# NSW 2013 Xmas in July Case Swap - tasting thread



## jonw (6/7/13)

Picking a couple of these out to have while watching the game tonight...

1. Cortez the Killer 100% Heavily Peated Distilling Malt Strong Ale ~7% - Ready

2. matho AIPA 8.5% wyeast 1272 bottled 25/3/2013
3. grantw Theakston Old Peculier 5.8% bottled 28/06/13 leave till August 11.
4. black_labb Mystery! 
5. barls honey bitter ~4% bottled 28/06/13 leave for a month after bottling.
6. RexBanner farmhouse ale 6.7% from memory (can't access computer right now) & it's ready to go.
7. Josh *Belgian Dubbel - 6.2% - 90% JW Pils 10% Homemade dark candi - Wyeast 3787 - Bottled 28/6 - Wait till August*
8. Nick R *Aconcagua Ale - 4.7% - Quinoa and Maize (and barley) ale w/ Saaz. Bottled 23/6 - I'd give it a month in this weather!*
9. The Village Idiot *Was aiming for a Bock, not sure how good my aim is. Might be a clean tasting Brown Ale???*
10. pimpsqueak *Doppeldunkelweizenbock 8.3% Should hopefully be ready to drink before the end of winter *
11. ScottC *English bitter 4.9% - Was supposed to be a Worthington Whiteshield IPA clone.** Ready end of July*.
12. nifty - *Some sort of Irish Red (ish brown) Ale - 5% Wyeast 1084 - Bottled 23/06/2013*
13. Fatgodzilla (unlucky 13)
14. JonW *Belgian Blonde Ale. 7% WY3787. Kegged 11/5, CPBFing this morning. RTD.*
15. Gulpa. *Belgian Strong Ale. 7.5%. Wy1388. Bottled 23/6, probably needs a month. *
16. Ester Trub * Belgian Dark Strong 8.2% WY #3655PC Belgian Schelde Ale. Bottled 30/4. Best left until end of August or later. Let this one warm up before drinking, 8c or higher.*
17.
18. homebrewkid
19. monkeybusiness *Southern English Brown 3.5%ABV*. *Bottled 23 June.* *Juniper added late to the boil for something different but went light on so not sure if you'll be able to pick it.*
20. Goldenchild *Hoping to bottle a 6ish% choc/oat stout if it drops a few more points by saturday. If not will be Belgian wit or a red ipa from the keg*
21. Littlejohn *Oak smoked Porter 4.7% - Bottled 02 Jun - good to go*


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## Gulpa (6/7/13)

2. Matho AIPA 

Thought I would start here.

Lovely gold with fluffy head. Clear. Aroma is biscuity malt with some resiny hops there too. Flavour matches this, with a very smooth bitterness that persists, quite spicy. Clean ferment. Great balance with very dry finish. Hard to believe there is 8.5% in there, its probably helping the spicy finish. Technically I'd say it's under hopped for the style but that doesnt really matter in the actual drinking bit because it's a great beer to drink. Dangerously sessionable. 

Great start to the case. Thanks for sharing Matho.

Cheers
Andrew


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## Gulpa (6/7/13)

14. JonW Belgian Blonde Ale

Pale gold. Bright. Smallish head falls away. Aroma is a pleasant blend of light sweet malt, slightly toffee, fruity esters, light phenols. Flavour follows aroma. Well balanced. Everything is in place. Soft bitterness keeps everything together with an off dry finish. Pretty much nailed the style as far as I can tell.

Another great beer. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers
Andrew.


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## matho (6/7/13)

Thanks Andrew,
21. Littlejohn *Oak smoked Porter 4.7% - Bottled 02 Jun - good to go*

A very dark rich red colour with a small tan colour head, faint smoke aroma that is hiding behind the rich malt smell. The flavour is malty rich with a hint of roast, the smoke flavour showing itself when the beer warmed up a bit.

A very nice beer thanks for sharing Littlejohn

cheers

steve


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## Goldenchild (6/7/13)

Having just moved to Sydney and not having my kegs with me I have opened a few bottles to date.

2. matho AIPA 8.5% 
Nice balanced beer for the abv mate.
Aroma hops may have faded a bit.
Similar to some of the American iipas I have had that haven't been the freshest by the time they got here.
Still a mighty fine drop and could drink more of this very happily. 

6. RexBanner farmhouse ale 6.7% 
On this one as I type. 
Taste slightly of alcohol and saisony esters. Surprising actually as I haven't found that with the farmhouse yeasts myself.
What strain did you use mate?
Very nice anyway. Sad to see the bottom of the glass !

14. JonW *Belgian Blonde Ale. 7% WY3787. 
Really enjoyed this one.
Very nice typical Belgian style blonde beer.
Much enjoyable mate. Assuming this was a clone brew? Its up there with leffe anyway! Wish I had another bottle.*


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## jonw (7/7/13)

21. Littlejohn *Oak smoked Porter 4.7% - Bottled 02 Jun - good to go*

I had this in front of a roaring log fire last night. Just the thing. Very dark red - almost black. I didn't get smoke in the aroma, but I did get the big chocolatey/malty aroma. The smoke is subtle in the flavour, along with rich malt, and I got quite a "berry" fruit flavour. Nicely balanced. I really enjoyed this - I must make some more porters. Very cool that it's smoked with oak from the family farm. Thanks.

Gulpa, Goldenchild: My Belgian Blonde is straight out of Brewing Classic Styles, as far as I remember. Glad you both liked it.

Jon


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## white.grant (7/7/13)

*No. 14 JonW Belgium Blonde*

Opens with a definite fsst and pours light straw and brilliantly clear (quite impressive that) with a moderate white foam receding. Gentle pear and apple sauce, light bready malt on the aroma. Tastebuds enjoy the malty upfront taste then some yeast phenols add complexity, a bit more pear, some simple sugar and various tasty esters heading towards a dry finish. Carb is low, medium mouthfeel, no alcohol apparent (though it's there!).

Nice beer JonW and quite delicious. The abv is very well hidden and I enjoyed every drop.

cheers


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## pimpsqueak (11/7/13)

If you've kept the bottles warm/ish then my beer (#10) is carbed. It may benefit from a bit more time to mature, but seems reasonable if not a touch boozy.


1. Cortez the Killer 100% Heavily Peated Distilling Malt Strong Ale ~7% - Ready

2. matho AIPA 8.5% wyeast 1272 bottled 25/3/2013
3. grantw Theakston Old Peculier 5.8% bottled 28/06/13 leave till August 11.
4. black_labb Mystery! 
5. barls honey bitter ~4% bottled 28/06/13 leave for a month after bottling.
6. RexBanner farmhouse ale 6.7% from memory (can't access computer right now) & it's ready to go.
7. Josh *Belgian Dubbel - 6.2% - 90% JW Pils 10% Homemade dark candi - Wyeast 3787 - Bottled 28/6 - Wait till August*
8. Nick R *Aconcagua Ale - 4.7% - Quinoa and Maize (and barley) ale w/ Saaz. Bottled 23/6 - I'd give it a month in this weather!*
9. The Village Idiot *Was aiming for a Bock, not sure how good my aim is. Might be a clean tasting Brown Ale???*
10. pimpsqueak *Doppeldunkelweizenbock 8.3% Ready but may benefit from a bit more time to mature.*
11. ScottC *English bitter 4.9% - Was supposed to be a Worthington Whiteshield IPA clone.** Ready end of July*.
12. nifty - *Some sort of Irish Red (ish brown) Ale - 5% Wyeast 1084 - Bottled 23/06/2013*
14. JonW *Belgian Blonde Ale. 7% WY3787. Kegged 11/5, CPBFing this morning. RTD.*
15. Gulpa. *Belgian Strong Ale. 7.5%. Wy1388. Bottled 23/6, probably needs a month. *
16. Ester Trub * Belgian Dark Strong 8.2% WY #3655PC Belgian Schelde Ale. Bottled 30/4. Best left until end of August or later. Let this one warm up before drinking, 8c or higher.*
19. monkeybusiness *Southern English Brown 3.5%ABV*. *Bottled 23 June.* *Juniper added late to the boil for something different but went light on so not sure if you'll be able to pick it.*
20. Goldenchild *Hoping to bottle a 6ish% choc/oat stout if it drops a few more points by saturday. If not will be Belgian wit or a red ipa from the keg*
21. Littlejohn *Oak smoked Porter 4.7% - Bottled 02 Jun - good to go*


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## white.grant (12/7/13)

As it happens had a taste of mine tonight (#3) and it is ready to go too.


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## Cortez The Killer (12/7/13)

That's peculier...


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## Gulpa (14/7/13)

6. RexBanner Farmhouse Ale

Hazy pale gold with a thin dense stand of foam. Aroma is sweet malt with a hint of Belgian phenols. Flavour is really about the sweet malts, almost like a blonde but the bitterness is a touch firmer. Some eatery fruits are there but the finish is all peppery spice. Nice beer. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers
Andrew


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## technobabble66 (18/7/13)

Hey Grantw, or anyone else that's tried his Old Peculier

How did it end up? Is your batch kinda similar or very similar to the original TOP?

Could you please post the recipe, or PM it to me?

I'm looking at scraping together a recipe for it from the many varied versions of it here & elsewhere on the net...treacle/no treacle...etc

Thanks!


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## white.grant (18/7/13)

Hey Techno ,

I use the recipe out of wheelers Brew your own British real ale. Not near my puter with the recipe at the moment, but its pretty straightforward and doesnt include treacle. I've only had pretty poorly travelled examples of the real TOP so can't claim to be able to compare. It's a tasty stout in any case.


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## technobabble66 (18/7/13)

Thanks,
Yep, got his recipes. I'm assuming you've done his more recent version.




Grantw said:


> It's a tasty stout in any case.


Yeah, that's the problem - all the recipes i've found for it look pretty damn tasty. I've just gotta decide which one to try first! :lol:


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## white.grant (18/7/13)

Yep its from the latest edition, and I recommend you just brew one and enjoy


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## jonw (18/7/13)

technobabble66 said:


> Hey Grantw, or anyone else that's tried his Old Peculier
> 
> How did it end up? Is your batch kinda similar or very similar to the original TOP?
> 
> ...


I've got a TOP in the fridge, so I'll do a side by side this weekend. The commercial example's been lovingly cared for by Dan Murphy's, so I'm expecting a few differences.


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## technobabble66 (19/7/13)

technobabble66 said:


> Thanks,
> Yep, got his recipes. I'm assuming you've done his more recent version.


Nope. I'm an idiot.
I thought i had his recent one (2009?) but i've just got the grain bill for it. Could you post or PM me the recipe?
Also, did you check out Stephen Jenvey's recipe on British Brewer when deciding which one to follow?
Link: 
http://www.britishbrewer.com/2010/02/recipe-theakston-old-peculier-version-1/

Apologies for dragging this :icon_offtopic: 

@ jonw: Definitely love to hear how your tasting goes


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## matho (19/7/13)

14. JonW *Belgian Blonde Ale. 7% WY3787. Kegged 11/5, CPBFing this morning. RTD.*

a very nice beer, exactly what I would expect from a belgian blonde except that it was slightly under carbed for a belgian blonde.
I really enjoyed this beer and I thank you Jon for sharing.

cheers steve


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## Gulpa (21/7/13)

4. Black_labb Mystery


Rocky head that falls back to a small tight head. Hazy pale copper. Aroma is caramel malts, quite fruity, a of herbal hop, it has an "englishness" about the hop character. Flavour is sweet malts, the fruity character come across as dark fruits/berry. Carb is quite spritzy, bitterness is about right. Enjoying this one, thanks black_labb.

I'm going to come out and say the mystery is an English bitter with brambling cross . There are hints that the alc % is higher so But doesn't seem to have the body of an esb. Special bitter?

Cheers
Andrew


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## black_labb (24/7/13)

Was a Belgian pale, from memory it uses all saaz but it may have been bittered with styrian goldings . I've updated the thread about a week ago to identify it. I used duvel yeast for the first time on it so I wasn't sure what to expect from the yeast character. 

Glad you liked it and good to hear how it's turned out, I'm in the middle of Siberia and can't drink my beer or really find much worth drinking anyway.


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## Josh (24/7/13)

One of my bottles fell off a table the other day and the lid popped off just a little giving a long foamy hiss out the top.

It is carbed up and ready for drinking. So throw a number 7 in the fridge if you like.


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## barls (27/7/13)

mine are ready to go people, just had one and its carbed and ready to go. not to mention tasty.
pity fatz missed out on his guava infused one.


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## pimpsqueak (29/7/13)

Josh said:


> One of my bottles fell off a table the other day and the lid popped off just a little giving a long foamy hiss out the top.
> 
> It is carbed up and ready for drinking. So throw a number 7 in the fridge if you like.


Drinking yours now Josh. Damn fine drop. Crystal clear, good carbonation and delicious.
Is it supposed to have Brett in it? I don't exactly have a trained palate, but I could swear it's Brett. And it's good! :chug:


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## Josh (31/7/13)

pimpsqueak said:


> Drinking yours now Josh. Damn fine drop. Crystal clear, good carbonation and delicious.
> Is it supposed to have Brett in it? I don't exactly have a trained palate, but I could swear it's Brett. And it's good! :chug:


No brett. Uh-oh.

Might have to try one at midnight to see how it's tasting.


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## jonw (31/7/13)

3. grantw Theakston Old Peculier 5.8% bottled 28/06/13 leave till August 11.

Very dark brown with a thin off white head. Compared to the commercial example I had, yours is slightly darker with a darker head. I didn't get any hop aroma from the commercial example - it was all sweet molasses, which was backed up by the flavour. The home-brew, on the other hand, had quite a lot of hop aroma and flavour. Bitterness, carb, and mouthfeel were pretty much the same, although the homebrew's bitterness lingered longer than the commercial. Altogether a very enjoyable beer. Thanks for sharing.

@matho: glad you enjoyed it. My CPBF foo is a little lacking I'm afraid: the kegged beer had rather more carb than the bottled one.


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## technobabble66 (31/7/13)

Sounds good, grantw !
I might need to give that TOP recipe a go.


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## Ester Trub (6/8/13)

2. Matho AIPA 8.5%

Perfectly Piney, Easy drinking. A bit lacking in hop aroma though.
Hard to believe the 8.5% abv! The alcohol is well hidden.
I'm almost done with this bottle and I really wish I had more.

Cheers
Ben


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## Ester Trub (7/8/13)

1: Cortez the Killer 100% Heavily Peated Distilling Malt Strong Ale 7%

What can I say?... Peaty!
Tastes like Whiskey and camp fire. 
This brew is surprisingly very drinkable. Not what I would expect from a 7%abv 100% peat malt beer.
I'm sure it won't be to everyone's taste, but I love it.

Cheers
Ben


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## Ester Trub (8/8/13)

3. grantw Theakston Old Peculier 5.8%

Pours a very dark reddish brown when held up to the light, with a beautiful creamy head. Roasty aromas dominate.
Roast flavours up front, finishes with dark chocolate flavours when allowed to warm a bit.
My last glass of this was fantastic after leaving the bottle out for a while. Definitely better warm.
Yum.

Cheers
Ben


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## white.grant (8/8/13)

Cheers Ben, glad you liked it. I'm going to have to sit down and transcribe my tasting notes, have been enjoying the beers in the swap!


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## white.grant (8/8/13)

*No. 6 Rex Banners Farmhouse Ale*

Opens with a fsst and pours light gold into a chalice with a prodigious rocky foam stand atop it. Sweet bready malt and yeast esters carrying light pear/hay and pepper on the nose. Mouthfeel is bright on a low carb. Tasting, there's malt sweetness upfront and some yeast derived character, slightly phenolic, slightly funky, on a dry finish. Very interesting beer, thanks for sharing.

*No. 1 CTK's Peat Monster*

Opens well and pours nicely into my nonic, light amber with a slight haze. Aroma is, well, very peaty, monstrously so. Flavours follow, peat as far as the tongue can taste, so much peat. I'm struggling to think of descriptive terms, but rest assured there's a lot of peat in this beer. Dry finish, with some lingering peat. Now I know what the Tollund man tastes like, thanks Gino!.

*No. 21 LittleJohns Oak Smoked Porter*

Opens with a slight fsst and on a vigorous pour delivers an off white foamy head which recedes. Aroma has a pleasant smoked character and some english yeast characteristics, laid back. Carb is low, low /medium mouthfeel. Mostly wood and smoked malt up front, falling away to light bodied dry finish, with dry choc, smooth roast and a little acridity. Nice restrained smoke and wood, works well for me (no bacon ), thanks for sharing.


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## white.grant (8/8/13)

*No. 2 Matho's AIPA*

Opens well carbed and pours dark straw with a rocky foam stand, slowly receding. Very clear. Aroma has slight perfumey hops, touch of passionfruit and, rockmelon, citrus. Mouthfeel is bright on a light/medium body. Solid bitterness confronts the palate dominating the malt, spicy and peppery, with a long drying finish. Very nice!

*No. 4 Black Labbs Belgian Pale Ale*

Opens with a powerful fsst and pours dark straw/light copper, some slight haze. Prodigious foam stand recedes slowly. Estery aroma, light pear and tropical fruit evident, some sweet malt and slight perfume. Mouth feel is medium to low on a bright carb, belgian perfume is fleeting before a dry finish. Thanks for sharing!


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## white.grant (8/8/13)

*No. 9 TVI's Bock (or a clean brown ale)*

Pours clear and copper with a proud offwhite head slowly receding. Aroma has some noble hop notes and brown malt sweetness. Mouthfeel is medium on a bright carb, mellow maltiness allows the hops to come forward, definite bitterness on a long slightly sweet finish. No alcohol apparent. Tasty and enjoyable, not quite a bock however 

*No. 11 ScottC's Bitter*

Opens well and pours light copper, slightly hazy, with a rocky white foam. Aroma of sweet malt, with hop earthiness coming through. Mouthfeel is bright, medium carb. Flavours are bang on, some simple sugars, clean malt with a growing bitterness building as you sip delivering a long and quite bitter finish. Very moorish, quite enjoyed it Scott.


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## Josh (9/8/13)

*8. Nick R Aconcagua Ale - 4.7% - Quinoa and Maize (and barley) ale w/ Saaz.*

Interesting type of beer this one. Haze not surprising given the grain bill. I think the quinoa adds a spicy character similar to the way rye does. Saaz works well with it too.

Thanks Nick.


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## Josh (9/8/13)

*9. The Village Idiot - Was aiming for a Bock, not sure how good my aim is. Might be a clean tasting Brown Ale?*

Nut brown, clear, big head and high carbonation. Don't pick up much aroma. Malt flavours are nice. A bit too bitter/carbonated to be a bock though. But an enjoyable beer regardless.


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## Ester Trub (9/8/13)

4. black_labb Belgian Pale Ale?

Huge ice cream like head on first pour. Flavours are nice and mildly fruity with a caramel aftertaste that lasts. Very well balanced beer.
I don't get any Belgian yeast character coming through with this beer though. I agree with Gulpa, that this is more like an English Bitter.
However this is still a great beer that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Cheers
Ben


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## Ester Trub (9/8/13)

5: barls honey bitter 4%

Small creamy head that lasts and lasts. Beautiful, crystal clear, dark red/brown in colour. Lightly carbonated. Lightly hopped.
Honey aromas dominate. Flavours are malty honey, with a fruity yeast character.
I absolutely love this beer.
I have always aspired to make a beer like this one, but never succeeded. I would be really interested to get your recipe, or at least to know how you use the honey and retain such aroma and flavour.

Thanks
Ben


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## barls (10/8/13)

Ester Trub said:


> 5: barls honey bitter 4%
> 
> Small creamy head that lasts and lasts. Beautiful, crystal clear, dark red/brown in colour. Lightly carbonated. Lightly hopped.
> Honey aromas dominate. Flavours are malty honey, with a fruity yeast character.
> ...


will post the recipe when I get back. It basically my dark mild with banksia honey added after fermention had slowed down. You should be able get 90% of the ingredients but one is sort of rare ie it's choc chit


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## black_labb (10/8/13)

Ester Trub said:


> 4. black_labb Belgian Pale Ale?
> 
> Huge ice cream like head on first pour. Flavours are nice and mildly fruity with a caramel aftertaste that lasts. Very well balanced beer.
> I don't get any Belgian yeast character coming through with this beer though. I agree with Gulpa, that this is more like an English Bitter.
> ...


I was dissapointed with the lack of belgian character coming through when i bottled it. My first thoughts were the heritage of 1318 as a scottish ale yeast transplanted to belgium. I started the ferment low like I do with stronger belgians. Maybe I should have fermented higher from the start. 

Surprsed at the caramel comments. I guess a 250g of carabelge and 50g of spec b must go further than I thought even with all the abbey and vienna. Another month and I can find out myself. Until then it's сиъерски корона, as insipid as the mexican corona (actually there are a few decent beers around when I get to towns with more than 22 people)


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## Ester Trub (11/8/13)

7: Josh *Belgian Dubbel - 6.2%*

Pours crystal clear, with a small head that stays for the entire glass. Colour is dark coppery brown.
Smells very medicinal but Belgian yeast aromas are also present.
Flavours are unfortunately dominated by a strong band aid flavour.
I fear you have some really stressed Belgian yeast here, or possibly excess chlorine in your water? Definitely not Brett.

Cheers
Ben


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## Gulpa (11/8/13)

5. Barls Honey Bitter

Clear deep ruby colour with a nice creamy head that falls back after a little while. Honey aroma quite distinct as I was pouring and combines with a nice coffee and raisin aroma on closer inspection. flavour is honeyed raisins with a nice mocha finish. med-lit bodied, lowish carb, bitterness siuts beer. I agree with ester, this is a great beer Barls. Perfect after working ing the garden all day today. thanks for sharing Barls.

cheers 
Andrew


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## white.grant (11/8/13)

No.5 Barls' honey mild

Just finishing mine off now and echo the earlier sentiments, the honey has a great complexity to it which takes this beer some place else, the floral aroma and flavours coming through a very distinct and enjoyable. top beer.


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## The Village Idiot (11/8/13)

In the garden with Barls(well his beer) today...... nice drop mate. Not usually a big fan of honey in beer but that's a good'n.


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## Gulpa (11/8/13)

TVI, Im with you, not a big honey fan but Barls does seem to have a knack with it

3. grantw Theakston Old P

Pours with a tan rocky head. Falls away and left with floating rocks. Aroma of coffee caramel malt, fruity esters from the yeast. flavour is a complex mix of mocha, dark fruits, tobacco, and some yeast character as well. Medium body, med-low carb, firm bitterness, and a suitably dry finish. Really nice beer, thanks for sharing Grant.

cheers
Andrew.


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## barls (11/8/13)

ok as promised

the recipe







> Gravity Before Boil: 1.029 SG (7.5 Brix)
> [*]Original Gravity: 1.035 SG (9.1 Brix)
> [*]Final Gravity: 1.011 SG (5.3 Brix)
> [*]
> ...






> Preparation
> If using a yeast starter prepare one a couple of days in advance.
> If necessary crush the grains.
> Heat 15.89 l of water to 82 ˚C.
> ...


any questions


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## Ester Trub (11/8/13)

8. Nick R *Aconcagua Ale - 4.7%*

Pours with a fizzy head that disappears quickly. Highly carbonated. Light straw colour, with a bit of haze.
A fruity aroma that reminds me of apricots.
Highly fizzy on the tongue, but a great taste and refreshing.
This would be an amazing summer quaffing beer.

Cheers
Ben


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## Josh (12/8/13)

Ester Trub said:


> 7: Josh *Belgian Dubbel - 6.2%*
> 
> Pours crystal clear, with a small head that stays for the entire glass. Colour is dark coppery brown.
> Smells very medicinal but Belgian yeast aromas are also present.
> ...


Just trying a bottle now. Can't say I disagree with any of that unfortunately.

Sorry about the sub-standard beer everyone.

I promise to make a better Summer beer for the Xmas Case Swap....


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## Ester Trub (13/8/13)

9. The Village Idiot *Bock or Brown Ale???*

Opens with a gusher! I had to leave this one for a little while.
Pours a deep brown, a bit hazy. Highly carbed. Not too much aroma. Flavours are sweet, malty caramel and a touch of roast to finish.
Definitely more like a brown ale. Nice drop. Thanks

Cheers
Ben


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## Ester Trub (13/8/13)

10. pimpsqueak *Doppeldunkelweizenbock 8.3%*

I only just realised you said to leave this until the end of winter, but I think it's ready to drink anyway.

Pours with a small head that dissipates quickly. Smells sweet and fruity, of prunes or plums.
Med-full bodied with a med carb, tastes of sweet malts and dark fruit cake, with a mild alcohol after taste.
Fantastic beer. I am inspired to make one myself.

Cheers
Ben


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## vykuza (14/8/13)

Thanks for the feedback for those who have had a crack at the Aconcagua Ale. Much appreciated!

I've put some of the swap beers in the fridge to try this weekend.

A word for the curious who haven't tried my beer yet: try it cold (as an easy drinker, I recommend you drink it cold) but leave aside some and let it warm up. The quinoa comes out and gives it an "interesting" beany flavour. 



:mellow:


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## white.grant (14/8/13)

*No.8 NickR's Aconcagua Ale*

Opens well and pours pale straw, a white rocky foam stand atop the slightly hazy body. Aroma is quite unusual, sweet and spicy, hints of melon and persimmon. Carb is medium, thin/medium body on a bright mouthfeel. Dry finish and very quaffable when cold, seems to lose the promised complexity of the aroma though, give it some time and warming, it comes through adding nutty flavours and a grainy body to the zippy palate. A great summer ale to be sure. Would love the recipe as I really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing.


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## The Village Idiot (14/8/13)

Ester Trub said:


> 9. The Village Idiot *Bock or Brown Ale???*
> 
> Opens with a gusher! I had to leave this one for a little while.
> Pours a deep brown, a bit hazy. Highly carbed. Not too much aroma. Flavours are sweet, malty caramel and a touch of roast to finish.
> ...


Sorry about the over carb..... should have bulk primed, don't bottle much these days and must have stuffed up the priming calculations.


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## Ester Trub (14/8/13)

11. ScottC *English bitter 4.9%*

Mmmm. Really enjoying this one.
Beautiful English hop and malt aromas. Perfectly carbonated.
Coppery orange-red in colour with a slight haze.
Perfectly bitter without being too harsh. Tastes sweet and fruity but finishes dry. I get grapefruit and apricot to finish.
This is an amazing beer. I would like to see the recipe for this one. Particularly interested in the hops and yeast used.

Thanks
Ben
.


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## Ester Trub (15/8/13)

12. nifty *Some sort of Irish Red (ish brown) Ale - 5%*

Crystal clear red/brown in colour.
Passion-fruit and tropical fruit aromas. Is this from the hops or yeast?
I can't get enough of the fruity goodness of this beer 

Things I have learned so far from this case swap...... good, flavoursome beer doesn't have to be highly hopped or Belgian.
I am inspired to make some tasty English / Irish beers in the near future.
Recipe please?

Cheers
Ben


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## The Village Idiot (15/8/13)

*No. 4 Black Labbs Belgian Pale Ale* - I won't try and sound like I know what I'm talking about but it's a top drop. High carb when poured, slight haze and to me a bit IPA'ish. I agree with Gulpa and Ester it's a little English but not if that makes any sense....I like it a lot!! Belgian you say... nice.


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## Gulpa (15/8/13)

7. Josh Dubbel

Pours with a nice big fluffy head. Nice colour, clear ruby. Aroma is sweet malt, with a nice belgian spicy belgian aroma. Flavour is dominated by sweet malt, the finish is slightly phenolic and is a bit all over the place. Mine is not really bandaid, more fresh earth / mould / musty for me. possibly just 3787 phenolic character combining with the hops to give some wierd flavours (ive seen a few 3787 beers come up quite phenolic), hard to tell really.

cheers
andrew


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## Gulpa (15/8/13)

8. Nick R Acornagua Ale

pours a hazy straw colour. head looks like its going to fall away but settles to a persistent cm head. quite a faint aroma of light grainy malt, jammy marmalade. i may have left this one warm up a bit too much, as its coming up a bit vegetal, i get the beany thing, tinned asparagus also comes to mind. not unpleasant, just weird. light malt flavours are still present. carb is medium low, finish is nicely spiced. nice beer, Nick. Thanks for sharing.

cheers
andrew


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## vykuza (16/8/13)

Grantw said:


> *No.8 NickR's Aconcagua Ale*
> 
> Opens well and pours pale straw, a white rocky foam stand atop the slightly hazy body. Aroma is quite unusual, sweet and spicy, hints of melon and persimmon. Carb is medium, thin/medium body on a bright mouthfeel. Dry finish and very quaffable when cold, seems to lose the promised complexity of the aroma though, give it some time and warming, it comes through adding nutty flavours and a grainy body to the zippy palate. A great summer ale to be sure. Would love the recipe as I really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing.



Thanks Grant, glad you enjoyed it. And thanks all to those offering feedback! I can't wait to get in to some of the swap beers tomorrow.

Recipe is below:

Aconcagua Ale (Cream Ale)

Original Gravity (OG): 1.046 (°P): 11.4
Final Gravity (FG): 1.012 (°P): 3.1
Alcohol (ABV): 4.52 %
Colour (SRM): 3.1 (EBC): 6.1
Bitterness (IBU): 14.7 (Average - No Chill Adjusted)

80.81% Pilsner
10.1% Flaked Rice
9.09% Flaked Corn

0.7 g/L Saaz (6% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
0.4 g/L Saaz (6% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil)


Single step Infusion at 65°C for 60 Minutes. Boil for 60 Minutes

Fermented at 18°C with Safale US-05


Recipe Generated with BrewMate


The flaked corn is instant polenta and the flaked rice is flaked organic quinoa (from Woolies), the pilsner malt is BB Galaxy. The Saaz is T45 pellet. No special equipment - I brewed BIAB for the main mash and a big pot on the stove in the kitchen for the cereal mash.

I boiled the polenta with lots of (mash) water, then added more cold (mash) water to bring the temp down to mash temps, then added 1KG of the pilsner malt and the quinoa flakes and gave it a huge stir. At this point, look at it dubiously and wonder what the hell you were thinking. Leave it to mash on the stovetop for 15 minutes with some good stirring, then proceed to mash the pilsner malt as normal and add the cereal mash to the main mash and make beer as you normally would.

The hardest part is the maths to get the multiple mashes and quantities right.

I would probably add more pilsner malt to the cereal mash next time (it's almost 1:1 with the adjuncts) to ensure a better conversion (it might clear up the cloudiness).


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## Ester Trub (17/8/13)

15. Gulpa. *Belgian Strong Ale. 7.5%*
Lovely Belgian yeast aromas, get more and more fruity as this beer warms up.
There is a nutty maltiness that I wouldn't normally expect to find in a Belgian, but it works well.
The alcohol, fruitiness, nutty flavour and bitterness combine to make an excellent beer with a finish that lingers for a long time after your last mouthful.
I really liked this.

Cheers
Ben


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## Gulpa (17/8/13)

11. Scottc English bitter

Pours hazy pale copper. smallish head falls away quickly. Great aroma of sweet caramel malt, with some fruity yeast character as well. Flavour follows aroma, english hops showing now, with the malt nicely offset by the firm bitterness. Medium body. Low Carb. Everything I love about English bitter is here. Great beer, Scott. Thanks for sharing. I would also like to see the recipe.

cheers
andrew


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## Gulpa (17/8/13)

9. The Village Idiot Brown Ale

Apologies TVI, notes from memory as i didnt take any during drinking - i thought I was grabbing the dunkelwiezenbock for some late night sipping.

Initial impression was that it wasnt a very good dunkelwiezenbock  . Flavour of coffee, sweet malt, some fruityness/ferment character from the yeast. bitterness was good. Medium light body could have beed a bit fuller with everything else that was going on, but nice beer all the same. Thanks for sharing, TVI.

cheers
andrew.


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## Josh (17/8/13)

*21. Littlejohn - Oak smoked Porter 4.7% - Bottled 02 Jun - good to go*

Apart from setting new standards in the labelling department - which we should all follow - the beer is lovely.

Subtle smoke character really sits well with the balanced roasty and chocolate flavours with a little fruity hop. Medium light body and dry finish. This is a highly drinkable beer.

Thanks Littlejohn.


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## matho (17/8/13)

6. RexBanner farmhouse ale 6.7% from memory (can't access computer right now) & it's ready to go.

just had this beer, really nice flavours thanks for sharing

cheers steve


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## Gulpa (17/8/13)

12. Nifty Irish Red

Nice clear red colour. head has fallen completely away. aroma is subdued, biscuity malt, lightly mocha with something i cant quite put my finger on. Flavour is more intense than the aroma. Lovely malty profile has nice richness, caramel, fruity esters. lowish carb, lowish bitterness, medium full body, spicy finish. Very nice beer, Nifty. Not sure where it disappeared to.

cheers
andrew


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## matho (17/8/13)

5. barls honey bitter ~4% bottled 28/06/13 leave for a month after bottling.

an absolute cracker, thanks mate


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## Josh (17/8/13)

Gulpa said:


> 7. Josh Dubbel
> 
> Pours with a nice big fluffy head. Nice colour, clear ruby. Aroma is sweet malt, with a nice belgian spicy belgian aroma. Flavour is dominated by sweet malt, the finish is slightly phenolic and is a bit all over the place. Mine is not really bandaid, more fresh earth / mould / musty for me. possibly just 3787 phenolic character combining with the hops to give some wierd flavours (ive seen a few 3787 beers come up quite phenolic), hard to tell really.
> 
> ...


Cheers Andrew. I had another bottle tonight. I really love the colour that comes solely from the home made dark candi sugar. This bottle is less offensive than the first one I had.

In related news, tonight I also had a *15. Gulpa. - **Belgian Strong Ale. 7.5%. Wy1388. Bottled 23/6, probably needs a month.*

Pretty lively out of the bottle. Nice firm white head. Got a perfumey mixture of alcohol and phenolic flavours. Very similar to some commercial beers I've had. 

It's a rare Saturday night I can enjoy a few beers these days. And I am enjoying this one.

Maybe a couple more to come.


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## barls (17/8/13)

matho said:


> 5. barls honey bitter ~4% bottled 28/06/13 leave for a month after bottling.
> 
> an absolute cracker, thanks mate


thanks mate, i think it was worth it to break out the stash for this one lets see how i do at states with it.


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## Josh (17/8/13)

*11. ScottC - English bitter 4.9% - Was supposed to be a Worthington Whiteshield IPA clone.** Ready end of July*.

I don't think I've ever had the Whiteshield. But I have read Mitch Steele's IPA book. This tastes a lot like the historical English IPAs are described in that book. Far more dry and bitter than current versions both commercial and homebrew. I like it a lot. Thanks Scott.

Would love to see the recipe.


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## Gulpa (18/8/13)

16. Ester Trub Belgian Dark Strong

Pours hazy dark ruby colour. Nice big fluffy head. Lovely aroma of sweet malt, caramel, honey biscuit, belgian fruity esters. Phenols come up as it warms. Flavour big rich malty, dark fruits. Balance is towards the sweet. carb is low. Body is fullish. Finish is spicy. going to let the rest of it warm up some more and sip for the rest of the evening. Very nice beer Ester. Thanks for sharing.


cheers
andrew


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## Ester Trub (19/8/13)

14. JonW *Belgian Blonde Ale. 7%*

This poured crystal clear, with a small head. Aroma is woody. Very low carb.
Tastes of wood too. Or possibly mild Brett?
I'm really enjoying this, and I'm intrigued by the flavour.
Thanks for sharing.

Cheers
Ben


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## jonw (19/8/13)

Ester Trub said:


> 14. JonW *Belgian Blonde Ale. 7%*
> 
> This poured crystal clear, with a small head. Aroma is woody. Very low carb.
> Tastes of wood too. Or possibly mild Brett?
> ...


Oh dear, that doesn't sound good. Those flavours certainly weren't supposed to be there. I have a nasty feeling I have a house infection in my kegs which may be something like Brett. Might be time for new seals all round.

I'm glad you enjoyed it, even if its not quite as intended!

Anybody else who is yet to drink this, I'd recommend drinking soon or at least putting in the fridge.


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## Ester Trub (19/8/13)

Even though you didn't want it to taste like that, I really did think it was a great beer, and I enjoyed the flavour, if it's any consolation?


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## barls (19/8/13)

just dug out johns bottle and will let you know which strain it is.
putting in the fridge now.


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## jonw (19/8/13)

Ester Trub said:


> Even though you didn't want it to taste like that, I really did think it was a great beer, and I enjoyed the flavour, if it's any consolation?


It is


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## white.grant (20/8/13)

Interesting, this was one of the first beers I sampled from the swap - the day after from memory. Tasted pretty clean to me, certainly no brett to speak of. Really enjoyed it


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## Ester Trub (20/8/13)

I'm not sure it was Brett.
But it was definitely what I would describe as woody. As in, tasted like it had been aged in a barrel.
It may have just been my bottle, but that flavour was dominant.
Still, I really enjoyed it. I would love it if I could get barrel aged flavour in some of my beers without having to purchase the expensive barrel


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## matho (20/8/13)

15. Gulpa. *Belgian Strong Ale. 7.5%. Wy1388. Bottled 23/6, probably needs a month. *

I have just finished this, it's an excellent example of a belgian strong thanks Gulpa for such a nice beer

cheers steve


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## barls (20/8/13)

drinking nifty’s right now. bloody nice mate. more a red than a brown i think 
the wife likes it as well.


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## barls (20/8/13)

right drinking jonw, i get estery in it, the wife smells raspberries. good drinking, mines clear but will have a second glass once warmed up a little bit.


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## Ester Trub (21/8/13)

19. monkeybusiness *Southern English Brown 3.5%*

Nice drop. Easy drinking, roasty goodness.
I enjoyed this while I was bottling beer tonight.
Thanks

Ben


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## Ester Trub (22/8/13)

20. Goldenchild *choc/oat stout*

Pours with a thick brown / off white head. Colour is black and completely opaque.
Aromas are mildly roasty with a bit of fruit and vanilla.
Medium body and carb. Tastes great with a lingering roasty bitterness.

Cheers
Ben


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## pimpsqueak (29/8/13)

16. Ester Trub * Belgian Dark Strong 8.2% WY #3655PC Belgian Schelde Ale.*

Just got home after sharing this one with the neighbour. Thought I should say thankyou for a fantastic beer. If my next Belgian comes out anywhere near close to this, I will consider it a success.


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## matho (7/9/13)

10. pimpsqueak *Doppeldunkelweizenbock 8.3% Should hopefully be ready to drink before the end of winter*

I don't know what a *Doppeldunkelweizenbock *is meant to taste like but I really enjoyed this beer, thanks for sharing

cheers steve


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## matho (8/9/13)

11. ScottC *English bitter 4.9% - Was supposed to be a Worthington Whiteshield IPA clone.** Ready end of July*.

Just finished this one, a very nice beer, would love to see the recipe as I would like to brew it. Thanks for sharing

cheers steve


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## pimpsqueak (8/9/13)

matho said:


> 10. pimpsqueak *Doppeldunkelweizenbock 8.3% Should hopefully be ready to drink before the end of winter*
> 
> I don't know what a *Doppeldunkelweizenbock *is meant to taste like


That makes two of us 
Glad you liked it though :beer:


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## barls (8/9/13)

Lets see doppel is double 
Dunkel is dark
Wiezen is wheat
Bock is a strong lager
So it's a double dark wheat strong lager
Look forward to it


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## matho (12/9/13)

16. Ester Trub * Belgian Dark Strong 8.2% WY #3655PC Belgian Schelde Ale. Bottled 30/4. Best left until end of August or later. Let this one warm up before drinking, 8c or higher.*

pulled out the chimay goblet for this one, a really well brewed belgian dark strong, has the big malt flavours but without the chewyness. very nice thanks for sharing.

cheers steve


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## black_labb (15/9/13)

Collected my swap beers from Scottc today and decided I had to try one. Nifty's Irish red was the lucky dip that ended up in the fridge for a few hours.

12. Nifty's Irish red

Nice clear red with lower carbonation. The aroma is faint but has a nice nuttyness to it. The flavour is much more than expected. It is surprisingly quite fruity. Someone else said passion fruit and I agree completely. The malt flavours are caramel with a dry coffee flavour in the finish. 

I have never really enjoyed Irish reds as a style but I haven't tried to find many either. Despite that I enjoyed this beer a lot and am happy with the lucky dip choice I made. I'm also curious where the passion fruit flavour came from, was it hops or yeast?


The only other beer I have finally tried was my belgian pale (no.4). I agree with most comments. It does taste rather English and it came out hoppier than I expected. Between the couple beers I used 1314 on I was a bit disappointed in the yeast character.


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## Gulpa (16/9/13)

Had a few with no real notes, just impressions.

19. Soutern English Brown

Had this ons Saturday after mowing the lawn. Nice chocolaty flavours, light-med boddied and very refreshing for a dark beer. Slipped down very easy. Very nice MB. Thanks. didnt get the juniper but i wasnt really looking for it.

1. Peat Stong Ale

Why?  Great thing about these swaps is beers like this. Now that i know what it tastes like, I need never brew one . Thanks Gino.


21. Oak Smoked Porter

My kind of smoked beer. Lovely malty base porter that just compliments and doesnt overpower. Very nice. thanks LJ.


cheers
Andrew


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## black_labb (18/9/13)

Tonights sample: Nick R *Aconcagua Ale*

A very nice easy drinking beer with a bit of a twist in the background flavour. Very clean and mild making me wish I had drank it a few hours ago when it was warm and sunny and such a refreshing beer would be better appreciated. A very good beer but right now I felt like something richer. Maybe I should choose a beer that suits what I feel like instead of a random number.


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## black_labb (22/9/13)

Barls' honey Mild- A dark ruby colour, clear and with a small head that fades slowly. Aroma is honey and a bit of chocolate. Flavour is of honey, caramel chocolate and a bit of fruity flavours. There is a reasonable amount of body to it for a low alcohol beer. It has a sweet finish. A very nice variation on a mild.


Littlejohn's Oak smoked Porter- Dark brown/nearly black with reddish highlights. Lowish carbonation. The aroma is what you expect from a nice malty porter with a nice smokey element to it. The flavour is strongly of rich malt flavours, nuttyness, chocolate as well as the Smoked flavour. The smoke flavour blended particularly well with the malt flavours. I would say that it is probably the perfect amount of smoke flavour and I was seriously impressed with the fact that you added the smoke flavour yourself; firstly because you took and chance and put the effort in and nailed a great flavour but also that you were able to manage to get the right amount of smoke flavour into the beer without overpowering the rest.


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## black_labb (2/10/13)

Had a few in the last week. Notes are just from memory.

2. matho AIPA 8.5% wyeast 1272 bottled 25/3/2013

Very nice IPA and doesn't taste anywhere near the 8.5%; very clean. It had the solid bitterness but well supported by the malt. It could have more late hops but it wasn't lacking either. flavour and aroma were citrus hops mainly from memory. My partner and I shared it and both enjoyed it very much.

3. grantw Theakston Old Peculier 5.8%

Another nice one. I really enjoyed the malt flavours; roast flavours and fruity flavours probably from some sort of dark crystal malts. (What crystal malts did you use? btw). A really nice ale, I've brewed similar beers myself but I've never nailed it as well as you have here. Thanks for sharing .

1. Cortez the Killer 100% Heavily Peated Distilling Malt Strong Ale ~7%

I have brewed beers with about 2% distilling malt and was expecting this to be unenjoyably intense but it wasn't as strong flavoured as I expected and I quite enjoyed it. My biggest surptrise is to pick out a moment along the pallet where some citrus flavour comes through the pear flavour. It doesn't last long but it it is an interesting contrast to the peat smoke that dominates the flavour of this beer. It would take a long time to get through a batch of this but I really enjoyed the beer.

11. ScottC *English bitter 4.9%*

I had a sneak taste of this one on tap as I dropped off my caseswap beers with Scott as I was overseas. I enjoyed it on tap but enjoyed it much more from the bottle, it was very enjoyable. I can't remember any specific tastes but remember thinking it was probably late hopped with styrian goldings, challenger or target and the malt flavours supported it very nicely. I really enjoyed this one.


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## pimpsqueak (26/12/13)

19. monkeybusiness *Southern English Brown 3.5%ABV*. *Bottled 23 June.* *Juniper added late to the boil for something different but went light on so not sure if you'll be able to pick it.*

Just opened this now. This is a lovely roasty, chocolately, dry beer. Head doesn't hang around long,
Glad I kept it around until the weather warmed up as it drinks really well.

Sorry, but I can't find the Juniper.


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