# Small Swap - 6 X Longnecks In Syd - Anyone Keen?



## MVZOOM (4/5/06)

Guys,

I see merit in drinking other peoples brews, to enhance my idea of what is possible. Missed out on the Xmas in July case, but thought, if anyone's keen, to swap 1/2 a dozen bottles out. 

Here are the metrics:

- Six bottles each, longnecks
- Sydney brewers (nth shore preferred)
- I can pickup / drop off six small cases in the Magna, so it's easy (beer dionations accpeted  )
- Allow 6 weeks for brew time

I'd personally love to taste some AG - interesting beers that I'd not normally have access to - inspiration perhaps?

Anyone keen? :beer: 

Cheers -Mike


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## barls (4/5/06)

im in but im away till mid june and im just down the road mate in drummoyne. better still im dion


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## Gulpa (4/5/06)

Hi Mike,

Im only a new brewer, doing K&K (grumpys MBs), but Im keen if you will have me. 

It would be good to get some perspective on what other people are doing. Currently in Thornleigh.

Cheers,
Andrew.


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## MVZOOM (4/5/06)

Gulpa / Barls - looks good - shall we decide on a date then? 

Cheers - Mike


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## Phrak (4/5/06)

Count me in!

Should we stipulate what should constitute the 6 bottles? ie 6 of one type of beer or a partial mixed lot?

Tim.


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## benhobbs (4/5/06)

I'll be in it.

I'm mostly K&K, but I've got plans for a few experiments into partials/AG coming up.

I've only got access to Cooper PET bottles though. I'd be happy to return anyones glass bottles after I have drunk them.

Thanks
Ben


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## MVZOOM (4/5/06)

Sweet - this should be good!

Phrak (or should I use your real name  !) - my thought for the first swap should be just any old beer that you're confortable brewing? But obviously, six from one batch. 

Ben - same here, I've only got the Coopers PET bottles (as does Phrak I blieve) - so we'll check out a return policy I guess?

Barls - Does this mean you will put a brew down in mid-June, or you'll be ready to hand 'em over mid-June?

Gulpa - all good mate, if you're keen to make, we're keen to sample!

Cheers - Mike


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## benhobbs (4/5/06)

Sounds good..

One more person and we should have the 6 victims you were after Mike.

Regarding a date, I have a batch which I plan to have ready to bottle in about 2-3 weeks. It will hopefully stand up to your reviews... 

Nothing in bottled stock at the moment to give out, as I usually keg the lot.

Thanks
Ben


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## Hopsta (4/5/06)

Yeh count me in why not, im in Hornsby Heights you guys are local so its easy enough.

EDIT SORRY... should have done the maths before hand but im not going to be able to be in this. Next time.....


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## Guest Lurker (4/5/06)

Excuse me for interrupting from over here in the west, but if n is the number of bottles you want to receive, then the number of participants in a case swap should be n+1, otherwise you get a bottle of your own back.


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## MVZOOM (4/5/06)

Guest Lurker said:


> Excuse me for interrupting from over here in the west, but if n is the number of bottles you want to receive, then the number of participants in a case swap should be n+1, otherwise you get a bottle of your own back.
> [post="124362"][/post]​



Yeah I was on the lookout for 6 people, plus me. Probably didn't specify well enough.. I can't wait to have this session!!


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## Gulpa (4/5/06)

Hi Mv,

Thanks for organising this. Im easy with the date. I have 2 brews currently in fermentors and will use the nicest one of these. 

Im looking forward to trying everyones beer.

Cheers,
Andrew.


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## barls (4/5/06)

MVZOOM said:


> Sweet - this should be good!
> 
> Phrak (or should I use your real name  !) - my thought for the first swap should be just any old beer that you're confortable brewing? But obviously, six from one batch.
> 
> ...


i should be able to find 6 bottles of one batch when i get back, maybe my honey ginger beer or vanilla been honey amber ale. ill have a look when i get back. i got plenty of glass bottles so im happy for people to keep them but will return the pet ones if they so desire it


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## MVZOOM (5/5/06)

Barls - the vanilla been honey amber ale sounds WICKED! 

We're two people off, but I think I have found one of them - so only one person to go..

Cheers - Mike


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## Peter Wadey (5/5/06)

I'd like to join in if there's room. I'm in Eastwood (almost Marsfield).

MVZOOM,
I'm a masher local to you.
If you want to drop by for a sample and talk AG/ beer, send me a PM.

Rgds,
Peter


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## Phrak (5/5/06)

Mike, so how's this actually going to work?

Each person gives their 6 beers to the pool, then the pool gets divided so each contributor gets 6 different beers back?

That's a nice selection! 

Tim.


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## MVZOOM (5/5/06)

OK guys, here we go - you may wish to nominate what you're submitting

BenHobbs
Phrak
MVZOOM - Sparkling Ale
Rob Angell
Barls 
Peter Wadey
Gilpa

I'll aim to get collection happening on the weekend of Sat 17th June (Barls, is that ok?) - so either that Sat or Sunday. If you could all box the contributions up, that would be awesome (ie. just a cardboard box). 

Will then do the sort and try to get them back that same weekend, if not the next one. If you wish to augment your selection with any beer related gifts or just more beer for me, then I'm more than happy to accept!  

Any suggestions as to streamlining the process would be welcome, as I'm not an expert by any means. 

Time to make some lables. 

Cheers - Mike


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## benhobbs (5/5/06)

Hi All,

I'll have an IPA if all goes to plan.

I'm really looking forward to trying all the different beers!

Thanks
Ben


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## MVZOOM (5/5/06)

Phrak said:


> Mike, so how's this actually going to work?
> 
> Each person gives their 6 beers to the pool, then the pool gets divided so each contributor gets 6 different beers back?
> 
> ...



That's pretty much it - either that or I collect, sit in my garage and try to drink 36 longnecks before you guys catch me! :beerbang: 

What are you gonna brew?

Chers - Mike


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## Phrak (5/5/06)

LOL, a devious plan! h34r: :lol: 

I'm still undecided on what I'll be contributing at this stage, but it'll either be an Australian (slightly) Robust Porter or an American Pale Ale.

It all depends on if I can get the APA brewed this weekend or not. :chug: 

Tim.


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## Gulpa (5/5/06)

Mine will be a Scottish ale or a dark ale/porter. Both are currently in fermentors. If its OK, I will decide closer to the time after tasting both. If Phrak contributes his porter I could do the scottish for variety (as long as it turns out OK).

Cheers,
Andrew.


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## barls (7/5/06)

MVZOOM said:


> OK guys, here we go - you may wish to nominate what you're submitting
> 
> BenHobbs
> Phrak
> ...


hey mike
can we move it back a week or two towards the end of the month so to give me some time to get home, get organised and not upset the gf by getting back and then running off with something beer related
cheers barls


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## MVZOOM (7/5/06)

hey mike
can we move it back a week or two towards the end of the month so to give me some time to get home, get organised and not upset the gf by getting back and then running off with something beer related
cheers barls
[post="124843"][/post]​[/quote]

Barls - yeah, no worries - Lets aim for 1st of July. Is that ok with everyone else?

Bottled my ale for you folk today, nice fruity offering, sitting at 6.1% ABV. Should be good on a cold winters eve.

Cheers - Mike


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## andrewl (7/5/06)

too bad its not a western sydney swap... with a bit more time or i'd be in as well! <_<


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## MVZOOM (7/5/06)

andrewl said:


> too bad its not a western sydney swap... with a bit more time or i'd be in as well! <_<
> [post="124858"][/post]​



Mate, quakers ain't that far away! Lets see how this one pans out - no reason we can't do another.

Cheers- Mike :beer:


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## andrewl (7/5/06)

well if you get a few more in I'll be up for it! Just have to get another brew going soon. I'm only k+k aswell)


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## Insight (7/5/06)

Damn, missed out on this one - I'd be in for any future swaps. I've an Heiferweizen in the the carboy now (only an extract brew though).

MYZOOM - just a suggestion - wouldn't it be just be easier to get everyone to show up one spot on a Satuday morning to do the swaps? It could be a Bunnings carpark if people are uncomfortable with inviting people to their homes...


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## Phrak (7/5/06)

Andrew, you could always drop your brew at my house while you're in the area. I *PROM ISE* it'll all make it to mike's house!  B)


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## MVZOOM (7/5/06)

Insight said:


> Damn, missed out on this one - I'd be in for any future swaps. I've an Heiferweizen in the the carboy now (only an extract brew though).
> 
> MYZOOM - just a suggestion - wouldn't it be just be easier to get everyone to show up one spot on a Satuday morning to do the swaps? It could be a Bunnings carpark if people are uncomfortable with inviting people to their homes...
> [post="124910"][/post]​



Umm, that's a fantastic idea, thanks Insight. I'm not the most scary looking bloke in the world, but this is the internet after all! 

It'll also save me driving around all day, sorting, then driving around the next day! Is early (ie....9.00am) on a Sat morning ok for everyone? As for a venue, what about the carpark of The Ranch Hotel on Epping Rd?

Cheers - Mike


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## barls (7/5/06)

im not fussed where i pick up from


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## Gulpa (8/5/06)

This should be OK with me too.

Cheers,
Andrew.


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## benhobbs (8/5/06)

The Ranch pickup works for me.

Thanks
Ben


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## Phrak (8/5/06)

Barls, your private sex life is your own business mate, but I'm more fussy where I "pick up" from ;P

El Rancho is fine for me though


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## Peter Wadey (9/5/06)

Insight wrote:
It could be a Bunnings carpark if people are uncomfortable
with inviting people to their homes... 

And MVZOOM replied:
I'm not the most scary looking bloke in the world,
but this is the internet after all! 

Gents,
Call me old fashioned but turning up to a deserted carpark to swap
beer with a bunch of people you've never met before seems a little odd.
Especially when we then go off back home and drink it, and probably report
back here, to the internet 'community', what it was like.

As an alternative I don't mind if you drop around to my place
and do the swap there.
I can chuck the kettle on and we can at least have a cuppa 
(or a beer at 9am - doesn't bother me) out in the driveway
while we sort the cartons.

Up to you. The Ranch is a easy for me to get to too.

Rgds,
Peter


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## andrewl (9/5/06)

Well if I'm in, I'm not really too fussed where the pick up/drop off is either... Just have to get another brew going asap... Probably a draught if anyone hasn't nominated it.

Cheers,
Andrew


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## MVZOOM (9/5/06)

andrewl said:


> Well if I'm in, I'm not really too fussed where the pick up/drop off is either... Just have to get another brew going asap... Probably a draught if anyone hasn't nominated it.
> 
> Cheers,
> Andrew
> [post="125288"][/post]​



Gidday Mate - think we've got the first drop covered - there's 7 altogether, so the six bottles will round out well:

BenHobbs - IPA
Phrak - Slightly Robust Porter
MVZOOM - Tigers Winter Warmer Sparkling Ale
Rob Angell - Bobs Burping Bitter
Barls - Vanilla Bean Honey Amber Ale
Peter Wadey - 
Gulpa - Dark Ale / Porter or a Scottish Ale

I think, however we'll do another one pretty quickly after this one, so at your leasure just put 6 aside from one of your next brews - a draught will be excellent - and we'll sort it out after this one? 

So far, for swap # 2, we have:

Andrewl
MVZOOM
Insight

Cheers - Mike


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## andrewl (9/5/06)

ok, cheers mike... I'll have to put on the next brew soon!


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## Gulpa (10/5/06)

MVZOOM said:


> andrewl said:
> 
> 
> > Well if I'm in, I'm not really too fussed where the pick up/drop off is either... Just have to get another brew going asap... Probably a draught if anyone hasn't nominated it.
> ...




Hi Mike,

As Phrak is down with his Porter for swap #1, put me down for the Scottish. I bottled this on the weekend and I think it will be good.

Ill get in early for swap #2 and contribute the Porter to that swap.

Cheers,
Andrew.


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## MVZOOM (10/5/06)

Nice one - so:

BenHobbs - IPA
Phrak - Slightly Robust Porter
MVZOOM - Tigers Winter Warmer Sparkling Ale
Rob Angell - Bobs Burping Bitter
Barls - Vanilla Bean Honey Amber Ale
Peter Wadey -
Gulpa - Scottish Ale

I think, however we'll do another one pretty quickly after this one, so at your leasure just put 6 aside from one of your next brews - a draught will be excellent - and we'll sort it out after this one?

So far, for swap # 2, we have:

Andrewl - Unidentified Satisfying Lager
MVZOOM - Loafing Little Lager 
Insight
Gulpa - Porter
Phrak - American Pale Ale

Cheers - Mike


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## Phrak (11/5/06)

Mike, put me down for the swap #2 as well - I'll have an American Pale Ale ready for then - Busy fermenting now 

Gulpa - I'll be keen to compare our porters! This was the first one I made, so I'm keen to hear from others who know the style 

Tim.


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## MVZOOM (11/5/06)

Phrakie - done, my friend - only two more to go and we'll have the second round completed too!

I'm currently sipping on a very well hopped ESB Pale Ale - a little young (hense a bitter sharpness), but really nice, fulfilling beer.

Cheers - Mike


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## andrewl (11/5/06)

i reckon barls should put in more... that vanilla bean honey amber ale sounds good!!!  
I'll probably do a lager if you can put me down for that please Mike.

Cheers,
Andrew


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## MVZOOM (11/5/06)

andrewl said:


> i reckon barls should put in more... that vanilla bean honey amber ale sounds good!!!
> I'll probably do a lager if you can put me down for that please Mike.
> 
> Cheers,
> ...



I'll cheers that - when he put down 'either [blah] or Vanilla Bean Honey Amber Ale' I was like - get that thing down in writing so he can't recall! :beerbang: 

I really hope my Warming Ale carbonates and pours properly - I havn't bottled for ages and guessed at 1 tsp per 750ml longneck - at worst it'll be bubbly, but have bugger all head. 

Talk about 'beer' your soul to the rest of the world!

Cheers - Mike


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## andrewl (11/5/06)

Well I'll be rushing down to the LHBS on Sat morning so I can quickly get a brew down... Just got a pils kit finishing carbonating... But it's only the basic kit (wanted to see what it was like so I could build on it).

Cheers,
Andrew


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## MVZOOM (11/5/06)

You have heaps of time. At this rate you'll be able to primary for a week, secondry for another week, bottle, let it sit for two weeks at 20deg then lager for 5 weeks in the fridge - should be a winner!

Cheers - Mike


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## Phrak (11/5/06)

Mike, bulk prime your 4.5L of beer before filling the 6 longnecks.

Using BeerIsGood's bulk priming calc, for 4.5L of beer, primed at 20C, for a Lager or light Ale beer - Use 27gms of dextrose (or do the conversions if you want to use Dried Malt Extract - I think it's 30% more?)

OR/

Based on the same calcs, use 4.5gms of Dex in each bottle.

Tim


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## barls (11/5/06)

id have to check what i have in the cupboard but i might be able to bring some stubbies of said beer if those involve in the 2nd swap are interested in trying it. its not a hard recipe but not one i have at hand as im currently away with work and dont get back till the 19th of june


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## andrewl (11/5/06)

Hope so Mike... Thinking about entering it in The Country Brewer comp in July (mainly for feedback... I don't expect to win <_< )

Cheers,
Andrew


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## Gulpa (11/5/06)

Phrak said:


> Gulpa - I'll be keen to compare our porters! This was the first one I made, so I'm keen to hear from others who know the style
> [post="125724"][/post]​




Hi Phrak,

This is my first porter also. It will be good to compare. I brewed this one for the father-in-law to drink when he comes around. He loves a dark beer. But after tasting it in the fermentor, Im not sure how much of it he is going to see  .

Cheers,
Andrew.


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## Boozy the clown (11/5/06)

I'll meekly put my hand up for the 2nd mini swap, how long have I got to get it ready?

I've got four on the go at the moment, ESB wheat (Boozy treated) Coopers stout, liquorice stout, and some other mishmash coopers bavarian with honey and malt...

Not really game to say which one i'd offer, gotta taste them first myself. :blink:


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## Phrak (12/5/06)

Great Boozy!  The exact timing for the 2nd swap hasn't been set yet, but I guess it depends on how long it takes everyone to get their beer ready. 

If I had to guess, I'd say not before the 1st July.

Thinking about it a bit more, potentially we could even do it on the same day as the first swap. There's 7weeks between now and 01/07, so some beers might be a bit young, but there's no harm in having a "Best after" date on the beer once they've been swapped I guess.

But I'm happy with whatever :beerbang: 

Tim,


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## MVZOOM (12/5/06)

Alright then - Phrak (Tim), good call, if you all agree then I'm happy to do a double drop on that Saturday morning - therefore:

Swap Part 1:

BenHobbs - IPA
Phrak - Slightly Robust Porter
MVZOOM - Tigers Winter Warmer Sparkling Ale
Rob Angell - Bobs Burping Bitter
Barls - Vanilla Bean Honey Amber Ale
Peter Wadey -
Gulpa - Scottish Ale

Swap Part 2: 

Andrewl - Unidentified Satisfying Lager
MVZOOM - Loafing Little Lager
Insight
Gulpa - Porter
Boozy le Clown - Unconfirmed, but they all look the goods
Phrak - American Pale Ale

Just need one more victim - I mean, volunteer....  

Cheers - MIke

Cheers - Mike


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## Thommo (12/5/06)

Swap Part 1:

BenHobbs - IPA
Phrak - Slightly Robust Porter
MVZOOM - Tigers Winter Warmer Sparkling Ale
Rob Angell - Bobs Burping Bitter
Barls - Vanilla Bean Honey Amber Ale
Peter Wadey -
Gulpa - Scottish Ale

Swap Part 2: 

Andrewl - Unidentified Satisfying Lager
MVZOOM - Loafing Little Lager
Insight
Gulpa - Porter
Boozy le Clown - Unconfirmed, but they all look the goods
Phrak - American Pale Ale
Thommo - Another American Pale Ale

Seventh victim accounted for.


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## Peter Wadey (12/5/06)

I'm opting out of swap Part 1.

Rgds,
Peter


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## pint of lager (12/5/06)

Just a suggestion for your swap, seeing as it is only six bottles and seven people, you could think about making it at someone's place and everyone bringing a bottle along from their brew. Then you could have a tasting of each on the day as well as the swap. If you spread the tasting over two hours, it will not put you over the limit.

There is nothing like sitting down with other keen brewers, drinking, comparing notes and chatting.

If it all worked out, you could do something similar every few months and change the location to another brewer's house.


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## Phrak (12/5/06)

Yeah, I've been thinking about it as well, it would be much nicer to have a sit-down coffee/beer. I'm easy for eather the morning or afternoon as well.

I'm more than happy to volunteer my house (in Baulkham Hills) for any of the swapsies  Dunno what the missus will say about it though, but it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission


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## Insight (14/5/06)

Just bottled the wheat and put down a ginger beer. Assume the panel would prefer "real" beer for swap 2, rather than ginger?  Looking forward to it!


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## Phrak (14/5/06)

Insight, I'm more than happy to receive a Ginger as long as it's alcoholic


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## Insight (14/5/06)

There's non-alcoholic ginger beer? :blink: Who would do such a thing?


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## barls (21/5/06)

not me thats for sure. mine got my little brother pretty f*cked up in about 3 Hours but he normally drinks bourbon


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## MVZOOM (31/5/06)

OK Gentlemen (I use the term loosely indeed h34r: ), just wanted to put in an update to make sure we're all still good to go.

I have one place free for swap #1 (sans Peter Wadey) - swap #2 is all ready to go. Let me know if you're looking like you can't commit, as this is the hard cut-off mark. 

Right now we have:

BenHobbs - IPA
Phrak - Slightly Robust Porter
MVZOOM - Tigers Winter Warmer Sparkling Ale
Rob Angell - Bobs Burping Bitter
Barls - Vanilla Bean Honey Amber Ale
Gulpa - Scottish Ale
TBA x 1 person

Swap Part 2:

Andrewl - Unidentified Satisfying Lager
MVZOOM - Loafing Little Lager
Insight - [TBA Style]
Gulpa - Porter
Boozy le Clown - [TBA Style]
Phrak - American Pale Ale
Thommo - Another American Pale Ale

Swap will be 1 month away, on July 1. Happy new financial year for everybody - or at least a great way to try and forget the last one maybe? 

Cheers - Mike :chug:


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## MVZOOM (1/6/06)

Le Bump?  

ANyone for case #1 sub?

Cheers -Mike


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## Phrak (1/6/06)

I'm still in for both swaps... but the friggen Porter still hadn't carbonated after 3 weeks!  Will check again this weekend, but I guess I've still got 4 weeks till the swap for it to come good. :shrug:


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## MVZOOM (1/6/06)

Phrak said:


> I'm still in for both swaps... but the friggen Porter still hadn't carbonated after 3 weeks!  Will check again this weekend, but I guess I've still got 4 weeks till the swap for it to come good. :shrug:



Allright then mate, sounds like you're going to have to bring the lot over and we'll gently pour them into a keg then and hit it with a bit of Co2... That'll get some bubbles into it.

Cheers = Mike


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## Gulpa (2/6/06)

Hi MV,

Im good to go both with both swaps. Both beers in the bottle.

Phrak, 
Im having the same problems. Its this cold weather. My scottish ale has been in the bottle for 4 weeks. I tried one on the w/end and it has started carbing up but still has a bit to go (still a bit sweet). However, it has the best head Ive produced yet. Creamy small bubbles. It should be good by swap time.

Looking forward to July 1.

Cheers,
Andrew.


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## MVZOOM (10/6/06)

Well I just managed to bottle the Loafing Little Lager (loafingly lazy!). I will have to put a 'best cc'd for three week' addendum on the lable I reckon, as it's not going to be drinkable straight away!

Bottling 6 longnecks made me wonder how people can stand bottling 20l at a shot, or even bigger batches - it'd kill me!

Cheers - Mike


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## andrewl (19/6/06)

Hi Mike, sorry about the delay... Haven't seen a computer for over a week! I'm still up for the 2nd swap but it has changed from being the "Unidentified Satisfying Lager" to "Loverns' Pale Ale". 

Cheers,
Andrew


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## MVZOOM (19/6/06)

Jeepers H Crickey - no PC for a week!?! Where were you, the Southern Botswana'n town of Ghunniblier??  

You lucky b'stard. Here we go:

BenHobbs - IPA
Phrak - Slightly Robust Porter
MVZOOM - Tigers Winter Warmer Sparkling Ale
Rob Angell - Bobs Burping Bitter
Barls - Vanilla Bean Honey Amber Ale
Gulpa - Scottish Ale
*TBA x 1 person* - Help? Should I post another topic to gain some interest?

Swap Part 2:

Andrewl - Loverns' Pale Ale
MVZOOM - Loafing Little Lager
Insight - [TBA Style]
Gulpa - Porter
Boozy le Clown - [TBA Style]
Phrak - American Pale Ale
Thommo - Another American Pale Ale

Cheers - Mike


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## barls (19/6/06)

you guys are so lucky i got back and checked my beer cupboard and found the last 7 longies of the amber ale, it was looking bad until i found the other 4 bottles hiding in the back. so im all good so i put one of the stubbies i had left in the fridge to make sure its still good before i give it away and damn its still as good as i remember but not much vanilla though ill fix that next time


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## mhan7073 (19/6/06)

Hi there,

I saw you might need one more for swap one. Well I would tentatively offer up 6 longnecks of a belgian amber. I'm only hesitant because although it is an interesting and drinkable beer, its not my best.

Nice colour and head with strong alcoholic notes (belgian candy sugar). It's only going to get better overtime, since I bottled it in february and it really hasn't had long enough to age, especially for a belgian.

Well, if you still need one let me know where in sydney I should drop/collect. South would be better.

Mic


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## MVZOOM (19/6/06)

mhan7073 said:


> Hi there,
> 
> I saw you might need one more for swap one. Well I would tentatively offer up 6 longnecks of a belgian amber. I'm only hesitant because although it is an interesting and drinkable beer, its not my best.
> 
> ...



Hi Mic - I for one would love the chance to taste a craftbrewed Belgium (I suspect I wouldn't be the only one!!) - and don't worry about not being your best effort, it's more about getting a feel for what / where other people are doing.

Only slight issue is that it's a Nth Shore based swap (sorry, page 1), however we're going to meet at a place at North Ryde, so if you can be arsed making it over the bridge, then it's one road all the way through. 

If you can make it, we'd love to meet you and swap em out. 

Cheers - Mike


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## Gulpa (20/6/06)

MVZOOM said:


> mhan7073 said:
> 
> 
> > Hi there,
> ...




Hi Mic,

I hope you can make it as Im keen to try it as well. Belgian is a direction I am hoping to take in my brewing some time. Would love to make a Leffe Brune style beer one day.

Mike and others,
My scottish ale is now fully carbed up. Im pretty happy with the result. Shame Ive all but drunk it all  (apart from the swap bottles of course) . I seem to have a knack for finishing a batch just as its hitting it's peak.

Do we have a date yet for swap 2?


Cheers,
Andrew.


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## mhan7073 (20/6/06)

Hey there,

If you pm me the details I'll let you know asap. I'm going to a party on the 30th so I hope you guys aren't morning people.

Mic


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## MVZOOM (20/6/06)

No need to PM mate, it's all for the public to see! 

BTW Everyone - if it's ok with people, I'm moving this to the morning of the 8th of July - unfortunately my wife will be out of town the weekend of the first, so I'll have two very young tin-lids to deal with for the weekend, on my own.... h34r: 

So, it gives everyone a little more time to carb / prep etc.. Here are the revised details:

Meeting Point - The Ranch Hotel, Epping Rd - Back Carpark
Meeting Time - 9.00am (you can do it!)
Meeting Date - 8-7-06

We'll do both swaps at the same time - unless people need more time with #2 - let me know. 

Cheers - Mike


----------



## benhobbs (20/6/06)

MVZOOM said:


> No need to PM mate, it's all for the public to see!
> 
> BTW Everyone - if it's ok with people, I'm moving this to the morning of the 8th of July - unfortunately my wife will be out of town the weekend of the first, so I'll have two very young tin-lids to deal with for the weekend, on my own.... h34r:
> 
> ...



Hey Mike,

I can't make the 8th, I'll be up at Lismore for our kids Karate nationals that weekend.... I'd love to meet everybody, not just their beers.. 

How about I drop mine off with you after work this week or next?

Thanks
Ben


----------



## MVZOOM (20/6/06)

benhobbs said:


> MVZOOM said:
> 
> 
> > Hey Mike,
> ...


----------



## Phrak (20/6/06)

At this stage I'm ok for the 8th

Tim.


----------



## barls (20/6/06)

im good for the 8th as well at this stage but things always change with my work


----------



## Thommo (20/6/06)

Seems okay for me at the moment as well.
If anything comes up I'll just hand mine over to Phrak.


----------



## Gulpa (20/6/06)

8th is OK for me at this stage. I will contact if things change.

I hope it is not put out too much further or I will run out of beer to drink :unsure: .

Cheers,
Andrew.


----------



## andrewl (21/6/06)

I'm fine for the 8th.

Cheers,
Andrew


----------



## mhan7073 (21/6/06)

Hi there,

8th should be good. But does anyone have a particular preference for 9 in the morning over a more pleasant hour? I'm thinking particularly for swap one (that's the one I'm in right). Maybe 11?

Mic


----------



## MVZOOM (21/6/06)

mhan7073 said:


> Hi there,
> 
> 8th should be good. But does anyone have a particular preference for 9 in the morning over a more pleasant hour? I'm thinking particularly for swap one (that's the one I'm in right). Maybe 11?
> 
> Mic



Mic - both swaps will take place together - here's the grouping:

BenHobbs - IPA
Phrak - Slightly Robust Porter
MVZOOM - Tigers Winter Warmer Sparkling Ale
Rob Angell - Bobs Burping Bitter
Barls - Vanilla Bean Honey Amber Ale
Gulpa - Scottish Ale
Mic - Belgium Beauty

Swap Part 2:

Andrewl - Loverns' Pale Ale
MVZOOM - Loafing Little Lager
Insight - [TBA Style]
Gulpa - Porter
Boozy le Clown - [TBA Style]
Phrak - American Pale Ale
Thommo - Another American Pale Ale

11.00am is fine with me, don't know where the hell I pulled 9.00am from  . 

Cheers -Mike


----------



## Gulpa (3/7/06)

Hi all,

Less than a week to go.

I never really bothered with labels before. I guess for the swap I should print some kind of label so you
know what your drinking. What kind of info does everyone usually put on their labels?

Thanks,
Andrew.


----------



## MVZOOM (3/7/06)

Gulpa said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Less than a week to go.
> 
> ...



Gidday Andrew, indeed, very close. Lables? I'd imagine your name and handle, what it is, % alc if you can remember.. Maybe a 'best after' date or cc'ing instructions?

One of mine has a decent lable - the other is TBA. benhobbs dropped his off to me naked, so I'll wack something on there for him! 

Cheers - Mike


----------



## barls (3/7/06)

what if you dont know the alcohol %, because i didnt calculate it at the time. mine will be naked as well but have my crappy letters on the cap


----------



## mhan7073 (6/7/06)

Hi,

Sorry guys can't do the 8th.

Mic


----------



## MVZOOM (6/7/06)

mhan7073 said:


> Hi,
> 
> Sorry guys can't do the 8th.
> 
> Mic



Mic - no worries, can you drop them around to me, prior? Either Lane Cove or North Ryde - let me know. Maybe give me a call on 0414 955 527.

Cheers - Mike


----------



## petesbrew (6/7/06)

I know I'm a bit late for these 2 swaps,
but does anyone want to start up a 3rd 6xlongneck swap?


----------



## andrewl (6/7/06)

Not long now... So the final details are 11 o'clock at the ranch hotel (across from the stamford)?
See you guys there!

Cheers,
Andrew


----------



## Phrak (6/7/06)

SWMBO has kindly booked us both in for a Dentist appointment at 10:30 on Saturday morning... 

I'll still make my way out to The Ranch once we're both finished, but I will almost positively be late. perhaps 11:30-12:00 or so.

So I'll probably hand my bottles over to someone else just in-case I can't make it before everyone leaves.

Thommo, are you able to make it?
Tim.


----------



## Thommo (6/7/06)

Never fear, Thommo's here.

Sent you a PM Tim. Give me a call.


----------



## MVZOOM (6/7/06)

petesbrew said:


> I know I'm a bit late for these 2 swaps,
> but does anyone want to start up a 3rd 6xlongneck swap?



Petesbrew - mate, if you can do 6 bottles by Sat and get to The Ranch (even with a label detailing 'best drunk date') then we'll have ya! Late pullout etc.

Let me know.

Cheers - Mike

PS - yep, opposite the STanford, 11.00am (I will have a screaming hangover)


----------



## Phrak (6/7/06)

MVZOOM said:


> (I will have a screaming hangover)


 Not from drinking home-brew though, right?


----------



## petesbrew (7/7/06)

Cool!

Two things...
1 - 11am should be okay, but tight, as we've got a delivery guy dropping off a table sometime that morning. 
If that's a problem, Tommo, you're close to Carlingford aren't you? (if you don't mind dropping by to pick up my sixpack)

2 - What's the preference? I have 6 of the raspberry blonde (5%) or the toucan stout (6.7%)?
Your call, guys.

Pete


----------



## MVZOOM (7/7/06)

Phrak said:


> MVZOOM said:
> 
> 
> > (I will have a screaming hangover)
> ...



Never had a hangover from my own beer! 

I have my annual 'thank the boss for his contribution to my bank account' session tonight. It's going to be very, very, big. 

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrgh.


----------



## MVZOOM (7/7/06)

petesbrew said:


> Cool!
> 
> Two things...
> 1 - 11am should be okay, but tight, as we've got a delivery guy dropping off a table sometime that morning.
> ...



Great stuff Pete -it's up to you, both sound great!


----------



## mhan7073 (7/7/06)

Hey Mike,

The problem is I've fallen ill with some sort of bacterial/viral infection in my sinuses. I sound like the godfather... with a head cold. I won't be able to drive anywhere for at least a week. The doctor said on wednesday that may have cleared by friday but it hasn't. 

This is really bad luck, and I can't think of a workable solution right at the moment. But seeing I have nothing else to do, I'll see if I can come up with something.

Mic


----------



## petesbrew (7/7/06)

All sorted.
I'll either be there or my 6 longnecks will come with Thommo.

Still open for suggestions as to the raspberry or the stout... and i'll sort out some labels today.
Pete


----------



## petesbrew (7/7/06)

petesbrew said:


> All sorted.
> I'll either be there or my 6 longnecks will come with Thommo.
> 
> Still open for suggestions as to the raspberry or the stout... and i'll sort out some labels today.
> Pete



15 minutes to hometime and no response.... right, I'm bringing the raspberry blonde.


----------



## barls (7/7/06)

sounds good pete ill see you there


----------



## Gulpa (7/7/06)

petesbrew said:


> 15 minutes to hometime and no response.... right, I'm bringing the raspberry blonde.



Great choice. See you there. 

Cheers,
Andrew.


----------



## MVZOOM (7/7/06)

third that! Go the blonde!


----------



## barls (8/7/06)

it was good to meet everyone but i know i asked while we were there but my mind was numbed by the house hunting what was the 2 pet bottles one had a black lid the other had the white lid


----------



## MVZOOM (9/7/06)

barls said:


> it was good to meet everyone but i know i asked while we were there but my mind was numbed by the house hunting what was the 2 pet bottles one had a black lid the other had the white lid



Gidday Barls - great to meet everyone also, trust your house hunting wasn't painful, boring and fruitless!  

THe black topped PET is benhobbs' IPA, the whitecap PET is Insight's Ginger Beer (I thought it was another Strawberry Blonde - woops!). 

Had your ginger beer last night - that'd be a great summer drop. I like mine a little more tart, I wonder if it's possible to grate more ginger into the primary to get a bit more bite?

Cheers - Mike


----------



## Gulpa (9/7/06)

Hi Guys,

After getting home and letting the beer settle for 5 mins I decided to put Phrak's American Sweet Amber Ale in the fridge (the yeast had not stirred at all).

I liked this one a lot. Very clear, light amber. Smooth and easy to drink. I could knock a few of these back no problems. Probably not sweet enough to be true to style  . I didnt find it overly sweet Phrak but I know what you are talking about. It would be spot on for my tastes with a bit more bitterness.

Cheers,
Andrew.


----------



## Phrak (9/7/06)

G'day Gulpa, cheers for the feedback! I'm glad you liked it 

I completely understand what you're talking about re the sweetness. The beer has evolved (mutated? :blink: ) from what was originally planned - An American Pale Ale... But the unhopped Malt Extract was much darker than I expected, so it became an Amber Ale.. I was also playing around with different hop additions at different times, and didn't put _quite_ enough bittering hop in, therefore the "sweetness".

If you're interested in the recipe and method, I'm happy to share 

Regards,
Tim.


----------



## MVZOOM (9/7/06)

Sounds great - I'll wack it in the fridge now for later on this morning... h34r:


----------



## Phrak (9/7/06)

I've got PetesBrew's Raspberry Blonde in the fridge overnight... The missus is also keen to try this one!


----------



## barls (9/7/06)

MVZOOM said:


> barls said:
> 
> 
> > it was good to meet everyone but i know i asked while we were there but my mind was numbed by the house hunting what was the 2 pet bottles one had a black lid the other had the white lid
> ...


cheers mate ive got a mind like a sieve most of the time 
im glad you liked it ill be trying some tonight and then again next week when i get back


----------



## andrewl (9/7/06)

Hi guys, it was great meeting up yesterday and being able to put some faces to names.
Soon as I got home all the beer was in the fridge ready for tasting a.s.a.p. At the moment I'm tasting Barls' Vanilla Bean Amber Ale, and I must say, it's a good drop, not too overpowering with the vanilla, good head (the beer!), nice carbonation etc etc... Barls, good work mate! :super: 

Cheers,
Andrew


----------



## barls (9/7/06)

cheers mate im glad you like it i can find the recipe if you would like. im drinking tigers winter warmer at the moment and am really enjoying it, its very well balanced in the hops and not too sweet.


----------



## andrewl (9/7/06)

If you can please mate, it would be greatly appreciated! Just sittng back now and contemplating on what to try next... Might have a crack at Gulpas' Porter, or his Scottish Ale or Thommos' Cali Common (the list goes on and on)

Cheers,
Andrew


----------



## barls (9/7/06)

ok here goes a morgans royal oak amber ale, a kilo of morgans masterblend lager malt and the 500g of the vanilla bean honey i found at myers at christmas, but you could substitute with 500g of a light honey like clover or whitebox with 2 vanilla beans and i did it with the kit ale yeast. 
the gf is drinking insights ginger beer and said its what mine use to be like before i added the honey


----------



## andrewl (9/7/06)

OK, thanks Barls... I think I might have to do a ginger beer soon so it's ready for the warmer seasons, something that the girls might fancy hopefully!

Cheers,
Andrew


----------



## MVZOOM (9/7/06)

Well the kids are nearly asleep (long day, but the little one is holding out!!), I'm about to pop a couple of pizzas into the Weber - there's a Scottish Ale and a Steam beer chilling nicely in the fridge. 

Can't wait till peace comes over the household and I can relax with a brew.

Cheers - Mike


----------



## andrewl (9/7/06)

I can vouch for Thommos' steam beer... Had it the other week, very lemony nose and a great drop... Enjoy!

Cheers,
Andrew


----------



## Phrak (9/7/06)

I cracked Pete's _Blonde Raspberry Tart Fuel_ for lunch today h34r: Gave myself a pint, and the rest to my non-beer-drinking wife. Pete, this is a fantastic beer! Forget about telling people to use a tea-strainer, I reackon the berry lumps add character! :beerbang: 
It was nice and smooth to drink. The colour (pink) made my wife think she was going to be tasting a fruity chick's drink rather than a beer, but she loved it still - and that's saying something! 
There wasn't much hop aroma, but the raspberry's took care of that. I think I tasted just a smidgeon of Pride of Ringwood hops for bittering. I reckon next time mate, maybe chuck some Amarillo in as flavouring hops to complement the berries and go harder on the raspberries - They were the best part!

This beer is definitely a great summer party beer, and definitely one I think I'll brew. Pete, what's your recipe?

Two thumbs up.
:chug: 
Timbo.


----------



## barls (9/7/06)

also drinking Pete's Blonde Raspberry Tart Fuel its not bad but the raspberry is a little overpowering


----------



## petesbrew (10/7/06)

Phrak said:


> I cracked Pete's _Blonde Raspberry Tart Fuel_ for lunch today h34r: Gave myself a pint, and the rest to my non-beer-drinking wife. Pete, this is a fantastic beer! Forget about telling people to use a tea-strainer, I reackon the berry lumps add character! :beerbang:
> It was nice and smooth to drink. The colour (pink) made my wife think she was going to be tasting a fruity chick's drink rather than a beer, but she loved it still - and that's saying something!
> There wasn't much hop aroma, but the raspberry's took care of that. I think I tasted just a smidgeon of Pride of Ringwood hops for bittering. I reckon next time mate, maybe chuck some Amarillo in as flavouring hops to complement the berries and go harder on the raspberries - They were the best part!
> 
> ...



Haha Thanks Phrak,
Here's the recipe free to buggerise round with and improve.
I may do this again next year, but with mulberries (my mum's got a tree, so it'll be sh1tloads cheaper)

Coopers Canadian Blonde (& included yeast) 
1kg Bodybrew or brew enhancer - not sure what I used, sorry.
20g cascade hops - completely stuffed up the measurements in the end
800g raspberries in primary 
then 500g raspberries in secondary 
LOTS of comments to put the berries in the secondary.


I have a bit of a problem remembering everyone's beers.
I took them all from the bottom swap, and 1 from the top.
Got the following: Barls' Vanilla bean amber ale, Gulpa's porter, Tommo's steam beer, MVZOOM's Lovely lager and an APA, and PA. Any hands up who's was who's?

Barls, the ginger beer was a great one! Wish I took one of your rapsberry blondes to compare too. The wheat one you're starting sounds good.
I had the APA last night. Poured expecting pale, but got dark amber! Still I'm not complaining, as it was bloody sensational. Nice toffee flavours. It was a shame to finish the bottle.
Pete


----------



## MVZOOM (10/7/06)

The wife and I had Phrak's Porter last night - I started on this one as I knew she'd like it, so would be more willing to try the rest.

Carbonation was fine! Not much head, but Co2 in beer was all good, to be honest it probably didn't need much more. I had chilled it more than when we'd had one prior, so it had a different flavour profile. As it got warmer, there was a lot more aromatic flavour. Very clear too, with minimal sludge at the bottom of the bottle (there's a bonus to less carbing sugar!).

Very nice!

Cheers - MIke


----------



## Gulpa (10/7/06)

Phrak said:


> G'day Gulpa, cheers for the feedback! I'm glad you liked it
> 
> I completely understand what you're talking about re the sweetness. The beer has evolved (mutated? :blink: ) from what was originally planned - An American Pale Ale... But the unhopped Malt Extract was much darker than I expected, so it became an Amber Ale.. I was also playing around with different hop additions at different times, and didn't put _quite_ enough bittering hop in, therefore the "sweetness".
> 
> ...



I would be interested. I want to make a few APA's when it warms up a bit.

Cheers,
Andrew.


----------



## Gulpa (10/7/06)

I cracked the Winter warmer last night. Very nice. Great balance (as someone else said). Nice malty flavour. I sometimes find the alcohol sticks out a bit when the % goes up, but didnt have a problem with this one.

Cheers,
Andrew.


----------



## Phrak (10/7/06)

petesbrew said:


> Haha Thanks Phrak,
> Here's the recipe free to buggerise round with and improve. <snip>


Thanks! I'll add it to my collection 


> <snip>Any hands up who's was who's?


The one with "APA" on the cap is mine 


> I had the APA last night. Poured expecting pale, but got dark amber! Still I'm not complaining, as it was bloody sensational. Nice toffee flavours. It was a shame to finish the bottle.


Cheers mate, I'm glad you liked it! Yeah I know about the colour - see my comments to Gulpa above ( http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...st&p=139939 )

Cheers,
Tim.


----------



## petesbrew (10/7/06)

Phrak said:


> petesbrew said:
> 
> 
> > Haha Thanks Phrak,
> ...


Tim, can I grab that APA recipe off you sometime? It's a winner! Oh and what's the percentage? I felt very relaxed after it! :chug:


----------



## MVZOOM (10/7/06)

Oh and BTW Gents; 

The Little Lager needs at least 3 week's CC'ing. I cracked the keg last night and although the flavour is good (IMHO), it's as murky as the Murray. 

So, please, if you will - leave that scraggily labled little loafing lager for later. 

Cheers - Mike


----------



## andrewl (10/7/06)

I forgot that Mike... Cracked it open earlier... Had a bit too much head while pouring (but you've just correcyed my stupid mistake) but other than that it was quite nice, easy drinker for the warmer months and the head lasted the whole glass... I think you might be onto something mate! :beer:


----------



## Gulpa (12/7/06)

I cracked the rasberry blonde last night. This was the first time that Ive had a fruit beer so I dont really have anything to benchmark it against. 

Lovely nose. Cascade was very well judged. I couldnt tell where it ended and the raspberry began. I found it a very light summery beer to drink that kind of creeps up on you. I would really enjoy this beer on a hot day. 

Agree with Phrak regarding the chunks. Not a problem.

Cheers,
Andrew.


----------



## Phrak (13/7/06)

I've added my recipe and method to the AHB recipes database:
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...&recipe=198

Any questions, I'm happy to answer 

Enjoy!


----------



## barls (14/7/06)

hey pete im glad you liked it, its one that always gets praise from others i wish i had a bottle of the strawberry clover honey blonde to give but unfortunately it just about gone. the current wheat one did smell good when i was mixing it up last week and i plan to transfer it this week while adding the rest of the kilo of raspberries(ie the 700g)
and ill see how it turns out, as its a bit darker than it should be due to the age of the wals wheat can.
i think we should do this again in a couple of months as im enjoying tasting others beers and getting their ideas and feedback.


----------



## petesbrew (17/7/06)

Cracked open the Vanilla Bean Amber ale on Friday night. Stupidly I opened it straight from the fridge, so it was too cold to enjoy straight away. Once it warmed up a bit it was fantastic. Nice colour, great sweetness. I couldn't really taste any vanilla in it, but Barls you've inspired me!

Tried the Pale Ale, (I think it was AndrewL's) on Saturday. Mate this was great! Very refreshing, a great head, and a good kick! Went nicely with the Takeaway Thai.


----------



## MVZOOM (17/7/06)

We cracked Mic's Ginger Beer last night - wow! Really great depth, flavour and kick to it, definately one of the nicest ginger beer's I've had. Would love the recipe (hint hint!).

Also had the 1.25l bottle of Steam Beer this weekend (apologies, can't recall who's it is - was it Insights??). Really crisp, with great mouthfeel and a nice malty aftertaste. It seemed quite bitter first up and then mellowed out somewhat - but I'd love to know how many IBU's it is? Overall a nice beer, would be great in the summer with a steak. 

Cheers - Mike


----------



## andrewl (17/7/06)

First off, thanks Pete (thinking of puting this one down for the summer months as there is only 2 bottles left  ). Mike, the cali common (steam) beer was Thommos'.

Cheers,
Andrew


----------



## Gulpa (18/7/06)

Got stuck into a few on the weekend but havent had time to write them up yet.

Andrewl's Pale ale - Great stuff. This is what I want to drink in summer on a hot day. Recipe would be appreciated. 

Barls Honey Amber - First time Ive had a honey beer. I could definately taste the honey. Im not sure that I like the honey flavours in beer.

benhobbs' IPA - Too cold to start. But as it warmed up I really like this. Nice complex malty flavours balanced by bitterness. Classy winter sipper. Very disappointed I only had one bottle. Recipe would be appreciated.

Phrak's Porter - Nice roasty flavours. I thought it was quite similar to my porter, possibly just a bit lighter. I like it.


Only got a few more to go now. This has been a great experience as it would have taken me more than a year to brew and try all these styles if I was brewing them myself. The quality of beer has been better than I thought it would be. Its great to see what others do. I definately know what sort of beers I want to try to brew now which is what I really wanted to get out of this.

And I agree with Barls. We should do this again soon.

Cheers,
Andrew.


----------



## petesbrew (18/7/06)

Gulpa said:


> Got stuck into a few on the weekend but havent had time to write them up yet.
> 
> Andrewl's Pale ale - Great stuff. This is what I want to drink in summer on a hot day. Recipe would be appreciated.
> 
> ...



Totally agree here, the 6 pack swap is easy to manage (apart from the leftover bottles that left everyone confused!)
Glad you liked the raspberry blonde too, Gulpa. Got just under a slab's worth left of it, which will be waiting to crack open when my wife pops out our 1st kid.
Looking forward to trying your Porter this weekend.


----------



## MVZOOM (18/7/06)

Probably a bit cheeky and not the done thing - however finally cracked a PET bottle of my own Winter Warmer last night. Worth the wait - it'd been brewing since Feb I think! 

It'd carbed quite a bit in the bottle, however there wasn't much head at all. It certainly didn't retain the head or lace much down the glass. 

Colour was spot on to what I hoped for, deep amber / red. Clarity was very good also, with some chill haze - once it had warmed up it was perfectly clear (you get that after Primary / secondary / cube storage and then bottling!). 

Taste - thick mouthfeel with too much carbonation. Once I let it warm a bit, the co2 dissapated somewhat and more flavour came through. Heavy mouthfeel, big malt taste and a hint of the banana esthers, with a slightly alchohol tinged after taste. 

IMHO Almost porter'ish, without the fruity charactoristics. A lot less phynol (spell?) and banana taste than was warned about, it was certainly there, but really pushed into the background. I think that's because I fermented at 16deg, whereas it would have been a lot more pronounced if I'd gone any higher. 

I'm pleased with the result. It's different from Coopers Sparkling - a lot less cloying (ie.. Sparkling really has that big banana flavour, which I'm becoming less and less tolerant of). Keg is due to be cracked soon, so I'll probably be sick of it soon!

Cheers - Mike


----------



## andrewl (18/7/06)

Thanks Andrew for the rap! Last night I tried your Porter, beautiful roast flavour to begin with and was left with a great malty flavour afterwards. Nice mouthfeel and also just the right amount of carbonation too I think. Tonight I cracked open Thommos' Steam Beer (proudly sponsered by the folks at Coca Cola  ), Also, another great drop, I love the lemony nose that you've produced and also the all round citrusy taste of the beer. An easy summer guzzler!

Andrew, recipe as follows:

1.7k Morgans Blue Mountain Lager
1k TCB Brew Booster
24g Cascade (steeped - 10 mins)
Safale S-04

Average Temp: 18deg

Primary: 8 days

Bulk Primed and straight into bottles, leave for as long as possible.

Your comment on it is exactly what I was after, a nice easy beer to drink on those hot summer arvo's/nights. I will be putting another batch down soon for that reason.

Cheers,
Andrew


----------



## Boozy the clown (19/7/06)

Sorry everybody for dropping off the face of the earth and not keeping up with the timing of the mini swap. The beer is all bottled though! :unsure: 

Me and the missus had little boozy no.2 and work, well work gets in the way of my life sometimes... :huh: 

But smallest boozy is doing great, work sucks and the beer is tasting good


----------



## Phrak (19/7/06)

No worries Boozy, I'm sure there'll be another one soon enough 

Glad to hear that the little one is doing well.


----------



## Boozy the clown (19/7/06)

Well the upside to my delay was that the beers were cold conditioned for about 6 weeks. 

The ESB bavarian wheat has come out noice, nothing like it should though... I used WLP838 and dry hopped with Hallertau. So it vaguely tastes like a wheat, is clear and I think nicely hoppy. 
The stout is good, the liqourice stout was bottled last - too young too drink, the missus likes the honey lager.

Double hooping the ESB was a stuff up, i meant to put the hops in the honey lager - turned out to be a good mistake.


----------



## petesbrew (23/7/06)

Hey Gulpa, I cracked open the porter last night, and didn't want the bottle to end. Soo nice, sooo smooooth!
I loved the aromas of dark chocolate and coffee. A real winter warmer!

What's your secret, mate?

Pete


----------



## Barramundi (24/7/06)

If anyone else is up for a swap(6 or 12 longnecks) sometime soon let me know , always good to sample others wares and get an honest opinion of what yours is really like ,also a good way to meet new people with a common interest ,
maybe a mid september swap ??? should give enough time for a brew and decent bottle conditioning period 

happy to travel within reason for the meet-up and swap session ...


----------



## barls (24/7/06)

i could do early august for another one


----------



## andrewl (24/7/06)

I've got an Amber Ale that I bottled this arvo which could be used for the next swap. Probably nothing like Barls' vanilla bean one (but I'm getting there!)  

Cheers,
Andrew


----------



## barls (24/7/06)

im actually thinking of doing that one again just for the reason that everyone loves it


----------



## Barramundi (25/7/06)

Early August is probably a bit too early for me , as thats like next week almost, i dont actually have any beer bottled yet so id have to do a brew then do the swap, hence my suggestion of mid september...


so is that barls in and andrewl also ?? i think drewcarey82 is also keen so if you two guys are in we only need a few more and we are good to go


----------



## DrewCarey82 (25/7/06)

Yeah put me down buddy-o.

Off See all tomorrow!


----------



## barls (25/7/06)

im only in so long as im not going away again soon current estimates of when we leave is mid august but ill be back in november, might have to be in one then


----------



## Barramundi (25/7/06)

could always drop your lot off early to mid august if you wanna be in and have the last batches in by mid to late sept and delivery to all late september or does everyone want to meet ,greet and swap or someone gather(have them delivered) all beers and distribute them (have them picked up) ??


----------



## barls (25/7/06)

we will see how we go, as i have some ready now but it will be a choice between my dark larger and my bitter as i dont have enough of anything else


----------



## andrewl (25/7/06)

I think we should do something like the last one where we all meet up, can have a chat etc. Maybe mid to late august at the earliest so it can give some people some time to get a brew done. Personal opinion anywy.
Gulpa, tasting your Scottish Ale right now... Another great drop mate! Beautiful dark/amberish colour, beautiful mouthfeel, beautiful foamy head... Just all round beautiful!

Cheers,
Andrew


----------



## Barramundi (25/7/06)

thats my theory too andrewl , I personnally dont even have that many loing necks at the moment , not that it will be hard to get those but i also need to brew the beer too... as for the meet up when we have definate starters we will find a spot central to everyone and go there perhaps a park or something like that where theres a table to sit down at for a bit for a chat and be able to exchange wares, pubs dont like ya doin that on their premises sadly...


----------



## Barramundi (25/7/06)

Are you a definate yes andrewl ? 

SO FAR WE HAVE THE FOLLOWING SHOWING INTEREST..

Myself - Definate Starter 
DrewCarey82 - Definate Starter
AndrewL - ???
Barls - Date Dependant ???


need 3 more to go ahead 
or if not we can do it anyway just end up with more than one bottle of someones beer which isnt a bad thing either...


----------



## andrewl (25/7/06)

Yeah, I'm in for sure mate!

Cheers, 
Andrew


----------



## Phrak (25/7/06)

Yeah, count me in  
You've got a choice of beer for me to swap this time:
English Oak Ale fermenting at the moment... Made with real Oak chips. Should be ready by late August.
Czech Pilsner - more bitter than the average.
Bavarian Lager - pretty standard lager.
So take your pick


----------



## Phrak (25/7/06)

Also, I'm happy to have the swap done at my place. I live in Baulkham Hills so it's reasonably central(ish). At least then we can sit-down and have a coffee/tea/beer and have a decent chat 

The offer's open.

Tim.


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## petesbrew (26/7/06)

Hi guys,

I have a weird Euro amber lager that I whipped up recently. I'll give it a taste this weekend and if it's up to scratch you can put me down.


----------



## Gulpa (26/7/06)

Hi Guys, 

Ill be in for another if theres a spot. Im bottling 2 batches on the weekend, an APA and an Irish. Cant say which is best yet. Im not sure either will be as good as the porter in the last swap.

Thanks Pete and AndrewL for the feedback on my beers. Pete, I wish I could say I had a secret or spent years tweaking, but I cant. I followed the directions on the kit, just added a bit more malt because I love a malty beer in winter. Ill be doing this one again, for sure.

Cheers,
Andrew.


----------



## DrewCarey82 (26/7/06)

I'll probably contribute a Amber Ale.


----------



## petesbrew (26/7/06)

Gulpa said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> Ill be in for another if theres a spot. Im bottling 2 batches on the weekend, an APA and an Irish. Cant say which is best yet. Im not sure either will be as good as the porter in the last swap.
> 
> ...



No worries, I've still got the label from your porter so I'll use it as a starting point when I get around to trying it.


----------



## Barramundi (26/7/06)

SO FAR WE HAVE THE FOLLOWING SHOWING INTEREST..

Myself - Definate Starter
DrewCarey82 - Definate Starter
AndrewL - Definate Starter
Phrak - Definate Starter
PetesBrew - Taste Test Pending
Gulpa - Definate Starter
Barls - Date Dependant ???


thats the 7 we need and Phrak has kindly donated a venue for us too , just need confirmation from PetesBrew and Barls... either way if theyre not in someone will be so get fermentin ....


----------



## DrewCarey82 (26/7/06)

That sounds like fighting words Barramundi!


----------



## Barramundi (26/7/06)

nope drinking words


----------



## DrewCarey82 (26/7/06)

Very true my bad, but drinkins a serious matter!


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## Gulpa (26/7/06)

petesbrew said:


> No worries, I've still got the label from your porter so I'll use it as a starting point when I get around to trying it.




Hi Pete,

I have a spare stubby of the yeast if you want to try it. You will have to make a starter. If you make it to this next swap, remind me just before we swap and I will bring it for you. 

Cheers,
Andrew.


----------



## petesbrew (27/7/06)

Gulpa said:


> petesbrew said:
> 
> 
> > No worries, I've still got the label from your porter so I'll use it as a starting point when I get around to trying it.
> ...



Ah cheers for that! I have only just started using different yeasts from what's in the tin, so that'd be a good help. I Lack a beer fridge to store starters and such in...


----------



## Barramundi (27/7/06)

now can one of you experience beer swapper types that have expressed interest in this swap help me out here, how is this gonna work , ie how many bottles does each person need to provide i was factoring on a dozen long necks each among seven people so that everyone ends up with two bottles of each others beer and doesnt get their own back does that make sense or am i delirious ???


----------



## Barramundi (27/7/06)

SMALL BREW SWAP .........

THE STORY SO FAR....

WHO:

Myself - Definate Starter
DrewCarey82 - Definate Starter
AndrewL - Definate Starter
Phrak - Definate Starter
PetesBrew - Taste Test Pending
Gulpa - Definate Starter
Barls - Date Dependant ???


WHERE : Phrak has kindly offered us the use of his home for this occasion and I would like to thank him for that and if nobody has any objections i think we should take him up on that offer and enjoy his hospitality ,( id have you all at my place but there just isnt the room ) ....

WHEN : Date yet to be confirmed , somewhere around september to let everyone brew, bottle and age their product



BTW ... could those that have expressed interest please forward me your email addresses so we can sort this off the forum when we get our required numbers rather than clog things up here....
my email address is listed on this site


----------



## Phrak (27/7/06)

For the swap to work, you need at least one more person than there are beers.

i.e. If you want to swap a 6 pack of beers, you need 7 people. Each person brings 6 beers and takes 6 different beers back with him/her.

If you're wanting to get 2 bottles each of someone else's beer, you'd just double that amount to 12 beers for 7 people.

I'm personally not super keen to swap 2 bottles each - I don't brew that many long-necks per batch!! 

There was kind-of an unmentioned rule at the last swap, and it wasn't a problem then, but I think it's worth clarifying now - For fairness, each bottle must be at least 750ml.

Tim.


----------



## Phrak (27/7/06)

Ok, it's been a while since I've posted some beer "reviews" from the previous swaps, so here goes! 

First up, _Insight's Ginger Beer_ - Loved it! I'm a big ginger beer fan, and boy did this one pack a ginger punch! It's the first time I've really had an alcoholic GB, but yeah, really nice. I reckon I could pass this one off to my mum and she doesn't drink beer at all (hates the stuff!).. Recipe please!

_Gulpa's Porter_ - Very nice indeed. A bit more coffee flavoured than my one I thought. I'd almost say that it leant towards a light stouty kind of porter. Delicious though none-the-less. I thought it perhaps a little too carbonated though? but that's easy to fix 

_BenHobbs' IPA_ - Amber? check. Strong? check. Hoppy? check. Bitter? double-check. Ben, I don't imagine that the IPA is an incredibly easy beer to make, but you've done better than I could! It started out nicely, but towards the end of the pint I thought it turned a bit too bitter. Maybe it was just that the last bit had warmed up more than the start. Not really to my personal liking sorry mate, but don't let me sway you from re-making it! 

_Barls' Vanilla Bean Amber Ale_ Why can't I put my finger on that taste? I personally reckon there wasn't quite enough vanilla flavour in it... but maybe I was expecting more from the name, if you know what I mean. All-in-all a nice different beer, but I don't reckon I could do too many in one sitting. I guess you could call it a connoisseur beer, rather than a quaffer. Not a bad thing at all 

_Pete's Screaming Toucan Stout_ This wasn't part of the swap, but Pete kindly gave me a bottle to try. This one was friggen fantastic! For a simple (?) two can kit beer, I reckon this had more flavour, aroma and body than the Guinness Extra Stout from the shops. You're definitely onto a winner with this one mate. Even better that most non-brewers "don't like dark beers" - There's more left for you! I definitely owe you a beer for this one.

_Gulpa's Scottish Ale_ - Drinking a pint of this as I type. Lovely malty flavour and aroma. great body and perfect carbonation. And the taste? Well, this is the first Scottish Ale I've ever had, but let me assure you that I will be brewing one of these in the not too distant future! Bloody fantastic little brew. Recipe please? I think I'll keep it for myself though - too good to waste on the great unwashed i.e. my mates. Only thing is, I reckon she's a lot heavier than 4.5%. I've only had your one bottle tonight, but I feel like I've had three tall-boys!

hmm, what else... I think that's it. 

What have I got left to drink - Andrew's APA, Thommo's Cali Common, MVZ's Winter Ale, MVZ's Lager (how much longer???)... umm, and one other plastic bottle with a black cap... No idea what it is, so it will be a nice surprise ;-)

Take care all.
Regards,
Tim.


----------



## Boozy the clown (28/7/06)

Spewing! That 6 pack swap went faster than, well something that goes _really_ fast.

Gee, I even had my sixer that was supposed to be for the last swap ready for this one!

Noice one too, ESB Baverian wheat bastardised with a southern german lager yeast (WLP838), BTC's helping of extra fermentables, a dry hopping of weeks upon weeks with hallertau, and a CC period of 6 weeks. 

:chug:


----------



## Phrak (28/7/06)

Nothing stopping a 7pack swap, if everyone's happy to do it!


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## petesbrew (28/7/06)

Glad you liked the toucan stout, Tim.
Dead simple recipe, a can each of Coopers dark Ale & Stout, 500g brown sugar (but I'll swap that to some choc grain next time, 300g maybe), and both yeasts. Sounds wrong, but it worked! Too easy, too tasty, and at 6.75% it's great for a winters night!.


----------



## DrewCarey82 (28/7/06)

Ah okay I was under the impression that it was a a full batch from everyone and everyone got 30 back.

Ah well even easier!


----------



## Gulpa (28/7/06)

Hi Guys,

I need to bottle on the weekend. As I dont normally do longecks, can we confirm numbers so I bottle the right number. Im happy to do 7 if others are.

Thanks for the feedback Phrak. I know what you mean about the strength of the scottish, it does seem stronger than that. SG was 1045, FG was 1014. The calculator I use puts it at 4%. I added another .5 for priming. 

Recipe is Grumpys Red Stag master brew, Grumpys low IBU extract can, Wyeast 1728, (bottle) primed with raw sugar. From the scottish ale thread recently, it seems the yeast is important to the style (Whitelabs have a scottish yeast). I can probably do a yeast stubby for if you want. Its a good yeast for winter as it brews down to 14c.

The problem with this swap is now my list of brews to do is getting bigger. Too many brews not enough time. I now know that I must master APAs (both light and full bodied) and IPAs. It sounds like I need to put down Pete's Screaming Toucan Stout now as well. Ive previously been put off the 2 can thing by the bitterness issue. 

Cheers,
Andrew.


----------



## petesbrew (28/7/06)

Gulpa said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> I need to bottle on the weekend. As I dont normally do longecks, can we confirm numbers so I bottle the right number. Im happy to do 7 if others are.
> 
> ...



I reckon i'd throw in the screaming toucan if my xmas lager, pending taste test falls through (but I reckon it'll be good) - I've got just enough, but it's hard to give away such a tasty drop!
I'm planning on doing the TCB Summer Wheat Wetpak on monday, so if it's a september swap, I'll just scrape in.
Basically, I'm definitely in.
Pete


----------



## Phrak (28/7/06)

petesbrew said:


> <snip>Dead simple recipe... 500g brown sugar (but I'll swap that to some choc grain next time, 300g maybe)


 Ahh, the brown sugar. Now you mention it, yeah I remember that taste in there. I wouldn't be too quick to change it though, It tastes great as it is. But it'd be interesting to see the difference between the two.


> Sounds wrong, but it worked! Too easy, too tasty, and at 6.75% it's great for a winters night!.


 Holy crap she's a strong one then! Not surprising though, given the double-can + sugar 

Cheers for that Pete


----------



## Phrak (28/7/06)

DrewCarey82 said:


> Ah okay I was under the impression that it was a a full batch from everyone and everyone got 30 back.


Nah, too much effort. It's just a dinky little swap


----------



## Phrak (28/7/06)

Gulpa said:


> I need to bottle on the weekend. As I dont normally do longecks, can we confirm numbers so I bottle the right number. Im happy to do 7 if others are.


I think we should close this swap right now with 7 people. By all means run another parrallel swap with more people that come along, and I'm happy to have them both at my place on the same day. All those in favour of closing this swap with 7 people?



> Thanks for the feedback Phrak. I know what you mean about the strength of the scottish, it does seem stronger than that. SG was 1045, FG was 1014. The calculator I use puts it at 4%. I added another .5 for priming.


 Yeah my calc says the same. That's really wierd how it has that effect...



> Recipe is <snip> I can probably do a yeast stubby for if you want. Its a good yeast for winter as it brews down to 14c.


Thanks for that, I'll give it a go  Thanks for the yeast offer as well. I've had a go at harvesting the yeast that was on the bottom, so I'll see how that goes as well. Interesting that it ferments down to 14C though, and that'd explain it's lovely smoothness as well 



> The problem with this swap is now my list of brews to do is getting bigger. Too many brews not enough time.


 Haha, my problem exactly too! Plus I don't have enough bottles to keep more than two batches at a time.

ah well, ce la vie.  
Tim.

PS. yes, I have been a post-whore today. You know you love it ;-) :lol:


----------



## Barramundi (28/7/06)

that was my original plan Phrak just for 7 if we have seven confirmed let do it 

id like to have a dozen bottles but if thats a pain for some lets just run the six for this one...


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## Barramundi (28/7/06)

heres the latest...

Myself - Definate Starter
DrewCarey82 - Definate Starter
AndrewL - Definate Starter
Phrak - Definate Starter
PetesBrew - Definate Starter
Gulpa - Definate Starter

BoozyTHEClown - LET ME KNOW ..????

Barls - Work Commitments, maybe next time 



i think for the time being id better reserve the last spot for boozy the clown seems he wants in .....


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## barls (28/7/06)

i think boozy the clown wanted to be in


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## Barramundi (28/7/06)

yeah i think so too barls ill hold spot for him till i hear different ...


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## petesbrew (28/7/06)

Oh and guys,
Don't forget the labels, so we know who's brew we're enjoying. 
Doesn't have to be fancy... a bit of masking tape will do.
Pete


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## Barramundi (28/7/06)

yes good point petesbrew , nothin worse than having no way of knowing whos or what beer your drinkin


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## Barramundi (28/7/06)

SO what do the numbers say is it gonna be 6 or twelve long necks????


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## Phrak (28/7/06)

My vote is for 6, but I haven't bottled anything yet so can follow the masses if the vote goes to 12.

I think Gulpa is the lynch-pin for this vote cos he's bottling this weekend. Gulpa, how vote thee?

Tim.


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## Gulpa (28/7/06)

Phrak said:


> My vote is for 6, but I haven't bottled anything yet so can follow the masses if the vote goes to 12.
> 
> I think Gulpa is the lynch-pin for this vote cos he's bottling this weekend. Gulpa, how vote thee?
> 
> Tim.



Hi Guys,

Thanks Phrak. Im easy. My preference would be for 6 although there were a few beers in the last swap I was very sad to see the end of :beer: . I wont bottle until sunday so there is a bit of time to discuss.

I was going to do 6 of each of my 2 batches anyway and choose the best. I can still do this and swap 12 (you just get one of each and too bad if one is crap). I cant come up with 24 longnecks at the moment to do 12 of each. 

cheers,
Andrew.


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## Barramundi (29/7/06)

my biggest drama at present is diggin up the empty bottles , kegging doesnt require much empty glass... either way wont be and issue , just remember guys 750ml minimums (i have 2 boxes of 660mls)DOH!! im happy for 6 now just thought it would be nice to have two of each beers to savour the flavor but for a start off swap lets leave it at six bottles each ... seems thats what most people want at this stage ..


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## Boozy the clown (30/7/06)

Ok, Whats happening blokes?

I have six 750mls hot to trot (or rot)
Cannt offer any more, and if i'm not in this is one of those BTC's i'd be happy to keep, but more than willing to share.

It tastes good to me ( but I happily drink Amsterdam).. :beer:


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## Barramundi (30/7/06)

YOURE IN BOOZY , Barls had to pull out due to work commitments so we decided to save the last spot for you seein you showed interest b4...


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## Barramundi (30/7/06)

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN ???

Myself - Definate Starter
DrewCarey82 - Definate Starter
AndrewL - Definate Starter
Phrak - Definate Starter
PetesBrew - Definate Starter
Gulpa - Definate Starter
BoozyTHEClown - Definate Starter


now all we need is a meet date , ive left that up to Phrak seeing he gave us the venue at his place .. probably mid to late September

BREW ON SWAPPERS !!!


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## Phrak (30/7/06)

I've had a bit of a look at the calendar... How's Sunday 24th September for everyone? Sometime in the afternoon is my preference, but I'm easy.


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## Barramundi (30/7/06)

sounds good to me Phrak , what about everyone else , should give everyone heaps of time to whip up a brew or two that they are willing to share with others.....


----------



## andrewl (30/7/06)

Sounds good to me guys, I'll have to write it on the calender... Wait a minute... I better get one of those too!  

Cheers,
Andrew


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## Barramundi (31/7/06)

SO WHAT DO YOU GUYS WANNA DO 6 or 12 750ml LONGNECKS , WE SHALL RUN WITH THE MAJORITY I GUESS ....


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## DrewCarey82 (31/7/06)

I am easy for a dozen, probably better as gives a truer impression.


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## Phrak (31/7/06)

I prefer 6.

Tim.


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## Gulpa (31/7/06)

I prefer 6 also.

Andrew.


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## Barramundi (31/7/06)

so far ...

gulpa ... 6
phrak... 6
drew82... 12
barra ... whatever goes, but prefer 12 for the reasons drew mentioned...

need a couple more opinions to make it final ... but it looks like it could be a six bottle swap


----------



## andrewl (31/7/06)

i know i have 6 750ml bottles... not too sure about 12... I have a million 660 ml bottles though


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## Boozy the clown (1/8/06)

I have six conditioning at the moment, got a couple more for 'the pool room'.

Don't have too much time on my hands at the moment to do another batch, two small kids, sleep deprived wife, cranky boss (Not the wife, work boss!)

Anyway these six taste ok to share with other brewers, dont like handing out untested stuff to people who know... :huh: 

So, I prefer six.


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## Boozy the clown (1/8/06)

> i know i have 6 750ml bottles... not too sure about 12... I have a million 660 ml bottles though



Dem dere 660ml bottles are an evil bottle, only 6ml off the devil's bottle...

yeah I have a 'few' of those babys too, I hide them at the back of my bottle collection where they happily catch dust.

Must remember to thank coopers for bringing back the 'pickaxe' 750. Forms the 'workers' of my bottle collection, the champers bottles are the ones I age for as long as I can in 'the pool room'.


----------



## petesbrew (1/8/06)

Hiya Lads,

Back after a nice long weekend.

Tasted my brew on the weekend, and it's good to go.
It's the Weihnacten ("Christmas" in German) Amber Lager. My own concoction so I'm pretty happy it worked out okay.

I'm happy for just one 750ml, but in case there are others interested in starting up a 2nd swap, I'll be in for that too, as I cooked up a Summer Wheat Wetpak yesterday.

Pete


----------



## Barramundi (1/8/06)

UPDATE ...


gulpa ... 6
phrak... 6
drew82... 12
barra ... whatever goes, but prefer 12 for the reasons drew mentioned...
boozy... 6
andyL... 6
petes... 6 


well swappers it looks like the majority says six so SIX it shall be !! see you all on the 24th of September at Phraks place ...


----------



## andrewl (1/8/06)

It's a date!

Cheers,
Andrew


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## MVZOOM (1/8/06)

Bugger - you go to watch the All Blacks kick arse in QLD and stuff just passes you by!

That Lager of mine should be re-labled - it's still not clear after 4 weeks CCing in my fridge - but it's a nice smooth drop so I'd love to hear a new name for it! 

Cheers - ike


----------



## petesbrew (2/8/06)

MVZOOM said:


> Bugger - you go to watch the All Blacks kick arse in QLD and stuff just passes you by!
> 
> That Lager of mine should be re-labled - it's still not clear after 4 weeks CCing in my fridge - but it's a nice smooth drop so I'd love to hear a new name for it!
> 
> Cheers - ike



That's not the "little lager" you're talking about is it, Mike?


----------



## Barramundi (2/8/06)

dont worry zoom there will be more swaps im sure ...


----------



## RobboMC (2/8/06)

LABELS:

Officeworks have great stock on white labels that come on flat sheets for feeding into your computer's printer, in a range of sizes.

I found some that were about 100 mm X 75 mm, the cheap brand were $32 for a pack of 800 labels, so 4 cents a label. But you have to make a lot of beer.....This is about 2 years supply for me.

Maybe you swappers could throw in for a shared supply.... 
just a crazy idea.


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## Barramundi (3/8/06)

good stuff robbo, im was gonna go to officeworks myself the other day and check out sizes etc etc ....

keeps your eyes peeled for the next brew swap too


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## MVZOOM (3/8/06)

petesbrew said:


> MVZOOM said:
> 
> 
> > Bugger - you go to watch the All Blacks kick arse in QLD and stuff just passes you by!
> ...



Indeed. THe Loafing Little Cloudy Psuedo-Lager, to be correct! 

Cheers - Mike


----------



## Boozy the clown (3/8/06)

Ok, we are sorted for who is in...

What are you's offering???

I'm (as a dedicated KKK man (Kit, kilo + kilo)) putting in the ESB bavarian wheat, fermented with the 'Southern German Lager' WLP 838 and dry hopped with hallertau. (oh yes and the extra helping of dry malt, think I put some liquid malt in too) :beerbang: 

Doesn't really taste like a wheat and it's very clear, any suggestions for what I should call this beer :huh:? 

It tastes good to me, strongish and tasty.


----------



## Boozy the clown (3/8/06)

I might put in my own suggestion of "Boozy's side show".

I want to make a HUGE one for Boozy's Big Top.

(But I did want to ask what style did you think this would come under, rather that just a silly name.)

(stop talking to yourself and answering your own questions with the wrong answer, people will point and stare.)

(Shutup, you are doing it again)

(Oh sorry)

(I said Shutup!)


----------



## Phrak (4/8/06)

Sorry Boozy, can't help you out with your names, I'm shithouse at that sort of thing... but,

You've got a choice of beer for me to swap this time:
English Oak Ale fermenting at the moment... Made with real Oak chips. .
ESB Czech Pilsner - more bitter than the average.
ESB Bavarian Lager - pretty standard lager.
Oktoberfest Lager
So take your pick


----------



## petesbrew (4/8/06)

Your lager's in the fridge ready for the weekend Mike. I've still got Thommo's Californian Common waiting to share with a mate.

Phrak, they all sound great to me! The oak ale or the oktoberfest stand out.

Just clarifying my 6... I can do either the Weihnachten Amber Lager, or a Summer Wheat Wetpak (Ho in a Gaarden), so I'm open to suggestions.

Pete


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## Boozy the clown (4/8/06)

Phrak, the Oktoberfest or the bavarian sound the go to me.

Pete, go the ho!


----------



## petesbrew (4/8/06)

Boozy the clown said:


> Phrak, the Oktoberfest or the bavarian sound the go to me.
> 
> Pete, go the ho!



Yeah I'm starting to lean towards the Ho myself... something a bit different, and it tastes pretty good so far.
So many brews to do, so little empty bottles.


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## Barramundi (4/8/06)

Gee guys youre spoilin us with choices too...


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## Barramundi (4/8/06)

you need kegs petesbrew saves the empty bottle problems....


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## petesbrew (4/8/06)

Barramundi said:


> you need kegs petesbrew saves the empty bottle problems....



Bloody Oath, Barra.
But wiht a bub on the way in a months time, cash for things like that will be a thing of the past.
Geez i still have to get a beer fridge (with a shelf dedicated to wine, of course!).

Till then at least I work out the triceps from cappin' those bottles.


----------



## petesbrew (4/8/06)

Barramundi said:


> Gee guys youre spoilin us with choices too...



What have you got on offer, Barra? :chug:


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## Barramundi (4/8/06)

not exactly sure yet , better get my self inta gear time's a tickin , might have to get the gear and do another partial for the swap , 

i know what ya mean too we had a little one in march the strings have tightened i can tell ya nappies aint cheap and neither is formula....


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## Boozy the clown (4/8/06)

Yes we had 2nd little boozy in May, no formula, his supplier has enough to fill, but time to brew for me? :huh:


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## Barramundi (6/8/06)

woah that was close a near disaster the missus got a birthday present to go somewhere on the 23rd of sept , thought for a second that was our swap day... so close, still wouldve worked but wouldve had to bring junior along for the ride ...


----------



## Phrak (6/8/06)

Junior brewers, assistant brewers and partners are more than welcome to come along


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## petesbrew (7/8/06)

Cracked open the Loafin' Little Lager on friday night Mike,
It was a great beer. Crisp and refreshing. I reckon I could do a session on these on a long hot summers afternoon! 
Looking forward to the next swap. The Ho is coming along nice and slowly (due to the 16c temp in the garage).


----------



## DrewCarey82 (7/8/06)

Hey fella's mine will be a choc porter(partial)


----------



## andrewl (7/8/06)

I'm going to have to pull out guys... Pretty sure I've had a problem with carbonation (basically none at all!!! :angry: ) and yes... I added the extra sugar, capped it all properly blah blah blah... It just tastes like malty, brown water  NOT HAPPY JAN!!!

Cheers,
Andrew


----------



## Phrak (7/8/06)

Andrew, how long has it been bottled for?

My APA and Porter both took about 6 weeks to carbonate. The porter took at least this long to get *ANY* carbonation at all.

I wouldn't be too quick to bail just yet, you've got another 7 or so weeks till the swap.


----------



## andrewl (7/8/06)

Its been approximately 3 weeks... I'm hoping it'll come good... Don't really want to chuck it down the drain yet... It tastes pretty good... Just a little (or a lot) flat! 

Cheers,
Andrew


----------



## Phrak (7/8/06)

shit man, what are you thinking?! KEEP IT! 

Seriously, stick it in the garage or under the house or in the laundry or wherever is nice and dark and just leave it for a few weeks. As long as you put the right amount of Dex or sugar in for the style (what'd you brew, how much sugar/dex, and at what temp?) then you'll be right.


----------



## andrewl (7/8/06)

It was just a basic amber ale, with a morgans caramalt tin. Made up to 20L, brewed at approximately 18 degrees and dextrose (180g) was used for priming. I'm not going to toss it yet, I still have that little bit of hope for it!

Cheers,
Andrew


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## Barramundi (7/8/06)

dont worry about it andrewl, after all its only a six bottle swap, if its flat its flat big deal we will get over it , if nothin else youll get to meet a few guys with interests in at least one thing that youre interested in and like phrak said by then it could be gassed to the hills , i havent even brewed yet so you got nothin to worry about ....
judging with my limited knowledge on what youve said above theres no real reason it wont fire up, although ive never primed with dextrose and am totally ignorant to it in that regard....


----------



## Phrak (7/8/06)

lemme guess, you used secondary fermentation, right?

It's only because there's less yeast in suspension now to carb up at your usual speed. It just takes time 

Patience Andrew-san h34r:


----------



## MVZOOM (7/8/06)

petesbrew said:


> Cracked open the Loafin' Little Lager on friday night Mike,
> It was a great beer. Crisp and refreshing. I reckon I could do a session on these on a long hot summers afternoon!
> Looking forward to the next swap. The Ho is coming along nice and slowly (due to the 16c temp in the garage).



Thanks mate - it's at the end of the keg now - I compared it glass to glass with a bottle of Hahn Pale Ale - from the keg, my wife couldn't see or taste a difference. It's pretty much exactly the same. Funny for a 'lager'....?!

Cheers - Mike


----------



## petesbrew (8/8/06)

Carbination shmarbination.... I'll drink it, Andrew. 
My own carbination levels are all over the shop anyway. Practice makes perfect.

Looking forward to the choc porter, DC82!


----------



## DrewCarey82 (8/8/06)

Cheers mate.

Its only my second partial, but formulated with the help of the many brewing guro's on here hopefully I've made the grade as I've followed the procedure to the letter!


----------



## Barramundi (8/8/06)

procedure , is there a procedure ??? ooops ....


----------



## DrewCarey82 (9/8/06)

bumb can anyone answer barramundi's question?


----------



## Phrak (9/8/06)

we're way off-topic now, but have a look here:
http://www.bmbrews.com.au/index.php/info/partial.html


----------



## Barramundi (10/8/06)

useful information there phrak , not only the page you posted but the site has many bits and peices of helpfullness...


----------



## petesbrew (10/8/06)

Nice one phrak, it's in my favourites, ready to check out at lunchtime.

The more I look the easier partials and AG seem.
In the meantime I still have 2 kits ready waiting to try. The Coopers APA, and an ESB Belgian Smoked Ale!

The Ho's coming along nicely! Another week and it'll be ready for bottlin'.


----------



## Barramundi (10/8/06)

Partials are fairly simple procedure petes , just a bit of waiting time involved thats all, which can be used to clean and sterilize fermenting containers and equipment whilst keeping an eye on procedings ... i do my boil in the shed on one of those "fly spray" portable gas cookers to keep the smell out of the house works a treat ....

as for All Grain i have yet to venture upon that ground but im told its an all day affair....


----------



## Peter Wadey (10/8/06)

Barramundi,

Re: all day to go AG

For some time now I have been mashing in at 6am. With such an early start,
the yeast is pitched at about midday, just in time to sit down & have lunch
with my girls and then a spot of packing away after.

But give me a whole day to brew, and I can fill it happily 

Rgds,
Peter
(ex Tempe, NSW)


----------



## Barramundi (10/8/06)

cheers Peter , still a six hour process though , not saying its not worth it but its a long procedure involved is all...

nonetheless i know i will do it one day , just dont have the time or space to do it at present ... do you have one of these fancy brewstand /autogogomagic numbers or do you do it stove and esky style ??


----------



## petesbrew (15/8/06)

The Ho is a'bottled and packed away!
Should be lovely by the time the swap comes around.
Pete


----------



## DrewCarey82 (15/8/06)

petesbrew said:


> Nice one phrak, it's in my favourites, ready to check out at lunchtime.
> 
> The more I look the easier partials and AG seem.
> In the meantime I still have 2 kits ready waiting to try. The Coopers APA, and an ESB Belgian Smoked Ale!
> ...



I always meant to try to that ESB belgian smoked ale be sure to let me know how it goes!


----------



## petesbrew (15/8/06)

DrewCarey82 said:


> petesbrew said:
> 
> 
> > Nice one phrak, it's in my favourites, ready to check out at lunchtime.
> ...



I must admit I'm a bit scared of this smoked kit, but it's supposed to be superb with a BBQ.
I'll be doing this in a little while, and will let u know.
Pete


----------



## petesbrew (23/8/06)

Last night I finally cracked open Thommo's Californian Common last night with a mate. Damn delicious it was!
My mates wife thought it was pretty good too. Quite sweet, and the schweppes bottle size was a great move. I've started to collect a few schweppes bottles now.


----------



## Barramundi (27/8/06)

Well be it some what delayed with things of kaos that have been happening at home lately the brew for the swap is well under way, boiled up the mini mash on wednesday night and its been bubblin away happily since thursday morning, hopefully it will finish up by mid this week and give me a week racking/clearing time then a few weeks bottle conditioning before swap day...

you guys might have to drink mine last to give it a bit more bottle time to fizz but it should be ok, at one stage i thought i might have had to pull out of the deal all together but thankfully that was avoided..


OHHH and the beer , Morgans Royal Oak Amber Ale , with extra Amber malt and malted grains and 2 stage hopped.... hopefully should be a good one ....


----------



## petesbrew (29/8/06)

The Ho in the Gaarden (a TCB Summer Wheat Wetpak) is ready for the swap.
Gave it the first taste on the weekend. It doesn't taste or look anything like a Hoegaarden, but it's bloody sensational, and ready for summer!
Looking forward to the swap.
Pete


----------



## DrewCarey82 (29/8/06)

My chocolate porter has been bottled for a month now so should be consumeable once its settled after the car trip ie a week.

Will try in the next couple of days.

Just had a geeze over the past 3 pages and cant find what date we are actually swapping???


----------



## petesbrew (29/8/06)

DrewCarey82 said:


> My chocolate porter has been bottled for a month now so should be consumeable once its settled after the car trip ie a week.
> 
> Will try in the next couple of days.
> 
> Just had a geeze over the past 3 pages and cant find what date we are actually swapping???



Yum yum, choc porter!
I'm pretty sure it's the 24th September at Phrak's place?
Pete


----------



## DrewCarey82 (29/8/06)

This maybe a issue for myself and possibly Neddy as well as we have a brewers meet planned for the 23 september and I know justifying it to the warden maybe impossible.....

But if everyone else is set on this date I'll make sure I am there.


----------



## dogbolter (29/8/06)

Hi Guys - 

Sorry to jump in...I'm out in Western Sydney (St. Marys) reasonbly new to the brew scene looking to compare also. Would be keen to swap with others similar to this thread.

Cheers, 

Sean.


----------



## Phrak (29/8/06)

dogbolter said:


> Hi Guys -
> 
> Sorry to jump in...I'm out in Western Sydney (St. Marys) reasonbly new to the brew scene looking to compare also. Would be keen to swap with others similar to this thread.
> 
> ...



G'day Sean, welcome to AHB :beer: This particular swap is all-but-done (people have already bottled their swapping beers), but you're more than welcome to come along to my house on the 24th to say g'day. I've got plenty of room  I'm sure if you were to bring along a few of your wares, they wouldn't go to waste - some of us may even be happy to bring/spare a few extras to mini-swap with you B) .

Tim.


----------



## DrewCarey82 (30/8/06)

Just tried my chocolate porter last night.

Not as in your face as I feared with all the different grains I was using, but still quite flavoursome dark ale with a nice chocolatey smell and aftertaste.

Good head retention as well....

Looking forward to getting feedback off people.


----------



## petesbrew (30/8/06)

Phrak said:


> dogbolter said:
> 
> 
> > Hi Guys -
> ...



Hi Sean, I can throw in an extra bottle or two (of my "Ho", or something else) if there's interest in a mini-swap, or 2nd 6 pack swap.
Pete


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## Barramundi (30/8/06)

why dont we all bring seven bottles and includes sean in the swap or is that too painful at this stage of the game ??

im happy to swap a couple of bottles with ya if ya wanna either way sean as im sure others will too ?


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## Boozy the clown (6/9/06)

I have to work on the day of the swap, our roster is only 'rough' even though it gegins in three days time! :angry: 

And one of the powers that wanna be have warned us not to even talk to the roster jerk :blink: 

Anyway, is it ok if I drop mine off the day before? I should be able to pick up on the day of the swap still though. I dont finish work till 6.30pm.

I can only put 6 up for the swap still, unless i can put in another style to make up the 7.


----------



## Barramundi (6/9/06)

thats a bit of a bummer boozy but what can ya do ya gotta earn a livin.. 

the seventh was just an idea for a mini-mini swap for dogbolter so anything will do i guess .... no biggy if you can only do six , he hasnt posted for a while so i dont know if he wants to do anything or not


----------



## DrewCarey82 (6/9/06)

To be honest I'd prefer 6 but am happy to go with 7.


----------



## Barramundi (8/9/06)

Well the good news is my swap brew is finally bottled and ready for swap day, hopefully will be sorted by then as far as bottle conditioning goes but you guys might be wise to sample mine last... 

roll on the 24th


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## Boozy the clown (11/9/06)

The swap is at your's Barra? Can you pm me your address pls. If it's not can the generous soul who has given up his personal space tell me where to shove my boozy brew?

It's a nice beer I reckon, just dont let it get excited!


----------



## Phrak (11/9/06)

Boozy the clown said:


> The swap is at your's Barra? Can you pm me your address pls. If it's not can the generous soul who has given up his personal space tell me where to shove my boozy brew?
> 
> It's a nice beer I reckon, just dont let it get excited!



Boozy, it's at my house. I'll PM you the address  Are you saying that you won't be able to make it on the day, and you want to drop it off before hand? If so, there'll be a one bottle handling fee  Nah, just kidding.


----------



## Boozy the clown (11/9/06)

Noice, as usual with the boozy brew I don't know the alc % but don't drive after having a 750 of mine, you'll do your licence.

(Double hops to disguise boozeye levels)


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## Barramundi (12/9/06)

Yeah as he as already replied Boozy the swap is at the House of Phrak , 

Thanks once again for givin up your place for this Phrak....

might not be a bad idea to PM the six guys involved your address so we can look it up and figure out how to get there etc etc ....

Only 11 days till swap day ...


----------



## DrewCarey82 (12/9/06)

CRA!


----------



## Barramundi (14/9/06)

why does brewing need to stop in summer dc82 ??


----------



## DrewCarey82 (14/9/06)

Temperature control my friend, I dont spend 5 hours mashing grains to take any risk of it being ruined!

The yeasts I use now dont have the tolerance of the ones that come with kits.


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## petesbrew (14/9/06)

Hi guys, looking forward to the swap.

So what are we all putting in?

I've got my "Ho in a Gaarden", a TCB Summer Wheat Wetpak, ready to go. Not a bad drop indeed.

Phrak can you pm me your address please?

Pete.


----------



## Gulpa (14/9/06)

Im looking forward to it as well.

Mine will be an APA (Grumpys Boston cream) which Im pretty happy
with.

Phrak, could you please PM me the details too. Should we all bring
a bottle of something else just in case anyone is thirsty :unsure: ?

Thanks,
Andrew.


----------



## Boozy the clown (14/9/06)

ESB Bavarian wheat, double hopped with hallertau. + BTC's obligitory assortment of dry malt and glucose. :beerbang: 

Used the Whitelabs 'Southern German lager yeast' WLP838.

Doesn't look much like a wheat, has fermented clear. I like it.


----------



## Phrak (15/9/06)

Sorry Guys, I've been away for a few days. Back now for one night, then away again for a few more (Having AHB and eBay withdrawals!).

I'll send all involved (see below) a PM with my address details tonight.

Just so I've got everybody, here's who I think was involved with this swap. Pipe up if I've forgotten you! 
Phrak (me)
Barramundi
DrewCarey82
PetesBrew
Gulpa
Boozy the Clown
AndrewL
Whatever happened to DogBolter (Sean)? He's only had one post here and never said anything else. 
I'll PM him and ask what's going on... 

Either way, the 7 above are all (hopefully) in for a 6-pack swap each.

Should be a grand afternoon!  How's 2pm for everyone?
Tim.


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## Boozy the clown (18/9/06)

Does anyone in the swap live near the deep south? (Camden way)

Or Even anywhere near Glebe or Balmain?

If my beer could hitch a ride up to the swap it could save me a 350km round trip! h34r:


----------



## Barramundi (18/9/06)

Im still in Phrak ... as for dogbolter see if ya get any response from a message , (ive got a long neck set aside for him if he is there , if he isnt no big deal) otherwise dont stress to much there will no doubt be more swaps for him to be involved in

2pm is ok but earlier would suit me better , but your the host so your call entirely..


----------



## Barramundi (18/9/06)

Boozy dont know if it helps ya but im in Arncliffe and would be happy to ship your beer to phraks for the swap , i take it you work in glebe or balmain ??

if things get really desperate let me know and we will see what we can come up with ...


----------



## Boozy the clown (19/9/06)

Yeah I work inner west, where's Arncliff?


----------



## Samwise Gamgee (19/9/06)

I think it's next to Tempe. Kinda over towards Mascot way


----------



## DrewCarey82 (19/9/06)

Correct, Rockdale / Hurstville way.


----------



## Barramundi (19/9/06)

between tempe and rockdale to be precise


----------



## Boozy the clown (19/9/06)

I could ride that way to work, ok if I drop them off Barra?
I'm working tomorrow 20/9 and 21/9 The 21st is a night shift so i would be coming by tempe way at about 5.10pm.


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## Barramundi (20/9/06)

that works for me boozy, will pm ya my number and address ,so you can give me a call when your close by ... pity you gotta go to work as myself and drew carey are havin an ale or two tomorrow night too....


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## Boozy the clown (21/9/06)

Onward ye drunken clowns.

(thanks to Franko for the labels)

I'll give you a call when i'm at Tempe Barra.


----------



## DrewCarey82 (21/9/06)

Love ya work Boozy. Best Labels I've seen.


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## dogbolter (21/9/06)

Hey guys - 

I can't make it that day as it's my daughter's bday. Am dead keen for the next meet though.

Apologies.


Dogbolter.


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## Barramundi (21/9/06)

gday dogbolter , shame ya cant make it on sunday and i had a bottle cooked up for ya too .. not too worry , am think of a small xmas swap possibly a dozen bottles...either six or twelve people, will put up a post over the weekend sometime when i figure out the specifics maybe even 2 dozen with 12 people who knows ....


----------



## Barramundi (21/9/06)

Have taken delivery this afternoon of Six of Boozys Finest Brews for Sunday arvo..
Pity ya cant make it on the day mate but as always work must come first, attending a beer swap wont feed the family...


----------



## barls (21/9/06)

im in for the next one ill have a look at what i have when i get home, but id prefer to be in a 6 but 12 works just as well


----------



## Barramundi (21/9/06)

another six is cool , i was think 12 as a few people missed out on the NSW xmas swap that might wanna have a go too.. will monitor concencus and make a thread on weekend if no one else does b4 me keep your eyes peeled for the thread if your keen...


----------



## andrewl (21/9/06)

Hey Guys,
Sorry I haven't been in touch lately... Haven't even looked at a computer in over a week! I'll have to change my brew though... What was going to be the amber ale is now a ginger beer (quite nice for the first attempt too... not biased or anything  )
Hoping to catch up on Sunday for a chat and meet a few more blokes (is this the same as an AA meeting???)

Cheers,
Andrew


----------



## Phrak (21/9/06)

Hey Andrew, good to hear from you mate! See you on Sunday.

No, it's not the same as an AA meeting. We're not alcoholics, we're drunks - we don't go to meetings! :lol:


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## barls (22/9/06)

only the meetings to exchange beer


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## DrewCarey82 (22/9/06)

Exactly what I always say since I saw it on someones signature.


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## Phrak (22/9/06)

My Oak Ale supply is quickly dwindling. Luck I saved these bottles for you lot!


----------



## petesbrew (22/9/06)

I haven't finalised my Ho in the Gaarden Label yet, but seeing Phrak's and Boozey's efforts, I just can't sit on my arse any longer! You can expect a label from me by sunday... see ya then
Pete :beer: 
p.s. I'll bring along a Lily Pale Ale (to celebrate the first-born) for some constructive criticism. I may have overhopped it!


----------



## Barramundi (22/9/06)

i will have lables but not nearly as flash as those ....


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## Boozy the clown (23/9/06)

That BTC brew may prove to be a little excitable after the trip on the bike...

Give it a couple of days to calm down and have a glass ready to pour one when you crack it open! :excl:


----------



## Barramundi (23/9/06)

DOES ANYONE KNOW PHRAKS ADDRESS YET ???

Swap is tomorrow and i for one have no idea where its at ...
well i know its Baulkham Hills but thats all ...


----------



## Phrak (23/9/06)

Barramundi said:


> DOES ANYONE KNOW PHRAKS ADDRESS YET ???
> 
> Swap is tomorrow and i for one have no idea where its at ...
> well i know its Baulkham Hills but thats all ...



Sorry mate! I thought I sent you a PM, but I just checked and I haven't. I got everyone else though :blink: 

PM with my address is on it's way.
Tim.


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## Barramundi (23/9/06)

got it now mate all good ... 

lookin forward to seeing everyone there tomorrow arvo !!


----------



## Barramundi (24/9/06)

Bottles labelled and packed , Ready to swap !!


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## Barramundi (24/9/06)

was good to get together and meet you fellow brewers and exchange some of our wares , thanks to Phrak, Mrs Phrak and Little Miss Phrak for givin up their place for the arvo , pity AndrewL couldnt make it but im sure he had good reason.. all good , now time to sample and report back...

good stuff !!!!


----------



## petesbrew (25/9/06)

Twas great to meet up for some top beers, boys.

Hey Boozy, what was your brew again?

And what happened to AndrewL?

Phrak, I've got your Oaked ale in the fridge ready to sample with the outlaws...

Pete


----------



## DrewCarey82 (25/9/06)

Thanks to Phrak and Co and was good to meet all you fellas! Look forward to another one in the future.


----------



## Barramundi (25/9/06)

Phraks Oak Ale is chillin in the downstairs fridge waitin to be punished as will others be shortly as space becomes available for now they are settling after the car ride in a nice cool dark spot in the dungeon ...

any word on what happened to andrewL ? and ideas on whats gonna happen with gettin his bottle of brew?

oh and check out the link below for another small swap for xmas/new year

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...mp;#entry156271


----------



## Barramundi (25/9/06)

OK , have dealt with the Dutch Knight , and i must say i was impressed , great color, clarity and excellent head retention i thought there was a sponge on top of my glass the head was that good , only compliant i had was it was possible a touch bitter for my tastes but thats nothin against the beer thats just me, my girlfriend liked it too if thats anything to go by she said it had the flavor of turkish delight in it dunno where she found that but thats what she said ...good job tim, and ive just started a label collection of swap/home brewers beers yours is my first find ... interesting to see what others have to say on this one , tomorrow night will try Gulpa's APA , its gonna be a busy week ....


----------



## Phrak (25/9/06)

Thanks Barra, Glad you both liked it!

It was basically a Country Brewer Oak Ale Wetpak, boiled for 60mins with as much water as my 19L pot would allow (maybe 12-15L?), with 500g of Light DME added 15mins before the end of the boil. I also added 30gms of Fuggles at 30mins and 25gms Fuggles at flameout for 10mins.

So yeah, now you mention it, that would kinda explain the little bit of extra bitterness.

But thanks again for your honest feedback! 

I haven't tried anyone elses beer yet (out for dinner last night), but they're all in the fridge waiting patiently!

And if you want a better copy of my label, here ya go! 
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...ost&id=9071

Regards,
Tim.


----------



## Gulpa (25/9/06)

Thanks Tim for supplying the venue.

It was good to meet you guys (again for tim and pete).

Ive got boozy's brew in the fridge and should get to it this week sometime.

Pete, I put down a pale ale tonight (ESP 3Kg) and I just had to go out and get some Nelson Sauvin to chuck in after trying your brew yesterday. It smells awesome in the fermenter.


Cheers,
Andrew.


----------



## Boozy the clown (25/9/06)

Gee, maybe I should have chucked a sickie and come to the swap, heres a round up of my CRAP day.

Wake up late - alarm set wrong. 

Motorbike starts to play up, squeaks like a stuck fan belt then i've got smoke pouring out from between my legs. I gave it a rest, its German, it made it to work (where it now sits)  

Work with a tool who has a bad attitude all day. :blink: 

Catch the train home.

Line work on the tracks - Bus interchange.

Ride bus through Cabramatta

Some friendly soul throws a brick or something in the window about 1.5 inches away from my ear. :angry: 

Not happy, cut face, sore earhole! (not bad cuts, the noise hurt more)

Theres my sob story  


Oh and yes, give that circus beer some time to calm down upright, and maybe have two glasses ready to recieve!


----------



## Barramundi (26/9/06)

yeah well mate looks like things just got better after i spoke to ya on the phone, perhaps a sickie wouldve been the go , although that may have only been delay the carp for a day means you would have broke down in heavier traffic etc etc being a monday .... anyway theres always next time


----------



## Barramundi (26/9/06)

hey phrak what kinda yeast did ya use in that beer , my culturing experiment is continuing and ive got your yeast goin now ...

just got home from an appointment, now its time to get into gulpa's APA


----------



## Barramundi (26/9/06)

Ok just gulped the APA, reminds me a lot of one of the favorite brews from the motherland , MELBOURNE BITTER, once again a good retention of head , good glarity, but sorry andrew the g/f wasnt a fan of this one , but then again she doesnt like melbourne bitter or VB either , but i think its pretty damn good stuff, label #2 for my collection aswell...

another job well done , is anybody going to present me something i can critisize???

Circus beer is chillin for consumption tomorrow night ....exicited beer will be contained in a large jug as have the others to keep clarity at its best by having one pour into the jug and leaving the yeast behind..


----------



## Phrak (27/9/06)

Barramundi said:


> hey phrak what kinda yeast did ya use in that beer


My notes say one packet of rehydrated SafAle S04


----------



## Barramundi (27/9/06)

thanks mate ill see if i can make it grow big and strong ...

Any word from AndrewL as to what happened and when were gonna see his bottle ???


----------



## Barramundi (27/9/06)

fair dinkum boozy did you put soap in that brew of yours , the bubbles just dont stop flowin off the bottom of the glass, brilliant !!!
taste was good, bitterish mouth taste with a sweet kinda afterburst, g/f gives it the thumbs up too, impressive , any idea what kinda alcohol content it is btw ?? also what type of yeast ?? the experiment continues....

tomorrow being payday i think ill shout my self a ho and deal to her in the garden .... and pete if possible could you send through a copy of your label so i can print it , i dont fancy my chance of peelin yours off the bottle seein ya used sticky paper...


----------



## Gulpa (27/9/06)

Barramundi said:


> Ok just gulped the APA, reminds me a lot of one of the favorite brews from the motherland , MELBOURNE BITTER, once again a good retention of head , good glarity, but sorry andrew the g/f wasnt a fan of this one , but then again she doesnt like melbourne bitter or VB either , but i think its pretty damn good stuff, label #2 for my collection aswell...
> 
> another job well done , is anybody going to present me something i can critisize???
> 
> Circus beer is chillin for consumption tomorrow night ....exicited beer will be contained in a large jug as have the others to keep clarity at its best by having one pour into the jug and leaving the yeast behind..



Thanks for the feedback Barra. 

But, Melbourne Bitter! That's harsh. Nobody will want me in the next swap :unsure: . Ill have to do better for the next swap. Glad you enjoyed it and the g/f didnt (more for you). 

Cheers,
Andrew.


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## Barramundi (27/9/06)

nothing wrong with the old red can gulpa ....and i said it reminded me of it not that it was a replica, dont take that as an insult by any means your beer was good gear ...


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## Gulpa (27/9/06)

Ive downed 2 so far.

Boozy's brew. Nice clear beer. Good head. Nice hoppy nose. Very tasty. I just looked back at boozy's post and realised its a wheat beer done with lager yeast. I thought it was a pale/summer ale while drinking. Its all much more clearer now.  

Barra's brew. A bit cloudy. Low carb level. Tasty, malty brew with good complexity to the malt. Interesting to see what is possible with a partial. Nice job Barra. It could do with a bit more bitterness for my tastes to balance the maltiness (I seem to like em bitter).

Off to a great start so far. Looking foward to the others.

Cheers,
Andrew.


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## Gulpa (27/9/06)

Barramundi said:


> nothing wrong with the old red can gulpa ....and i said it reminded me of it not that it was a replica, dont take that as an insult by any means your beer was good gear ...



No insult taken. They dont have a tongue-in-cheek smily thingy to use. :beer:


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## Barramundi (28/9/06)

i too thought my brew was a touch cloudy too gulpa ,


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## Boozy the clown (28/9/06)

> fair dinkum boozy did you put soap in that brew of yours



Soap? :huh: gee I thought this review is kicking off well!

Glad it didn't relate to the taste!

Yeast was WLP838 "Southern German lager"

Glad you two have liked it.


I'll try and pick mine up tomorrow barra, i'll give you a call.


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## petesbrew (29/9/06)

Barramundi said:


> fair dinkum boozy did you put soap in that brew of yours , the bubbles just dont stop flowin off the bottom of the glass, brilliant !!!
> taste was good, bitterish mouth taste with a sweet kinda afterburst, g/f gives it the thumbs up too, impressive , any idea what kinda alcohol content it is btw ?? also what type of yeast ?? the experiment continues....
> 
> tomorrow being payday i think ill shout my self a ho and deal to her in the garden .... and pete if possible could you send through a copy of your label so i can print it , i dont fancy my chance of peelin yours off the bottle seein ya used sticky paper...



Hi Barra, I'll send it soon. It's on Mum & Dad's pc, so I'll grab a copy soon. I'm now online at home! YAY!

Had Phrak's Dutch Knight the other night. Sorry Tim, but somehow it tasted better at your place... Maybe I had it chilled too much, and missed some of the flavour, but overall it was quite alright.
Pete


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## Barramundi (29/9/06)

definately didnt relate to the taste ... just the bubblyness .... 
dont worry i like bubbles in beer


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## Barramundi (30/9/06)

Boozy , sorry i missed you last night for some stupid reason my phone was on silent and i didnt here it ringing obviously , ill be in Ingleburn later on tonight if thats any help to you, wont be far from home most of the day but do have a few little things to do... oh and next time dont be shy try the door bell.. not too worry, 


Phrak , whats the ANDREWL update anyword ???


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## Phrak (30/9/06)

Barramundi said:


> Phrak , whats the ANDREWL update anyword ???


Nah Sorry mate, nothing from him yet. I've sent him a PM, and also a message via the Hills Brewers Guild, but I haven't heard back yet. Don't worry guys, I'm not going to drink your beer for him!  :lol: :chug: 



> Had Phrak's Dutch Knight the other night. Sorry Tim, but somehow it tasted better at your place... Maybe I had it chilled too much, and missed some of the flavour, but overall it was quite alright.


 Pete, Don't apologise mate! but yeah sorry I didn't say it earlier, for anyone else who hasn't drunk mine yet, leave it out of the fridge for a 1/2 hour or so before you drink it. Really brings out the flavour nicely I think.

Tim


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## Barramundi (30/9/06)

not that worried about you drinkin my beer mate in any case if ya do i know where ya live .... 
i also sent a PM via here , just hope with the almost total lack of contact that there hasnt been something go horribly wrong with him


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## Barramundi (30/9/06)

Well i just put down Petes HoInTheGaarden, i must say i was kind not lookin forward to it as im generally not a huge fan of a lot of the german style beers , they tend to be a little over bitter and a touch yeasty for me , but in this instance i was pleasantly surprised , yeah it was bittery but just a nice amount and the same deal on the yeastyness, all in all a good quality drop , good head hold , great colour , g/f sadly gave it the no vote but the newly appointed 3rd judge was all smiles when i dabbed his dummy into my glass he even backed up with a burp soon after , good job Pete...


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## petesbrew (2/10/06)

I saw AndrewL at the Hillsbrewers meet last tuesday. He said something came up that day, but didn't really say anything when I mentioned the beers were waiting for him.

Hopefully he pulls through with the beers


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## Barramundi (2/10/06)

we can only hope so pete ...


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## andrewl (2/10/06)

Hey guys,
Sorry about last week... As Pete mentioned, I got a call in the morning and had to go sort something out. I tried messaging Tim during the week but obviously he hasn't received it... I'll try again... If possible, I will go over tonight or tomorrow night??? The beers are sitting there waiting to be taken and I'm waiting to go pick the others up. Going by last swap, there should be some GREAT beer.
Once again, sorry guys!

Cheers,
Andrew


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## DrewCarey82 (3/10/06)

What did everyone think of mine?

Just got back from a week away visiting the olds, tried the Dutch Knight last night, very smooth taste I have to say extremely rich and vaguely portish.... Lovely brew though, but its one that you'd maybe have 1 or 2 of before moving onto something a bit lighter and refreshing.

Really liked it though.... And that label is tops!


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## petesbrew (3/10/06)

No worries Andrew, we're all looking forward to it. What's on offer mate?

Barra, here's the label. I'm having some probs with programs, so rename the extension to .pub for it to work in publisher. 

View attachment Copy_of_Summerwheat.doc


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## Barramundi (3/10/06)

havent had yours yet drew


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## Barramundi (3/10/06)

All good andrewL , hope you managed to sort out your issues , look forward to trying ya beer as most of the rest are gone already....


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## andrewl (3/10/06)

Yeah, sorry again about the delay guys...
Its the ginger beer I brought to the meeting last week Pete, as the amber ale I was hoping to bring hasn't carbonated :angry: 
Just waiting for Tim to get back to me and then I'll be over to his place in a flash!

Cheers,
Andrew


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## Barramundi (3/10/06)

ANY OF YOU GUYS UP FOR ANOTHER SMALLISH SWAP ????


http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...mp;#entry157707


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## Phrak (3/10/06)

ok, AndrewL dropped by tonight with his swap :beer: 

Drew or Barra, are you going to be free on Thursday arvo? I'll be heading into Mascot for some work so can meet up around the area if one of you are free.

Pete, do you want to meet up this weekend (or earlier) for yours?

Gulpa, where do live mate?

Boozy, have you picked up your stash from Barra yet?

Tim.


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## petesbrew (4/10/06)

Tim, I might be able to drop by tonight to pick it up, if that works for you.

Top stuff Andrew, I really liked that Ginger beer.

Did that label work?


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## Barramundi (4/10/06)

heya tim , i may have to go to toongabbie after work for a little while will be home at about 4.30pm if i do, i can get drewcareys beers to him to save you doin multiple drops and boozy hasnt got his beers from me yet so that will get him his six in one go which is good , and i have some special stuff for you to try too.... ill pm my number to you later .....

and yes pete label came through nicely will add it to the fridge door of fame after i attack it with the scissors later...


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## andrewl (4/10/06)

Hey Gents,
Boozy, your one was first cab off the ranks today. I'm not a huge wheat beer fan... But yours... Was something else! What a great beer! Not too much hop (i'm a bit of a hop head)... nice mouthfeel... And the head!!! What was the %? I've had one bottle but it feels like I've had 3!  The only bad thing I could probably say is that for my personal tastes I would've had a bit more carbonation... But thats me!
I bet you can't wait for the summer months for this one!

Cheers,
Andrew


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## andrewl (5/10/06)

Hey All,
Tried Gulpas' APA tonight... Bloody beautiful! Right on the mark with this one mate! Nice use of hops (beautiful floral nose!)... Nice carb, goes down great... Again a great summer slammer!


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## petesbrew (7/10/06)

Hi Tim, I had the czech pilsener last night. A bit low on carbonation, but it was damn nice! 
Went down well with the takaway thai, and this kit has definitely made it onto the Brews To Do list.

Got DC82's Choc Porter in the fridge ready to try next.


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## Barramundi (7/10/06)

ill be hookin into dc82's chocoporter this arvo too , side by side reviews, mind you my taste buds are all snotted up so anything is possible ...


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## DrewCarey82 (11/10/06)

Gulpa's APA, certainly fit into the category could taste hops very nicely with probably a tad too much bitterness for my liking but was a delicous drop and I could certainly sit down to more than one.

Barramundi's Amber Ale - Had tried this very shortly after bottling and it had a tart flavour but after a few weeks had mellowed out and is now a nice smooth Amber Ale very rich in taste quite good gear, with excellent carbonation and head.


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## Barramundi (11/10/06)

good to see the carb has picked up , if i recall it was a little flat when we first cracked it open a few weeks back....


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## petesbrew (12/10/06)

Had Drewcarey82's choc porter last night.
As usual I made the mistake of having it straight from the fridge, so lost a bit of the initial taste cos it was too cold, but as it warmed up the flavours came out.

Tasted more coffee than chocolate, but it was very nice and smooth. Made me feel nice and relaxed, Woke up this morning like i'd had 2 longnecks instead of one. Maybe I'm getting soft... what's the percentage, mate?


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## DrewCarey82 (12/10/06)

Believe it or not mate only 4.8%, my next one that I did I made to a slightly smaller volume and got 6.2%.


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## petesbrew (16/10/06)

Knocked back Gulpa's APA on saturday night. Poured fantastic, great carbonation, top head, and was a bloody nice drop. You've restored my faith in the remaining Cascade pellets I've got in the freezer!

:beer:


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## Boozy the clown (16/10/06)

Hi all, I'm back from the land of redirected websites and viruses - for how long who knows...

Barra i'll try and come over soon to pick up the beer, they sound pretty good.


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## Barramundi (16/10/06)

Boozy the clown said:


> Hi all, I'm back from the land of redirected websites and viruses - for how long who knows...
> 
> Barra i'll try and come over soon to pick up the beer, they sound pretty good.




not a problem boozy you know where to find them when your ready... still havent hooked up with phrak to get the last of the six may do that sometime later this week just to get it done with ....


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## Barramundi (16/10/06)

just workin my way though drew careys choc porter at the moment , not a bad brew , thickish texture , next head hold but i tend to agree with an earlier caller its a little light on the chocolate taste and more coffee like , not a bad thing still quite an enjoyable beer which does benefit from being a little less than icy cold to bring out the flavours a little more ..


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## Barramundi (20/10/06)

Boozy dropped past today to collect his beer rations from the swap , stand by for reviews.....


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## Phrak (20/10/06)

ahh shit I'm a lazy prick.  I've still got 1/2 of Andrew's ginger beer sitting here waiting for everyone!! Sorry Barra, I haven't been out to Mascot for a while - planning on heading out this coming Monday night if that helps at all?

Pete's picked his up, so Gulpa's the only other one left. Gulpa, where do you live mate?

Tim.


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## Barramundi (20/10/06)

not only you tim , i havent exactly been rushin your door down either , had a bit on lately , would have been nice to collect it b4 boozy picked up his lot but it was not to be, not to worry ...... 
monday is ok for me just give me a yell when your on your way there and ill collect the brew's for myself , drewcarey and im guessin boozy as your place is less on his way to and from work than mine is ... that way your hands are freed of it all too ...drew lives 5 mins awayfrom me so he is no drama at all ...


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## Boozy the clown (21/10/06)

Ho in the gaarden


I dont know how to describe the taste of this one, it tastes sweet briefly then it doesn't. I thought honey then I didn't. Then it tastes hoppy, then its gone. 

Nice beer, deep gold colour, tease of hop aroma. Reckon I could drink a few of these. :beer: 

Its a real tease, maybe you could call it 'The teasing Ho in the gaarden'


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## Boozy the clown (21/10/06)

Gulpa's APA.


Nice aroma, made me think of a blur between RedOak and James Squires pump house. (that night of the meet was a blur)

Anyway, nice amount of bitterness, not too much. Looks lowly carbed in the glass but feels just right to drink. Very clear, nice colour. 

Nice one allround.


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## Boozy the clown (22/10/06)

Dutch Knight.


Smells great, looks good. Very clear. Dunno who i'm trying to kid here, i'm no beer critic but I know what I like. I like this beer. Tasty.







Sorry pic is a bit blurry + your label got wet and ran so...)


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## Boozy the clown (22/10/06)

Val Alorn chocolate porter.

Good head, nice carb level. Deep brown colour. I don't have a lot of experience with this style of beer but this is pretty nice. Can't put my finger on the taste, something in the back of my mind says 'purple iceblocks', maybe I should ignore that 'thing' in the back of my mind. Read chocolate and thought chocolate too. Mrs and kiddies are away and the liver is getting a workout...

Mild bitterness. I'd drink another one if I had one.


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## Boozy the clown (23/10/06)

Father & Son & Son, Royal Oak Amber Ale.

Noice. Strong taste of FKW. Good. I've been on the scotch and coopers all night and this thing punches a hole in the space taste vortex. Morrison just sang out "we are stoned, immaculate", well no, 'we' are not, but this beer makes itself noted. 

Clear beer, carbonated well - not fizzy, not flat. Brunette. Bitter without screwing my face up, or wanting to put the the thing down - I know where you live, more? This Farker is bitter, but not offensively so. Maybe a rare beer drinker wouldn't like it but I do. Just as well you don't give it to non-beer drinkers.

Is it dark blonde or light brown, or even dark brown?. It makes me burp.

Your label says "Malt, grain, hops and yeast"

Yes, der, is this a secret recipe?. 

After drinking this one Coopers Sparkling and Pale just seem watery. Scotch is flat.

Your garage much have the temp secret. 

Make more...

All of the beers I have recieved from the swap are really bloody good. the only one that sucked to date was the one that got away... (I'm sure there must have been a very good reason)








It looks much darker in person (Must be some fiddling of light+ Phone camera, its a Brun!)


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## Barramundi (23/10/06)

theres more boozy but stocks are running low in bottle form but when they run out theres 3/4 a keg of it in the big red fridge...
no secret recipe just a partial mini mash concoction is all, glad ya liked it ...
will try and dig out the particulars on it and let ya know ...


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## petesbrew (24/10/06)

Boozy the clown said:


> Ho in the gaarden
> 
> 
> I dont know how to describe the taste of this one, it tastes sweet briefly then it doesn't. I thought honey then I didn't. Then it tastes hoppy, then its gone.
> ...



Lovely pic there, Boozy!
I'll be printing this one out.

Yeah, I agree with you, sweet and honey, but still bitter. I'll be doing this brew again for sure. Very nice for summer, and it's going too quickly.


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## petesbrew (24/10/06)

Knocked back Barra's Oak Amber Ale the other night.
This was a great one to savour. Really, I'm no good at describing what I can taste in beer (let alone what I tasted last saturday night), but it was nice and bitter, woody like, and had a great colour.
Went very nicely matched with a burger with the lot.

Down to Boozey's and Andrew's now. Beer glorious beer.


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## Gulpa (25/10/06)

Thanks for all the feedback guys. Nice photos boozy.

Ive polished off the rest of the swap beers (Drew, Phrak and Petes). Agree with the comments here. Excellent beers all in all. I cant wait until next winter to experiment with some more dark beers. I am really enjoying these. I will probably put down a wheat beer as my last beer for the season (before it gets too hot). Ive never done one of these and I really enjoyed both of these.

Im begining to think that I should have left Barras till last based on everyone elses comments. Its possible that mine was underconditioned with the bitterness covered by a bit of sweetness. You should probably send me another bottle, just to be sure.  Or maybe I just like em bitter.

Looking forward for the next swap.

Cheers,
Andrew.


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## DrewCarey82 (25/10/06)

Damn shame that I used that Porter as the swap beer as did the same recipe with a whitelabs WLP005 rather then a US56 and it really brings out the malts in it, my latest one(despite being a gusher lol) is easily the most tasty dark I've ever done.


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## Barramundi (25/10/06)

it is possible that it was underdone gulpa , i had a lot on prior to the swap and didnt get it brewed as soon as i would have liked to, would offer you another bottle but im not sure there is another one left , theres a bit in keg form thats about all... will brew it again sometime thats for sure ....


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## petesbrew (29/10/06)

Had Boozy's wheat the other night. Had nice carbonation, and a huge head but that was probably my bad pouring skills. Still I managed to make this last 3 schooners. Nice and refreshing, slight bitter hops taste, and looked fantastic!

Also had Andrews Ginger Beer last night. Very dangerous - it was too good. Had it with Thai takeaway, but would've been perfect right after mowing the lawn! I've only had 3 ginger beers so far, and this has been the best.

Oh, I got my NSW Championship tasting notes for that Nelson Sauvin-hopped APA I brought to the swap. 3 Scores ranged from 24/50 to 28/50. Not to style, they said. Oh well, the Participation certificate I received will be framed and mounted in the garage/brauhaus!!!


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## Phrak (29/10/06)

Pete, congrats on your placing! :beerbang: Apart from the "out of style" comments, how well did it do otherwise??


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## petesbrew (30/10/06)

Phrak said:


> Pete, congrats on your placing! :beerbang: Apart from the "out of style" comments, how well did it do otherwise??



I'll bring the notes in the car tomorrow for the Paddy's function, but the 3 judges all gave it 3/3 for appearance. Mainly said it tasted good.


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## Barramundi (30/10/06)

Great stuff Pete !!!!


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## andrewl (31/10/06)

Thanks Pete... Don't know if it deserves that much of a wrap (it's only the first one I've done!) And personally I believe it's a BIT too "gingery".

Finished off the last of the beers now, what can I say? They were all great beers! Pete, I want that recipe for "Ho in the Garden". It'd be a great summer beer.

Tims' Dutch Knight: Beautiful mate... Definately tasted some sorted of "smoky" flavour in there... Perfect carbonation as well... Loved every drop!

Barras' Royal Oak Amber Ale: Once again another good beer! Personally I tasted some kind of "tinny" flavour... Correct me if I'm wrong. But it also didn't last too long either.

DC82s' Choc Porter: Definately chocolate! Good carbonation, colour and flavour! Can't really critcise this one either.

Sorry about such poor feedback guys but they were all too good! Can't wait for the next one (if there is one) and I most likely will be able to turn up on time instead of stuffing you blokes around <_< 

Cheers,
Andrew


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## Boozy the clown (31/10/06)

Yo andrewl, do you know where that bottle of yours is that was destined for me? Cant write it up if I haven't tried it :blink:


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## andrewl (1/11/06)

Boozy, I dropped around to Tims a while ago and dropped off mine. It was a ginger beer.


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## Barramundi (1/11/06)

boozy i was planning to pick up the 3 bottles that tim has been holding for myself , you and drew carey sometime soon , perhaps on the weekend sometime to get it over with does that suit you or would you rather go pick yours up from tims at baulkham hills ???


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## Phrak (1/11/06)

Yep, I have Andrew's Ginger Beer here for anyone who wants to pick it up. Call me anytime  My number was in the PM I sent with my address. Let me know if anyone needs it again.

Tim.


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## petesbrew (4/11/06)

andrewl said:


> Thanks Pete... Don't know if it deserves that much of a wrap (it's only the first one I've done!) And personally I believe it's a BIT too "gingery".
> 
> Finished off the last of the beers now, what can I say? They were all great beers! Pete, I want that recipe for "Ho in the Garden". It'd be a great summer beer.
> 
> ...



Hey Andrew,
The Ho was just the Country Brewer's Summer Wheat Wetpak. It's definitely one I'll be doing again, as well as their other wetpacks. Nice and easy, with everything supplied.


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## Barramundi (5/11/06)

excuse my ignorance gents but what exactly is in one of these wetpacks ??


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## andrewl (5/11/06)

Barra, in the wetpacks you get the wort, grain, yeast, hops and any other additives i.e. the summer wheat one comes with orange peel coriander. Comes with everything to do a batch... Not too bad either considering its still under $30


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## petesbrew (7/11/06)

andrewl said:


> Barra, in the wetpacks you get the wort, grain, yeast, hops and any other additives i.e. the summer wheat one comes with orange peel coriander. Comes with everything to do a batch... Not too bad either considering its still under $30



Yeah the coriander was mixed in with the wort. I rang up the shop after getting home thinking I was missing a coriander bag.

All beers gone, (except for a bonus bottle from Phrak) and now looking forward to the next swap!
I've got a Lager on the brew, a smoked belgian ale, and that overhopped NS Pale Ale ready if anyone's keen for a 6 or 12 Christmas Swap.


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## Gulpa (7/11/06)

petesbrew said:


> andrewl said:
> 
> 
> > Barra, in the wetpacks you get the wort, grain, yeast, hops and any other additives i.e. the summer wheat one comes with orange peel coriander. Comes with everything to do a batch... Not too bad either considering its still under $30
> ...



Hi Pete,

Ned (Barramundi) has another small swap going over here. Not sure if it is too late.

Dont know who told you the NS Pale is overhopped. I thought it was nicely done. 

I brewed one after tasting yours (6g NS, 6g Cascade, 6g Fuggles) for flavour and again for aroma. Lucky I couldnt affort a bigger bag or I think I would have killed my beer. I should have read up a bit for on using the NS for flavour. Fantasic aroma but flavour is pretty full on after 2.5 weeks in the bottle, very piney or resiny. Im hoping it will calm down a bit. If you join the swap I will bring one for you to try. 

Cheers,
Andrew.


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## petesbrew (7/11/06)

Thanks Andrew,

I put my hand up, and now we'll see what happens.
I may also have a dark ale too, if I can get it brewed in time. 

Will look forward to trying your NSPA if I join the swap.
Pete


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