in the background.

The toffee and honey flavours dominate the palate. In the background I perceived earthy style hops. It is very sweet.

A full bodied beer, high carbonation with large bubbles.

For my money Beer Slayer if you increased the bitterness and added a little more late addition hops the beer would be more balanced and you would appreciate the remaining sweet honey-like flavour more because of it. The quaffability factor would increase if the beer was a little less chewy, try using less malt or more easily fermented sugars like dextrose (or a little white household sugar (15%w/w)  ).

Thanks for the drop, it's a beer that shows a lot of potential.

Keith


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## Keith the Beer Guy (9/12/07)

(#1b) SJW's Bavarian lager.

Steve I had a few of your beers in the past and enjoyed them.

This beer was quite drinkable.

It was hazy, and there can be lots of reasons for haziness. The first thing I usually look to is the boil, and this is one of the advantages that kit users have over the all-grain folk - the boiling has already been done and done well, you should have a good strong rolling boil. Some malts are prone to producing hazy beers and may need a long mash time with a strong rolling boil. 

For style though it needed more late addition hops, I could not smell any of those delicate perfumery/spicy aromas and the flavour additions were on the low side. How much age did this beer have? It may just be that the hop character has dropped off with age. 

The beer had a sweetness that I suspect comes from underattenuation, if a little bit more residual sugar got chewed up the balance would be on the money.

This beer _was _quite drinkable, thanks for the sampler.

Keith


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## beer slayer (9/12/07)

MHB said:


> Sadly Punter (who hasnt picked his swap beers up yet) won't get to taste #17; it exploded in my shop today.
> 
> Several startled customers and some mopping later it's all cleaned up. But be warned #17 may be just a tough fizzy.
> 
> MHB



Hi Xmas cases,

Sorry for the exploding bottle. I purchased a out of "use by date" liquid yeast from my LHBS as he didn't have a fresh one. Its possible quite that it hasn't fermented out fully. So I think It would be a good Idea if you guys could place it in the fridge for safety.

Cheers
BS


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## Oblomov (9/12/07)

Currently drining 1c.

My bottle is pretty clear. Nice amber colour, reasonably persistent head, initially with big bubbles. Smell is a bit fruity, little hop aroma. I get very little sweetness or malt taste, more citrussy (sp.?). Very bitter. Extremly dry finish. The taste indeed comes out a lot better when the beer is warmed up a bit. Good beer. Thanks.

I'm liking this case more and more every day.


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## goatherder (9/12/07)

#17 Beerslayer's Aussie Pale

It pours with a huge white head sitting on top of a hazy amber coloured beer. There is a real caramel honey note in the aroma. Is there honey in this beer? There is also plenty of honey flavours along with some nice maltiness. The beer is well carbonated which helps as it is balanced towards a little towards sweet in the finish. A very clean and well made beer thanks Beerslayer.


----------



## Stuster (9/12/07)

I had Beerslayer's Australian pale last night. Great looking beer, good thick head with good retention. Some light caramel aromas. Flavour-wise this wasn't quite my type of beer, with the malty sweetness that goatherder mentioned being a bit too much IMO, and becoming a bit cloying. It seems that others like this though, so it might just be me. For my taste buds I'd have to change things a little, maybe upping the hop bitterness or knocking back the crystal a bit (if that's what you used). Anyway, a very clean beer that was along the right lines for style, and with a little shift in the balance would be a very drinkable one.


----------



## goatherder (9/12/07)

#1c SJW's English Bitter

A pleasant amber colour with a little haze and a small but persistent white head. There are some nice earthy English hop aromas combined with some nice caramel and toffee malts. The malt theme continues through into the flavour, malty well into the finish. The bitterness is quite forward and well to style, very balanced. The finish is dry and with the moderate carbonation helping out. Great beer thanks SJW, I love a bitter and this is a very drinkable example. Cheers.


----------



## Tony (9/12/07)

2. Stuster - English Summer Ale.

My brother and i shared this one and we both decided it was a bloody nice beer. Mouth feel, bitterness and colour were spot on, with a refreshing finnish and a bitter bite on the side of the tongue which i liked.

I found the hop flavour a bit ....... oh i dont know the words but the hops flavour put me off a bit. It was not unplesant at all and got better the warmer the beer got, but it just was there. I think it wasnt the flavour i found unplesant...... more its presence in the first place.

I find these summer bitters benifit from a nice soft aroma and the bitterness was very refreshing and plesant but the hop flavour was a bit much...... "for me". Im sure lots of others will love it cause its a tops beer and my brother said if i had that in the keg he would go back for another. I said i would if it didnt have so much of that hop flavour.

What sort of hops did you use........... im interested to know. I cant think of the word to use to describe what i mean........ I think i just would have liked the beer with less of the hop flavour and a tad mora aroma but thats me.

Great well made beer mate........ thanks.


----------



## Trent (10/12/07)

#17 Beerslayers Aussie Pale Ale
I got the same notes as some of the others, some real toffee/honey notes in there, and it was definitely quite sweet. What I did get that no one else has mentioned, was a really prominent yeastiness, though I seem to be fairly sensitive to these kinds of tastes. The yeastiness smelt and tasted of bread yeast to me, my mate didnt find it as prominent as I, but agreed that the flavour and aroma were there. The bitterness was pretty good, but I couldn't finish it with that yeast character there. It tasted to me that the yeast had been fairly stressed or somoething. Did you make a starer with the out of dat yeast? I have used out of date yeast before, and havent really had this problem (though it is an aroma I have found on several occasions with WY1968 ESB).
Obviously you know that the yeast wasnt up to par, and it is a pity, cause it showed promise, and others will no doubt like it. I would like to try a bottle down the track that has used fresh, as I have always enjoyed your previous offerings.
All the best
Trent


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## Stuster (10/12/07)

Glad you liked it, Tony, except for the hop flavour.  

I used EKG and Northdown for flavour and aroma additions, with a dry hop of a little EKG. It's very interesting the different reactions people have to the same beer so thanks for the thoughtful review.

Oh, and full recipe is in this thread. It'd be great to see a few more recipes in there.


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## Tony (10/12/07)

I didnt think the flavour was bad....... Thats why i couldnt find the words i was after. I didnt want to say harsh or offensive or anything to that gist.... because it wasnt. I quite enjoyed it but i just felt a bit less of it would have made the beer more drinkable. 

I think i would have fatigued on it after a few glasses when otherwise it was a great refreshing summer quaffer.

You wouldnt think it was the same person that just wrote that when you try the Sheep Shagger  But it wasnt ment to be a summer quaffer. Its a 1 or 2 glass....OOOOOO... AAAhhhhh beer.

cheers


----------



## goatherder (10/12/07)

#3 Fatgodzilla's Ronald Reagan all American Ale

Amber and hazy with a tenacious white head. Terrific American hop aromas of grapefruits and lemons. There is a big hit of passionfruit hop flavour up front, fighting hard with the malt which is trying to show through. The bitterness is aggressive yet smooth and lingers on well into the finish. The carbonation is spot on and the body is perfect for easy drinking. This is a cracker Fatgodzilla, right up my alley. I say bugger waiting a month for conditioning, drink this one now and enjoy the hops while they are firing! Recipe please!


----------



## Gulpa (10/12/07)

1. SJW (1-d Duvel Clone)

Poured very pale with a BIG fluffy white head. Cant really describe the taste other than it tastes pretty much like a Duvel  , perhaps a bit sweet. Really enjoying this one. Thanks SJW. Ive found a couple of these swap beers a bit sweet, im wondering if it just me.


17. Beerslayer- Australian Pale

Not much to add on this one. No hint of a bottle bomb here. Well carbed. Lovely aroma with a pronounced grainyness. I didnt find it overly sweet and enjoyed it very much. Thanks. I too would like to see the recipe if you are willing to share.

Cheers
Andrew


----------



## Muggus (10/12/07)

Looks like I had a couple of bottles explode on me over the weekend. My apologies to Punter (#11) and Beerslayer (#17), I won't get a chance to try your offerings.  

Anyway, I managed to knock off a few more

Brew: #9. Steve(ACT) - Nelsons Bastard Ale 

Served chilled in glass. 
Excellent fruity hop-driven nose, packed full of lemon citrus, passionfruit, pineapple, white grape (wine-like I guess), some grainy maltiness in the background. Pours a clean bronze body with thick white lace. Moderate carbonation, medium sort of body, some drying towards the finish. Some nice passionfruit and Sauv. Blanc-like fruitiness upfront, some bread, with a good helping of toffee lending some sweetness, and slightly roasted malt flavours towards the finish, seemingly contributing to the bitterness of the finish. 
Reminds me a bit of Macs Sassy Red, in a good way. Big fan of the Nelson Sauvin hop, put to good use in this beer, nice work Steve.

Brew: #8. Peve - American Pale Ale

Served chilled in glass. 
Subtle hops on the nose, citrus and stonefruit, quite nice. Pours a clean copper/gold body with a white collar. Carbonation is moderate, body is reasonably lean and clean. Spicy citric hops on the body, a touch of more complex fruitiness (peach skins?), some underlying sweet malt balances out a quite bitter finish. Very nice quaffing APA, something in the mould of a James Squire Golden Ale, without the offputting dirty yeasty note.


----------



## Fatgodzilla (10/12/07)

goatherder said:


> #3 Fatgodzilla's Ronald Reagan all American Ale
> 
> Amber and hazy with a tenacious white head. Terrific American hop aromas of grapefruits and lemons. There is a big hit of passionfruit hop flavour up front, fighting hard with the malt which is trying to show through. The bitterness is aggressive yet smooth and lingers on well into the finish. The carbonation is spot on and the body is perfect for easy drinking. This is a cracker Fatgodzilla, right up my alley. I say bugger waiting a month for conditioning, drink this one now and enjoy the hops while they are firing! Recipe please!



Had to repeat the full comment, I'm feeling chuffed. Inspired by threads from Tony of the PoR Loving fame and a few others of his ilk, I wanted to make a hoppy brew. It's a simple extract mix of 1 can Morgans Pale Unhopped extract a kilo of DLME and half a can of Morgans Blue Mountains lager (cos it was there). All malts into the boil, 30g Simcoe at start, 30g Amarillo after 30 minutes and 30g of Glacier in last 10 minutes. Wyeast 1272 (American Ale II). OG 1045 FG 1010.

Your comment on the aggressive bitterness was the reason I thought it best to drink in January rather than December but I've made a similiar brew with half the hop additions just after this one (just in case I stuffed up the thing) and I prefer the Swap version. 

Thanks for the positive comments, guess everyone should drink it now. Even if everyone else hates it, I won't care !!!!


----------



## Tony (10/12/07)

Its going in the fridge now Fat....... I didnt see any POR in there???????

I just bought a pack of 1272 American 11 to try on a pale ale with "POR" so will look ofrward to trying it.

may not be till later in the week though. I have a work function at Coca-cola.... ummmmm i mean Bluetongue brewery tomorrow night. Free beer so i didnt say no.

cheers


----------



## Fatgodzilla (10/12/07)

Tony said:


> Its going in the fridge now Fat....... I didnt see any POR in there???????
> 
> I just bought a pack of 1272 American 11 to try on a pale ale with "POR" so will look forward to trying it.
> 
> ...




The PoR is going into the next Pale Ale with Amarillo for smell - a sort of James Squire Golden Ale clone (but with more hops) - shit man, now I'm even thinking brewing like you !!!!! 
Save me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can only but try to follow in the footsteps of greatness ......................... 
But then as my old dad you to say, you shouldn't walk in someone else's shoes or else you'll get tinea.


----------



## Tony (10/12/07)

mate...... i dont think you would fit in my shoes 

cheers


----------



## floppinab (11/12/07)

crozzy's 27. crozdog - The Johnny Nash "I Can See Clearly Now" Bright Ale

Has poured very hazy Phil, not sure why been in the fridge for a few days, perfectly carbed, nice white head that holds up well. Interesting mix of hop aroma, nothing too intense but very pleasant, I still can't pick 'em yet but I think there's something non-american in there.
Lovely body on this for a bright ale, can really get my teeth into it, light to med. on the bitterness (but does creep up on you a little on the finish) and subtle flavour hops early on the taste balances well with the light malts. The yeast is forging through a little too strongly, be better if it had cleared out a little more.
Great beer Phil, do you blokes ever make bad beer!!!!!


----------



## m_peve (11/12/07)

#17 Beerslayer - Australian Pale

The head on this offering was huge. Very highly carbonated with a slight hazy golden colour. Fantastic honey aroma and taste (I initially detected the bready aroma that Trent found but it dissipated quickly for me). 
A fantastic beer, Beerslayer, though probably too sweet for me to have more than a couple though. Thanks muchly!!

Pete

P.S. There is honey in it isn't there?


----------



## m_peve (11/12/07)

# 27. crozdog - The Johnny Nash "I Can See Clearly Now" Bright Ale

Poured with a small to medium head that lasted well. It was very hazy to start but did clear quite a bit as it warmed to a lovely yellow/gold colour.
Slight mandarin notes and a hint of other citrus?
A light-medium body (I'd like a little more body) that provided a refreshing bitterness level offset nicely by the malt. 
An excellent drop and much appreciated. Thanks Crozdog

Pete


----------



## Steve (12/12/07)

Muggus said:


> Brew: #9. Steve(ACT) - Nelsons Bastard Ale
> 
> Served chilled in glass.
> Excellent fruity hop-driven nose, packed full of lemon citrus, passionfruit, pineapple, white grape (wine-like I guess), some grainy maltiness in the background. Pours a clean bronze body with thick white lace. Moderate carbonation, medium sort of body, some drying towards the finish. Some nice passionfruit and Sauv. Blanc-like fruitiness upfront, some bread, with a good helping of toffee lending some sweetness, and slightly roasted malt flavours towards the finish, seemingly contributing to the bitterness of the finish.
> Reminds me a bit of Macs Sassy Red, in a good way. Big fan of the Nelson Sauvin hop, put to good use in this beer, nice work Steve.



lemon, passion fruit, pineapple, white grape, bread, toffee and roast flavours .....sounds like a pizza! :lol: 

Thanks for the review. Glad you liked it Muggus.
Cheers
Steve


----------



## Punter (12/12/07)

Muggus said:


> Looks like I had a couple of bottles explode on me over the weekend. My apologies to Punter (#11) and Beerslayer (#17), I won't get a chance to try your offerings.




Damn, Sorry Muggus, first time I've ever had a bottle go bang  
I will cool one of mine down tonight and try it a let you all know how its going.
Might have to drink this one soon too.


----------



## MVZOOM (12/12/07)

Upon hearing of possible issues, I thought it pertinent to swing into action and consume Punter's Blonde (#11). Like I needed an excuse.....  

Chilled to 4degC. Poured clear, with a tight white head. Nice controlled hop aroma with good carbonation - actually very good , bubbly with a nice amount of bubbling in the glass, without being overly whizzy.

First taste impressions, good bitterness with a not so prominant hoppiness. The body is fairly sweet, but with a dryish finish (how is that possible - or is it just my taste buds?). It's not lacing down the glass, but that could be the condition of my vessel.
Fairly neutral yeast flavour profile, there's not much there. 

All in all a nice beer, something that I could happily sink a few of. Nice one Punter!

Cheers - Mike


----------



## Trent (12/12/07)

#25 
Tony's Sheep Shagger
Poured a hazy, copper/red colour with a nice dense white head that usually comes with really hoppy beers. Toffee/caramel like malt aromas are evident on the nose, with a medium hop aroma, kinda earthy. Sweet malt on the palate, that offsets the bitterness quite well, they are very balanced, and it is hard to believe it is 66IBU. Moderate alcohol warming in the belly as you drink, but the alcohol is very well hidden. Bitterness lingers fairly long into the aftertaste. The hops are quite balanced with the maltiness and bitterness, and nothing is really more dominant than the other. I can only assume you have made this in the vein of an English style IPA, as it doesnt have the over the top hoppiness of an AIPA, and has more maltiness than required by that style. This is a very well made and easy to drink beer (that will probably hit you like a ton of bricks if you drink it by the pint). Extremely well balanced IPA, thanks very much for sharing, Tony, I would be proud if I could ever make a beer of this calibre.
All the best
Trent


----------



## Tony (12/12/07)

Thanks mate...... that means a lot comming from you sensitive pallate. I was nervous about your review.

It was made based on an English IPA but i wanted the malt a bit sweeter (used carared candy malt instead of crystal) and brewed it with US-05 to really bring out the hops. I felt a sweeter malt profile would compliment the sweet character of those NZ hops. 

I was also amazed at how easy to drink it is for a big beer thats this bitter but it all comes down to that "B" word doesnt it.

Shame about the haze from all the late hop flowers....... just dont look at it 

cheers


----------



## Punter (13/12/07)

Punter said:


> Damn, Sorry Muggus, first time I've ever had a bottle go bang
> I will cool one of mine down tonight and try it a let you all know how its going.
> Might have to drink this one soon too.




Ok, after Muggus had my bottle go off I chilled
one of my spares down last night and had a try.
Its ready to drink now, its well carbed, but I didnt see
or taste anything that would have made it go bang. Hope
its just a one off.
Drink it cold on a hot day.


----------



## Punter (13/12/07)

MVZOOM said:


> Upon hearing of possible issues, I thought it pertinent to swing into action and consume Punter's Blonde (#11). Like I needed an excuse.....
> 
> Chilled to 4degC. Poured clear, with a tight white head. Nice controlled hop aroma with good carbonation - actually very good , bubbly with a nice amount of bubbling in the glass, without being overly whizzy.
> 
> ...




Thanks for the review Mike.
Its supposed to be a fairly bland, quaffable in large amounts type of beer
thats not to any real style. 
Cheers, Duane.


----------



## Stuster (13/12/07)

*Fatgodzilla - Ronald Reagan all American Ale*

Nice light APA, Fatgodzilla. Fresh citrus aroma with some floral notes, noticeable but (to me  ) balanced hop flavour and bitterness that was nice and cleansing, light-medium body which was perfect for a summer night. I'm not sure if I was imagining it because I knew it was there, but 'thought' I picked up a little kit twang in there, but that was the only slight negative on a very refreshing, hoppy beer. Thumbs up from SWMBO as well (an APA lover). :super: I agree with Goatherder that this is perfect for drinking now.


----------



## Oblomov (13/12/07)

*19. Keith - Australian Farmhouse Ale - with extra alcohol, Wyeast 3711 VSS French Saison*

Opened the bottle yesterday. I'm guessing you forgot to add sugar to my bottle  Completely uncarbonated. A shame since the few sips I took were quite nice.


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## Fatgodzilla (13/12/07)

Stuster said:


> *Fatgodzilla - Ronald Reagan all American Ale*
> 
> I knew it was there, but 'thought' I picked up a little kit twang in there, but that was the only slight negative on a very refreshing, hoppy beer. Thumbs up from SWMBO as well (an APA lover). :super: I agree with Goatherder that this is perfect for drinking now.




Shouldn't have told the truth about the ingredients ? But I'm happy I've fluked a good one for you all. Pity I don't have any spare bottles !!


----------



## Tony (13/12/07)

I just tried your beer too fatgodzilla.
I found the same kit tang in the beer but other than that it was nice. 

I personaly would have enjoyed it more if it had a bit more malt backbone to hold up all that bitterness which came through a bit too much to me..... more like a solidly bittered IPA than APA which should be about a big hop presence which i also didnt really find.

I take it it was suposed to be a lighter refreshing summer beer and it did that well but lacked smoothness. It was ballanced towards bitterness.

All in all a good beer though mate.... well done and thanks.

I also tried SWJ,s 1b bavarian lager last night. It was nice golden colour with a good malty slightly sweet finish. nice bitterness and low hops (its a bit older so thats understandable)
When you say bavarian lager Steve, do you mean oktoberfest, vienna lager.....? 

also..... was it high in alcahol. It seemed to hit me like a brick in the head. either i drank more than i realised before trying it of its an elephant beer clone.

good beer though mate... thanks

cheers


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## floppinab (14/12/07)

message for beerslayer and hbw.......... didn't you know there is a rule for Swaps.............

If you don't pick up your swap beers prior to the end of two weeks after the swap they become the property of the swap hoster


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## nifty (14/12/07)

I've never tried a beer with nelson sauvin hops in it so I thought I’d start the case last night with Steve's "Nelsons Bastard Ale". This is a very nice beer. I bought some nelson sauvin a few weeks ago in anticipation and it looks like I won't be dissapointed.... 

Thanks Steve, a very nice beer. I'll have to borrow your recipe from the database.

cheers

nifty


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## goatherder (14/12/07)

#22. Muggus - Armoured Hawk Ale

Deep copper in colour with a slight haze and a tall white head. Great hop aroma - pine overload, fresh cut grass and lemons. The up front hop flavour is ultra smooth with more pine - did you hopburst this? There are some nice crystal type malt flavours which make an appearance late in the beer. I detected a hint of astringency in the finish, probably from the hops. The mouthfeel is quite full and a perhaps a little sweet and the carbonation is just a little low. Great beer thanks Muggus, I've never had a piney hop profile like this one and I really enjoyed it. And the 8% kicks like mongrel horse. Cheers!


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## goatherder (14/12/07)

#28 redbeard - English Bitter

A nice copper colour with a head which laced right to the bottom. There are some subdued English hop aromas, some esters and a little malt showing through. Bready malt flavours show long into the finish following some most excellent fruity hop notes. Nice. The carbonation, bitterness and mouthfeel are spot on to style giving this beer exceptional balance. This is well made, highly drinkable and very tasty ale thanks redbeard. I'd love to see a recipe.


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## Tony (14/12/07)

#27 Crozdog - Bright ale.

When i pour a beer, i always pour the first glass and then stick my nose in the bottle........ thats my first impression of the beer. I find it a good indicator of the beers quality. I smiled and looked forward to the 2 schooners when i sniffed this. Nice clean crisp hop aroma from the bottle and the beer in the glass. smooth clean malt character with a firm clensing bitterness. Hop flavour is a tad lower than the subtle aroma which is bloody perfect for a refreshing beer. Its just right. Slight haze and i dont know if it cleared when warm cause it didnt last in the glass!..... but who cares...... its home brew!
Laced all the way to the bottom with both halves of the bottle in the same glass which was impresive.

Great beer Grozdog....... One i would be happy to have on tap in my home.

cheers


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## Tony (14/12/07)

Steve (ACT) - Nelson Bastard Ale

opend the bottle and stuck my nose in the top........ mild soft white wine aroma from the hops....... Yep.... Nelson Sauvin. Great hops and so unlike anything else out there.
Poured it and i was instantly jelous of the beers clarity........ please share your secret Steve.
Perfect carbonation, nice firm head that fades a bit but not completly which is good. 
Deep golden to light amber with as said before briliant clarity (Bastard  ) 
I have to say this is the best ballanced beer i have tried so far from the swap, lingering biterness that is very crisp and firm but smooth and enjoyable. 
Some smooth caramel malt is drifting up through the hops (im sounding like trent and Goatherder) and is topped off with a hop aroma that is clean and crisp, definate citrus and white grape. 

I made a beer with all NS a while back but it was a pale wheat american style wheat beer. The hop was a bit harsh in this pale tart environment. your beer is a much better example of the hops cabability by offering it up in a beer that compliments the hops character but doesnt over ride it.

Well dont mate and thanks for the smaple.

cheers


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## Gulpa (14/12/07)

5. Gulpa - Pale Ale

Thought it was about time I checked this beer. Sorry guys but its infected  . It was fine from the fermenter so Im not really sure what has happened. Pretty f***ing disappointed.

Regards
Andrew.


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## Gulpa (14/12/07)

25. Tony - The Sheep Shagger. 

Great beer tony. Lovely hoppiness but not overpowering and pretty well balanced.

Thanks
Andrew.


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## floppinab (15/12/07)

Gulpa said:


> 5. Gulpa - Pale Ale
> 
> Thought it was about time I checked this beer. Sorry guys but its infected  . It was fine from the fermenter so Im not really sure what has happened. Pretty f***ing disappointed.
> 
> ...



Tried yours tonight Andrew, I don't think mine was infected or it could be I'm missing something but I found it undercarbed and strongly lacking bitterness and tasting and smelling quite sweet. It could be an infection making it a little sickly sweet but it wouldn't be one I've tasted before. Definately something gone wrong there though.

Drinking FGZ's ale right now and am finding it very nice indeed. A little grassy on the nose with a bit of that green bitterness (could be a bit of the kit twang causing that). A little undercarbed for mine as well. I'm a bit of a sweet tooth so I'm loving that Glacier up front. Now I think about it's very similar to an AIPA I've got on tap at the mo, you might have tried when you were here the other weekend Ian. Similar hop bill as yours Glacier and Ama and I used PoR for bittering I think. Nicely done.


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## Gulpa (15/12/07)

floppinab said:


> Tried yours tonight Andrew, I don't think mine was infected or it could be I'm missing something but I found it undercarbed and strongly lacking bitterness and tasting and smelling quite sweet. It could be an infection making it a little sickly sweet but it wouldn't be one I've tasted before. Definately something gone wrong there though.
> 
> Drinking FGZ's ale right now and am finding it very nice indeed. A little grassy on the nose with a bit of that green bitterness (could be a bit of the kit twang causing that). A little undercarbed for mine as well. I'm a bit of a sweet tooth so I'm loving that Glacier up front. Now I think about it's very similar to an AIPA I've got on tap at the mo, you might have tried when you were here the other weekend Ian. Similar hop bill as yours Glacier and Ama and I used PoR for bittering I think. Nicely done.




Thanks for the feedback Flopps. I know what you are saying about bitterness. I was aiming for 28IBU but I think it may have come up short or I mashed a bit high for the type of beer. Hopping seems to work a bit differently for AG. The undercarbed bit is my fault. 

As for infection, I tried one on Thursday and thought it a bit suss and wasnt sure if it was yeast "character". The one I had last night was rank and went down the sink. There could be some bottle variation. Im interested in what others think.

Cheers
Andrew.


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## Steve (15/12/07)

Tony said:


> Steve (ACT) - Nelson Bastard Ale
> 
> opend the bottle and stuck my nose in the top........ mild soft white wine aroma from the hops....... Yep.... Nelson Sauvin. Great hops and so unlike anything else out there.
> Poured it and i was instantly jelous of the beers clarity........ please share your secret Steve.
> ...



.....and here I was being nervous about entering my first case swap. Thanks for the compliments Tony....as far as secrets go - I wouldnt have a clue I just make it up as I go....as was the case with this recipe.
Cheers
Steve

Edit....it had 1 whole tab of whirlfloc in at 15 mins, 6 days primary, racked to 2ndary and chilled at 0-2 degrees for 6 days, 9gms polyclar were then added, left at 0-2 for 8 more days, brought back to room temp and bottled. (Single Primed)


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## Muggus (15/12/07)

goatherder said:


> #22. Muggus - Armoured Hawk Ale
> 
> Deep copper in colour with a slight haze and a tall white head. Great hop aroma - pine overload, fresh cut grass and lemons. The up front hop flavour is ultra smooth with more pine - did you hopburst this? There are some nice crystal type malt flavours which make an appearance late in the beer. I detected a hint of astringency in the finish, probably from the hops. The mouthfeel is quite full and a perhaps a little sweet and the carbonation is just a little low. Great beer thanks Muggus, I've never had a piney hop profile like this one and I really enjoyed it. And the 8% kicks like mongrel horse. Cheers!


Thanks for the positive feedback Goatherder!

I was thinking of hop bursting it but end up doing it more conventionally using Tomahawk and (heaps of) Armarillo...
10g Tomahawk(14.8%AA) - 60 min
10g Amarillo(8.1%AA) - 60 min
10g Amarillo - 30 min
20g Tomahawk - 15 min
20g Amarillo - 15 min
10g Amarillo - 10 min
10g Tomahawk - 0 min
15g Amarillo - 0 min
40g! Amarillo - 7 days (dry)

I think it worked out to be around 50 IBUs


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## nifty (15/12/07)

I had SJW's "1a Bo Pil" last night. What a top beer. It was a really nice pale colour with a creamy white head. I kept taking a sip to try and describe it but I couldn’t stop. In the end I gave up and just enjoyed it. Top drop thanks.

cheers

nifty


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## Oblomov (15/12/07)

*12. Kabooby- Belgian Dubbel (WLP550)*

Fantastic!

Doesn't pour with a big head, but it is very persistent, as it should. Typical smell of a Belgian. Brownish colour, methinks a bit on the light side for a dubbel. Excellent taste, not very malty (for a belgian), finished nice an dry (for a belgian). 

Again, absolutely excellent beer, you should start a monastry.

Can you post some details on the malt bill and the fermentation? I would like to know how you fermented it out so well.


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## Muggus (15/12/07)

Knocked off a few more..

Brew: #27. Crozdog(The Johnny Nash "I Can See Clearly Now" Bright Ale

Served chilled in glass. 
Orange and grapefruit sort of fruitiness on the nose, a faint note of grass and sulfur/bread that i've come across in some of my young lagers before. Pours a hazy orange gold body with tight white lace. Reasonably light bodied, a tickle of carbonation on the tongue, some slight grittiness to the texture, but not discouraging. Light fruitiness on the body, a touch of lemon zest and the odd note of raisin seems to come along, bready malt lingers on the finish. Has a nice bitter edge to it, bringing forth some citric hop character. 
A easy drinking, non-offensive ale, though I daresay I've cracked it open a bit early. What yeast did you use in this one Crozdog?



Brew: #3. Fatgodzilla - Ronald Reagan all American Ale 

Served chilled in glass. 
Instantly bombarded with big citrusy hops, plenty of tropical fruit, fantastic stuff! Pours a hazy golden body with a fluffy white head. Medium bodied, decent carbonation, smooth texture. Plenty of tropical fruit hop character on the body, passionfruit and grapefruit noteable, a hint of a malt backbone, but not much. Bitterness quite restrained for a beer this hoppy, drying with a slight bread note. 
Very nice, thoroughly enjoyed this one Fatgodzilla, would definately consider making something similiar!

Cheers!


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## Tony (15/12/07)

> 9gms polyclar were then added




Ahhhhhh there it is.

cheers


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## MVZOOM (15/12/07)

Oblomov said:


> *12. Kabooby- Belgian Dubbel (WLP550)*
> 
> Fantastic!
> 
> ...




I'm also drinking this as we speak (or spell, or whatever). I concur with Oblomov's synopsis of this beer. It has all the good characteristics of a Belgium dubbel - the yeast is spot on, the colour is brilliant and the finish delightful. Upon my first snifter, my mouth diagosed that fantastic, distinctive Belgian taste. It's full of flavour, yet not cloying or overpowering.

I wonder what the ABV is? Am feeling a little smashed (typing difficult). 

Kaboody - well done, it's amazing to drink a beer this good and in tune with the style.

CHeers -Mike


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## goatherder (16/12/07)

#27 crozdog - The Johnny Nash "I Can See Clearly Now" Bright Ale

This beer is a lovely shade of golden with a little bit of haze. The head is ample and lasting. There is are some nice hop aromas - I get tangerines and grapefruit. There are some tasty hop flavours up front and a nice soft round malt presence through the middle which last well into the finish. The bitterness is perfectly balanced for easy drinking and the carbonation and body are spot on. I think this is a standout example of a session APA. So easy to drink and with loads of flavour. I normally go looking for a hop assault in an APA but this is a fantastic example of what you can do with balance. Great beer thanks mate.


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## goatherder (16/12/07)

#11 Punter- Summer Blonde

Nice golden blonde colour. Good clarity and a head which didn't stick around for long. There is a little hop aroma and some nice malts coming through. The maltiness keeps going in the flavour, right through to the finish. The bitterness is very well balanced, along with the mouthfeel and carbonation. Nice beer thanks Punter, perfect for a Sunday arvo.


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## Fatgodzilla (16/12/07)

Number 24 - The kolsch you have when you have when you are not having a kolsch ..
MVZOOOM cannot be blamed for this beer even if creditted with it. Mike's entry flopped at the last minute but rather than a last minute pullout he accepted my offer of a beer I was about to bottle. Truth was this beer would have been my Xmas entry as I thought my original entry was shite. Luckily it has proved drinkable. I'm happy Mike gets to sample all your brews rather than feel lonely like a shag on a rock. Best of luck for the 28th mate.

This entry started life as a Kolsch - its my first all grain made over a series of mini mashings cos I didn't have the equipment then for 26 litres as needed. Kolsch yeast, cold conditioned for a month, bottled about three days before swap. Tried my best to meet BJCP guidelines, but didn't have the right recipe. Found out afterwards I didn't follow a recipe that would meet the Germans expectations. (Hence, the Kolsch you have when not having a Kolsch tag) That said, they were good ingredients !

Opened my only spare tonight after a few hours on the Xmas turps. Old # 24 carbed enough to drink and is good enough to try. I'm unable to say anything about it constructive apart from it's best drunk with four friends so you all get a small glass each. That said, no harsh flavours at all, just nothing exciting here .. yet. It just tastes like a beer that needs to sit for a little longer. Put this beer away at least another month or two. Being a Kolsch yeast, from my reading an extra month or two in cold storage at back of fridge may improve it heaps. If you agree, put this away until the New Year. If not, you have been warned.

Merry Xmas all.


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## kabooby (17/12/07)

Thanks Guys for the feedback, glad you enjoyed it. ABV is 7.6%

I still have a few bottles left that I am going to keep for a few months. The flavours should round of nicely.

I roused the fermenter every day for the last week of fermentation to put the krausen yeast back into the beer. Let it sit for 2 days then put into secondary to clear. The rousing seems to help with the attenuation. 1070 down to 1012.

I will add the recipe to the recipe section

Kabooby


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## Keith the Beer Guy (17/12/07)

#3. Fatgodzilla - Ronald Reagan all American Ale 

Mr F. 

I opened the bottle not knowing what was inside, I am a lazy git, and as I poured, the unmistakeable citrus character of US hops caused me to knowingly shake my head and say, "Ahhh, an APA." 

Poured quite hazy, usually a dead set give away this is not a kit beer, with an orangey honey hue. A decent sized, slighty off-white head, looked good and beaded well. (To remove haze try doing a full-boil and boil _very _vigorously - it helps the proteins coagulate and you end up with a brighter clear beer.)

The aroma had a mixture of grapefruit, piney notes and maybe a little tinned tropical fruit salad (o.k. so I just make stuff up!). The dominating flavour was a definite lemony character. There was a touch of cloying malt sweetness (without any caramel flavour) that came through from time to time, going a little bit heavy with some malt extracts produces these types of flavour, mashing with fresh grain at lower temperatures or lightening the body a bit with easier to ferment sugars like dextrose will remove this flavour. Medium body, firm lingering biterness. The carbonation level suited the beer quite well.

Drank the bottle, watched the box, all good. Thanks very much.

Keith


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## floppinab (17/12/07)

I get to ask the odd weird question or two for those that left beers behind.

I've just had a beeeaauuutiful beer, 1/2 litre bottle with silver cap marked AIPA on it. Big complex hop hoppy beer front and back, great stuff.


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## Muggus (17/12/07)

floppinab said:


> I get to ask the odd weird question or two for those that left beers behind.
> 
> I've just had a beeeaauuutiful beer, 1/2 litre bottle with silver cap marked AIPA on it. Big complex hop hoppy beer front and back, great stuff.


I left a couple of beer for you, but I think I put labels on mine. h34r: DANG


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## floppinab (17/12/07)

Muggus said:


> I left a couple of beer for you, but I think I put labels on mine. h34r: DANG



That's OK Mike, keeping those special ones for lata!!!!


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## Muggus (17/12/07)

floppinab said:


> That's OK Mike, keeping those special ones for lata!!!!


Haha yeah probably an idea to keep that Barley Wine for a night where you don't have to be anywhere...or wake up early the next day!


On that note...

Brew: #5. Gulpa - Pale Ale 

Served chilled in glass. 
Slight bit of toffeeish biscuity malt on the nose, some earthy sort of hops in there too, nothing too pungent. Pours a hazy copper body with a dense white collar. Medium body, low carbonation, body is on the dense side, perhaps a touch sweet. Some nice grainy malt on the body, caramel and biscuit, earthy citrus hop character towards the finish, moderately bitter, a gritty yeasty note lingering on the finish. 
Non-offensive and easily drinkable, goes down a treat, cheers Gulpa!

Brew: #25. Tony - The Sheep Shagger

Served chilled in glass. 
Remarkably fruity nose, aroma unlike anything i've ever come across; vinous tropical fruits (I daresay Verdelho-like!), sharp citrus zest, notes of sultana and pine, some sweet honeyish malt... intensely strong and complex! A hazy bright copper body with fluffy white head and lace is poured into my glass. Carbonation is quite low with a smooth, velvet-like texture, has a sweetness that almost seems to be derived from the hops rather than the malt, balances well with a tart bitterness. Big hop driven palate, plenty of bitter orange, grapefruit throughout, with many other fruit-like flavours, some i'm familiar with, and others I struggle to describe, kiwi fruit? botrytised grapes?! mangosteen!?!?...well maybe not the latter... Some biscuity malt lingers on a long and satisfyingly flavoursome finish. 
Never tried anything quite like this, and it's one hell of a journey! Thank you very much Tony for sharing this beer with us!

Cheers!
Mike


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## Tony (17/12/07)

Tried a few latly, Im not going to go into detailed descriptions but i can say they were all great beers i would happily have on tap at home.

27. crozdog' johny nash. very nice beer, clean, crisp and refreshing...... i really enjoyed this beer. It had a drikability that would keep me comming back for more...... dangerous even.

11. Punters summer blonde. I was hoping a blond sports illistrated model would pour into my galss but i was pleasently suprised when i got a great beer. pale golden, clean crisp mouth feel with a perfect ballance of hop flavour and arome blended with subtle malt for a refreshing beer. You told me to drink it cold when it was hot. Id been working in the yard, was sweating like a bastard, poured it in a chilled glass and you were right mate....... thats how it should be. beers like this dont get much better as they warm up and i didnt let it. down the hatch with it after a bit of sniffing so i could describe it. Well done on a great beer.

8. Peve, APA. Well...... everyone knows my opinion on APA.... ive never had one i really liked. I always have trouble with the citrus and pine. it fatigues my palate very quickly and thats it..... cant drink any more. This beer was close to turning me. It was clear, poured with perfect carb with a capital P. ballance was spot on, enough malt to back up the bitterness but both shone through in their own right. the hops were very piney but pleasently so......with some citrus to even it out. after 2 i had had enough but i wouldnt mind the recipe as it was an enjoyable 2 beers that could be perswaded to swing me to the APA road for the odd one from a bottle. Great job

7. KillerRx4. oatmeal stout. Gusher! chilled it to 4 deg for a day and opened it over the sink after someone else told me it was a bit over carbed. It gushed and i ended up with 1 glass (a pint thank god) after fighting with it for 10 minuites. It hissed like a pressure reliefe when i cracked the lid. mate maybe you need to revise your priming amounts or methods or let it sit to finnish off completly. Not sure but it was very fizzy. I let the glass sit for 20 min to settle down and it was a very nice stout. smooth clean roast character with just the right amount od sweetness to ballance the bitterness. A bit more body would have been nice but a very drinkable enjoyable stout all the same..... well done mate.......a stout to be proud of. Just need to work on the priming.


cheers


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## Gulpa (17/12/07)

floppinab said:


> I get to ask the odd weird question or two for those that left beers behind.
> 
> I've just had a beeeaauuutiful beer, 1/2 litre bottle with silver cap marked AIPA on it. Big complex hop hoppy beer front and back, great stuff.




Sounds like the one I left. Glad you enjoyed it. Shame my swap beer wasnt up to this standard. Beer was a Victory Hop Devil clone. Never had the original so not really sure how accurate it is.

Cheers
Andrew.


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## SJW (18/12/07)

Thanks for the feedback boys. I have been in QLD on holds for the past 2 weeks so I have not been drinking our beers. I will be home tomorrow so I will get back to work then.
Keith- Yes mate as I had to grab what I could to put this case together most have been bottle for 6 months now.

The Duvel is a cracker, for those who got that one. Just Pils and 1 kg od Sugar and Wyest Belgian Strong.

And the English bitter was my first crack at an Englisg Bitter so I was flying by the seat of my pants.

Steve


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## crozdog (18/12/07)

Dunno why but the post i made yesterday has disappeared :blink: 

Anyway, just wanted to say thanks for the feedbcak guys, glad you like the "Johnny Nash". I was aiming for a nice light refreshing summer sessional :chug: & am happy with how it turned out, but dunno why its cloudy for you guys - what i have on tap is clear (no filtering). maybe leave it a bit longer if you havent tried it yet.

FWIW, the recipe is in the recipe thread. 

Muggas Yeast was US05. 
Gavin - only Amarillo & cascade in it & i try not to make bad beer ;-)

SJW, had your 1c english mild last night. Very clear (until I dumped some bottle yeast into the end of the pour) Great malt aroma supported by what i felt was an appropriate level of hopping and a nice head. Like most english styles it got better as it warmed. I probably would have placed this beer if it was in the flight I judged at the recent state comp. Mate I loved it ... well done for your 1st effort at this style :beer:


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## nifty (18/12/07)

SJW said:


> The Duvel is a cracker, for those who got that one. Just Pils and 1 kg od Sugar and Wyest Belgian Strong.
> 
> And the English bitter was my first crack at an Englisg Bitter so I was flying by the seat of my pants.
> 
> Steve



You're right mate, it was a cracker. Bewdiful beer.

cheers
nifty


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## Tony (18/12/07)

22. Muggus Armoured Hawl Ale.

I opened this one in the lounge room and poured into a big "PHAT" pint glass. Poured with a big fluffy head that died down to a nice 1/4 inch firm stand, and is holding it well as it warms.

I have had folks tell me of their interpritation of this beers aroma as pine, but i got ginger. Lots of ginger. As i was thinking this my wife sitting across the roon on a seperate lounge down wind in the breeze pipes up and says....... Gaaawd whats that, are you drinking ginger beer?

I snif and i snif and all i get is a fantastic sweet malt aroma mingling in amoungst ginger........ i cant find pine but thats my perception.

hop and malt aroma and flavour compliment each other well with hops being a tad more prominet with is perfect.

The 8% seems like a 5% and the beer is over all smooth, clean and well ballanced.

Great job!

cheers


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## Punter (19/12/07)

Finally picked up my case on Saturday and couldnt decide
where to start, so closed my eyes and grabbed the first 2 
bottles and put them in the fridge.

#10. Brewers Blonde Lager.

Poured with a big white fluffy head that laced all the way down.
Nice blonde colour with a slight haze. Good carb and good hop aroma, 
nice clean hop flavour.
This was a very nice beer that didnt last long at all. Went down 
very quick and easy. I could have easily drank a lot more of these.
A grat beer to start off the case.
Thanks mate.

#28. Redbeards English Bitter.

Nice tight white head and well carbed, the lacing coated my glass.
Nice coppery colour with a floral peppery aroma. It had a good caramely
peppery/spicy flavour. 
Another great beer, this beats the hell out of the bitter I have on tap at the 
moment. I really enjoyed this, thanks.

A great start to the case. Thanks guys.


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## Keith the Beer Guy (19/12/07)

#11 Summer Blonde

Poured a glass, lovely light gold, straw colour with large brilliant white head.

Whiff of clove-like, spicey phenolics in the aroma which disappeared on standing. 

Had a gentle hop spiciness at the front of the palate, low-low/med body along with med-high carbonation and a slight balance towards hops creates a very refreshing ale. Not as clean as it might be, there's a yeastiness there that detracts from the refreshing character of the beer, you might ferment at a lower temperature or rack the beer off the yeast bed a little sooner. After finishing the beer there is also a slight acidity lingering in the front of my mouth. I suspect a very mild infection. 

Not the end of the world. The beer is pretty quaffable, I drank all of my bottle. Thanks.

Keith


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## Tony (19/12/07)

Just a note on the Sheep Shagger.

I just had one and its lost about half its hop character. It will end up a nice malty beer with some hop character soon.

Those that got in early got the best of it. If you leave it.... you will never know what was!

Drink it NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! cause it is only going to go down hill. Its a hop driven beer, not a long lived barly wine

cheers


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## m_peve (20/12/07)

#25 - Tony - The Sheep Shagger

Took your advice and Holy Moly this it's good!!! With a creamy head that lasted forever, the beer sat in the glass displaying a wonderful cloudy red-brown colour. A wonderful balance of malt and hops. Honey and tropical fruit notes. I have nothing constructive to say other than it is one of the best beers I've had for a long time. Thanks heaps Tony!!!


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## m_peve (20/12/07)

Just a couple of quick reviews from past days. Sorry about the brevity but Xmas has me flat out and I'm trying to catch up the couple of beers I have managed to try and remember details.

#28 Redbeard - English Bitter

Poured a good sized attractive head. Copper coloured and containing caramel flavours. Not too sweet though. A excellent balanced session beer. Thanks Redbeard.

#13. floppinab - English Bitter
Head disappeared very quickly. Nice bitterness on the side of tongue. Roasted coffee notes, perhaps a hint of golden syrup ?? (it was late when I tried it) :unsure: A really enjoyable beer. Much appreciated floppinab.


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## nifty (20/12/07)

Tony's Sheep Shagger #25 -

I drank this one last Friday. It was an excellent beer. So hoppy, but made so well that it went down very easily. I couldn't tell it was over 7%. Geez, I wish I had a few more of them. This is another beer on the "to do" list.

Thanks Tony

nifty


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## floppinab (20/12/07)

Just polished off Stu's Summer Ale, familiar hops on the front end but couldn't pick it (looked it up 'twas the EKG haven't had Northdown before, nice combo), not going to go into detail, but lovely stuff as always from the master!!!!!  

Hoeing into Brewers Blonde at the mo. Lovely straw colour, quite clear, not a lot of hop aroma in this one but pleasantly bittered, very clean finish.............mmmmm wife's just put Meaning of Life on the tele...........all I've time for now..............love those fat merchant bankers!!!!!!!!!!


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## Fatgodzilla (21/12/07)

> Brew: #8. Peve - American Pale Ale



Had this last night - Loved the smell, loved the finish. Like a lot of these beers, don't you get the shits when you finish the bottle and know there isn't a another one in the fridge. 

I know this style is one of my favourites at the moment and I probably will tire of its flavours over the years as I discover other styles but for now, I'd be happy to drink this beer any time. Good stuff Peve.


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## SJW (21/12/07)

Had the Sheep Shager last night, very very nice, although I would not want to put too many away.

Also had Thomos Cream Ale, Not bad, but as I have never had a Cream Ale before I was not sure what to compare it to. I will be interested the hear other coments on this one.

Steve


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## Thommo (21/12/07)

Finally picked up my case last night and freezer chilled number 1A, SJW's Bo Pils.

Very nice beer. Beautiful light colour, really nice bitterness. Head wouldn't go away, very fluffy. If I had been patient and fridged it for 48 hours I'm sure it would have been even clearer as it was (small bit of yeast, so that's my fault).

Nice one, and a good way for me to start off the NSW December Xmas Case 07.

Now to catch up to the rest of you!!!! Some serious drinking this weekend.


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## Fatgodzilla (21/12/07)

Just had a feed of oysters and prawns as you do down here in Deliverance Country - speared then all myself.  What better ale to wash them down with than # 4 Barramundi's SWAPALE. 

I'll leave the flowery accolades to those who know how to say things best, but a good quaffing beer I would drink anytime and one you should be proud of. If that's what you do when you knock up a kit for a swap, your good beers must be sensational.

While typing this I'm enjoying [SJW's 1 (B)- Bavarian Lager. Interesting. very drinkable. I've not tasted anything like it. I know you don't think this is your best beer and for good reason, but I'm enjoying it and that's all that matters. Thanks for it.


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## goatherder (21/12/07)

#13 - floppinab's Bitter

Dark brown in colour with a nice ruby hue in the light, almost into porter territory. The beer is brilliantly clear and holds a great head. Lots of burnt toffee notes on the nose. The sweet dark malts follow through in the flavour with hardly a trace of roast. The bitterness and mouthfeel are perfect for the style, as is the carbonation. Top shelf beer thanks floppinab, reminds me a lot of Theakston's Old Peculiar. Wonderful drinking.


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## floppinab (22/12/07)

Steves Nelson Bastard

Poured with a coarse off white head that fell away pretty quickly, quite strongly carbed but I'm OK with that. Dark copper in colour, super brilliantly clear. Light sauvin aroma, not too heavy and very pleasant. A little harsh dryness up front, I've found the same my Nottingham brew, not a big fan of this yeast, don't think I'll use it again. On appearance I though this might end up a bit malt heavy but is balanced very well with some very smooth hop bitterness. Just checked your recipe........... Northern Brewer velly niceaaa.

Nicely done Steve.

Getting stuck into Tony's Ovis Intercourse 

Poured like custard, very thick, some indication of what was to come.What a hop flavour hit this is from the first millisecond it hits the tongue. Some serious fruit in this beer, you name it, it's in there. Was expecting a bit more of a back end bitterness hit but it wasn't there. Great body and mouthfeel, no hints of alco intensity, great for a highish alco beer. Nicely done Tony


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## Gulpa (22/12/07)

3. Fatgodzilla - Ronald Reagan all American Ale 
27. crozdog - The Johnny Nash "I Can See Clearly Now" Bright Ale

Drunk both of these last night as I was feeling a bit APA ish. Both fantastic beers and enjoyed them a lot for different reasons. Fatz for the hops I wouldnt normally use/try. Croz for the restraint. Thanks guys.

Im constantly surprised the different flavours that amarillo/cascade put into a beer. Ive made a few of myself but I always pick it as something else.

Cheers
Andrew.


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## goatherder (22/12/07)

No 15 (no underline) Czech dark lager is ready to drink.


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## SJW (22/12/07)

I had Keiths Aussie Farmhouse Ale today. Little cloudy, no head, low carbonation, Big alcohol and I would not want to put many of these away. Nice beer though. Would like to know what it was hopped with.

Also had Trents Brown Porter. WOW, What a beer. It was great all round. A little low on the carbonation for me but a perfect brew otherwise.

Steve


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## Fatgodzilla (24/12/07)

Xmas Eve eve - busy packing for a few days away with the inlaws. Then last night, Santa Claus to a hundred kids at our local Carols By Candlelight. After sweating in the fake hair, fake beard I needed a drink. The crowdies, bless their souls, offered Santa a beer - sort of. Bloody VB. Now before all you defenders of VB jump up and down, I drunk it down thankfully (thirsty). So back to the North Pole, I need something that will taste like a beer. To my salvation, N0. 25 Tony's Sheep Shagger[After three failed attempts to crack this bottle (plans go awry and grabbed wrong bottle once) last night was the time. Tony, you restored my faith in beer that tastes .. beery. Loved the hop bitterness - pity Carlton stopped making Victoria Bitter and substitutes Very Bland in its place. This is what I remember old fashioned bitter beers should taste like. Thanks for saving Santa Claus Tony !!!!!

PS leave all the flowery bits to you wordsmiths - Tony looks like a decent man who appreciates straight talking - the beer was %[email protected]*ing good mate. Tah.


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## Tony (24/12/07)

No Problems mate....... :beer: 

cheers


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## m_peve (27/12/07)

More catchups

15 (underlined). Oblomov - Belgian Dark Strong Ale - Dark dark red brown colour. Low Carbonation and what head there was disipated very quickly. Noticeable alcohol flavours but not overwhelming, though I was feeling it by the end of the bottle. Sweet malty flavours with caramel notes balanced well by the hop bitterness. Terrific!! Thanks Oblomov

Cheers
Pete


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## m_peve (27/12/07)

Only a day behind now. I may even get a chance to post a recipe eventually.

3 - Fatgodzilla - Ronald Reagan all American Ale - Lunchtime in the cricket and time to start tasting. Good sized head that clings nicely to the side of the glass. Reasonably clear golden colour. Slight Piney notes. The high level of bitterness ensures it remains really refreshing and leaves you wanting another. I'd love to see it dry hopped it with something American to lift the aroma levels. Thanks heaps Fatgodzilla!

9 - Steve (ACT) - Nelsons Bastard Ale (Nottingham) - Medium-sized head that lingered for some time. Wonderfully clear copper coloured appearance. Citrus and stone fruit aromas backed by strong peach and plum flavours. Malt sweetness and hop biterness is perfectly balanced. SENSATIONAL!!!! A shame there's only ony bottle!! Tremendous sample Steve!! Will have to have a go with the Nelson.

Thanks Guys


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## SJW (27/12/07)

Well Christmas day drinking honours went to Nooch and Goathearder 2 great beers. The stout was a little over carbonated for me but it was worth it to see that big rocky head right down to the last drop. And Scotts dark Lager was a cracker, loved it.

Steve


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## n00ch (27/12/07)

Yeah sorry about the carbonation on mine Steve. Might be a good idea to put this one in the fridge folks.

Cheers


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## Fatgodzilla (28/12/07)

Peve said:


> Only a day behind now. I may even get a chance to post a recipe eventually.
> 
> 3 - Fatgodzilla - Ronald Reagan all American Ale - Lunchtime in the cricket and time to start tasting. Good sized head that clings nicely to the side of the glass. Reasonably clear golden colour. Slight Piney notes. The high level of bitterness ensures it remains really refreshing and leaves you wanting another. I'd love to see it dry hopped it with something American to lift the aroma levels. Thanks heaps Fatgodzilla!



Thanks Peve. Actually found my last stubby of this beer at back of fridge and first thing I noticed was the distinct drop in the aroma. Bitterness same, just diminished aroma. Will repeat hopping schedule in an upcoming AG version of same beer and dry hop some and not others to determine suitability. Given I used Simcoe early, Amarillo mid and Glacier at end, any thoughts on whether I should dry hop any of these three or perhaps go a fourth hop ? Cascade too easy - what else though ??


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## m_peve (28/12/07)

I'd recommend using Amarillo as a fourth dry hop but then I have a soft spot for Amarillo.
My experience has been strong citrusy aroma good for 3 or 4 months when dry hopped (if that's what you're after of course)

Pete



Fatgodzilla said:


> Thanks Peve. Actually found my last stubby of this beer at back of fridge and first thing I noticed was the distinct drop in the aroma. Bitterness same, just diminished aroma. Will repeat hopping schedule in an upcoming AG version of same beer and dry hop some and not others to determine suitability. Given I used Simcoe early, Amarillo mid and Glacier at end, any thoughts on whether I should dry hop any of these three or perhaps go a fourth hop ? Cascade too easy - what else though ??


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## m_peve (28/12/07)

Still running behind  

11. Punter- Summer Blonde - Clear Golden straw colour with good sized head that disappeared quickly (though it could have been my glass). Little aroma to speak of, and malt is the driving force in the taste department (not overpowering though). Light bodied with a crisp finish that is perfect for day 2 of the Boxing Day test. Excellent summer beer punter (shame that there is no more  ). Thanks Pete


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## m_peve (28/12/07)

10. Brewer - Blonde lager - Ah cricket beer!!! Slightly hazy with good sized head. Well balanced with a clean aroma and taste. Bitterness at the finish makes it very refreshing. Great for a summer's day though a storm seems to be coming in from the southwest. Thanks Brewer


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## m_peve (28/12/07)

5. Gulpa - Pale Ale - Amber colour with fluffy white head. Toffee and biscuit aroma and taste. A 'woody' (I'm struggling with this) taste toward the finish. Balanced towards sweetness which is a nice contrast to Brewer's blonde (the previous beer). I could easy have three or four!! Thanks Gulpa.


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## m_peve (28/12/07)

1. SJW - (1c-English Bitter) - A surprisingly light amber colour with a small white head that disappeared quickly. Crystal clear. Detectable hops though dominated by the malt flavours. The bitterness level may be a bit low for an english bitter ( more toward an english mild?? ). A touch more bitterness would adjust this (for my tastebuds anyway) 8^)) A really good drop. Thanks Steve


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## m_peve (28/12/07)

15 (no line). goatherder - Opaque dark beer. The lighting in the room is dim but I'm going to say black.  Creamy head that lasts the whole beer through. Hmmm!!! It's almost finished already (that's bad) Fantastic beer Scott. Back to the review. Little aroma that I could pick although maybe some faint coffee/chocolate notes. Taste - Crisp, clean and refreshing. A great balance between malt and hops. Enough of each to be distiguishable but neither overpowers. A light-Medium to medium bodied lager that is something special. A great way to end a hard day at work. Hats off goatherder!! Great beer!!


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## homebrewworld.com (29/12/07)

Well guys, after plenty of beer wine spirits and shite loads of food, here is the notes i made on our xmas case. Some when i was very drunk and some just early in the day!  
I did give a few bottles away to friends to take home so some notes are not here, so sorry if your notes are not here. I was either to gone to take note, or as i say it was passed on to my friends as gifts.
Thanks to all for a great swap and an enjoyable beer feast over xmas ! Cheers HBW




*Kabooby*: Belgian Double
Very nice example of style, Imediate Belgian aroma , balanced between malt and phenols. Finishes mod dry not to sweet or dry Top Beer !! great start to my case Cheers !

*Crozdog*: Johnny Nash
Quite clear, light straw colour with white compact head.
Pine / floral aroma, Pineapple fruity citrus taste.
Body light-med. Nice summer beer indeed! Cheers Crozdog.

*Stuster*: English summer Ale
Pour very nice clear with white persistant head.
Clear to very clear clarity. Thin - med body. Mod carbonation.
Flavour very much like Crozdog Johnny Nash ? i.e Piney floral fruity.
Another top beer Cheers !

*Fatgodzilla*: American Ale
Lovely aroma... Easy drinkin summer beer
Floral Amarillo flavour ?Nice hop smack in mouth with off white head.
Really enjoyed this Cheers!

*Gulpa*: Pale Ale
Sorry Gulpa, mine was hit with an infection.

*Brewer*: Blonde Lager
Looks very Blonde! I got some lacto infection in there too. Call it a farmhouse blonde ! Thats what every guys wants !?

*Baramundi*: Swap Ale 
I came home from work on Xmas eve and smashed this little beauty straight down the hatch ! Great beer for me at the time Kit or not !!

*Steve*: Ale 
Lovely golden colour,
Nice compact head with nice hop aroma.
Enjoyed this one for sure. Cheers

*Trent* : Brown Porter
Low carb, as i like. Clear-very clear
Bitterness low side, thin body indeed a very drinkable Porter. Cheers Trent

*Red Bea*rd: English Ale
Top Beer, a soon as poured supported by a white compact head.
Copper Red colour, exellent balance.
Nice drop Red Beard Cheers mate.

*Oatmeal Stout No 7*:
Overcarbed out of bottle.
Choc Roast notes, Top drop ! Cheers

*19 Farmhouse*:
Whew !!! Out there baby !
Try explain this one to xmas guests trying for the first time!
Cheers top drop.

*13 English*
Great Beer !!!!
I need to brew more pomy beers like this !
I dont have many notes, but heaps of praise. Cheers 

*8 American *
Top drop !
Fruity Amarillo, All the USA notes there, cheers drop drop !

*26 Nooch: FES*
Had this beer with a xmas pudding ( 12 month old ) and what a combo !
Lovely aroma, complex roast and a little alcohol warmth.
Chocolate/ Roasty very balanced. Very Clean easy to drink. Oh yeah it is xmas !!! Cheers Nooch.

*23 Monkeybusiness*: FES
Roast/Toasty, lacked a little body for my liking. Low head retention Carb med - low as i like for this beer. Nice drop indeed Cheers MB !

25 Tonys: Sheepshager
One of my top favourites of this case !!!!
I want a keg of this Tony !!
Lovely lovely aroma, but not as bitter as i expected.
Balanced to perfection. Very smooth with alcohol warmth in there, but not hot.
Cheers again ! 

*15 Oblomov*: Belgian DarkStrong Ale
Ruby, Garnet colour. Low head retention ( as expected for this ) 
Nice malt backbone ( melanoidin malt ? ) some alcohol warmth comes through. 
Top beer for me !! Really enjoyed it. Cheers.


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## Tony (29/12/07)

Glad you liked my beer HBW.

I tried yours tonight.

There isn't much i can say. Tastes like a FWK beer  

I made one a while back.... an amber ale (ESB) one and it tasted exactly the same. I wasnt impressed with it.

Carb was perfect, It laced the glass which was nice but i didnt really enjoy the beer. It was a bit cardboardy to my taste.... the hops were kind of dirty..... the same as the FWK i bought all those years ago.

It would have been nice to taste a beer you brewed mate.... not just a FWK i could have made myself.

SHould this be a rule for future swaps... only beers you made youself. Sure there are some extract and kit beer in here and other swaps but they have some passion and personal expresion in them. They are the wares of the brewer that entered the swap.

Im sorry HBW but I would have rathered you brewed something yourself that was worse than just tip a FWK in a firmenter.

cheers


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## redbeard (29/12/07)

Tony, I think u might find that HBW did actually mash / boil it, then no-chill it, followed by the ferment. Just that he probably did a few 100l at once (http://www.homebrewworld.com/html/ezybrew.htm). If you dont like the beer, then thats ok, everyone's got an opinion 

cheers


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## Stuster (30/12/07)

Tony's Sheepshagger. Great beer. Very smooth, nicely balanced, the hops do seem to have dropped off a bit, but there's plenty of nice malts in there instead. Excellent stuff.

Peve's APA. Another good beer on the lighter hopping side of APA, and again nicely balanced. A tasty, easy drinking beer. Thanks, Peve. As you asked about my beer, I was left wondering which hops they were.


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## homebrewworld.com (30/12/07)

Sorry you didnt like it Tony.
Yes, i made it just like you made your contribution ( as redbeard points out ).
Anyway Merry Xmas


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## Tony (30/12/07)

Well fair enough HBW. I will apolagise if i offended you with my comments on you not brewing it yourself. Just the thought of a retailer picking up a FWK off the shop floor and tipping it in a firmenter. To me the case swap is more than just getting beer to drink..... i already had it in the first place if i entered the swap. Its about trying beers people put some thought and effort into. Individual expressions of the best they can do, that they put out for all of us to try, judge, enjoy or tip out depending on your taste buds. 

I was also a bit harsh with my critic of the beer too but i was honest. I would hope people are honest about my beers too. If they taste it and go......oh thats a well made beer but the hop flavour is very off putting..... i would rather they say that than call it an "interststing hop flavour" to avoid upsetting someone. And in no way am i saying someoun has done this. My point is that i need honest (good and bad) feedback to inprove my brewing.

I felt your beer was a well made beer. It had great body, colour, carb was perfect and it laced the glass. It was a bit hazy but my taste buds dont see that...... haze doesnt worry me. I felt the overall flavour character of the beer was a bit kind of dirty and stalish.......i dont know the exact words but it didnt have the clean slightly sweet malt and fruity cirtus hops i look for in an APA. As i said before..... I made an Amber Ale FWK years back. It was one of the Peakhurst (ESB) ones and i have never forgoten the flavour it had. This tasted exectly the same and i still cant put my finger on whats in it. Almost like its got a heap of amber malt in it and its overly buiskety.... but its not just that, its hop character as well in the mix.

CHeers


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## Gulpa (30/12/07)

Keith - Australian Farmhouse Ale - with extra alcohol

Feeling the extra alcohol bit. Im having trouble typing :huh: . Interesting beer. Not sure how to describe it. Flat belgian like with distinct caramel bits is the best I can do. Alcohol is there but not over powering. Im really enjoying it and I wasnt sure that I would (I sometimes find these beers a bit funky). Fantastic beer, Keith. Thanks heaps.

Cheers
Andrew.


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## Gulpa (30/12/07)

homebrewworld.com said:


> *Gulpa*: Pale Ale
> Sorry Gulpa, mine was hit with an infection.



Im really sorry about that, HBW. Ive had a few of these now. Some seem OK and some seem infected (with varying degrees). Ive obviously screwed up somewhere in the bottling dept.

Andrew.


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## Fatgodzilla (30/12/07)

Gulpa said:


> Im really sorry about that, HBW. Ive had a few of these now. Some seem OK and some seem infected (with varying degrees). Ive obviously screwed up somewhere in the bottling dept.
> 
> Andrew.




Ditto Andrew.. Not a huge infection in my bottle but noticable. Drunk it anyway !! A lot to like about it. I just pretended that was how it was supposed to taste (kind of like some weird saisons I've tried !!!!)


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## Punter (30/12/07)

I've had a big day at Potters brewery today, so sorry for being vaige. (sp?)
17. Snaglers ESB
poured with a nice creamy head, good colour,slight haze, good carb, nice hop aroma
and a good crystal/hoppy taste with a nice bitterness.


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## Punter (30/12/07)

15 underlined.
Hazy brown colour with a head that didnt last long. Couldnt detect much aroma with my blocked nose.
First taste was of licorice/molasses which died down further into the bottle. Nice alcohol warmth.
But not my kind of beer.
Thanks for letting me try something different mate.


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## Punter (30/12/07)

2. Stusters summer Ale.
Poured aq nice golden colour with a head that didnt die..
Spicy aroma which carried into the taste. Good carb with a bitterness that 
lingered into the finish.
Cheers.


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## Punter (30/12/07)

19. Keiths farmhouse ale.
Whoo. After a big day at the brewery I dont think I should
have had this beer today!
Good Phssssst on opening that poured cloudy with
good carb and a thin white head. First taste was a good 
malty backbone with the big alcohol kick hiding behind
a nicely balanced beer. Slight winey aroma & flavour.
A bit too much at 10% after today.
Thanks Kieth.


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## Tony (31/12/07)

20 Trents Brown Porter.
Poured well, nice carb, whispy head that didnt hold very well. Very clear and the colour was fantastic. Posibly a bit light for a porter. It is the same colour as Floppinab's bitter i had yesterday. Around the 30 EBC mark i recon. not as dark as tooheys old would be.... more nut brown ale colour. The trade off was not much roasty chocolate flavour or aroma. I got plenty of sweet crystal malts in there with a touch of roast but it needed more. Bitterness was firm and well ballanced to the malt. A touch of hops and pleasant yeast character.

All in all id say its a great Northern Brown Ale! ..... Dry, ballanced bitternedd ans sweet caramel malts.

A Porter needs more chocolate in my opinion.

Great beer though mate....... much injoyed 

cheers


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## Tony (2/1/08)

4. Barramundi - swapale.
Poured clear and a nice golden colour. HEld a good head in the same glass for both halves of the bottle which is great. Clean with a malty presence and a firm bitterness that lingers nicly. VEry refreshing!

Did you add some hops tro this mate..... it being a kit beer and all. It smelt great when i first poured it. I sniffed and thought.....oooo thats nice. It has a fresh clean crisp aroma. It has a touch of yeast flavour and aroma but its bugger all. mostly present when warmer at the end of the glass.

cheers and thanks for the beer.


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## Trent (2/1/08)

#3 Fatgodzilla's All American Ale
Mate, this one poured absolutely beautiful, great colour, on the pale end for a pale ale, but really nice looking, and smelt bloody excellent. PLenty of american hops in there, I think the simcoe stood out the most for me, as I love that hop.
I hate to say it, but drinking it was a little disappointing after such a lovely aroma. The hops didnt seem to be there much at all, and right at the end was a flavour that reminded me of antiseptic. It was not overpowering at all, but it was there, I even got the wife to confirm it for me. The bitterness was good, and the body was bloody brilliant, it was an very nice beer, aside from the antiseptic/phenolic aftertaste that seemed to scrub the hops out of the flavour (much like the maligned house infection that forced me to tip many of my latest beers).
It was, as I said, a background flavour, but it really detracted from the beer for me. I am quite prepared to assume it is a one bottle thing, I cannot for sure say it was an infection, but it seemed like a mild case to me.
Thanks for sharing, and I hope that no-one else finds the same fault in their bottle, as it seemed like a really good beer otherwise.
All the best
Trent


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## Fatgodzilla (2/1/08)

Beerslayer # 17 - Australian Pale

Watched the first day of the second test at the SCG. What a conflict. The same as this beer which I pulled out as Symonds & Hogg approached centuries. Half way through the first glass I thought - eureka !! This is a beer I want on tap as my standard ale. Bitterness level excellent. Perfect for my taste. But as the beer wore on, the malty sweetness kept coming along a little too strong. Not huge, but it really overpowered the hops towards the end of the bottle. Solution : (without me knowing the answer) either adjust the malts balance / crystal if used or even the yeast to make this a drier drop. Anyone else feel this way or am I talking out of my arse ? Cos I can see here the basis of what I want - now I just got to get it !

thanks Beerslayer !


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## Trent (2/1/08)

#5 Gulpa's Pale Ale
Pours a beautiful crystal clear amber colour, with a dense white head that dissipates to a thin white head that lasts.
Aroma is caramelly malt, but not much hops, along with a moderate sourness that suggests infection. For the record there was also a light ring around the neck at the fill line, which suggests either an infection, or priming with DME.
Bitterness is medium, with some caramelly malt, though the sour flavour takes over, and suppresses any hop flavours, and alot of the malt. Pity, cause the appearance is great, carbonation is spot on (maybe a little high, but I have found that with my infected beers). Sorry that it happened to a case swap beer, but it tastes very similar to my recent house infection. I tried EVERYTHING to rid myself of it, and the only thing that worked was replacing all of my plastic fermenters. If you have had this bug more than once, I suggest you do the same. Its not cheap, but much more sensible when ya consider the cost of ingredients and hours that go into a regular brew.
I look forward to your next contribution, as everything else with the beer seemed spot on.
Thanks for sharing
Trent


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## Trent (2/1/08)

#15 (18) Goatherders Czech dark Lager
Poured pitche black with a tan head that held fairly well. Crystal clear when held to light, with ruby highlights. Didnt take too much notice of the aroma, but the flavour was quite clean and crisp, with a solid roasty element to it. Nice maltiness and bitterness, roastiness lingered long into the aftertaste. I have never had a dark czech lager before, but this is quite a good version of what I think it would be like. If anything, I would like a little more flavour hops, and a little less roastiness (as in just use carafa instead of any choc's, or use less carafa if there was no other dark malts in there), but otherwise, this was a beer that I couldn't redally fault. Good work, Scott, and thanks for sharing.
All the best
Trent


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## Tony (2/1/08)

10. Brewer - Blond Lager.
Poured a nice blond, pale golden colour. perfect carb, nice head retentiuon.

Smelt and tasted of hot firmentation. That dirty fruity taste you get you firment too hot. Not infected of anything like that. This was a well made beer let down by something simple as far as i can see. Please corext me if im wrong. I have used a lot of lager yeasts including WLP 830 and it was a lot cleaner that this. This tasted like it was fermented at 18 deg with the lager yeast.

Im sorry mate but this hot yeast character really dominated the beer for me. I drank the first glass and noticed it got worse as the beer heated up. I drank the second glass real quick, skulles half as it was warmimg and going down hill.

I would be interested to know firmention temps and tequiniques for this beer, The beer was great with a nice light pils malt character and ballanced hops. Just it tasted odd....... and to me it was hot yeast. I really want to know what the story is with this beer. for my knowledg and to help you make a better beer. you can brew..... just one little let down.

cheers


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## Steve (3/1/08)

Peve said:


> 9 - Steve (ACT) - Nelsons Bastard Ale (Nottingham) - Medium-sized head that lingered for some time. Wonderfully clear copper coloured appearance. Citrus and stone fruit aromas backed by strong peach and plum flavours. Malt sweetness and hop biterness is perfectly balanced. SENSATIONAL!!!! A shame there's only ony bottle!! Tremendous sample Steve!! Will have to have a go with the Nelson.
> 
> Thanks Guys




Glad you like it Peve. After reading all these reviews im tonguing to taste some.

Cheers
Steve


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## Stuster (3/1/08)

Steve said:


> Glad you like it Peve. After reading all these reviews im tonguing to taste some.
> 
> Cheers
> Steve



Won't be long till I'm down your way, Steve. Hang on in there.


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## Steve (3/1/08)

Stuster said:


> Won't be long till I'm down your way, Steve. Hang on in there.




You just give me a hoy young fella! Since moving house and going to WA i havent brewed since 24 Nov - IM ALL OUT OF HB  

Cheers
Steve


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## Tony (4/1/08)

Tried a few today. Was painting my daughters bedroom so started at lunch time and just finnishing up now.

First up:

24. MVZoom Clayton Koelsch.
Poured nice and clear, great carb and a lovley rich golder colour. Fluffy white head thet held well.
It had a nice sweet malt character and bitterness was there and ballanced the beer perfectly for style. I thought it was an ok koelsch except for the yeast character. Like it had been firmented a bit too hot or left on yeast too long. It wasnt overly strong and i didnt have any trouble drinking both glasses but it was there.
Other than that... great beer mate.

Next up:

21. Thommo - Cream Ale.
Mate...... after tasting this i went to the BJCP guidelines to refresh my memory on what a cream ale should be. This was not it. It tasted more like a saison brewed at 30 deg c. It was very hazy, almost milky, poured with a nice head and carb was good, but as soon as i smelt it i knew something was wrong. It had a really funky "hot yeast" character. Not an infection as far as i know.... well not one i have had. I gave it to my wife to try and she pulled a funny face on sniffing it and handed it back. my brother tried it as well and went for a jatz.
A Cream ale should be a light refreshing, clear, clean, crisp ale brewed with lots of sugar and corn. This beer was a bit heavily bodied, hazy and way to funky to be right. Im sorry Thommo..... i had to tip it out.

Last for the night:

23. Monkeybusiness - Stout.

Poured it and it was a bit flat. very low carb. Not sure if this was intended to create the whole nitrogen type feel in the mouth but i think this beer needed more carb to lighten it a tad. Black, smooth roast aroma and flavour. VEEEEERY smooth! A tad sweet, not quite cloying but close. The low carb contributed to this though. beer is malt dominated and its very nice. clean, well made beer, just a bit more gas would have made it something very special. Well dont mate.

Cheers


----------



## Tony (5/1/08)

5. Gulpa - Pale Ale.
Poured a nice clear deep golden to orange colour, Some fresh hops in there that i enjoyed, smooth beer with a refreshing bitterness, held a good head and was carbed perfectly. Once again a slight yeasty character but it did not detract form the beer too much. I must be very sensative to this character in beer because it sticks out when ever i come accross it.
Nice beer mate.... thanks.

cheers


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## Trent (5/1/08)

Oops
After a slightly embarrasing post onto the wrong thread.... here is my review for



#26 n00ch's Foreign Export
Obviously poured a nice colour of jet black, was pretty much opaque, and had a nice tan head that lasted... right up until I got stuck into my home made sausage roll and bbq sauce!
Roasty, chocolatey aroma with a hint of licorice, and more than a hint of fruitiness from the esters. Lovely chocolatey roast flavour, with a late note of licorice, medium-high bitterness, and plenty of fruity esters. I finishes a bit dry, but still sweet enough to fall into the tropical spectrum of the style (and allow the fruitiness!). 
Quite a tasty beer, I really, really enjoyed it, though you DID manage to make me swallow part of a hop flower, ya bastard! Apart from that, it was an excellent beer, thanks for sharing.
All the best
Trent


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## Trent (5/1/08)

#21 Thommo's Cream Ale
This beer poured very cloudy, and my first sniff showed it was extremely phenolic, band-aids and medicnal aroma's abounded. I tried a sip, and got the same medicinal phenols, and had to tip it out, I am afraid.
After reading Tony's review, I fear my bottle is not an isolated incident, but can only conclude it is an infection. The only other possible explanation I can think of is if you cleaned your bottles with bleach water, and didnt rinse them out properly? But, the extremely cloudy appearance suggests that there are plenty of yeast at work in that beer, and are probably some kind of wild yeast. I could be wrong, as the carbonation wasnt overly high, but I would just pay attention to sanitation (obviously), and I look forward to your next case's contribution. Everyone gets infections at some stage, just sorry it happened in a case swap for ya.
All the best
Trent


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## Fatgodzilla (6/1/08)

goatherder said:


> #13 - Floppinab's Bitter
> 
> Dark brown in colour with a nice ruby hue in the light, almost into porter territory. The beer is brilliantly clear and holds a great head. Lots of burnt toffee notes on the nose. The sweet dark malts follow through in the flavour with hardly a trace of roast. The bitterness and mouthfeel are perfect for the style, as is the carbonation. Top shelf beer thanks floppinab, reminds me a lot of Theakston's Old Peculiar. Wonderful drinking.



]#13 - Floppinab's Bitter
Opened last night at end of a session drinking APAs so thought I needed a change. The dark colour surprised me (was expecting something lighter) but impressed me (like my darkens I do). I was eating sausages off the bbq and washing them down with this lovely drop. Visually a stunning beer - magnificent head that stayed throughout the drink. It tasted as good as it looked - nice malty taste without being sweet. I have had very few English bitters so this one is now my standard setter - if it's as good as Gav's, it's good. Certainly something to aspire to in future brews. Thanks mate.


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## m_peve (6/1/08)

Just a quick one. Sorry for the brevity

16. HomeBrewWorld.com- American P.A. - A medium head that disapeared fairly quickly (was probably my glass though). 
A good balance between the hop bitterness and malt though I couldn't find much in the way of citrusy flavours and 
aromas which is (for me) what makes an APA. Maybe more late American hops??? Thanks homebrew!!


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## m_peve (6/1/08)

Keith - Australian Farmhouse Ale - with extra alcohol, Wyeast 3711 VSS French Saison
Poured with a thin head that hung around for a while before disappearing. Wonderful clear copper colour. A 
very pleasant and refreshing drop that I'm enjoying during a break from unpacking the holiday van. The 
extra alcohol is perhaps a downside because now I just feel like settling in to watch the cricket rather 
than more unloading. Just kidding!! A top drop Keith!!! Thanks Muchly!!


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## m_peve (6/1/08)

20 Trents Brown Porter. - 

Thin head that didn't last long. It poured a Ruby red which may need to be a little more toward brown for the style. I got some chocolate in the aroma but less roastiness than I expected. A medium body with an abundance of sweet caramelly flavours that don't overpower. They are balanced well by hop bitterness. I haven't tried one of the commercial examples listed in the BJCP guidelines so it's impossible to make direct comparisons but it is a fantastic beer that I could certainly drink on a regular basis. Thanks Trent!!!!.

Pete


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## Fatgodzilla (6/1/08)

Tony said:


> 10. Brewer - Blond Lager.
> Poured a nice blond, pale golden colour. perfect carb, nice head retentiuon.
> 
> Smelt and tasted of hot firmentation. That dirty fruity taste you get you firment too hot. Not infected of anything like that. This was a well made beer let down by something simple as far as i can see. Please corext me if im wrong. I have used a lot of lager yeasts including WLP 830 and it was a lot cleaner that this. This tasted like it was fermented at 18 deg with the lager yeast.
> ...



10. Brewer - Blond Lager.

Cracked the bottle after another session on someone else's VB (though the unexpected couple of Johnny Walker Blacks redeemed the session). Have no idea on the corrrectness of Tony's comments about the yeast and brew temperature but he's a far more experienced palate than mine. I love reading comments like his in that it opens my eyes to a reason why a brew might taste like it does. I'm way too novice into my judging of beers, so will limlt my commennts to the obvious.

Brewer - that's an enjoyable brew. Typing deep into the second glass of the bottle, I find this drinkable and enjoyable. If this was on tap at my local .... a schooner of Brewer's Blonde please. Yes, I'd buy a six pack if in my bottle - o.


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## kabooby (7/1/08)

On Saturday Pumpy, Hogan, Myself and 2 mates managed to get through all bottles with a couple of jugs of my APA, Dunkelweizen, and stout thrown in.

Sorry for the lack of reviews on all the beers but a score out of 10 is the best we managed.

I rated Tony's sheepshager as my best beer. I have never had a beer with 66 IBU before and was suprised it was so balanced. I have had beers with less IBU's before and found them to be to bitter. Great Job and a great beer

It was a good day.

Kabooby


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## Fatgodzilla (7/1/08)

kabooby said:


> On Saturday Pumpy, Hogan, Myself and 2 mates managed to get through all bottles with a couple of jugs of my APA, Dunkelweizen, and stout thrown in.
> 
> Sorry for the lack of reviews on all the beers but a score out of 10 is the best we managed.
> 
> ...




And the scores ? Where are they ?


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## kabooby (7/1/08)

They got thrown out in the clean up. Besides I realy woundnt want to post scores without some sort of review to avoid the risk of offending someone


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## Stuster (7/1/08)

Thommo's Cream ale - as others have posted, this one had lots of phenols, band-aids/medicinal aroma and flavour (from the one sip I forced myself to take). Seems like this one got infected, Thommo.  

floppinab's English bitter - light-brown, brilliant clarity, thin head which persisted, low aroma on opening (a bit too cold), light hop aroma and flavour, clean malts with some darker fruits, balanced bitterness, clean with few esters, some dry, roasty flavours at the end. Did you use some roasted barley or chocolate? All in all, a great beer for a session IMO, with plenty of flavour, but the nice dry finish made it very drinkable. Thumbs up from SWMBO as well. Putting on a pointy BJCP hat, it's in some ways not quite a typical bitter, with not much in the way of in some ways more like a mild, but that's really beside the point as it was a very good beer. I'm going off now to see if it's in the recipe thread already.  :chug:


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## monkeybusiness (7/1/08)

OK, I'm finally getting around to a few comments to the beers that I have tasted. I had been holding off to share a few of them with my brother who also brews.

My apologies in advance for the lack of detail. Part of this exercise for me was to see what flavours etc others recognise in a beer and compare with my own experience. I need to work on what it is that I like other 'I like that', 'don't like that', this tastes funny.

Anyway here we go.

*Brew #8 Peve - APA*
First off the rank for me and I though this beer was tops. Really easy drinking on a summer day (as it was). Had a great head and golden colour with a pleasant kind of tinned peach flavour underlying. Top beer.

*Brew # 2 Stuster - Summer Ale*
Poured great and tasted good too. Brother thought it was good also. I did get an unusual aftertaste but that may be hops that I haven't come across before. Sorry nothing really constructive here. Drunk on Xmas day so was too preoccupied to make proper notes. just good beer. 

*Brew #1b SJW - Bavarian Lager*
Haven't really tried this style before but I enjoyed what I had. yes, again tasty beer.

*Brew #28 Redbeard - English Bitter*
Beautiful reddish caramel colour with great head and carbonation. I thought this well balanced and easy to drink beer.

*Brew #25 - Tony*
I saved this to last because this was the best beer I have had in a long time. Was suddenly very sorry to be sharing the experience with my brother and thought momentarily about knocking him out so I could drink what I just poured for him h34r: . I can't get over that this was 66IBU as I didn't notice the bitterness at all. Something to aspire to.

Thanks to all above as they are all good beers that I would be happy to have brewed.

-monkeybusiness


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## monkeybusiness (7/1/08)

And now just a few comments on my beer (stout). 

I drunk one a few weeks ago and it was flat then so I've been hoping that the carb would come up over time as the FG was 1020. I did however prime at just under 5g/L so I would've thought there would be a bit more carb than what is there (unless of course I duffed the measuring <_< ). Could it be that my yeast was clapped out and unable to do the priming?

I've also had some recent head retention issues so added some wheat malt for a creamier feel and some head retention which would be fine if there was head in the first place! I'll post in the recipe thread and would appreciate any feedback.

I would hang on to mine a little longer in the hope that some fairies magically come and fix up the carbonation which may fix the sweetness Tony mentioned (it was almost too sweet for me).

And of course thanks for the reviews Tony and Homebrewworld.

-monkeybusiness


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## Fatgodzilla (8/1/08)

Peve said:


> 11. Punter- Summer Blonde - Clear Golden straw colour with good sized head that disappeared quickly (though it could have been my glass). Little aroma to speak of, and malt is the driving force in the taste department (not overpowering though). Light bodied with a crisp finish that is perfect for day 2 of the Boxing Day test. Excellent summer beer punter (shame that there is no more  ). Thanks Pete




Punter's #11, Summer Blonde

Ditto all of Peve's comments. No head - undercarbed certainly. Only fault. This beer tasted tasted real nice, real noice. A tad more life needed, yes, but certainly a brew I'd buy a slab of. Tah mate.


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## m_peve (8/1/08)

KillerRx4 - JZ Oatmeal stout (WLP002) ABV 4.9% Bottled 6/10/07.

Highly carbed. Filled half the pint glass with foam. Didn't truly gush though.
Light medium body. Some roast in the aroma but not as much as I expected. 
Taste was as expected though. Enjoyed it. Thanks Killer!!


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## m_peve (8/1/08)

12 - Kabooby- Belgian Dubbel (WLP550)

Really well made kabooby. A light brown colour, lighter than others that I've had. Not overwhelming in taste with alcohol well hidden. Excellent!!

Pete


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## m_peve (8/1/08)

22 - MVZoom - Clayton Koelsch - 

Clear, golden colour with medium head that last well. Aroma, I didn't get because I've picked up a cold. 
My only experience with Koelsch is that from Potter's and it is different to that beer though the base yeast flavour seems the same. A good crisp beer well worth drinking. 
Thanks MYZOOM and Fatgodzilla

Pete


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## Fatgodzilla (8/1/08)

Tony said:


> 5. Gulpa - Pale Ale.
> Poured a nice clear deep golden to orange colour, Some fresh hops in there that i enjoyed, smooth beer with a refreshing bitterness, held a good head and was carbed perfectly. Nice beer mate.... thanks.




5. Gulpa - Pale Ale.

Ditto Tony's comments. Poured this into my favourite Stella Artois glass which allows the nose to inhale the lovely aroma before pouring this nectar down the throat. The flavour was lovely. Enjoyed two glasses of this brew. This beer is as good as it gets. Others will make it different, but they won't make it better. Good stuff mate.


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## Tony (8/1/08)

I put this in the HAG swap post so its been moved to its ritefull place.

cheers

15. (no line) Goatherder's Czech Dark Lager.

Mate!............Maaaaaaaaaaaaate!

Fantastic beer. I shared it with my brother and we both agreed it was a quality beer.

Big malty sweet chocolate aroma, ballance between bitterness, sweet malty body and chocolate roast was perfect. Carb was perfect. Clean well made beer. One to be proud of...... thanks for the bottle.

13. Floppinab - English Bitter

Fantastic colour..... nice deep copper with no haze at all poured chilled. Carb was a tad high but didnt go over the glass so non problems. Big fluffy tan head that eased back to a nice head to the bottom of the glass. Nice sweer crystal malt sweetness to ballance the bitterness that is there but smooth and refreshing...... even in this fairly malty beer. Nice crisp english hops that are done just right.
Very impressive english bitter....... very drinkable.
The best bit is i still have the second half of the bottle in the fridge 

cheers and thanks for the tops beers folks!


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## SJW (8/1/08)

Floppinab - English Bitter

What Tony said, that was a great drop. Well done.

Steve


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## Stuster (8/1/08)

Gulpa's Pale ale
There seemed to be a low level infection in here, Gulpa. Noticeable in the aroma and the flavour. Other than that, the recipe seems good, clarity was excellent, good carbonation and there seemed to be some nice malts and hops hiding under the phenolics. Happens to everyone from time to time (certainly does to me anyway). Look forward to your next case entry.


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## Fatgodzilla (8/1/08)

Stuster said:


> Gulpa's Pale ale
> There seemed to be a low level infection in here, Gulpa. Noticeable in the aroma and the flavour. Other than that, the recipe seems good, clarity was excellent, good carbonation and there seemed to be some nice malts and hops hiding under the phenolics. Happens to everyone from time to time (certainly does to me anyway). Look forward to your next case entry.



Explain yourself further sir. I tasted nothing wrong (though my palate is much younger and therefore I might see something different). If something was wrong, what should I and others be looking for ?? :unsure:


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## Trent (8/1/08)

Fatgodzilla said:


> Explain yourself further sir. I tasted nothing wrong (though my palate is much younger and therefore I might see something different). If something was wrong, what should I and others be looking for ?? :unsure:



FGZ
I had Gulpa's Pale Ale the other night, and it appears I have so far neglected to review it. From memory it looked the part, but there was a strong phenolic and band-aid taste to it that I couldnt get past. For mine, it was a definite infection, and from the sounds of it, it is isolated to a few bottles. Obviously some will get a good bottle, and others a bad bottle. 
As far as what you should be looking for - if it tastes good, you can detect nothing wrong with it, and you quite enjoy the beer, who am I (we) to say that it isnt enjoyable? I have made too many infected beers in my time, and understand how much it sucks, so am not trying to bag out Gulpa or his beer. If your bottle had a low level infection in it, my money says you would have known about it. 
That said, if you personally dont find it infected, then just do what most are doing here (and as you did), and post your findings as you see them - doesnt mean that everyone else has to agree.
All the best
Trent
PS It appears I DID review it, and here is my account of said beer. Hope that explains it enough. T.




Trent said:


> #5 Gulpa's Pale Ale
> Pours a beautiful crystal clear amber colour, with a dense white head that dissipates to a thin white head that lasts.
> Aroma is caramelly malt, but not much hops, along with a moderate sourness that suggests infection. For the record there was also a light ring around the neck at the fill line, which suggests either an infection, or priming with DME.
> Bitterness is medium, with some caramelly malt, though the sour flavour takes over, and suppresses any hop flavours, and alot of the malt. Pity, cause the appearance is great, carbonation is spot on (maybe a little high, but I have found that with my infected beers). Sorry that it happened to a case swap beer, but it tastes very similar to my recent house infection. I tried EVERYTHING to rid myself of it, and the only thing that worked was replacing all of my plastic fermenters. If you have had this bug more than once, I suggest you do the same. Its not cheap, but much more sensible when ya consider the cost of ingredients and hours that go into a regular brew.
> ...


----------



## Stuster (8/1/08)

Seems like Trent and I got the same thing, a medicinal aroma and flavour, band-aids. I'd be surprised if you didn't taste something like that in the beer I drank. My guess is it's just something in a few bottles rather than the whole batch.


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## Fatgodzilla (8/1/08)

Stuster said:


> Seems like Trent and I got the same thing, a medicinal aroma and flavour, band-aids. I'd be surprised if you didn't taste something like that in the beer I drank. My guess is it's just something in a few bottles rather than the whole batch.



Agreed. Two says yes, two says no. Whilst not conclusive, does point to a bottle by bottle proposition. My worry, I was missing something that really, I couldn't find. clearly, nothimng phenolic in my bottle (or Tonys)


Pity, I think you missed a good'um. I rated this beer very highly. Go figure. Something to think about everybody !!

edit : extra comment.


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## Tony (8/1/08)

FG... my bottle was a tad funky but as i said...... it wasnt to a level that detracted from the beer too much, but from memory, it was there in after taste.

I drank all of it, i have tipped others out so my bottle wasnt too bad. 

From what others have said, id say it was a good beer but bottle sanitation needs attention.

you may have got a clean bottle

cheers


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## Fatgodzilla (8/1/08)

Tony said:


> FG... my bottle was a tad funky but as i said...... it wasnt to a level that detracted from the beer too much, but from memory, it was there in after taste.
> 
> I drank all of it, i have tipped others out so my bottle wasnt too bad.
> 
> ...



Yes. Luck's a fortune.


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## Gulpa (9/1/08)

Sorry for the infected brew guys. Ive had a few of these now and bottles and they vary from undetectable to badly infected. It wasn't in the bottle long enough for me to discover this before the swap. Im very disappointed/embarrassed it turned out that way as it seems to be nice beer otherwise. 

Fatz, I get confused by the infection bit as well. I find common infection can range from a not unpleasant yeasty character to undrinkable. The trick is to brew a badly infected beer. You never forget the taste.

I will have to redeem myself in a future swap.


Cheers
Andrew.


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## Stuster (9/1/08)

Gulpa said:


> The trick is to brew a badly infected beer. You never forget the taste.



I think that's why I can pick the taste so easily.   

Not to worry, Andrew. These things happen.


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## Fatgodzilla (9/1/08)

Gulpa said:


> Sorry for the infected brew guys. Ive had a few of these now and bottles and they vary from undetectable to badly infected. It wasn't in the bottle long enough for me to discover this before the swap. Im very disappointed/embarrassed it turned out that way as it seems to be nice beer otherwise.
> 
> Fatz, I get confused by the infection bit as well. I find common infection can range from a not unpleasant yeasty character to undrinkable. The trick is to brew a badly infected beer. You never forget the taste.
> 
> ...



I hear ya brother. Been there, done that. My worst was from not washing the bleach based sterlizer from my fermenter properly. Bandaids !!- more like a hospital.

I was worried that what I tasted as good someone else thought bad. Hate to miss out on anything. Since I got the good bottle, there wasn't anything bad in it, so you at least know it wasn't the brew. I've no doubt you'll redeem yourself.


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## floppinab (9/1/08)

goatherder said:


> #13 - floppinab's Bitter
> 
> Dark brown in colour with a nice ruby hue in the light, almost into porter territory. The beer is brilliantly clear and holds a great head. Lots of burnt toffee notes on the nose. The sweet dark malts follow through in the flavour with hardly a trace of roast. The bitterness and mouthfeel are perfect for the style, as is the carbonation. Top shelf beer thanks floppinab, reminds me a lot of Theakston's Old Peculiar. Wonderful drinking.



A few have tasted my brew now so probably time to respond.
Thanks for the comments, generally I was pretty happy with how it turned out myself. I've just posted the "recipe" in the other thread. It was an extract brew, though with the full boil I had hoped that might reduce any extracyness in it. In some lighter extract brews I've made, even with the full boil it's still there so I was keen to get a fair bit of those darker malts in there to hide any extracyness, I can't pick it too much in this brew.

I think it's a bit low in bitterness myself to get it properly into bitter territory so I'd be upping that if I made it again and probably backing off the Choccy malt a bit which I think dominates probably a little too much.


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## m_peve (9/1/08)

23. monkeybusiness - something like a foreign extra stout
Very thin head that disappeared very quickly - too low for the style?. Coffee and chocolate notes in the aroma. Dark and medium-thick bodied. It was really quite sweet which probably contributed more to my impression of chocolate. Smooth and rich (probably the sweetness). A great job monkeybusiness! Thanks.


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## m_peve (9/1/08)

26. n00ch - Foreign Extra Stout (Wyeast 1084)- Don't drink until christmas atleast, 
Poured thick and black with a medium head. Hint of licorice aroma and taste. A little warmth in the face from the alcohol. Bitter, dry finish that kind of overpowered the malt a bit for me. A well made beer that I've enjoyed greatly. Thanks Nooch

P.S. It's the last of my case so thanks again to everyone!!!


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## Gulpa (11/1/08)

26A- Hefeweizen (Wheast 3068)

Poured very pale and crystal clear. Aroma was belgian like. Not very experienced with hefeweizen but this was delicious. There seemed to be a lovely balance between maltiness and the yeast flavours. Not too wheaty (for my tastes). Fabulous beer nOOch.

Thanks 
Andrew.


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## crozdog (11/1/08)

Peve, had your apa the other day after a long days painting the ceiling. mate it was just what I needed. Bright, burnished gold, fine head, good carbonation, american hop aroma and a hop flavour that wasn't OTT (like a few in last years case). Thanks.

Barramundi, tried yours last night. Coppery gold colour, effervescent some hop and malt aromas. Unfortunately I got phenolics (medicinal/bandaid) in the flavour which kept putting me off. Sorry, I couldn't get past the 1st glass.


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## floppinab (11/1/08)

crozdog said:


> Peve, had your apa the other day after a long days painting the ceiling.



You too eh, and Tony a week back!!!!! Just finished the middle boys' bedroom yesterday. Isn't this time of year meant to be about having a holiday????


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## Muggus (14/1/08)

Peve said:


> P.S. It's the last of my case so thanks again to everyone!!!


Dang! Looks like i've fallen behind on my 3 week absence. Gonna have to get stuck into them quick smart over the next couple of weeks. Sounds I have many more tasty treats to look forward to by the comments everyones made.


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## crozdog (14/1/08)

floppinab said:


> You too eh, and Tony a week back!!!!! Just finished the middle boys' bedroom yesterday. Isn't this time of year meant to be about having a holiday????


yeah, more to go too - now 1 room is done, the rest look crappy  Back to work now & the pace is faster than before xmas - which was frantic :angry: 

Gav, tried your esb last night - yum. Like most english styles, it got better as it warmed. Dark copper colour medium fine head, subdued malt aroma. Well balanced flavour with clean finish. Thanks

Gulpa, had your APA yesterday arvo, coppery gold highly carbed with fine head. medium level of american hop aroma. some malt flavour but with expected american hop flavours which were at the level I like ie not too much. There was a distinct, but not overpowering phenolic flavour which detracted, but not to the level that I couldn't finish the bottle.


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## Tony (15/1/08)

floppinab said:


> You too eh, and Tony a week back!!!!! Just finished the middle boys' bedroom yesterday. Isn't this time of year meant to be about having a holiday????


I worked harder on my ollidays than at work...... but thought a whole lot less which took me the till the third week to wind down from. My head was still racing in the second week of hols and when i finally relaxed i find my self in a coal mine server room fighting off sleep <_< 

Tried my second last of the swap tonight.

12. Kabooby - belgian dubbel.

please excuse the spelling as i had had a few after finding 2 brews (lagers including my 1.103 dubbelbock) at 25 deg after i forgot to turn the freezer on a day or 2 ago) and then this!

It was fantastic, Better than anything i can brew at the momnet.

I would f#%k up a glass of water if you handed it to me these days and am on the verge of going back to buying beer so this was a treat.

It was malty sweet but not cloying. i could not detect any alcahol but it got me fairly pissed  so that was great.

It was perfectly ballanced with a smooth bitterness that was well hidden behing the malt but held it up nicly.

THe malt......... ahhh the malt. Sweet rich malty chjaracter with some deep plum like fruitiness(very slight and pleasant) and a himt of chocolate nuttiness in teh fissish as the beer warmed up.

Bugger all hops whish was a nice and to style.

I really enjoyed theis beer. Only one thing.... i would have liked to see a tad more yeast character. maybe a deg or 2 more at firment time.

I would love to see the recipe for this beer and the mash and firment temps. I really enjoyed the character of the 550 yeast. I ahve been planning a nice dubbel as its my fav belgian style and this yeast did it well.

cheers

PS... one left.........keiths monstrosity


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## Muggus (15/1/08)

Brew: #10 Brewer - Blonde lager(WLP 830)

Served chilled in glass. 
Good pilsner sort of nose, soft citrus and spicy hop character, bready malt. Pours a nice bright golden body with fluffy white heading leaving lace that seems to want hang around. Reasonably lean bodied, moderate carbonation, smooth body. Well balanced body, only the slightest hint of bready malt sweetness, some nice citrus character, a touch of spice on a reasonably bitter finish, not too dry. I must say this seems like a well-made and enjoyable lager. Thanks alot Brewer!

Brew: #16 HomeBrewWorld.com - American P.A. (EzyBrew Fresh Wort, 514 Dry Yeast) 

Served chilled in glass. 
Biscuity malt on the nose, an odd medicinal note, seems almost like burnt plastic, a bit of citrus. Hazy amber body with dense off-white collar. Low carbonation, a touch tingley on the palate, some clingy malt. Toffeeish malt straight up, quite sweet, a hint of citrus hops with that odd medical note hanging around in the background. Drinkable but there's something in there a bit offputting, which spoils it a bit i'm afraid.

Cheers!


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## kabooby (16/1/08)

Thanks Tony for the kind review. I enjoyed your beer aswell  

I will add the mash profile and ferment temps to the recipe in the recipe thread

I only added 30g Hallertauer @ 15 mins so that there wasnt much hop flavour or aroma. Wanted the yeast to stand out

Will definately try that with the yeast next time

I have still got a few bottles of this left. Might leave them for a while and see how they age

Kabooby


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## Tony (16/1/08)

My last beer of the swap.

Keiths Farmhose ale thingy.

Kids are in bed, time to relax. Dug out my old hand blown belgian WA trellace that i save for the big belgian like beers as it it as found as my face at the rim... great for sniffing as you sip!

Poured it in and it looked great, a hazy deep golden with some copperish orange in there. head looked pronising for 3 seconds then fized out like a head on a glass of coke...... gone, completly, never to be seen again. carb was great..... just no head? never seen a beer lose it so fast?

Didnt put me off though....... i dont drink a beer like ths for the head retention 

first taste..........WOW! Alcahol, a bit hot, a bit tart but smooth in the finnish........ and thats just the alcahol! The beer has a rich aroma of yeast and sweet malt. no deep malt like the big belgian darks but it didnt need them. no hops that i can detect but who needs them with all the alcahol.

Its warmed up now in the bottle, the first glass didnt last too long.

Second glass the head lasted shorter. it was like coke......... gone!

the yeast character and especiallly the alcahol came out to play when hotter. they wernt as smooth but were far from unpleasant.

I enjoyed the beer mate........... shame the beer didnt hold a head.

It looked like it had an oily top to it when poured. The beer glass was clean and after readinmg other reviews i dont think its an isolated incident.

maybe something in the bottles?

cheers


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## goatherder (17/1/08)

5 - Gulpa's Pale Ale

It poured a gorgeous shade of deep golden with great clarity and a tall standing head which laced all the way down. There is a great citrus hop aroma with some softer fruity undertones. The hop flavour leads and lasts right through to the finish, competing with a pleasant maltiness. The carbonation is spot on and the finish is dry and crisp. An absolute cracker of a beer thanks Gulpa, top darts.

ps - no sign of the infection others have found. My bottle was as clean as a whistle.


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## goatherder (18/1/08)

20 - Trent's Brown Porter

A darkish shade of brown, brilliantly clear with a small off white head which held on to the death. The aroma is a delightful mix of fruity yeast character and coffee dark malts. An touch of initial sweetness is quickly complimented by a big toffee and coffee flavoured malt feast. The finish is crisp with lingering dark malts and a perfectly balanced bitterness. Outstanding beer thanks Trent, my highlight of the case so far.


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## goatherder (23/1/08)

10 - Brewer's Blonde Lager

Very pale, super clear and a most excellent long lasting white head. There is a complex hop aroma with citrus and lychees and other tropical fruits. There is just a touch of sulphur in there too but it's very minor and doesn't detract from the overall. The hop flavour is firm up front, fading back into a pleasing maltiness through the middle with a slightly sweet finish. The carbonation and mouthfeel are perfect. This is a wonderfully balanced and drinkable beer. I enjoyed your last case beer and this one has well and truly topped it. Great beer thanks Brewer.


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## Muggus (23/1/08)

#4. Barramundi - SWAPALE (US-05)
Served chilled in glass. 
Poured a nice clean bright gold body with thick white head and lace that hung around until the end. Some mild spicy citrus on the nose. Decent carbonation, lean bodied, reasonably low bitterness, goes down easy. A touch of grainy malt on the body, with some citrusy hop character on the finish. I actually thought this was a pilsner of sorts, enjoyable regardless. Cheers!

#21. Thommo - Cream Ale (Nottingham) 
Served chilled in glass. 
Effervescent hazy apple juice-coloured body with a small foamy white head. Oddly fruity nose, apple and pear, an orange citrusy note, a touch of bread. Spritzy with carbonation, thin sort of body, has a drying texture. A yeasty bread flavour is prominant on the body, a cidery/citrusy note crops up and seems to finish abrupt and dry. I wasn't really too sure what to expect from a cream ale... is it similiar to something like a Kolsch? Interesting beer anyway Thommo, glad someone tried something a bit different and I didn't mind this...after some initial skepticism. :blink:


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## Steve (24/1/08)

Well...... Stuster just made my day! He is arriving in Canberra tomorrow with my case  
Oh its going to be a long horrible weekend starting at 4.30pm tomorrow afternoon :chug: 
Cheers young Fella!
Steve


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## goatherder (25/1/08)

16 - homebrewworld.com's APA

A lovely copper colour, very clear and a loose white head which contracted and lasted well. There is a faint hop aroma, perhaps I've left it too long in the bottle. There is a little yeast character there too and some toffee aromas in the background. There is some hop flavour up front, a little harsh feeling but it falls away to reveal a great malt profile which lingers well. There is something in the finish I can't put my finger on, perhaps a little metallic? The bitterness is fairly solid and a little rough yet still keeps the beer in balance. An enjoyable beer thanks Garry, I hope your customers think the same.


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## goatherder (25/1/08)

26 - n00ch's FES

Well, it's certainly black so I'll assume I didn't get the hefe. It's in fact very black, black enough to suck in light from the room around it. The missus thought we were having a brownout until I finished the pint. I digress, now back to the beer. The tan coloured head stood tall and provided some admirable lacing on the way down. On closer examination, it appears I too have scored some hop flower. Outstanding! There is plenty of dark malt on the nose, not burnt-like but complex and fruity, sort of stewed fruit and rum-soaked xmas cake. The first thing up front is a bit of carbonation prickle, perhaps the carb is a little on the high side but it's not too much of a problem. The flavour is ever so smooth with complex dark malts giving plenty of character. The roast is present but not over the top, allowing the other malt flavours to shine. There is a touch of warming alcohol in there, this would make a most excellent beer on a winter night. The bitterness is very well balanced and the mouthfeel is medium full yet still quite drinkable. A wonderfully complex and satisfying beer thanks n00ch, every mouthful was a pleasure. Cheers.


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## Muggus (29/1/08)

Brew: #13. floppinab - English Bitter (Nottingham) 

Served chilled in glass. 
Clean copper body, fluffy off-white head. Fragrant hops on nose, slightly grassy and citrusy, a good dose of grainy malts in the background, typically nutty and caramel-like. Medium body, good carbonation and smooth mouthfeel. Grainy malt body, some toffee and slightly roasted/burnt malt seemingly compliments the overall flavour, earthy grassy hop character, finishes dry reasonably bitter. Nice beer, could almost pass as an English brown. 
Thanks for sharing this brew Gav!

Brew: #24. MVZoom - Clayton Koelsch 

Served chilled in glass. 
Clean pale gold body with white foam. Bread on the nose, some sort of citric note, not a great deal else. Lean palate, decent carbonation, dry bodied. Slight apple note on the body, grainy bread, a touch of citrus zest. Bitterness is low, finishes chalky dry. Not my favourite style but this is definately the nicest i've tried to date. Cheers!


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## Fatgodzilla (30/1/08)

Into the last beers - the heavies. had a few today so thought I'd try the last of the swaps.

Muggus - Amoured Hawk.

Reviewing this without reading anyone else comments (first)

This beer picked me up and smacked me in the mouth. Hop flavour so strong my first thought was "lemonade" - a Cascade based hop ?? Really lemony / citrusy, if that makes sense. As I got more into it, started to really enjoy it. No real aroma depth to support the taste. Quite annoyed when bottle empty. I won't make a beer like this as not my style, but its good to drink one and enjoy it for what it was. Thanks.


Oblomov - Belgium Dark Strong Ale.

No real aroma to the nose. Head died real quick but still a bit of carbonation there. Love the ruby red colour.

Not a great fan of this type of beer, but if drinking this I reckon it belongs in a small glass drunk with rich red meat. I say that because there is nothing wrong with this beer, its just I'm drinking this in a session when it should be treated with more respect. Though as it gets warmer, it tastes better and better .. 

Thanks men for your beers.

Only bottles left - the stouts - KillerRx4, Monkeybusiness and nOOch and Kabooby's Dubbel.

Bring on the weekend.


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## crozdog (31/1/08)

apologies for slackness in posting prompt reviews over the last few weeks. Anyway here goes with what i recall (sorry for the brevity):

Tony - loved the shagger - big hop presence but really well supported by the malt - loved it.
Muggus - I really enjoyed the armoured hawk 
Kabooby - any chance of your recipe?
Oblomov - where's the recipe?
goatherder - yours was the 1st Czech Dark Lager I've tried. fantastic richness and complexity - again where's the recipe?

Unfortunately I have had several others which had noticible phenolics and bandaid notes, which impacted on the enjoyment of some nice beers.

Just got the keiths farmhouse & the stouts left, but I don't feel like drinking stout in this hot weather.

based on the above impressions, i think I need to make some dark ales in readiness for winter, so please post your recipes


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## kabooby (31/1/08)

Recipe is in the recipe thread

Kabooby 

Edit Link


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## crozdog (31/1/08)

thanks Kabooby & GH


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## goatherder (31/1/08)

7 - KillerRx4's JZ Oatmeal Stout

The bottle gushed so it took a while to pour a glass. Once poured the beer was very black, hardly letting any light through. The big tan head stood up well at the start and retreated as the glass emptied. Toasty malt in the aroma with a little roast. Wonderful smooth flavour, malty from start to finish with a nice touch of chocolatey roast towards the end. The body and bitternes are great. The carb is too high, giving a prickly mouthfeel which detracts a little from the smooth flavour. Great easy drinking stout thanks KillerRx4, excellent drinking.


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## Oblomov (31/1/08)

I added the recipe to the other thread.


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## Trent (31/1/08)

Went camping with a mate and the mrs'es on the long weekend, and took a few beers down for my own consumtion (he is a die hard VB fan - even at age 28!) Anyway, I obviously took no notes, and the sun was beating, the surf was PUMPING, and I couldn't be arsed I am afraid! I quite enjoyed all the beers I took, so here they are from memory.

#10 somebodies Blonde Lager (no offense to whoever it is, a cockroach ate the name after a drop of beer spilled on my printout! Brewer maybe?)
Anyway, it was a nice pale lager, plenty of flavour, and thoroughly enjoyable. Sadly my friend accidentally kicked over my second glass, but I really enjoyed it.

#11 Punters Summer Blonde
Again, a pale coloured beer with heaps of character, some citrusiness (from memory) and it was really easy to drink. I enjoyed it very much, sorry I cannot offer more detailed notes.

#13 floppinab's English Bitter
Being in the HAG swap, I MAY have accidentally gotten the 2 beers mixed up. The beer poured quite a nice dark colour, probabll a little dark for a bitter, but still very nice looking. Medium-high bitterness, and very drinkable, a beer I quite enjoyed, but it was smoky. Really smoky. I had drank a sweeter beer before it, so I could be wrong, but the only thing that makes me thing I effed up, was that number 13 in the HAG case is a smoked porter. If I didnt eff up, it was a bit smokey, but quite enjoyable. If I DID eff up, I will post the review again when I drink the "real" one.

#24 MVZoom's Clayton Koelsch
I had drank a few beers before this one, so luckily I got 2 in my case, but it seemed fairly nice. I have to say, though, that it seemed to have a real residual sweetness that detracted from the overall beer. I will do a better review when I have it on a clean palate.

All the best
Trent


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## goatherder (1/2/08)

4 - Barramundi's Swapale

A nice pale golden colour, brilliantly clear and a coarse white head which faded quickly. Some fruity hop aromas are present, as is some background malt. There is some nice leading hop flavour in the beer and a thinnish malt through to the finish. The bitterness is moderate and reasonably balanced. The carbonation is great and the mouthfeel makes for great drinking. Thanks Barra, a great easy drinking beer for a Friday arvo. Cheers.


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## Tony (1/2/08)

15 (underlined). Oblomov - Belgian Dark Strong Ale - WLP500 - Bottled 29-SEP, ABV 8.0% - ready to drink

I poured it in my big mouthed WA belgian challice. Nice easy pour, tight creamy head. This beer was not highly carbed but held a better head than any beer i have had in this glass. 

The beer smelt of rich dark fruits and slight hints of chocolate.

in the nouth it was a bit sweet, bordering on cloying for me but was very drinkable. A bit more carb would have fixed this...... and perhaps slightly more attenuation.

Not so much yeast aroma or flavour but some fenels there that were sweet and flaversome.

a very enjoyable beer and if you dont mind i will pour the second glass now and enjoy!

Thanks.


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## goatherder (3/2/08)

Oblomov's Belgian Strong Dark and kabooby's Dubbel

Unfortunately I don't have a good review for either of you. I took both bottles to a mate's place last night. I can say however, that both beers were outstanding. Oblomov's had a great yeast profile, loads of complex dark fruit type malt character and was perfectly balanced. kabooby's was also top shelf - nice and dry but with a big complex malty middle, way too easy to drink. In between these two we had a bottle of Murray's Grand Cru - I'm happy to say your beers stood shoulder to shoulder with it. Brilliant drinking thanks fellas.


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## Muggus (4/2/08)

#15 (no line). goatherder - Czech Dark Lager (Wyeast 2001) 5.1% abv. bottled 17/11/2007 

Served chilled in glass. 
Good nose packed with roasted grain, dark chocolate and burnt character, a touch of vanilla and bready yeast, quite nice. Pours a ruby highlighted black body with thick light tan head and lace. Creamy texture, lean body, decent carbonation, a bit of sharpness possibly from the roasted malt. Roasted flavours dominate the body, bitter chocolate, a touch of dark roast coffee, some burnt flavour in there, sweet vanilla flavour towards a dry finish. Very nice, cheers Goatherder!

#20. Trent - Brown Porter 

Served chilled in glass. 
Dark brown body with a slight reddish glow, smallish off-white creamy head. Mild aroma, hints of roasted and slightly sweet toffee-like maltiness, a doughy sort of note in there too. Moderately low carbonation, smooth texture, not too dense, slightly drying throughout. Mild roasted coffee flavours on the body, some nice nuttiness and sweetening toffee maltiness. Finishes quite dry, not too much bitterness with a bready yeast note. Nice and smooth, goes down a treat. Good one Trent, cheers!


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## Fatgodzilla (5/2/08)

Monkeybusiness # 23 Stout

I like this Adrian. Had a stubby of Guinness to start the attack on the blacks. Then yours. Lost nothing in taste, visually no hope. Head disappeared on pouring, a malty sweet taste that I like in a black. If this was to be session beer, a touch less sweetness, a touch more bitter and I'd have it on tap any day. Maybe undercarbed that gives it that sweetness. Easy to pour down the gullet, not heavy at all. Overall, I reckon you might be a touch dissapointed in this beer, but tweek this recipe and I reckon this could be a great beer. I'd like to have a go brewing it - we'll discuss this over a brewing session some time this year !

Edit : next bit

KillerRx4's JZ Oatmeal Stout. 

Well if the Monkeybusiness foreign extra stout was under carbed, it could have borrowed something from KillerRx4's JZ Oatmeal Stout. Bloody thing opened fined, but wouldn't stop bleeding suds (but only after I poured the first glass. Never seen that before - maybe the coldness kept it under control. More head than an .. no won't say, get into enough trouble as is. Flavour - lovely. After the malty sweetness of the previous bottle, this has that tartish burnt flavour expected. Real easy to open and pour, so to speak. Despite the bottle activity, well behaved in the glass (a large 500ml handled mug) and not overly carbonated tasted - guess lost all its kinetic energy in the bottle. Every mouthful tastes better (as the temperature starts to rise). Overall, this beer is like an unexpected but enjoyable road trip! tah mate.

Edit : next next bit .. tonight's last taste

# 26 nOOch's Foreign Extra Stout

You know you are drinking a good beer when you drink it and when the bottle ends, you looked confused at the bottle and can't work out why the bottle is empty. Nice nOoch. Cannot think of a negative (ten minutes after bottle emptied)


Three very different beers, all labelled as stout. Each very enjoyable. each very different.

No wonder case swaps are such bloody good ideas !

Edit next next next bit.

Last of the case swap. A teary farewll to something I have really enjoyed.

# 12 Kabooby's Belgium Dubbel.

I'm weak. Should go to bed, but got the taste - plus ABC local playing a Led Zeppelin (tribute) session. Too early to sleep - bring out the last contestant. After 3 stouts, this probably silly, but funny enough, an inspired choice. Really enjoyable. Not as heavy as expected, but a great late night drink. Simple colour.

Z ship. They were the freighters Germany sent out to sea that looked liked merchantmen but were armed to the teeth. This looks innocuous but tastes great. Get the alcohol flavour thingy but but this beer is good. Onto second schooner .. deserves to be drunk at a better hour, but isn't.

Good stuff man. Thanks

Case now gone, much thanks to all who contributed. You are gentlemen.


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## Muggus (8/2/08)

#7. KillerRx4 - JZ Oatmeal stout (WLP002) 

Served chilled in glass. 
Got a bit of a gusher, managed to salvage most of it luckily. Pours a black near-opaque body with some tan foam that eventually dies. Solid hit of roasted malt on nose, dark chocolate and roasted coffee. Carbonation is decent, body probably a bit lean for a stout but fitting, slightly creamy. Nice roasted malts on the body, dark chocolate certainly stands out, heavy roasted/burnt coffee, some slight vinous berry fruitiness as it warms. Smooth, mildly bitter finish. Enjoyed this beer alot despite the gushing, thanks Killer!


#23. Monkeybusiness - something like a foreign extra stout 

Served chilled in glass. 
Pours a sinfully black body with dying tan bubbles leaving a collar. A touch of rich dark chocolate on the nose, has a port-like quality to it, some alcohol detectable. Low carbonation, dense body with an oily texture working is way smoothly down the throat. Good balance of malt sweetness with bitter roasted malt flavours, plenty of dark chocolate and burnt nuts, some nice port-like fruitiness, drying with a touch espresso on a lingering finish. I'd like to know how strong this bad boy is! The low carbonation and dense body seems to give an 'after-dinner' beer vibe, which feels wierd at 5 in the arvo after a long day of work. Enjoyed immensely regardless, rich and smooth, cheers!


#26. n00ch - Foreign Extra Stout (Wyeast 1084) 

Served chilled in glass. 
Chunk laden black body with sizeable tan foam. Bready aroma, some roasted malts in there with a touch of sweetness. Well carbonated, full body, slight creaminess. Nutty flavour most prominant, burnt malt, bread, has an astrigent sort of bitterness, finishes relatively abruptly. Probably a bit overcarbonated, but still nice. Thanks n00ch!


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## Steve (13/2/08)

Well my case has now gone. Just want to say thanks to everyone for sharing their beers....will definately be in on another swap. Depending on Stuster of course  . Big thanks to Stuart for taking mine up and down from Sydney. I did take notes half way through but the wife moved it, filed it, probably lost it. There were some pearlers, some gushers, some strange tastes. Im shit at taking notes, especially when im on the turps. I usually forget. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed them. I think the stand out beer for me was Trents Brown Porter. I didnt have the best setting whilst drinking this (sat on deck in 35 degree heat). I could imagine sitting in front of my old wood fired stove in the middle of a Canberra winter drinking this little bewdy. Goatherders Czech Dark lager was also a pearler. Will definately give that one a burl. There was one summer blonde or blonde lager - cant remember as my son took the sticker off which I thoroughly enjoyed one hot saturday afternoon. Then came the 2 belgians....wow...never had a belgian before...blew me bloody socks off. Magnificent flavours. These beers are a whole new world for me. Tonys sheep shagger was a ripper to drink but now I am not surprised why you were asking me how to get a clear beer. Tony...yours was like pond water :lol: Stusters summer ale, I couldnt believe reading that this didnt have any cascade, amarillo or chinook hops in it? Certainly tasted like it to me. Nice quaffer. Redbeards English bitter - bloody corker. My type of beer. I ended up with 2 stouts from KillerRx4 (I think)...both were gushers so wasted half the bottle. Tasty once it had settled down though. I didnt end up getting any of SJWs beers. Anyway thats my memory blank for this afternoon.
Cheers all for sharing. Until next time eh Stuster.
Steve

P.S. My number 9 - Nelsons Bastard Ale was pretty special too! Although I did actually prefer it when it was younger..instead of 3 months old.


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## SJW (13/2/08)

Sorry about that Steve, You did not miss much mate. As I remember there was a balls up on swap day. As I was one of the last to get there half of the cases were made up assuming there would be 28 swappers but there was only 27. Anyway if you ever up this way drop me a line and drop in for some roadies.

Steve


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## Stuster (13/2/08)

Steve said:


> Depending on Stuster of course....Until next time eh Stuster.




You're on, Steve.


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## Muggus (13/2/08)

#12. Kabooby - Belgian Dubbel (WLP550) 

Served chilled in glass. 
Woah, I thought it'd grabbed the wrong beer when I poured a hazycopper body with a rim of tight lace, but one whiff of the aroma told me otherwise; vanilla, dried fruits, (figs and dates?) some honey/toffee/biscuity malt sweetness, nothing overpowering, well balanced. Dense body, low carbonation, syrupy and sticky, quite sweet without being cloying. Nice honeyish biscuit malt upfront, dried fruit flavours throughout, the odd bit of citrus tang, finishes with a dry woody vanilla note. Fantastic brew Kabooby, big fan of the style and I rate this highly. Thanks alot!


#15(underlined). Oblomov - Belgian Dark Strong Ale (WLP500) 

Served chilled in glass. 
Fantastically rich aroma vinous dried fruits, dark malts, sultanas and dark chocolate probably most prominantly, deeply complex and compelling, but i'm probably not maKIng a great deal of sense right now. Hazy deep dark brown body with dense offwhite lace and head. Creamy texture and carbonation, dense body, a definitive bitter kick at the end. Certainly a joy to drink, lovely raisin-like fruitiness lending some sweetness that is balanced by a good blast of dark chocolate malt, yet theres so much more; plums, prunes, vanilla, stonefruit seed, with a red wine tannic element in there. Absolutely brilliant, one of the best beers i've tried in a long time. Definately an adventure beer and I enjoyed the ride. Thank you so much for sharing this experience Oblomov!

...only one more to go :blink:


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## Muggus (25/2/08)

Finally got around to trying the last (but not least) of the case...

Brew #19. Keith - Australian Farmhouse Ale (with extra alcohol, Wyeast 3711 VSS French Saison)

Served chilled in glass. 
Woah! Serious gusher! Managed to salvage half the bottle. The foam quickly dies down into a thick syrupy teak containing the odd chunk. Spicy aroma, pepper and clove in there, brown sugar, some woodiness and alcohol. Full mouth, clingy with sweetness, carbonation oddly restrained, somehow reminds me of a dessert wine. Quite alot going on flavour-wise; muscat-like vinous dried fruit, woody spice, bitter orange marmalade, sweet brown sugar, quite prominant alcohol lingering and warmning on the finish. Not sure what to think of this; each sip brings forth something new. Very intriguing, cheers Keith!


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## Steve (29/2/08)

Stuster said:


> You're on, Steve.




When you going to start organising the NSW Xmas in July case Stuster  
Cheers
Steve


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## SJW (29/2/08)

> When you going to start organising the NSW Xmas in July case Stuster
> Cheers
> Steve



As long as there is no APA or kit beers. Maybe if we make a list of 28 different beers and everyone takes one, that way we dont end up with a heap of the same stuff.

Steve


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## Stuster (29/2/08)

How's about now then? 

Steve, you really don't think kit beers should be allowed? I think it's good to let everybody try out, and kit beers can certainly make very reasonable dark beers (especially Imperial Stouts.  ).

I'll start a new thread if everyone's ok with that.


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## Stuster (29/2/08)

Kabooby's dubbel.

On the light end of the range for colour, a warm amber. The warmth continued into the aroma, with a good mix of very Belgian phenolics and light esters. Fruity flavours, combined with a rich sweet maltiness worked well with the warming alcohol. I was struck by the smoothness of the beers as well, probably partly the few months of aging, but it was very well done anyway. One tiny criticism was that I found the beer a bit too sweet after about half of it, and I'd say it could with increasing the bitterness a touch and/or cut back on the specialty malts a bit. But that's only a small issue. Overall, I thought this was a very nice beer and enjoyed it greatly. :super: :chug:


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## goatherder (29/2/08)

21 - Thommo's Cream Ale

Pale golden in colour, a touch hazy with a smallish course head which retreated back to a persistant collar. The aroma was strong band-aids, not a good sign. A quick taste confirmed the diagnosis - very sour, an obvious infection. Bummer Thommo, I've enjoyed your beers in the past so I'm looking forward to your next case beer.


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## goatherder (29/2/08)

23 - monkeybusiness' FES

Inky black with no light penetrating, this is a very dark beer. The head is fine and small and off-white in colour. The aroma is big vegemite, kind of meaty with a bit of sweet malt in behind. The flavour leads with some esters, a little tartness followed by a big smooth roasty malt experience. The beer is a little out of balance towards the sweet side but is still drinkable. The carb is low but doesn't detract too much - makes it feel a little more UK. Nice work thanks monkeybusiness.


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## floppinab (1/3/08)

Drinking n00chs FES now, seeings I'm here I might as well post it up.

Opened with a big big fsssstttt, and then out she came, a gusher. Clearly not infected just quite overcarbed.

OK, lovely burnt caramel/toffee aroma with some buscuity tones in there as well, some fruit pops through as the beer warms up. Jet black, tar black, bat black, black hole black......... did I tell you I can't see through the beer, with a few hop floatys to remind you you are drinking real beer!!!!
Carbonic bittyness tends to overpower although past that very smooth burnt roastiness with a subtle bitterness that pulls up rather quickly. Some alcohol there but passes through very smoothly, medium/almost med-lite body, a very drinkable beer for something of this style. Nicely done n00ch, I haven't made any big black beers myself but after having a few of some mates I suspect picking the end of ferment is tricky which maybe (?) has resulted in the overcarbing, particularly if you are fermenting at good/low ale temps then the bottle sits at 25+ deg. summer temps for a while.


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## Barramundi (15/5/08)

Gents , i know im months late on this one , but ive only just got around to reading through the reviews, thanks to those that left notes on my beer , those of you who know me will know ive had a shit of a six months or so , so please all accept my apologies for not leaving reviews on your beers , those of which i have had from this swap have been up to the usual high standard , sadly i "lost" half of them in a milk crate vs concrete accident whilst moving my gear back to melbourne , garage floor had a fantastic smell to it for a couple of days ...

again thanks for the kind words on my beer , sorry to crozdog for the band aid taste , dunno what happened there, and again apologies for my lack of reviews on your fine brews ....


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