# Vic Xmas In July 2008 Tasting Thread



## Wardhog (22/6/08)

Someone had to do it, and I'm buggered if I'm waiting for someone else to do it. I hooked in today.

16. DoppelBrewer - Doppelbock
What a good start to the swap. A delicious beer - not that I know what a doppelbock is, but I thoroughly enjoyed this beer.
Malt, malt and more f$^%ing malt. Hint of biscuit/toasty character about it, no hops to speak of except for bitterness - but this is par for the course in doppelbocks.

A great beer, now 'fess up - you didn't come here for constructive criticism on your beer, did you? You came to show off.


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## chris.taylor.98 (22/6/08)

Well being slightly anal retentive, I'm going to try drink them in number order.

1. Peels - Kinda Porta

Some caramel and coffee flavours coming through (the coffee is particularly good). Subtle English style hops flavour, with a good bitterness towards the finish to balance it out.

Very dry finish and highly carbonated ( possibly accentuating the dry finish somewhat ).

I think if you toned down the carbonation a bit it would really round out some of the malt flavours a bit more ( but then I really like my malty beers ).

I would probably consider this to be more or a brown ale then a porter, although there is some overlap between the styles.

This beer just keeps getting better and better as it warms up. Really great session beer. Very reminiscent of the great Scottish Ale you did for the XMas case swap last year




(as a footnote, does not do well as a keyboard cleaner)


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## Barramundi (22/6/08)

geez you blokes are keen i havent taken my cases out of the car yet ...


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## Wardhog (22/6/08)

Barramundi said:


> geez you blokes are keen i havent taken my cases out of the car yet ...



What's more I've just knocked off :

20. mortz - Munich Dunkel

Clean. Very clean. A nice amount of roasty there, possibly too much for a Munich Dunkel, more like a Schwarzbier. No faults to be found anywhere, another very good beer.


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## therook (23/6/08)

Fellas, take note don't drink No 4 until at least another 3 Weeks

Rook


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## chris.taylor.98 (23/6/08)

2. Fents - Some sort of US Lager

Fents, I reckon you are full of shit.

This beer is way too good to be considered a US Lager style.

Aroma had a slight grainy, sulfur note, with some malt sweetness and just a hint of floral hops.

High carbonation that accentuated the hop bitterness beautifully, giving a well rounded finish.

Some malt sweetness and subtle hop flavour coming through in the flavour.

All round this beer is a real winner.


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## Cummins (24/6/08)

Ok, it has begun. 
I must agree with what Chris has already said here.

1. Peels - Kinda Porta

Very nice caramel, toffee aroma. Body is nice with a good malt, subtle hops and a realtively dry finish. Very enjoyable, very sessionable. 

2. Fents - US lager

You've done well with this fents. High carb and bitterness that is balanced nicely with a fresh hop finish. 

22 Voota/Quintrex Coffee Stout

I have tried both versions of these. I would say vootas is a more agressively coffeed version, quite dry with intense coffee flavour. More on the experimental end of the scale and quite intense, definately not a sessional brew but enjoyable in small amounts (if you like coffee). I got the quintrex version in the swap, there is quite a bit more difference than I would have expected. Coffee is there but very subtle, I found it quite light bodied, not much hops there, light in the finish. Very smooth easy drinker for a stout, but I think you need to pump a bit more coffee in there next time for a coffee stout!


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## Cummins (24/6/08)

[combined reviews by cummins/voota/choppadoo]

5. Hutch - London (not the) Best Bitter 
Aroma.. nice caramel maltiness/biscuity with a hint of acetaldehyde (green apple) according to some.. fruity esters to others... with an agreement that it is quite pleasant. German altbier malt character. Low carbed but suitable for an english bitter. Good clarity. Not much yeast character. 


6. Andreic - Irish Dry Stout
"Wasn't that dry. I dont know, it was just like, um, I dont really remember it that well" - Voota (just after finishing)
Good roastiness. Nice beer here andreic, very clean can't pick any faults with it! 

That's another great contribution from both you guys, impressed.


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## Cummins (25/6/08)

8. Chris Taylor - Weizenbock Att

Nice candy banana aroma. Maybe a few too many of these ones. 


Nice body and warmth. A little overcooked on the esters and a bit intense.


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## Cummins (25/6/08)

7. Some Bloke - Beer

Floral slightly grassy hop aroma. A hint of yeast there as well. Cloudy but who gives a ****. Nice body but could be a bit drier and hoppier, go a bit more bitterness and carbonation and you might give the mongrel a run for its money. That was a ripper.


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## Cummins (25/6/08)

3 - Harold

Can definitely smell the chinook in the aroma, a little unpleasant (not trying to be rude there, just a personal preference against chinook). HOWEVER, once it hits the mouth that is irrelevant because the flavour is fantastic. Very well balanced beer with the munich, good carbonation, tastes slightly more bitter than your anticipated IBU's suggest? A bit low for my preference for an APA [assumed style], but I'm sure this is the IBU's and hop presence you were aiming for so great job!


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## Cummins (25/6/08)

9 - Barra - 1 grain 1 hop

What is this mysterious grain and mysterious hop you speak of?? Couldn't find it in the recipes thread. Our random stabbing is pale malt, possibly german pils? qutie a honey malt aroma & body coming through, backed up by a nice level of carb and solid, dry bitterness. Well balanced for a 1G1H brew. Guessing at an english hop possibly target? Great work mate, very nice beer.

Very impressed with the quality of brews so far!


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## Cummins (25/6/08)

10 - Haysie - Oatmeal Stout

Good bitterness, roasty, alcoholy, oily. Dont know if this is k&k well done or AG. Either way its definitely a nice stout but difficult to spot the oatmeal. Not much experience here with oatmeal, but as a stout its good. Good stout. Bitter, roasty and shit. Some dickhead is singing about jesus on TV.


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## Quintrex (25/6/08)

Cummins said:


> 10 - Haysie - Oatmeal Stout
> 
> Good bitterness, roasty, alcoholy, oily. Dont know if this is k&k well done or AG. Either way its definitely a nice stout but difficult to spot the oatmeal. Not much experience here with oatmeal, but as a stout its good. Good stout. Bitter, roasty and shit. Some dickhead is singing about jesus on TV.



you lot (i presume) are beer drinking machines! pick the uni students on holidays


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## chris.taylor.98 (25/6/08)

Cummins said:


> 8. Chris Taylor - Weizenbock Att
> 
> Nice candy banana aroma. Maybe a few too many of these ones. View attachment 19795
> 
> Nice body and warmth. A little overcooked on the esters and a bit intense.



Thanks for the feedback Cummins, but for the chemical symbol illiterate ( ie me ) can you please tell what there was a few too many of.

Guess I have fallen in the trap of taking competition feedback too seriously. 

Last weizenbock that I brewed I was told there was almost no weizen character so I did purposely try to make it more prominent this time. 

I attempted to do this by cranking up the temp in the first 12 hours ( at about 22C ) but then fermented it out at 18C to reduce the fusels.


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## brettprevans (25/6/08)

I better pull my finger out and get tasting.
*
24. Leigh - Golden Ale*
Top effort on the Golden Ale! great colour, head and carbonation. Taste was mellow and just a hint of up front hops that bordered between bitterness and late addition hops (was there any cascade in there?). Perfectly balanced as you couldnt tell it was 9.5%. great effort. Could have drank it all night.


PS My effort (13) needs another week to fully carb. I tried one on the weekend and was slightly undercarbed.


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## Barramundi (25/6/08)

Cummins said:


> 9 - Barra - 1 grain 1 hop
> 
> What is this mysterious grain and mysterious hop you speak of?? Couldn't find it in the recipes thread. Our random stabbing is pale malt, possibly german pils? qutie a honey malt aroma & body coming through, backed up by a nice level of carb and solid, dry bitterness. Well balanced for a 1G1H brew. Guessing at an english hop possibly target? Great work mate, very nice beer.
> 
> Very impressed with the quality of brews so far!




cummins and others , firstly apologies for not yet getting the recipe into the thread , 
the malt was simply joe white traditional ale malt and the hop was northern brewer , glad you think it turned out ok i havent even tried it myself yet ... oh and the yeast, it was wyeast london ale III


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## Quintrex (25/6/08)

Chris Taylor said:


> Thanks for the feedback Cummins, but for the chemical symbol illiterate ( ie me ) can you please tell what there was a few too many of.
> 
> Guess I have fallen in the trap of taking competition feedback too seriously.
> 
> ...



I'm guessing cummins was meaning isopentyl acetate, which gives a banana aroma/flavour.





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoamyl_acetate

Unless he just means it was too estery!

Ah well
Cheers
Q


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## AUHEAMIC (25/6/08)

Fents lager Havent made a lager for 50 batches or so but this beer has made me think why? Total enjoyed it.


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## Cummins (25/6/08)

Quintrex you are exactly right with both the uni student on holidays comment and us hitting up wikipedia to find what the banana ester was. 

Chris, I'm sure the beer was very to style but yeah it was just a bit to intense for our personal preference I guess.

BTW we gave up after number 11 which is absolute rubbish! Brewed by some useless muppet obviously.
Sorry guys but mine is pretty fucked basically by some unusual infection. If anyone can tell me what that taste is it would be appreciated. Dont be shy, drink up. I know where it came from (a borrowed fermentor) that possibly has contained some wild yeast brews.


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## hairofthedog (25/6/08)

hutch 5 london best bitter

lightly carbed just how i like it well balanced between hop bitterness & caramaly malt crystal clear with great copper color 

well made beer i enjoyed it thanks hutchy :icon_cheers:


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## hairofthedog (25/6/08)

Cummins said:


> 7. Some Bloke - Beer
> 
> Floral slightly grassy hop aroma. A hint of yeast there as well. Cloudy but who gives a ****. Nice body but could be a bit drier and hoppier, go a bit more bitterness and carbonation and you might give the mongrel a run for its money. That was a ripper.



thanks for the feedback/comments cummins i think you being kind its defenitly a shit brew somewhere between a off heiniken & a skunky carlsberg i would have pulled it & changed it for another brew to swap but they were the beers i had in pet bottles


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## Hutch (25/6/08)

2. Fents' "Some sort of US Lager".

Going by the name, I expected a light, dry US lager (I was almost ready to cut up a wedge of lemon!)
Much to my delight it wasn't!
Great beer, only let down by some obvious chill-haze. What Pils malt and hops did you use? Almost in APA territory in the aroma/flavour department.

Good carbonation level, and superb head retention, dry and crisp, lingering bitterness suggests IBU's at the high end for a lager, though not out of place. Evident alcohol warmth, clean - sits nicely with the high IBUs.
My chief taster (SWMBO) gave it the big thumbs-up, so it must be good!

Mate, do us a favour and post the recipe please!


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## andreic (25/6/08)

and away we go...

3. Wardhog - Harold

Nice golden colour, white compact head. Aroma mostly of cascade. Quite malty, very creamy mouth feel, and finishes with a moderate bitterness.

Pretty tasty. The aroma makes me think its gonna be an APA, but it seems maltier and creamier than APAs I've had. Great start to the case!

cheers, Andrei


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## mark_m (25/6/08)

First off the blocks - #1 Peels Kinda Porter. 

Nice clean beer, good malt with roast & coffee flavours. A little over carbonated, but not overly so.

Very enjoyable, good beer.

Coincidentally, I have a porter on tap ATM made with almost identical grain bill, but predominantly Bairds malts & fuggles instead of EKG. PM me Peels if you want to drop in for a side by side tasting.

Cheers,
Mark.


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## mark_m (25/6/08)

#2. Fents' "Some sort of US Lager".

It was to be a one beer night tonight - but as the saying goes - "I can resist anything except temptation".

+1 for everything hutch wrote a couple of posts up except:

- Lemon slice hadn't even crossed my mind
- too hoppy for SWMBO (Corona's probably her perfect beer - all fizz, no taste).

From your professed one malt policy, I'm guessing all pils, my palate's not good enough to try & guess the hops - how about posting the recipe Fents?

Great beer.

Thanks again for your hospitality the other night, shame I had to leave early.

Cheers
Mark


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## andreic (25/6/08)

2. Fents - Some sort of US Lager

Light yellow with quite a bit of haze. Big white fluffy head that left a beaut lacing. Slight sulphur in the aroma and lots of sweet, flowery hops. Tastes grainy-malty with a lot of hop flavour in line with the aroma. Nice bitter finish.

This beer seems to be getting some good reviews... I agree - a great hoppy lager. Probably the only issue is the chill haze (a problem I also have with my beers) - doesn't affect the taste though. I could easily tuck into a few more of these...

Good work Fents :super: 

cheers, Andrei


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## Quintrex (25/6/08)

BTW here is the link to the Wiki for the case swap
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...;showarticle=50

If we were really organised we use the wiki to list "best after" dates for those beers that need a bit more time to carb up.

Thoughts?


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## andreic (25/6/08)

Quintrex said:


> BTW here is the link to the Wiki for the case swap
> http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...;showarticle=50
> 
> If we were really organised we use the wiki to list "best after" dates for those beers that need a bit more time to carb up.
> ...



A good idea. It would help if the wiki was updated with the latest info... so I've had a crack at doing just that based on info in this thread and the last few pages of the original thread. Everyone take a look now and update it as required.


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## Quintrex (25/6/08)

andreic said:


> A good idea. It would help if the wiki was updated with the latest info... so I've had a crack at doing just that based on info in this thread and the last few pages of the original thread. Everyone take a look now and update it as required.



Nice work!


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## Fents (26/6/08)

cheers guys for the kind comments. certainly nice to have a beer that turned out ok this time. i'll get the recipe up tonight.

i think since the swap on saturday i've managed two or three beers and that was on tuesday night and it wasnt any swaps. my liver still hates me i think.


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## Wardhog (26/6/08)

andreic said:


> Everyone take a look now and update it as required.



Done. Made the recommendations stand out a bit too.


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## andreic (26/6/08)

7. Hairofthedog - Saaz Pilsner

Light yellow-gold colour, rather hazy, small white compact head. Some hop aroma from the Saaz. Some hop flavour and a little sweet with a slightly bitter end. I would perhaps go a little harder on the bitterness and carbonation.

There's an aroma and flavour in there that's not quite to my liking... DMS? I looked at your recipe which stated Saflager - was the yeast W34/70? Perhaps this is just a characteristic of the yeast rather than any fault (I've had a similar aroma from a W34/70 fermented lager). Its still a pretty easy drinking lager though... there was no problem at all draining the last glass.

Thanks for the beer! 

cheers, Andrei


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## chris.taylor.98 (26/6/08)

Wardie, I have a confession to make before you read this. Harold underwent a bit of an ordeal before I got around to tasting him. I put him in the freezer to cool him down faster ... and then the next day when I opened the freezer we has looking much worse for wear and very solid. Seemed to thaw out ok today and still had good carbonation when I opened him.

3. Wardhog - Harold

Sweet malty, grain aroma, with a slight hint of hops.

Very clear, golden colour.

Slightly fruity (pears) flavour, with the same malt character as in the aroma, with just a hint of bitterness at the end to round it out. Fairly light bodied.

Reasonably dry in the finish.

Very clean and easy drinking beer.


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## brettprevans (26/6/08)

1. Peels Sorta Porter
needed to warm it a little to get the tastes comiong out. roast and light choc? maybe fuggles flavours comiong through. really nice head and retention. tasted more like a dark ale than a porter but well balances and really nice to start off with. was ma lot more bitter than I was expecting for a porter. nice though,

6. Andreic - Irish Dry Stout
very little head (probably just the glass' fault), not hugely dry but as I drank more I decideed that it was perfectly dry for this beer. great sessional dryness. very much what an irish stout should be. what Guinness shouold go back to being....

Thanks for the beers.


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## Wardhog (26/6/08)

24. Leigh - Golden Ale

Wow, that's a lot of alcohol in a beer, but it adds a pleasant, gently warming aspect, rather than an in-your-face alcohol hotness. Plenty of fruity aroma.
The only criticism I have of this beer is the hop flavour. It skulks around the edge of tasting, leaving an impression rather than a memorable taste. It's a kinda grassy, too-young hop flavour - maybe this beer needs to sit for another few months to round out these flavours.
But congratulations on making a near wine-strength beer without making it taste like rocket fuel.


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## Wardhog (27/6/08)

19. Alvin Ng - Cascade/Glacier APA

That was an old can of malt the shop sold you - "kit twang". Don't be put off by this, I think the faults of this beer are not the brewer's, but the LHBS. 
Clarity, carbonation level, all excellent. A good, clean ferment.


Forget North Melbourne and stick with Greensborough LHBS.


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## Wardhog (27/6/08)

1. Peels - Kinda Porter

Another solid effort, well done. Clear as a (dark) bell, lovely pillowy head that lasts and lasts. Roast flavour dominates proceedings, but that was probably intentional - I would say this ticks nearly all boxes for a robust porter, but there's probably a little too much carbonation.


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## brettprevans (27/6/08)

2. Fents US Lager

No way this is a US lager. its the best thing ive tasted coming out of the USA (exept this girl i once knew...thats another story!). huge mouthfeel, agreed with the description of sweet flowery tones, rounded bitter finish. great. reminds me a bit of one of the beers in the last caseswap but i cant put my finger on what it is. anyways great effort.


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## Hutch (27/6/08)

3. Wardhog - Harold

Nice golden-amber colour, with good clarity. Dry finish, with a nice balance of crystal and roast malts.
Bitterness was a little harsh first up (Chinook!), probably accentuated by the carbonation.
Nice Cascade/Chinook aroma. They always go well together.

I get a slightly "green hops" bitterness in the finish, and also a prominent tangy green apple/pear (acetaldehyde?), which I would suspect is the product of the US-05 (I've had this every time I've used US-05, though interestingly never had it with 1056!)

I'm enjoying it more and more as it warms up, and the carbonation subsides - Maybe I've been drinking too many Pommie Ales lately!

Cheers Wardy :icon_cheers:


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## brettprevans (27/6/08)

Fents ive decided that it reminds me vaugly of something belgian (maybe it was Spill's dumb blonde last caeswap?). it must be the hops or yeast. whats the recipe?


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## Fents (27/6/08)

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...mp;#entry328654


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## Quintrex (28/6/08)

Wardhog said:


> 24. Leigh - Golden Ale
> 
> Wow, that's a lot of alcohol in a beer, but it adds a pleasant, gently warming aspect, rather than an in-your-face alcohol hotness. Plenty of fruity aroma.
> The only criticism I have of this beer is the hop flavour. It skulks around the edge of tasting, leaving an impression rather than a memorable taste. It's a kinda grassy, too-young hop flavour - maybe this beer needs to sit for another few months to round out these flavours.
> But congratulations on making a near wine-strength beer without making it taste like rocket fuel.



By my taste there is no way this beer is 9.5%
I'm going to hazard a guess that someone mucked up the labelling and wrote 9.5% instead of 5.9%.
but of course I'm willing to be proved wrong!

Q


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## Cummins (28/6/08)

I agree here. I've actually heard of someone going to "eat their hat" if it is 9.5%. 
No way.


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## Cummins (28/6/08)

Wardhog, big claims you are making here re: number 19. If I'm not mistaken, this is the same infection as mine (11) has. It has nothing to do with "kit twang", mine is not a kit. I believe big Q can name this one? Instead of trying to shift the blame while giving the brewer a reach-around just make an honest appraisal of what you're tasting.


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## Barramundi (28/6/08)

Cummins said:


> Wardhog, big claims you are making here re: number 19. If I'm not mistaken, this is the same infection as mine (11) has. It has nothing to do with "kit twang", mine is not a kit. I believe big Q can name this one? Instead of trying to shift the blame while giving the brewer a reach-around just make an honest appraisal of what you're tasting.




now now gents this is supposed to be a thread for appraising beers that you have recievd in the swap not attacking one another ... calm it down a notch ,,


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## Wardhog (28/6/08)

Barramundi said:


> now now gents this is supposed to be a thread for appraising beers that you have recievd in the swap not attacking one another ... calm it down a notch ,,



I get it. I've bagged his LHBS. Apologies for that, I will say no more on the matter.


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## Barramundi (28/6/08)

I wasnt having a go at you specifically wardhog or anyone for that matter, just a general comment to all, no need for personal attacks , it all about beer , if someone cant handle constructive critisism on a beer they have put out there for a 20 man critique team perhaps they shouldnt join swaps ....


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## nick_lavender (28/6/08)

I agree with whats been said about Fents Lager, I loved it! 

I thought the sulphor was a bit too much, and I definitely got a slight pale belgian aroma thing happening, but the taste was great and well rounded, good job!

It inspired me to make my first all grain lager yesterday, its an Oktoberfest. 2 weeks in the fermenter at 10C and then at least a month at 4C to lager! It will really test my patience! :icon_drool2: 

Cheers!


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## Leigh (28/6/08)

Quintrex said:


> By my taste there is no way this beer is 9.5%
> I'm going to hazard a guess that someone mucked up the labelling and wrote 9.5% instead of 5.9%.
> but of course I'm willing to be proved wrong!
> 
> Q





Cummins said:


> I agree here. I've actually heard of someone going to "eat their hat" if it is 9.5%.
> No way.



I was impressed with the taste of this...I've made a couple of "large" beers that tasted like metho :icon_drool2: 

og on this one was 1.081, fg was 1.008 (it took 3 weeks to get there!) and my sg readings show that if I buggered up the og reading, it wasn't by much (the next reading was 1.073)...

I should also point out, that when I labeled it, I put down the difference between og and fg and left out the extra from priming.

Recipe will be up shortly. I'm going to make this one again in the next few weeks as I like it so much.


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## Leigh (28/6/08)

Wardhog said:


> 24. Leigh - Golden Ale
> 
> Wow, that's a lot of alcohol in a beer, but it adds a pleasant, gently warming aspect, rather than an in-your-face alcohol hotness. Plenty of fruity aroma.
> The only criticism I have of this beer is the hop flavour. It skulks around the edge of tasting, leaving an impression rather than a memorable taste. It's a kinda grassy, too-young hop flavour - maybe this beer needs to sit for another few months to round out these flavours.
> But congratulations on making a near wine-strength beer without making it taste like rocket fuel.



It's been in the bottle for 2 months already...I'm going to hide a bottle on your suggestion to see how it matures.


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## Wardhog (28/6/08)

Leigh said:


> It's been in the bottle for 2 months already...I'm going to hide a bottle on your suggestion to see how it matures.



Hide more than one in case I'm right.


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## Cummins (28/6/08)

Sorry to be one to doubt you Leigh. It seems you've done very well to hide the huge abv of this beer. Well done.


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## brettprevans (28/6/08)

leigh. ive just checked out your recipe. I dont make that out to be 9.5% with the fermentables youve got. I make it it about to be around the 6% mark. it still a good beer and proof you can make a good beer with K&K.


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## Leigh (28/6/08)

hmmmm, strange...I think I might have to run a calibration on my hydrometer from the sound of it...


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## Hutch (28/6/08)

Leigh said:


> hmmmm, strange...I think I might have to run a calibration on my hydrometer from the sound of it...


I wonder if your OG reading was affected by higher gravity wort at the bottom of the fermenter, possibly not stirred through thoroughly, or sitting in the tap? I made this same mistake a few years ago, thinking my OG to be about 30 points higher than expected, all because I didn't stir enough.

There's no way you could get a 9.5%abv beer from 2 cans of goop in 21 Ltrs. I would agree with CM2 in it being closer to 5-6% (not that I've tasted it yet - I was saving it 'till last!  
Hutch.


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## Quintrex (28/6/08)

Hutch said:


> I wonder if your OG reading was affected by higher gravity wort at the bottom of the fermenter, possibly not stirred through thoroughly, or sitting in the tap? I made this same mistake a few years ago, thinking my OG to be about 30 points higher than expected, all because I didn't stir enough.
> 
> There's no way you could get a 9.5%abv beer from 2 cans of goop in 21 Ltrs. I would agree with CM2 in it being closer to 5-6% (not that I've tasted it yet - I was saving it 'till last!
> Hutch.



I think you're probably right hutch, doesn't take away from it being a great beer leigh! 

Well done and thanks for a nice beer!

Q


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## ang (28/6/08)

8 - Weizenbock Att

Has a really fruity taste. Nicely crafted. Nice wheat beer. 

Hey Wardhog & Cummins - Thanks for the feedback. Hopefully, my next brew will be better. 

Still not going back to North Melbourne LHBS due to other reason.


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## andreic (28/6/08)

18. Mark_M - Amarillo / Motueka APA

Golden-copper colour. Difficult to raise a small white head. The aroma was strong citrus/fruit hop aroma - I love the smell of amarillo which did stand out. Quite a fruity flavour to it. On my second glass, a little warmer, there was a nice malt flavour as well. Medium bitterness but very smooth.

This was a nice APA. I enjoyed it a lot. However it was a little undercarbed for my preference. A bit more carbonation and it'd go from good to excellent. (If I had a kegging set up and your special carbonation caps I'd be giving it a little extra burst before drinking!)

Thanks for the beer Mark. :icon_cheers: 

cheers, Andrei


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## superhero (29/6/08)

Hello Brewers!

I waited a couple of days before cracking open the 1st case swap beer.

It was 19. Alvin Ng's Mystery Beer - Carbonation was good (medium-high) and colour was light amber. Aroma was fruity and rubbery. Taste was fruity and rubbery.
I'm sorry but I couldn't finish it. It would be a much more drinkable beer without the rubber taste. It's not a garden hose causing the rubber taste??

Wasn't put off by this!

7. Hairofthedog - Saaz Pilsner - Carbonation good (medium) and colour dark straw. Aroma was malty and the very slightest hop aroma. Taste was malty but
was looking for more hop aroma and a lot more bitterness (I am a hophead though). I did enjoy it though. It's a fine lager! Also you ripped me off Hair of the dog. I only got 600mL :angry: 

18. Mark_M - Amarillo / Motueka APA - A fantastic beer Mark. Congratulations. Carbonation spot on (medium), colour light amber and aroma malty and citrusy
and probably smelling of the mysterious Motueka hop! Taste is dominated by citrus hop flavour (and probably Motueka hop flavour!). Didn't want to stop drinking
this one but alas the beer stopped flowing :-(

Looking forward to the next one ...

Cheers

Superhero


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## Wardhog (29/6/08)

18. Mark_M - Amarillo / Motueka APA 

Very bright hop flavour, but not as much hop aroma as I was expecting. Is it the Motueka (what else is/was it known as? Saaz D?) that is the main flavour? - I've not tasted it before. It's very very citrusy, almost a mouth-puckering grapefruit that overpowers everything else. Perhaps this hop combo needs the proportions tilted a little in favour of the Amarillo, but that's just personal taste. If you're shooting for a BJCP nod of approval for an APA, up the aroma addition, and work on the clarity a bit. Other than that, it's a great example of an APA.
However, as a beer - without giving a toss about categories - it's a ripper.


----------



## haysie (29/6/08)

18- mark m

This is my first taste from the swap,
Ummm, it was good as Hog said above, citrusy, maybe not balanced, but i did love the malt flavours coming thru. Clarity was fine here. I reckon it was great, I`ll slip into a session of that.
Thanks Mark

Haysie


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## Wardhog (29/6/08)

2. Fents - Some sort of US lager

I agree, this is too good a beer to be lumped in with the commercial examples of this style. Lots of good malt flavour alongside a nice level of bittering.
Persistent fluffy white head - good job, Fents.

Edit : The more I have of this, the more I like it. Have you posted the recipe?


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## brettprevans (29/6/08)

10 - Haysie Oatmeal Stout

Not exactly sure what an oatmeal stout iseant to taste like. no real hop armoa and certainly needed to be not too cold. what i would call a lighter stout. ie not heavy, nice body, not too bitter, nice roasty taste. assume the 'oilyness' as Cummins describes is from the oatmeal (nice touch). Good could certainly drink this as a sessional.

Edit: just finishing the last of it. definitely better to drink when its not too cold. the characteristics, esp oilyness, comes through more and is a lot more enjoyable.


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## brettprevans (29/6/08)

18. Mark_M - Amarillo / Motueka APA 

No idea what motueka tastes like but i loike this. Its like LCPA with more/other hops (obviously the amarillo coming through). agreed a mouthful of citrus but im drinking it now and feel like that sort of hop hit. great drop. not its not crystal clear and I didnt get a big head in the pour but I dont care. Have to say that I like contribution this over your last one Mark (that was also nice but I prefer this one) .


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## chris.taylor.98 (29/6/08)

6. Andreic - Irish Dry Stout

Some grain and light roast character in the aroma, slight malt sweetness.

Predominated by roast character and the hop bitterness in the flavour, with just a hint of some esters coming through (possible pear or apple). Some astringency from the roast malt as expected.

Reasonably dry finish.

Very clean, good carbonation level. Much better then my recent attempt at this style. Very enjoyable.

Can really noticed the flaked barely giving that great mouthfeel.

(Note I have put 4 and 5 aside for latter as they seem a little under carbonated at the moment)


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## Leigh (29/6/08)

Thanks for all the comments guys. This is why I took part in the swap (and to get some great beers in return)...

I will definately be taking more care in stirring in future h34r: that seems to be the most plausible place for error. I'll definately be putting another of these down in the coming weeks, so will report back on what I get for og this time


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## Quintrex (29/6/08)

Just to spell out what the deal is with the split entry by voota and myself:
We brewed the base beer together but fermented it separately and added coffee in differing amounts via two different methods.
For those that got a PET bottle labelled 22, you have my entry, and for those who got a glass bottle you have Voota's, which makes mine look like a soft co#k entry.  For each full longneck of Voota's you get a full dose of coffee, useful for picking you up after a few too many  

Q


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## Hutch (29/6/08)

Chris Taylor said:


> (Note I have put 4 and 5 aside for latter as they seem a little under carbonated at the moment)


Hey Chris,
Number 5 is an English Bitter, and is deliberately carbonated this way (about 1 to 1.5 Volumes CO2).
In fact it was bottled from a force-carbed keg, so putting it aside for longer won't increase its carbonation!

Advise drinking it above 12deg (just as it is in the UK), otherwise it will taste cold and flat.

Also, apologies to those who don't like Windsor yeast - I only used it to avoid ending with a low FG, and it's made some "funky" flavours along the way. I have learnt my lesson!

Hutch.


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## chris.taylor.98 (29/6/08)

Hutch said:


> Hey Chris,
> Number 5 is an English Bitter, and is deliberately carbonated this way (about 1 to 1.5 Volumes CO2).
> In fact it was bottled from a force-carbed keg, so putting it aside for longer won't increase its carbonation!
> 
> ...



Thanks for the heads up Hutch, I will put it back in the fridge for tomorrow nights tasting.


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## brettprevans (30/6/08)

Hutch - I like windsor. so im happy to drink any youve got left over  agree that some styles are best drunk at winter room temp to get the full flavor etc.


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## haysie (30/6/08)

Quintrex said:


> Just to spell out what the deal is with the split entry by voota and myself:
> We brewed the base beer together but fermented it separately and added coffee in differing amounts via two different methods.
> For those that got a PET bottle labelled 22, you have my entry, and for those who got a glass bottle you have Voota's, which makes mine look like a soft co#k entry.  For each full longneck of Voota's you get a full dose of coffee, useful for picking you up after a few too many
> 
> Q





Yes I had longneck #22 today, wow the coffee to me was dominating, I dont even have coffee for breakfast hence I didnt enjoy it. I am sure coffee enthusiasts will enjoy Voota`s "Starbucks Stout"
Thanks guys.

Haysie


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## AUHEAMIC (30/6/08)

Harold.

Not much more to say than I have really enjoyed this bottle whilst cooking tea tonight. I remember your muddy days. Judging by this one you have everything under control. I could go a keg or two of this beer. Good job, god job, this un.


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## mark_m (30/6/08)

Well fellow swappers, so far I've thoroughly enjoyed working through the list.

Thanks for the comments so far, for those who asked, "motueka" is the re-badged NZ B-saaz - I thought the new name sounded a bit more exotic.

2 things I've realised - my palate's not as well developed as some of you fellas & I should keep tasting notes (or not "sample" 4 beers on the trot on brew night).

Having said that:

#3 "Harold" all I can remember was this was good. Refreshing pale ale

#4 Hutch Best Bitter - nice malt backbone, good level of carbonation for the style, had chilled the bottle a little too much, improved as it warmed to shed temperature.

#7 Hairofthedog Saaz pilsener - enjoyed, maybe a little more bitter than I was expecting, but would happily go there again.

#8 Chris Taylor Weizenbock. Great creamy head. Very distinctive. I'm really not a wheat fan, but a well made beer.

And from earlier tonight:

#11 Cummins English pale ale. After initial pour & what the [email protected]#$? reaction (some really interesting yeast activity in this one I reckon), re-aligned my expectations & quite enjoyed the rest of the bottle. Vive la difference!

Cheers

Mark


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## chris.taylor.98 (30/6/08)

5. Hutch - London (not the) Best Bitter

Brilliantly clear, with deep copper colour. Almost no head due to low carbination.

Aroma had some hop aroma, and slight malt character though fairly subdued, also a hint of acetaldehyde (green apples).

Flavour had fairly assertive hop bitterness with some english hop character, slight alcohol presence and some malt sweetness.

The finish was reasonably dry. The acetaldehyde was also present in the flavour.

I have to say Hutch that you chose one of the hardest styles here out of all the swappers. The ESB is supposed to have very prominent hop aroma, flavour and malt all in equal balance, with low carbination ... almost an impossible ask as far as I am concerned.

That being said apart from cleaning up the acetaldehyde I would probably back off a little on the overall IBUs and try make the aroma hops and malt a bit more assertive. Also thought that the carbination was a little on the low side even for an english "real ale" style beer (low carbination would have also contributed to subdued hop aroma).

Still very drinkable beer.


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## mark_m (30/6/08)

One more for the night.....

#6 Andreic irish dry stout. I have yet to try an AG stout, but will definitely have a crack at this recipe not too far into the future.

Thanks for the beer Andrei.

Mark


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## doppelbrewer (30/6/08)

2. Fents some sort of US Lager

Great way to start the case swap, good head retention, nice balance of malt and hops, very refreshing. Would have to agree with the other posters, too good for a US Lager. When's the next batch?!

5. Hutch - London (not the) Best Bitter

Nice looking beer, nice copper colour, very clear. Medium level of malty goodness, didn't notice any "funky" flavours! Medium bitterness (not enough for me though, but I like the IBU's). A touch undercarbed for my tastes, otherwise a very nice drinkable beer, esp at the right temperature.

7. Hairofthedog - Saaz Pilsener

I'm not normally one for drinking Pils, but this was very nice, refreshing, good level of carbonation, good level of bitterness. More please.


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## mark_m (30/6/08)

Side note to the tasting thread - have just been back to the recipe thread - Fents, looks like we might have to share in the mystique of the Motueka hop.
Without being overly presumptuous, had you considered re-badging your contribution as "Motueka lager" or "Some kind of Pacific Rim Lager"?
Either way, I would be proud to be associated.

Mark


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## Hutch (1/7/08)

Hey Chris and others - thanks for the feedback on #5.
This was my first attempt at the style as an AG recipe, and agree that it is a bit off the mark. I've since made a follow-up brew where I really think I've nailed it, and the criticisms so far are spot-on.

Incidentally, I can 100% conclude that the Windsor is responsible for the Acetaldehyde (funky flavours!), as the other 20Ltrs (double-batch) got WYeast 1318, producing a far cleaner beer. Sorry that this was not my contribution to the swap!

As for carbonation, I was aiming for similar levels to hand-pumped beers in the UK, which to me are almost completely flat (and the best examples bursting with English hop flavours). I think the bottled UK beers we get here are much higher carbonation than the cask variety.

Now for another tasting...


*24 - Leigh's Golden Ale*

Definitely not 9.5%abv. Seems around the 5.5% mark, and very clean ferment. Slightly hazy, nice creamy head, with excellent head retention that seemed to last forever (what can I say - I'm a slow drinker!). Good choice adding the carapils and wheat DME - head retention is excellent.

I thought the kit flavour was rather prominent, which is in no way a criticism of your brewing, more a comment on the quality of most kits. I would strongly recommend you try one of the lighter kits as a base (Coopers Euro Lager for example), with added malt extract or grains. I found this kit to have very little kit twang, making it a good base for most styles. Also, the twang tends to get worse with older kits, so best to get the newest off the shelf (you should be able to get Coopers cans only a few months old).

Hop flavour and aroma was a little on the low side (for an APA), although IBU's were not excessive, and overall a very well balanced beer. I did get some green apple, which was probably the only fermentation flaw I could detect. Otherwise a very clean ferment!

To my tastes, if it wasn't tainted by the "kit twang", I reckon it would be an excellent beer. Certainly better than most kit beers I've ever made!

Cheers Leigh!


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## therook (1/7/08)

Hutch said:


> Hey Chris and others - thanks for the feedback on #5.
> This was my first attempt at the style as an AG recipe, and agree that it is a bit off the mark. I've since made a follow-up brew where I really think I've nailed it, and the criticisms so far are spot-on.
> 
> Incidentally, I can 100% conclude that the Windsor is responsible for the Acetaldehyde (funky flavours!), as the other 20Ltrs (double-batch) got WYeast 1318, producing a far cleaner beer. Sorry that this was not my contribution to the swap!
> ...



Hutch, i think you should send out another 21 bottles so we can compare the 2

Rook


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## superhero (1/7/08)

Hey,

I forgot to add last time that Mark_M's APA has a great medium/high bitterness. Again a great beer. I looked up the mysterious motueka hop. As
was correctly pointed out it used to be saaz_b cos a Belgian brewery used the hop at one point. At 7.5 AAU it's a high alpha saaz. Might 
consider using some soon.

9. Barramundi's 1 grain 1 hop - Very drinkable. Well done. Would be even better on a hot summers day. Dark gold in colour, carbonation medium/low. Aroma of
malt and hops (surprise, surprise!!). Taste is malty and slightly fruity and there's a bready/biscuity taste and great medium bitterness. Maybe it should be called 
1 grain, 1 hop, 1 yeast to complete the picture! Is there a bit of Maris Otter in there Barra? The hop isn't Pride of Ringwood?

That's all for now.

Cheers

Superhero


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## Brewmeister70 (1/7/08)

Cummins said:


> 8. Chris Taylor - Weizenbock Att
> 
> Nice candy banana aroma. Maybe a few too many of these ones. View attachment 19795
> 
> Nice body and warmth. A little overcooked on the esters and a bit intense.


Looks like Chris made a brew with too many opportunistic stick figures looking up the skirt of adjacent stick figures?


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## Barramundi (1/7/08)

superhero said:


> Hey,
> 
> I forgot to add last time that Mark_M's APA has a great medium/high bitterness. Again a great beer. I looked up the mysterious motueka hop. As
> was correctly pointed out it used to be saaz_b cos a Belgian brewery used the hop at one point. At 7.5 AAU it's a high alpha saaz. Might
> ...




traditional ale malt , northern brewer and london III yeast , will post recipe in thread tomorrow i promise (been saying that for how long)

thanks for the review super hero , glad you liked it ,


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## chris.taylor.98 (1/7/08)

7. Hairofthedog - Saaz Pilsner

Straw colour, with very slight haze, nice white persistent head.

Very floral aroma, with some alcohol coming through which becomes more prominent as it warms up. Slight honey aroma.

Flavour provides some malt, also a good amount of hop flavour but not overly assertive, with some bitterness to round it all out. Some slight fruity esters.

Very quaffable.

To be honest Pilsner is not really my favorite style, but I do like this one. More in line with Bohemian Pilsner, with a very soft rounded finish.

Would be interested to know the FG on this one Hairofthedog, as I suspect it finished higher then the ones I am used to drinking (did not really have a dry finish, in fact would almost consider it a bit of a sweet finish).

Only other very minor issues was that the alcohol was a little on the hot side. Again would be interested to know what the temp was that you fermented at.

One other suggestion for future improvements is to ditch the Saf lager and explore some of the liquid yeast strains. I think you have taken the Saf lager as far is it will go with this effort, but in my experience is that saf lager never comes out 100% clean compared to the liquid strains, and with a Pilsner you really have nowhere to hide. 

Thanks for the great beer Hairofthedog.


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## Hutch (1/7/08)

21. Superhero - Milk Stout

First impressions - Wow! Stouts are not normally my cup o' tea, but I'm enjoying every mouthful of this one! Maybe it's cos I like beers on the sweet side..

Without checking your recipe, there's a lot of alcohol in there, I'd guess around 7%, and not a trace of fusils. Great job keeping it so clean. The malty/lactose sweetness is just perfect, and complements the high abv nicely. The roast-grain bitterness is hidden away in there - almost reminds me of a dopplebock it's so warm and malty. Carbonation is low, another plus, and it still manages to maintain a decent head the length of the glass. 

I don't know how this beer fits in with BJCP guidelines, nor do I care - I'm enjoying every mouthful, and that's all that matters!
Now I'm going to go copy your recipe...
:icon_cheers: 
Hutch.


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## ang (1/7/08)

superhero said:


> It was 19. Alvin Ng's Mystery Beer - Carbonation was good (medium-high) and colour was light amber. Aroma was fruity and rubbery. Taste was fruity and rubbery.
> I'm sorry but I couldn't finish it. It would be a much more drinkable beer without the rubber taste. It's not a garden hose causing the rubber taste??
> 
> Wasn't put off by this!



Hey Superhero,

It was a Cascade/Glacier Pale Ale. I don't know where the rubbery taste came from, didn't used a garden hose or anything. 

Maybe it was caused by washing the fermenter in extrame hot water. Would really like to know where my mistake is! So I can improve on my next brew.

Anyway, 

6. Irish Dry Stout - Really enjoyed. This actaully remindered me drinking in London Pub.


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## superhero (1/7/08)

Alvin ng said:


> Hey Superhero,
> 
> It was a Cascade/Glacier Pale Ale. I don't know where the rubbery taste came from, didn't used a garden hose or anything.
> 
> ...



Hi Alvin,

Well done for having a go first of all.

I refreshed my knowledge on possible causes of rubber/sulphur aromas and they are:

1. Some lager yeasts produce sulphur aromas
2. Yeast autolysis. This happens during a very long fermentation (say about a month) when
the yeast has eaten all the sugars and begin to cannibalise itself. This is very rare in practice.

Did the Cascade Pale Ale can kit instructions say to ferment at around 20 degrees? If so
the yeast supplied with the kit is an ale yeast. Ale yeasts tend not to produce sulphury
aromas.

What temperature did you ferment at? And for how long?
How did you sanitise the fermenter? With the hot water only?

We'll get to the bottom of this!

Looking forward to your reply.


Cheers

Superhero


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## superhero (1/7/08)

Hutch said:


> 21. Superhero - Milk Stout
> 
> First impressions - Wow! Stouts are not normally my cup o' tea, but I'm enjoying every mouthful of this one! Maybe it's cos I like beers on the sweet side..
> 
> ...



Hi Hutch,

Thanks for your kind words. I'm glad you liked it. I had one of these against my 2005 version of the same beer. The 2005 version is even better!
Sadly there is only 1 bottle left :-(

Feel free to copy my recipe. It's on the case swap recipe thread.

It weighs in at 8.2%! I actually made a proper starter this time which helped with the clean ferment as well as my friend bleach for
killing the nasties!

Best be off now. I'm tired.

Cheers

Superhero


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## brettprevans (2/7/08)

superhero said:


> 2. Yeast autolysis. This happens during a very long fermentation (say about a month) when
> the yeast has eaten all the sugars and begin to cannibalise itself. This is very rare in practice.
> Superhero



This can happen but unlikely. I quite often leave my big ales fermenting for a month. Just had 1 of my Scotish heavys' last night. magnificent. it was in there for 5 weeks. althought I did have a good 1.2L starter.
Lagers I would expect to be fermenting for 4 weeks. cause they take so bloody long. (well mine ferment for 4 weeks)


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## Quintrex (2/7/08)

Alvin ng said:


> Hey Superhero,
> 
> It was a Cascade/Glacier Pale Ale. I don't know where the rubbery taste came from, didn't used a garden hose or anything.
> 
> ...



Hi Alvin
I'm pretty sure the beer has an infection, one of my friends had the same bug take up residence in his fermenters/etc and every single beer had the same nose/taste which your beer has got, it took some massive sanitisation efforts to get it out of all of his fermenters etc.

Make sure you pull everything apart and work through it with 2 different sanitizers. 

Q


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## Hutch (2/7/08)

Quintrex said:


> Make sure you pull everything apart and work through it with 2 different sanitizers.


Good advice Q. 
I'd suggest a long soak with hot napisan, and get into the tap thread with a brush to remove all the visible crud.
Follow this with a dose of caustic soda (available at the Supermarket), followed by some strong Acid sanitiser (Grain & Grape sell a product called Defender, a phosphoric-acid sanitiser that works a treat).

Nothing should survive that onslaught - If it doesn't get rid of the problem, chuck it all out and start again!


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## voota (2/7/08)

Agree with hutch's words about superhero stout... That beer has been the pick of the swap for me so far by a long way (not to take credit from the other beers... but this stuff was sensational!)
I'll post my tasting notes on a few of the beers soon(ish). 
and sorry to the people who don't like coffee, and subsequently wont like my contribution to the swap.


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## andreic (2/7/08)

5. Hutch - London (not the) Best Bitter

Very low carbonation so no head at all to speak of (to be expected from previous comments). Golden-brown, mostly clear with a slight haze. Aroma was quite malty, nutty, with some fruit showing through as it warmed. Tasted very malty, nutty and very fruity from the yeast. Nice level of bitterness to match the flavours going on. There was a bit of sharpness in the bitter finish but this seemed to subside or disappear from prominence as it warmed up. Its medium bodied.

Good one Hutch! I've no idea how close this is "to style" but its a tasty beer. Even though you aimed for low carbonation I'd probably give it a touch more, but that didn't prevent my enjoyment of the beer. Between this beer and the last beer I made with Windsor I've decided its a yeast I like...

cheers, Andrei


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## Fents (2/7/08)

i really should throw some swaps in the fridge!


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## Barramundi (2/7/08)

i havent got any to the fridge yet i usually like to let them rest a week or so before they go into the fridge ...


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## Hutch (3/7/08)

Fents said:


> i really should throw some swaps in the fridge!


You still recovering from swap day Fents?

Another tasting tonight...

7. Hairofthedog - Saaz Pilsner

For want of a BJCP style, I'm assuming this is a Bohemian Pils...
Light gold, medium carbonation, Medium chill-haze (or maybe yeast haze). Reasonable, but not too agressive saaz aroma, perhaps on the low side for my liking, but highly drinkable none the less. Seems like a good session beer, with nice aroma, but not excessive hop levels. Medium body, with a nice clean pils maltiness, though perhaps a little one-dimensional (needs some melanoidins to give it a slight "caramel" maltiness typical of Boh pils).

As it warms, the stewed pear & apple flavours stand out a little, and there's some slight higher-alcohols present (very slight cardboardy aroma that I recognise from the tail-end of vodka ... um, urr, "essential oil" distillation).

As was commented above, I think this is as good a beer as you can make with saf yeasts, a real credit to you Troy. Only suggestions I'd make are to add a touch of Melanoidin (say 1%), and maybe a few % Munich or Vienna for good measure, and get your hands on a good liquid pilsner strain, pitch BIG, and ferment low.

I really enjoyed this beer, and the above notes are as critical as I can be about it.
Top stuff hairofthedog :icon_cheers: 

Hutch.


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## superhero (3/7/08)

Hello All,

The tasting continues ...

14. 65Bellett's Best Brown Ale - dark brown in colour, medium/high carbonation and a very, very long lasting creamy white head. Great head 65Bellet!!!
Aroma initially predominantly white bread with medium/low chocolate. White bread aroma is overtaken by chocolate as the beer warms. Taste is slightly 
malty with medium chocolate and roasty notes. Improves as it warms up. A very drinkable sessional brown ale. 

Not sure what's next but I'll be sure to post the tasting notes.

Beer on!

Cheers

Superhero


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## andreic (3/7/08)

9. Barramundi - One grain One Hop Ale

Very light pale yellow colour. Almost totally clear with a very slight haze. Nice white compact head with medium carbonation. Some malty/grainy aroma with slight hint of perfume. Tastes pretty clean, with a light malt flavour and something else - a subtle character from the yeast perhaps? Its has a moderately bitter finish. Pretty light bodied.

I thought it was almost lager like. It was very easy to drink and I think would make a great session beer! Well done Barramundi.

cheers, Andrei


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## brettprevans (3/7/08)

5. Hutch - London (not the) Best Bitter

drank at room temp (so ~12C). Very low carbonation but you still get a head out of it if you know how to pour it. the carb level was fine i thought for this sort of beer. Gingerale brown and clean as a whilstle. malt, nut and some hops bitterness coming through - maybe a little buscuit?. not a huge amount of bitterness until the aftertaste/finish, the it kicks in. really easy to drink. I could have eaasily knocked back 3 longnecks of this.


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## AUHEAMIC (4/7/08)

Just chuggin down Hairs pils. Bloody top drop bud. I normally find Saaz a bit too soapy for my taste. This ones got none of that. Even brought a smile to the wifes dial.


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## Wardhog (4/7/08)

11. Cummins - you were right, Cummins. That is the same infection as Alvin's, and from what you've told me, it can't be kit twang. 

23. Moonee - Oak Butt Brown Ale
I thoroughly enjoyed this beer, it's what I wanted Harold to be, but with different hops. A hoppy but not over the top hoppy pale ale. Great job, I could happily drink this often.


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## brettprevans (4/7/08)

9. Barramundi - One grain One Hop Ale

good colour with only a little haze? good carbonation. really light clean taste. if this was served as a commercial beer you'd be going through kegs of it with the average punter. It would appeal to the normal palate. Must have had a really low FG? 1 grain and 1 hop, damn good job. can anyone say session beer?!


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## andreic (4/7/08)

1. Peels - Kinda Porta

Unscrewed the lid and was greeting by a foaming head creeping slowly out of the bottle. High carbonation. Poured carefully and still got a massive off-white head. Its a nice deep brown colour which won't let me quite see through my large glass. Nice roasty malty,chocolate aroma. Tastes malty roasty, coffee, chocolate, some fruit. A nice level of bitterness. It feels nice and smooth and has a slightly dry finish.

I think this beer is over-primed. After my first half glass I let it sit a while and drank slowly. As some of the excess carbonation went away it became a very nice beer indeed. I enjoyed it a lot.

cheers, Andrei


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## Hutch (5/7/08)

6. Andreic - Irish Dry Stout

Andrei, I don't think you can make a bad beer. This was another great drop, and I'm usually not a big fan of homebrewed stout (maybe those Coopers kits in the early days have tainted my opinion).

The finish was indeed quite dry, perhaps over-emphasising the level of carbonation, which I immediately didn't like (my reference being the usual Irish suspects, although I guess it's hard to mimic Guinness without the widget!)

I drank it slowly. Head retention is excellent, and the carbonic bite gives way to a nice balance between roast barley, and very clean bitterness. I could note detect a distinct hop character (not unexpected), and was surprised to see a mix of 3 UK hop varieties in the recipe. It even had an almost textbook acidic tang of drought Guinness, though don't know how you managed this!
I'm very impressed you achieved this result with a relatively simple grain-bill, and Nottingham dry yeast. Definitely another recipe to add to the list. Very clean fermentation, and no evident apples or warm alcohols.

If possible, I think this would be a sensational keg brew with a Nitrogen mix!
Top job.
Hutch.


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## andreic (5/7/08)

11. Cummins - English Pale Ale

Very muddy, murky looking with a thin head that disappears almost instantly. Strong smell of burnt rubber. Tastes a little watery, slightly tingly and hint of sour aftertaste - not very beer-like. Its infected and was tipped out.

Sorry mate. I've had the same infection once last year myself. I brewed a double batch of aussie pale ale and put it into 2 no chill jerry-cans. One jerry-can didn't seal properly - letting some air in, and it also leaked a bit. This jerry was stuffed with the same characteristics (murky, thin head, rubbery smell, and off taste). The other jerry fermented out fine. I instantly retired the fermenter with the dud beer. Do you have a theory of where it went wrong?

Andrei


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## andreic (5/7/08)

Hutch said:


> 6. Andreic - Irish Dry Stout
> 
> ...
> 
> ...


Thanks for the kind feedback Hutch!

I don't have kegs yet. Is it really possible to get the nitrogen mix? I'd love to do that some day...

Andrei


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## Wardhog (5/7/08)

7. Hairofthedog - Saaz Pilsner

B Saaz, right? That's an awesome hop,and this is a very, very good beer. A competition judge would say it's too sweet, but that's right up my alley. Great job. Nice pale straw colour, fantastic hop flavour. I could have the most painful (headache-wise) Sunday in history and would be happy because it meant I had a Saturday night on this beer.


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## andreic (5/7/08)

19. Alvin Ng - No idea yet

Golden, very slight haze, fairly thin head. And that burnt rubber aroma again.... yep, I agree that this seems to be infected with the same bug as Cummins English Pale Ale, though perhaps not quite as bad.

Sorry mate, I tipped this one out. These things happen... (there was at least one last swap also from memory).

Andrei


----------



## Wardhog (5/7/08)

andreic said:


> Thanks for the kind feedback Hutch!
> 
> I don't have kegs yet. Is it really possible to get the nitrogen mix? I'd love to do that some day...
> 
> Andrei



You can do it with Tap-A-Draft, but I don't know for sure with regular kegs.


----------



## brettprevans (5/7/08)

#3 "Harold" Wardhog
great beer. really interesting flavours. chinook was interesting. really enjoyed this whilst cooking dinner tonight. went too fast.

8. Chris Taylor - Weizenbock 
wow chris! havent had one before so nothing to compare to. is it the cane sugar giving it that slight bubblegumy? flavour? maybe its the yeast? a really nice "flavour layered" beer. really enjoyed this too. some thing sip on really enjoy the individual flavours as they mellow in together, 

will have to brew both of these.

Thanks fellas.

I think im half way through the caseswap.


----------



## andreic (5/7/08)

20. mortz - Munich Dunkel

Very dark brown colour. Beautiful looking slight off-white head. Medium carbonation. The aroma was very malty with hints of chocolate, some roast and something sweet. Tastes was also rather malty. It was slightly sweet. There were some other flavours in the background which I'm not sure about... caramel? honey? vanilla? It really smooth, clean and finishes a little dry. There's just enough hop bitterness to make sure the sweetness is too much. Medium body.

Wow - what an awesome beer mortz. Well done. I really wanted to crack a second bottle... :beer: I've never had a munich dunkel before but I'm thinking I should put it on the brewing schedule very soon.

cheers, Andrei


----------



## Wardhog (5/7/08)

21. superhero - Milk stout

I've never had a beer that's taken me two hours to drink around 700 ml of and enjoyed every minute of it. One bottle would be the limit for me, I wouldn't enjoy a second one, but I sure enjoyed the hell out of the first one.
8.2%? That's that lovely warm taste that I enjoyed so much (and made me want to go to sleep).
I don't normally go in for stouts, but this one has made me decide to brew a monster black beer soon for Christmas.

Sheesh, there's not many bottles left in my case, and there's only a couple that haven't been brilliant. Good work, guys.


----------



## superhero (6/7/08)

Hello All,

Just tasted Leigh's Golden ale and I like it. I'm not quite sleepy enough for it to be 9.5% alc/vol. Maybe I'm becoming more alert!!!

24. Leigh's Golden ale - Colour is orange/brown, at a bit of a stretch it's dark gold! Carbonation is medium with a thin head but wonderful
Belgian lace. Aroma is very citrusy. Taste is also citrusy. Not much malt to speak of but strong citrus hop flavour and medium bitterness.
A very nice drop.

Thank you to everyone who likes my milk stout. I didn't mean for everyone who normally doesn't like stout to like stout but
I reckon there's no better beer in Winter.

Until next time.

Cheers

Superhero


----------



## AUHEAMIC (6/7/08)

21. superhero - Milk stout

Superhero,
What can I say about this beer that hasnt already been said. Oh yeh, its f#!king fantastic. Never had a milk stout before but like some others Im not a stout fan. I just dont like the high level of roast/black malt used in stouts. What ever you have done to this beer has toned down the burnt malt nicely. You must have taken your glasses of and had a change of clothes when you made this one.

Cheers
Peels


----------



## superhero (6/7/08)

Wardhog said:


> 21. superhero - Milk stout
> 
> I've never had a beer that's taken me two hours to drink around 700 ml of and enjoyed every minute of it. One bottle would be the limit for me, I wouldn't enjoy a second one, but I sure enjoyed the hell out of the first one.
> 8.2%? That's that lovely warm taste that I enjoyed so much (and made me want to go to sleep).
> ...



Hi Wardhog,

I'm glad you enjoyed the beer and have inspired you to brew a big stout!
I could probably get another bottle to you if you did want to drink it faster!  

I too feel a bit sleepy after one of my milk stouts. I've been told it's more 
a cross between a milk stout and an imperial stout. I like it and it's good
for aging. My milk stout from 2005 was very tasty.

Maybe Harold can be next on my list for tasting! I'll be nice to him. Not like Mr. Taylor!!!!

Cheers

Superhero


----------



## Wardhog (6/7/08)

^^^ Harold wants to meet Chris in the car park in 5 minutes. Harold tells me that Chris insulted his family as he pulled him out of the freezer as well.  

8. Chris Taylor - Weizenbock Att

Picked a perfect day to taste this one - cold, windy, wet. What %ABV is this? It has a lovely alcohol warmth, and the bitterness sparkles in the mouth - I probably wouldn't appreciate this fully on a hot day, but it's doing it for me right now. Another great beer.


----------



## andreic (6/7/08)

24. Leigh - Golden Ale

Nice golden colour. There's a very slight haze. I got a nice white head in my glass. There was a nice hoppy aroma that I really liked - cascade I think. A little hop flavour. Fairly sweet. Feels nice in the mouth but quite filling. I think other's have already stated disbelief at the labelled 9.5% - I would tend to agree, but it does feel like there's a healthy level of alcohol there.

This beer has some nice aroma and flavour and was quite enjoyable. Its slightly sweet and filling which would limit me to 1 or 2 in any single sitting but that's to be expected with a beer labelled 9.5%!

cheers, Andrei


----------



## chris.taylor.98 (6/7/08)

Wardhog said:


> ^^^ Harold wants to meet Chris in the car park in 5 minutes. Harold tells me that Chris insulted his family as he pulled him out of the freezer as well.
> 
> 8. Chris Taylor - Weizenbock Att
> 
> Picked a perfect day to taste this one - cold, windy, wet. What %ABV is this? It has a lovely alcohol warmth, and the bitterness sparkles in the mouth - I probably wouldn't appreciate this fully on a hot day, but it's doing it for me right now. Another great beer.



My profound apologies to Harold and all his ilk. I sincerely regret the whole incident and doing my best not to repeat it in the future. All I can say is that Harold seemed remarkedly unaffected for the experience and still tasted great regardless.

BTW I estimate the Weizenbock to be about 8.3% ABV. 

I tasted this again when Superhero was around here the other night, and agree with some previous comments that this sample is a little bit on the harsh side, and will hopefully improve with age. 

If you appreciated this beer at all Wardhog do yourself a favor and go and try Schneider Aventinus for the real deal.


----------



## chris.taylor.98 (6/7/08)

citymorgue2 said:


> #3 "Harold" Wardhog
> great beer. really interesting flavours. chinook was interesting. really enjoyed this whilst cooking dinner tonight. went too fast.
> 
> 8. Chris Taylor - Weizenbock
> ...



CM2, I suggest the bubblegumy is most likely coming out of the yeast. My previous attempt was a bit muted on the yeast flavour side, so I pitched it at 22C for the first 12 hours then down to 18C for the next 2 weeks. If I do this one again, I will be aiming somewhere between the two (ie maybe 20C at pitching).

I don't think I can really taste the sugar, but it did cause the FG to drop to 1.014, which is far too low for a big beer like this. In my experience, when the Weizen yeasts attenuate too far it usually results in a much harsher overall taste.


----------



## chris.taylor.98 (6/7/08)

9. Barramundi - One grain One Hop Ale

Great beer Barramundi, in fact until I copied out the title from the case swap list, I was under the impression that this was actually a lager it has come out so clean.

Some malt/grain in the aroma, slight hop aroma, and possibly slight sulfur.

Flavour was more of the same, with the grainy flavour a little more prominent. Good bitterness to balance the malt sweetness carrying through to a pleasantly dry finish.

Very balanced. My only disappointment was that the bottle ran out too soon.

I have to agree with previous posters that overall the beers tasted so far have all been of a very high standard.


----------



## Hutch (6/7/08)

8. Chris Taylor - Weizenbock

Another top effort, continuing the level of excellence in this swap.
Having never had this style before, this beer lives up to both expectations of the Weizen character, and Bock strength and Maltyness.

First up , there's a slight mix of some Weizen flavours - bubblegum, pears, slight clove. Got me very intruiged what the yeast is (not much banana, so couldn't be WY3068). Whatever, I like it...

Rich, deep red colour. Some chill-haze (which I thought was yeast, until it warmed up). Haze is not a fault in Wiezens, though I think a beer this colour certainly looks better crystal clear.
Moving on to the Alcohol. There's quite a bit, and it's all good - warm, and very clean indeed (for a strong weizen, you seem to have managed fermentation really well). Would be interested to know some specifics - fermentation temperature, pitching rate, duration?
Bitterness is quite low, and carbonation medium, perfect combination for a beer with this much going on.
Great falling-down water. :beerbang: 

I'm really enjoying this swap fellas - top stuff!
Hutch.


----------



## therook (7/7/08)

*2 - Fents - US Lager*

This was my first beer from the case swap and has set the bar pretty high.

As with most of the beers i don't give a stuff about BJCP standards and go with what i like, taste wise.

This was a great beer Fents and had great white head, low aroma/taste from the hops, the only downside was the chill haze, so i turned the lights off  

great job


*3 - Harold*

loved the clarity and colour Wardy, this was a nice APA. This was the first time i had tried Chinook hops and really loved the taste.

Top beer 

*8 - Chris Taylor - Weizenbock*

If i wasn't drunk before i had this beer i certainly was after it.

Bordering on Amber / Brown in colour and you certainly could taste the alcohol which wasn't harsh but nice and warming if that makes sense.

I wish i had of kept this beer until last to give it anothe couple of weeks in the bottle.

This was the first time i had experienced Wy3333 and liked it very much, the only down side was the low carbonation

great stuff Chris

*18 - Mark_M - Amarillo / Motueka APA *

This bloke just doesn't know how to make a bad beer, Mark, this beer was every bit as good as your last case swap beer

Nice hop aroma/taste, excellent head which laced the glass all the way to the end. Carbonation was spot on and a nice maltiness to it also.

What ever you do when you make a beer don't change a thing.

Send me your address as i'm coming over for a BBQ :lol: 

Fantastic beer

*11 - Cummins - English Pale Ale & 19. Alvin Ng*

Sorry fella's, as stated these were both off and tipped down the sink. Don't feel bad as i had to tip a keg of irish Red out on the weekend so it happens to us all

*24 - Leigh - Golden Ale*

Big thick creamy white head which had great lacing also.

High carbonation when first poured but after letting it sit for 5 minutes became really good. I don't think it was 9.5% alcohol if it was it didn't knock me about to much as i could still stand after i finished it.

Excellent bitterness. The only thing i would have like was a bit more hop aroma/taste.

Really enjoyed this beer a lot and is one of the best non A.G beers i have had  

Top effort Leigh

*7 - Hairofthedog - Saaz Pilsner*

Just goes to show you can make great beers with one hop and one grain

Shit this went down well with fish and chips on Friday night watching the Cats pump the Crows

I didn't think you had it in you doggie..... lol

everything was good about this beer, head, hop deffinitions. The only thing not so good was the chill haze 

How long do you do your boils for ?

I also think this beer would have been a lot better if you had of used either S189 or a liquid yeast and also CC'd it for a month.

But mate, lovelly refreshing beer...top darts

*16 - DoppelBrewer - Helles Bock*

This is just about the best beer i have had so far, i even got the BJCP guidelines out to see what i should be tasting and its all there.

Nice colour with a tiny bit of chill haze but no big deal.

No hop aroma as expected, big creamy head which laced the glass to the end.

Excellent malt aroma and also nice levels of alcohol coming through.

Nice malty beer

definitely was looking for another bottle of this

Fantastic work Doppel

Rook


----------



## therook (7/7/08)

*5. Hutch - London (not the) Best Bitter*

This was a pretty dam fine beer Hutchy, true to style in being flat and low in carbonation.

Lovely malt flavours coming through and got better as the beer warmed up

If this is a typical Pommie beer, i can understand why the Poms are piss heads.

A really easy drinking beer, i would have liked a bit more head on it, but hey, story of our life :icon_cheers: 

Rook


----------



## tim_mortensen (7/7/08)

About time I put some tasting comments in. Drank these over a week ago, so apologies for lack of detailed comments.

*21. Superhero - Milk Stout*

This was a great beer, perfect for a cold afternoon. Great roastiness that was perfectly balanced with the sweetness. Not a huge fan of overly roasty stouts, so this one was perfect. As has been mentioned, a cross between a milk stout and an imperial stout, even had to have a little nap after this one! Will be my next stout I think. Well deserving of all the positive feedback this beer has received.

*16. DoppelBrewer - Helles Bock*

Unfortunately I must have got a bad bottle. Mine was very phenolic and had to be tipped out. Based on the other comments on this beer I lucked out  

*6. Andreic - Irish dry Stout*

Another great stout, good carbonation level, head persisted very well. Not overly roasty, with medium body and dry finish. My last attempt with Nottingham finished too dry and ended up with a thin body, so great job on this one.

A really great session stout, one to emulate.


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## Hutch (7/7/08)

therook said:


> i would have liked a bit more head on it, but hey, story of our life :icon_cheers:


...so would I mate  
I think I need to get back to a few percent wheat or carapils additions for head retention. It seems to make a real difference, in spite of what some brewers think.
So you had a pretty big tasting session by the looks of your last post!


----------



## therook (7/7/08)

Hutch said:


> ...so would I mate
> I think I need to get back to a few percent wheat or carapils additions for head retention. It seems to make a real difference, in spite of what some brewers think.
> So you had a pretty big tasting session by the looks of your last post!




LOL.....thats over 4 days Hutch.....i try not to do more than 2 bottles a sitting otherwise i get to drunk and in the end wont know what i'm drinking...

Rook


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## chris.taylor.98 (7/7/08)

Hutch said:


> 8. Chris Taylor - Weizenbock
> 
> Another top effort, continuing the level of excellence in this swap.
> Having never had this style before, this beer lives up to both expectations of the Weizen character, and Bock strength and Maltyness.
> ...



The yeast is Wyeast 3333 - German Wheat. This is the second time I have used it. First time it was a little on the subdued side, so this time I upped the pitching temp.

Pitching rate from memory was 3ltr starter grown form a slant (approx equiv to 1 x2ltr starter and 1 wyeast pack circa 300 billion cells)

Pitching temp was 22C for the first 12 hours them 18 C for about 2 weeks.

If you appreciate this one you should try and hunt down the Schnider Aventus, it has about the same ABV but is a lot smoother


----------



## chris.taylor.98 (7/7/08)

10. Haysie- Oatmeal Stout

Aroma was mostly roast malt, with a little bit of sweetness and some graininess.

Fantastic full creamy body, with that hallmark oatmeal slickness present. 

Great but not overly assertive roast flavour with some coffee and a little bit of blackberry coming through.

Somewhat but not overly dry finish, and some alcohol adding to the overall experience.

The only very minor fault a could detect was a very low level of acetaldehyde (green apples) and that was only after let it warm up to room temp and sucking down 2/3rds of the bottle.

All round another fantastic stout.


----------



## andreic (7/7/08)

8. Chris Taylor - Weizenbock

Brown, cloudy, with a big, just off-white head. High carbonation. Aroma was malty, clovey, fruit/raisins. Taste was malty, with fruit cake or rum n raisin flavours. Its relatively sweet. It tastes very alcoholic with a viscous/syrupy feel to it.

I've never had this style of beer before. Its really interesting and very tasty. It kind of reminds me of dessert wine in mouthfeel and a little sweetness - maybe drink it with your dessert or ice cream!

cheers, Andrei


----------



## Leigh (8/7/08)

Thanks for all the kind words guys. I now have all the ingredients to put this one down again, and will take a sample from the top and bottom of the fermenter when I take my og to sort out the 9.5% issue...I just have to bottle my small swap pale first to free up a fermenter


----------



## chris.taylor.98 (8/7/08)

11. Cummins - English Pale Ale

As already stated this one is infected, seems to be somewhat acetic possibly with a touch of bret thrown in.


----------



## chris.taylor.98 (8/7/08)

13- Citymorgue2 - Pride of Porter (Honey Porter)

Not really sure what to make of this one CM2. My bottle was very under carbonated still (perhaps should be stored inside for a couple of weeks before consuming, and not left out in the garage).

Some spiciness in the aroma. There where some roast like qualities in there, bit of bitterness in the finish, but also a very overpowering level of what I perceived to be acetaldehyde (green apples). Possibly was not left on the primary long enough, or could have developed by zymomonas or acetobacter.

Hopefully this one is localised to the bottle I received.


----------



## chris.taylor.98 (8/7/08)

16. DoppelBrewer - Doppelbock 

Aroma had some grain and a lot of malt sweetness.

Somewhat dry finish, good warming alcohol, no perceptible hop flavour or aroma with enough bitterness to balance out the malt sweetness. 

Carbonation was fairly low, but added to a creamy full mouthfeel and definitely added to the overall experience.

Very slight astringency in the after taste, but did not really come out as an a distraction, and some low levels of diacetyl. 

I think if this one was put down to lager for longer it would clean it up just that bit more and make it a little crisper and cleaner too.

All in all a very pleasant winter beer, nice and malty just the way I like it.


----------



## superhero (8/7/08)

Hello All,

As promised my next beer tasting was Harold.

3, Wardhog's Harold - Harold is brown is colour and has medium/low carbonation and a small head. He smells of citrus and as I found out
from the recipe, chinook hops. Taste is dominated by hop flavour with very little malt and medium/low bitterness. A very good, clean beer.
For a hop head like me it could've done with a little more bitterness.

11. Cummin's English Pale Ale - I agree with the others that this one is infected.Smells and tastes of vegetables and something else (maybe
rubber as others have indicated). Only had a little taste. The compost heap thanks you for the rest!!

What to taste next?

Cheers

Superhero


----------



## Hutch (9/7/08)

*11. Cummins - English Pale Ale*

Very murky, and poor head retention (presumably due to the infection). Very strong burnt ABS plastic aroma, and also very notable baked-beans (would have lead to nasty burnt plastic farts if I drank it all, so tipped it down the sink).

*19. Alvin Ng - No idea*

Similar poor head retention to Cummin's beer, and almost identical aroma. Again, tipped this one out. 

Pitty there have been two nasty infections in the swap so far - it's good to get feedback on your beers, and we all experience them at one stage or another, but perhaps not a great idea to submit a whole case to a swap if you know it is undrinkable.


----------



## Hutch (9/7/08)

*9. Barramundi - One Grain One Hop (one yeast) Ale*

This beer has seriously changed my opinion of "simple" recipe beers - it was a fantastic drop!

A great session beer, with simple malt profile, subtle woody/minty hop aroma (very impressed with Northern Brewer as a single-hop variety!)
Reasonably dry, with perfect carbonation level for quaffing, it went down far too easily (didn't let this one warm up to assess its character!)
The most notable impression I got from this beer was how good the yeast profile is. Very clean indeed, though not completely sterile like Wy1056, just a few nice "ale" esters. This is how I imagine Aussie Ales probably tasted many decades ago, before adjuncts, isohop, enzymes, high-gravity ferments, and pasturisation were made available to the accountants that run the mega-breweries.

Perhaps the only criticism would be the presence of some chill-haze, and that I thought the IBU's were a tad too high for such a simple grain-bill

Thanks for another great beer barramundi.

Edit: Barramundi, just trying to estimate your IBU's - can you confirm what batch-size and boil length you made your recipe to? I don't get 1.040 from 5kg malt in a 20-odd Ltr batch. Cheers, Hutch.


----------



## Barramundi (9/7/08)

Recipe is in the recipe thread hutch ...

thanks for the review, i havent even tried this beer out myself , so it seems i have got lucky with it ...


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## brettprevans (9/7/08)

Chris Taylor said:


> 13- Citymorgue2 - Pride of Porter (Honey Porter)
> 
> Not really sure what to make of this one CM2. My bottle was very under carbonated still (perhaps should be stored inside for a couple of weeks before consuming, and not left out in the garage).
> 
> ...


yeah not my greatest beer unfortunately (I tried one the other night). IBU too high (more like a stout than a porter - and the POR hops give it an interesting bite). I didnt get acetaldehyde but could be wrong. it was certainly in the primary long enough so maybe zymomonas or acetobacter. or just longer to mature.

Re carbonation. it was meant to be a low carbonated beer. I made this beer and a Scottish ale at the same time and wanted 2 low carbed beers. I wasnt expecting to have to use this as my caseswap so i made it to suit my tastes. 

thanks for the feedback


----------



## Hutch (9/7/08)

Barramundi said:


> Recipe is in the recipe thread hutch ...
> 
> thanks for the review, i havent even tried this beer out myself , so it seems i have got lucky with it ...


Yeah, I checked it out - just was curious about the IBU's, and couldn't find boil volume to make a rough calculation. No probs.


----------



## chris.taylor.98 (9/7/08)

18. Mark_M - Amarillo / Motueka APA

Great citrus hop aroma with a slight malt sweetness coming through, most probably from the munich, as it warms up.

Flavour more of the same with enough bitterness to give a pleasant dry finish.

No mistaking this one as an APA.

Very clean and balanced. 

Interesting to try the Motueka in there. Definitely would not have picked it for a Saaz like flavour.

Great job Mark.


----------



## Quintrex (9/7/08)

Chris Taylor said:


> 18. Mark_M - Amarillo / Motueka APA
> 
> Great citrus hop aroma with a slight malt sweetness coming through, most probably from the munich, as it warms up.
> 
> ...



I really enjoyed this one as well Mark, just my kind of regular easy drinker!
Cheers for the beer
Q


----------



## andreic (9/7/08)

10. Haysie- Oatmeal Stout

Black, with a reddy-brown head. lowish carbonation, but enough for the beer. Aroma was quite roasty, with some coffee and sweet biscuit or caramel? Tastes quite roasty, with coffee and a drying charcoal-like fairly bitter finish. Its feels fairly smooth on the tongue. It doesn't seem too high in alcohol.

Thanks for the beer. It smelt beautiful and was fairly easy drinking. Its a good beer to be drinking in Melbourne at the moment.

cheers, Andrei


----------



## superhero (10/7/08)

Hello All,

Next is 2. Fent's US Lager - dark gold in colour, carbonation medium/low and head didn't last very long (probably due to my glass). Aroma of 
the Saaz B hops with a little bit of sulphur which is quite acceptable for a lager. Taste is medium/low malty with medium/high hop flavour
and medium bitterness. As has been echoed on this thread it's much too good to be called a US Lager. Well done Fents. Maybe you can call
it an Aussie/NZ Lager next time?!

Until next tasting.

Cheers

Superhero


----------



## Fents (10/7/08)

right first cab of the rank for me, dont know why its taken so long for a tasting (maybe had somthing to do with all the beer you guys left here from swap day) but anyways here goes..

Voota / Big Q's coffee stout.

I got the one with 22 on the lid on a white sticker...nicely carb'd. smells like stout. tastes like stout with coffee in it....basically does what its says on the box... nice job, if i drank stouts this would be close for me. i give it 7 outta 10 on the spliffo'meter.


----------



## Fents (10/7/08)

Hutchys Bitter

Sorry mate i'd be shit in the UK. cant drink flat warm beer. i gave it my best shot though cause im a soldier. like the malt profile though and gettig this weird lingering sharp aftertaste (its not the bitterness im reffering to its somthing else i dont know what)


----------



## Fents (10/7/08)

Andreics dry irish stout

nice beer again. dry and can see why they call it irish, sort of has a hint of an irish cream or whiskey to it imo. well done.


----------



## chris.taylor.98 (10/7/08)

19. Alvin Ng - Saaz B/Glacier APA

As already mentioned had same issue as everyone else. Slightly acetic with very phenolic medical flavour.

On the plus side was very clear and looked really good.


----------



## chris.taylor.98 (10/7/08)

20. mortz - Munich Dunkel

Nice bready, caramel, malt sweetness in the aroma. Some slight fruity esters.

Fairly high carbonation, persistent off white head. Very clean

Flavour is more of the same, with more graininess coming through, slight bitterness to balance out the malt ( balance was towards sweetness ).

Slightly dry finish.

Low to medium body. Very smooth. Slight alcohol presence.

Top drop mortz


----------



## tim_mortensen (10/7/08)

9. Barramundi - One Grain One Hop Ale

Medium carbonation, slight haze, golden colour. Aroma of hops and some malt.

Flavour is of hops and graininess of the malt comes out nicely. Some woodiness(?) from the hops in the aftertaste.

Low body, fairly dry finish.

Very nice beer, very drinkable and enjoyable.


----------



## hairofthedog (11/7/08)

11 cummins what can i say bad luck with the infection mate


----------



## hairofthedog (11/7/08)

13 cm2 well made beer smooth creamy dark nice head good carbonation maybe a touch to much bitterness for my liking but all in all really good thanks


----------



## hairofthedog (11/7/08)

18 mark m top job mark i really enjoy your hop combos i was looking foward to your beer & it diddnt disapoint


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## Wardhog (11/7/08)

10. Haysie- Oatmeal Stout

A very pleasant stout, lots of nice roasty flavours in there, good bittering - a good beer. Only thing, it's a little thin in body for a stout, isn't it?


----------



## brettprevans (11/7/08)

11 cummins - yup bad luck. i tried to drink it but couldnt.


----------



## Wardhog (11/7/08)

13- Citymorgue2 - Pride of Porter (Honey Porter)

Wow. This certainly fronts up to you and belts you in the tastebuds. Roast - roast - roast - coffee and something a little out of the trend, a slight medicinal/appley kinda taste. It's hard to nail down because of the large amounts of roast, but there is something there. A bit much for me, but I'm not really a black beer type of guy.


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## brettprevans (11/7/08)

7. Hairofthedog - Saaz Pilsner 
nice drop! so clear, pale straw colour, great carb for style, clean and crisp. great hop taste through out the palate. a keg of this in summer would be dangerous. great Pils.


----------



## Cummins (11/7/08)

Sorry fellas that mine was so bad. I tried it out of the fermenter and it was not too bad (considering flat and warm) with a very slight hint of what is now a very intense off flavour. It has obviously intensified during carbonation. 

On a positive note, just poured first of (galaxy/amarillo?) IIPA (brewed excitedly after swap day). Magnificent.


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## brettprevans (11/7/08)

cummins. wasnt the worst infectred beer ive tasted. i managed a glass before i decided that i coulnt drink it. it happens

21. Superhero - Milk Stout

wow what a great beer. velvety smooth with a int of spice. full of flavour. great effort. definitly on next winters brew list.


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## hairofthedog (11/7/08)

10 haysie oatmeal stout like wardy said not a bad stout nice flavor just a bit light on body IMO


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## hairofthedog (11/7/08)

21 superhero milk stout i enjoyed it that much i just brewed a 50lt batch


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## haysie (11/7/08)

Finally had a shot at a few tallies after a hard day,

Andre`s stout, was really good, enjoyed too the last mouth full.

Chris`s weizenbock, clean clean pilsner clean, no where near enough "weizen" for me, horses of course, this is probably the cleanest beer i have i drunk thus far (out of 6) very enjoyable.

All in all, 2 great beers.
Thanks Chris Thanks Andreic


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## mark_m (12/7/08)

Hi Fellas,

Some tasting notes are a bit blurry from earlier in the week, but here goes:

10 Haysie oatmeal stout - nicely balanced, not overstated stout, thoroughly enjoyable

13 CM2 Schwarzbier - first crack at this style for me, if this is a typical example, I'll be trying it again

14 65Bellet Best brown ale - somehow mised getting a bottle in my case, pity, after the squirrels foot bitter, was looking forward to it

19 Alvin Ng - APA, sorry Alvin, something nasty re infection issues, better luck next time

21 Superhero - milk stout, an absolute cracker.

22 Quintrex - coffee stout, shared this one with a couple of mates this evening to universal acclaim. Inspired me to add a litre of coffe to the 6 litres of kit stout I have lingering in a party keg. First sample is promising, if not in the same league as an ag alternative.

24 Leigh - golden ale, lovely quaffer, a great effort to produce this from a kit

Again guys, thanks for the beer - I love these swaps

Cheers

Mark


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## AUHEAMIC (12/7/08)

Barra's beer went down last night in about two gulps. It's that kind of beer.


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## Wardhog (12/7/08)

Hairofthedog - Pilsner.

One of the beers of the swap, for mine. Clear enough to watch footy through it on the couch (but it still didn't make Fremantle look any better). Light, refreshing, hoppy - keep doing this Troy, it's a winner. To go from excellent to sublime, maybe a very small percentage of the malt bill could be somewhere between light and medium crystal - mainly for sweetness rather than colour. Probably the best looking beer of the swap.

Quintrex/Voota's Coffee Stout - There's two different beers that come under this heading, one with more coffee than the other, right? I definitely got the one with more coffee.
When I tasted CM's porter, I said I could taste roast roast roast and coffee. This is coffee coffee coffee and roast. This is Bizarro CM Porter. No off flavours anywhere, I suppose this is an excellent example of a coffee stout, never having had one before. I don't know if I'd walk a mile for another one, but it was certainly interesting.

EDIT : I think I've been short changed a 65Bellett beer too. Was looking forward to AG Squirrel Foot. NOT HAPPY :angry:


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## AUHEAMIC (12/7/08)

Wardhog said:


> EDIT : I think I've been short changed a 65Bellett beer too. Was looking forward to AG Squirrel Foot. NOT HAPPY :angry:



Hey Wardie

I was lucky enough to score one on the swap day. If you are comming to the AGM tomorrow we can share it


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## Wardhog (12/7/08)

Peels said:


> Hey Wardie
> 
> I was lucky enough to score one on the swap day. If you are comming to the AGM tomorrow we can share it



Yep, I'm coming. Not gonna miss it now that there's Gav's bitter available.


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## AUHEAMIC (12/7/08)

Wife and Kid?


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## chris.taylor.98 (12/7/08)

21 Superhero - milk stout

Roast dominated aroma, with a some malt sweetness, and some yeast derived esters coming through

Licorice up the front of the pallet with coffee in the finish, and a strong bitterness to finish it all off. Very noticeable alcohol presence.

The low carbonation adds to the creamy mouthfeel.

Surprisingly for a milk stout this has quite a dry finish probably due to the high bitterness. 

In fact did not really notice much of the "milk" sweetness coming through at all, but none the less a fantastic stout for a cold winters night.


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## Wardhog (12/7/08)

Peels said:


> Wife and Kid?



Nope, just me (Fents is an outside chance).


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## andreic (13/7/08)

13- Citymorgue2 - Pride of Porter (Honey Porter)

Black, red-brown head. Lowish carbonation. Aroma had some roast, and something sweet. Tasted a little roasty, slightly bitter, with a sweet, drying finish. The finish is quite distinctive - very drying/puckering with a lingering aftertaste - I assume this is from the honey?

Thanks for the beer!

cheers, Andrei


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## brettprevans (13/7/08)

yeah im thinking its the honey. it occurred to me that i forgo to pasturise the honey (ie nuke it for 10 min), and it was a wild blossum honey. maybe i picked up some sort of infection? also i used POR hops as finishing hops for a twist. recipe is posted. glad people like it. i was a little worried as I hadnt actually made thisd before and thew IBU are a bit high for a traditional porter.


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## hairofthedog (13/7/08)

9 barra 1 hop 1 grain easy drinking ale clear as a bell lightly hopped could easy smash a keg of this on a sunny day


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## brettprevans (13/7/08)

Rook - Amber

even though your living in the past with cats (08 is the year of the Hawks!) great beer mate. slightly sweet in the middle of the palate then trailing off to a nice biterness (assume thats the crystal caramalt and amber). rgreat colour. good during winter or summer i recon. really enjoyed this.


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## brettprevans (13/7/08)

16 - DoppelBrewer - Helles Bock

great beer. didnt know what to exect or exactly what specifically i was tasting. really well structered beer. reminds me of a greek beer I drank at The Press Club. really enjoyed this the more i drank of it. full bodied but well balanced.


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## chris.taylor.98 (13/7/08)

22. Quintrex/Voota - Coffee Stout Vootas

Woo hoo ... another stout

Aroma contains coffee coffee and more coffee (slight vegetable aroma coming off the coffee as well)

Not much roast coming through the aroma either.

Fairly low carbonation. Nice tan coloured head

Dry finish and quite bitter.

Some vegetable in the flavour which tastes suspiciously like ground coffee. Slight phenolic, gives a sort of smoky aftertaste, which became more noticeable as it warms up (also noticed this one was trying to climb out of the bottle when left on its own).

Noticeable alcohol.

Questions was the coffee added in the boil, or in the fermenter for this one?

10 minutes later, and all I can taste in my mouth now is coffee.


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## andreic (13/7/08)

citymorgue2 said:


> yeah im thinking its the honey. it occurred to me that i forgo to pasturise the honey (ie nuke it for 10 min), and it was a wild blossum honey. maybe i picked up some sort of infection? also i used POR hops as finishing hops for a twist. recipe is posted. glad people like it. i was a little worried as I hadnt actually made thisd before and thew IBU are a bit high for a traditional porter.



no... I don't think my bottle was infected. I certainly had no trouble finishing it


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## Hutch (13/7/08)

2 more...both the other night, so tasting notes were not as detailed as usual...

*10. Haysie- Oatmeal Stout*

Prominent dark roast malt, dry and subtle oily texture. Wholemeal bread sort of aroma (interesting character coming from the oatmeal). Decent carbonation, large bubbles and poor head retention (I wonder if this is a product of the oatmeal, or just suds on the pint glass!).
Hints of green apples, with some evident dry-yeast character coming through, although reasonab;y clean fermentation.
Possibly too much roast barley for my liking, with no sweetness to balance (I'm hopeless with stouts though).
Nice effort, and interesting to try this style for the first time. Thanks Haysie.

*13. CM2 - Honey Porter*

Is this really a porter??? It's as dark as night, with brown head, and plenty of roast character all the way down (500gm carafa special II is a lot, though it doesn't impart nearly the same level of burnt aroma as the roast barley). Bitterness was at a good level for mine, and the POR/Cascade combo is unusual as a late-hop addition in a Porter (though added an interesting hop character). I didn't really find the honey to be too assertive, though it did leave an interesting lingering sweetness, which sat nicely with the highish alc%. Reasonably clean alcohol, though acetaldehyde is evident, especially noticeable if you smell the bottle dregs when it's warmed-up (again suspect the US-05 as the culprit).
So, a well made "strong honey stout" for want of a fictitious BJCP style name  , and well done on turning a kit into such a good beer.


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## hairofthedog (14/7/08)

2 fents u.s lager light clean & refreshing drank it with a non homebrewing friend (luds) who was notably imprest a good summer smasher :chug:


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## chris.taylor.98 (14/7/08)

*4. Rook - Amber Ale*

Now I know Rook said to leave if for 3 weeks, but in my defense I did have it in the hot box (18-26C) for the week and a half, and Amber Ale is one of my favorite styles. Even so I would suggest that this one be left for a little bit longer, as the carbonation level was still quite low.

Aroma - plenty of malt caramel garnered with a healthy dose of hops and some fruity esters.

Flavour - Good level of bitterness with a somewhat dry finish. Lots more hops ( presumably cascasde ) tempered with some sweet caramel on the front of the pallet. Also a slight honey flavour coming through.

Very clean (and clear ) with a slight apple flavour coming through, although this is probably attributed to my "early" consumption of this beer while it is still conditioning. Next time I will follow the brewer's instructions .. no really .. I really will.

Really top effort Rook.


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## Wardhog (14/7/08)

6 - Andreic - Irish Dry Stout

Another well made stout. Nice levels of roast, a good winter beer.


3 - Some Guy - "Harold"

This beer was named Harold instead of being labelled an APA because it was not going to fit into the APA style, though APA would be the nearest style to it. It did start off as an APA with a sizable chunk of Munich, but I didn't want the brilliant hop flavour/aroma, I wanted to make an ale that was more of a session beer, and to make a beer that was a good beer to drink rather than a competition entry. 

I have learnt some things from making this beer :

1. Gelatine finings + maturation measured in months make for remarkably clear beer - I have rushed all my beers in the past.
2. Chinook should not be used so extravagantly. This was a 50/50 mix with Cascade, maybe it should be 75/25 or even 90/10.
3. You can never, ever, ever have enough Munich malt. 


Only Rook's beer to go. Still dark on missing Gav's bitter.


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## Barramundi (14/7/08)

Peels said:


> Barra's beer went down last night in about two gulps. It's that kind of beer.



is that a good or a bad thing peels ???....


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## voota (14/7/08)

Chris Taylor said:


> 22. Quintrex/Voota - Coffee Stout Vootas
> 
> Questions was the coffee added in the boil, or in the fermenter for this one?



Was it in a plastic bottle of a glass bottle? They had different coffee additions.


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## chris.taylor.98 (14/7/08)

voota said:


> Was it in a plastic bottle of a glass bottle? They had different coffee additions.



The one I had was in a glass bottle.


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## voota (15/7/08)

That was mine, I added freshly ground coffee to the fermenter at about 10gm/L and left it for a couple of weeks. To be honest I dont really like the beer that much anymore and I certainly agree that it has a weedy vegetable character to it. I reckon it came out too dry (mash temp was a touch low) and this dryness accentuated the coffee even more. If I ever add coffee to a beer again, I'll try for as much residual sweetness/body as I can get into it. 

Way too much coffee in it too, Q's is much more balanced.


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## therook (15/7/08)

Chris Taylor said:


> *4. Rook - Amber Ale*
> 
> Now I know Rook said to leave if for 3 weeks, but in my defense I did have it in the hot box (18-26C) for the week and a half, and Amber Ale is one of my favorite styles. Even so I would suggest that this one be left for a little bit longer, as the carbonation level was still quite low.
> 
> ...




I've been waiting for your review Chris as i know how much you like Ambers.....thanks for the report

Hops were NB and Willamette

Rook


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## therook (15/7/08)

Tried 3 beers on the weekend and they were all exceptional.

*1. Peels - Kinda Porta*

Carbonation plus which created the biggest head i have ever had. lovely chocolate aroma's.
lovely Deep brown beer with the best clarity so far, a little bit on the sweet side but this may be to style.
Initial chocolate flavour, which was followed by other nice malty flavours.

Nice drop peels.....would have been better with chocolate pudding :icon_drool2: 

*23. Moonee - Oak Butt Brown Ale*

has to be a good beer with the name like Moonee ( go cats )

Another beer with a nice creamy head, excellent clarity which highlighted the nice brown/Amber colour
Lovely balance of malt flavours, this beer is very similar to my swap beer but yours is a little drier

I liked this beer very much

Good work moons

*9. Barramundi - One grain One Hop Ale*

2 one grain one hop beers in the swap and as i said about Troys, a very easy drinking beer

excellent colour, excellent carbonation which left a typical pilsner/Lager head.

little to no hop aroma but had a tiny bit of hop flavour.

Excellent bitterness which balanced out with the Ale malt.

Excellent beer Barra.....by all means bring a keg up to my place for a BBQ :icon_chickcheers: 

Rook


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## AUHEAMIC (15/7/08)

Barramundi said:


> is that a good or a bad thing peels ???....


Good thing Barra. I like a beer I don't have to think about.


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## Barramundi (15/7/08)

therook said:


> Good work moons
> 
> *9. Barramundi - One grain One Hop Ale*
> 
> ...




might have to make some more only got the 30 bottles out of this batch.... thinking of an eildon mission hopefully soon too mate ... will let you know ......


thanks for the review ...


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## nick_lavender (15/7/08)

Currently enjoying the (21 Superhero) Milk Stout! Great job! Best stout I've had in ages, really nice creamy mouth feel and taste! Good level of carbonation.

Will definitely copy the recipe down for this one!


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## andreic (16/7/08)

OK, this time in the right thread...

23. Moonee - Oak Butt Brown Ale

Brown, slightly hazy. Off white head. Smells malty, chocolate and some wood or resin. Tastes pretty malty, nutty, then some real fuity and woody flavours. Has a slightly slick feel on the tongue. Seems slightly sweet.

A very flavour-full beer! I really enjoyed drinking this tonight.

cheers, Andrei


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## Wardhog (17/7/08)

4. Rook - Amber Ale

This beer has been harshly done by. I would've loved to have tasted it in about 8 weeks. Excellent malt levels, (what promises to be) nice hop flavour - but unfortunately too young and undercarbonated. It's been inside my house for the last week (SWMBO likes the house nice and warm and the heating bills nice and big), so I don't think the cold weather is to blame totally for the carbonation, maybe up the priming a little bit next time. However, I hope you've posted the recipe, 'cos I'd love to have some stock of this beer, and I think I'll set about making some.

Good job, Rook.


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## superhero (18/7/08)

Hello All,

The case is quickly disappearing. These are my latest tastings.

5. Hutch's London (not the) Best Bitter - brown in colour, sweetness (crystal malt?) and hops in the aroma (goldings?), medium malt, medium/high hop flavour
and medium/high bitterness. I really tried to get a head on this beer having read about it's low carbonation and ended up with a 5mm head for about 45
seconds! A great tasting beer and a stellar effort, just needed more bubbles.

22. Quintrex's Coffee Stout - Black in colour! Aroma of coffee. If you send out an expert search party there is a tiny bit of roast aroma! Taste is of ground
coffee beans. Again using the search party a little roast can be tasted. I love coffee but I also love stout. I think I love stout more! I did a blackberry stout
a couple of years back that turned out ok. I think I put to much blackberry in which made the stout a little tart. Still a great beer but maybe the coffee could
take a back seat next time. I'm glad I didn't get the Voota version!!

Thank you to all who have said such nice things about my milk stout. I really appreciate it.

Cheers

Superhero


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## brettprevans (18/7/08)

23. Moonee - Oak Butt Brown Ale

colour was making me think Newcastle brown ale. no real aroma. then a decent bang of flavour when you taste. couldnt identify the idividual flavours so im agreeing with andreic's fruit and wood. quite a dry oaky style finish. dont know where the fruit came from.

interesting beer. almost like drinking a good sherry. cheers


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## brettprevans (18/7/08)

thats me done.

3 votes - Chris Taylor - Weizenbock 
2 votes - Hutch - London (not the) Best Bitter
1 vote - superhero milk stout

honerable mention: Leigh Golden Ale, Fents US Lager.

bloody hard to pick these. great swap.


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## Cummins (18/7/08)

So who has made use of their galaxy? How did it turn out?


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## doppelbrewer (19/7/08)

* 21. Superhero - Milk Stout*

Wow, nice stout! Didn't taste much sweetness, but this is v. nice - strong bitterness which hangs around for a good while, good mouthfeel, lingering alcohol taste too, but not overly much. Nice work!


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## mark_m (21/7/08)

#4 Rook Amber Ale.
Great beer. Popped (screwed) the cap off this one tonight - no pfft? 
Tasted promising, but sorely undercarbonated.
Decanted off to a larger vessel (1.25l pet) & gave the carbonation cap treatment - completely different beer.
As I've said before, I don't (yet) have a fine enough palate to extend much beyond - "that was good - tasted like an amber should"
Will be having a crack at this recipe, into the keg where carbonation control is not an issue.
Thanks Rook,
Looking forward to getting together for a session.
Cheers
Mark


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## therook (22/7/08)

mark_m said:


> #4 Rook Amber Ale.
> Great beer. Popped (screwed) the cap off this one tonight - no pfft?
> Tasted promising, but sorely undercarbonated.
> Decanted off to a larger vessel (1.25l pet) & gave the carbonation cap treatment - completely different beer.
> ...




Thanks Mark for the report, your the second one to tell me the beer was under carbed, i can only assume that because i only added the sugar to the bottles the day before the case swap that they need to be stored in a nice warm room for a couple of weeks or they will struggle to carbonate up ( this is what i did to the one i sampled the other night and it was fine ). 

Glad yourself and Wardy enjoyed the beer.

Rook


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## Leigh (22/7/08)

I picked my case up on the weekend (thanks CM2), and Rook's amber ale bottle is "soft" to the squeeze (love the label though). I've stuck it in a nice warm spot where it will stay for a few weeks to carb-up.

On the discussion of my golden ale, I remade this recipe last night, and had an og of 1.050:huh:...so I think the "poorly stirred" argument is correct, and the label should read closer to 5.9%...well I've learnt something from this swap already!


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## Hutch (23/7/08)

18. Mark_M - Amarillo / Motueka APA

Had this one over the weekend, so not a detailed review. All I can say is that this is my pick of the swap so far :icon_cheers: , and that is truly saying something! (OK, so I'm biased towards APAs).

Having tried the 50/50 Amarillo/BSaaz combo recently, mine wasn't nearly as balanced or tasty as your beer. It really is a nice hop combo, and you seemed to balance everything superbly into a really enjoyable beer. Perhaps not as full-on as some APA's (Little Creatures), though not overwhelmed with the resiney-pine aftertaste of LCPA. Your malt bill I really like. MO and a heap of Munich is just simple and plain yum, and I guess perhaps a tad more wheat or carapils would give you better head retention next time. 
Slight chill-haze would be my only other critical comment. Very clean ferment, no evident acetaldehyde, as I've noticed with several US-05 beers lately (I wonder if there was a batch problem with that yeast?)

Mate, top effort - a real crowd pleaser that beer. 
Think I might knock up a few kegs in time for the coming festive season!


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## chris.taylor.98 (23/7/08)

Ok here are my last 2

*24. Leigh's Golden Ale*

Definitely golden, slightly hazy.

Nice balance of hops and malt in aroma, very fruity with hint of pears.

Fairly balanced with less appreciable hop flavour then suggested in the aroma. 

Slightly harsh in the finish which is really accentuating the bitterness. May have finished a little bit on the low side, also would be better with a little bit more body to round it out.


*23 Moonee - Oak Butt Brown Ale*

Some caramel. slight hops (english), good english malt character. Well balanced with slight nutty flavour coming from the malt. Slightly dry in the finish.

Again this is one of those beers that really gets better as it warms up.

Very pleasant way to finish off the day.


As for top 3 my votes go to:

3 for 21. superhero - Milk stout
2 for 2. Fents - Some sort of US Lager
1 for 6. Andreic - Irish Dry Stout

(this is mainly showing my bias towards stouts, so from a more objective viewpoint Fents beer probably would come out on top)

Cheers to all, and thanks for the great case.


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## Leigh (23/7/08)

Started on the case tonight. 

First up was Hutches London (not the) Best Bitter. Drank it straight from the shed so was just under 10 degrees. Poured with a little less head than I would like from a pommie style beer (probably asking too much without a "widget"), but having been in the UK just last year, this beer took me straight back there. And it just got better as the bottle was drained. Not many "Real Ales" that I've had from the tap in the UK are as good as this one. Lovely, clean crisp taste with a nice english style strong aftertaste (is that the hops lingering?).

Great beer that would put many english beers to shame. Well done Hutch.


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## Hutch (23/7/08)

16. DoppelBrewer - Helles Bock

Nice subtle alcohol, towards the low end for a Bock, slight haze (not sure if it's chill or yeast).
Perfect carbonation, and lovely bronze colour.
Nice biscuity sweet malt character - Munich is such a great malt isn't it!
Low hop aroma, medium to low bitterness, some lingering higher alcohols and fusels suggesting minor fermentation issues. Not sure which of the two batches I got ("10" was written on the bottle) whether it was the 2206 or the S-23 (only ever made this style with 2206 myself, which has a very similar yeast profile to yours). Perhaps it could do with a bigger yeast pitching, lower temp, and longer lager (2-3 months). These big beers take quite some time to clean up, but it's well worth it.

Overall a fine beer, perfect on a cold mid-winter night.
Cheers DoppelBrewer.


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## Leigh (24/7/08)

3. Harold - Very nice drop! Great malty taste. Took me three or four mouthfuls to adjust to the bitterness, but am now looking for another bottle!


----------



## Leigh (24/7/08)

8. Chris - Weizenbock

Was not expecting a beer this sweet! Is this typical of the style? Certainly can taste the bubblegum and clove flavours mentioned by somebody else.


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## chris.taylor.98 (24/7/08)

Leigh said:


> 8. Chris - Weizenbock
> 
> Was not expecting a beer this sweet! Is this typical of the style? Certainly can taste the bubblegum and clove flavours mentioned by somebody else.



This beer actually finished too low for the style (from 1.075 down to 1.014), but it did have some cane sugar in it. My theory is that you can actually taste the cane sugars residual flavour, and it comes across as tasting sweet.

Also weizen style is very low hopped ( only 17 IBU in this one ) so the balance is towards the sweetness, but the weizen yeast is supposed to provide some counter-balance.

If you want to try a good commercial example of this style go and get a Schneider - Aventinus.


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## Wardhog (24/7/08)

Aaaand lucky last - 5. Hutch - Best Bitter

I found this to be an excellent bitter, but a little low on carbonation. Never having been over to the old Dart to experience CAMRA-approved stuff - I know English bitters are supposed to be low carbonation, and maybe my expectations of what 'low carbonation' is are wrong, but it made it a little harder to drink.

Outside of that, it is everything that I would want in a bitter. Heaps of great flavours abound - another great beer.


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## Leigh (25/7/08)

1. Peels - Kinda Porter

After getting used to this beer (hadn't had a porter before), I really enjoyed it. Went down well on a cold Melbourne evening. Nice caramel and coffee flavours and an enjoyable aftertaste.


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## andreic (26/7/08)

22. Quintrex/Voota - Coffee Stout Vootas

I got the PET bottle version. Very dark brown/black in colour with brown head. Smells of chocolate, vanilla and coffee. Tastes fairly roasty and has a strong, drying slightly bitter coffee finish. The coffee is fairly prominent at first but by the end I decided it was not too much (I'm not sure I would have liked the massive coffee version as much though). It went down pretty nicely - another good stout from the case.

cheers, Andrei


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## Quintrex (27/7/08)

andreic said:


> 22. Quintrex/Voota - Coffee Stout Vootas
> 
> I got the PET bottle version. Very dark brown/black in colour with brown head. Smells of chocolate, vanilla and coffee. Tastes fairly roasty and has a strong, drying slightly bitter coffee finish. The coffee is fairly prominent at first but by the end I decided it was not too much (I'm not sure I would have liked the massive coffee version as much though). It went down pretty nicely - another good stout from the case.
> 
> cheers, Andrei




I Mucked up the mash temperature for this, I was aiming for 66oC but only hit 63oC which really made it far too dry for how roasty/coffee flavoured it is. If I was doing this beer again I'd definitely aim for more body and I think it'd be much more enjoyable.


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## Leigh (28/7/08)

6. Andreic - Irish Dry Stout

I'm not really a stout drinker, never have been, but I really like the roasty flavours in this one. Another good beer!


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## Fents (29/7/08)

So i put # 7 and # 4 in the fridge last night. look on the list and suprise suprise its roycie (HOTD) and rookstar. troys first.. ripped me off mate i only got a 600ml GLASS bottle. fix up would ya. hahahaha good beer though but you knew that. i tasted this beer real early on befor the swap and i can tell you now its improved a fair bit. i'm really happy with it and so should you be even if you are a vadooch.. 

your up after dinner sir rook from tullarook who dosnt mind a rook before bed.


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## Leigh (31/7/08)

2. Fents - Some sort of US Lager

I was a bit worried with this one when I poured a glass...looked like dirty dish water rather than a beer. Had a quick look around for some lime, but having read the comments on here, decided I should try without.

Anyway, lovely beer with nice malty tones, and subtle hop flavours making it a really well rounded beer.

Apart from the colour, I though it tasted more like a German Pils than a US Lager...

Beautiful beer and one that I might try to replicate when I go AG.


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## Fents (31/7/08)

Intresting on the colour Leigh..so you mean the actual beer looked bad or the head wasnt bright white? cause that was one of the clearest beers i've made if i remember correct, must have been a bad bottle sorry mate. Will do better on the next one.

edit - looking back on the posts it seems it sufferd bad from chill haze...

Wook - cracked your premiership ale and guess what (did end up having it the other night)...its flat! no premiership for you this year old mate. hehehe just kidding it wasnt half bad...not totally flat, drinkable flat and i really like what im tasting so biggups.


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## andreic (31/7/08)

16. DoppelBrewer - Helles Bock

First glass was ruby red to brown, nice almost white head, medium carbonation, very slight haze. Aroma was mostly malty - biscuity and some caramel. There was also some sweet alcohol. Tasted rather malty as per aroma and lots of warming alcohol. It has a creamy texture. Mmm... I liked it.

My wife said it smelled of almond biscuits and butterscotch. She also thought it was fairly bitter. She said it reminded her a little of armagnac.

My second glass looked like mud! It was a very cloudy grey with lots of particles. It still tasted great but I think I've just drunk a crap load of break material (or maybe yeast?)...

I really liked this beer apart from the 2nd glass not looking too pretty.

cheers, Andrei


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## nick_lavender (1/8/08)

Hey,

So I've just finished the swap beers and decided to make the difficult choice of electing some favorites... 

I really enjoyed almost all of them but my top three (from memory) were:

Superhero - Milkstout, Chris Taylor -Weizenbock, Fents - US Lager.

Well done, thanks for the great beers!


----------



## Leigh (1/8/08)

Fents said:


> Intresting on the colour Leigh..so you mean the actual beer looked bad or the head wasnt bright white? cause that was one of the clearest beers i've made if i remember correct, must have been a bad bottle sorry mate. Will do better on the next one.
> 
> edit - looking back on the posts it seems it sufferd bad from chill haze...
> 
> Wook - cracked your premiership ale and guess what (did end up having it the other night)...its flat! no premiership for you this year old mate. hehehe just kidding it wasnt half bad...not totally flat, drinkable flat and i really like what im tasting so biggups.



Yeah, a little chill haze, but the colour freaked me out initially (hence the lime comment)...I have never consumed a beer so pale that tasted so good! Kudos to you.

I've had Rooks beer sitting in a nice warm place since I took charge of it, and it's gone from being a soft bottle to being quite firm. Anybody who has any left, I'd recommend stirring up the sediment and letting it sit in a warm spot for a few weeks. I'll give it another week of carbing before cracking it open.


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## Hutch (1/8/08)

Leigh said:


> I've had Rooks beer sitting in a nice warm place since I took charge of it, and it's gone from being a soft bottle to being quite firm. Anybody who has any left, I'd recommend stirring up the sediment and letting it sit in a warm spot for a few weeks.



+1.

Mine was almost flat in the fridge, so I took it out, gave it a jiggle, and kept inside for 2 weeks. Only _slightly_ undercarbed after doing this.
And an excellent beer too, if memory serves me correctly!

...just realised I never posted a review of this beer Rook.

*4. Rook - American Amber Ale*

My memory is very blurred, but I recall it was well balanced, nice amber and crystal malt flavours, well balanced earthy hops (Willamette is a bit more English than American I reckon). Good clean fermentation, slightly hazy (like my memory!). In fact I was surprised to see that you had used US-05, as it was very clean indeed, contrary to my recent experiences with US-05.

...This is not doing justice to it Rook - I remember REALLY liking this beer. 

A Premiership effort - Go Cattas!


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## haysie (3/8/08)

haysie said:


> Finally had a shot at a few tallies after a hard day,
> 
> Andre`s stout, was really good, enjoyed too the last mouth full.
> 
> ...





:blink: Must have been a hard day! I visited the "case" this afternoon, 11 left. Hmmm which ones will i try, p/up 2 low and behold NUMBER 8 IS ONE OF THEM :blink: Apologies Chris.

No wonder there was no weizen :lol: , no idea what it was That i did drink. but this REAL number 8 IS the real deal, great beer, a lil sweet, a lil alcoholy, the alchohol thing is probably too style? I like it! Ticks all the boxes ala the milkstout.

ps, what/who/was #7, thats next.

Nevertheless I am still :lol: about this previous post.

Haysie


ps, when fishing eildon, look me up fellas, happy to bring the quinny along.


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## Leigh (3/8/08)

9. Barramundi - One grain One Hop Ale

Having read others comments about this one, and having had a hard days work in the yard, I thought I'd give it the test.

Sensational hard yakka beer! Innoffensive maltiness with nice bitterness. Very simple, but at the same time very flavoursome. 9/10 in my eyes!

This is definately in my top 3 beers of the swap so far! :icon_cheers:


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## haysie (3/8/08)

Leigh said:


> having had a hard days work in the yard, I thought I'd give it the test.
> 
> Sensational hard yakka beer! Innoffensive maltiness with nice bitterness.





Reminds me of an ad I once seen! Matter of fact


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## Leigh (4/8/08)

Yes, it WAS a good cold beer LOL


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## therook (4/8/08)

*20 - Mortz Munich Dunkel*

This beer blew me away, absolutely loved it.

Big thick creamy head that lasted till the end, excellent malt flavour.
A nice deep dark clear beer which was very very smooth.
In 40 odd case swap beers this is up there with Hutch's 2007 xmas case swap beer.

Great beer mortz, i will PM my address for another bottle just to make sure you didn't fluke it  

Rook


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## chris.taylor.98 (4/8/08)

haysie said:


> :blink: Must have been a hard day! I visited the "case" this afternoon, 11 left. Hmmm which ones will i try, p/up 2 low and behold NUMBER 8 IS ONE OF THEM :blink: Apologies Chris.
> 
> No wonder there was no weizen :lol: , no idea what it was That i did drink. but this REAL number 8 IS the real deal, great beer, a lil sweet, a lil alcoholy, the alchohol thing is probably too style? I like it! Ticks all the boxes ala the milkstout.



No worries Haysie, now I can stop wondering how one bottle ended up with no weizen character  ..

Was about 8% ABV so should be a bit noticeable. Also weizen beers usually have very low hop rates, so is definitely balance towards the malt side of things. Glad you enjoyed it.


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## Leigh (5/8/08)

18. Mark_M - Amarillo / Motueka APA 

Pale in colour (but not as pale as Fents US Lager), nice head, subtle malty flavour dominated by the hops. A very nice drop. I could go several of these 

A question if I could, is the dominant hop Amarillo or Motueko or is it a combo?


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## andreic (6/8/08)

21. superhero - Milk stout

Black, small red-brown head. Low-ish carbonation. Aroma of malt, biscuit, with some roast, coffee and liquorice? Tastes malty/biscuity, slightly sweet, some liquorice and coffee. Its really smooth and creamy. 

Its a really nice stout. Nice and smooth.... went down very well indeed.

cheers, Andrei


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## Leigh (8/8/08)

Haysie - Oatmeal Stout

As I've said preiously, not really a stout drinker, but really enjoyed this one! Nice and creamy, strong roast flavour with a hint of coffee with a dry finish.

Well done. I'm beginning to feel converted to the darker ales!


DoppelBrewer - Helles Bock

Never tasted a beer like this one before. Strong malty flavour with a strong honey aftertaste, medium carbonation. Overall a nice beer.


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## Leigh (9/8/08)

7. Hairofthedog - Saaz Pilsner

Mine was very clear. Straw in colour with a nice white head. A little soapy in the mouth.

Some malty flavour and low bitterness. Some fruity flavors creeping through as it warmed.

Not a bad beer for a Pilsner


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## andreic (9/8/08)

4. Rook - Amber Ale

My bottles have been sitting in the garage so on reading other comments I put this bottle inside about 2 weeks ago and gave it a few gentle shakes to carb it up...

My bottle is definitely not flat. Its lightly carbonated but at a really nice level for my enjoyment of the beer. Its amber-red in colour, a bit cloudy. It has a nice small creamy off-white head. It even left a little lacing down my glass. Aroma is light, but is of malt/biscuit and slightly flowery. Taste is also fairly malty with biscuit, caramel. Its slightly fruity with nice hop flavour. It finishes off quite bitter and slightly dry. It has a very nice almost creamy feel to it.

I notice the name of your brewery... if I was your wife I would also be nagging you... to make some more of this beer :icon_cheers: 

What a sensational beer to finish off my case. Very well done Rook!

cheers, Andrei


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## andreic (9/8/08)

...and now my case is done  

Thanks again to Fents for the swap day and to all the case-swappers out there for the beers and the feedback. This is my 3rd swap and the general standard of beers in this one was very very good. I hope to be in the next one also but circumstances may not allow...

The top 3 beers of the swap according to my taste buds are:
- Mortz's Dunkel - great clean, malty lager - I liked it so much I brewed it... tasting very good out of the fermenter!
- Fents' US Lager - beautiful easy drinking and tasty lager... 
- Rook's Amber Ale - a fantastic, tasty ale

cheers, Andrei


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## Leigh (10/8/08)

4. Rook - Premiership Amber Ale

Apart from the link with that obscure football team, this has to be the best beer of the swap so far (I am somewhat partial to amber ales). A very clean beer, albeit slightly cloudy. Nice caramel flavour, great carbonation and nice creamy head that lasts to the end of the glass with good lacing. Taste does not change appreciably as the glass warms.

Well done Rook!


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## ang (10/8/08)

21. superhero - Milk stout - I'm not a big fan of stout but this is really nice! Well crafted.
4. Rook - Amber Ale - Funny label  , Very clean beer, Nice flavour, Nice carbonation! Great beer all around.


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## Leigh (12/8/08)

21. Superhero - Milk Stout

Not sure what to think about this one. Roastiness was a bit much for my palate and had a strange bitey sweetness that just didn't seem right.


13- Citymorgue2 - Pride of Porter (Honey Porter)

This one has to be the my favourite dark beer so far. A very subtle roast compared to the stouts, but also has a cidery kind of taste that doesn't seem quite right. Nice carbonation giving a creamy mouth feel and a nice sweet, lingering after-taste.


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## Leigh (14/8/08)

22. Voota? (glass bottle)- Coffee Stout

Well this one is definately a stout, roast and warmth, but a lovely coffee after taste that took me completely by surprise (wasn't expecting it to be so strong) on the first mouthful. This is a very nice beer :beerbang:


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## superhero (15/8/08)

16. Doppelbrewer's Doppelbock - Dark amber in colour, good carbonation, aroma of malt, pineapple and cooked corn  taste of malt, pineapple and cooked corn. Very dry finish. I fear I have waited too long to taste this one and some DMS has spoilt the party for me 

I shall hurry up and drink the other beers!!!


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## Leigh (15/8/08)

23. Moonee - Oak Butt Brown Ale

Colour is definately brown, tastes nice and malty, with some wood and fruit flavours coming through.

A very complex taste profile, but a very nice beer nonetheless.

Top job Moonie! 

Only one more case swap beer to go, although I seem to have missed out on a top brown ale by 65bellett


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## superhero (16/8/08)

Hello Brewers,

Had this one today:

20. Mortz's Munich Dunkel - Dark brown in colour with malt, chocolate and cereal in the aroma. Taste has medium-low malt, medium cereal
flavour and once the search party had returned - low chocolate flavour. All in all a very enjoyable beer. Well done Mortz.

Down to the last 6 now I think


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## superhero (16/8/08)

2 in a day!!

23. Moonee's Oak Butt Brown Ale - Dark brown in colour with a sweet aroma. Taste is of mild chocolate with some astringency at the finish
which is quite dry. Body is a little thin too. Still quite enjoyable. You're doing a lot better than me with brown ales Moonee. My last one exploded!!

Until next tasting.


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## Fents (17/8/08)

1 Peels kinda porter - very nice mate would drink again

20 Mortz munich dunkel - excellent beer would drink over and over and over again

edit - they were from sat night just incase peeps dont think im drinking at 9am.


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## superhero (19/8/08)

Hi Brewers,

Next is:

4. Rooks Amber Ale - Amber in colour!! Aroma of malt and citris hop notes. Good carbonation. Low-medium malt in the flavour along with medium-high citrus
hop flavour and bitterness. A very tasty drop Rook. Well done.

I do agree with Alvin that some strange football label has somehow become affixed to the bottle. Be sure to
rectify this fault for the next caseswap please!!!!!!!


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## therook (19/8/08)

superhero said:


> Hi Brewers,
> 
> Next is:
> 
> ...




Thanks for that superhero.....interesting about the hop flavour

just imagine if the cats go back to back what the label is going to be like  

Rook


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## Fents (19/8/08)

you just make sure to hide all your "memrobillia" somewhere safe for that swap wookie.


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## superhero (19/8/08)

therook said:


> Thanks for that superhero.....interesting about the hop flavour
> 
> just imagine if the cats go back to back what the label is going to be like
> 
> Rook



I am a bit diseased at the moment. I'm pretty sure I meant to write "English malt flavour"
instead of "hop flavour". I think that works better in an Amber Ale


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## superhero (20/8/08)

Hello All,

Dum dum dum dum dum it's the final countdown ...
Fans of bad 80's music will know what song this is 

Not too many case swap beers to go now.

8. Chris Taylor's Weizenbock - Deep gold/light brown in colour. Aroma of banana cake, sweet malt and alcohol. Taste is of wheat, banana cake and alcohol with a
mild astringency from the alcohol. A very, very enjoyable beer however. Much better than my weizenbock which is way too sweet and desparately not alcoholic
enough. Keep up the good work Chris.

What will be next?


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## therook (28/8/08)

*21. superhero - Milk stout*

This stout had to be on steroids it had so much body. A big thick deep dark brown head which lasted and lasted
For such a high alcohol beer it was not to over powering with anything. Very well balanced between bitterness, sweetness, dryness and roastiness
My father in law said and i quote " Shit that's a nice Stout "
I'm not a big fan of beers that you can taste the alcohol in but do love my stouts and this is an exceptional beer

Top stuff superhero

*10. Haysie- Oatmeal Stout *

First time i have tried an Oatmeal stout
Nice roasty aroma and the thing i remember the most about it was how creamy and smooth it was to drink ( is this due to the oatmeal ? ), flavour wasn't over powering. I think if someone wanted to try a stout for the first time, this is the style i would recommend because of the mild flavour and the smoothness.

Only downside is the lack of head, i assume this would be due to the oil in the oatmeal

Was this fermented with a dry yeast Haysie?

Thanks for the beers

2 excellent stouts 

Rook


2 to go and they will be drunk tonight, numbers 6 & 22


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## superhero (29/8/08)

Hello Brewers,

Not many to go now. I think I'm in the running for the slowest enjoyment of the case swap!

13, Citymorgue2's Honey Porter - Colour is dark brown. Carbonation is good. Aroma is sweet and there's a medium-high honey aroma.
Taste is sweet with a honey acidity and medium roast. Bitterness is medium-high and finish is bitter. Body is medium. All in all a very well crafted
and enjoyable beer. Top marks to you Citymorgue2. This is a stupid question but is there a Citymorgue1 on AHB? While we're on the questions.
What sort of honey did you use and how much? Apologies if you've submitted the recipe and I should've had a look at that. 

On a personal note thankyou to all who have liked my milk stout and said nice things about it. It's my pleasure
to contribute it as part of the caseswap and might I say all the nice things said about it are making me a little
embarrassed. :wub: 

Until next time.


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## haysie (29/8/08)

therook said:


> *10. Haysie- Oatmeal Stout *
> 
> First time i have tried an Oatmeal stout
> Nice roasty aroma and the thing i remember the most about it was how creamy and smooth it was to drink ( is this due to the oatmeal ? ), flavour wasn't over powering. I think if someone wanted to try a stout for the first time, this is the style i would recommend because of the mild flavour and the smoothness.
> ...




Missed this post. 
Thanks for the feedback! 
This was my first try at an oat, optimistic considering it was for a swap, nevertheless flying by the seat of my pants it turned out a fair beer. Brewday was a shitter for this beer due to the 700gms of oats, runoff`s were a trickle > temp`s were lost waiting for the drain yada yada. Hence the recipe was never posted. I/We did sample a few before I delivered. :chug: 

Yeast was 1084 irish ale, and the basis of the recipe was was was ummm, a link from Newguy, his brew club in Canada (newsletter) im sure i have it somewhere.

Re, head retention, not sure if it would be the oily oats, I have played around with oats since, just finished an Aussie pale with some oats and sunraysia orange pith, the head was climbing out of the glass.
Was the beer carbed ok? I never trust those PET seals.

Haysie


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## superhero (30/8/08)

Hi Everyone.

10. Haysie's Oatmeal Stout - Black in colour (of course!). Carbonation starts off well but is gone in a few minutes. Not a worry really. Aroma is sweet and roasty. Taste is medium roast, low malt, hop flavour and bitterness. Body is medium. A very easy to drink stout. I could drink this all day and not get into too much 
trouble. Well done Haysie.

Only about 3 caseswap beers to go now.


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## superhero (1/10/08)

Hi Everyone,

I'm almost finished my July case swap beers. I'd better hurry up and finish
before the Xmas Case Swap. I drank one and forgot what it was :-(

Tasted 6. Andreic's Irish Dry Stout yesterday

It was very dry indeed. Well done. Aroma was of roast and grains. Colour was black! Body was medium-low which is spot on and
carbonation was good. Taste was roasty with low malt and medium-low bitterness and low hop flavour. All in all a good quaffing
beer on a cold day.

Only one to go now!

Happy brewing.


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## brettprevans (1/10/08)

superhero said:


> 13, Citymorgue2's Honey Porter -
> This is a stupid question but is there a Citymorgue1 on AHB? While we're on the questions.
> What sort of honey did you use and how much? Apologies if you've submitted the recipe and I should've had a look at that.



There's no citymorgue1 that im aware of. Its just a tag ive had for about 12 years.
It was 550g of blue gum honey. recipe link here. no worries.

It actually ended up slightly too bitter for a porter almost like a stout in terms of IBU. Not bad though. I had my last bottle of it the other week and it had certainly imrpoved with age. it was actually rather sad to see the last few drops be drunk.


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## superhero (8/10/08)

citymorgue2 said:


> There's no citymorgue1 that im aware of. Its just a tag ive had for about 12 years.
> It was 550g of blue gum honey. recipe link here. no worries.
> 
> It actually ended up slightly too bitter for a porter almost like a stout in terms of IBU. Not bad though. I had my last bottle of it the other week and it had certainly imrpoved with age. it was actually rather sad to see the last few drops be drunk.



Hi Citymorgue2,

Thanks for the info. You obviously didn't have a problem with any eucalyptus flavours
from the flowers. Well done again on a tasty beer.

Now to the last beer from the swap (consumed a full 45 days before the Xmas Case Swap!)

1. Peel's Porter - Dark brown in colour, aroma of chocolate and grain. Ditto the flavour. Body was medium. Very easy to drink. Well done.

Looking forward to the Xmas swap at The Rook's place.


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