# Vic Xmas Anytime Case.



## vlbaby (2/6/06)

G'day fellas,
I've been reading the 'Xmas in july Case' threads that the guys from nsw/qld/sa etc have started, but I haven't seen anything for VIC yet.

Is there any other vic brewers keen on doing something similar?

It seems like such a great way to try out some new varietys of beer styles and receive some constructive critisism on your own brews.

Does anyone have any opinions on giving something a go?

I'm happy to be involved in organising something if there's interest.

cheers,

vl.


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## Millet Man (2/6/06)

vlbaby said:


> G'day fellas,
> I've been reading the 'Xmas in july Case' threads that the guys from nsw/qld/sa etc have started, but I haven't seen anything for VIC yet.
> 
> Is there any other vic brewers keen on doing something similar?
> ...



Great idea VL.

I'd be happy to throw a gluten free beer in the mix if people are keen to try some new varieties. :chug: 

I'm sure my Dad would be happy to drink all the regular beers that I receive (I make 3.5% kit beers up for him and by his old taste buds they're a good clone for Carlton Mid).

Memo to me - must make another millet Dunkelweizen soon, although the millet porter is tasting pretty good so maybe that? Or the millet pils is just coming out of secondary?

OK, I'm in.

*Edit:* I have finally krausened woohoo!!!

Cheers, Andrew.


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## johnno (3/6/06)

I would more than likely be in on it.

Just not too sure at the moment as I may be shifting soon.

cheers
johnno


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## vlbaby (3/6/06)

Well that makes 3 of us so far, so thats a start. I'm not sure how big this case will be. It will obviously depend on how many people want to be involved.

Bring on the beers i say! :beerbang: 

vl.


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## lucas (3/6/06)

I'd love to sample some different homebrewers efforts if you'll let a kits and bits brewer in on the swap.


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## scotsdalebrewery (3/6/06)

Yeah I will be in it for sure - I would love to add my honey vanilla lager but I am not sure about timing. How about Xmas for the AFL Granny case?


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## berazafi (3/6/06)

I be in on this, 

I throw in a APA and a low alchol porter for something different


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## darkhorse (3/6/06)

Are Kit brews allowed?

I love the idea but how does is operate? (mailing one beer to each person could be a bit excessive on the postage front!)


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## Lukes (5/6/06)

Count me in.
:chug: 
Luke


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## James Squire (5/6/06)

I'd be interested VL,

Looks like a few are keen... maybe some discussion could be had to decide specifics. The when's and how's....

Cheers,

JS


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## scotsdalebrewery (5/6/06)

I drive a van for a living - might be able to pick them all up and then maybe have a central distribution point -perhaps a get together at Mountain goat on a friday or something.

Just some ideas.


Millet man - i get to ballarat once a week although a central distribution point might be tough for you.


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## Velophile (5/6/06)

I'd be in if Tin Opener brewers are welcome. I've got a partial robust porter thats coming along.

What's the plan? Does everyone put in 12 longnecks & get back 12 mixed. Hmm... I've done stubbies....


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## smashed jaffa (5/6/06)

Count me in :beer: 

I've got a couple I could let go.  

A central meeting point seems the go as posting longnecks is not a good idea IMO.

Smashed.


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## vlbaby (5/6/06)

wow! Havent checked AHB for a couple of days, did'nt expect such a good response!

Well, i've not been involved in one of these before myself, but from reading the other guys posts, the best idea is just to designate a pickup/drop off point.
I've got no problems with being a distribution point myself, but I'm over in the western suburbs which might be a bit far for some guys to travel. So I guess if there was someone else that could handle the eastern side as well or something like that, it could help ease things a bit.

As far as the K&K / extract / AG thing is concerned, I've got no issues with any. Good beers can be made by any of these methods, so who really cares? 

I guess a standard slab is a good size, in either stubbies or longnecks, but i suppose it could be any sized swap really.

so far we have these guys interested...

Millet Man
Johnno (maybe)
lucas
scotsdalebrewery
berazafi
darkhorse
Lukes
James Squire
Velophile
Smashed jaffa
vlbaby

anyone else?


cheers

vl.


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## razz (5/6/06)

As grandma used to say. "In for a penny, in for a pound."  
By the time I get to brew it, it will be a pils.


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## Millet Man (5/6/06)

scotsdalebrewery said:


> Millet man - i get to ballarat once a week although a central distribution point might be tough for you.



I work in Deer Park so a West/East Melb drop off is fine by me. This is BEER we are talking about after all.  

Cheers, Andrew.


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## scotsdalebrewery (5/6/06)

Yes you are right - its all about priority!


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## James Squire (6/6/06)

So what do we think people... stubbies or tallies? I tend to bottle into stubbies but I don't have a problem doing a batch of tallies, it is probably best if we try to do one or the other.

How about dates? Scotsdalebrewery's AFL Granny Case is probably not a bad idea, give's plenty of time for us all to get organised...

Im totally pumped for this, mmmmmmmm beer.....

JS


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## pint of lager (6/6/06)

The case swaps are a great way to taste different brews. Get in there and join in. You want to swap a beer that you are proud of and want to show off. 

All levels of brewers have been included in past swaps, from kit to ag, just make sure that you brew the best brew you can with your methods and techniques.

Stubbies or longnecks. Longnecks are easier to sort and store. Stubbies means you get two bites at the same brew.

For any yeast farmer, it is a great way to build your strains up. 

Numbers. If you have a dozen people, they all contribute a dozen bottles or 24 stubbies and they recieve the same quantity back including one of their own.

24 swappers would be close to the maximum number. After the Xmas swap, the NSW July swap was so popular, that it filled in a day.


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## razz (6/6/06)

It will be long neck stubbies for me, that's all I have !


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## scotsdalebrewery (6/6/06)

I am not fussed - stubbies or longnecks, doesnt matter to me.


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## vlbaby (7/6/06)

I'm not really a bottler at all these days, but given that this swap has to be in bottles I would vote for long necks, aka tallies. Half as much bottling and half as much sorting into cases. 

I think it will be a hell of a lot easier if everyone goes the same size bottles. 

What is everyone else's preference?


vl.


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## James Squire (8/6/06)

Longnecks are fine for me!

JS


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## darkhorse (8/6/06)

Longnecks are good for me!


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## berazafi (8/6/06)

I will just be filling bottles from the keg, i dont think i will do it bottle conditioned, i havnt in my recent venture back onto hombrewing after many years away i havent even filled a bottle and naturally carbonated, so wouldnt want to risk them turning out bad


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## Lukes (8/6/06)

Longneck's are fine here to but I will have to the LHBS to get some :huh: as I will be filling them from a keg.
So this swap will be going ahead in time for the AFL grand final :chug: ?

Luke


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## berazafi (8/6/06)

Luke

You could try going to the wedding reception places on mount dandy road, i was at a wedding there the other day and all they serve is long necks


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## lucas (8/6/06)

I'm down with the longnecks 

where on mt dandy road is that berazafi? I wouldn't mind picking up a couple more milk crates full so i cant stockpile beer for longer


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## Lukes (8/6/06)

Berazafi
Yep, good call I will stop in and raid the bins.


Lucas,
Half way between Montrose and Kilsyth.

google map

Luke


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## darkhorse (8/6/06)

Sourcing long necks is pretty easy from anywhere that does wedding receptions...

I have got my last lot from the Cuckoo Restaurant (Olinda?)


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## lucas (8/6/06)

thanks Lukes, my girlfriends parents live out that way so next time we have to visit I'll have something to look forward too


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## RobW (8/6/06)

Just found this thread. You can count me in fellers.


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## James Squire (14/6/06)

bump


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## vlbaby (14/6/06)

g'day guys,

Well i'd say longnecks seem to be the go for everyone then. And the AFL date seems to fairly popular also.

So i'd say if we can all drop our beers by no later than the weekend before, (Sat 23rd ~Sun 24th sept), then everyone can pickup in the morning of the grand final ( sat 30th sept). How would that sound?

Like I said before, i'm happy to act as a distribution point (out at hoppers crossing) if that suits people ok.

If everyones cool with this, then we should lock it in. :beer: 

so far we have 12 maybe 13...any idea if your a yah or nay yet johnno?

Millet Man
Johnno (a maybe)
lucas
scotsdalebrewery
berazafi
darkhorse
Lukes
James Squire
Velophile
Smashed jaffa
vlbaby
razz
RobW

have I missed anybody?



Cheers

Vl.


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## scotsdalebrewery (14/6/06)

Sounds great vl.

All I need is for Melbourne to make the Granny and it will make for a greater day!


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## scotsdalebrewery (14/6/06)

I can help with pick up from southern suburbs. Any help required PM me!


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## James Squire (15/6/06)

Hey scotsdale,

I can probably organise to get mine and probably Darkhorse's brews out to your place in Ringwood. That should be pretty easy if it suits you?

JS


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## berazafi (15/6/06)

I am going to have to pull out of this, as i dont think i am going to have much time to get my act together


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## scotsdalebrewery (15/6/06)

No worries JS


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## Lukes (15/6/06)

I will be keen on a drop of in Ringwood too.

Luke


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## lucas (15/6/06)

ringwood drop off works for me too


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## lucas (15/6/06)

So when do we work out who's brewing what? I have a nice belgin wit currently in bottles already that i'd like to be my addition to the cases. It's pretty nice now, so i figure by september it'll be perfect.


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## Millet Man (15/6/06)

vlbaby said:


> Like I said before, i'm happy to act as a distribution point (out at hoppers crossing) if that suits people ok.



Hoppers Crossing pick-up would suit me fine.

Cheers, Andrew.


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## johnno (15/6/06)

vlbaby said:


> so far we have 12 maybe 13...any idea if your a yah or nay yet johnno?
> 
> Millet Man
> Johnno (a maybe)
> ...



Still not sure vlbaby. Is there a cutoff date for entering this?
Sorry. Just have a lot on at the moment. 


cheers
johnno


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## mark_m (15/6/06)

vlbaby said:


> g'day guys,
> 
> Well i'd say longnecks seem to be the go for everyone then. And the AFL date seems to fairly popular also.
> 
> ...






Keen to be involved too

Mark


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## vlbaby (18/6/06)

johnno said:


> Still not sure vlbaby. Is there a cutoff date for entering this?
> Sorry. Just have a lot on at the moment.
> 
> 
> ...



Well I suppose in the interest of everyone involved we should set a cut-off date for this thing and a cut-off size as well.
My suggestion would be a cap of 24 (although i suspect we might not get anywhere close to that), and a cut-off date at the end of this month.

That so far makes 12...


Millet Man
lucas
scotsdalebrewery
mark_mulrooney
darkhorse
Lukes
James Squire
Velophile
Smashed jaffa
vlbaby
razz
RobW


Any more takers, the more the merrier  

Btw, i'm thinking of brewing an American amber ale, something in the style of Little Creatures Roger's Beer. I love that stuff.



cheers

vl.


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## James Squire (22/6/06)

vlbaby said:


> Btw, i'm thinking of brewing an American amber ale, something in the style of Little Creatures Roger's Beer. I love that stuff.



Im currently drinking an Extract recipe APA I made recently and it's mouth watering good :chug: (I reckon anyway!  )

Actually quite similar to JS Golden Ale IMO. I think another batch of this could be called for to be my contribution to the case. :beerbang: 

Cheers,

JS


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## Murray (22/6/06)

I'd like to be involved, but I have to get another capper if I am going to be bottling  I've only really been saving champagne-style bottles, I assume G&G sells triage bells. Put me down as a maybe.


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## scotsdalebrewery (22/6/06)

My planned contribution is a Honey Vanilla Lager - it is currently in secondary and I also have a pils that may get a run if I am unhappy with the Lager - No temp controlled fridge means lots more lagers to go!


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## lucas (22/6/06)

scotsdalebrewery said:


> My planned contribution is a Honey Vanilla Lager - it is currently in secondary and I also have a pils that may get a run if I am unhappy with the Lager - No temp controlled fridge means lots more lagers to go!


the honey vanilla lager sounds very interesting, I wouldnt mind having that as one of the beers in my case even if it doesnt turn out fantastic


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## James Squire (22/6/06)

Here, here,

The Honey Vanilla Lager sounds gooooood! Go with it!

JS


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## Millet Man (22/6/06)

I'm thinking a hirsebier, dark millet beer along the lines of a dunkelweizen. Has score well in comps so shouldn't freak anyone out.  

Cheers, Andrew.


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## James Squire (22/6/06)

Murray said:


> I'd like to be involved, but I have to get another capper if I am going to be bottling  I've only really been saving champagne-style bottles, I assume G&G sells triage bells. Put me down as a maybe.




Sorry Murray, I missed that! The more the merrier mate! Welcome aboard (hopefully!) :beerbang: 

More people = More variety of beer = Happy drinking! :chug: 

Sweet!!!

JS


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## johnno (28/6/06)

Sorry brewers.
I will have to opt out of this one.

Hopefully will be in the next one.

Have too much on at the moment.

cheers
johnno


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## razz (28/6/06)

JS. Put me down for 24 long neck stubbies of kolsch.


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## vlbaby (1/7/06)

g'day guys,

There hasnt been a whole lot of movement on this thread lately, so I thought I better give it another kick in the guts.
So far weve got 13 guys interested in the swap, which is a bit of an odd number I suppose, but well 13 is better than 12!  
So Ill just recap our arrangements. 

**The beers are to be in Long Neck (aka Tallie ie 750mL) bottles.
*We all supply 13 Bottles and will receive back a mixed case of 13 bottles, one of which will be your own. ( makes for easier sorting ).
*The beers need to be dropped off no later than SUNDAY 24th SEPTEMBER at either ScotdaleBrewerys place in Ringwood OR my place in Hoppers Crossing.
Post or PM your preference for drop off/pickup in advance
*Pickup of your mixed case will be on SATURDAY 30th SEPTEMBER at the same place as you dropped off, preferably in the morning.*

If anyone finds these arrangements impossible, PM me I'll try and make something happen for you.


The guys and the brews involved are..

Millet Man *HirseBier * 
lucas *Belgian Wit*
scotsdalebrewery *Honey Vanilla Lager * 
darkhorse - *Irish Red Ale*
Lukes - *Pride of Ringwood Ale or a Hallertauer German lager*
James Squire *American Pale Ale*
Velophile *Robust Porter*
Smashed jaffa - *either Croation Munich Helles or German Pils ?*
vlbaby *American Amber Ale*
Razz - *Kolsch*
RobW - *India Pale Ale*
Mark_mulrooney - *Woodfordes Headcracker Pale Ale*
Murray - ?

Looks like a nice variety of beers already. Id urge everyone to post the beer they are brewing for this swap so as keep a good variety.
Ill keep the list updated as the information comes through.

Cheers guys,


Vl.


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## smashed jaffa (1/7/06)

G'day Guys,

yep it's sounding good :beer: , lot's of different styles = taste buds happy  

Count me in for a AG Croatian Munich Hell/es, (just put in fermenter) or a AG German Pils, (currently cc'ing), depending on which comes out better. 
German Pils was goooood going into cc.

Hoppers is closet for me VL.

Cheers,

Smashed Jaffa. :beerbang:


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## vlbaby (1/7/06)

smashed jaffa said:


> G'day Guys,
> 
> yep it's sounding good :beer: , lot's of different styles = taste buds happy
> 
> Smashed Jaffa. :beerbang:



Lots of different styles so far. I love a variety pack of beers.  Yummmm!

Croation Munich Helles sounds very tempting smashed. 


vl.


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## darkhorse (1/7/06)

OK... I'm up for suggestions on what to supply.

I don't have any set of 13 tallies to distribute so will have to get cracking.

Was thinking an APA but Mr Squire has that covered.
Maybe a regular Lager? Or with orange?

BTW... I will be doing my dropoff / pickup at Ringwood.

Let the ideas rain down....

-DarkHorse


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## Millet Man (1/7/06)

Hoppers Crossing pick up is good for me.

Trying to fill kegs ATM but will get onto the Hirsebier (like a dunkelweizen or roggenbier style but made with millet) during July.

Cheers, Andrew.


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## vlbaby (1/7/06)

darkhorse said:


> OK... I'm up for suggestions on what to supply.
> 
> I don't have any set of 13 tallies to distribute so will have to get cracking.
> 
> ...



How about an Irish Red? or maybe an IPA.


vl.


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## lucas (2/7/06)

I'm without internet at home for the moment so I'm not checking this thread. i have 16 longnecks of the wit set aside, If the number of people in the case goes above that I may have to pull out.

drop off preference is definately anywhere in the east. i know a ringwood dropoff was mentioned previously, (or at least a mini distribution point), that would be perfect for me

lucas


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## vlbaby (2/7/06)

Your ok lucas, the swap has been capped at 13 (for the number of guys that have raised their hands so far).
Ringwood is still good too mate. You still brewing the Belgian Wit?


cheers

vl.


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## RobW (3/7/06)

I'm happy to do an IPA - but I won't be able to send it by ship via Bombay. :lol: 
Ringwood dropoff would suit me best.


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## lucas (3/7/06)

vlbaby said:


> Your ok lucas, the swap has been capped at 13 (for the number of guys that have raised their hands so far).
> Ringwood is still good too mate. You still brewing the Belgian Wit?
> 
> 
> ...


yep, it's in the bottles put aside and ready to go. I've almost drank the rest of that batch already as I've just moved house and hence havent had much time for brewing recently. need to invest in a third fermenter so i can do two brews at once and get back on top of things


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## Velophile (3/7/06)

vlbaby said:


> <snip>
> 
> **The beers are to be in Long Neck (aka Tallie ie 750mL) bottles.
> *We all supply 13 Bottles and will receive back a mixed case of 13 bottles, one of which will be your own. ( makes for easier sorting ).
> ...



I'm still keen. 
Not sure on drop off location yet, either way it's a trip from Northcote. If anyone is close by I could help with drop off.


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## mark_m (3/7/06)

I'm still on "kits & bits", but have a few bottles of "Woodfordes Headcracker Pale Ale" that I think are worth sharing, may need to include a couple of bottles of Munton's Barley wine to round out to 13 bottles 'though.
Cheers
Mark


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## razz (4/7/06)

Got your pm vlbaby, I'm good to go for a kolsch. I would prefer drop off and pick up in the eastern suburbs.


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## darkhorse (4/7/06)

Looks like the I will pencil in an Irish Red... unless I have a jolt of inspiration before I do the deed.

Some wildly varying recipes that I have seen so I can't go too far wrong!
(or can I???)


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## vlbaby (5/7/06)

Irish red will be great darkhorse. Its one of the beers on my 'to do' list.

There's quite a few styles in this swap i'm keen to try, looking forward to it.  

cheers,

vl.


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## Lukes (5/7/06)

Vlbaby,
Put me down for a Pride of Ringwood Ale or a Hallertauer German lager.
I have these planned but they may change :excl: 
They will be from a keg so drink soon as I don't have a counter pressure bottle filler. :blink: 
Ringwood drop off for me.
:beerbang: 
Luke


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## vlbaby (6/7/06)

I'll probably be filling from kegs too lukes. I dont have a cpbf either, but by the looks of the other thread it may not be necessary anyway.  I'm going to do a test on another beer first to see how it lasts, just for interest sake. Otherwise it might be back to priming bottle days again.

cheers

vl.


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## James Squire (10/7/06)

Hey vlbaby,

Yep still in on this deal for sure. Drop off at Ringwood is good for me. Still got the APA planned but haven't had a chance to brew yet. 

Drooling over all these different styles!

Cheers,

JS


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## Murray (24/7/06)

Hi guys, Ill be bottling some stout for this (when I get my hands on a bottle capper).


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## Murray (1/8/06)

Bulk priming and bottling done. Now I know why I went to kegs.


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## scotsdalebrewery (6/8/06)

G'day Guys,

I originally put my hand up to be the eastern distribution point for the project. I will be moving to Sea Lake in about three weeks to run the local pub. I will still contribute to the case and with Melbournes performance against Carlton yesterday probably wont be down for the Grand Final. I will be bottling my contribution in two weeks with a plan to get it to vl for the swap. Sorry about this guys, but this is an offer I couldnt refuse!


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## vlbaby (6/8/06)

Scotdalebrewery,
It's a pity, but it can't helped i suppose. Thanks for letting us know before hand.

Does anyone else want to become a collector over in the east? Otherwise everyone can make the trip over to Hoppers Crossing i suppose, just its a bit far for some people. If someone wants to play courier then i can meet half way or something like that.

any takers  ?

cheers

vl.


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## berazafi (6/8/06)

Hey guys i may still be able to do this, if thats possible, im also happy to be a distro point


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## vlbaby (7/8/06)

g'day berazafi,
i'd have no problems with it personally, but i think some guys have counted on bottling just 13 beers. 
Please correct me guys if this is wrong. Unless someone decides to drop out, it may be a bit difficult.  

cheers

vl.


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## berazafi (7/8/06)

No problems


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## James Squire (7/8/06)

An extra beer is no probs by me!

Correct me if im wrong though but supplying 13 beers means we get one of our own back... having one more person (making 14) just means that we get 13 beers back, none of which being our own.

Otherwise I don't mind throwing another one in... 

JS


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## Murray (7/8/06)

Sorry, I've already bottled 13. JS's idea would work though (it may be more work sorting individual cases though).


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## lucas (7/8/06)

vlbaby said:


> g'day berazafi,
> i'd have no problems with it personally, but i think some guys have counted on bottling just 13 beers.
> Please correct me guys if this is wrong. Unless someone decides to drop out, it may be a bit difficult.
> 
> ...


perhaps we need to do another roll call for who's still keen. I'm sure i read at least one person drop out since the last one (edit: just checked and it was jonno, but he wasnt in the 13 person list) and it would suck to find out later and then have not allowed berazafi to contribute. I think from memory I have enough bottled to cope with 16, any more than that and you might end up getting some of my greener stuff.


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## RobW (7/8/06)

Guys, if it'll make it easier I can drop out. I've been a bit up against it lately in terms of finding time to brew so that would take the pressure off.


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## berazafi (7/8/06)

RobW said:


> Guys, if it'll make it easier I can drop out. I've been a bit up against it lately in terms of finding time to brew so that would take the pressure off.





I have an idea, how about i contribute and if you have a extra bottle for me throw it in if not no big deal (or maybe throw another brew in)



Dave


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## Lukes (7/8/06)

I have the footy swap beer in a keg but have not even chased up the bottles yet so one extra for me is not a problem.
:chug: 
Luke


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## smashed jaffa (7/8/06)

Have botttled the Bavarian Pils already into 13 tallies, so no problems. :beer: 

However, and as I only do 15 Litre batches, and I have already drunk a bit of the batch I will have to count the tallies left.  

If not I may have to submit my Munich Helles (currently CC'ing), which I will bottle in the next week or so.

Cheers,

SJ


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## Velophile (7/8/06)

I've got a few extra, so no problems here.  

I can help with distribution & delivery if required.


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## Millet Man (7/8/06)

I'll be bottling from the keg so no problem with any extra's for me.

Cheers, Andrew.


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## vlbaby (8/8/06)

berazafi,
JS is right. It will mean at the worst at little extra sorting so you dont get one of your own beers back. I've got no probs with that at all, so it will be great to have you on board. :beerbang: 

As lucas mentioned, a quick role call is probably a good idea also. I have been wondering if there might be a drop out of two later down the track. All those that have posted in the last couple days have been noted, so I'll post an updated list in the next day or so.

Looking forward to this. Just put my 13 babies to sleep in bottles last weekend. Snuck a taste out of the cube, looks promising.

cheers guys

vl.


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## darkhorse (11/8/06)

OK guys... finally got around to putting on my AG Irish Red...

AG cherry busted...

OG 1.054 ... checks out OK

Bitterness... ??? according to BJCP it should err on the malty side... from my boil sample I am concerned that my little 10g of Green Bullets gave more than their fair share.

Willamette in place of EKG??? I dunno the difference but willamette is the closest I had from the descriptions that I have read

bubbling nicely though... will update when I transfer to secondary.


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## Wardhog (16/8/06)

If you're happy to have a kit & bits brewer in, I'd like to be in it.

Hmm, the cervesa or the bitter?

Edit: Cancel that, I won't be able to participate. I'll keep an eye out for the next one though.


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## Millet Man (16/8/06)

Brewed up my contribution today, a Millet Brown Ale - almost a Porter but not quite. Tastes good so far.  

Cheers, Andrew.


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## darkhorse (21/8/06)

OK... skipped secondary...straight to bottles.

Batch primed and flat when sampled...

Not Bad!

definitely got potential... 6 weeks till G Day and sampling begins!!!


----------



## James Squire (21/8/06)

Will be bottling my contribution this afternoon guys.

Just a quick question... Berazafi, are you still happy to be the eastern 'burbs distribution point? 

Cheers,

JS


----------



## berazafi (21/8/06)

yep no problems at all


----------



## Millet Man (25/8/06)

Kegged my Brown Ale today but it may not be good enough.  

Hop aroma/flavour did not come through and it's NQR, I'll wait and see how it is after a couple of weeks conditioning.

I do have a delicious APA ready to go if it's required, as long as there aren't too many APA's in the case already? But then mine is an APA with a difference.

Cheers, Andrew.


----------



## lucas (25/8/06)

Millet Man said:


> Kegged my Brown Ale today but it may not be good enough.
> 
> Hop aroma/flavour did not come through and it's NQR, I'll wait and see how it is after a couple of weeks conditioning.
> 
> ...


hehe.... I'd be happy to have either in my case. the brown ale because ive only tried one or two and thought they were great, and the apa because thats the style i've been working on (well.... as of this week, but i have plans for the next brew to be an apa too for comparisions sake)


----------



## scotsdalebrewery (25/8/06)

Thanks for jumping in Berazafi and filling the east distro point. 

Bottled my Honey Vanilla Lager on Monday tasted great out of secondary. Fingers crossed!

vl will organise to get them to you soon.


----------



## James Squire (29/8/06)

How is everyone's brews going for this?

My APA is ready to go. I bottled half for swapping and kegged the rest (for testing!) so its being drunk at the mo. It's quite light in body so it's good for the warmer weather coming up, good amarillo nose to it that turns to malt as it warms. Being a partial it has some residual sweetness there from the extract but otherwise seems like a nice warm weather quaffer. Hope you all enjoy.

Cheers for now, can't wait for the swap!

JS


----------



## Velophile (29/8/06)

James Squire said:


> How is everyone's brews going for this?
> 
> <snip>
> 
> ...



Mine's done, bottled & waiting/ageing. 

I should be able to pick up a few batches on the way to either distribution point. :beer:


----------



## Millet Man (29/8/06)

Just need to assemble my CPBF and will be ready to go. Still undecided on the Brown Ale or APA.

Cheers, Andrew.


----------



## smashed jaffa (29/8/06)

Velophile said:


> James Squire said:
> 
> 
> > How is everyone's brews going for this?
> ...



Sounds Great Velophile I'll Pm you tonight.

Cheers,

SJ


----------



## lucas (29/8/06)

I've had mine in bottles for a while now, been well over a month since I ran out of my part of that batch so I dont know how it tastes by now, i assume even better. 

I have a more recent batch done with the same yeast (3944) but at a (only slightly) higher temp and it's come out tasting reasonably strongly of what i think, from what I've been reading, is phenolic . It's apparently a trait of the yeast but i havent tasted it in the previous two batches using the strain so i dont know if it's the higher temp bringing out that characteristic or if i bollocksed the latest batch. 

is there anyone knowledgable about witbiers involved in the swap? I'd throw in an extra one of the latest batch to find out if it's just on the strong end of the style or if its something else


----------



## razz (29/8/06)

Mine is kegged, has been for 4 weeks, I won't bottle it until a few days before the drop off.


----------



## vlbaby (29/8/06)

Mine's been bottled for about 2 weeks now, so i thought it about time i had a sampler. I was a little disappointed by the clarity, but it should get better with time I guess. I would probably chuck in some more aroma hops next time too. I'm my own worst critic thats for sure!

cheers guys

vl.


----------



## Lukes (30/8/06)

razz said:


> Mine is kegged, has been for 4 weeks, I won't bottle it until a few days before the drop off.




Same here but 2 weeks !

Just have to go and get some bottle's :blink: and build a CPBF :blink:


----------



## mark_m (30/8/06)

Velophile said:


> James Squire said:
> 
> 
> > How is everyone's brews going for this?
> ...



I'll be out of town for both the drop of & pick up dates - if you're happy to take mine, will drop off prior. Will PM you.

Cheers

Mark


----------



## razz (30/8/06)

Lukes said:


> razz said:
> 
> 
> > Mine is kegged, has been for 4 weeks, I won't bottle it until a few days before the drop off.
> ...


G'day Lukes, I fill mine from the tap. Haven't had any problems, I just chill the bottles first and pour with as low as pressure as possible. The small amount of foam in the neck will push out the O2.


----------



## Lukes (30/8/06)

razz said:


> Lukes said:
> 
> 
> > razz said:
> ...



Razz,
Thanks for the vote of confidence.
That's my plan using a modified party type tap with stopper and a bit of tubing on it to fill from the bottom.
I fill a few using this sort of method but are gone in a day or 2.  
I just fill up PET bottles and use home made carb caps from tyre valves to carb them up if I am going somewere.
If I get the beer real cold it should not be a problem.

Luke


----------



## Velophile (7/9/06)

Time for an update.

My brew is ready to deliver, as is Mark_M's, which I also have. He will be away at swap time.

If anyone wants a drop off closer to the city I'm happy to take your brew to either swap venue.


----------



## vlbaby (7/9/06)

G'day guys,

I havent been around much lately, except to check on this thread occasionally and the VIC swap is getting real close now, so I thought it probably a good time to double check everyones still in.

As far as Im aware this is the final list and the preferred drop off point, although there are still a few question marks here and there. I apologise if I have missed anything or anyone in advance. h34r: 


Millet Man *HirseBier * (hoppers xing)
lucas *Belgian Wit * (eastern drop off)
scotsdalebrewery *Honey Vanilla Lager * (eastern drop off)	
darkhorse *Irish Red Ale * (eastern drop off)
Lukes *Aussie Ale* (eastern drop off)
James Squire *American Pale Ale * (eastern drop off)
Velophile *Robust Porter* ?
Smashed jaffa *Bavarian Pils * (hoppers xing)
vlbaby *American Brown Ale* (hoppers xing)
Razz *Kolsch* (eastern drop off) 
Murray *Stout * (hoppers xing) ?
Berazafi *?* (eastern drop off)
Mark_mulrooney *Woodfordes Headcracker Pale Ale & Munton's Barley wine* 

If everything looks ok Ill send everyone a PM with the address for the drop off points, etc.

Berazafi Ill PM you to work out the details of pickup/sorting etc.

Cheers,

vl.


----------



## lucas (7/9/06)

I'm still in.

I guess I need to go buy some labels soon to make the sorting less of a pain for you guys


----------



## berazafi (7/9/06)

vlbaby said:


> G'day guys,
> 
> I haven't been around much lately, except to check on this thread occasionally and the VIC swap is getting real close now, so I thought it probably a good time to double check everyones still in.
> 
> ...



For the people that would like to drop off to me, can you send me a pm so with your prefered time and date, i will then reply with my address


----------



## Lukes (8/9/06)

vlbaby said:


> G'day guys,
> 
> Millet Man *HirseBier * (hoppers xing)
> lucas *Belgian Wit * (eastern drop off)
> ...



vlbaby,
I am up for an ale and will drop it down @ Berazafi's next week.
I will be in N.Z around the time of the swap so look forward to having a sample night when i get back.

Luke


----------



## James Squire (8/9/06)

Count me in still.

The APA is good to go, drop off at berazafi's.

Cheers,

JS


----------



## darkhorse (9/9/06)

Mine's done.

Haven't sampled yet though :excl: 
IRA...Irish Red Ale

Drop off via JS to Berafazi


----------



## Murray (13/9/06)

Hey guys. I can drop the case off at Hoppers Xing.


----------



## razz (20/9/06)

Just bottled my Kolsch from the keg, dropping off to Berazafi on Friday and then we're off to the sunny Gold Coast for a week ! By the way lads, I don't have any fancy labels so I will write my list number down on the caps. No 10 that is. The boys in Q/land are doing this for their xmas case, it should make sorting very easy. Happy holidays, John


----------



## berazafi (20/9/06)

Guys I pretty sure there are some of you eastern drop offs that havent contacted me regarding the drop off.

These beers are getting sorted THIS SUNDAY

If you havnt contacted myself or VLBABY, please do so shortly

Dave


----------



## vlbaby (22/9/06)

Swap day is almost here guys, yay! Just a reminder to all of you involved, you need to get your beers to your drop off point no later than *12PM SUNDAY 24th OF SEPTEMBER * which is this weekend! If you havent done so already, just let your drop off distributor ( berazafi or myself) know that your still ok and when you're likely to drop off. Everyone involved should have been PMed a contact number etc by now, so scream if you havent.

Fingers crossed this will be a success :beerbang: 

cheers 

vl.


----------



## Lukes (22/9/06)

Mine is down at dave's.
I was not that happy with the Aussie ale I had planned so I bottled up a lawnmower lager with 2000 Budvar yeast, POR for bittering and a bit of Amarillo for taste.
I put my number #5 on the list on them (labels from work).  
It was so hard not to drink it before and as I filled the bottles and it was the quickest I have ever emptied a keg.

I am also of on a holiday over the ditch for a few weeks so I look forward to trying all the brews when I get back.

Luke


----------



## James Squire (22/9/06)

My APA and 'darkhorses' Irish Red are at Dave's ready to go.

Looking forward to getting stuck into these brews. 

Cheers,

JS


----------



## berazafi (24/9/06)

The sort has been complete. It was nice to catch up with a few of the guys who help sort (Vlbaby,Lucus and Velophile)special thanks to VLbaby for doing the long drive from hoppers to mooroolbark unfortunatly two brewers were unable to enter there beers, so your case may be down a few beers, also some brewers provided 12, some 13 and some 14. After the 11 beers were all sorted the left overs were randomly distributed. Hope this doesnt pose a problem

Here is a pic of the sort


----------



## vlbaby (24/9/06)

Well I've got 10 new beers sitting in my fridge doing a crash cool at the moment, which one to try first? mmmm  
Thanks guys for making this work, hopefully there will be more. And a special thanks to berazafi (and mrs berazafi ) , for their hospitality and letting us use their place as a distribution/ sorting point. 

It was good also meeting up with some fellow brewers and their beers. I was very impressed by the samples that i got to try today, so you guys are doing nice work I'll say.

For the guys that dropped beers of at my place, your free to pick them up any time that suits you. Just give me buzz when your likely to come around.

Cheers,

vl.


----------



## lucas (24/9/06)

Twas a good day, even if the weather was horrid. Big thanks to berazafi for providing the venue, much beer and leaving me with many new ideas for my path to AG.


----------



## Lukes (25/9/06)

That pick of the swap beers looks great.

Too bad we lost a few brewers. Looking forward to a bit of a drink when I get back.

Dave, don't drop mine off at my place otherwise Jeff down stairs will Judge them :chug: .

I will pick the up when I get back.

I'm currently stuck at Melb airport for 2 hours waiting on a delayed flight to N.Z :angry: .



I added my lawnmower lager to the recipe database.

Are you guys doing the same?

It would be nice to know what is in them without the guess work.



Xmas swap next.



Luke


----------



## James Squire (25/9/06)

Picked up my case last night over a few beers with Dave.

Spewin' I missed meeting the rest of you guys. Big thanks to everyone that was involved in the sorting and distribution of the beers, especially Dave and VL for the big efforts they made. Cheers.

Looking forward to sampling a few of these beers soon. 

I agree Luke, bring on another swap for Xmas.

JS


----------



## lucas (25/9/06)

kit recipies dont work very well in the recipie thinger so ill stick mine here:

morgans golden sheaf wheat beer kit 1.7kg
1Kg wheat malt
0.25Kg dextrose
0.25Kg maltodextrin
15g Coriander seeds
8g saaz hops 
15g orange zest
Wyeast 3944 belgin wit yeast

i dont actually have any notes for how i did this beer but i think back then i probably would have boiled most of it with the hops and Coriander for 15 mins or so then strained and dumped in the fermenter, topped up to 23l

tried the amarillo pilsner tonight, damn nice beer. has it been filtered? i'll definately have a crack at making one of these once i get my AG gear together


----------



## darkhorse (25/9/06)

Cheers to those that have done all the leg work to make this come off...

Recipe is on the bottle for the Irish red ale... well, more like a ingredients list than a recipe.

1 correction though... Green bullet 10g used for bittering (not willamette)

I only sampled it a week ago but I was very happy with how it turned out as my first AG

Turns out my bucket is bucket and crude control of mash temp gave OK results!

Now I'm just hanging out to taste... I'd love to go through the samplings back to back but that is a massive session!


----------



## vlbaby (26/9/06)

lucas said:


> tried the amarillo pilsner tonight, damn nice beer. has it been filtered? i'll definately have a crack at making one of these once i get my AG gear together



I was impressed by Lukes pilsner also. I could easily drink that beer all night. Well done Luke.
I think I might give that recipe a go myself. 

vl.


----------



## NRB (28/9/06)

I don't mean to be an ass, but I tried Lukes' lager last night and found it to taste like soap. I unfortunately didn't enjoy it at all.


----------



## DarkFaerytale (28/9/06)

i know it's a bit early but any thoughts on another case soon? i would love to be involved


----------



## darkhorse (28/9/06)

No reason not to put the feelers out for another swap... especially if the swap time is going to be for Xmas
Leaves only a month (ish) for plan and brew, then another 6 weeks (ish) to mature.
You may even get a whole new set of participants!


NRB, I dunno about Luke but I will be looking for both positive and negative (well, I hope there is no negative, but if they are contructive that is great).
So, what do you mean by soapy anyway... maybe I will have to try it to find out, unless it was a factor that only affected your sample.


----------



## NRB (28/9/06)

darkhorse, what I mean is it tasted like soap, viz. like a cake of soap one would use in the shower. Perhaps it sat on the yeast for a very long time and the fatty acids were broken down.


----------



## darkhorse (28/9/06)

That doesn't sound particularly tasty!!!  

Now I'm scared to try it!

But then again, I have to drink VB if I forget to BYO to my parents' place.


----------



## vlbaby (30/9/06)

NRB said:


> darkhorse, what I mean is it tasted like soap, viz. like a cake of soap one would use in the shower. Perhaps it sat on the yeast for a very long time and the fatty acids were broken down.



You must have got a bad bottle NRB, because of the 5 beers I have tried in this case so far, Lukes is by far the best i reckon. Seeing you werent in the swap, did you try his beer from a bottle or from tap?

Darkhorse, I know what you mean about looking for both positive and negative comments. I hope I can get some honest impressions myself. I'd even go as far as inviting people to critisize my beers if they didnt like it because it does me no good to hear nice comments etc that aint true. 
Anyhow, Ive got to get into the old flame suit now h34r:  

cheers

vl.


----------



## James Squire (30/9/06)

I got stuck into the first couple of beers from the swap last night so I guess it's time to kick off the reviews people! *Disclaimer: I am not a beer judge! My tastes are my tastes only, end of story!*

*Lukes' Amarillo Pils*

After all the talk about the supposed soap taste I had to give this one a go first! 

When I first heard that a Pilsner bittered with POR and flavoured with Amarillo was in the case I must admit I had my doubts on it's flavour compatability. However it had my interests up nonetheless, after all Im not really too much of a style nazi anyway! Good thing too cos I was pleasantly surprised by this beer! Good on you Luke for breaking 'the rules' and giving us a beer with a difference!

It poured very attractively in the glass, perfectly clear straw colour with a nice light head. Good carbonation (unlike mine unfortunately!) Little to no aroma noted. Taste was nice and crisp, well bittered with the Amarillo _just_ coming through. There was a slight sweetness to this beer though, it tasted as if there was some sugar in the recipe but I know from looking in the recipe section that there wasn't. As for the soapy taste that NRB has noted, I did detect (but remember that I was trying hard to) a slight ?detergenty? taste in the background somewhere but it in no way destroys the beer for me. Im guessing (unless you've done this!) a little iodophor in the bottles before bottling may sort this out. Just remember though that after reading NRB's comments I was actually looking for the taste, so its no real negative for me. 

Sort out the sweetness thing and then deliver me a kegs worth!

Cheers for the beer,

JS


----------



## NRB (30/9/06)

vlbaby said:


> Seeing you werent in the swap, did you try his beer from a bottle or from tap?



A bottle was taken to our brew club meeting on Wednesday night and tried by several brewers. I meant no disrespect to Luke for this beer, it's just that we all found it to be "strange". Full marks for having a go at a beer that doesn't fit into any style.

From memory, it poured a bright straw colour, had no aroma to speak of, was mildly bitter, slightly sweet with a floral taste reminiscent of Cusson's Imperial Leather.

I'm no brewing expert and don't have award winning beers, but my palate is reasonably well educated and this is what I came up with.


----------



## James Squire (30/9/06)

....next!

*Darkhorse's Irish Red Ale*

Im not super familiar with this particular style so Im not sure what fits guidelines and yada yada but I do know what I like to drink so here goes! Johnny is a workmate of mine so I've been keen to get this one down the gullet!

_First_ pour presents a beautifully clear deep red ale with a nice full creamy head that hangs in there all the way to the end. This is an attractive beer. So attractive that SWMBO (who's normally a chardy or marsanne drinker) snaffled the glass first and stole the first taste. She handed it back to me saying "That's nice!" which is like the ultimate compliment from her! Well done! I then proceeded to tuck in to it and definately agreed with her. A good well balanced beer, malt driven but bittered perfectly. My first time (that I know of!) tasting the Green Bullet hops and they were used very well.

_Second_ pour however was a little different. Quite cloudy. Something as if it's ?break material? came through in small bits into the glass. The impact on the taste was that some yeasty flavours became more prevalent. Im not sure the reasoning behind this issue but it's very unfortunate as it is a let down for an otherwise exceptional beer.

Great job on your first AG Johnny, I forcast some good beers coming out of the Belgrave Brewhaus in the near future!

Cheers and thanks for the beer,

JS


----------



## berazafi (30/9/06)

vlbaby said:


> NRB said:
> 
> 
> > darkhorse, what I mean is it tasted like soap, viz. like a cake of soap one would use in the shower. Perhaps it sat on the yeast for a very long time and the fatty acids were broken down.
> ...



The bottle of lukes beer was taken my me as i ended up with two of these, the first one i tried i could only get through half of the glass due to the taste, then upon reading on here how nice it was I decided to take one along to see what others thought, well 3 of us tasted i and we all had the same taste.

Maybe it was just the 2 bottles that i happened to get :angry:


----------



## vlbaby (1/10/06)

Now I wish I could've had 2 bottles of Lukes beer. I'd like to give it another evaluation as it seems by others comments I got it all wrong. 
I'm definitely not beer judge material thats for sure , but I reckon I'd have a lot of fun trying.

cheers

vl.


----------



## lucas (2/10/06)

vlbaby said:


> Now I wish I could've had 2 bottles of Lukes beer. I'd like to give it another evaluation as it seems by others comments I got it all wrong.
> I'm definitely not beer judge material thats for sure , but I reckon I'd have a lot of fun trying.
> 
> cheers
> ...


i got two of them, i'd offer to split the second one with you so we can both look for the soapy taste but we're at opposite ends of melbourne  I'll be just as happy if i still cant sense it though, a bit like DMS i reckon, you're better off if you cant detect it


----------



## darkhorse (3/10/06)

Ok... I had the Amarillo Budvar last night... cheers LukeS

I have to be honest... at first I thought I could pick something vaguely soapy... but my the end of my glass I decided the main taste was the Hops.

Massive hops flavour and aroma... I've had Amarillo based beers (home brew) before which I quite liked, but this was super over the top IMHO. I'm sure some people love it... the more you drink highly hopped beers the more you enjoy them is what I've read people saying elsewhere on the forum.

I thought it was very interesting, but I personally would let it mature another month or so if I had another. It should be nicely mellowed by then. (Again only going by my personal tastes)

Very clear though Luke... this is one area I didn't pay enough attention to... I must rack to secondary with finings next time.

For those looking to try the Irish red ale... try to pour in one go and leave the crap in the bottle.


----------



## James Squire (3/10/06)

Ok, during the weekends AFL and NRL matches I managed to put away a bunch more of these beers. It was probably not the best idea as I now have jaded memories of my thoughts of the beers. Hopefully other peoples reviews will spark up my memory but for now the following will have to do. However, one beer in particular was a standout for me and I remember it fondly!

*Lukas' Wit*

OMG!!! :beerbang: This beer was heaven for the tastebuds! Great work!

I am _NOT_ a wheat beer man. I have never particularly enjoyed any of the wheatie's I've drank in the past. However, this Wit from Lucas sent me to beer heaven! Well done mate! 

So what the beer poured crystal clear in the glass! I don't care about the styles and so on, I just care about how good a beer taste's and this one tasted great! So many subtle flavours lingering around on my toungue, man it all just blew me away!

Thankyou :beer: 


*Razz's Kolsch*

From what I can remember this was quite a well made beer. I have another at home so I will get to refresh my memory at some stage. I had never drank a Kolsch before so this was a first for me (so much so that I had to look up the style guidelines just to know what to expect!)

I recall that this beer was a bit on the sweet side for my tastes. Nice spicy notes to it but erring on the sweeter side which along with being out of taste for me is perhaps out of style also? Id be keen to know what hops were used though Razz? Hallertau? Nice spiciness there.


*berazafi's Brown Ale*

_Drink this one quick people._ Dave man, unfortunately this one had lost close to all of it's carbonation. This was a big pity as it ruined the beer for me. On a positive note, despite the lack of carbonation, it was obvious that this was brewed very well! Nice roasty flavours were well balanced into the mix, excellent dark beer with ticks in all the right boxes for me (other than the carbonation!). Well brewed Dave, sorry about the bubbles!

Cheers.


*Smashed Jaffa's Pils*

Fuzzy memory tells me that this was a bit darker in colour than it should be and poured a little cloudy. Was a clean and well made brew but again a little residual sweetness that wasn't for me. Sorry but the memory is really struggling for much more. 

Cheers for the beer! 


Sorry for the vague reviews this time guys, Im sure you will all understand!

Cheers,

JS


----------



## razz (3/10/06)

JS thanks for the feedback, you are on the money with the hops. I made this to style so the perceived sweetness could be the BU:GU of approx .55. I kept the mash at 63 degrees. I was pleased with the beer because I got that slight apple tarteness that comes from the yeast.


----------



## lucas (3/10/06)

James Squire said:


> *Lukas' Wit*
> 
> OMG!!! :beerbang: This beer was heaven for the tastebuds! Great work!
> 
> ...



Wow, I'm pretty happy with that sort review 



James Squire said:


> *berazafi's Brown Ale*
> 
> _Drink this one quick people._ Dave man, unfortunately this one had lost close to all of it's carbonation. This was a big pity as it ruined the beer for me. On a positive note, despite the lack of carbonation, it was obvious that this was brewed very well! Nice roasty flavours were well balanced into the mix, excellent dark beer with ticks in all the right boxes for me (other than the carbonation!). Well brewed Dave, sorry about the bubbles!


I must of gotten lucky, I opened my one of these yesterday to drink while i bottled a bitter and the carbonation seemed fine. I agree with all your other notes though, the rich toffee sort of flavour was perfect. it's fueling my desire to make another dark beer.

while it's being mentioned, who else bottled from a keg? I'd like to make them the priority beers to be drunk. for that matter, I havent drunk anything that only had a number on the lid cause i wasnt sure whos/what it was.


----------



## razz (3/10/06)

Mines from the keg lucas, it's marked number 10.


----------



## James Squire (4/10/06)

C'mon guys! Is anyone else drinking these beers yet? Where's all the thoughts and reviews! Im giving it my best! Maybe I just drink too much?!?!

Cheers ,

JS


----------



## razz (4/10/06)

I haven't picked mine up yet !


----------



## berazafi (4/10/06)

razz said:


> I haven't picked mine up yet !







My fault sorry Razz


----------



## razz (4/10/06)

Don't be sorry Dave. Look at it this way, my beer will have a couple more weeks maturity !


----------



## Lukes (5/10/06)

NRB said:


> vlbaby said:
> 
> 
> > Seeing you werent in the swap, did you try his beer from a bottle or from tap?
> ...





Guy's

I am very happy for the pos and neg feedback and talk and will have to have a look at the soap taste thing when I get back as I am still O.S. 

I did not expect it to be so judged by any more than the swap crew. Just drunk after the spring gardening and doing the lawns  

When brewing, it did cross my mind that budvar yeast, POR and Amma would be a bit out there. :blink: 



Looking forward to the swap brews.

Luke


----------



## James Squire (5/10/06)

*Vlbaby's American Brown Ale*

I want this recipe!!! Im sitting here sipping away on this right now and it's sensational. :chug: Im impressed!

It pours a bit too murky but is a brilliant brown colour with nice red highlights. The head is short but persisatant, lacing nicely all the way down the glass. Screw all that fancy stuff though cos the taste is fantastic!!! Big bitter hop flavour heading up a toasted malt background. Good citrusy hop kick (Cascade yeah?). Anyway, I love it, I've never had a Brown Ale that favours the hoppy side more than the roasted malts. A new favourite style for me. Thankyou VLbaby!

Cheers for now guys, Im off to pour the second glass! :beerbang: 

JS

PS. Please post the recipe VL. Thanks.


----------



## vlbaby (5/10/06)

Yay! Thats what i like to hear.  The murky bit is something i havent experienced before this brew. It was the first time i've done a no chill so maybe i did it wrong. Hasnt seemed to affect the taste too much , but I would prefer it a bit clearer. oh well.

Anyhow here's a couple of reviews from an amatuer..

Tried *darhorses Irish Red* the other night, Not bad except it had a strong yeasty bite. So much in fact I could've sworn it was a wheat beer. I think maybe it hadnt had time to settle after being moved around a bit.
Probably a real nice beer, but I couldnt get past the wheaty smell and taste seeing it wasnt meant to be a wheat.

*Lucas Wit*. I can't say I'm a real fanatic about wheats, but I thoroughly enjoyed this beer. I had noticed that it had cleared up quite a bit in the bottle, so I have given it a roll to arouse the yeast. I have another bottle of this one, so I'll give that a go as is to compare. Overall I reckon this beer is a winner for sure. 


cheers


vl.


I'll put the recipe on the recipe page JS.


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## darkhorse (9/10/06)

JS APA...

quite liked this but I think I prefer less hop flavor than this... It didn't last long enough for the malt to come out but the better half had a small glass which had warmed a little before it was finished and she agreed that although she was not too keen on first sip, by the time she got back to it she thought it was very nice...

I guess we just both prefer more malt / less hops flavor.

Lucas' wit...

I really liked this... had it with my folks... not really educated beer drinkers. My Dad doesn't really like beer normally but even he agreed it was very clean tasting... good even flavoring. I got 2 of these, so looking forward to the second!

In reference to the ongoing judging of beers, I think it is great to get other perspectives. I love the beer I made but concede the yeasty aspect. I am learning some of the tastes from various hops...


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## smashed jaffa (12/10/06)

Okay here is my two cents worth.....
Firstly I want to thanks everyone who made this swap possible. :beer: 
It is great to be able to get some honest feedback after many hours toiling away in the shed, not knowing if other people with different tastes like the result of all the toiling. :blink: (Other than fam who are biased!)
*Amarillo Pils*
I liked this one...very hoppy which I didn't mind, not quite to style as someone has already pointed out, but great to drink none the less.
*Lucas' Wit*
Good flavours and easy to drink, this is not a style I have tried to brew yet, but I am encouraged by Lucas' offering and will give it a crack myself. Very enjoyable.
*JS APA*
Out of the three I have tried I did like this one the best, as I am a bit of a LCPA fan and i liked the hoppy flavour. Well done. :super: 
I am off to Queensland on Sunday for a week so I proabaly won't get to try any more until my return. I will try post some more comments then.

Cheers,

Smashed Jaffa.


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## razz (16/10/06)

Recently received my 13 bottles, I mean 12 bottles, from this swap. Thanks to the little lady for dropping by to Berazafi's house to pick them up. By the way Dave, she told me you are a good looking bloke with a reasonable build.  
Anyway onto my first evaluation.
JS Golden APA. James this beer is very enjoyable. Tight white head. An aroma that has something that I can also detect in the flavour, not sure what. Similar to what I experience when I drink Delerium Tremens. Great hop flavour and smooth mouthfeel. Nice balance between bitterness and malt. Stubborn foam to the end of my pot glass. Can I ask a couple of things, type of yeast and time in the bottle. Overall I enjoyed this beer, but I just can't quite pick that flavour/aroma thing. I'm just going to backtrack through the thread to see if you wrote any notes on this beer. No more evaluations for a couple of days due to night shifts coming up.


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## James Squire (17/10/06)

Hi Razz,

Thanks for the kind comments! B) I enjoy this style of beer very much and brew APA's quite regularly. This particular beer was the final Partial Mash for me before beginning my life as an AG brewer. I've included the recipe below, it actually has quite a large quantity of extract in it but it's disguised well in the final product! It was fermented at a constant 20C for 1 week in primary and another 1 week clearing up in secondary. It was bottled somewhere around 21st August so I think it's in it's 9th week in the bottle. Here's the recipe:

*JS's Golden APA*
1.7Kgs Pale LME
1.5Kgs Wheat Malt
0.2Kgs Medium Crystal

15g POR @ 60min
12g Amarillo @ 15min
12g Amarillo @ 5 min
20g Amarillo Dry Hopped

Fermented @ 20C with US56

Cheers guys, :beer: 

JS


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## apd (17/10/06)

hey all,

I'm interesting in contributing too. I've got an untested brown ale (my first AG) and a couple of wheats brewing.

apd


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## razz (17/10/06)

Special safety message for all those with a bottle of Lukes Bohemian pils. If it's not already in the fridge, do so, mine just went BANG on the pantry floor.  Strangely enough there were 2 in my case so I will get to try it eventually.


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## razz (19/10/06)

Berazafi's Brown Ale.
Nice drop Dave ! Not being familiar with brown ale I really have nothing to compare this too but I'm enjoying it all the same. A dry ale that does not cause my mouth to pucker. Suttle burnt aroma and flavour, also in the flavour may be some hops. One stand out thing is the carbonation, low enough to allow the flavours of the ale to come through and just enough to keep some head and lace to the end. Like I said, nice drop. :chug: 
Come on people, keep those tasting notes coming in ! :beerbang:


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## berazafi (20/10/06)

razz said:


> Berazafi's Brown Ale.
> Nice drop Dave ! Not being familiar with brown ale I really have nothing to compare this too but I'm enjoying it all the same. A dry ale that does not cause my mouth to pucker. Suttle burnt aroma and flavour, also in the flavour may be some hops. One stand out thing is the carbonation, low enough to allow the flavours of the ale to come through and just enough to keep some head and lace to the end. Like I said, nice drop. :chug:
> Come on people, keep those tasting notes coming in ! :beerbang:





Did you happen to find massive amounts of diacytal in the taste. I just got the judging sheets back from vicbrew that this same beer from the same keg was entered in. All three judges said the beer was to hard to judge due to the diacital content. I find myself very sensitive to diacital normally and didnt detect it in large quantities in this beer. 



Would be interested to know if diacital can form 2-3 months after kegging and being rebottled



p.s. im glad you picked up your case when you did, better the beer exploding at your place


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## razz (20/10/06)

Didn't get any diacetyl, the standout flavour, which I guess was choc malt, was at a level were I don't think you would notice any diacetyl. I might be wrong though. I always thought that it may be a problem in bottom fermented beers and the like but not in a dark ale. :blink:


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## darkhorse (20/10/06)

I was a little disappointed by *Berafazi's Brown Ale* unfortunately.

Not that it was a bad beer but I certainly didn't expect that level of roast... The roasted flavors just seemed too prominent (harsh?) to me. I felt like I was drinking a stout. I kept thinking malty Brown Ale but getting burnt Stout... Maybe just a perception thing...

A bit like my "Pizza Theory"

Pizza is OK but not my favorite take away.... but if you agree on pizza for tea then at the last minute something prevents it... then pizza is the thing that you have been building up to and really want... and therefore creates a level of disappointment that is probably unjustified... 

Same applied for fish and chips...

Anyway, my point is, I think I was expecting malty smooth....etc then got a rude awakening and never got over it!


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## Lukes (20/10/06)

razz said:


> Special safety message for all those with a bottle of Lukes Bohemian pils. If it's not already in the fridge, do so, mine just went BANG on the pantry floor.  Strangely enough there were 2 in my case so I will get to try it eventually.




Im thinking my home made bottle filler may have caused it to sour and would explain some of the funky flava's and increasing carb. :huh: 


Luke


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## razz (20/10/06)

I was just reading the style guidelines for 10B brown ale and apart from a lack of moderate sweetness I thought Berazafi's ale was quite good. Have to agree with darkhourse on the malt comment.


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## razz (20/10/06)

Lukes Amarillo Budvar.
I got some faint hop aroma but only just. Decanted to a jug, poured really well but the head did not persist. No problems with carbonation. Good colour and clarity. Some hop flavour easily overshadowed by the bitterness. No soap flavour. I'm not used to drinking such a bitter beer (some harshness up front) but having said that the after taste is quite good, flavour rounded out ok. Others have commented about malt sweetness but this bottle seems to have dried out slightly. I firmly believe that beer kept on the yeast can become drier over time. That harshness up front may well be a touch too much POR for bittering. There has been comment on AHB about only bittering to a certain level with POR. Overall Luke I like this beer, well done.


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## razz (22/10/06)

Lucas's Wit
This one poured a very large head typical of style, persistant, well carbonated. A little on the dark side, but cloudy. Some spicy aroma that matches the flavour. Acidic, slightly floral/fruity flavour with some bitterness. Overall a refreshing acidic wit that I don't mind at all ! I've a bottle of Delerium tremens in the beer fridge, I might try it for a comparison. Good stuff Lucas.


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## NRB (24/10/06)

Razz, DT is a Belgian Strong Ale, not a Witbier so comparing the two is like comparing apples and oranges. You'd be better off comparing with Hoegaarden Witbier.


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## razz (24/10/06)

Aha ! Come to think of it the DT is 8.5% I did sleep well that night.


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## darkhorse (29/10/06)

Woodfordes Headcracker strong pale ale...

Nicely balanced clean beer with only a slight telltale tang which I assume is an indicator of the strength of the brew!

Was expecting pale color though, and this was more amber... again... I assume due to the strength.

Well done!


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## razz (29/10/06)

Smashed Jaffa Bavarian Pils
Poured nicely into a jug, dense persistent head but lacked clarity, good colour. Belgian lace all the way to the last. Some hop aroma and firm bitterness almost balanced by malt, a very smooth finish. Apart from the clarity this is a top drop, and I can always close my eyes ! Well done Smashed Jaffa.  
PS. Any left ?


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## darkhorse (30/10/06)

Velophile's robust porter...

Very full flavour on this puppy... What hops...? None evident in the taste (as far as I could tell)
Very true to the style guide, but I obviously don't appreciate this style... I liked it enough to drink it but certainly wouldn't go out of my way to buy or brew it...

I think I have a problem with roast flavors unless they are in the background... I made a stout (Kit & kilo) but it was for my dad and I only drink it if there is nothing elso cold! (Not that stout needs to be cold).

#10 Razz's Kolsch?

Great clarity, great clean taste with good hops flavour. Definitely to be drunk cold on a hot day!
I really liked it ( and so did the missus )


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## razz (31/10/06)

Thanks Darkhorse, Iv'e only about 25 lts left  I wonder If it will last until summer ?


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## Velophile (1/11/06)

darkhorse said:


> Velophile's robust porter...
> 
> Very full flavour on this puppy... What hops...? None evident in the taste (as far as I could tell)
> Very true to the style guide, but I obviously don't appreciate this style... I liked it enough to drink it but certainly wouldn't go out of my way to buy or brew it...
> ...



Thanks Darkhorse. I too think the roast has chased away the hops in this batch. Not that the style should be hop driven from what I've read. I've brewed a few batches of Porter & this was the first with US-56. I'll be keen to see how it mellows with a bit more age.


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## smashed jaffa (1/11/06)

razz said:


> Smashed Jaffa Bavarian Pils
> Poured nicely into a jug, dense persistent head but lacked clarity, good colour. Belgian lace all the way to the last. Some hop aroma and firm bitterness almost balanced by malt, a very smooth finish. Apart from the clarity this is a top drop, and I can always close my eyes ! Well done Smashed Jaffa.
> PS. Any left ?



Razz,

Thanks for the feedback, always good to know someone else enjoys your beer.  

Unfortunately all gone!  


Cheers,

SJ


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## razz (1/11/06)

James Squire said:


> ....next!
> 
> *Darkhorse's Irish Red Ale*
> 
> ...



Darkhorse's Irish Red ale.
Well DH old fella. If this is your first go at AG, in future, I'm not entering in any comps that you enter into ! (come to think of it I've never entered one) I must agree wholeheartedly with JS comments on this ale. I can add that I decanted this ale very carefully and the sediment had packed very tightly in the bottle, I think that in JS's bottle that rather than run as sediment it had packed down and broken away. Thanks for taking one for the team JS ! Just enough crystal coming through in this one with a nutty complex from the barley. I don't know what the dried yeast is but it did a reasonable job, I think you should make this again using an irish ale strain. Well done, you darkhorse you.


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## darkhorse (2/11/06)

Cheers Razz, it was based on another recipe (I will try to dig that up)... The couple I had that were left in the fridge for a while to settle poured quite cleanly also.

Next...
Smashed Jaffa's Bavarian Pils.

I quite liked this beer. More bitter than Razz's Kolsch not sure which should be more bitter.
Essentially I don't associate that increased bitterness with the pilsener style but maybe that is just me.
Another great summer beer though... very clear and clean tasting but may enjoy some maturing to settle the bitterness.

This swap stuff certainly makes having a beer more interesting (not knowing what it is going to be like!)
I'm looking forward to another swap... maybe a proper XMAS case.


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## darkhorse (2/11/06)

#13 Murray's STOUT

Yep, that's a stout...

As far as stouts go I think this was quite nice... (I've previously mentioned I'm not a huge fan of the style).
Certainly not to overpowering, some may think of this as a negative (i.e thin tasting), but I don't mind it as it gets too much for me otherwise.

Cheers!!!


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## darkhorse (4/11/06)

Lucky last guys...

VL baby... American Brown Ale.

Well... this is right down my alley... Full hop aroma, persistent creamy head...very neutral taste I thought (in terms of bitterness) with solid hops aspect.

Best served above fridge temp to subdue the hops a little (depending on your tastes... I know some of you will be thinking it could use more hops, even served straight from the fridge)...

I really like this beer VL

And thus ends the reviews from the Dark Horse... altogether a very interesting experience (although I was disappointed not to get a try of the honey vanilla lager... maybe next time)

Anyone keen on a single style swap?


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## razz (5/11/06)

VL Baby's American Brown Ale.
Hop aroma on opening, decanted well with a lovely thick head. Solid brown colour, opaque. Hop flavour up front with toasty malt coming through, medium dry, nice mouthfeel. Not a bad drop VL. I could go a few of these ! :beerbang: And thanks again for the work on this thread. 
PS. Re darkhorse's last post, I'm keen for a swap DH, I'll be at G&G this week to change over my C02. Probably Friday morning, if you are keen let me know.


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## razz (15/11/06)

Velophile's Robust Porter.
Never had a porter before, so didn't know what to expect, something like a stout perhaps. This ale poured well with a persistent head. Solid black colour with choc edges. Some malt aroma, flavour says coffee in large black arabica letters. Lingering bitterness that is not offensive, some sweetness creeps through from the crystal. The coffee is memorable. Nice ale Velophile, I could get use to this style very easily. :super:


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