# 2017 SEQ Christmas Case Swap - Tasting thread



## earle

Since we already have a spreadsheet going with the swap beers, I've added a column so everyone can indicate when their brews are ready to drink.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QJCZhtkNq3HbZ1jkbNsq_U_51SMveMK-y19n7M4EutI/edit#gid=0

Could be an idea to post a comment on this thread if the "ready" status of your beer gets updated.

Cheers


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## Liam_snorkel

I can't edit the spreadsheet from phone, but mine is ready. 5.3%


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## benken25

Mine is ready


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## seehuusen

#16, give it another week, then chill and enjoy


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## madpierre06

Black #2 is the Robust Porter, Red #2 is the Hoppy Saison. Colirs indicated are the writing on the lid. Schedules are on the spreadsheet.


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## angus_grant

Mine will be a few weeks at least. May need some age to smooth off the alcohol. I'll update the thread when ready.

Edit: can't edit on phone either. Got the app already installed.


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## Siderman

Mine is carbed and ready, but I’d say give it a few weeks.


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## benken25

2. Madperrie robust porter. Poured this then hopped into an epson salt bath... i am sore as shit this arvo. Great beer mellow roast with a malt sweetness on the nose and taste. Very easy to drink. Finishes dry and morish. A well brewed beer mate


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## madpierre06

Cheers mate, ta. Considering it's only a week and a half old.......


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## evoo4u

Both mine (#5 & #9) will benefit from another couple of weeks - say, Dec 19th.


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## pcqypcqy

Thanks to @earle for starting the thread and updating the spreadsheet.

I've added a few more columns so you can put in a Best After and Best Before date, in case freshness is an issue for a hoppy beer for example.

The Yes/No/??? column is restricted to a drop down and is colour coded, so just click on it and pick your option and fill out the dates.


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## evoo4u

The numbering system has got a bit out-of-whack. eg - my Julebryg, with "5" on the cap, shows on the spreadsheet as "6". I won't risk stuffing things up by attempting to change the spreadsheet, but someone who understands the finer points of spreadsheet editing might give it a go.

EDIT - I might have been looking at a superceded version! Looks OK now...


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## pcqypcqy

evoo4u said:


> The numbering system has got a bit out-of-whack. eg - my Julebryg, with "5" on the cap, shows on the spreadsheet as "6". I won't risk stuffing things up by attempting to change the spreadsheet, but someone who understands the finer points of spreadsheet editing might give it a go.
> 
> EDIT - I might have been looking at a superceded version! Looks OK now...



Hi Roger

You might be looking at the spreadsheet row number, rather than the number in the first column.

It shows you as lid numbers 5 and 9.


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## evoo4u

pcqypcqy said:


> You might be looking at the spreadsheet row number, rather than the number in the first column.


DUH! Yeah - you nailed it .


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## winkle

According to my brew log mine will be ready to go on 18/12/17. That said it's a wheat beer so it'll probably be fine after another week.


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## pcqypcqy

I've updated the spreadsheet with some conditional formatting, so it should automatically turn green when beers are ready.

Just waiting on @Zorco & @Bribie G to fill out their dates, and @angus_grant to confirm when his is good to go.


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## madpierre06

You blokes and your organisational skills are too hard to deal with...


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## pcqypcqy

madpierre06 said:


> You blokes and your organisational skills are too hard to deal with...



Engineers mate, if it's not on a spreadsheet then it doesn't exist.


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## angus_grant

Spreadsheet updated.


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## pcqypcqy

angus_grant said:


> Spreadsheet updated.



Very specific, well done


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## madpierre06

Have updated sprteadsheet with ABV's.


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## pcqypcqy

madpierre06 said:


> Have updated sprteadsheet with ABV's.



For next time, I like my ABV's with 3 decimal places thanks Alan 

Mine are lucky if they get one!


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## earle

Is this the right time to have a discussion about accuracy and precision?


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## madpierre06

I'm pretty sure that after having a RR Saison and one of Troy's RIS's, two decimal points is the best you're gonna get.


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## Parks

earle said:


> Is this the right time to have a discussion about accuracy and precision?



I am 98.593806503%+-1% sure having more precision is always better.


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## pcqypcqy

madpierre06 said:


> I'm pretty sure that after having a RR Saison and one of Troy's RIS's, two decimal points is the best you're gonna get.



How are you measuring to 2 points? I wouldn't have thought any home brew methods are that precise.


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## madpierre06

pcqypcqy said:


> How are you measuring to 2 points? I wouldn't have thought any home brew methods are that precise.



Oh yeah, I'm pretty precise mate......


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## pcqypcqy

But still, how? You might be accurate, but I doubt it's that precise.

If using a hydrometer, only a 2 point difference (i.e. one line) on either OG or FG can throw your ABV by 0.25%. Double that error if you're wrong on both OG and FG.

Even if you could get it to a 1 point difference, you're still talking 0.125% error.

I've made up a look up table based on this calculator: http://pint.com.au/calculators/alcohol/

A wine making friend testing a few of my beers for shits and giggles with an ebulliometer and found it was pretty spot on (within 0.1% generally).


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## Liam_snorkel

okay _Mr Science Man_ that's enough outta you


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## pcqypcqy

Liam_snorkel said:


> okay _Mr Science Man_ that's enough outta you



Spreadsheet attached.

Of course the 0.25% error varies with OG and FG (it's not linear), but that's for an OG of 1050 and an FG of 1010.


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## madpierre06

Brewmate recipe sheet never lies.....I mean, if I can't trust it in areas such as these, what's next? Sheet says wheat, I have to take it at it's word.


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## seehuusen

pretty sure most of my beers are exact percentage, +/- 1/10 * 10^1 percent, at least 

Had Liams Peppercorn Saison yesterday, great layer of yeast flavours, added to by subtle pepper flavours. I didn't perceive it as dry as I normally associate Saisons to be, perhaps there was a little buttery slick there, which took that perception away. 
Lacing the glass all the way down to the final drop, I enjoyed it, thanks mate


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## madpierre06

Sweet, one of these scheduled for tomorrow...+/- a day. Not sure how precise I can get it. Actually, I 'member when I was running a Behringer Steel saw back in the day, they put me on that cos of my precision. Mind you, t'weren't beer involved.


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## pcqypcqy

madpierre06 said:


> Brewmate recipe sheet never lies.....I mean, if I can't trust it in areas such as these, what's next? Sheet says wheat, I have to take it at it's word.



Choc wheat is an acceptable substitution to wheat.


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## earle

More than acceptable. Mandatory really.


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## Siderman

Mine is about 5.5%


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## Liam_snorkel

seehuusen said:


> pretty sure most of my beers are exact percentage, +/- 1/10 * 10^1 percent, at least
> 
> Had Liams Peppercorn Saison yesterday, great layer of yeast flavours, added to by subtle pepper flavours. I didn't perceive it as dry as I normally associate Saisons to be, perhaps there was a little buttery slick there, which took that perception away.
> Lacing the glass all the way down to the final drop, I enjoyed it, thanks mate



Cheers Martin! It finished at 1.002

I hopped it late with about 4.5g/L of mandarina bavaria, maybe that added some perceived sweetness / oiliness?


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## pcqypcqy

Liam_snorkel said:


> Cheers Martin! It finished at 1.002
> 
> I hoped it late with about 4.5g/L of mandarina bavaria, maybe that added some perceived sweetness / oiliness?



But how do we know it didn't finish at 1000 or 1004?


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## seehuusen

Liam_snorkel said:


> Cheers Martin! It finished at 1.002
> 
> I hoped it late with about 4.5g/L of mandarina bavaria, maybe that added some perceived sweetness / oiliness?



That could very well be it, and I was thinking of it last night, after posting, perhaps the alcohol also added to that perception!
Great beer none the less


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## pcqypcqy

With @Bribie G 's beautiful words, we now have a full list. Cheers everyone:



Bribie G said:


> Drink feck arse womens knickers feck am I still on that fecking island?


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## madpierre06

*6. Liam_Snorkel - Saison with Black Peppercorns. 
*
- accompanied by the finest of the food groups. Lovely Saisonie characteristics with very subtle Peppercorn'ness as it warms up. Top drop mate.


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## Randai

*13: @Parks Mango Chilli Saison - first cab off the rank because of the fresh produce added.*
Appearance: Dark golden, good carbonation, not a huge amount of head but persistent. Slight haziness to it
Aroma: Chilli, potentially saison esters, sweetish smell not sure if malt or mango.
Flavour: Saison spiciness, chilli definitely prominent not too spicey hot (but totally more than I've had in most beers), mango feels overshadowed by the super saison flavour and the great chilli flavour.
Mouthfeel: Drier than I thought initially.
Overall: Unique beer for me, you know its got chilli, not entirely sure on the mango flavour. Super drinkable. You'd really fool me that this was 6.7% alcohol as that level is not apparent at all.













13_parks_mango_chilli_saison



__ Randai
__ 7/12/17


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## Parks

The mango was very subdued for most of this beer’s life however my QA on the bottle conditioned beer was more apparent to me. I felt it boosted the general sweetness more than gave a good mango flavour though.

Glad you enjoyed it [emoji4]


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## Randai

Parks said:


> The mango was very subdued for most of this beer’s life however my QA on the bottle conditioned beer was more apparent to me. I felt it boosted the general sweetness more than gave a good mango flavour though.
> 
> Glad you enjoyed it [emoji4]


Yeah good stuff, its totally a beer I'd never be game enough to make. So its good that I can try it without having to have the risk of a keg of it.


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## crowmanz

13: Parks Mango Chilli Saison

A touch of saison and plenty of chilli on the nose and flavour although not overpowering - a nice warmth/burn. I would have enjoyed a more prominent mango, I did find it but there was some searching.


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## crowmanz

Second glass from the tallie has more mango characteristics, I dunno if it was sitting in the bottom of the bottle or I have gotten used to the chilli.


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## earle

Tasted one of my spares last night and the carbonation seemed pretty good. Still, after the low carb fiasco of last swap probably best to leave for another week just to be sure.


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## madpierre06

*1. Pesky's Julebryg
*
Top Julebryg from the house of Marshall...toffee/syrup sweetness balanced wit a touch of spices. Solid, malty, chewy drop. Enjoyable, mate.


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## madpierre06

*15. Benken25 - saison cube aléatorie - *Lemon Sorbet Saison in a glass. Says it all. Saving other bottle for a stinker of a day, will be ferpect.


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## pcqypcqy

madpierre06 said:


> *1. Pesky's Julebryg
> *
> Top Julebryg from the house of Marshall...toffee/syrup sweetness balanced wit a touch of spices. Solid, malty, chewy drop. Enjoyable, mate.



Cheers mate, I'm just glad it has bubbles this time around!


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## Randai

*6 @Liam_snorkel - peppercorn saison.*
Appearance: Moderate golden colour. Fluffy head on pouring, quite stable and white. Stuck around for a bit, but has receded down to a tiny rim.
Aroma: Saison esters. Spiciness, like coriander almost. If the peppercorn is mixed in there I think its mixed in with the saison esters and I can't tell it apart.
Flavour: Saison spiciness, prominent black pepper flavour. Nice malty sweetness here. I'd love to know the malts.
Mouthfeel: Quite dry, refreshing.
Overall: A spicy, estery, refreshing drop. That makes me want to keep sipping... it doesn't get too much after having a glass and I'd go back for seconds, so I will.
Minor suggestion, depending on how long they were left in and how much, the peppercorns could be toned down just a bit. But its only a guess, and how you'd go about that I can't say.













6_liams_peppercorn_saison



__ Randai
__ 8/12/17


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## Randai

madpierre06 said:


> *1. Pesky's Julebryg
> *
> Top Julebryg from the house of Marshall...toffee/syrup sweetness balanced wit a touch of spices. Solid, malty, chewy drop. Enjoyable, mate.
> 
> 
> View attachment 110281


Looking forward to that, I think I might save it till Christmas. Seems appropriate.


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## pcqypcqy

Randai said:


> Looking forward to that, I think I might save it till Christmas. Seems appropriate.



There was an open bottle floating around on the day, but didn't make it far before it was empty. Might be heavy going for day drinking though.


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## Randai

pcqypcqy said:


> There was an open bottle floating around on the day, but didn't make it far before it was empty. Might be heavy going for day drinking though.


I must have missed it, but what is the ABV?


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## crowmanz

pcqypcqy said:


> Might be heavy going for day drinking though.



Do you even know day drinking?


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## Randai

*4 @Bribie G - Tooths 1950s XXX Ale*
Appearance: Pale straw gold colour. Almost yellow. Crystal clear. Even when poured right to the bottom brilliantly clear. Little head retention that quickly dissipates. 
Aroma: Faint ester. Almost twanginess to it. Mild hoppiness maybe?
Flavour: Familiar. Hops/classic mega swill hoppiness. Clean, crisp, drinkable. Slight cideryness to it. Although a decent malt flavour that is in the background.
Mouthfeel: Moderate to low, but super refreshing.
Overall: A super drinkable beer that strikes me as a more flavourful and characterful beer than the standard XXXX/Carlton Draught. It makes me think of crown lager or something like that from when I used to steal sips from my father.
I can see why they'd make so much of this, I could drink it all day.













4_bribeg_xxx_ale



__ Randai
__ 9/12/17


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## pcqypcqy

Randai said:


> I must have missed it, but what is the ABV?



It's 6.5%, but I was more suggesting the darkness and sweetness might not go so well early in the day. 

So Jill and I finally cracked a few today:

Ben 15 Saison

Cloves, but in a good yeast character way (rather than a hack 4 wolves/GB brewery way). A very solid saison. No smoke though. Any choc wheat?

Troy 13 Mango chilli Saison

Mango low, but still there. Good level of chilli. Nice saison character. very drinkable. Seems the fruit ferments out and goes a bit generic (happened with my mulberry saison we had at he swap out of the keg as well), but I think it still provides a good balance with the chilli. We're going to try a no-fruit chilli saison to see what this does to the balance. You know, for science.

Liam 6 Pepper saison

Another solid saison. Agree with Randai about dialing the pepper back a bit, it overpowers. I'm almost perceiving the pepper and saison character as a bandaid fault. But I don't think that's a real issue with the beer, it's just an associated flavour in my brain so that's just how I perceive it. But the idea works and when balanced I think this will be a cracking beer.


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## Parks

Just putting the “now ready” beers in the fridge - how’s Bribie’s clarity?


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## Randai

Parks said:


> Just putting the “now ready” beers in the fridge - how’s Bribie’s clarity?
> 
> View attachment 110326


Its the yeast. Without finings I am having crystal clear beer come out of the fermenter. This thing just drops like a sack of spuds.


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## pcqypcqy

Parks said:


> Just putting the “now ready” beers in the fridge - how’s Bribie’s clarity?
> 
> View attachment 110326


 
You sure you didn't get his place holder bottle of water?


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## Liam_snorkel

Randai said:


> *6 @Liam_snorkel - peppercorn saison.*
> Appearance: Moderate golden colour. Fluffy head on pouring, quite stable and white. Stuck around for a bit, but has receded down to a tiny rim.
> Aroma: Saison esters. Spiciness, like coriander almost. If the peppercorn is mixed in there I think its mixed in with the saison esters and I can't tell it apart.
> Flavour: Saison spiciness, prominent black pepper flavour. Nice malty sweetness here. I'd love to know the malts.
> Mouthfeel: Quite dry, refreshing.
> Overall: A spicy, estery, refreshing drop. That makes me want to keep sipping... it doesn't get too much after having a glass and I'd go back for seconds, so I will.
> Minor suggestion, depending on how long they were left in and how much, the peppercorns could be toned down just a bit. But its only a guess, and how you'd go about that I can't say.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 6_liams_peppercorn_saison
> 
> 
> 
> __ Randai
> __ 8/12/17





pcqypcqy said:


> Liam 6 Pepper saison
> 
> Another solid saison. Agree with Randai about dialing the pepper back a bit, it overpowers. I'm almost perceiving the pepper and saison character as a bandaid fault. But I don't think that's a real issue with the beer, it's just an associated flavour in my brain so that's just how I perceive it. But the idea works and when balanced I think this will be a cracking beer.



cheers gents! 
I think next time I'll use less pepper and put it in secondary rather than the cube. I think the method I used resulted in less aroma and more flavour.

Randai - the malt bill:
3kg BB ale, 2kg wey wheat, 500g quick oats, & 150g caramunich (I think).
I'm not sure which caramunich I used as it was some I got from a BABBs raffle unlabelled.


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## earle

Liam 6 Pepper Saison

Very enjoyable beer thanks Liam, as others have already said the pepper is a little on the high side but as it warmed I reckon more saison funk yeast character came through and seemed more balanced.

I reckon the funny thing with specialty ingredients is most advice suggests to keep it subtle but if you put it in a comp and it's subtle it often gets missed and then you get marked down for not having your listed specialty ingredient. Tricky to get the balance just right.


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## Parks

earle said:


> Liam 6 Pepper Saison
> I reckon the funny thing with specialty ingredients is most advice suggests to keep it subtle but if you put it in a comp and it's subtle it often gets missed and then you get marked down for not having your listed specialty ingredient. Tricky to get the balance just right.



Like most things if you make it right you won’t really know it’s in there (you’ll need to dissect it).

Specialty beers in comps are a mug’s game.


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## Parks

Bribie’s Tooth’s XXX 1950s Ale

Clean sweet malt, some background bitterness. Could easily fool a XXXX gold drinker.

Very, very well made beer.


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## Liam_snorkel

Also BribieG's tooths 1950's XXX
I echo Parks' comments. Lingering smooth bitterness and a slight clean honey sweetness. In the name of science I cracked a gold which has more of a grainy mouse piss aroma rather than clean sweet malt.


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## Lord Raja Goomba I

I'm enjoying reading this, reviews, banter and creativity from a far off land. 

Great to see the creative beers, you don't get that scoffing commercial beers, and even commercial craft lacks that individuality. 

Carry on.


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## Liam_snorkel

I shared Parks' mango chilli saison yesterday with @rokaxe
It was a very clean delicious beer, the chilli was subtle, bit of ripe tasting fruit in there, and it still definitely tasted like a saison.


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## earle

Looks like he's really enjoying it.


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## Liam_snorkel

he was re-enacting this:


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## Liam_snorkel

Pcqypcqy - yulebryg
Spicy malty thing. I'm struggling to put a name on the overall flavour other than it tastes like christmas and soap. Enjoyable nonetheless, hails!


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## earle

Liam_snorkel said:


> Pcqypcqy - yulebryg
> other than it tastes like christmas and soap.


Wash your mouth out for saying that


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## Liam_snorkel

earle said:


> Wash your mouth out for saying that



Sorry, *tastes like yuletide & soap.


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## madpierre06

I noticed the difference in collar size and stability when looking at Park's beer (Mangrove jack bottle?) and Pesky's beer, interesting when you consider that it was one of Dav'es beers that leaked when stored upside down. I have another beer here which I think used the same make of bottle as dave had as the collar looked to be slightly deformed and some of the little join points (collar to cap) had split, possibly due to lower quality/strength plastic......there was the slightest hiss of gas escaping through the separations. I use the mangrove jack bottle , the quality in general arouynd the collar and join do appear significantly higher.


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## Liam_snorkel

Crowmanz - Tas wild yeast saison
Crystal clear golden colour no head retention, bit of a funky nose, dry but has some apricot-ish sweetnes. 2nd pour got a bit of sediment in which brought some bready character and sherbert into play. I get the feeling this beer would really funk/sour up given some time in the bottle and if I had another I'd let it sit at ambient for another month or two. Cheers


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## madpierre06

Liam_snorkel said:


> Crowmanz - Tas wild yeast saison
> Crystal clear golden colour no head retention, bit of a funky nose, dry but has some apricot-ish sweetnes. 2nd pour got a bit of sediment in which brought some bready character and sherbert into play. I get the feeling this beer would really funk/sour up given some time in the bottle and if I had another I'd let it sit at ambient for another month or two. Cheers
> 
> View attachment 110339



Be handy if ya had two of 'em...and always happy to share.


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## Liam_snorkel

Nickxb - rum barrel aged imperial American amber ale
it it's exactly as you would expect but I'm also pretty sure there is coconut involved.


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## pcqypcqy

Liam_snorkel said:


> Sorry, *tastes like yuletide & soap.



Everyone seems to big on the coriander = soap thing, but I can't pick it.

But given the foul mouths around here a bit of soap washing probably isn't a bad thing.


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## winkle

madpierre06 said:


> I noticed the difference in collar size and stability when looking at Park's beer (Mangrove jack bottle?) and Pesky's beer, interesting when you consider that it was one of Dav'es beers that leaked when stored upside down. I have another beer here which I think used the same make of bottle as dave had as the collar looked to be slightly deformed and some of the little join points (collar to cap) had split, possibly due to lower quality/strength plastic......there was the slightest hiss of gas escaping through the separations. I use the mangrove jack bottle , the quality in general arouynd the collar and join do appear significantly higher.


The "Woolworths" bottles are generally a poorer quality in my experience.


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## pcqypcqy

winkle said:


> The "Woolworths" bottles are generally a poorer quality in my experience.



I think ours are Morgan's from the brew shop, and they've gone with a cheaper design since this time last year. I'll be having a chat with our LHBS about whether they can stock different bottles.


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## crowmanz

Liam_snorkel said:


> Crowmanz - Tas wild yeast saison
> Crystal clear golden colour no head retention, bit of a funky nose, dry but has some apricot-ish sweetnes. 2nd pour got a bit of sediment in which brought some bready character and sherbert into play. I get the feeling this beer would really funk/sour up given some time in the bottle and if I had another I'd let it sit at ambient for another month or two. Cheers
> 
> View attachment 110339


Yeah I was hoping to be able to say give em a bit of time but got a bit worried with the firmness of the bottles after only 2 days.


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## pcqypcqy

crowmanz said:


> Yeah I was hoping to be able to say give em a bit of time but got a bit worried with the firmness of the bottles after only 2 days.



I like to live dangerously.


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## crowmanz

Mine are in new Coopers bottles from big w, not sure if we have sourced which brand is the main culprit in the splitting.


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## Randai

crowmanz said:


> Mine are in new Coopers bottles from big w, not sure if we have sourced which brand is the main culprit in the splitting.


Shit better check on the crowmanz ale then... lest I clean wild saison off the carpet.


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## madpierre06

So far, there's a combination of the Morgans which seem to leak for the fun of it (due to lowrring of quality?), and reused caps that maybe haven't bedded in solidly. Thats a bugger with the Morgans, I hope MJ's don't head down that path.


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## Randai

madpierre06 said:


> So far, there's a combination of the Morgans which seem to leak for the fun of it (due to lowrring of quality?), and reused caps that maybe haven't bedded in solidly. Thats a bugger with the Morgans, I hope MJ's don't head down that path.


Hmm I got coopers, not sure of the quality of em. Any issues with using them?


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## madpierre06

Not sure mate, haven't used them for yonks.


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## benken25

Cracked 11. Zombie dust clone. From memory someone did one of these a few swaps ago? This beer is amber in colour and oozes ripe mango and stonefruit. Head didn't hand around long but neither did the beer. Great drop. 

9. Evoo4u smoked porter. Had this a the swap and really enjoyed it. Nothing has changed great porter with a hint of smoke. Not only do you know olive oil mate you have a bit of an idea about smoke too.


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## Parks

benken25 said:


> Cracked 11. Zombie dust clone. From memory someone did one of these a few swaps ago? This beer is amber in colour and oozes ripe mango and stonefruit. Head didn't hand around long but neither did the beer. Great drop.


NickXB made one last swap.


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## madpierre06

*4 . Bribie G - Tooths 1950s XXX Ale
*
Lovely drop mate, all there is to say. Straw coloiured, clean, subtle, very easy to drink. Looking forward to making a few along these lines soon.


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## madpierre06

*16. seeheusen - Blueberry hefe
*
So good to see this one back martyin, one of my all time favourtie drops. Lovely ubtle scolouring, the fruit comes through very balanced.


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## winkle

Cracked Liams Saison, nice beer mate, can't miss the peppercorns! How much did you use? My blackpepper and lime saison used 12 whole peppercorns, initially in your face but the pepper fades a bit too fast for my taste (as you may have noticed).


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## Insensate

Parks said:


> NickXB made one last swap.



Yeh sorry guys, I was a last minute inclusion and had everything to make this beer. Always a good beer though so I don’t think many will complain.


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## Insensate

benken25 said:


> Cracked 11. Zombie dust clone. From memory someone did one of these a few swaps ago? This beer is amber in colour and oozes ripe mango and stonefruit. Head didn't hand around long but neither did the beer. Great drop.



Hey benken, thanks for the nice comments. I haven’t cracked any of mine yet as they’re only a few weeks old. Did it seem carbed up enough?


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## madpierre06

Insensate said:


> Hey benken, thanks for the nice comments. I haven’t cracked any of mine yet as they’re only a few weeks old. Did it seem carbed up enough?



Might be some comments on this tonight


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## Liam_snorkel

winkle said:


> Cracked Liams Saison, nice beer mate, can't miss the peppercorns! How much did you use? My blackpepper and lime saison used 12 whole peppercorns, initially in your face but the pepper fades a bit too fast for my taste (as you may have noticed).


I used 16g of whole peppercorns which I then crushed, & threw in a cube. I think that's about 10x your rate 
When do you put yours in?


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## madpierre06

winkle said:


> Cracked Liams Saison, nice beer mate, can't miss the peppercorns! How much did you use? My blackpepper and lime saison used 12 whole peppercorns, initially in your face but the pepper fades a bit too fast for my taste (as you may have noticed).



I don't get it, my bottle came up ferpectly balanced, there was just enough peppercorns to give a smidgeon of presence.


----------



## earle

Insensate said:


> Hey benken, thanks for the nice comments. I haven’t cracked any of mine yet as they’re only a few weeks old. Did it seem carbed up enough?


@benken25 , do you even know spreadsheets?


----------



## crowmanz

6. Liam_snorkel - Saison with black peppercorns

There's peppercorns in here? Haha I'm getting a touch on the backend but getting strong Saison esters (they are peppery). Persistent white head, good carbonation, all round solid Saison.


----------



## winkle

Liam_snorkel said:


> I used 16g of whole peppercorns which I then crushed, & threw in a cube. I think that's about 10x your rate
> When do you put yours in?


5 minutes (roughly crushed) along with the lime rind.


----------



## benken25

earle said:


> @benken25 , do you even know spreadsheets?


Auto sparkies have no need for spread sheets


----------



## benken25

Insensate said:


> Yeh sorry guys, I was a last minute inclusion and had everything to make this beer. Always a good beer though so I don’t think many will complain.


No complaints here. I have actully never heard of the beer zombie dust and have tastes 2 clone beers. Both very good 


Insensate said:


> Hey benken, thanks for the nice comments. I haven’t cracked any of mine yet as they’re only a few weeks old. Did it seem carbed up enough?


----------



## benken25

Had 1. Pcqypcqy julebryg last night. Tastes like thooheys old with spices. Very well balance with the spice and the malt. None of the spices really dominate over the others. Probably not as enjoyable as a trip to 4 pines hence there isnt a pic


----------



## nickxb

1. Pcqypcqy - Julebryg - Really nice beer. Perfect balance of malts with the spices. Really nice rich ruby colour and a good level of carbonation.

4. Bribie G - Tooths 1950s XXX ale - To be honest I had never even heard of this beer/brewery before so I did some googling. Seems like they had a pretty interesting history. Where did you get the recipe? I enjoyed this one and I think the best way to describe it is it tastes like beer. Good job.

6. Liam_Snorkel - Saision with black peppercorns - Huge pepper on the nose but is balanced on taste with the phenols that a saison should have. Very enjoyable beer.


----------



## Parks

madpierre06 said:


> *16. seeheusen - Blueberry hefe
> *
> So good to see this one back martyin, one of my all time favourtie drops. Lovely ubtle scolouring, the fruit comes through very balanced.
> 
> View attachment 110368



Agreed. Fruit was very fresh and balanced well. 

It was a bit sad the colour didn't show in the glass as well - when pouring the blue was very evident.


----------



## Parks

benken25 said:


> Had 1. Pcqypcqy julebryg last night. Tastes like thooheys old with spices. Very well balance with the spice and the malt. None of the spices really dominate over the others. Probably not as enjoyable as a trip to 4 pines hence there isnt a pic



I had this one on the weekend. I'm not a big star anise / aniseed / five spice fan but this seemed to really work.

Well done Pcqypcqy


----------



## Parks

pcqypcqy said:


> Liam 6 Pepper saison
> 
> I'm almost perceiving the pepper and saison character as a bandaid fault. But I don't think that's a real issue with the beer, it's just an associated flavour in my brain so that's just how I perceive it.



It's very interesting you noting this. I tried Liam's beer pretty soon after the swap and let him know I felt it had a strong Chlorophenol fault picked up as bandaid / burnt rubber. I didn't want to influence anyone else's perceptions so kept it private at least until a number of people tried it.

I am wondering if pepper at certain concentrations hits the same olfactory memory or if I simply can't distinguish the two.

Interesting. I might have to dose a beer with black pepper to see how it goes.


----------



## madpierre06

*11. Insensate - Zombie Dust Clone
*
Mate, I reckon have a yarn to Nickxb who might have some ideas for ya on bringing this up to a higher level. As a stand alone beer, lovely drop, fresh as, and fresh fruit abounds. A bit darker in colour when compared to the same beer which Nick did last swap, and which was one of my top 5 all time swap beers. Real pleased I have a second bottle of this to look forward to.


----------



## crowmanz

Parks said:


> It's very interesting you noting this. I tried Liam's beer pretty soon after the swap and let him know I felt it had a strong Chlorophenol fault picked up as bandaid / burnt rubber. I didn't want to influence anyone else's perceptions so kept it private at least until a number of people tried it.
> 
> I am wondering if pepper at certain concentrations hits the same olfactory memory or if I simply can't distinguish the two.
> 
> Interesting. I might have to dose a beer with black pepper to see how it goes.



Do you get chlorophenols from a lot of saisons? At QABC I judged a beer that I thought was bang on for Saison phenols but was picked up by 2 others as chlorophenols. Maybe it is close in sensory or maybe I can't detect it unless at significant levels?


----------



## nickxb

madpierre06 said:


> *11. Insensate - Zombie Dust Clone
> *
> Mate, I reckon have a yarn to Nickxb who might have some ideas for ya on bringing this up to a higher level. As a stand alone beer, lovely drop, fresh as, and fresh fruit abounds. A bit darker in colour when compared to the same beer which Nick did last swap, and which was one of my top 5 all time swap beers. Real pleased I have a second bottle of this to look forward to.



I haven't tried your one yet Insensate but until then here is the recipe I use and some thoughts on hoppy beers. There is 4 main things I think are important aside from the obvious like limiting oxygen post fermentation.

1. *Keg* - Bottle conditioned hoppy beers seem to lose their punchiness. Need to keg and bottle from the keg for max effect.
2. *Water* - Need to nail the water profile (see mine below for Pales/IPAs)
3. *Hop Stand* - Add 0 min hops at 80c rather than at flameout and let them sit at or around that temp for 20-30 mins before chilling (NFI how this translates if you cube)
4. *Huge dry hop* - I dry hop for 3-4 days at ferm temp before cold crash. Seems to work well.

Not sure of your process or recipe but this is what I found to make a difference for my beers. 
*
Nickxb - Zombie Dust - APA
*
OG = 1.063
FG = 1.016
ABV = 6.4%
IBU = 51 (estimated)
Colour = 14.2EBC
Mash Efficiency = 83%
Mash = 67°C for 60 mins
Boil Time = 60 mins
Post Boil Volume = 23L
Ferment Temp = 18°C
Water Profile = Ca 140, Mg 18, Na 38, S04 322, CI 61

*Grain*
4.7kg BB Ale Malt
0.45kg Munich
0.20kg Carapils
0.20kg Crystal Medium
0.20kg Melanoiden

*Hops*
20g Magnum FWH
10g Citra 15 min
20g Citra 10 min
30g Citra 5 min
40g Citra Whirpool at 80c + Hop stand for 20 mins
100g Citra Dry Hop

*Yeast*
Safale S-04 x 2 – Rehydrated


----------



## crowmanz

15. Benken25 - random Saison cube 

Saison on the lower levels of phenolic, on the darker end of saison. The subdued phenolics and dryness make it quite quaffable


----------



## Parks

crowmanz said:


> Do you get chlorophenols from a lot of saisons? At QABC I judged a beer that I thought was bang on for Saison phenols but was picked up by 2 others as chlorophenols. Maybe it is close in sensory or maybe I can't detect it unless at significant levels?



Nope. I've had quite a large number of saisons and normally I get a peppery spice note or the clove Belgian yeast phenolic. This is quite different to me but again maybe it's just the intensity.

That's not to say I didn't judge your QABC saison and call it chlorophenolic...


----------



## crowmanz

Parks said:


> Nope. I've had quite a large number of saisons and normally I get a peppery spice note or the clove Belgian yeast phenolic. This is quite different to me but again maybe it's just the intensity.
> 
> That's not to say I didn't judge your QABC saison and call it chlorophenolic...


Nah wasn't my beer, just a beer I was judging.

Have you had my swap beer yet? I was worried i might get pinged chlorophenols simply because I was getting similar phenolics as this qabc Saison (I couldn't taste any). I've tasted true chlorophenols, from Adr_0 in Gladstone when he forgot to treat his chloramine high water. 

I think the clove and pepper phenolic descriptors of Belgian yeast come very close to the chlorophenol descriptors, as you say maybe the intensity is causing it?


----------



## benken25

crowmanz said:


> 15. Benken25 - random Saison cube
> 
> Saison on the lower levels of phenolic, on the darker end of saison. The subdued phenolics and dryness make it quite quaffable
> View attachment 110401


I would love to know what that cube was i initially ment to be. Nothing in my records looks right


----------



## seehuusen

nickxb said:


> 4. Bribie G - Tooths 1950s XXX ale - To be honest I had never even heard of this beer/brewery before so I did some googling. Seems like they had a pretty interesting history. Where did you get the recipe?



This, the 059 yeast, a bunch of other old school recipes and a great deal about Aussie brewing history was written about/ dug up by Peter Symons in his 2015 book, called Bronzed Brews - it's a great read (no affiliation blah blah blah)


----------



## crowmanz

seehuusen said:


> This, the 059 yeast, a bunch of other old school recipes and a great deal about Aussie brewing history was written about/ dug up by Peter Symons in his 2015 book, called Bronzed Brews - it's a great read (no affiliation blah blah blah)


He also has a new book out "6 o'clock brews", it is on my xmas wish list.


----------



## Parks

crowmanz said:


> Have you had my swap beer yet? I was worried i might get pinged chlorophenols simply because I was getting similar phenolics as this qabc Saison (I couldn't taste any). I've tasted true chlorophenols, from Adr_0 in Gladstone when he forgot to treat his chloramine high water.


I have had yours. Really enjoyed it. No Chlorophenols.





crowmanz said:


> I think the clove and pepper phenolic descriptors of Belgian yeast come very close to the chlorophenol descriptors, as you say maybe the intensity is causing it?


This is definitely something I want to investigate further.


----------



## Parks

crowmanz said:


> 15. Benken25 - random Saison cube
> 
> Saison on the lower levels of phenolic, on the darker end of saison. The subdued phenolics and dryness make it quite quaffable
> View attachment 110401



Pretty much on par with my thoughts. A good, honest and simple beer. Much like its brewer.


----------



## Liam_snorkel

hey @Parks on the chlorophenol issue - I opened the 'dregs' bottle of my swap beer with Rokaxe and he picked up bandaids as well. We ended up tipping it as there was too much sludge and particulate, so I guess any yeast or leftover pepper character would have been amplified.


----------



## Parks

Liam_snorkel said:


> so I guess any yeast or leftover pepper character would have been amplified.



And maybe that's the truth of it. There is *some* fault there and the combination with the other phenolics just amplifies it.

But it's also possible I am particularly sensitive to that fault too.


----------



## Liam_snorkel

I got heaps of cloves so I it's definitely phenolic, and at the least the shitloads of piperine combined with that could give a similar result.


----------



## pcqypcqy

benken25 said:


> I would love to know what that cube was i initially ment to be. Nothing in my records looks right



You keep records now?


----------



## pcqypcqy

Parks said:


> And maybe that's the truth of it. There is *some* fault there and the combination with the other phenolics just amplifies it.
> 
> But it's also possible I am particularly sensitive to that fault too.





Liam_snorkel said:


> I got heaps of cloves so I it's definitely phenolic, and at the least the shitloads of piperine combined with that could give a similar result.



I was thinking there could be a bit of both, but in my mind the flavour was very similar to a green pepper berry sort of thing - quite peppery and a bit vegetal. 

My wife and I discussed it a bit when we had it, and after I explained the flavour / fault descriptors she could see what I was saying but we were both leaning towards pepper intensity rather than chlorophenol fault.

Will be interesting to see what the other guys say.


----------



## Liam_snorkel

it was also late hopped with mandarina bavaria at about 4g/l which could have added some spice. I was going for citrus with that


----------



## Randai

*6 @crowmanz - wild tasmania saison.*
Appearance: Solid gold colour. Decent head, that sticks around for several minutes but then has faded to a 0.5 cm persistent ring. Moderate haze, but partially bright. I suspect it would drop clear.
Aroma: Clean smell, with a malty something. Quite pleasant. Low amount of esters I think.
Flavour: Moderate yeast character of I think a clove like flavour, maybe a tiny bit of pepper. Delicious sweetness of malt. no faults I can find. Reminds me of a hefeweizen that has cut back on the banana side. Low bitterness, not sure I can pick up anything from the hops.
Mouthfeel: I'd say medium, but I have been fooled before.
Overall: A super drinkable and delicious beer. I can't state how much I enjoyed this beer. Its got enough esters to keep it interesting, the malt sweetness just seems right, its super drinkable. I've just checked the ABV and I need to slow down, I've drank half of this in 5 minutes or so. It does not feel like a 6.7% beer at all.
Good job. Please let me know what malts you have in this/recipe.













14_crowmanz_wild_saison



__ Randai
__ 14/12/17


----------



## crowmanz

@Randai cheers mate.

Recipe is 
80% Barrett Burston Ale Malt
19.6% wheat malt
0.4% Munich malt (got some free wheat malt as there was a stuffed bag at National homebrew that had some Munich mixed in)

24 IBUs Tettnang @ 60min
3 IBUs Hallertauer Trad @ 20min (this was actually added @ 0min before cubing)

Notes say 1.055 OG to 1.004 FG 

6.7% wasn't taking into account bottle condition either so a touch higher.


----------



## Siderman

16. Seehuusen Blueberry Hefe

I personally hate the banana ester flavour you typically get in this style but love this take on the beer. 

It’s still got a lot of the clove and spice thing going on but you really get the blueberry flavour, almost to the point of being a little tart how fresh blueberries can be. 

Excellent head retention. Carbonated well. Hard to fault.


----------



## benken25

pcqypcqy said:


> You keep records now?


Only on beersmith filed by year. I have a bad habit of not writing on cubes though


----------



## Randai

crowmanz said:


> @Randai cheers mate.
> 
> Recipe is
> 80% Barrett Burston Ale Malt
> 19.6% wheat malt
> 0.4% Munich malt (got some free wheat malt as there was a stuffed bag at National homebrew that had some Munich mixed in)
> 
> 24 IBUs Tettnang @ 60min
> 3 IBUs Hallertauer Trad @ 20min (this was actually added @ 0min before cubing)
> 
> Notes say 1.055 OG to 1.004 FG
> 
> 6.7% wasn't taking into account bottle condition either so a touch higher.


Hmm yeah I was wondering if it was BB malt or not. But considering my palate is shit, I thought I'd guess "oh it tastes like domestic/BB malt" and it'd turn out "actually its Himalayan smoked malt".


----------



## pcqypcqy

crowmanz said:


> @Randai cheers mate.
> 
> Recipe is
> 80% Barrett Burston Ale Malt
> 19.6% wheat malt
> 0.4% Munich malt (got some free wheat malt as there was a stuffed bag at National homebrew that had some Munich mixed in)
> 
> 24 IBUs Tettnang @ 60min
> 3 IBUs Hallertauer Trad @ 20min (this was actually added @ 0min before cubing)
> 
> Notes say 1.055 OG to 1.004 FG
> 
> 6.7% wasn't taking into account bottle condition either so a touch higher.



no choc wheat. That's a strike.


----------



## crowmanz

pcqypcqy said:


> no choc wheat. That's a strike.


I wasn't presented with choc wheat from the holy sack when joining the club. Club strike.


----------



## Siderman

4. Bribie Tooth 1950’s XXX

This is excellent. The style is simple and would show fault easily if mistakes were made. Just really great brewing.


----------



## pcqypcqy

How do people feel about giving out 3/2/1 points for their top 3 beers based purely on overall impression, and tallying up the totals at the end?


----------



## earle

Wouldn't involve a spreadsheet would it?


----------



## pcqypcqy

earle said:


> Wouldn't involve a spreadsheet would it?



Hey, even better!


----------



## Randai

*6 @seehuusen - Blueberry hefe*
Appearance: Reddish/pink color, big fluffy persistent head. Hazy
Aroma: Tart, sharpish fruit smell. I think a ciderish smell to the nose.
Flavour: Fruity, almost apple cider, bit tart. Mild amounts of banana and cloves.
Mouthfeel: Dryish mouth feel, I think from the fruit that has been some waht fermented out.
Overall: Very refreshing beer. With a balanced keep going back for another sip. Fruit isn't dominating, cloves and banana not dominating.
Personally I like a lot more banana and cloves in my hefeweizens, but this is quite enjoyable.













16_seehusen_blueberry_hefe



__ Randai
__ 15/12/17


----------



## evoo4u

pcqypcqy said:


> How do people feel about giving out 3/2/1 points for their top 3 beers based purely on overall impression, and tallying up the totals at the end?



Great idea. I'm shit at describing the finer nuances, but pretty good at determining whether I reckon a brew's hot shit or total shit! (It's the word of the day...)


----------



## pcqypcqy

2 (red) madpierre hoppy saison

VERY strong cloves and spice yeast aroma and flavour. We could smell it as soon as the bottle was open. Some good saison funk in there, and a little bit of late hop character as well. All in all a very good beer.

Having tasted this, it's reinforced my opinion that Liam's beer doesn't have medicinal flavours, but just tonnes of pepper from the cube addition and the yeast character.


4 bribie g pornography ale

Exceptionally clear. Pear flavour and aroma strong, perhaps too strong. Not sure what's causing this, yeast stress or ferment temp maybe, or aceteldahyde maybe. Otherwise a good crisp ale.


16 seehusen blueberry hefe

Great colour. Nice pepper on the nose, good balance if fruit malt and bitterness in the glass. Jill said it reminded her of Rodenbach, she's thinking sour whereas I'm thinking tartness from the fruit. Like Parks and my saisons, the fruit tends to generic in these sorts of beers. I couldn't say for sure it was blueberry without having been told. But still, we both enjoyed it heaps.


----------



## Siderman

13. Parks Mango Chilli Saison

If you just said this was a standard saison I would say, great job I enjoyed it! I could smell the chilli and typically you do get lots of fruit esters in a saison, but I couldn’t really get any mango or chilli. Don’t really care for chilli in beer but would have been great to have more mango. Nevertheless it was pretty tasty and didn’t last long enough to get a picture.


----------



## Siderman

#10 Siderman ready to go. 

Not sure it’s really a saison, but a Sour Choc Wheat deliciousness awaits.


----------



## Liam_snorkel

16 - Seehusen's blueberry hefe
I did the first pour clean and the second 'mit hefe' for the full effect, & took a photo of each for science. Visually it has a "rosé blush" (thanks to my wife for the correct term) strong foam retention and generally looks like a hefe should. Aroma and flav wise I'm picking up the skins and some very slight acidity from the blueberries but it still definitely screams hefeweizen, with a kind of bready peach/pear/banana combo going on. I've been ******* around with blueberries (post fermentation) in the last week so am familiar with what they bring to a beer, this is subtle but instantly recognisable to me. Delightful beer thanks for sharing it with us man.


----------



## Siderman

14. Crowmanz Saison

Consumed in the pool. Excellent on a warm day. ABV hidden well but sneaks up on you.


----------



## earle

2 Madpierre - Hoppy Saison

Funky with a bit of bitterness. A bit complex and quite enjoyable. What yeast did you use with this one, I'm getting a touch of something a bit wild.


----------



## madpierre06

earle said:


> 2 Madpierre - Hoppy Saison
> 
> Funky with a bit of bitterness. A bit complex and quite enjoyable. What yeast did you use with this one, I'm getting a touch of something a bit wild.



Hey Earle, ta mate. A bit of a story...had a smack pack of 3711 18 months past use date, and a MJ French Saison. The smack pack showed no life but chucked it in anyways, along with the MJ. First ferment took off pretty quick (assuming the MJ here), it had finished out completely, then a day later anoither solid ferment took off (assuming the Wyeast here), went about 3 days then stopped at 1.009 (original F.G. was to be 1.016).


----------



## pcqypcqy

14 crowmanz hipster saison

Very delicate saison aroma and flavour. Much more complex than your standard saison. Malt bitterness and yeast all well balanced, letting the very subtle yeast characteristics shine. 

This is amazing. Will have to feature in my 3/2/1's at the end for sure.


----------



## winkle

This one should be ready to go.


----------



## pcqypcqy

winkle said:


> This one should be ready to go. View attachment 110510



Dare I ask what you're watching in the background there?


----------



## winkle

pcqypcqy said:


> Dare I ask what you're watching in the background there?


Haha, no idea, some random shit on Foxtel probably after the A league finished.


----------



## pcqypcqy

winkle said:


> Haha, no idea, some random shit on Foxtel probably after the A league finished.



Well, he's hunky.


----------



## Zorco

Yes, definitely mood setting Winkle..... You're wife controlling the remote again?


----------



## madpierre06

*14. Crowmanz - Tassie Wild Saison 
*
Everything I've had of these yeasts has been nothing short of delicious. This fits the bill. Crisp, morish, spritzy, very saison'ish. Top drop, mate.


----------



## winkle

Zorco said:


> Yes, definitely mood setting Winkle..... You're wife controlling the remote again?


"Oceans on Fire" 1980s B grade, oil rig blows up, movie. Forgetable, so I did until now.


----------



## Siderman

6. Liam Peppercorn Saison

I was fearing this would be like your ridiculously hot chilli beers! The pepper certainly has an impact but it works. Gotta say I’m enjoying the amount of saisons in this hot weather. Nice beer!


----------



## winkle

I wish this friggen man flu would bugger off, there are 4 in the fridge wanting on palate recovery.


----------



## crowmanz

4. Bribie G Tooth 1950’s XXX

Presents clear straw coloured. Slight pear like aroma and flavour, that reminds me of Coopers yeast like in sparkling ale, but otherwise clean.


----------



## crowmanz

Bribie G's enjoyed over 2 nights, second night in a more appropriate glass


----------



## crowmanz

#2 (Red) Madpierre - Hoppy Saison

Poured hazy and murky. Pleasant saison phenolic characters from both aroma and flavour. A good mix of malt profile to dryness. There is a hop presence on the flavour but I couldn't pin point an exact hop type/flavour in the rest of the saison phenols.


----------



## Randai

*15 @benken25 - random cube saison.*
Appearance: A copper colour, quite clear. Decentish head retention with quite a fluffy head when poured, receding down to a minimal solid head.
Aroma: Saison esters all the way. That slightly funky off saison smell.
Flavour: Bitterness/hops, I can't tell you. I am tasting the saison pepperiness, less clovey/bananery that I sometimes get with the few saisons I've had recently.
Mouthfeel: Not heavy, quite refreshing. Bit more body than other saisons I've reviewed in the thread so far.
Overall: Quite an enjoyable beer. With a nice copper colour. It almost reminds me of an english bitter in colour and mild bitterness (of those sort). But defintely has the saison smell and peppery taste. But no over powering and quite in balance actually. I think the maltiness whilst not immediately apparent does balance it.













16_benken_random_ale_saison



__ Randai
__ 19/12/17


----------



## Siderman

1. Julebryg - Pcqypcqy 

Hit the spot after a rough day. Nice warming Christmas ale. Delicious.


----------



## winkle

4. Bribie G 1950 Tooths XXX Ale. I haven't had a Tooths for a long time and even then it'd been an Old. But this is a well made tasty drop, star bright, well carbonated, (lowish head retention) clean, with a touch of pear as others have noted, some spritz on the tongue. I was expecting a cidery note with the percentage of sugar used, but can't find it, good work.


----------



## winkle




----------



## pcqypcqy

just found this on facebook, memory from four years ago. bit diferrent from then.


----------



## madpierre06

pcqypcqy said:


> just found this on facebook, memory from four years ago. bit diferrent from then.



Brilliant spot mate, looks like you could make a decent fire there, eh.


----------



## crowmanz

16 - Seehusen blueberry hefe

Good carbonation, nice pop when cracking the cap. Pinky rose hues. Subtle blueberry tones in there. First pour was nice and clear, second with that hefe/NE style haze. Enjoyable beer.


----------



## pcqypcqy

8 Earle Christmas spiced saison

A light easy drinking warm weather beer. Mild saison character. Not detecting much spice. But overall very pleasant.

24 Randai porno ale

Like an old, but with a more complicated roast and yeast character. Disappeared quickly on a warm afternoon.

22 Scotty boaty mc boat face

Slight harshness up front, but then settled down to a nice beer. I'd give it a bit longer if you haven't put yours in the fridge yet. Not sure what this is from the description, but if it's a pilsner / light Belgian ale fermented with a trappist yeast, then it is ticking boxes. Nice subtle but distinct Belgian yeast character. Very enjoyable.


----------



## earle

pcqypcqy said:


> 8 Earle Christmas spiced saison
> 
> A light easy drinking warm weather beer. Mild saison character. Not detecting much spice. But overall very pleasant.



Yeah, I went for subtle when I brewed it and later realised I might have overstated it on the label.


----------



## Bribie G

I haven't been testing until now for two reasons:
When repacking the car at Ballina to take swmbo home the bottom fell out of a box and the bottles ended up bouncing all over a car park, so I left them for a week or two to settle down.
Also I prefer to post pix and after an upgrade, Windows ******* 10 now refuses to recognise my phone as a drive (as well as infesting my browser with Bing) - my Dropbox was full but I've done a workaround so all good now.

*2. Madpierre06 Hoppy Saison:*
Not a style I brew but very refreshing, dry but huge malt balanced by firm hops and spectacular persistent head. Good beer hit for a hot afternoon.


----------



## crowmanz

I found bottle 23 leaking today when packing for Xmas. Had been on its side the entire time since the swap. Was still firm so chucked it in the fridge to test in a couple weeks.


----------



## winkle

crowmanz said:


> I found bottle 23 leaking today when packing for Xmas. Had been on its side the entire time since the swap. Was still firm so chucked it in the fridge to test in a couple weeks.
> View attachment 110599
> View attachment 110600


Bugger, new caps and I'd carefully checked all bottle prior to filling, what does the base look like? I have spares if you are around these parts.


----------



## crowmanz

winkle said:


> Bugger, new caps and I'd carefully checked all bottle prior to filling, what does the base look like? I have spares if you are around these parts.


Base seemed normal, not popped or anything. I thought it was odd it still had pressure. 

I'll give this one a crack wine I get back home in the new year. If it's too far gone I'll see if I can get to the northside when I'm down in Brissy.


----------



## evoo4u

crowmanz said:


> Base seemed normal, not popped or anything. I thought it was odd it still had pressure.



I had the same issue a few months back with two of my PETs - most of the beer had escaped somehow, but the bottles were still strongly pressurised. A visual inspection revealed no flaws. [_Cue here the theme from The Twilight Zone._..]


----------



## Siderman

5. Evoo4u - julebryg 

Very different style to the other one. I’m not overly familiar with the style but it’s light and super well attenuated. Fruity, Saison like but without the esters. Really dry, cider-ish. 

Not getting a whole lot in terms of spice and Christmas flavours but it’s Certainly very easy to drink in this hot weather.


----------



## earle

Siderman said:


> 5. Evoo4u - julebryg
> 
> Very different style to the other one. I’m not overly familiar with the style but it’s light and super well attenuated. Fruity, Saison like but without the esters. Really dry, cider-ish.
> 
> Not getting a whole lot in terms of spice and Christmas flavours but it’s Certainly very easy to drink in this hot weather.
> 
> View attachment 110610


Just having this one now, inspired by your post. I'm actually getting quite a bit of spice off it. Definitely a dry finish but the spice gives me a slight sweet perception. Very enjoyable beer Roger.


----------



## Liam_snorkel

15 - Benken25 - random cube saison 

Estery / with some spice, a bit of sweet malt but a dry finish. I'm enjoying this "guess the wort" game. Honesty to me it tastes and looks a bit like a pumpkin ale. Worked out well Ben!


----------



## Parks

9 - Evoo4u Smoked Porter

Delicious! Lovely chocolate and roast with a light smoke and smooth background bitterness.

Barely lasted long enough to remember it!


----------



## Parks




----------



## Parks

2. MadPierre’s Robust Porter.

Good roast but some pretty evident oxidation unfortunately. Hopefully it’s just the one bottle.


----------



## Liam_snorkel

2 Mad Pierre's hoppy saison
Light fluffy head on this one, with some zesty hops and a bit of pepper in there, malt wise it tastes wheaty and has a dry peppery citrusy finish. Quite moreish. Good one!


----------



## madpierre06

Parks said:


> 2. MadPierre’s Robust Porter.
> 
> Good roast but some pretty evident oxidation unfortunately. Hopefully it’s just the one bottle.



Thanks for the feedback mate, how would I identify 'oxidation'?


----------



## Parks

Liam_snorkel said:


> 2 Mad Pierre's hoppy saison
> Light fluffy head on this one, with some zesty hops and a bit of pepper in there, malt wise it tastes wheaty and has a dry peppery citrusy finish. Quite moreish. Good one!
> 
> View attachment 110629








Delicious beer! Lovely spice and phenols, quite lively which stirred up the yeast a bit which seemed to increase the creamy mouthfeel.

Great beer Al


----------



## Parks

madpierre06 said:


> Thanks for the feedback mate, how would I identify 'oxidation'?



The common descriptors are papery, cardboard, possibly dark fruit accompanying.

I find a real musty thing that’s hard to describe.

The only way to know is to take two PET of the same beer, drink half of one, then tomorrow do a side-by-side with the second half and a fresh bottle.


----------



## madpierre06

Parks said:


> The common descriptors are papery, cardboard, possibly dark fruit accompanying.
> 
> I find a real musty thing that’s hard to describe.
> 
> The only way to know is to take two PET of the same beer, drink half of one, then tomorrow do a side-by-side with the second half and a fresh bottle.



Sounds like a challenge And a good excuse to neck a couple beers...hopefully I have a some PET ones left, I don't think I do. Is it usually only the PET that does it?


----------



## Parks

It really depends on where in the process it occurs. If it’s the whole batch then look at oxygen introduced toward the end of primary or in bottling.

An individual bottle may have been the last bottle filled or something that managed extra O2. I’m really just guessing though.


----------



## madpierre06

Parks said:


> It really depends on where in the process it occurs. If it’s the whole batch then look at oxygen introduced toward the end of primary or in bottling.
> 
> An individual bottle may have been the last bottle filled or something that managed extra O2. I’m really just guessing though.



Thanks mate...I got no PET left, will give a glass one a try tomorrow...or two glass ones tonight and tomorrow. The first and last bottles of any fill are always kept separate, and there was nothing out of the ordinary in any of my processes with this....ashley, given it's all glass, will just rty one and check for the characeristics you mentioned. Ones I've tried till now went down well, may have been a dodgy bottle...or cap. There'll be a glass one for youi at next BABBs.


----------



## Parks

I’ll share it with you [emoji1305]


----------



## evoo4u

12 - Imperial Porter

Great beer! Notes of coffee, chocolate, even Tia Maria, and a nice alcohol warmth. Really enjoyed it.

Nice one, Angus.


----------



## madpierre06

mmmmm, one to drink, one to stash.


----------



## earle

Had a few extras that I did in champagne bottles with extra priming sugar. Reckon the normal PET bottles are definitely good to go now.


----------



## madpierre06

#3 is ready to go, highly recommend that decant straight to a jug or very large glass if possible, trub-like stuff not the most pleasan, thad to syphon off of 7L of sludge to bottle. 
Nice drop though.


----------



## Siderman

Had these few plus some more over the last day or two.


----------



## Siderman

2 and 15 were the battle of the saisons. Did prefer 15.

9 was pretty delicious too.


----------



## evoo4u

MP - I enjoyed what was left of your #3 the other afternoon - holy crap Batman, it was a gusher to be proud of! 

By the time I got the bottle over the railing to finish it's frothy extravaganza, there wasn't a heck of a lot remaining. Wasn't sure what it would do to the deck (corrode s/s nails, warp timber, leak down the steel stumps and eat the concrete foundations - no, I exaggerate a little there) but I did flush the foam off the timber with a bucket of water. Bloody waste of good foam though... (and good thing I was outside too!)

But the PET held just fine! So dunno - double dosing at bottling time? But nice beer .


----------



## Insensate

23- winkles black buckwheat witbiere





Lovely tight head that lasted pretty Well. I’m not a huge fan of wheat beers so I was surprised to taste this, the wheat flavour was very weak and I’m not sure what grains has made the black colour but there’s a light chocolate malt type flavour there. Carbonation was light, overall a very nice easy drinking beer. 
Thanks Perry.


----------



## Randai

*15 @pcqypcqy - Christmas ale - no picture due to Christmas day drunkenedness*
Appearance: Brown/dark amber colour. Decentish head
Aroma: General maltiness and a slight roast smell. Not picking up spice on the nose
Flavour: Super malty and chewy beer. With a roast character there, not over powering or even that prominent. Not much spice as far as I can remember. Slight tartness to it.
Mouthfeel: Very much a sipping beer. With a big malt character to it.
Overall: Good malty beer. Though probably not the best for the hot summers day/afternoon that I drank it.


----------



## Siderman

18. Nickxb - imperial amber ale (rum)

I know high ABV beers are sweeter but this literally tastes like someone poured honey into my beer. It’s got a nice flavour but maybe just needed more bitterness to carry it.


----------



## Siderman

17. Zorco - Multistrain Belgian 

I was hoping this was half as good as your last case swap beer, and I have to say it’s pretty pretty pretty pretty good (cue Larry David). 

The aroma combines the typical fruity Belgium esters with complex caramel nutty praline aroma. 

It’s warming and I know it’s got a high abv, but it’s hidden by the intensity of flavour. Lime marmalade comes through with a mild amount of spice.

I’ve got six beers left and they’d have to be pretty bloody good to knock this out of the top 3.


----------



## earle

evoo4u said:


> MP - I enjoyed what was left of your #3 the other afternoon - holy crap Batman, it was a gusher to be proud of!
> 
> By the time I got the bottle over the railing to finish it's frothy extravaganza, there wasn't a heck of a lot remaining. Wasn't sure what it would do to the deck (corrode s/s nails, warp timber, leak down the steel stumps and eat the concrete foundations - no, I exaggerate a little there) but I did flush the foam off the timber with a bucket of water. Bloody waste of good foam though... (and good thing I was outside too!)
> 
> But the PET held just fine! So dunno - double dosing at bottling time? But nice beer .


When I popped my #3 in the fridge it looked like it was keen to get out f the bottle judging by the swelling of the lid. Upon opening it didn't gush but once poured it was definitely over carbonated and had a heap of suspended yeast that just wouldn't quit rising to the head then sinking again - was quite amazing that it kept it up for at least 10 minutes.


----------



## evoo4u

#22 Pilsner/Belgian Ale (couple of weeks to carb)

Opened the second one this afternoon, and maybe I just don't like Belgian Ales! Both mine were cloudy, flat and headless, and reminiscent of the beginners home-brews I was turning out in the 70's using powdered Brigalow kits in the heat of a Rockhampton summer. (That's not a good recollection either!)

So was it a pilsner or a Belgian ale? The two would seem to be at opposite ends of the flavour spectrum. What was the yeast and the ferment temp?


----------



## Parks

evoo4u said:


> #22 Pilsner/Belgian Ale (couple of weeks to carb)
> 
> Opened the second one this afternoon, and maybe I just don't like Belgian Ales! Both mine were cloudy, flat and headless, and reminiscent of the beginners home-brews I was turning out in the 70's using powdered Brigalow kits in the heat of a Rockhampton summer. (That's not a good recollection either!)
> 
> So was it a pilsner or a Belgian ale? The two would seem to be at opposite ends of the flavour spectrum. What was the yeast and the ferment temp?



I actually really enjoyed this beer.

If you told me it was a traditional pilsner I would say get fucked. But if you told me it was the golden piss of a Buddhist Monk I would say **** yes!


----------



## Parks

Siderman said:


> 17. Zorco - Multistrain Belgian
> 
> I was hoping this was half as good as your last case swap beer, and I have to say it’s pretty pretty pretty pretty good (cue Larry David).
> 
> The aroma combines the typical fruity Belgium esters with complex caramel nutty praline aroma.
> 
> It’s warming and I know it’s got a high abv, but it’s hidden by the intensity of flavour. Lime marmalade comes through with a mild amount of spice.
> 
> I’ve got six beers left and they’d have to be pretty bloody good to knock this out of the top 3.
> 
> View attachment 110722



I was charged with the designated driver duties for Xmas lunch so this beer was my reward when I got home. Another really enjoyable and dangerously sessionable beer.


----------



## pcqypcqy

Parks said:


> I actually really enjoyed this beer.
> 
> If you told me it was a traditional pilsner I would say get fucked. But if you told me it was the golden piss of a Buddhist Monk I would say **** yes!



Yeah, need Scott to get on here and explain it a bit, might help clarify what it's meant to be. I took it to be a belgian beer but using a high amount of pilsner malt as the base. Ignoring all of that, I liked it on overall impression.


----------



## Snooger84

Sorry guys I’ve been flat out drinking beers the past week to get on here  It is a Belgian Ale not a Pilsner - I couldn’t update the spreadsheet, I was going to put in one or the other but hadn’t decided which one as I only got into the swap a few days before it was on. Last night I had the number 12 porter and I thought it was epic! Sweet and malty with tons of character, I loved this beer & wish I had more of it!


----------



## pcqypcqy

10 Ciderman tassie wild dark saison

This is very interesting. Like a sour tooheys old. Luscious nose, but not much saison character. Very similar character to @crowmanz's beer, interesting seeing it in two different beers. His had more saison and less sourness, and this was the other way around. Very nice though.


----------



## Siderman

Yeah it’s not really a Saison in flavour as I mentioned a few pages back. It was brewed with Tassie Wild Yeasts Mount Hartz which like you say is more sour less saison character. I did label it like that as I took it up in temperature to finish the ferment like you would in a typical saison. Didn’t finish as dry as I would have liked, about 1.009 from memory.


----------



## Insensate

5- evoo4u julebrig. 
I’ve never had a Christmas beer before this swap so I can only guess what one should taste like. 

I thought the #1 julebryg was heavy on the spices and I wasn’t a huge fan. This one is quite nice with a little bit of cinnamon? Overall a great balanced drop. 
Thanks evoo!!


----------



## Insensate

9- smoked porter - evoo

Wow mate, didn’t realise that I drank your 2 contributions one after another till I looked at the spreadsheet. 
I have to get this recipe, i think it’s a beautiful easy drinking porter with just the right amount of smoke and complexity of chocolate and coffee notes carrying it. 

Very enjoyable drop roger. Nice work


----------



## Insensate

24- tooheys 1922 bulk. Didn’t know what to expect from this beer and was pleasantly surprised. I love my dark beers and after looking back from what other people have said I agree with it Being close to an old. It’s a beautifully balanced, easy to drink dark beer. 
This one didn’t last long


----------



## madpierre06

earle said:


> When I popped my #3 in the fridge it looked like it was keen to get out f the bottle judging by the swelling of the lid. Upon opening it didn't gush but once poured it was definitely over carbonated and had a heap of suspended yeast that just wouldn't quit rising to the head then sinking again - was quite amazing that it kept it up for at least 10 minutes. View attachment 110726



Hey Earle. Back story....forgot the whirlfloc tablet during the boil (truckloads of rye and wheat), and pitched straight onto previous saison yeast cake as planned. Shoulda taken a pic, ended up with 7L of beery-looking ice cream machine sludge. Couldn't even get a channel to flow down through the sludge to the tap, so hap to syphon direct into bottles. Thought I had 'em all done well, as both bottle I've had here had been able to pour ok when decanted into a jug. I'll have a replacement beer for you and anyone who can't get it to play...shame, cos it tasted pretty decent.


----------



## earle

madpierre06 said:


> Hey Earle. Back story....forgot the whirlfloc tablet during the boil (truckloads of rye and wheat), and pitched straight onto previous saison yeast cake as planned. Shoulda taken a pic, ended up with 7L of beery-looking ice cream machine sludge. Couldn't even get a channel to flow down through the sludge to the tap, so hap to syphon direct into bottles. Thought I had 'em all done well, as both bottle I've had here had been able to pour ok when decanted into a jug. I'll have a replacement beer for you and anyone who can't get it to play...shame, cos it tasted pretty decent.


That explains it. Rye and wheat can be a bit tricky


----------



## madpierre06

earle said:


> That explains it. Rye and wheat can be a bit tricky



Any suggestions?


----------



## earle

madpierre06 said:


> Any suggestions?


Not really. I haven't had this problem even when I've used heaps of rye or wheat. I've done 100% wheat saisons and gone to about 35% rye in other beers. I use brewbrite and cold crash. It could have been the combination of that with the trub/yeast cake from your previous beer though. I've read that a cup of fresh yeast/trub is enough so maybe that would have made the difference. What sort of system do you brew on?


----------



## earle

Alos, are you sure it was finished fermenting? The gusher that Roger got and the swollen condition of mine suggests something is up. Your trub may not have settled if it wasn't finished, also may have contributed more yeast sediment in the bottles.


----------



## madpierre06

earle said:


> Alos, are you sure it was finished fermenting? The gusher that Roger got and the swollen condition of mine suggests something is up. Your trub may not have settled if it wasn't finished, also may have contributed more yeast sediment in the bottles.



Ta mate, there's a couple other things may be factors. The first beer (hoppy saison in the swap) was done with smack pack of 3711. Pack was way over date wise, and showed no life so I chucked it in anyways and gave a MJ French Saision as well. A very solid first ferment which fermented out, nowt for a couple days, then another full efrment which lasted about 2 to 3 days, which I'm guessing was the 3711 coming to life. F.G. ended up around 1.006 or 1.009 from memory, instead of scheduled 1.016. It had time to be finished. So this was the cake that this beer was pitched onto. I'm guessing a combination of the factors has played its part. Just saw Rog's post as well.... will make things right with replacement beers....


----------



## earle

madpierre06 said:


> Ta mate, there's a couple other things may be factors. The first beer (hoppy saison in the swap) was done with smack pack of 3711. Pack was way over date wise, and showed no life so I chucked it in anyways and gave a MJ French Saision as well. A very solid first ferment which fermented out, nowt for a couple days, then another full efrment which lasted about 2 to 3 days, which I'm guessing was the 3711 coming to life. F.G. ended up around 1.006 or 1.009 from memory, instead of scheduled 1.016. It had time to be finished. So this was the cake that this beer was pitched onto. I'm guessing a combination of the factors has played its part. Just saw Rog's post as well.... will make things right with replacement beers....


Was the scheduled 1.016 from Beersmith or like? They don't calc FG for saisons very well. 1.006 to 1.009 is even a bit high for saisons.


----------



## Randai

*3 @madpierre06 - red rye saison*
Appearance: Murky copperyish but due to the yeastiness of it appears a light brown. Huge head to begin with then coming down to a half centimeter thick persistent head.
Aroma: Slight esteryness to it. I'd even say a bit of alcohol smell on the nose. Almost a bit of hefe yeast smell, or maybe the rye which reminds me of a roggenbier I did recently.
Flavour: Sharpish rye to it. That spicy, grainy ryeness. I do enjoy the rye. Definitely has that clovey saison flavour to it. I'd suspect a bit of crystal/caramel malt in here. Can't state how much rye flavour this has in it.
Mouthfeel: Middling, not picking up any slickness from the rye that sometimes you encounter. Quite dry actually.
Overall: Aside from the over carbonation, which I assume is because it wasn't finished and the floating yeast that seem to get caught up in the over carbonation or even act as nucleation points. This is a pretty enjoyable beer. Its got a great flavour, the rye comes through, it mixes well with the saison yeast and honestly given that I've only just checked the spread sheet, 8.25% (or more if it did ferment further), that is not even apparent at all to me. There isn't a booziness of a bigger beer such as this and boy does that unique rye character really make it an interesting drink.













3_madpierre_rye_saison



__ Randai
__ 29/12/17


----------



## madpierre06

earle said:


> Was the scheduled 1.016 from Beersmith or like? They don't calc FG for saisons very well. 1.006 to 1.009 is even a bit high for saisons.



Brewmate.


----------



## evoo4u

Insensate said:


> 9- smoked porter - evoo
> 
> Wow mate, didn’t realise that I drank your 2 contributions one after another till I looked at the spreadsheet.
> I have to get this recipe, i think it’s a beautiful easy drinking porter with just the right amount of smoke and complexity of chocolate and coffee notes carrying it.
> 
> Very enjoyable drop roger. Nice work



1.8kg Gladfield ale
1.5kg Gladfield Manuka smoked
2.1kg Gladfield Munich
500g crystal 40
500g crystal 80
350g chocolate
230g black (patent)
MASH @68C
45g EKG @60'
25g Williamette @ 30'
20g Williamette @ 15'
15g EKG @FO
15g Williamette @FO
YEAST US-05
No-chill method

I agree - it's one I'll be brewing up again for sure!


----------



## Liam_snorkel

17 - Zorco - mega multi strain Belgian blonde thing
Highish carbonation, good head retention, laced nicely down the glass. 
I'm getting a peppery yeast profile and some light floral thing going on in the aroma. Taste is spicy and it has a kind of sweetness that is cut by a sharp dry finish. I can't tell if this is 4% or 8%, very nice.


----------



## earle

Liam_snorkel said:


> 17 - Zorco - mega multi strain Belgian blonde thing
> Highish carbonation, good head retention, laced nicely down the glass.
> I'm getting a peppery yeast profile and some light floral thing going on in the aroma. Taste is spicy and it has a kind of sweetness that is cut by a sharp dry finish. I can't tell if this is 4% or 8%, very nice.
> 
> View attachment 110787


You forgot to mention the awesome label. @Zorco did you have some help with the labels from your assistant brewers or was that all your own work?


----------



## Randai

*9 @evoo4u - smoked porter*
Appearance: Dark black, brownish tan head. Highlights of ruby red when held up to the light around the edges. 
Aroma: Sweetish smell, mild roast. That mild smokiness that I associate with a ham/bacon, due to being the most common smoked food in my life.
Flavour: Smokiness, but nothing super over powering. Sweet maltiness to it. Softish roastiness, but acrid nor biting. Dark chocolate flavours going on. 
Mouthfeel: Less than I'd have thought, I do get a drying effect from the carbonation, which seems to be prickly on the tongue.
Overall: Tasty tasty porter. Smoked goes so well and I haven't really tried it elsewhere. But I do sometimes get that smoked characteristic from certain dark malts. Is in my top 3 so far.
I think its just a solid dark beer that is tasty.


----------



## winkle

1- pcgypcgys Julebryg
Yuge malty spicey nose, flavour, same, boozey, chewy and nice spice mix - I'd prefer it a bit drier since it seemed under attenuated, but pretty enjoyable even in this heat


----------



## Liam_snorkel

11 - Insensate - zombie dust knockoff
Looks the part, deep amber colour with a lasting white head, I'm struggling to pin the aroma but it's deep and pleasant kinda fruity/malty with something subtle I can only describe as smoke. Flavour is more like ripe tropical fruits and clean slightly sweet malt, bitterness is there and balanced, clean, finish is like I've just eaten a cherry or other miscellaneous stonefruit. Went down well.


----------



## winkle

#3 Mad Pierre Rye Saison. Ispent 1 hour trying to dis-arm this to no avail. Overcarbed, but this is easy to happen with saisons (they bolt to around 1006 but will go lower. ) Anyways good gassy number saison worked well with the rye notes.


----------



## Liam_snorkel

10 - Ciderman - Tassie wild dark saison thing

Sorry for the listed notes but to sum it up I'm tasting sweet & sour dark fruit chocolate and it's really nice. 

I must also add that it had a creamy head that lasted all the way down the glass. Often rare with bugged beers


----------



## Zorco

earle said:


> You forgot to mention the awesome label. @Zorco did you have some help with the labels from your assistant brewers or was that all your own work?



All me. From grain to glass - tis Zorco.


----------



## Siderman

8. Earle - Santa Saison 

This was the best of the Saisons. I’m a little tired of the style now... so many saisons!


----------



## Siderman

11. Insensate Zombie Dust Clone

Was good to have a hoppy beer to cleanse my palate from all the Saisons. This was pretty good.


----------



## Siderman

12. Angus Imperial Porter.

Nice beer. Enjoyed over a couple of hours.


----------



## Siderman

Randai - Tooheys 1922.

Much like the Tooth’s beer this beer had nothing to hide and was nothing short of excellent. Could drink quite a few of these.


----------



## Siderman

22. Scotty Mack.

Agree with other comments. Did taste warm fermented. Drinkable though on a warm day.


----------



## Siderman

23. Winkle - Black Wheat 

Slightly tart. Really enjoyed this but just tasted a bit light on for malt, almost light beer esk. Might just need further ageing.


----------



## Siderman

All beers consumed. My 3-2-1

1. Blueberry Hefe
2. Belgian Multistrain
3. Tooths 1959’s


----------



## Liam_snorkel

3 - mad Pierre - red rye saison 
Carbonation was explosive which brought all the sediment into suspension, spicy, phenolic, dry-ish but with a sticky sweet finish possibly from the rye. Actually a pretty enjoyable beer, shared it with my father in law who is a wine buff and he also liked it.


----------



## madpierre06

Liam_snorkel said:


> 3 - mad Pierre - red rye saison
> Carbonation was explosive which brought all the sediment into suspension, spicy, phenolic, dry-ish but with a sticky sweet finish possibly from the rye. Actually a pretty enjoyable beer, shared it with my father in law who is a wine buff and he also liked it.
> 
> View attachment 110838



Yeah, worked out it needed to be decanted straight away upon opening mate...and thanks, it's a pretty nice beer without the carb issues. Will be playing this one again.


----------



## Liam_snorkel

23 - Winkle - black buckwheat witbiere
Black with slightly hazy red highlights, light pepper and light roast, maybe some zest in the nose but slight berries in the flavour, clean finish more or less. Delicate and inherently drinkable beer, two thumbs up.


----------



## evoo4u

Siderman said:


> All beers consumed. My 3-2-1
> 
> 1. Blueberry Hefe
> 2. Belgian Multistrain
> 3. Tooths 1959’s


 
Limiting myself to just 5:

My picks
3 points - #12 - imperial porter
2 points - # 11 - zombie dust clone
1 point - #23 - Black buckwheat witbiere

Hon. mentions:
#8 - Bad Santa
#10 - Tassie wild dark saison


----------



## pcqypcqy

18 Nickxb imperial amber ale

This is something specials we had it first because it was the one that was cold, turns out this was a total misplay. A spectacular beer, it's a hard act to follow. Hides the 9.5% amazingly well! could barely tell it was here until the end. The base beer tastes like a solid example, and the rum barrel aging has really taken it to the next level. Definitely a top 3 beer.


----------



## pcqypcqy

Siderman said:


> All beers consumed. My 3-2-1
> 
> 1. Blueberry Hefe
> 2. Belgian Multistrain
> 3. Tooths 1959’s



I'd better start the spreadsheet. Are your numbers the points given, or the places (ie 3rd place gets 1 point and 1st gets 3 points)?


----------



## Siderman

1. Was my best beer, but for the sake of your spreadsheet I’d reverse it so the highest point wins.


----------



## pcqypcqy

Siderman said:


> 1. Was my best beer, but for the sake of your spreadsheet I’d reverse it so the highest point wins.



So to be clear, number 1 (blueberry hefe) is your favourite, and you're giving it 3 points. Is that right?


----------



## Siderman

Correct


----------



## benken25

17. Zorco multi strain Belgian. Pours lively but the head sits a good 3mm the whole glass and laces nicely. Carbed perfectly for a Belgian. I get a hint of spice,pepper sweet bready malt and a hint of brett? From the aroma and flavour is much the same. Really enjoyed this beer i wonder how a bit of age would treat it


----------



## pcqypcqy

madpierre06 said:


> Yeah, worked out it needed to be decanted straight away upon opening mate...and thanks, it's a pretty nice beer without the carb issues. Will be playing this one again.



I'm glad I saw this advice first, we went straight into a jug and it was then OK. It fairly jumped out of the bottle. I agree with what you say, it tasted very clean without any hint of infection issues, so just a simple case of too much sugar or ferment not quite done?


----------



## pcqypcqy

winkle said:


> 1- pcgypcgys Julebryg
> Yuge malty spicey nose, flavour, same, boozey, chewy and nice spice mix - I'd prefer it a bit drier since it seemed under attenuated, but pretty enjoyable even in this heat



Don't have my notes in front of me but from memory I mashed fairly high intentionally to get some residual sweetness to it. 

Glad it's holding up in the heat, I tried some on xmas day but had bumped the keg and this tends to resuspend all the spice mud at the bottom of the keg, making it quite undrinkable for a bit. I had transfered between kegs a few times in the months leading up to the swap, and then discarded quite a few jugs prior to bottling for the swap to try to get those bottles as clean as possible.

After tasting a commercial julebryg the other day (Red Hill Christmas Ale), I think next time I will probably dial the spices back a little and tweak the balance.


----------



## pcqypcqy

I've added a tab to the spreadsheet so everyone can give their 3/2/1 points for their top 3 beers.

Find your name across the top, then fill in your points against the relevant beers in the orange section.


----------



## pcqypcqy

Shared these with the missus and a friend:

3 madpierre red rye saison

Did gush, but with forewarning we poured into a jug first. Quite nice, some nice malt sweetness balanced with some good saison character. I was expecting this to be bad due to the gushing but it’s quite clean. A very good beer.


17 Zorco Belgian Multistrain

Peppery, cloves, quite a lot of saison character there. Was Belgian farmhouse one of the strains? I did one recently with 3726 and it quite a lot of the same character. We got too drunk to really critique it but we all really enjoyed it on a warm arvo.


2 madpierre robust porter

Ticking boxes as a porter, though I dunno if I’d call it robust, getting there but not quite (on my personal scale). Still, beautiful rich flavour though, held up as it got warmer in the glass. Cracking beer.


23 winkle buckwheat

Interesting balance between the roast and the fruitiness of the buckwheat. Has a clovey/medicinal aroma going on, but it doesn’t come through in the flavour. It is a bit light on the malt backbone as mentioned previously, but it's not far off. Took me quite a while to finish it because I kept trying to dissect every sip, and couldn't work it out. This was a very interesting and well put together beer.


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## madpierre06

pcqypcqy said:


> I'm glad I saw this advice first, we went straight into a jug and it was then OK. It fairly jumped out of the bottle. I agree with what you say, it tasted very clean without any hint of infection issues, so just a simple case of too much sugar or ferment not quite done?



Ta mate, yeah, I'm thinking it came down to not being fermented out fully. Going around again, what interests me is it's 8% and there's been no comments about this, from my tasting, the alcohol didn't show up overly...till I tried to get out of the chair. Mind you, there'd been a couple other biggish beers accompanying it.


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## pcqypcqy

madpierre06 said:


> Ta mate, yeah, I'm thinking it came down to not being fermented out fully. Going around again, what interests me is it's 8% and there's been no comments about this, from my tasting, the alcohol didn't show up overly...till I tried to get out of the chair. Mind you, there'd been a couple other biggish beers accompanying it.



Yeah, we didn't notice it until our fronts fell off afterwards, which is why we rushed through Zorco's beer without taking any notes.


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## benken25

12. Angus imperial porter. Malt bomb great colour and i want more


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## Insensate

benken25 said:


> 12. Angus imperial porter. Malt bomb great colour and i want more



I can’t wait to try this one. Saving it for this weekend


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## angus_grant

Finally cracking into the swap beers. Xmas/new years has been hectic and only really relaxing now. 

Had 1 & 5 julebergs before Xmas but didn't post reviews. 
1 juleberg reminded me of a spicy warm dark belgian beer. Really well made and I enjoyed it. 

5 Juleberg: to be honest, this was the last beer at the end of a big night. From very frazzled memory, not as much spice and "non-beer" flavours as #1 juleberg. 
Apologies for the shit review.


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## angus_grant

#2 hoppy saison 

Highly carbonated to style. The massive head was due to me picking the wrong glass. These rogue glasses really trap carbonation. 

Edit:seems other people got the massive lasting head in normal glasses. Nice one 

Nice peppery aroma and the foam I had to chew through had some nice hop bitterness in it. 

Good presence of spicy peppery saison flavours in the up front flavour, and some solid hop flavour in after taste. 

Just about the right balance of classic saison flavours to hop. If I was being really picky, I'd like a little less hops in the after taste. Really good beer.


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## angus_grant

#11 zombie dust clone 

Enjoyed this beer. Not had the original zombie dust so can't comment on the cloning. 

I kept thinking grape fruit in aroma and taste, but I know that's not right. Can't quite put my finger on the main flavour. 

Great beer though.


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## angus_grant

#6 pepper with saison added. 

Very lively carbonation and a massive head. Stuck around for a while and subsided. 

Pepper flavours were a bit much when cold but the saison flavours balanced out when warmed up. 

I did not get any band aid, but slight musty brett flavours. I wonder if the band aid was an off flavour from the brett fermenting in the bottle. 

Really enjoyed this when warmed up.


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## benken25

16. Martins blueberry hefe. Hit the spot on a hot afternoon post brew. I think the fruit adds a slight tartness that works well


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## angus_grant

#22 belgian ale 

A great beer. Some really nice belgian characteristics in aroma and flavour. 

I've taken a while to drink this, and it's gotten fairly warm. Still tasting great. A sign of a well made beer.


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## angus_grant

For some reason the image I attached to my post is secured.


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## pcqypcqy

Because I'm as bored AF at work, I've taken all the reviews and recipes provided thus far and sorted them out in the spreadsheet. Additional tabs at the bottom.

So now all reviews by a person are collated down the columns, and all reviews of a beer are collated across the rows.

SPREADSHEETS!


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## madpierre06

pcqypcqy said:


> Because I'm as bored AF at work, I've taken all the reviews and recipes provided thus far and sorted them out in the spreadsheet. Additional tabs at the bottom.
> 
> So now all reviews by a person are collated down the columns, and all reviews of a beer are collated across the rows.
> 
> SPREADSHEETS!



Exceellent!!! I was gonna have to go through and see which ones I'd missed putting up....don't ever let me disparage engineers again.


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## Randai

*18 @nickxb - barrel aged something amber maybe.*
Appearance: Dark brown. Almost no head. Not cloudy/murky, quite clear when held up at an angle.
Aroma: Huge barrel smell. Not sure of the wood, but its definitely that wood flavour there. Makes me think of some ciders I used to drink, that were barrel aged. Moderately sweet malt smelling after the onslaught of barrel smell is gone.
Actually an update, sweet caramel on the nose for me.
Flavour: Sweet, that sort of spirit flavour in the background (maybe because I associate it with spirits in barrels). Really not much bitterness. Not boozy. Sweetish malt. But honestly the barrel/wood does dominate.
Mouthfeel: Surprisingly dry. I think the tannic nature of wood dries it out more than you'd expect.
Overall: If you don't like wood aged beers this isn't for you. But as I do, this is great, more so than great. Probably in my top three so far. Its big, malty, barrel aged goodness in a glass.
Thanks for the top beer.


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## pcqypcqy

11 zombie dust

Interesting beer. Nice balance between hops and malt. Massive orange / citrus aroma and flavour that you can smell across the room.

Maybe not grapefruit as suggested earlier, but blood orange? Even like an essential oil or liqueur orange aroma/flavour? Sort of sickly sweet, and potentially overpowers the beer, but there’s no malt sweetness there so that’s more our perception of the aroma probably.

Somehow reminds us of a cooking ingredient, we just can’t put our finger on it. Was this spiced or anything?

This isn’t to say it’s not great, just trying to pin down the aroma and flavour. I quite liked it and my wife says it’s in her top three.

I think we finally settled on candied peel as he flavour/aroma.

5 roger julebryg

Quite nice, much more delicate with the spice than mine was. I need to dial mine back I think, but interesting to see the comparison between darker and lighter versions. Did you do yours as a lager or an ale?

Somehow reminds us of the zombie dust we just had, the spices are hitting the same receptors. Did you use orange peel in this?

I think overall the flavour I’m getting from both is candied peel.

9 roger Smoked porter

Pretty solid. Good level of smoke, nice porter underneath. Almost has a wood aged character to it. This is very good. So good it will get an honourable mention.

12 Angus imperial porter

Rich, winey, delicate. Hides the imperial level booze well. Also had a wood aged character to it, did you oak it at all? It’s like a beautiful big piece of home made caramels on a glass. This is ******* phenomenal and is my third top three beer. Well done.

*********************************************************************************

And that's me done.

My 3 2 1's are:

3 points: 14 crowmanz tassie saison
2 points: 18 Nickxb imperial amber ale
1 point: 12 angus imperial porter

Special mentions to a Roger for his smoked porter, Zorco for his multi strain Belgian, and Seehuusen for his blueberry hefe, which was simply outstanding.

My wife's top 3 were:

3 points: 11 insensate zombie dust
2 points: 12 angus imperial porter 
1 point: 15 benken25 saison (though where's the smoke?)


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## pcqypcqy

And for discussions sake, my notes for my julebryg:

Double batch (approx 10 gallons)

*Grain*
6kg pilsner
2kg munich
2kg wheat
1.4kg caramunich
2 handfuls choc wheat

*Hops:* 15 IBU magnum at 60 mins, then 50g saaz at 30 mins and 50g saaz at 10 mins. IBU ~ 25.

*Spices: *
30 mins - 2 star anise
5 mins 25g coriander seed, 1 cinnamon stick, 50g orange peel (fresh).

*Yeast* Fermented with S23.

*Other:*
Mash in at 65, ramped up to 67 and left there.
I ended up adding water during the boil and got to 39 litres at 1063 post boil.

As discussed here earlier, I'd probably dial my spices back a bit next time, maybe reduce the coriander and bump up the cinnamon. When it was fresh, the orange peel really shone through and balanced it all, but that has mellowed out a bit now. I also had a lot of spice mud at the bottom of my kegs that got stirred up each time I bumped them, so I tried to crash a few times and discarded a fair bit to try and remove this. Keg finings might be a better option next time.


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## Mushroom

Sounds like great beers


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## Liam_snorkel

24 - Randai - Tooheys 1922 Bulk/xxx
Black with red highlights and white creamy head. Subtle aroma of grain and lightly roasted coffee. Clean as a whistle. Goes down very easily with some lacing and a persistent head despite medium carbonation.
I just spent 20mins ransacking the house trying to find my copy of bronzed brews to read up on the beer but alas I can't find it. Second photo was taken after that.


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## Liam_snorkel

8 - Earle - 'bad santa' christmas spiced saison
Classic saison with subtle but present spices, very nicely put together, bravo


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## crowmanz

Finally getting back into these after 2 weeks away

1 - pcqypcqy - julebyrg

Shared with a mate, Christmas cake type flavours without too much fruit, good malt profile. This would be a treat in the winter.


8 - Earle - bad Santa Saison

Solid Saison base, Christmas spice faintly picked up on the back end.


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## angus_grant

8 earle bad saison 

I've nothing to add to previous comments on this beer. Really well made saison and nice subtle spicing. 

I can't tell what the spices are, so I reckon the strength of spicing is bang on.


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## Randai

Liam_snorkel said:


> 24 - Randai - Tooheys 1922 Bulk/xxx
> Black with red highlights and white creamy head. Subtle aroma of grain and lightly roasted coffee. Clean as a whistle. Goes down very easily with some lacing and a persistent head despite medium carbonation.
> I just spent 20mins ransacking the house trying to find my copy of bronzed brews to read up on the beer but alas I can't find it. Second photo was taken after that.
> 
> View attachment 110951
> View attachment 110952


Note my recipe is slightly different than stated in the recipe, its an all grain recipe and I replaced the roasted malt with chocolate wheat to give it more colour, but not as much roastiness. I assume.


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## earle

Randai said:


> Note my recipe is slightly different than stated in the recipe, its an all grain recipe and I replaced the roasted malt with chocolate wheat to give it more colour, but not as much roastiness. I assume.


Choc wheat. That explains why it was so tasty.


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## Liam_snorkel

classic TWB bumpkins!


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## Zorco

Siderman said:


> All beers consumed. My 3-2-1
> 
> 1. Blueberry Hefe
> 2. Belgian Multistrain
> 3. Tooths 1959’s


gettin' me right in the feels again Siderman..... people will start talking about us


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## Llama

Zorco said:


> gettin' me right in the feels again Siderman..... people will start talking about us



A 'friend' gave eme one of those Belgians of yours to try Zorco, lovely drop. Apparently a second one has been kept aside for a later date.


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## earle

Liam_snorkel said:


> classic TWB bumpkins!


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## crowmanz

11 - Insensate - zombie dust clone

Probably should have got onto this one earlier. Deep amber, with plesent over ripe (tropical/stone) fruit and malt melding. Head died on me but was likely my reused glass.


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## Randai

*22 @Scotty mack - Belgian something or other?*
Appearance: Very little head retention. Pretty clear. Really gold colour.
Aroma: Esters, belgian I think. Quite a sweet smell (yay complex descriptors).
Flavour: Flavour screams belgian ale to me, with that sort of fruitiness, but a bit of spicy yeast character
Mouthfeel: Dry, not cloying.
Overall: Pretty drinkable belgian ale. Not sure how else to describe this one. No flaws that I can taste, only flaw is lack of head retention. Shows of a pretty good belgian characteristic as far as I can tell, not saisonny too much, but more fruity. Its nice.


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## crowmanz

17 @Zorco Belgian Multistrain

I'm getting a Belgian blonde vibe rather than a saison. Good carbonation, long lasting head.


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## crowmanz

23 @winkle buckwheat thing

The colour is deceptive. There is a good light malt flavour there that is perfect for summer. Considering the leak this beer has held up well.


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## Randai

*22 @Insensate - IPA/Pale Ale - Zombie Dust Clone*
Appearance: Very little head retention. Clearish, mild bit of haze. Copper colour.
Aroma: Sweet malty flavour on the nose. With a slight citrusy/fruity smell. No estery smell that I can pick up. Clean and pleasant. No booze.
Flavour: Fruity, bitter, citrusy. Maybe orange peel or something like that. Maltiness is present, but really clean. Not a rough maltiness that I can get from commercial IPAs, where the sweetness seems sickly.
Mouthfeel: Moderate, but the bitterness keeps it in check.
Overall: Great hoppier beer. Refreshing with a present bitterness. Quite fruity. The maltiness is a good backup to the hops, doesn't over power. Actually enjoyed this than some of the IPAs/American pale ales I've had recently. Can't tell you how close it is to the original, never had it.


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## angus_grant

#3 red rye saison 

Hmm, this one was an interesting beer. The rye really pushed through and confused the saison for me. It was fairly malty (can't find the right word), sweet maybe. 

If I didn't know it was a saison base, I would have said amber ale and would have enjoyed it. 

Lots of crud in second half of bottle. I remembered after I poured it there was one beer that needs decanting. D'oh, bad Angus


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## winkle

crowmanz said:


> 23 @winkle buckwheat thing
> 
> The colour is deceptive. There is a good light malt flavour there that is perfect for summer. Considering the leak this beer has held up well.


Ta, mate. It originally meant to be a (late) holiday breakfast beer, I thought probably best consumed with (buckwheat) pancakes.


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## Liam_snorkel

9 - Evoo4u - smoked porter 6.6%
Black with a hint of red at the corner. Roast, toast, and caramel sweetness, smoke is there in the aroma too. Fair bit of fizz and the head retention was excellent (not just due to the carbonation, all the way to the end of the bottle). This beer is right up my alley and is my favourite ABV. Good stuff Rog


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## Liam_snorkel

5 - Evoo4u - Julebryg - 5.0%

Clear deep gold, fluffy head. Aroma is all spices. Settles into a rather sessionable beer, the spices seem to dominate but there is a clean malty beer underneath with a firm but clean bitterness. Quite nice. 
This is by no means a criticism of the beer but the Julebryg spice mix viscerally reminds me of the Imperial Leather soap at my grandparents house when I was a kid :O


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## angus_grant

23 - bierre De ble noir

Fresh is best, eh Perry
Slight pepper and zing in the aroma 
Nice gentle dark malts in flavour. 
After taste I don't recognise so I'm putting that down to the buckwheat. 
I'd say this was a dark saison if it didn't say witbier. 
A more subtle beer than Perry's normal offering, but well crafted sir.


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## Liam_snorkel

12 - angus_grant - imperial porter
Very dark opaque brown with dense tan head and brutal death metal lacing, aroma is slightly chocolatey with this malty/spicy/sweet thing that is similar to smelling muscovado sugar? It's hard to describe. Starts off full, medium carbonation, well attenuated. Quite delicious. Different to a typical porter in my mind. Send me the recipe pls? xoxo


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## angus_grant

Imperial Silver Dollar porter
Style: Robust Porter
Batch size: 23.00 l
Boil time: 90 mins
Yeast: Safale American (DCL/Fermentis US-05)
OG: 1.080
FG: 1.015
Est ABV: 8.5 %
Colour: 60.4 EBC
IBU: 57.7 IBUs
Fermentables
Name Type Colour Amount (kg) %
Pale Malt (Barrett Burston) Grain 3.9 EBC 7.10 kg 89.42
Carafa III Grain 1034.3 EBC 0.25 kg 3.15
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L Grain 118.2 EBC 0.25 kg 3.15
Special B Malt Grain 354.6 EBC 0.20 kg 2.52
Chocolate Malt Grain 689.5 EBC 0.14 kg 1.76
Totals 7.94kg 

Mash Details

Name Type Temp Time
Mash In Temperature 65.6 C 75
Mash Step Temperature 72.0 C 10
Mash out Temperature 78.0 C 10

Hop Details
Name Alpha Form Amount Time
Nugget 13 Pellet 30.00 g 60.0 min
Citra 12 Pellet 18.00 g 60.0 min
Citra 12 Pellet 30.00 g 2.0 min

Basically a beafed up version of Charlie Papazian's Silver dollar porter. His recipe is so bloody solid, it has stood up to all my bastardisations so far.

Am rebrewing next weekend so I get 23 litres to drink instead of just 4 sample bottles. 

Hopefully hit my gravity numbers a bit better as I was down on OG and also up on FG


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## Liam_snorkel

Nicest porter I've had that didn't have any brown malt in it


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## Parks

Liam_snorkel said:


> View attachment 111533
> 
> 
> 12 - angus_grant - imperial porter
> Very dark opaque brown with dense tan head and brutal death metal lacing, aroma is slightly chocolatey with this malty/spicy/sweet thing that is similar to smelling muscovado sugar? It's hard to describe. Starts off full, medium carbonation, well attenuated. Quite delicious. Different to a typical porter in my mind. Send me the recipe pls? xoxo



To my taste it needed just a little more bitterness as the intense malt lingered a bit too much. I reckon it would be amazing in 12 months though.


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## angus_grant

Nick Holt's barrel-aged imperial amber. 
Once it warmed up, it started releasing all its goodness. 
Some rum/spirit aromas followed by a gentle vanilla. 
There's some spirit flavours as well, but the main flavour is sweet smooth malt. 
It's slightly boozy in aroma and flavour, but at 9.5% I'd expect that. 
I'm not a big fan of amber's as I find them a bit one dimensionally sweet. I think I'll ask for imperial from now on.


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