# SE QLD Xmas-in-July 2015 (Tasting Thread)



## Parks (5/7/15)

1

*(01/09)* Winkle - Biere de Noel Ale 8.5% (dark/sour) ready to drink 1 Sep 2015 (probably)
*(READY)* Ciderman - Red Rye IPA 6.5% 66IBU - Should be ready to drink by swap date.
HBHB - Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout 10.5% - going light this time
*(05/08)* madpierre06 - Coffee Imperial Stout 4 is cold steeped coffee addition, 4 as is means straight bean addition, 18 hour soak. Bottled 2/7, give minimum month to drink. *Bottle with an underlined 4 *, then you have *cold steeped addition prior to bottling, no underline means yours is whole bean for 18 hours prior to bottling.*
*(READY)* liam_snorkel - robust porter
*(READY)* Parks - Coffee Stout - DRINK IT YESTERDAY
*(01/08)* luggy- Irish Ale, 6.2%, Be at its best from early august.
*(READY) *hwall95 - Mocha Stout, 7%, Should be ready
*(11/07)* Meno - Kiwi Bright Ale Give it one week
*(READY) *Seehuusen - American Wheat IPA
*(18/07)* Angus - raisin porter
*(18/07) *Natdene - Black IPA 6.2%, bottled 29/06 so give it a few weeks
*(18/07) *Lukiferj - Dark Rye Saison - bottled 27 June so will need a few weeks at least
*(02/08) *rokaxe - IRA 6.8%, 97 IBU (ready to drink Aug 2nd, soz)
*(25/07) *Ballantyne - Yee Ipa 6.9% - bottled 1/7/15 - needs at least 3 weeks
*(11/07) *Benken25 - rice lager with lemongrass and black pepper
*(READY) *Brewkid - (IPA - LATE SCRATCHING) OATMEAL STOUT 4.7% now replacing it, ready to drink now.
*(??/??)* Beersuit - Gladfields Belgian blonde.
*(26/12)* Fattox - imperial dark lager
*(08/07)* Adr_0 - English IPA
*(READY) *Radshoes - Vanilla Mocha Porter *RED 21 IS PORTER GREEN 21 IS AN APA *Both ready for consumption now.
*(??/??)* Aydos - Dark rye IPA
*(READY) *Earle - Hoppy Hefe DRINK NOW
*(READY) *Screamadelica - (18 of them are belgian IPA, 6 are choc-raspberry saison) DRINK NOW
Just Beersuit and Aydos without RTD dates. I made up a number where the date was fuzzy :chug:


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## Radshoes (5/7/15)

Why didn't I bring your coffee stout to work this morning. I could do with a coffee right now - and a beer would also be nice!


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## earle (5/7/15)

Parks said:


> If you give me a "ready to drink" date I will edit the first post instead of everyone copy/pasting the whole list over and over.


23. Earle - Hoppy Hefe - Been in a fermenting fridge at about 20C since I bottled it 2 or 3 weeks ago. Bottles feel hard so should be carbed for drinking now. Will be best drunk young


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## Screamadelica (5/7/15)

Mine are good to drink straight away. And if you got a choc-raspberry saison drink it now cos the counter pressure filler went nuts for them and foamed a bit so they might be slightly under carbed sorry


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## menoetes (5/7/15)

*9. Meno - Kiwi Bright Ale* ...technically ready to drink now but another week in the bottle would do it some good methinks.


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## benken25 (5/7/15)

Parks said:


> 1. Winkle - Biere de Noel Ale 8.5% (dark/sour) ready to *drink 1 Sep 2015* (probably)
> 2. Ciderman - Red Rye IPA 6.5% 66IBU - Should be *ready to drink by swap date*.
> 3. HBHB - Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout 10.5% - going light this time
> 4. madpierre06 - Coffee Imperial Stout 4 is cold steeped coffee addition, 4 as is means straight bean addition, 18 hour soak. Bottled 2/7, *give minimum month to drink*. *Bottle with an underlined 4 *, then you have *cold steeped addition prior to bottling, no underline means yours is whole bean for 18 hours prior to bottling.*
> ...


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## Parks (5/7/15)

21. radshoes APA

Nice malt character. Good, smooth bitterness. Great stonefruit and citrus hop aroma and flavour.

Very refreshing recovery beer!


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## angus_grant (5/7/15)

11. Angus - robust raisin porter
Carb'd now needs a few weeks for the flavours to develop properly. 
I'd say end July.


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## Adr_0 (5/7/15)

Made it home safely, thanks to Martin! Perry and Anna, many thanks for being such generous and gracious hosts! awesome to meet everybody. hope nobody ended up pregnant (again...)

20 - mayne give it a couple of days just to settle. there are some (hop) chunks that you dont want to get in the glass, or maybe decant into pitcher? clear and carbed enough though.


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## seehuusen (5/7/15)

10. Seehuusen - American Wheat IPA - Get that beer in the fridge in a day or two and then get it flowing over your taste buds  (e.g. as with any wheat beer, _drink it soonish_)


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## fattox (5/7/15)

19 - Fattox - Imperial Dark Lager - bottle carbing, only bottled Thursday and it finished at 9% so probably wait until after Christmas time. Time will only do it favours.

Also the yeast used is the Yeast Bay Franconian Dark Lager, if anyone wants to culture that one up its a good solid strain with a reasonable attenuation and flavour profile suiting darker lagers.


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## hwall95 (5/7/15)

8 - Mocha Stout. Mine may need a bit longer. Opened a bottle tonight and it wasn't carb very much unlike the previous bottle I tried. You might need to turn it over to get the yeast suspended again and let it sit somewhere warm. It's still nice uncarbed for anyone's that likes flat/real low carbed stouts


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## Liam_snorkel (5/7/15)

Mine is ready to go


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## Adr_0 (6/7/15)

20 - go 7/8th July and decant rather than putting chunks in glass. Should have secondaried.


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## Parks (6/7/15)

Updated first post with more dates.


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## seehuusen (6/7/15)

*06 Parks - Coffee Stout*

I had this one yesterday, great beer mate 

Roasted malt on the nose and for obvious reasons very little in terms of hops aroma. 
Flavour was almost Ice-Coffee, with a hint of bitterness to combat the sweetness. Very well balanced.
My only critique, the lack of carbonation/ head, I would personally have liked a little more.

Can I ask, how did you achieve that beautiful level of coffee flavour?

Cheers,
Martin


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## Radshoes (6/7/15)

10. Seehuusen - American Wheat IPA

Drinking this now - quite slowly. Still a 1mm head even though I cracked it 20 minutes ago and have nearly finished the glass.
Now that I think about it I should have put it in a wheat beer glass - I was just lamenting the fact that I didn't have an american wheat beer glass to drink it out of..
Quite a mellow beer - not much in the way of flavour or aroma for some one with dulled senses like myself.
As it has warmed up I have gotten a little bit of sweetness out of it. Wondering what the alcohol percentage would be?
Quite enjoyable would drink a couple more if I had the chance.


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## benken25 (6/7/15)

23. Earles hoppy hefe. love this beer mate. Great aroma of citrus and mango. Nice and Smooth. Very drinkable


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## seehuusen (6/7/15)

Cheers Radshoes, around the 5.5℅ mark


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## Parks (6/7/15)

seehuusen said:


> *06 Parks - Coffee Stout*
> 
> I had this one yesterday, great beer mate
> 
> ...


Glad you enjoyed it. I think the carb suffered with the extra head space I left to ensure I got 24 bottles :unsure:

The coffee I cold steeped 100gm of Aromas Chicago Dark, coarsely ground in 600ML of cold water for 24 hours. I simply did it in a coffee plunger so after that time I plunged it straight into my beer near the end of fermentation to hopefully allow the remaining active yeast to soak up any introduced oxygen.

Works pretty well :drinks:


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## Adr_0 (6/7/15)

With the 20's, they are fine now. It's up to you whether you want it clear or with yeast (1275), but just make sure no chunks (of hops) get in if you do see the odd chunk.

5 - Liam's porter:

Before I go into this, I owe you a joke.

_Luggy walks into the Wickham with a little cart behind him with a can of white paint, some reflectors, some gravel and a heap of steaming tar. He gets a few looks as you'd expect, but the barman shrugs it off and asks him what he'll have. So he says to him (he says) "I'll grab a Stella thanks mate... and one for the road."_

The beer:
Perfect colour, great highlights. The carbonation is perfect but head fades pretty quickly. Smells of chocolate and a touch of smoke.




Great mouthfeel, taste is again of dark chocolate with a touch of sourness and some smoke. Great taste. Finish is good with some tea/fruit in there and a very slight ashy bitterness in the finish along with the main roasty finish... also some very subtle smoke. Very smooth and drinkable, nice job.


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## hwall95 (6/7/15)

23 - Earles Hoppy Hefe

Really nice mate, great mango and fruity flavor going on there. Great drinkability, well done mate.


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## Aydos (6/7/15)

*(01/09)* Winkle - Biere de Noel Ale 8.5% (dark/sour) ready to drink 1 Sep 2015 (probably)
*(READY)* Ciderman - Red Rye IPA 6.5% 66IBU - Should be ready to drink by swap date.
HBHB - Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout 10.5% - going light this time
*(05/08)* madpierre06 - Coffee Imperial Stout 4 is cold steeped coffee addition, 4 as is means straight bean addition, 18 hour soak. Bottled 2/7, give minimum month to drink. *Bottle with an underlined 4 *, then you have *cold steeped addition prior to bottling, no underline means yours is whole bean for 18 hours prior to bottling.*
*(READY)* liam_snorkel - robust porter
*(READY)* Parks - Coffee Stout - DRINK IT YESTERDAY
*(01/08)* luggy- Irish Ale, 6.2%, Be at its best from early august.
*(READY) *hwall95 - Mocha Stout, 7%, Should be ready
*(11/07)* Meno - Kiwi Bright Ale Give it one week
*(READY) *Seehuusen - American Wheat IPA
*(18/07)* Angus - raisin porter
*(18/07) *Natdene - Black IPA 6.2%, bottled 29/06 so give it a few weeks
*(18/07) *Lukiferj - Dark Rye Saison - bottled 27 June so will need a few weeks at least
*(02/08) *rokaxe - IRA 6.8%, 97 IBU (ready to drink Aug 2nd, soz)
*(25/07) *Ballantyne - Yee Ipa 6.9% - bottled 1/7/15 - needs at least 3 weeks
*(11/07) *Benken25 - rice lager with lemongrass and black pepper
*(READY) *Brewkid - (IPA - LATE SCRATCHING) OATMEAL STOUT 4.7% now replacing it, ready to drink now.
*(??/??)* Beersuit - Gladfields Belgian blonde.
*(26/12)* Fattox - imperial dark lager
*(08/07)* Adr_0 - English IPA
*(READY) *Radshoes - Vanilla Mocha Porter *RED 21 IS PORTER GREEN 21 IS AN APA *Both ready for consumption now.
*(20/7)* Aydos - Dark rye IPA 6.7% - *BOTTLED ON THE MORNING OF THE SWAP SO GIVE IT TWO WEEKS AT LEAST BUT I THINK IT COULD DO WITH ANOTHER FEW WEEKS FOR THE FLAVOURS TO BLEND TOGETHER PROPERLY. THERE IS A BIT GOING ON IN THE BEER.*
*(READY) *Earle - Hoppy Hefe DRINK NOW
*(READY) *Screamadelica - (18 of them are belgian IPA, 6 are choc-raspberry saison) DRINK NOW


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## Liam_snorkel (6/7/15)

Thanks mate. Bit sad about the head retention, the remainder of the keg that I polished off on Sunday did the same thing.


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## Adr_0 (7/7/15)

Liam_snorkel said:


> Thanks mate. Bit sad about the head retention, the remainder of the keg that I polished off on Sunday did the same thing.


It's a bit hard when you don't have a lot of carbonation or hops to support the head. 

Didn't have a stressful start to fermentation by chance did you? I assume even though you don't chill that you do have a good strong, long boil? 

Lastly, it might be worth going into the tap of your cube, and into the bottom of the bottling fermenter, and likewise nice and gently into the bottom of the keg. Treating gently and not sloshing around.


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## Liam_snorkel (7/7/15)

First time I've had retention this poor, quick force carbonation and CPBF on the morning of the swap wouldn't have helped. 
Fermentation was strong, 1 litre starter of 1469 kicked off quickly. 
There's a chance I didn't 100% rinse cleaning solution from the kettle or cube, I guess :-/


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## seehuusen (7/7/15)

5 - Liam's porter

I think Adr_0 has hit the nail on the head with that review.
I had mine yesterday, and looking at the style guidelines, it really does fall into that Brown Porter category extremely well.
Nice nutty/ biscuit flavours, clear beer with a low-ish carbonation. I really enjoyed it mate


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## Liam_snorkel (7/7/15)

OG/FG wise (1.061/1.018) it's up in robust porter or even stout territory, but flavour wise I was going for brown. Simpson's brown malt is the hero really. can't get enough of that stuff. :icon_drool2:


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## Parks (7/7/15)

24. (READY) Screamadelica - (18 of them are belgian IPA, 6 are choc-raspberry saison) DRINK NOW

I'm not sure if this is a Belgian IPA or not. What I am sure of is it's delicious! I haven't cared for the 2 commercial white/Belgian IPAs I've tried.

Your worry about carbonation was off - 


My only thought is personally I'd like it with a little less body, but not much.

Great beer!


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## Parks (7/7/15)

Liam_snorkel said:


> OG/FG wise (1.061/1.018) it's up in robust porter or even stout territory, but flavour wise I was going for brown. Simpson's brown malt is the hero really. can't get enough of that stuff. :icon_drool2:


Ah, the ever elusive and contradictory beast that is the robust porter. "Must not have roast barley" yet always "not roasty enough".

I really need to track down some good commercial examples...


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## Liam_snorkel (7/7/15)

Parks said:


> Ah, the ever elusive and contradictory beast that is the robust porter. "Must not have roast barley" yet always "not roasty enough".
> 
> I really need to track down some good commercial examples...


guidelines be damned. they've both been iced from the 2015 guidelines anyway.. we now have English Porter, Baltic Porter, American Porter, and Pre-Prohibition Porter (American).. pffffffffffffffffffft


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## lukiferj (7/7/15)

Would agree with all of the comments so far on Liam's porter. Absolutely delicious flavours but just down on carbonation. Was going to force carb it but it's still incredibly drinkable so can't be bothered.


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## angus_grant (7/7/15)

I might force carb my bottle of liams to see what it brings to the party.


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## Natdene (7/7/15)

(01/09) Winkle - Biere de Noel Ale 8.5% (dark/sour) ready to drink 1 Sep 2015 (probably)
(READY) Ciderman - Red Rye IPA 6.5% 66IBU - Should be ready to drink by swap date.
HBHB - Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout 10.5% - going light this time
(05/08) madpierre06 - Coffee Imperial Stout 4 is cold steeped coffee addition, 4 as is means straight bean addition, 18 hour soak. Bottled 2/7, give minimum month to drink. Bottle with an underlined 4 , then you have cold steeped addition prior to bottling, no underline means yours is whole bean for 18 hours prior to bottling.
(READY) liam_snorkel - robust porter
(READY) Parks - Coffee Stout - DRINK IT YESTERDAY
(01/08) luggy- Irish Ale, 6.2%, Be at its best from early august.
(READY) hwall95 - Mocha Stout, 7%, Should be ready
(11/07) Meno - Kiwi Bright Ale Give it one week
(READY) Seehuusen - American Wheat IPA
(18/07) Angus - raisin porter
(23/07) Natdene - Black IPA 6.2%, bottled 29/06 so give it a few weeks
(18/07) Lukiferj - Dark Rye Saison - bottled 27 June so will need a few weeks at least
(02/08) rokaxe - IRA 6.8%, 97 IBU (ready to drink Aug 2nd, soz)
(25/07) Ballantyne - Yee Ipa 6.9% - bottled 1/7/15 - needs at least 3 weeks
(11/07) Benken25 - rice lager with lemongrass and black pepper
(READY) Brewkid - (IPA - LATE SCRATCHING) OATMEAL STOUT 4.7% now replacing it, ready to drink now.
(??/??) Beersuit - Gladfields Belgian blonde.
(26/12) Fattox - imperial dark lager
(08/07) Adr_0 - English IPA
(READY) Radshoes - Vanilla Mocha Porter RED 21 IS PORTER GREEN 21 IS AN APA Both ready for consumption now.
(20/7) Aydos - Dark rye IPA 6.7% - BOTTLED ON THE MORNING OF THE SWAP SO GIVE IT TWO WEEKS AT LEAST BUT I THINK IT COULD DO WITH ANOTHER FEW WEEKS FOR THE FLAVOURS TO BLEND TOGETHER PROPERLY. THERE IS A BIT GOING ON IN THE BEER.
(READY) Earle - Hoppy Hefe DRINK NOW
(READY) Screamadelica - (18 of them are belgian IPA, 6 are choc-raspberry saison) DRINK NOW


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## Liam_snorkel (7/7/15)

23. Earle - Hoppy Hefe 
Big tropical fruit aroma, juicy on the way down, dry finish with light almost spicy bitterness. Frothy head that left a meringue in the bottom of my glass. Impressive stuff.


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## madpierre06 (7/7/15)

Liam's - what they all said, eminently drinkable.


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## Adr_0 (7/7/15)

I had a go at the 21 - Radshoes APA I think - it was just a green smudge and didn't seem to be any other numbers:


Colour is good, nice carbonation, great head retention and lacing.
Smells like pine, grapefruit, bit of mango and melon... bit of passionfruit... Cascade and Mosaic, maybe Simcoe in there? Tastes great, great APA. Not a massively long finish but really drinkable, full of flavour, enough malt there, really nicely balanced and no off flavours that I could detect.
Great beer, good example of an APA and very well made. Beautiful.


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## Liam_snorkel (7/7/15)

Sweet I think j got a green smudge too.


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## Radshoes (7/7/15)

yeah sorry couldn't find a sharpy and i think i used whiteboard markers


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## Liam_snorkel (7/7/15)

6. Parks - Coffee Stout

Smells like a big pot of coffee that's cooled to room temperature. Low carbonation, not too sweet. Probably the smoothest coffee stout I've had, sometimes I find them kind of furry on the tongue for lack of a better word. Not this one. Kick arse. I keep sniffing the glass.


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## seehuusen (7/7/15)

24 - chocolate raspberry Saison

I was one of the people that got the Saison, pretty happy that I did too 

It certainly presents dominant chocolate and raspberry flavours.
It was in my opinion not close to any Saison I'd had before and more reminiscent of a light bodied porter.
Fairly low on carbonation, which isn't really style correct for that beer and possibly a fair amount of yeast characters lost due to the fruit and chocolate.

Having said that, I really liked it a lot, even had to pry it out of my wife's hands haha 
(it also went well with the chocolate in the pic, which brought out a tiny amount of the Saison flavours I was looking for)


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## hwall95 (8/7/15)

2 - Rye IPA 

This was quite enjoyable although my bottle wasn't carbed very much. Sweet maltiness with a bit of ryeness. Hoppiness is citrus and resin for with a bitterness to follow. Nice beer mate, enjoyed it was while waiting for my uni results to be released


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## Ciderman (8/7/15)

Oh that looks worse than the first beer I made! I forgot to whirlfloc but it still looks good from the keg. That's a shame about the carbonation. Seems to be a common theme so far. I counter pressure filled from the keg and tested one which was fine. 

Maybe I'll just bottle ferment next time. At least it tasted good! Here's one I had last night.


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## menoetes (8/7/15)

20. Adr_0 - English IPA






Had it at midnight last night after knocking off the late shift at work. A really nice drop!

I thought I got a whiff of bubblegum when I cracked the bottle but upon pouring the aroma was spicy with a hint of floral tones; It poured nicely (no chunks or anything in mine sir) with a nice head that was pretty persistent. A beautiful flavour, a great balancing of rich malt and smooth bitterness. Not much in the way of flavour hops but that's completely in style with an English IPA, IMHO.

I enjoyed it, it was a good way to relax before going to bed. I've got no real criticisms, thanks for the drink Adr_0!


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## Adr_0 (8/7/15)

Thankyou sir for the kind feedback! Good to hear it was without chunk. I do hope people remember it's meant to be a nice, drinkable English IPA not a Northern Hemisphere Harvest. 6.4% ABV and (theoretically) 75IBU so hopefully everyone still finds it drinkable. 

Thanks again, glad you enjoyed.


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## Parks (8/7/15)

8. hwall95 - Mocha Stout, 7%, Should be ready

Excellent beer. I would like more roast but I think that would take away from the extremely smooth chocolate/roast that is there now. Fantastically smooth for a 7% beer.

I do think it needs a touch more bitterness or roast to balance but the more I drink the more I don't care!

F me I wish I had your brewing skill at your age (or even knew beer was made from grain :blink: )


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## Adr_0 (8/7/15)

Parks said:


> 8. hwall95 - Mocha Stout, 7%, Should be ready
> 
> Excellent beer. I would like more roast but I think that would take away from the extremely smooth chocolate/roast that is there now. Fantastically smooth for a 7% beer.
> 
> ...


Beer is made from grain??!?

And I have to say, that mild on Saturday night was outstanding. Great job. I might just try one of these so-called *finger quote* "8's" - made from grain you say?


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## Adr_0 (8/7/15)

Ah we made pizza so I went with Ciderman's RyePA instead:

2 - Rye IPA



I gave it a bit of air with the pour, and looked like a nice waterfall of CO2 with nitrogen. Good persistent head. Very opaque, which was a touch off-putting at first but once tasted it was a whole different ballgame.

Smell is actually balanced pretty well between malt (rye and some sweet crystal) and hops - tropical fruit mostly, but the hops is surprisingly subdued. Fairly neutral bitterness.

Taste is great, nice rye flavour, good spiciness and bitterness. Some more tropical fruits, orange in the flavour. Good body. I think I picked up a touch of chlorophenol - do you dechlorinate your water? - but I could have been imagining it. The wife took most of the beer unfortunately. From her... "That's absolutely beautiful", "What's in that?" and "That's beautiful." so full marks from her.

Overall the look originally detracted a bit as it's quite opaque, but the flavours are nice. The bitterness was a touch subdued and there might have been some chlorophenol but probably my imagination. Awesome rye, sweet crystal and bitterness, really drinkable and interesting beer. Great job, I do wonder what it would look like with a bit more clarity.


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## Ciderman (8/7/15)

Thanks for the detailed review! Yeah the clarity is an issue. Looks better out of the keg but it's not great. I made a mild on the same day and it's exactly the same. Only beers that I didn't add whirlfloc to, so I'd say that's the reason. I had expected a nice red tinge if it had dropped clear. 

As for the water, I collect rain water off the kids cubby house into a small tank and carbon filter it. I've tested it before, but not regularly as its only 100L and I turn it over pretty quickly.


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## ballantynebrew (8/7/15)

23. Earle - Hoppy Hefe 

Fantastic aroma and a great balanced hoppy hefe. One of the most enjoyable hefe's I've had for a while.


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## Adr_0 (9/7/15)

Ciderman said:


> Thanks for the detailed review! Yeah the clarity is an issue. Looks better out of the keg but it's not great. I made a mild on the same day and it's exactly the same. Only beers that I didn't add whirlfloc to, so I'd say that's the reason. I had expected a nice red tinge if it had dropped clear.
> As for the water, I collect rain water off the kids cubby house into a small tank and carbon filter it. I've tested it before, but not regularly as its only 100L and I turn it over pretty quickly.


Just out of curiosity how clear was your wort? How long was your boil?


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## Ciderman (9/7/15)

Adr_0 said:


> Just out of curiosity how clear was your wort? How long was your boil?


Boiled for 70 mins and I can't really remember how clear the wort was. Possibly another factor was both beers I made that day had 15% Rye. Even with the rice hulls it didn't drain out of the mash tun perfectly and required some prodding which now that I think about it, probably seems more likely to create the problem than the non addition of whirlfloc. It's a strange one because all by beers are clear. Even my hefe turned out looking like a Kristalweizen.


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## Parks (9/7/15)

Smacked down a few last night for some unknown reason...

*23. Earle - Hoppy Hefe*
Possibly one of the tastiest Hefe's I've had. Huge tropical fruit aroma and flavour, I got a big passionfruit whiff atop the other fruits others noted.

Perfect high carbonation leaves a slight prickle on the tongue and a huge fluffy white head.

I hope you're getting this beer into QABC mate! (freshly brewed of course )

*10. Seehuusen - American Wheat IPA*
Was getting right into _happy_ territory when I popped this one. I didn't take much in the way of specific notes but remember thinking _"fark Martin, you've done alright here"._

:chug: :chug: :chug:


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## earle (9/7/15)

Parks said:


> Smacked down a few last night for some unknown reason...
> 
> *23. Earle - Hoppy Hefe*
> Possibly one of the tastiest Hefe's I've had. Huge tropical fruit aroma and flavour, I got a big passionfruit whiff atop the other fruits others noted.
> ...


Thanks to everyone for the good feedback on this one. Might make a fresh batch for Oktoberfest, bottle a couple for comps. What category do you think it might fit into. It's definitely not in the German wheats, maybe the American wheat?


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## HBHB (9/7/15)

earle said:


> Thanks to everyone for the good feedback on this one. Might make a fresh batch for Oktoberfest, bottle a couple for comps. What category do you think it might fit into. It's definitely not in the German wheats, maybe the American wheat?


The delicious American wheat category. Nicely done.


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## madpierre06 (9/7/15)

*21. Radshoes - Vanilla Mocha Porter * 

Really enjoyed the roasty vanilla and a lovely little coffee hit late. Very easy beer to drink.


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## Adr_0 (9/7/15)

earle said:


> Thanks to everyone for the good feedback on this one. Might make a fresh batch for Oktoberfest, bottle a couple for comps. What category do you think it might fit into. It's definitely not in the German wheats, maybe the American wheat?


Yes, I was going to say definitely American and not German - 23, Earle's wheat



Looks amazing, great thick chunky head that hangs around forever.

Smell there is no clove really or banana, but citrus, pineapple and melon and a slight dry bready wheat. Dominated by these citrus/tropical fruit flavours rather than the spicy, clovey banana German wheat aromas.

Taste is great, same citrus, pineapple and dry bready wheat with a very slight touch of vanilla but only a trace. Solid bitterness.

Awesome job, super tasty beer and very well made. Haven't really had any American wheats but this seems to be a great example.


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## Liam_snorkel (9/7/15)

Definitely US wheat, the whole time I was thinking this is similar to pacific ale with a higher proportion of wheat. More juicy less grassy though.

Gotta say, Adro, your palate is much more perceptive than mine!


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## Liam_snorkel (9/7/15)

17. Brewkid - OATMEAL STOUT 4.7% 

Aroma of chocolatey coffee, nice low carbonation, smooth, some sweetness towards the end. I could have a few of these in a row


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## hwall95 (9/7/15)

17 - Brewkid - Oatmeal Stout

This was a really nice and drinkable stout. At first I thought it was lacking in body but it made it really drinkable which went well with the choc and coffee flavours. Smooth and easy to drink, would be a dangerous beer to have on tap


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## menoetes (10/7/15)

I might as well jump on the *Earls Hoppy Hefe* train...

Another midnight finish and a day off tomorrow so I'm really relishing this beer.

It pours with a nice big paper-white head and has a full fruity aroma, if I had to guess then I might detect Mosiac here? It is a nice slightly cloudy deep straw colour and the taste is of fruit with hints of resin IMO. I don't have the best palate but it's a lovely smooth drop that doesn't sit on the tongue to long but leaves a lingering presence with its bitterness.

I really like it and would happily enjoy it anytime; summer, autumn, winter or spring but then I'm biased - I love wheat beers!


----------



## hwall95 (10/7/15)

Parks said:


> 8. hwall95 - Mocha Stout, 7%, Should be ready
> 
> Excellent beer. I would like more roast but I think that would take away from the extremely smooth chocolate/roast that is there now. Fantastically smooth for a 7% beer.
> 
> ...





Adr_0 said:


> Beer is made from grain??!?
> 
> And I have to say, that mild on Saturday night was outstanding. Great job. I might just try one of these so-called *finger quote* "8's" - made from grain you say?


Cheers Parks. Yeah I might have to up roasted barley to give it some extra bite to balance the sweetness from the lactose. 

Beer is made from grain? No, next you're going to tell me that yeast actually alive as well! 

Cheers Adr_0, sadly the kegs feeling awfully light so I better brew another batch. Probably one of the easiest and cheapest beers to brew.


----------



## angus_grant (10/7/15)

Parks coffee stout 

No hops aroma (which is a good thing) and very little coffee aroma (surprising). But first taste is a massive caffeine bit. Probably at my threshold for coffee flavours tbh. 

I'm finding as it warms up roast and coffee aroma getting stronger. And unless I'm getting used to the coffee the big coffee taste is fading a bit and dark malts are bringing some flavour. 

Carbonation was low and im in 2 minds about it. I love low carbonation with porters and stouts as I get more flavour. But with more carbonation the aromas would have been stronger. 

Nicely layered beer parks.


----------



## angus_grant (10/7/15)

hwall95 - Mocha Stout

not getting any aroma but that is due to deadly man-flu. :-|

Getting some nice coffee choc notes and a nice lingering dark malt coffee after tastes. Coffee levels are a bit more in line with my taste thresholds. 

Another good beer. How good are swaps!!


----------



## Parks (10/7/15)

OK guys, if you crack one of mine and it doesn't make a nice hiss and you happen to have a carbonator cap give it a little squirt. I filled mine from the keg after filtering so you won't have any sediment to shake up.

The bottle I gave myself was plenty carb'd h34r:


----------



## angus_grant (10/7/15)

I quite enjoyed the low carb so it wasn't meant to be a negative. 
If I had another bottle then I would pour half, and then carb the remainder in the bottle. Compare. 
Best of both worlds.


----------



## angus_grant (10/7/15)

Liams brown porter. 

I have nothing unique to add to the previous reviews. Great choc tastes and low smooth carbonation. 
Great beer Liam. Let this beer warm up. 
Have put half bottle on carb cap to compare.


----------



## rokaxe (11/7/15)

#2

Getting a caramel sweetness. Not overly bitter/hoppy and I think the caramel overrides the spice from the rye. Under carbed currently.

Pretty nice otherwise tbh. Cheers -)))


----------



## seehuusen (11/7/15)

Came home from shopping some bits and pieces for the little fella and thought, ahhh I deserve a beer  _as you do..._

20. Adr_0 - English IPA

Poured this one up vigorously to release as much flavour as possible.
With that, I got earthy spices and orange on the nose. The beer has a beautiful flawless appearance, good head retention, is clear and nearly light copper coloured.
Upon tasting it, I get a great balance of hop bitterness with a nice aftertaste. There's a slight lingering of bitterness which bounces off the bready, perhaps slightly biscuit malt profile.
Perfect carbonation, which enhances that clean crisp mouth feel.

While tasting and writing down some notes, I hadn't initially read what was in the bottle... I though man, this is a great example of an English IPA... What'd'ya know 

Really well done mate, I can't fault it, and I'm sure, in a comp it'd do extremely well!
(with my minimal experience, I'd have scored this a solid BJCP 45-46 points!)

Cheers,
Martin


----------



## winkle (11/7/15)

We had No. 20 last night.
Presents well with an earthy light fruity nose, good lasting head with lacing. Medium mouthfeel, nice malt profile.
Pretty well spot on for style, I'd like to have a growler (or keg!) of this


----------



## rokaxe (11/7/15)

#5

Yeah that's pretty good. Beautiful red highlights, gorgeous roasty nose. Nice subtle choc in me gob and that roast certainly is contained and not over the top.

I rate it but I also probs rate ya mum, so ya know.


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## rokaxe (11/7/15)

#6

Ok m8 righto m8. Coffee out the clacker imo. Not overpowering at all and serves the beer well. Low carbonation which works to this beer's advantage.

Got a half munger. It's pretty gr8.


----------



## lukiferj (11/7/15)

This beer was a cracker. I was a bit confused at first because I was looking for any hefe characteristics. Slight wheat flavour but mostly just tropical fruit punch cordial out the wazoo. This was super fruity and drinkable. Nice one Earle.


----------



## lukiferj (11/7/15)

Mine was perfectly carbed. Super smooth and chocolatey. Man I love brown malt.


----------



## earle (11/7/15)

20 . Adr_0 - English IPA

I nearly think that I got a beautiful bready malty backbone come through first. Great carbonation and a solid bitterness with earthy aromatic hops.

Very nice beer.


----------



## Adr_0 (11/7/15)

Thanks gents, glad you liked 

By the way, 6 - coffee stout, outstanding! Actually had on the 3rd of July, just forgot to post...


----------



## earle (11/7/15)

5. liam_snorkel - robust porter

Based on previous comments I gave this one a shot with a carb cap, about half what I would do for soda water. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before opening but ended up with a massive tan head. Great chocolate aroma and flavour. Moderate bitterness which I would say is to style. Very enjoyable.


----------



## angus_grant (11/7/15)

Had liams beer on carb cap for a day at normal serving pressure. Better head retention and lacing on glass. Aroma has picked up a little but the choc taste has lengthened. 
Goes great with some chocolate buds.


----------



## Adr_0 (11/7/15)

24 - Screamadelica's Belgian PA

Wow, awesome beer. The smell is great, with banana, cloves, slight woodiness and herbs

Flavour is this again and some aniseed seems to come through. Really awesome beer. Not sure about the Belgian IPA as a style but it seems to be a solid Belgian PA for me. Really well done, a really well made beer and nicely matched malts, hops and yeast.

On a side note, it reminded me a lot of Chimay Red, but swapping the caramunich out and the herbal aniseedy hops in. Did you use 1214 or something else?

Awesome beer, really impressed by this one, great job.


----------



## ballantynebrew (12/7/15)

Big ol' brown porter - liam_snorkel

"Delightful"

https://youtu.be/WXQCo9fLYWI


----------



## Parks (12/7/15)

Cardinal sin in our house is running out of "black beer", then I remembered I still had Liam's porter to share.

*5. liam_snorkel - robust porter*

Delicious toffee and roast character with a somewhat thin malt character (the malt really disappears quickly after each sip, not a bad thing).

I could only drink one of these, in between 6 more of them.

Excellent beer.


----------



## Ciderman (12/7/15)

I had quite a few beers last night so the memory is a little hazy. Sorry no pictures.

23. Earls Hoppy Hefe

I'm not a big fan of the style so it was good to have a different take on it. Great carbonation and as the name suggest plenty of hoppy characters offset the usually dominant yeast. I'm assuming it still used the 3638 yeast because it was kinda there in the background. Overall it was a nice opening beer for the evening.

9. Kiwi Bright Ale

Well made beer. Clear and head retention till last sip. Mildly hoppy and fairly neutral. Not a lot going on, but not in a bad way. Just something that I'd probably enjoy more in summer than the heart of winter. Stylistically I found it similar to a lager though I'd much rather drink this. Good job. 

20. English IPA

I remember drinking this and being super impressed. Everything about it was awesome but sadly I can't remember what I liked about it. It didn't last long and I was disappointed that the bottle was empty. I really wanted another one of these.

8. Mocha Stout

I was expecting bigger flavours due to the ABV. Honestly if it's really 7% you have done really well to hide it. It's silky and dangerously sessionable.


----------



## angus_grant (12/7/15)

#23 Earl's hoppy hefe

I think my review is going to be the same as everybody else. 

Big whiffs of banana on opening. 

An interesting mix between classic hefe aroma and for-taste and hoppy bitter after-taste. I wouldn't say either style dominates. 

Great beer and a nice wind down beer for the weekend. 

Edit: actually as the beer warms up, the hop characters start dominating and there's not much hefe going on. Still great beer.


----------



## madpierre06 (12/7/15)

Parks said:


> Cardinal sin in our house is running out of "black beer", then I remembered I still had Liam's porter to share.



Never been a massive black beer fan other than the cans of Guinness with the widget until getting into this again. Of this batch so far I've had Liam's and Parks' beers, both real easy to drink. A Cavalier Imperial Stout the other day and Ciderman's stunning RIS at the swap really confirmed for me a taste for the style, even Porters of which I've not been a fan. Gonna give Harry's Mocha Stout (unless there's some others best drunk sooner) a burl this arvo while cleaning my brew vessels, then tasting is gonna have a break to end of August as my dress belt is right on the limit of the notch I always swore I wouldn't go past again. Good timing to get back into it in early Sept. just in time for my birthday.


----------



## Natdene (12/7/15)

Beers so far

23 Earles Hop Hefe - I don't like wheat beers but this was great, I think the hops made up for my dislike of wheat beers, had a slight vinegar smell as it warmed up
6. Parks coffee stout - solid beer with a nice coffee undertone, mine had low carb but didn't take away from the experience, good work.
5. Liam's robust porter - this was a tasty porter, nice roasty flavours with a hint of liquorice, nice one Liam. 
21 (green) APA, Radshoes - fantastic job!, great tasting beer, malty, the right amount of hop flavour and aroma. This is the best beer I've had so far. My I ask - did you use the CraftBrewer us05 yeast?


----------



## Adr_0 (12/7/15)

Has anyone who's had the 20 poured the yeast in? If you typically brew ales with American yeasts and haven't had many English yeasts, give it a go.


----------



## earle (12/7/15)

Ciderman said:


> I had quite a few beers last night so the memory is a little hazy. Sorry no pictures.
> 
> 23. Earls Hoppy Hefe
> 
> I'm not a big fan of the style so it was good to have a different take on it. Great carbonation and as the name suggest plenty of hoppy characters offset the usually dominant yeast. I'm assuming it still used the 3638 yeast because it was kinda there in the background. Overall it was a nice opening beer for the evening.


Actually made on kolsch yeast. 3638 is totally out of style for an American wheat which is more about the hops. The name hefe is probably misleading but was based on the Mad Brewers Hoppy Hefe so the name stuck.


----------



## angus_grant (12/7/15)

#24 screamadellica's choc raspberry saison

Getting bags of choc and raspberry. Well named. 

Reminds me of a dark chocolate cherry ripe. 

Carbonation seems down a bit for a saison so I'm finding the saison yeast flavours a bit misplaced, (edit) misplaced is not the word. Maybe understated or not primary taste which I'm used too in the few saisons I've had. And they take a back seat to the raspberries.

An intriguing beer.


----------



## Screamadelica (13/7/15)

Parks said:


> 24. (READY) Screamadelica - (18 of them are belgian IPA, 6 are choc-raspberry saison) DRINK NOW
> 
> I'm not sure if this is a Belgian IPA or not. What I am sure of is it's delicious! I haven't cared for the 2 commercial white/Belgian IPAs I've tried.
> 
> ...


Thanks mate! Next time I'll give it a little more body - I mashed pretty low so next time I'm planning on bumping it up around ~68 see how it turns out.



seehuusen said:


> 24 - chocolate raspberry Saison
> 
> I was one of the people that got the Saison, pretty happy that I did too
> 
> ...


good to hear man - yeah sorry about the carbonation, the keg was slightly warmer then the other one so it was foaming up in the connection before it even got into the bottle, was crossing my fingers there was still some left but i guess there was less in there then i thought. Should have given them a hit of CO2 in the bottle before capping but oh well. It was sitting in a keg under my house for ~8 months so I guess thats why some of the yeast character is missing.



Adr_0 said:


> 24 - Screamadelica's Belgian PA
> 
> Wow, awesome beer. The smell is great, with banana, cloves, slight woodiness and herbs
> 
> ...


awesome! - I think it was the 1388 - Belgian Strong Ale but I'll double check beersmith tonight when I get home and let you know.




angus_grant said:


> #24 screamadellica's choc raspberry saison
> 
> Getting bags of choc and raspberry. Well named.
> 
> ...


yeah the super-raspberry flavour wasnt on purpose - was trying to give it a hint of raspberry but it was a little over the top haha, next time I wont just dump the whole 300g packet in the secondary


----------



## madpierre06 (13/7/15)

*8. Harry's Mocha Stout - *loved this one, very easy to drink with to me what seemed a nice mocha sweetness slipping through.

*23. Earle's Hoppy Hefe - *Loved this. A beautiful beer, fantastic fruity aroma and so, so drinkable.

That's me done 'til early Sept, there'll be a few more tasted then.


----------



## menoetes (14/7/15)

It's quart past midnight, I've just got home from work and it's 7'c outside - time for a cold beer methinks, as I'm a sensible lad.

*24 screamadellica's Belgian IPA *

I crack the beer and she has an earthy sweet smell that is accentuated as I raise her to my lips, inhaling through my nose as her deep amber body comes into contact with mine. My first taste of her is of rich malt with floral tones that soon turns to a spicy well-rounded bitter note. Her sweetness is drowned out by the lingering bitterness at first but in the end it is a balanced malty tang and memory of hoppy bitterness that lingers on my tongue with a soft warm alcohol afterglow. I smile and I think we understand each other... 

A nice beer sir, I don't think I've had a Belgian IPA before. It seems like one to end a night on rather than a session beer and I'm glad I had her. If I have any criticism it might be that she seemed under-carbed to me but that might just be a personal taste thing, I like <a> good head.  

No pic this time sorry, I tried but my hands were shaking a bit with the cold and I couldn't get a clear focus on my phone...


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## madpierre06 (14/7/15)

I'm thinking that I'd have rather not seen the photos to be honest Meno, I don't think this section is rated NSFW. And I'm betting that it's not 'cause of the cold your hands were shaking.


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## seehuusen (14/7/15)

madpierre06 said:


> That's me done 'til early Sept, there'll be a few more tasted then.


I hope you've had my wheat beer already Allan, coz it won't be as good by then  *cough cough have another drink*


----------



## madpierre06 (14/7/15)

seehuusen said:


> I hope you've had my wheat beer already Allan, coz it won't be as good by then  *cough cough have another drink*



PMSL Alright, you talked me into it mate. Would hate to see a fine beer go underappreciated. I've got some work to do in the shed today so that'll be my 'tidying' beer. :lol: Wondering now if there's any more that can't be allowed to age. BenKen's rice lager could easily go off too I'm guessin'. :drinks: And they reckon those Kiwi Bright Ales can go off real quick too.


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## menoetes (14/7/15)

Definitely get onto those Kiwi Bright Ales soon sir. I had one this past weekend & they are good for drinking now while the hops are still pretty fresh. I'm real happy with the way it turned out. It almost makes me wish that I hadn't swapped it all away (but then I wouldn't have all this other excellent beer). I'll have to brew another batch real soon...


----------



## HBHB (14/7/15)

Had a taste of my RIS entry last night. OK, I had 2 bottles and suddenly felt all warm and fuzzy.

It's good to go if you feel the need to relieve a winter chill, run out of chainsaw fuel or need a cure for the common cold. h34r:


----------



## madpierre06 (14/7/15)

menoetes said:


> Definitely get onto those Kiwi Bright Ales soon sir. I had one this past weekend & they are good for drinking now while the hops are still pretty fresh. I'm real happy with the way it turned out. It almost makes me wish that I hadn't swapped it all away (but then I wouldn't have all this other excellent beer). I'll have to brew another batch real soon...



That's why I do 23L batches B) Yeah mate, about to have yours now with a couple chiko rolls for lunch, then out to the shed with Martin's and Benken's beers. THEN the cut off begins.


----------



## Parks (14/7/15)

madpierre06 said:


> That's why I do 23L batches B) Yeah mate, about to have yours now with a couple chiko rolls for lunch, then out to the shed with Martin's and Benken's beers. THEN the cut off begins.


Or ditch the chiko roll, get stuck into HBHB's RIS and sleep through dinner - diet sorted!


----------



## seehuusen (14/7/15)

HBHB said:


> Had a taste of my RIS entry last night. OK, I had 2 bottles and suddenly felt all warm and fuzzy.
> 
> It's good to go if you feel the need to relieve a winter chill, run out of chainsaw fuel or need a cure for the common cold. h34r:


I had yours the other day too, beautiful oak/vanilla flavours backed by a strong malt back bone, I really enjoyed it a lot Martin! Top effort on that beer as usual 
In fact, I too had an extra, kindly donated by Martin, and my oh my, at 10pm I decided, while everyone else was sleeping, that it was a good time to go skateboarding LMAO Bigger hills somehow seemed more wobbly than ever before, or perhaps my trucks needs tightening up, not too sure LOL


----------



## madpierre06 (14/7/15)

*Menoetes - Kiwi Bright Ale *

A lovely drop Meno, very clear good sir. Really clean, not a massive head but held it all the way down with nice defined lacing. A very sessionable Qld summers day drop, and sets off the chiko rolls nicely.


----------



## HBHB (14/7/15)

madpierre06 said:


> That's why I do 23L batches B) Yeah mate, about to have yours now with a couple chiko rolls for lunch, then out to the shed with Martin's and Benken's beers. THEN the cut off begins.


Careful, that shit'll make you do strange things like ride skateboards and look for a second bottle.


----------



## seehuusen (14/7/15)

hahaha, yes 

Forgot the obligatory picture, look at that gorgeous foam! mmmm wish I had more of these Martin


----------



## Ciderman (14/7/15)

5. Robust Porter

Poured cola like in colour. I quickly snapped the picture before the head disappeared but mine was actually carbonated well. Really enjoyed this one. 

Quite an amusing label too.


----------



## fattox (14/7/15)

Two reviews 
1. Earle's Hoppy Hefe - great beer, very intriguing. At first I thought I got a trace of banana but it became apparent later on that it was mango. Very clean, balanced hop bitterness.

2. No. 2 Ciderman's Rye IPA - colour is gorgeous, a deep copper, almost brown. Very murky which is what I'd expect from a lot of rye. Malt flavour is great, rich rye flavour but unfortunately lacking in the hops. I would call this closer to an actual roggenbier. Not a bad effort though, because I like roggenbiers.


----------



## Parks (14/7/15)

Got a few reviews to catch up on.

*2. Ciderman - Red Rye IPA 6.5% 66IBU - Should be ready to drink by swap date.*

Similar to what fattox said but I will add a big mouth feel from the rye with a little spiciness too. 

I agree it needs *MOAR HOPS!!!!* but I will also note it was a very easy to drink beer.

Thanks Ciderman 

*16. Benken25 - rice lager with lemongrass and black pepper*

Beautifully clear amber colour. Very clean flavour with a great balance of the pepper and lemongrass. I questioned WTF was going on when I opened it before seeing who's beer it was!

You certainly have a great grasp on specialties with you pepper/lemon grass/lemon murtle/etc additions.

Great job mate :kooi:
*17. Brewkid - (IPA - LATE SCRATCHING) OATMEAL STOUT 4.7% now replacing it, ready to drink now.*

Lovely, easy to drink stout. Hits all the points. Nothing more can be said.



*20.  Adr_0 - English IPA*

I thought this was a great beer but I wanted a little more earthiness and a little more deep British malt character. That is likely my experiences with English beers so far so not necessarily a negative.

It was still a very nice beer and showed some lovely English yeast ester and certainly some great malt.


Guys, these swaps have become such a high level I don't know what's going on! I hope all you bastards consider getting at least one entry into the QABC this year because we need to win it back!


----------



## fattox (14/7/15)

10 - Seehuusen American Wheat IPA -
Citric American hop on the nose with a faint wheat backbone. Pours well, very well carbonated. Head hangs around for a while. Colour is beautiful, golden brown. Taste - not as hoppy as the smell, but it's got some hop presence. Light citrus, some malt backbone. Not bad overall but I'd have personally liked a hop slap in the face with this. Drinkable overall. I will let it warm up a little to see how it changes


----------



## Adr_0 (14/7/15)

Parks said:


> *20.  Adr_0 - English IPA*
> 
> I thought this was a great beer but I wanted a little more earthiness and a little more deep British malt character. That is likely my experiences with English beers so far so not necessarily a negative.
> 
> ...


Bugger! I had a case of newborn attention seeking/wife rage so didn't do a 71°C rest which I should have. You were never going to get super-earthy Fuggles though sorry mate. 

Popped open a 10 - seehuusen's 'merican Wheat



The carbonation was actually a touch low in this I think. The head laced really well, but wasn't big and fluffy enough. Totally ruined the beer... it took me a couple of minutes to finish and I was wondering where the second one was. 

My nose was a bit off but smell was pine, grapefruit and some citrus/spice. The wheat was very subdued, really just a dry grainy note. That's fine. Bit of crystal which is ok but comes through a tiny bit too much, IMO Munich would work a little better. Good bitterness, with a bit of pine there and resin in the aftertaste.

Super-nice beer, I think a touch more carbonation would have helped but great flavours and as I said to my wife, great to taste these different beers but it's a tragedy there isn't another one to back up. We'll have to do a double batch, double case-swap next year...


----------



## Parks (14/7/15)

Still a very much enjoyed beer Adr_0 so don't stress 

FYI I toilet trained my eldest by saying you can't come into the garage until you've sh*t on the toilet and he was out there 10min later!


----------



## seehuusen (14/7/15)

Thanks for the pointers guys, this is what I like when it comes to the swap beers, getting some feedback and trying some beer that you may never have had before 



Adr_0 said:


> great to taste these different beers but it's a tragedy there isn't another one to back up. We'll have to do a double batch, double case-swap next year...


You know, I was thinking the exact same thing the other day. I'd be keen


----------



## madpierre06 (14/7/15)

The thing for me is that apart from a couple of beers which I simply do not like the taste (bret, I'm looking at you) and even these were given quality thumbs ups by those who would know, there has not been a beer from the three swaps I've been to that I would be asking for a refund had I paid good coin for. I end up having four today (Meno's, Seehuusen's, Benken's and Ciderman's), every bloody one of 'em were top drops. 

I really have to thank you fellas for the opportunity to get into these things, been an absolute pleasure getting into the different beers out there. See yas in 6 weeks  If I've got any of my lager left after last weekend of August, it'll be put in along with a mass taste testing of the balance of the swap beers. Open house!!!


----------



## menoetes (15/7/15)

It's a bloody cold night again and time for a darker beer.

*5. Liam_Snorkel - Robust Porter *- chosen in part for the alluring Ainsley Harriott quote on the bottle.






I cracked the bottle and poured. I think mine is a bit lower on the carb level as the head didn't really form and it's quite still in the glass but I think the style is quite forgiving of this. The aroma is of earthy spice, chocolate and maybe even a hint of coffee. The first taste reinforces this backed by a strong dark malty presence that coats the tongue and remains there as the hop flavors dissipate.

It's a bit thinner in body then I expected but not by much and certainly not any worse off for that. I like the hint of sweetness at the end, it's just what I want in a porter. The label says it's 6.5% but you wouldn't know it because it drinks so easily. Even so I think this girl is going to be tucking me into bed soon h34r: 

Thanks for the drink sir, I thoroughly enjoyed it. 'Night all.

- Meno


----------



## Adr_0 (15/7/15)

Parks said:


> Still a very much enjoyed beer Adr_0 so don't stress
> 
> FYI I toilet trained my eldest by saying you can't come into the garage until you've sh*t on the toilet and he was out there 10min later!



That's awesome! 



seehuusen said:


> Thanks for the pointers guys, this is what I like when it comes to the swap beers, getting some feedback and trying some beer that you may never have had before
> 
> You know, I was thinking the exact same thing the other day. I'd be keen


We'll just get Parks to distribute again... Might need a physio appointment for his back though.


----------



## earle (15/7/15)

Parks said:


> *16. Benken25 - rice lager with lemongrass and black pepper*
> 
> Beautifully clear amber colour. Very clean flavour with a great balance of the pepper and lemongrass. I questioned WTF was going on when I opened it before seeing who's beer it was!
> 
> ...


Echo these comments. Beautiful clear, clean beer. You can taste the rice but its not in an awful American lager way. Subtle lemongrass and pepper. Good stuff.


----------



## earle (15/7/15)

10 - Seehuusen American Wheat IPA

Very nice beer. Moderate hop aroma. Good malt backbone with a touch of wheat. Solid bitterness. Very enjoyable.

IMHO not every IPA has to have a hit you in the face hop aroma. Balanced beers are an art and not every IPA needs to be over the top or a Heady Topper clone - bigger is not necessarily better. There are some brewers out there who feel the need to make everything as big possible or as complicated as they can - you've shown good restraint and skill here- well done.


----------



## menoetes (16/7/15)

*7 - Luggy- Irish Ale, 6.2%*






Cheers gents. The bottle opens with a satisfying hiss of escaping gas and a sniff fills my nose with delicate floral and spice notes - even a touch of herbal tones? The dark amber liquid pours smooth and clear into my glass forming a small head that quickly dissipates though the bubbles persist, I suspect this loss of head might be the fault of my glass though. My first sip fills my mouth with sweet mellow maltly flavours and a nice background bitterness. There is a hop presence but it is a background player but one that still makes itself heard, EKG at it's best IMO.

Reading the recipe on the label I am pleasantly surprised, only one hop addition at 60min. I was previously unsure if anyone could actually taste a 60min addition before this but you've just made a believer of me, Luggy. Only 1% of crystal and roast barley? That's is a surprise too but they are definitely there in the colour and taste. On top of that I can hardly believe it's a 6+% beer either, it is such an easy drinker and I might have been fooled into thinking I could session a few of these, not that I would cared after finishing the first. By then I'd probably be calling someone a 'pommy wanka' and trying to clobber them 

I'm going to have to give brewing my own Irish ales a shot I think... Thanks for the drink sir!

- Meno


----------



## earle (16/7/15)

_2. *(READY)* Ciderman - Red Rye IPA 6.5% 66IBU_

Appearance has been covered in depth, I find my beers which are heavy in rye are not the clearest. Carbonation was quite low so not a lot of head. I get lots of sweet, caramel maltiness. You can tell that there is a solid bitterness in there but overall I think the malt dominates. Not really in IPA territory for me, nor is it a roggenbier which is all about the rye and weizen yeast character with low bitterness. Quite enjoyable as a rye ale.


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## Liam_snorkel (16/7/15)

Yeah so this isn't a swap beer, but just to show that not all my beers have terrible head retention . Something must have seriously gone wrong


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## lukiferj (16/7/15)

^ it's probably starsan guys. Nice try.


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## Radshoes (16/7/15)

Natdene said:


> 21 (green) APA, Radshoes - fantastic job!, great tasting beer, malty, the right amount of hop flavour and aroma. This is the best beer I've had so far. My I ask - did you use the CraftBrewer us05 yeast?


Just safale US05. Probably bought on special from hoppy days


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## angus_grant (16/7/15)

Seeheusen American wheat

Nice subdued hop aroma although I am in the depths of man-flu and sense of smell is even worse than normal. 

Zing wheaty taste. Hops are more present in taste than aroma. The high carbonation adds to the zingy flavours. 

It's got some nice creaminess to it as it warms up. 
Edit: also getting stronger malt flavours. 

Great beer.


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## angus_grant (16/7/15)

So legitimate lacing on an actual swap beer.


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## hwall95 (17/7/15)

I've been sharing a bunch of these with my housemates so I'll just upload them in groups. Photos are hopefully in order

9. Kiwi Bright Ale
This was great Luke. Really clean and easy drinking ale. Lovely Hoppiness, backed by a light maltiness. Would make a great summers ale. Differently tastes different to your previous beers, I think you have a great knack for making clean and balanced yet still hoppy ales. 

7. Irish ale:
This was delicious, lovely maltiness sweetness. Dangerously sessionable, well done mate. Really enjoyable beer mate, might have to make a Irish ale myself. 

6. Coffee Stout
Well done mate, great coffee coming through. Some residual sweetness but very balanced with the bitterness which comes in at the end. You’re definitely giving me ideas on how to play with mine. Cheers Parks, really enjoyed it

5. Brown Porter
Nice chic and slight roastyness coming through with a nice bitterness. A really enjoyable porter although the aftertaste seemed to less strong.

24. Choc Raspberry Saison
Really great raspberry and choc flavours coming through. Lovely sweetness and a nice bitterness to make. Didn’t get much saision coming through, nevertheless great beer.


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## earle (17/7/15)

_*24 S*creamadelica - belgian IPA_

Really enjoyed this beer. Good body and malt character, funky Belgian yeast flavour, maybe not an IPA but certainly much more bitter than your standard Belgian, good head and lacing


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## menoetes (18/7/15)

*10- Seehuusen - American Wheat IPA*

*



*

Two of my favourite styles; A wheat and an American IPA in one beer? What could be better?!

The bottle opens with a crack of escaping gases and the floral/fruity aroma. It pours a bit cloudy, I figure I haven't been gentle enough with the bottle and forms a lovely paper-white head. This isn't very evident in the picture as it took me several tries to get a decent picture in the dark and by then the head had largely subsided. 

The first sniff as I raise it to my lips is of ripe fruit (mosiac perhaps?) with the same floral backing as I caught wafting from the bottle. The first think I taste is a delicate malt sweetness followed by a full flavoured hoppy bitterness, not overwhelming and well balanced IMO. The taste coats my tongue and the hoppy flavour lingers with the sweetness playing a background role, it is very pleasant.

The colour surprises me a little, for a wheat I expected straw colours but it's a rich golden hue. That and the taste hints to me that there might be some light crystal in there somewhere? Or maybe a richer malt base than plain ol' pale malt... I'm just guessing here though.

I am really enjoying this one sir, like I said earlier; as far as I'm concerned you can't go wrong with a wheat and you've done something new (as far as I'm concerned) with this one.

Thanks for the drink!

- Meno


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## madpierre06 (18/7/15)

Hey Meno, you should get a job writing for Mills & Boon mate.


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## Parks (18/7/15)

Definitely tasting thread MVP so far.


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## seehuusen (18/7/15)

Thanks Luke,

The colour comes from a touch (3.7%) of CaraMunich, I wanted something to balance out the hops.
This beer actually rocks 60% wheat malts, perhaps slightly subdued by the CaraMunich?
Hops are a mix of Centennial early, followed by late cascade and citra. Citra and Summer as dry hop.

Going by people's comments, in the next batch I'll try a slightly lowered CaraMunich content, lower mash temp (I just found out my thermometer is out by 2 degrees when brewing this, so the sweetness comments make sense) and finally, perhaps a _slightly _bigger hit of dry hops. I wasn't going for a hop bomb, perhaps I should remove the IPA reference, as it is "only" a 5.5% beer?

Thanks for all the feedback, really helpful when coming up with new recipes 

Cheers,
Martin


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## angus_grant (18/7/15)

#17 brewkid oatmeal stout 

Aroma : apologies but my nose is fucked by man flu. 

Getting nice dark malts and roast in taste and a gentle lingering roast. Perfect beer for this weather. I even left it out of fridge for 10 mins to being temp up. 

Wish I could smell and taste this beer better. Stupid flu.


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## angus_grant (18/7/15)

Radshoes porter

Mild hop aroma and some dark malt aroma. 

Nice smooth choc flavours and good carbonation levels. Again nice dark beer suits the weather. 

Man, getting some good dark beers in this swap.


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## menoetes (21/7/15)

*4.- Madpierre06 - Coffee Imperial Stout Bottle with an underlined 4 ,*






...or as I like to call it '*Darker than Midnight in Freezing Bloody Winter*'. I'm going all out for you MP.

A smooth silken pour forms a deep tan head on this particular lady, she seems alluringly dark and mysterious to my tired eyes. Her perfume is both earthy and spicy but those aromas are subtle, almost over-whelmed by the richer tones of dark malt and coffee that take the fore-front as I raise her to my expectant lips.

The first lingering sip fills my mouth with her full malty body, all coffee at first then then a creamy sweetness as she slips effortlessly across my tongue. She is bitter, I realise but her bite is tempered with a full, rounded mellowness with a playful little caffeinated nibble at the end. Her hop flavours are present but only faintly as the midnight malts quickly out-shine them, followed by a warm alcohol glow that enfolds me seductively in her arms.

She's not as bubbly as others I've known, more settled and subdued, her head subsiding slowly leaving only tracings of lace but no less than expected of a lass of her breeding and style. Neither is she to be rushed, I take it slow and appreciate each gentle sip of her. It's a delightful evening experience with a mature lady...

Well, I hope I didn't get _too_ carried away there MP, hopefully it still makes sense. I'll be honest, I'm not a stout or coffee drinker as a rule but I could contentedly sip away at this one for some time yet. I just hope the coffee doesn't keep me up all night. Not as chewy as I have come to expect from stouts and I'm glad of it. The photo isn't great but the best I could do at midnight.

Thanks for the drink sir!

- Meno

_PS. I might wind back on the Mills & Boons for the rest of you gents, eh?_


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## Liam_snorkel (21/7/15)

Yeah ten points for effort but it's kind of creepy Luke [emoji51]


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## seehuusen (21/7/15)

hahaha, top effort Luke  *slow claps*


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## winkle (21/7/15)

10 American Wheat IPA

I (like many others) quite like this one, fruity hop aromas, malty body and a more-ish hop combination. Sure the presentation lets it down a bit (cloudy body and smallish head) but the flavour profile was great.

6 Coffee Stout

Bingo Parks, real nice balance between coffee and stout, most enjoyable.

(now to find the scribbled notes from the others consumed on Friday night)


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## menoetes (21/7/15)

Liam_snorkel said:


> Yeah ten points for effort but it's kind of creepy Luke


So you don't want me molesting your beer, Liam? h34r:

...but yeah, funs over. These reviews are taking me half an hour to write. From here on I'll just snap a pic, write a line or two of detailed notes and then sit back and enjoy the beer I've been given.


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## Liam_snorkel (21/7/15)

Ainsley got there first! h34r:


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## madpierre06 (21/7/15)

menoetes said:


> *4.- Madpierre06 - Coffee Imperial Stout Bottle with an underlined 4 ,*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


At least she wasn't drunk with vomit stains down her top and her knickers dangling off one ankle. Nice to see you treating her with the dignity she deserves. :lol:

Quick query mate, how was it considering only three weeks post bottling? I'm going to be waiting until at least early August before I have one of mine from the batch. And I reckon the photo did pretty reasonable justice, eh. Thanks for the review, eh.


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## menoetes (21/7/15)

madpierre06 said:


> Quick query mate, how was it considering only three weeks post bottling? I'm going to be waiting until at least early August before I have one of mine from the batch. And I reckon the photo did pretty reasonable justice, eh. Thanks for the review, eh.


Oh shoot! Sorry man I misread the date and thought it was good to go... like I said I don't drink a lot of stouts but it seemed pretty good to my uncultured tastebuds. I don't doubt it'll mellow and grow more complex with time but I enjoyed it as it was. I hope you don't mind me jumping the gun...


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## fattox (21/7/15)

24 - Screamadelica's Belgian IPA 

I'm on the same opinion with Earle on this one. Great beer, not what id call a true Belgian IPA (a-la Flying Dog's Raging Bitch) but it's definitely a nice beer. Good Belgian yeast character, nice malt sweetness without being overpowering. Something tells me this is very much like a tripel yet a bit more bitter. Solid beer mate very enjoyable. I could have two or three in a row and be quite pleased with life (and probably half way drunk being a 7% haha)


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## Brewkid (21/7/15)

menoetes said:


> *4.- Madpierre06 - Coffee Imperial Stout Bottle with an underlined 4 ,*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I feel kinda dirty after reading this, but in a good way. Stay classy!


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## rokaxe (22/7/15)

#8

For a 7%'er this beer is easy like your mother. So chocolatey with a bees dick hint of coffee. It's not huge, it's not small - it's just right. I'm drinking this far too quickly for its ABV but hole shet, YOLO. This is my favourite of the Porter/Stouts I've had thus far.

Could use a little more carbonation but.

Soiya.


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## rokaxe (22/7/15)

#10

Juicy, hoppy, fragrant. These are words that I'm using to describe this beer. First of the swap beers that isn't a Porter/stout and let me tell you its pretty good ayy lmao.

Not usually huge on wheat beers but this is great. Not getting heaps of wheat, well in my limited wheat beer experience anyway.

4/5 spuds. Bai nao.


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## rokaxe (22/7/15)

#17 

G'day rokaxe here. In comparison to the coffee-esque bevvie I had earlier this one has more coffee. It reminds me of the Brew Cult Milk and Two Sugars only drinkable and not sickly/heinously sweet. I will say this is bordering on just right and too sweet. Kudos to the **** that brewed this because you're getting me hard and gently edging me towards completion without being a huge slut.

18/25 potatoes. Farewell.


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## Adr_0 (23/7/15)

Ahh, back into the fold.

8 - hwall's Mocha Stout:

Looks the goods, but carbonation was really low on mine and I struggled to get any sort of head. Smells of dark chocolate/coffee and a bit of roast - smells awesome, no hops there (which is fine).

Tastes great, body is actually a touch light IMO with dark chocolate, coffee and slight sourness. Enough roast but could go a fair bit more I think. Very drinkable, as I finished half the glass before thinking about writing any sort of comments. 

I think drinkability is really important for a beer and this is extremely drinkable. Being a stout, overall I actually think a bit more body, roast and carbonation (just a touch) would benefit this, and a bit more head. It's super-tasty and drinkable and the dark chocolate/coffee flavours work really well.

9 - Meno's Kiwi Bright




Looks great, nice and clear, pale, good head retention - nice job, well made beer by the look of it.

Aroma was fairly subdued but suits a bright ale. Bit of rockmelon/melon and maybe mango in the aroma which is nice.

Taste is great, again more of the tropical fruit and great body - nailed the bright ale IMO.

Overall I think a really good example, I think you can go either way with the aroma but the flavours, body and presentation are all awesome. Good job, a nice beer.


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## luggy (24/7/15)

Been a bit slack with my reviews, here's my thoughts on what I've had so far

5. liam_snorkel - robust porter:

Mine had almost no carbonation, despite that the underlying beer was nice, I'd like to try it properly carbed

6. Parks - Coffee Stout

First up I'd like to say that I'm not a coffee drinker, for me the coffee in this was a bit strong and overshadowed the other flavours present. I'm a big fan of balance in a beer and for me the coffee in this threw the balance out. It was also undercarbed which could have affected the flavour.

10. Seehuusen - American Wheat IPA

This was nice mate, only criticism I'd have is that it was a bit light bodied, a little more of a malt backbone would have done wonders IMO. Good job though

17. Brewkid - OATMEAL STOUT 4.7% now replacing it, ready to drink now.

Nice beer mate, plenty of malty goodness, nice mouthfeel, good job

21. Radshoes - * GREEN 21 IS AN APA*

Really enjoyed this mate, nice and hoppy with a solid malt backbone, good job.

23. Earle - Hoppy Hefe DRINK NOW

This was also a well brewed beer, the hops and wheat played well together, gave some to my old man and he gave it the thumbs up also. Good job.


Meno and Hwall, glad you enjoyed my beer even though you jumped the gun a bit, the recipes on the bottle if you'd like to brew something similar.

Cheers


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## Brewkid (24/7/15)

rokaxe said:


> #17
> 
> G'day rokaxe here. In comparison to the coffee-esque bevvie I had earlier this one has more coffee. It reminds me of the Brew Cult Milk and Two Sugars only drinkable and not sickly/heinously sweet. I will say this is bordering on just right and too sweet. Kudos to the **** that brewed this because you're getting me hard and gently edging me towards completion without being a huge slut.
> 
> 18/25 potatoes. Farewell.


I had that in mind when I brewed this - uncanny. Thank you for flying Brewkid.


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## rokaxe (24/7/15)

You did good, Kid!

#21 - Green

TBH not getting much, if anything, on the nose, not super bitter and not carbed enough. Probably wouldn't call this an APA. Was this a kit or AG, radshoes? Got a bit of "twang" to it.

Having said the neggi things, the posi things that I like about it are that it's nice and mild. The beer is very smooth and easy to drink and there is _some_ bitterness there which, for the time I'm drinking this, is great because I've been pwning the hoppy beers lately. I can defs see myself having another one of these if it were on offer, actually

Some mosaic (about 70-3523523g) dry hopped for a few days directly before bottling would be fantastic and could do wonders. It ain't my beer though so YOLO it how you see fit if at all m9.

A solid effort none the less.


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## Radshoes (25/7/15)

Rokaxe, def AG doesnt look like I kept the recipe but would have been around 45-50 IBU. Bottled straight from keg so that would explain the lack of carb and possibly aroma, but it was keg hopped.
These bottles were a late addition as I didn't do my maths correctly and ran out of the porter!


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## lukiferj (25/7/15)

FYI my swap beer, number 13 is ready to rock and or roll.


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## rokaxe (25/7/15)

Ahh yeah, that explains a fair bit! Too easy big cheesy.


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## rokaxe (25/7/15)

#23

So far I'm enjoying this! Not a typical hefe with all the hops which is why I think I'm enjoying this so much. Nice sweet fruit on the nose, solid bitterness and it's nice and light. Kinda not looking forward to the end of this.


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## Ciderman (25/7/15)

Ok so I've tasted through everything that is ready to taste. Half a dozen left I reckon. I had thought about a top 3 so far but the last beer I have consumed has turned the rankings on its head.

3. Menotes Kiwi Bright Ale. (9)

At first I was perhaps underwhelmed by this beer, only for the reason that it was a 'safe' choice of beer to brew. It had perfect carbonation, beautiful aromatics and lacing that lasted to the last mouthfeel. I've loved the experience of tasting all these beers. That being said so many missed the mark with carbonation (myself included) that I've decided to reward this beer, that was perfect to style, 3rd place. 

2. Adrian's English IPA (22)

I reviewed this one earlier. Unfortunately I'd had a few and can't remember too much about it - except it was awesome. Would love to see the recipe of this one. 2nd place

1. Dark Rye IPA (20)

I opened this a few hours ago and was blown away with this. It's perhaps everything I could have hoped for in my beer but didn't achieve. So many aromas and flavours going on in this beer. I'd love to see a recipe of this. It's certainly one to savour, but you wonder if you pulled back on the ibu and abv could it be sessionable? Meh, too much thinking about it - it was brilliant!
1st place.

That picture was the second glass, about an hour after opening. Lacing till the last mouthful. Doesn't look clear but it was, with a slight ruby tint.


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## angus_grant (25/7/15)

Brilliant clarity and a good whiff of floral aroma on first pouring. 

A very nice beer and to use a very over-used term very sessionable. Could drink quite a few of these. 

Nice level of aroma, malt and bitterness. Carbonation level helps lift the aroma and flavours. A really nice beer.


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## angus_grant (25/7/15)

Benken25 - rice lager with lemongrass and black pepper

Getting a nice hit of lemon grass in aroma. Letting it warm up I'm getting pepper tang. As advertised. 

The inter-play between the lemon grass and pepper in the taste is really quite intriguing. 

The balance between 2 quite strong tastes is very well done. It could have gone either way but you've nailed it.


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## angus_grant (25/7/15)

Natdene - Black IPA

First up I must admit to not having drunk too many black ipas. 

I find this beer a mix between an IPA and porter when cold. Strong dark malt tastes and strong hops. 

Warming up the dark malt fades and hops get stronger which seems strange to me. 

Burps like a good IPA which is how I always judge ipas. Burp quality. Hoppy burp but with a bit of roasty malt. Good beer.


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## angus_grant (26/7/15)

Hailz. Was trying to log a midnight rating but failed. Probably 4th edit now. 

Spicy dark tangy. good malt levels. Lots of rye saison zing 

Seriously good beer. &#092;m/


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## menoetes (26/7/15)

Hey guys, thanks for all the positive feedback on my Kiwi Bright Ale. I was really pleased with the way it turned out (it was my first brew using my new BIAB crown urn) and I'm gratified that others are enjoying it as much as I have. Cheers :chug:


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## madpierre06 (26/7/15)

I weakened :beerbang: :lol:

*11. Angus;s Raisin Porter*

Lovely full caramel treacle head. Beautiful rich fruity aroma, nice full body with a little bitter tweak as it finished off. Plenty of lace down the sides of the glass, very nicely carbed.

Really enjoying this one mate.

Update: (hehe, date) As it warms up, some lovely fruity raisin notes coming through, and a healthy glow with it.


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## Liam_snorkel (26/7/15)

2. Ciderman - Red Rye IPA 6.5% 66IBU

Not gonna lie I've had a few bevvies tonight so my palate isn't in the best shape, and I must also confess to getting the yeast back into suspension..

Aroma is fruity but subdued. Carbonation is med-low, tastes juicy, malty, not sure if I'm getting rye spice or if it's the hops+yeast. So juicy. Many hop. Thick lacing.
View attachment 82135


View attachment 82136


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## Liam_snorkel (26/7/15)

Unsure if photos worked


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## menoetes (28/7/15)

*8 - hwall95 - Mocha Stout, 7%, *






I gave it a pretty vigorous pour and it formed a small tan head that dissipates quickly (I blame the fact SWMBO keeps putting my beer glasses through the dishwasher despite my objections). A sniff and I get the aroma of coffee plus chocolatey malt, no discernible hops to my untrained nose*.*

Upon tasting I first get a rich dark malty flavour before the mocha comes through strong at the end, coating my tongue. It's still smooth however without any of the acrid tastes I (not a latte quaffer) associate with coffee. It has a full body but is far from a chewy stout and goes down well with only a bare hint of alcohol warmth at the end. I am surprised to find that it is 7% as it is deceptively easy to drink.

I find the hops are a real background player in this beer, which is unsurprising as it is a stout, with coffee added in it to boot. I've said it before but I'm not much of a stout drinker but the ones I've had so far in this swap have challenged my per-conceptions of the style as a whole. My only criticism is I might have liked it carbed a bit more but otherwise she <oops, sorry> it... is a lovely drop that I really enjoyed drinking.

Thanks for the beer sir.

- Meno


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## rokaxe (28/7/15)

Gday lads yr gr8 m8 rokaxe from the internet here. Give me beer another week to do some science and then she's good to go ayy lmao. Revised date below:

14. *(09/08)* rokaxe - IRA 6.8%, 97 IBU (ready to drink Aug 2nd *9th*, soz)


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## Liam_snorkel (28/7/15)

YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO


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## Adr_0 (28/7/15)

pfft, orredy drank it. it was good, reminded me of Carlton Cold, but not as tasty


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## fattox (28/7/15)

Tasting now - no. 8, I believe mocha porter or something

On the nose - a good bit each of coffee and chocolate with a hint of roast in the background. More toward fresh roasted coffee than the chocolate

As others have said, minimal head. I snapped the and halfway through the review it has gone all but flat, no retention.

Taste - rich roasted coffee, a hint of chocolate. Some dark fruit afterward? Reminiscent of a richly flavoured black coffee, can't quite peg it down but there's something maybe plum?

Overall not a bad drop at all. The carbonation is good for the style and it's quite enjoyable. Definitely something I could put two or three of down easily. I reckon it would be the tits on a hand pump or on stout gas


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## winkle (28/7/15)

My one will probably be ok in the first week of August (should still be better at the end tho), burp the bottle before decanting pls.


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## fattox (29/7/15)

No. 21 Radshoes vanilla mocha porter - pours dark, some head but it fades quickly. Leaves a thin ring of head. Love it

Smell - a little bit of everything the name suggests. Dark malts, a touch of vanilla, some chocolate, a little coffee.

Taste - roast up front, a bit of vanilla lingering in the back. Gonna let it warm up and see how it goes but I think it's a nice beer. Ticks a lot of boxes.

Overall - would drink again. Solid beer, nice lower carbonation for the style. I think this has a lot of potential for a hand pump/nitro stout


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## rokaxe (29/7/15)

#9

I'm actually pretty shit at describing what I'm getting so with that said..

This is pretty refreshing. Smells good, tastes good, nicely carbed. I just farted.

B+


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## angus_grant (29/7/15)

Winkle: I've got yours marked for my b'day in late august. No pressure.


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## fattox (30/7/15)

No. 6 - Parks Coffee Stout - pours low carbonation, minimum head. Looks a nice colour

Smell - espresso, roast, a little chocolate. Rich coffee. Love it

Taste - see smell

Overall - a little more carbonation. But overall nice to drink and enjoyable in this **** of a season called winter. 7/10


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## Liam_snorkel (30/7/15)

4. (05/08) madpierre06 - Coffee Imperial Stout 

Sorry for jumping the gun on this one . The bottle felt firm enough and I was dying to try it.

Pours with a big thick foamy tan head which eventually settled to a 5mm layer, thick lacing. 
Aroma is smooth roast coffee and malt and dark chocolate. 
Taste as above with some sweetness and the back end and bitter roast. Mouthfeel is full, coats the tongue, nice aftertaste. Would pay good money for this. I've been following your posts on coffee additions and find this pretty inspiring. What's the ABV of this? It's helping me "study" tonight. 

2nd photo is the 2nd pour to demonstrate the carbonation. Maybe just over 2vol


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## menoetes (31/7/15)

rokaxe said:


> #9
> 
> I'm actually pretty shit at describing what I'm getting so with that said..
> 
> This is pretty refreshing. Smells good, tastes good, nicely carbed. I just farted.


Pure poetry sir! :super:


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## earle (31/7/15)

_15 Ballantyne - Yee Ipa 6.9% - bottled 1/7/15 - needs at least 3 weeks_

Good carbonation and colour, pours with a nice persistent head, good lacing.

Very high level of bitterness which IMO unfortunately doesn't have a good malt backbone to support it. To me the bitterness is quite harsh. Opinion may vary as while I like an IPA I'm not the biggest fan of the over the top examples unless they are exceptional.


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## Adr_0 (31/7/15)

Hmm, maybe don't leave the 20's much longer, don't want the hop smell to fade. I really hopes nobody picks up an off bottle, just got a bottle that's a long way short of what it should be.


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## madpierre06 (1/8/15)

Liam_snorkel said:


> 4. (05/08) madpierre06 - Coffee Imperial Stout
> 
> Sorry for jumping the gun on this one . The bottle felt firm enough and I was dying to try it.
> 
> ...


Glad you liked it mate...I worked out I did miss a step in the process too, the mash out @ 77C. I'm not sure about the ABV, using the fella's recipe as he stated, brewmate has it at 6.29% which is below what I understand to be the style's parameters. As an aside, how would youi bring the ABV up, simply factor in extra grain bill? During brewing I had the manifold in the mash tun come loose and I do know fer sure that there was a fair whack to my efficiency there as well as I was dredging to get out what wort that could be used. So let's say 6%. Sorry if you feel let down on that mate  Might be my fault if your 'studies' aren't as expected.

On the bright side, I'm sweating on getting into it, I did have a 2/3 bottle which I had a week ago on my 'weakening' day, it wasn't as carbed as yours, but still yummy. I have a batch of four bottles for myself (after swap and beer lotto) but am gonna be strong and try to hang on, or else my mind may vell SNAP!!, und my life, vill be lived, for the thrills. Sorry, got carried away. Gonna try and give another couple months before I open 'em.

I was expecting the smoothness, given i used Brazillian beans :lol: , no waxiness either which was a bonus. 

Which batch did you get, underlined 4 or regular?


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## Ciderman (1/8/15)

My RIS had 10kg of grain in it to get it to almost 11%. I'm sure you could substitute some dextrose to get the abv up.


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## madpierre06 (1/8/15)

Ciderman said:


> My RIS had 10kg of grain in it to get it to almost 11%. I'm sure you could substitute some dextrose to get the abv up.


When would you add iot, excuse my ignorance, I would have thought you'd want to draw it from extra grain. This is something I'll have to look into, along with sourcing a port cask as you have, as I'd like a nice full bodied RIS in the cupboard on a regulart basis.


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## Adr_0 (1/8/15)

Had a week off the drink and came back into a couple of beauties. The nose was a bit off getting over a cold, but still managed to enjoy them a lot.

16 - benken rice lager
Awesome presentation - bright, clear, nicely measured head


The flavour is a nice, sweet malt and the black pepper is pretty forward. The lemongrass is subtle, then comes through in the finish.... and what a finish. Makes you sit there thinking about the last sip and looking forward to the next one.

Awesome effort mate. A unique beer done extremely well. Top marks.

11 - Angus's raisin porter

Well, looks good, awesome meringue head which lasts forever. Awesome job on the carbonation (and making the beer) as you've got no head killers and you've struck a perfect balance of enough carbonation to support the head without giving any bite or effervescence in the mouthfeel. Awesome job.



Flavour is amazing: strong dark chocolate, prunes and soft roast flavours - absolutely no astringency or sourness. Again, amazing job. Seems to be a bit of vanilla or clove in there too. The wife thought it should have been slightly sweeter (more forward with the raisins?) but I think it was perfect.

The mouthfeel was silky (good mashing and good carbonation). Raisin and prunes come through more as it warms up. Hard to pick the hops, there is a touch of resin and wood there and I would guess something American - subdued and the bitterness supports the beer really well.

This is my pick so far - amazing beer.

I had the bottle on the counter, and nearly opened up another one to top up the glass:


Luckily I didn't...


----------



## Liam_snorkel (1/8/15)

madpierre06 said:


> Glad you liked it mate...I worked out I did miss a step in the process too, the mash out @ 77C. I'm not sure about the ABV, using the fella's recipe as he stated, brewmate has it at 6.29% which is below what I understand to be the style's parameters. As an aside, how would youi bring the ABV up, simply factor in extra grain bill? During brewing I had the manifold in the mash tun come loose and I do know fer sure that there was a fair whack to my efficiency there as well as I was dredging to get out what wort that could be used. So let's say 6%. Sorry if you feel let down on that mate  Might be my fault if your 'studies' aren't as expected.
> 
> On the bright side, I'm sweating on getting into it, I did have a 2/3 bottle which I had a week ago on my 'weakening' day, it wasn't as carbed as yours, but still yummy. I have a batch of four bottles for myself (after swap and beer lotto) but am gonna be strong and try to hang on, or else my mind may vell SNAP!!, und my life, vill be lived, for the thrills. Sorry, got carried away. Gonna try and give another couple months before I open 'em.
> 
> ...


Got the underlined one mate. All good RE the ABV, was starting to feel it after the first glass so was wondering whether it was 10% or something haha.


----------



## madpierre06 (1/8/15)

Liam_snorkel said:


> Got the underlined one mate. All good RE the ABV, was starting to feel it after the first glass so was wondering whether it was 10% or something haha.


Ok, so you got the cold steeped version. If you had a alcohol 'feel', maybe brewmate got it wrong or I've mssed something, 6% isn't gonna do much, is it? Although it was a decent glass size. If I eventually knock out a double figure version, you'll be the first to know.

Duh, just noticed the cap in the enlarged picture.

Edit: Just checked, if my efficiency was a little higher than I figured, ABV would have had a better chance. I may have underestimted efficiency (it was a guesstimate, to be honest), I winged a 68% based on no real calculations whatsoever.


----------



## Ciderman (1/8/15)

madpierre06 said:


> When would you add iot, excuse my ignorance, I would have thought you'd want to draw it from extra grain. This is something I'll have to look into, along with sourcing a port cask as you have, as I'd like a nice full bodied RIS in the cupboard on a regulart basis.


You could add it after the boil or towards the middle/end of fermentation. I reckon your better off just upping the grain bill because adding a simple sugar can reduce your FG, where you'd want to extract as much body as you can ending up in the high teens for such a big beer. 

I wouldn't bother with the port barrel. Most people leave them empty for years and will struggle to hold a liquid. 

I used oak chips as well. You can get all different toast levels and varieties. Next time you have a go I'll give you some of these. You don't need much.


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## madpierre06 (1/8/15)

Ciderman said:


> You could add it after the boil or towards the middle/end of fermentation. I reckon your better off just upping the grain bill because adding a simple sugar can reduce your FG, where you'd want to extract as much body as you can ending up in the high teens for such a big beer.
> 
> I wouldn't bother with the port barrel. Most people leave them empty for years and will struggle to hold a liquid.
> 
> ...



Awesome, thanks for the offer mate.


----------



## rokaxe (2/8/15)

#11

Would have preferred a tripel tbh. Nah, this is actually really legit fellas. My pick of the dark beers so far. Well done, Anus Pls!

Getting roast, prunes and an ever so faint touch of hot alcohol as it warms. Solid head too.

Would happily drink this again.


----------



## lukiferj (2/8/15)

^ thought I had this one In the fridge but turns out I didn't. Like an asshole.


----------



## Adr_0 (2/8/15)

22 - Aydos's dark rye IPA

Nice colour, good ruby highlights and looks like something that would go down a treat in a stone-walled pub under the streets of Innsbruck.



Smells bready, yeasty, caramel and alcoholic (bit of a mix there, some good and some bad IMO), smells and tastes like a touch of acetaldehyde. Putting the alcohol and caramel aside, it reminds me of the 1469 yeast.

Taste is rye, caramel, bread, bit of chocolate and roast and a solid, woody, slightly coarse bitterness - POR, Northdown? Mouthfeel is ok, touch on the heavy side. Really good, long-lasting bitterness. Nice finish, bit of a mix of nice lingering bitterness, rye, yeast and alcohol. As it warms, the caramel comes through more and the flavours blend really nicely. It's a touch heavy in the body though, so not really a session ale and not sure I'd head out on the road after 7 of these.


----------



## rokaxe (3/8/15)

#12

This is a really nice black IPA. Its got roast, Hops and blackness. I'm enjoying this a lot!

I'm beginning to get a sore throat and unfortunately my nose just crapped itself. What a shit time to be alive.


----------



## HBHB (5/8/15)

Also on # 12 by Natdene

Low carbonation, less gas than, but as black as an ex-wife's mood swings.

Moderate bitterness, not over the top. Low foam, but nice lacing. nice aromatics. 

I'll call it for what it is.....bloody nice. Just has me looking for a little more on the aroma/flavour side.


----------



## fattox (5/8/15)

No. 17 - Brewkid?'s Oatmeal Stout - finally have the perfect dinner to go with this, smoked pulled beef and rice. Pours well, good head quick to fade with some lacing still hanging around.

Smell - roasted malts, dark malts, brilliant. My sense of smell is currently fucked by a cold but what I can smell smells good

Taste - nice. Carbonation is about right for the style, maybe a touch low. A little sweetness, some roast malts. Sense of taste is just as fucked as smell with this damn cold. I'm sure it's a reasonable beer.

Overall - I'm sure I'd love this if I wasn't sick!


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## Adr_0 (5/8/15)

Ripped open a 13 - Hail Saiton dark rye saison

What lukiferj has done here is a 'pune', or play on words. You see, he's called it "hail saiton", suggesting 'hail satan', which sounds the same - but it's spelled in a similar manner to a 'saison', which is what the beer is. This is very clever, I find.



Looks the goods, awesome... moussy head, which is much better than a mousey head IMO.

Smells a little apricotty and funky, bit of sour apple. Taste is great, though the rye isn't as forward as other rye beers unfortunately - must be the saison bulldozer. Nice chocolate and roast throughout, and a nice complex, lingering finish - really nice. Not super-dry but that's ok. I should stop comparing it to Dupont as I keep expecting a really dry, bitter, peppery finish. It's nice though, with chocolate and roast really coming through. Nicely done, good beer.


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## lukiferj (5/8/15)

Thanks Adr_0. I was pretty happy with it. Currently drinking the next iteration which is slightly drier and spicier but not much. Has just under 20% rye. Used 3711 rather than 3724. I find it's an incredibly versatile saison yeast while 3724 is good for making a DuPont style clone that just misses the mark. 

Glad you liked the pun. Hails.


----------



## earle (5/8/15)

22 - Aydos's dark rye IPA

Good solid bitterness with a strong malt backbone, good balance I reckon. More of a dark IPA than a rye dark IPA for me, I get rye in the mouthfeel but not so much in the flavour. I think there's a bit of roast in there, between it and the bitterness the rye flavour is not so noticeable. I would try backing the roast off a bit next time maybe. A very enjoyable beer though. Good one


----------



## Liam_snorkel (6/8/15)

Happy IPA Day everyone!
I'm going to crack a couple tonight. First up:

20. (08/07) Adr_0 - English IPA

Ticks all the boxes, light flowery estery aroma, sweet malt with some hops, bitterness is there, finishes slightly sweet but dry of that makes sense. Foam stability game is very strong, followed the beer all the way down the glass with good lacing. Fairly clear. If I had to be picky I think I was getting some green apples in the aroma/taste, and carbonation maybe a little high, but not enough to put me off.


----------



## lukiferj (6/8/15)

Also drinking number 20. Agree with Liam's comments mostly. If he hadn't mentioned the acetaldehyde I wouldn't have picked it. Very faint and maybe just slightly takes away from the UK hops. Otherwise very solid beer.


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## Liam_snorkel (6/8/15)

14. (02/08) rokaxe - IRA 6.8%, 97 IBU 

Instant fruity aroma, deep dark clear* red with a thick head, tastes juicy hop oils w sweet malt, maybe some roast, bitterness is balanced. Doesn't taste like 97 IBU. Prob because the overall hop profile is on the smooth/juicy side rather than piney etc. 
*first pour.


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## Liam_snorkel (6/8/15)

12. (18/07) Natdene - Black IPA 6.2%, 

Black but clear (red highlights). Big almost dank aroma, taste follows with roast and and some malt sweetness that's kinda sharp/tart almost cola-like if that makes sense, solid bitterness but balanced. Thick head and lacing is out of control. Very enjoyable.


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## rokaxe (6/8/15)

Ptc how good is brewing beer fellas? The answer is real good.


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## angus_grant (6/8/15)

#15 Ballantyne's yee!

Subtle hop aroma but as is the case with everyone else, I've got the black flu pop and my nose ain't working so good. Although getting more hops aroma as it warms up. 

Bags of bitter hop flavour and the carb level really bangs the hop flavours home. Not subtle. 

There are some good malt flavours there as well but certainly a back seat for me. 

Great carb levels and lacing on the glass is fairly impressive. Long lasting head. 

Great tasting hoppy burps which is a sign of a good IPA for me.


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## Liam_snorkel (7/8/15)

#22 Aydos' dark rye IPA
Good stuff man. Aroma reminds me of Victory Storm King. The rye/roast combo is strong almost to the point of astringency. Big beer but goes down easy


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## lukiferj (7/8/15)

Liam_snorkel said:


> #22 Aydos' dark rye IPA
> Good stuff man. Aroma reminds me of Victory Storm King. The rye/roast combo is strong almost to the point of astringency. Big beer but goes down easy
> 
> 
> ...


Just like you


----------



## angus_grant (7/8/15)

#20 adr_0 English IPA 

Getting some nice gentle floral aromas it warms up. 

Nice earthy flavours and a really nice lingering bitterness which hangs around. It's a smooth bitterness compared to an American IPA and I'm enjoying the change. 

I've not had many English ipas but if this is the style I may add one to my brewing list. 

Im enjoying experiencing a new beer style. Nice beer.


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## angus_grant (7/8/15)

And much like Lukifer, if Liam hadn't mentioned the green apples I would never have noticed it. But slightly more noticeable as it starts warming. It's very faint.


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## Liam_snorkel (7/8/15)

angus_grant said:


> I've not had many English ipas but if this is the style I may add one to my brewing list.


Tripel Dunkelweizen Tripel Dunkelweizen Tripel Dunkelweizen Tripel Dunkelweizen Tripel Dunkelweizen Tripel Dunkelweizen Tripel Dunkelweizen Tripel Dunkelweizen English IPA


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## angus_grant (8/8/15)

Ummm, challenge not accepted (yet). 
Haven't even brewed the quad yet.


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## Liam_snorkel (8/8/15)

Hehehe


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## Adr_0 (8/8/15)

Geez, if all you brewed were trippels and dunkelweizens, you might get the flavour police coming around to make an arrest for purveying too much deliciousness.

Thanks for the feedback on the beer guys, pretty confident the acetaldehyde is an oxidation product from the alcohol during bottling. It had an excellent fermentation and there wasn't a trace in the samples taken around bottling. So I think some bottles may be worse than others. Anyway, always good to get an opportunity to improve the beer and processes.

Angus, English IPA's are pretty under-represented around the place. White Shield is a great one but there are probably 50x the amount of American IPA's on the market. I think that regardless of the style origin, an IPA needs to be really drinkable because that was the intent (or end product) with the originals. Deuchars is another good one, but tastes like crap off a beer engine (if you're ever in Scotland) - much better in the bottle. I'm pretty sure White Shield uses Challenger and Northdown, but Target and Fuggles is a pretty common combination I think you'll find. It's good - spicy, earthy - but needs a bit more IMO and they generally keep the malts a little too simple. Still, great beers.

This one was a FWH with Goldings and Bramling Cross, Challenger all the way through, and finished with Goldings and Bramling Cross. I dry hopped with Challenger, Willamette and Goldings. Malts were MO, Munich II and Victory.


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## Adr_0 (8/8/15)

On the drive home from work on Friday, I thought "When I think of the character of hops in a beer, what do I think?" and strangely, I came up with Goldings. I was craving a Spitfire, and was hoping that Luggy's Irish Ale had a chunk of Goldings in there:




Sure enough...

It's actually a lot lighter than this photo, but it's still darkish. Carbonation is good but the head doesn't hang around for long. Smell is pretty subdued, touch of Goldings and crystal comes out (still pretty subtle) when it warmed.

Tastes great. Really smooth, nice beer. Would do really well in a comp for the style. My wife said "A beer like that, in Ireland, they would just grab from underneath the bar" but unfortunately in Gladstone we gotta cool shit, so couldn't quite simulate the experience.

I've never had cold steeped roast barley, and I guess it ends up smooth. I was missing the burnt toffee sweetness a bit though, and was hoping for a touch more Goldings in the flavour and aroma - but not sure that it's to style.

Good job, unfortunately makes me want to brew an Irish Ale but still need to do a few more to get my stocks back up.


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## Adr_0 (9/8/15)

Thought I would try Rokaxe's IRA last night.

Twist top... thought that was nice, bit like my twist top Crownies. Thought I would have this one from the bottle. Smells a bit of light citrus, caramel, clove and some faint raisins or something. Or that could have been the snack size pack of sultanas I just ate. Couldn't tell what it looked like because it was still in the bottle, obviously...

Taste had some more citrus, wood, resin, and sweet breadiness. Finish was awesome, with a beautiful bitterness, some licorice and clove in the finish which adds to the wood, resin and dark fruits. Warming alcohol which slips in quietly. Won't make any rude jokes about that. Many packets of awesomeness detected.

Not heavy, excellent body. No cloying sweetness... managed to hit a perfect balance of body, sweetness and bitterness: none really comes forward and you can explore each one if you want. Still, think that next time you should aim for something closer to Fosters Light Ice - now THAT's a beer.

Because I drank this from the bottle I didn't really get any pics. Sorry. I did snap a shot of the Light Ice I had afterwards though, to remind myself of what this beer could have been - better luck next time:


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## Liam_snorkel (9/8/15)

Loving these reviews Adro


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## Liam_snorkel (9/8/15)

Beautiful weather for drinking beer (isn't it always?) so I put a few in the fridge. First up:

Lukifer's dark rye saison. #13

Kind of chocolatey with yeast spiciness and a dry finish, which leaves a tart fruitiness in my mouth. I dig it. Hails.

View attachment 82409


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## Liam_snorkel (9/8/15)

Picture didn't work. Here it is:


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## Liam_snorkel (9/8/15)

18. Beersuit - Gladfields Belgian blonde.
Pours clear day, aroma of orange and clove. Clean malt, medium carbonation. Quite delicious, what's the gladfields story, is this 100% their pale malt or is there more going on?


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## Liam_snorkel (9/8/15)

Pic for above.


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## Liam_snorkel (9/8/15)

Had this earlier, forgot to post .__.

24. (READY) Screamadelica - (18 of them are belgian IPA, 6 are choc-raspberry saison) 

I was one of the lucky ones who got the saison :-D

Subdued aroma (other than the pork ribs I'm smoking), some malt sweetness, tart dry finish which kind of worked against the choc. A hint of the fruit. Cool idea but maybe too many things going for any individual flavour to stand out


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## Adr_0 (9/8/15)

Liam_snorkel said:


> Beautiful weather for drinking beer (isn't it always?) so I put a few in the fridge. First up:


I was holding my 16-week old girl, showing her a few things as I was walking around the back deck, and said "And this is where daddy likes to drink strong golden ales". I'm not sure if that's good parenting or not?


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## Adr_0 (9/8/15)

Liam_snorkel said:


> Pic for above.
> 
> 
> 
> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1439096058.824751.jpg


That's an interesting shot, very intimate. Who took the photo? Hope you were a good shot...


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## Aydos (9/8/15)

#10 seahuusen Wheat IPA.

Fucken delicious, everything I could want from this style. Great hop flavour!


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## Liam_snorkel (9/8/15)

Adr_0 said:


> That's an interesting shot, very intimate. Who took the photo? Hope you were a good shot...


Me, didn't spill too much. The target area is slightly larger than I'm used to


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## Liam_snorkel (9/8/15)

Next up:

10. Seehuusen - American Wheat IPA

Totally agree with Aydos, tropical fruit punch incl pineapple, high carbonation, creamy mouth feel, hop acidity but not bitter, strong foam stability, nailed it mate [emoji108]


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## Liam_snorkel (9/8/15)

Head retention game is strong in this one


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## Liam_snorkel (9/8/15)

Adr_0 said:


> I was holding my 16-week old girl, showing her a few things as I was walking around the back deck, and said "And this is where daddy likes to drink strong golden ales". I'm not sure if that's good parenting or not?


The key to good parenting is honesty/openness. You nailed it IMO*

*no kids of my own yet.


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## Beersuit (9/8/15)

Liam_snorkel said:


> 18. Beersuit - Gladfields Belgian blonde.
> Pours clear day, aroma of orange and clove. Clean malt, medium carbonation. Quite delicious, what's the gladfields story, is this 100% their pale malt or is there more going on?


Thanks Liam. It's all gladfields Pils 16ibu and ardennies yeast.


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## angus_grant (10/8/15)

#4 madpierre06 - Coffee Imperial Stout underlined 4

Aroma is all coffee for me but the taste is pleasing mix of strong coffee and nice choc undertones. 

It went toe to toe with a fairly spicy tandoori chicken and was a great match. 

Carbonation was bang on and lifted the coffee and choc tastes. 

Solid beer. I wouldn't have thought I would enjoy the coffee flavoured beers so much. Nice job people.


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## madpierre06 (11/8/15)

angus_grant said:


> #4 madpierre06 - Coffee Imperial Stout underlined 4
> 
> Aroma is all coffee for me but the taste is pleasing mix of strong coffee and nice choc undertones.
> 
> ...


Thanks mate, I had been a tad concerned that the coffee might be a little overwhelming for others. Am considering redoing this beer but with a little ***** in it  , going to do a sample tryout in a couple weeks and get an idea how it might turn out.


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## angus_grant (11/8/15)

Dont adjust the coffee levels based on my review. I don't drink coffee. Ha ha


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## madpierre06 (12/8/15)

angus_grant said:


> Dont adjust the coffee levels based on my review. I don't drink coffee. Ha ha


  Yeah, at the moment I'm not planning on reducing the coffee levels, but I am planning to try the same beer with another addition. I'm going to try that out in a couple weeks when the dry is over. Going to bank your idea of this beer with a nice curry too....love spicy!!!


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## Liam_snorkel (12/8/15)

7. (01/08) luggy- Irish Ale, 6.2%, Be at its best from early august.

Red/Amber pour, head settled to a layer and followed all the way. Pleasant malty slightly eatery aroma, sweet malt going down the gullet. Dangerously easy drinking. Surprisingly full malt profile given how little spec malt you used. 
A+ would scull again.


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## Liam_snorkel (12/8/15)

^ Pic for above


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## angus_grant (12/8/15)

#14 rokaxe - IRA

Aromas are fairly hoppy but I can't pick out the dominant aroma. There is something there but I reckon my sense of smell is screwed though. 

Delightful chestnut red colour when held up to the light. Wish I drank this during the day to see it in all its glory. 

Carbonation is pretty damn good. Nice creamy head which seems to be lasting. Reckon there will be good level of lacing on my glass. 

Nice malty flavours in mid taste and the after-taste is really interesting. Get creamy sweet flavours and then a whack of bitterness and then some more creaminess. 

Certainly way better than the red ale I made which was my first all grain all those 2 years ago.


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## angus_grant (12/8/15)

crap, just remembered I drank Luggy's Irish ale the other night. 
My review is very similar to Liam's. I don't recall it lasting very long.


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## Liam_snorkel (12/8/15)

21. (READY) Radshoes - Vanilla Mocha Porter <font color="Red">RED 21 IS PORTER <font color="Green">GREEN 21 IS AN APA Both ready for consumption now.

Well there's no '21' written on the bottle but there is a slight green smudge on the cap..

Deep amber pour, dense head, hoppy as ****, big caramel malt profile, not too bitter (misso agreed), bukkakke lacing down the glass. Good job Bryan, you silly boy.


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## rokaxe (12/8/15)

Thanks Angus! Defs my best beer in my limited brewing career thus far.


----------



## Liam_snorkel (12/8/15)

11. (18/07) Angus - raisin porter

Fluffy head, pours black. Roasty aroma, big roast/choc flavour, slight sweetness, roast bitterness. Head retention like a dunkelweizen. Great beer. Would prob call it an export stout or something.


----------



## Liam_snorkel (12/8/15)

Also, I got a couple of zip-ties in mine. Thanks Hamish


----------



## angus_grant (12/8/15)

Ha ha, that is ******* hilarious. Little bugger!

Don't stress though, I sanitise all my zip ties.

Edit: so did anyone else get zip ties?


----------



## Liam_snorkel (12/8/15)

Beer didn't taste infected at all  is this like a lucky door prize?


----------



## HBHB (13/8/15)

Nup, no ties in mine, but still tasted pretty damned good.


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## Liam_snorkel (14/8/15)

8. hwall95 - Mocha Stout, 7%

Poured pretty much flat, so I got my pocket beer engine (small syringe) and gave it the smooth pour treatment which brought it to life with a nice thick head.
Subtle aroma of roasted malt, smooth on the way in, some malt sweetness, not thick but not thin either. Tasting like a nice smooth oatmeal stout, dangerously drinkable for the ABV. Head settled to a 3mm layer and lasted all the way down, nice.


----------



## menoetes (15/8/15)

*14. Rokaxe - IRA 6.8%, 97 IBU *

*



*

Hwall95 came around to help me drink this one yesterday. I'll admit that I was a little intimidated by the promise of 97 IBUs but it surprised me with its drinkibility. Notes are from memory and thus a bit brief...

It poured with a nice smooth head (more evident in Harry's glass then in my own) and wafted rich earth and herb aromas into our nostrils as we took our first sips. The colour looks like more of a dark amber, almost brown rather than red but the clarity of the beer is still evident through the evening hues... Nicely carbonated so it tickles the tongue and breaths life into the beer's aroma as you drink it.

The bitterness was very present but no-where near as overpowering as I thought it would be as it was offset by a full bodied rich amber malt sweetness. There is a hint of an acrid taste at the end that I always associate with roasted barley but it complements rather than detracts from the flavor as it accentuates that hoppy hit at the end of the swallow. The flavor is malt driven not hop driven (as would be expected) but the hops are still very much present in the background so even a hop head like me can appreciate this fine smooth drink.

A lovely beer, I enjoyed it, sir. Thanks for the drink!

- Meno


----------



## Parks (15/8/15)

4. (05/08) madpierre06 - Coffee Imperial Stout 4 is cold steeped coffee addition,

You win. Hands down. ******* amazing.


----------



## madpierre06 (15/8/15)

Parks said:


> 4. (05/08) madpierre06 - Coffee Imperial Stout 4 is cold steeped coffee addition,
> 
> You win. Hands down. ******* amazing.


Thanks mate, appreciated.


----------



## Liam_snorkel (15/8/15)

Parks said:


> 4. (05/08) madpierre06 - Coffee Imperial Stout 4 is cold steeped coffee addition,
> 
> You win. Hands down. ******* amazing.


**** YEAH
Best of the coffee beers in the swap IMO and I've really enjoy all of them


----------



## angus_grant (15/8/15)

Aydos - Dark rye IPA

It's a little bit belgy
It's a little bit hoppy 
Lots of rye. 
It's dark. 

It's multiple beers in one.
Big yeasty aromas, big dark malt flavours, rye zing

Id love a rebrew with the dark malts and the Belgian yeast. Narrow things on these two flavour sets.


----------



## fattox (16/8/15)

Tonight's offerings:

Yee IPA - pours well, good solid head. Good colour.

Smell - unfortunately lacking a lot of hop aroma, I'm not sure what sort of IPA this was supposed to be?

Taste - bitter hops, no aromatic or flavour hops. 

Feedback - try whirlpool/steeps with big aromatic hops post boil for a good 20-30 mins and also dry hopping if you're going big, that's the best thing I've learnt to make a super dank AIPA.

Second beer - beersuit Trappist single. Spot on. Good pour, carbonation a touch low but it still left a little lacing as I got through it and would pour a decent head, just didn't keep it. Brilliant clarity, brilliant flavour and aroma.
Sweet Pilsner malt and yeast derived esters. Nice dry finish, very summery beer. Quite enjoyed it.


----------



## fattox (16/8/15)

Last one for the night - 16 - bens rice lager.
The lemongrass comes through at a nice level on the aroma. Minimal pepper but it's there. Pours well, good head and some lacing as it fades. Get more of the pepper and lemongrass on the back end of the taste but they're definitely not overpowering at all. Well balanced, spot on. Can tell a mild mannered auto sparky brewed this


----------



## rokaxe (16/8/15)

Thanks for the kind words, Meno! I'm very proud of this one.

All these beers have been top tier fellas. Well done to all so far.


----------



## Natdene (16/8/15)

Number 4, no underline - really enjoyed this one last night, so tasty just got better and better as it warmed up


----------



## Adr_0 (16/8/15)

Had a swig of number 12 - natdene's black IPA

I told myself I wouldn't do a Tony Abbott for this beer - because it has skills, feelings and value but is not Caucasian like a pale ale - so I put my racial prejudices aside and had a go.

Looks good, smooth, creamy tan head. Dark... nice red higlights. Smells like fresh pine, with a touch of resin and grapefruit.

It's a dry beer, with a nice bitterness, and when it's cold I'm surprised that there is no chocolate (good) and the roast is pretty subtle - it blends in really well with the hop bitterness. Really faint aftertaste of chocolate and roast though, bit of slight coarse wood. It's dry but there's still a slight nutty sweetness. As it warms, the roast comes through a bit more but is still matched nicely with the bitterness.

Overall it's very good. Some black IPA's - and this is probably why I don't normally like them - have the fruit too forward which doesn't match that well with the darker malts, and they're often too thick. So I think you've done well to keep it dry, with nice solid bitterness and keep the grapefruit and choc/roast very subtle. Really good actually, good job.


----------



## fattox (17/8/15)

First beer of the evening was Natdene's black IPA. Nice beer, dark malts aren't too forward but I think I'm used to more hop in a black IPA. Tastes great but I will let it sit while I do the washing up and see what some warmth does


----------



## Adr_0 (17/8/15)

Had a 4 - underlined. There was a big line across the bottom so no mistaking the underline. Is this cold, hot, wet or dry steeped? I can't remember.

Looks like a stout.

Smells like a strong coffee.

Tastes... blissful. Amazing. I actually laughed at how good it is. Got through about 640mL and after half an hour thought I should give some to the wife. "What's that?" "Coffee stout" I said, and gave her some. "Wow, jesus..." and after another sip, "Wow..." then reluctantly gave it back to me. I had some more, then she took it again and left about 3 drops. So I think she was a fan.

10/10 - amazing.

Pic:


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## fattox (17/8/15)

After letting it warm up a bit more hop came through. This was actually quite enjoyable. Solid effort!


----------



## madpierre06 (17/8/15)

Adr_0 said:


> Had a 4 - underlined. There was a big line across the bottom so no mistaking the underline. Is this cold, hot, wet or dry steeped? I can't remember.
> 
> Looks like a stout.
> 
> ...



Thanks mate, appreciate the awesome feedback, I'm blown away by how this beer has come up going on the comments so far, eh. You have (had) the one with addition of cold steeped coffee added prior to bottling. I am really going to havw to do this one again, I've got 4 bottles sitting here, first one will be opened on saturday night when I get back.

Quick question, how long will these likely age for without losing their yumminess?

Here is the recipe, happy to share.

*Coffee Imperial Stout 23L Batch*

B.B. Pale Malt 4.700kg

B.B. Crystal Malt 1.200kg

B.B. Wheat Malt 0.840kg

Voy. Buloke Choc Malt 0.720kg

B.B. Roasted Barley 0.240kg

Bairds Black Malt 0.240kg


Nthn Brewer Hops 84gm [email protected]

Cascade 50gm finishing for 5mins post boil


WLP007 Dry English Ale
Danstar Nottingham


Mash @ 65C 1 Hr, then mash off at 77C and begin lautering.
Sparge to 30L wort, boil 70mins

[email protected]

Aiming for 1.069, achieved 1.064
F.G. was 1.016

Then split the batch for coffee additions, half was 30gm fresh roast whole bean added at end of primary, soak for 18hrs prior to bottling. Other batch had 12hrs cold steeped and filtered coarse ground (27gm in 250ml) coffee from same roast batch added direct to fermenter. Initial taste of both prior to pitching....the whole bean batch was a tad sweeter and smoother, the steeped was a little drier in keeping with the taste of cold steeped coffee.

Interestingly, I completely missed the mash out step and my efficiency was down due to some equipment trickery (was first brew on my 3V set up). Not complaining though.


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## fattox (18/8/15)

Tonight's first study beer - Luggy's Irish ale. 

Looks - good, deep deep red. Good head that stays around as long as it needs to. Nice haze.

Smells - like a great example of an Irish ale.

Taste - good. Very nice and simple beer, as noted in your grain bill. Thoroughly enjoyable, good mouthfeel and great taste. Probably one of the best home examples I've had of the style.

Overall - it needs a little while to warm to the right temperature but once it's there, it's quite content to become delicious. Great effort mate


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## menoetes (19/8/15)

*21. Radshoes - Vanilla Mocha Porter* *RED 21*

*



*

Wow, what a great beer!

The bottle opens with a satisfying hiss and pours with a deep tan head. My nose is blocked atm so it's hard to pin down an aroma but the flavour makes up for all if not at all what I expected...

It fills my mouth with a sweet tart flavor of rich dark malt and mild/moderate herbal/citrus-y hoppiness. The bitterness is crazy smooth and the flavour is a mouthwatering. The body is thinner than I expected; more like an irish ale than a traditional porter but I'm not complaining. It's well carbed and coats my palate leaving a slight tart sourness in it's wake. Don't misunderstand me, the sourness isn't dominant but just a hint at the end that I'm enjoying the hell out of! 

I'm sorry my notes aren't more detailed but I'm fighting the aftermath of a flu and it's dulled my already blunt senses. I will say, truthfully, that I really wish I had a couple more bottles of this one and I'm not a regular dark beer drinker ...but I'm seriously salivating for the next mouthful between sips :icon_drool2: 

Cheers for the drink sir!


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## menoetes (20/8/15)

*2. Ciderman - Red Rye IPA 6.5% 66IBU*






It's late and I'm quite tired so I'll be brief (sorry Ciderman).

The bottle opens with a faint hiss and pours with little head, I fear it's a bit under-carbed. It's clarity is fairly murky and the aroma is subtle, mainly rye as far as I can tell with faint floral tones. I had hoped for more of a nose in an IPA but I'm not disheartened though - the taste is what it's all about.

The first thing to hit my tongue is sweetness tempered by mildly fruity hoppiness. Then the bitterness which is smooth and well engineered leaving me with a nice smooth aftertaste. The body is full and rich, quite enjoyable and overall I find this to be a well balanced beer in flavour and mouthfeel, though I might have wished for more carbonation and aroma.

It's still an adventurous and enjoyable brew though, balancing such high ABV and bitterness has to be challenging and I think you nailed that important part of it.

Cheers for the beer sir!


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## fattox (20/8/15)

Last night - a number 4 with an underline. Pretty much what everyone has been saying about this. Bloody brilliant. Wish I had more


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## fattox (20/8/15)

Tonight - Adro's English IPA. Very good. Clean bitterness and nice malt character


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## luggy (20/8/15)

fattox said:


> Tonight's first study beer - Luggy's Irish ale.
> 
> Looks - good, deep deep red. Good head that stays around as long as it needs to. Nice haze.
> 
> ...


Thanks mate, second time ive brewed this glad everyones enjoying it


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## Liam_snorkel (20/8/15)

16. (11/07) Benken25 - rice lager with lemongrass and black pepper

Clear golden colour with thick white head. Initial aroma was a little bit tooheys new, tastes of finely ground peppery lemony dry beer, maybe a bit soapy. Balanced though. Aroma cleans up and swings towards pepper as I get to the end of the glass. Head retention is excellent. Nice beer, wish I'd cracked it on a hot sunny afternoon


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## madpierre06 (23/8/15)

fattox said:


> Last night - a number 4 with an underline. Pretty much what everyone has been saying about this. Bloody brilliant. Wish I had more


Got back last night, have since had one of the underlined and one of the straight' 4's. The '4' is an easier, very sessionable beer but obviously very dangerous drop being at around the 7% ABV mark, wgile the underlined version was a very potent feeling and tasting brew where the strength and body of the thing was quite powerful. I'll be doing the underlined version again, I loved the 'feel' and taste of this. As it warmed. the alcohol 'heat' was more pronounced also.


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## Radshoes (23/8/15)

I had a no underline 4 last night - as it warmed up it was almost like drinking a cold black coffee.
Follwed it up with an 8 wired flat white.
still fell asleep watching true detective!


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## madpierre06 (23/8/15)

Is that down to the show, or the beer :lol:


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## Radshoes (23/8/15)

down to extra long days.


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## Adr_0 (23/8/15)

Having Beersuit's Gladfields Blonde.

Pours great, great golden colour, very clear and compact head. Carbonation is a touch low but that's fine.

Smells... bit of cooked corn. There is clove/spice behind there but when cold it's subtle. Taste, there is a lot of cooked corn again in the flavour unfortunately. There is cereal there which is good, but not really a sweet cereal more of a cooked corny cereal. There is spicy clove and fruit there - apricot and citrus - which is nice. Bitterness and finish is a little bitey... think the DMS doesn't help.

What was your boiloff percentage, and how long did you boil? Pils malt is notorious for it and Gladfields may be the same or worse than the other maltsters. Either way, you have to boil the crap out of pilsner malt.


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## Beersuit (24/8/15)

Sorry to hear that. It was a 90 minute boil in a 20l braumiester I know the boil off on it is notoriously low but have never detected it in any beers. 

Has anyone else noticed any DMS in my beer? 

I'm just a little concerned that their Pilsner malts might not be as fully modified as they make out to be.


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## fattox (25/8/15)

I didn't notice any really. The flavours I got were pretty well spice and a hint of citrus. Couldn't pick any corn


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## fattox (25/8/15)

Angus' raisin porter.

It's probably because it's cold but I don't get a ton of raisin - that's a good thing though. The balance is good at what I'm tasting, enjoyable. Very good porter base with just a touch of the raisin. Pours well, keeps a good head, colour is lovely.


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## angus_grant (25/8/15)

I've still got yours to go Beersuit. Mine will have been in the bottle same amount of time as Adr_0's.

I'll put up a review over the weekend.


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## Beersuit (25/8/15)

Cheers Angus. Being a relatively new malting company it would be nice to get as much feedback both good and bad.


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## angus_grant (27/8/15)

#3 Martin Potter's mad Russian imperial stout 
(bourbon barrel aged)
I have no words.


----------



## angus_grant (27/8/15)

Same beer 10 mins later. Rock solid head.


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## madpierre06 (28/8/15)

Got a couple late'ish reviews, they might be a tad compromised due to consuming half a bottle of my Coffee RIS, a glass of a trippel dunkel, and the equivalent of about 4 nips of single malt whiskey, a couple of which were sitting on 60%, prior to having these.

*(18/07) *Lukiferj - Dark Rye Saison - bottled 27 June so will need a few weeks at least

Really enjoyed thia one, I like my saisons although this wasn't as sessionable as some, one or two bottles would be lovely to sit down and sup on though. Maybe the 'dark' and/or the 'rye' contributed to this. A beer I'd happily pay a quid or three for.

*(25/07) *Ballantyne - Yee Ipa 6.9% - bottled 1/7/15 - needs at least 3 weeks

Sorry mate, yours was first cab off the rank after the previously mentioned drinkies (you can blame Ciderman for dropping over), but I recall a beer that was most enjoyable. That's all I recall :lol: 

Aydos' and Rokaxe's drops on the agenda this evening.


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## madpierre06 (29/8/15)

*22. Aydos' Dark Rye IPA*

Loved it. If I buy beers I try and do mixed bags, and this would be on permanent rotation. A beautiful golden brown in the glass with the light behind it, really enjoyed the hoppiness of this. Sinuses were a bit blocky last night, but I think I detected some citrus(y) armoa? A fantastic dark tan head that stayed all the way to completion.

I've come to understand that my senses are more in tune to flavours/notes etc in the heavier beer styles rather than the lightert ones, so I can't give much more with this one.


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## angus_grant (29/8/15)

#1 Perry's biére De Noel. 

Fan ******* tastic!!!!

Featuring my sisters partner in the background who is not a beer nerd. He says very well done.


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## madpierre06 (30/8/15)

On the horns of a dilemma. Bear in mind I have a slightly crazy habit of leaving what I perceive to be a favourite taste until last, then having trouble bringing myself to drink/eat/use it as I'll have none left (I put it down to my Aspergers). I've got Luggy's Irish Ale, Perry's Biere etc, HBHB's RIS, and fattox's dark imperial lager which is down as being drinkable on 26/12 and I wish to hang on to Perry and HBHB's brews to finish off my swap beers. My question is, does the imperial lager need that long to be at it's best, it's not a style I've heard of.


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## Beersuit (31/8/15)

I was talking to Fattox the other day about it and he said he cracked one and it was still fairly boozy. I would hold on to it for a while .


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## fattox (1/9/15)

Yeah I had one of my leftovers. It's got some booze but it's not what I expected. Still a nice beer but the alcohol could benefit from another few weeks or so. Some of the guys on Facebook beer thread may have tried it yet though, I enjoyed it


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## fattox (1/9/15)

Aydos dark rye IPA - nice hop aroma, not overpowering. Pours well, some head but it doesn't hang about. Colour is lovely, deep black. Tastes good - exactly what I'd expect a dark rye IPA to taste like. Hoppy with some dark malt background, I do get the rye (which is great, I love rye in beers). Solid effort, very enjoyable


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## HBHB (1/9/15)

Just had Luggy's Irish and thoroughly enjoyed it followed by Liam's Big Ol Porter which has me searching back through recipes for a porter for Autumn. Well done to both.


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## HBHB (1/9/15)

Next one will be pale and sour for the Christmas swap.......and possibly not sufficient octane to run a race car.


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## angus_grant (1/9/15)

I might do a re-brew of my first swap beer, a dunkel weizen, for summer swap. Am going to brew it a few times over the next few months to sort out the recipe.

I'm thinking a tripel for next winter swap. I used a pet bottle in my last batch just bottled 1 week ago so will see how it ages in the plastic.


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## Liam_snorkel (1/9/15)

Not sure what I'll knock out for the xmas swap, need to get my brewing skates back on. Maybe something bretty


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## Liam_snorkel (2/9/15)

angus_grant said:


> I might do a re-brew of my first swap beer, a dunkel weizen, for summer swap. Am going to brew it a few times over the next few months to sort out the recipe.
> 
> I'm thinking a tripel for next winter swap. I used a pet bottle in my last batch just bottled 1 week ago so will see how it ages in the plastic.


Why don't you mix it up a little and try a Scottish ale?


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## madpierre06 (2/9/15)

*7. Luggy's Irish Ale*

Loved it. This is a perfect winter drop, enjoyed the lovely bold flavours and a beautiful smooth warmth spreading through my belly. Not a style I've been familiar with, one to add to the list.


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## luggy (2/9/15)

Thanks mate glad you enjoyed it


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## winkle (2/9/15)

Liam_snorkel said:


> Not sure what I'll knock out for the xmas swap, need to get my brewing skates back on. Maybe something bretty


I might do a bretty Acerola Tarwe.


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## lukiferj (2/9/15)

winkle said:


> I might do a bretty Acerola Tarwe.


Drinking the unbretted version right now!


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## angus_grant (2/9/15)

Liam_snorkel said:


> Why don't you mix it up a little and try a Scottish ale?


You're not my real brewing dad!!

Although brewing a Scottish ale would fit in with all my previous swap beers. In that I haven't brewed one before.


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## rokaxe (2/9/15)

angus_grant said:


> You're not my real brewing dad!!
> 
> Although brewing a Scottish ale would fit in with all my previous swap beers. In that I haven't brewed one before.


This pretty much fits in with everything tbh. In that you haven't brewed anything but tripels.


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## winkle (3/9/15)

Now I've pencilled in the Acerola Tarwe for the Xmas swap, I'll be rebrewing a Gose in the next week or two - so its possible you might get a version of that. Hmmm, salty sourness,,,,


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## fattox (4/9/15)

I think my summer swap might be a cheeky Bo Pilsner. I've got a vial of the yeast bay hessian pils to try out soon and will run batch no. 2 as my swap beer


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## bradsbrew (4/9/15)

winkle said:


> Now I've pencilled in the Acerola Tarwe for the Xmas swap, I'll be rebrewing a Gose in the next week or two - so its possible you might get a version of that. Hmmm, salty sourness,,,,


So where and when is the chrissy swap?


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## Liam_snorkel (4/9/15)

Didn't Ben put his hand up to host it at the farm?


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## angus_grant (4/9/15)

Aren't we all turning up at Ben's regardless?


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## lukiferj (4/9/15)

There will be nowhere to sit because Ben has burnt all his furniture.


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## angus_grant (4/9/15)

Well played Lukifer my good man!!


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## fattox (4/9/15)

No. 14 - rokaxe's IRA - not a bad drop. Good bitterness, maybe a touch over the top but it's a solid beer overall.


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## fattox (4/9/15)

BYO couch, no promises you're taking it home


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## rokaxe (4/9/15)

I recently had Red Hill's new Red IPA which reminded me heaps of my beer. Very similar so therefore Red Hill owe me for ripping off my recipe da cunce.


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## madpierre06 (5/9/15)

angus_grant said:


> #1 Perry's biére De Noel.
> 
> Fan ******* tastic!!!!
> 
> ...



I second this entirely!!!!! My experience zigackly ('cepting the brother in law bit), I'd had a cleanser after mowing the yard this arvo, this was perfect to just sit and enjoy while listening to some music under the hiouse. The first glass was the best, after opening the amount poured into the glas was repalced by increased carbonation which seemed to stir up what was still in the bottle.

Perry , I love what you do with your sours, awesome beer mate. Do you need extra equipmwnt, does beer need to sit in fermenter for longer, etc etc.....I'm keen to try my own sours if yours are any indication.


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## winkle (6/9/15)

madpierre06 said:


> I second this entirely!!!!! My experience zigackly ('cepting the brother in law bit), I'd had a cleanser after mowing the yard this arvo, this was perfect to just sit and enjoy while listening to some music under the hiouse. The first glass was the best, after opening the amount poured into the glas was repalced by increased carbonation which seemed to stir up what was still in the bottle.
> 
> Perry , I love what you do with your sours, awesome beer mate. Do you need extra equipmwnt, does beer need to sit in fermenter for longer, etc etc.....I'm keen to try my own sours if yours are any indication.


I'll give you a yell when I put down a gose on Thurs/Fri next week if you want to see that. I'd advise burping the bottle first, then dispensing it into a jug - (its just the way this yeast seems to work in concert with 3711). No extra equipment needed, just have to work with the yeast(s) and (hopefully) know what they are going to do.


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## winkle (6/9/15)

#5 Big Ol Brown Porter.
I'm a sucker for a Brown, and this didn't dissapoint. Ticked all the boxes for me Liam.
#16 Lemongrass/Pepper/Rice Lager.
I picked up a trace of the lemongrass and a decent whack of pepper in this lager. Quite thin bodied (as you expect) and quite clean, except for a slight vegetative note in the finish, probably caused by the lemongrass, that I suspect wouldn't have been there had I drunk this a bit earlier. Was great being the first beer after work.


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## Ciderman (6/9/15)

winkle said:


> I'll give you a yell when I put down a gose on Thurs/Fri next week if you want to see that. I'd advise burping the bottle first, then dispensing it into a jug - (its just the way this yeast seems to work in concert with 3711). No extra equipment needed, just have to work with the yeast(s) and (hopefully) know what they are going to do.


I had this last night. Fantastic beer. I have to say it looked like a glass of Brisbane Rivers finest but the taste was extraordinary. Im curious, when did you actually make this beer? Good to taste something new and left of field.


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## winkle (6/9/15)

1/6/2015 after a 10 day ferment.


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## winkle (6/9/15)

#8 Harrys' Mocha Stout
Good beer Harry, couldn't believe it is 7%, smooth coffee flavour , low carbonation, super easy to drink.


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## madpierre06 (6/9/15)

winkle said:


> I'll give you a yell when I put down a gose on Thurs/Fri next week if you want to see that. I'd advise burping the bottle first, then dispensing it into a jug - (its just the way this yeast seems to work in concert with 3711). No extra equipment needed, just have to work with the yeast(s) and (hopefully) know what they are going to do.


Lol...it's been that long since I had to decant I forgot about it as an option. I do have thursday available this week, am working Friday so if you go with thursday would love to come down mate. Let me know. Thanks for the inbfo, when I can I'm going to have a burl at one of these.


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## HBHB (7/9/15)

17. Brewkid's Oatmeal Stout.

Had this among a "few" others last night when the youngest payed a surprise visit for Fathers Day.

Straight up, it poured with very low carbonation. Slight head that didn't linger much. Really nice coffee aroma and a little chocolate. Very pleasant. A tad thinner than I expected, but overall a very enjoyable and totally sessionable stout.


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## madpierre06 (9/9/15)

*3. HBHB - Mad Russian Imperial Stout*

What a serious beer!!! An hour and forty minutes sitting on this beauty. Nowt more can be said!!!


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## winkle (9/9/15)

madpierre06 said:


> Lol...it's been that long since I had to decant I forgot about it as an option. I do have thursday available this week, am working Friday so if you go with thursday would love to come down mate. Let me know. Thanks for the inbfo, when I can I'm going to have a burl at one of these.


Meh, it'll probably be Friday since I've got to get gas, grain and probably beer from work on Thurs. Might have Matins RIS after work tonight...


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## madpierre06 (9/9/15)

winkle said:


> Meh, it'll probably be Friday since I've got to get gas, grain and probably beer from work on Thurs.


All good mate, we'll sync it on of these days....


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## winkle (10/9/15)

madpierre06 said:


> All good mate, we'll sync it on of these days....


Cool, and we must have a few beers at Too Zero (or whatever its called) soon as well, I'll brew a batch of Saison using 3031 then rebrew the BdN with a slurry from it or the original combo - so probably 3 weeks - Thursdays are best for you?


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## madpierre06 (10/9/15)

winkle said:


> Cool, and we must have a few beers at Too Zero (or whatever its called) soon as well, I'll brew a batch of Saison using 3031 then rebrew the BdN with a slurry from it or the original combo - so probably 3 weeks - Thursdays are best for you?


Yeah, thursdays are best at the moment. Damn, that's a lineup and a half of beers in your signature. I'd be lucky to brew that much in three years.


----------



## Liam_snorkel (11/9/15)

9. Meno - Kiwi Bright Ale Give it one week
I gave it one week. And then quite a few more. Don't worry it's been in the fridge for the last month. 
Pours clear with slight hop haze fluffy white head. Aroma faint zesty-lemon, tastes of clean malt and hop presence similar to the aroma maybe some melon.. or I could just be imagining things. Low bitterness just enough to balance the beer, head retention & lacing down the glass. 
Well made smashable beer Luke good stuff, exactly what I needed after a tiring week!


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## winkle (12/9/15)

Mad Pierre, this beer is damm good. Helps that the Broncos won while drinking it, Next is Martins RIS report to be done tomorrow (afternoon probably)...


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## madpierre06 (13/9/15)

winkle said:


> Mad Pierre, this beer is damm good. Helps that the Broncos won while drinking it, Next is Martins RIS report to be done tomorrow (afternoon probably)...


Thanks Perry...which one did you have, underlined or normal 4?


----------



## winkle (14/9/15)

Underlined Pierre.
Matins RIS, big, bold and beautiful - really good head retention. Well intergrated flavours, chocolate, light toast, chewy malt and a hint of honey. Responsible for me missing half of the football game I was watching.


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## madpierre06 (14/9/15)

winkle said:


> Underlined Pierre.
> Matins RIS, big, bold and beautiful - really good head retention. Well intergrated flavours, chocolate, light toast, chewy malt and a hint of honey. Responsible for me missing half of the football game I was watching.


Yeah, was gonna warn ya about Martin's [emoji1] Mine was the cold steeped one which was my favourite of the split batch. It had more body, to me.


----------



## Ciderman (14/9/15)

So I had both of the number 4's yesterday side by side. The underlined beer was big on coffee flavour and quite frankly, delicious! The standard number four was much more restrained and I probably didn't appreciate it as much given the comparison. Both very good beers. Can you remind me which one was which again?


----------



## madpierre06 (14/9/15)

Cheers Craig, the underlined was the one with addition of cold steeped just prior to bottling.


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## Ciderman (14/9/15)

It particularly hit the spot late yesterday afternoon as I was fading after a 3 day bender. As a lover of coffee and beer, it's certainly the best I've ever had.


----------



## HBHB (14/9/15)

Warning labels already printed for the next winter swap beer. Promise something smaller for the Christmas swap


----------



## Liam_snorkel (20/9/15)

19. (26/12) Fattox - imperial dark lager

I didn't want to wait until December. Rich malty & smooth, bloody good gear Matt.


----------



## seehuusen (22/9/15)

^^^ I ended up doing the same, really nice beer mate. I felt like there might have been hints of pepper in there, is that a common taste note for that yeast variety? I've never had it before


----------



## Adr_0 (27/9/15)

Had a couple more of the case swap beers over the last week

Yee IPA:



Had this one a few nights before. Looks awesome, great fluffy persistent head. Smells of strong wood, blackberry, some heavier alcohols and some really light citrus.
Taste is light on the malt and has a coarse, woody bitterness. Carbonation is good, but the after-taste is harsh wood and a little blackberry. Reminds me a bit of a Pacific Gem IPA I did about 10 years ago. Bit more malt would be good but also toning down the hop you have used and throwing a couple of others in as overall it's just a bit harsh sorry. 

Had a very disappointing commercial lager last night, so was in the mood for something a little more stout:


My wife liked it, said "That's the best flavour of all of them. Wow! Outstanding". Not a good wife, she was meant to call mine the best, but anyway...
Smell is nice, of light citrus, very faint wood and a nice mix of alcohol/rumminess.
Taste... jesus. Actually bright and roasty on the front, then bursting with prunes, malty body in the middle and dripping with dark fruits, toffee, chocolate, bitterness and a beautiful complex cocktail of rummy fruits to finish. In-flipping-credible. There is a bit of citrus in the 'early' finish as well, which gives you an idea of just how much depth this son-bitch has. Incredible, really blown away. And very drinkable... for 10.5%
If you hadn't guessed, this is Martin's RIS. Top marks, really really impressive.


----------



## seehuusen (28/9/15)

Just thought I'd mention that I spun up the last third of Fattox's beer on the stirplate in 500ml of wort h34r:
Lots of yeasties already, so I added another 500ml wort today.
I'll crash chill and harvest that lot to try out some sort of Franconian Swartzbeer at a later stage 

Will be hunting for recipes sometime soon, thanks for the heads up on the yeast mate :kooi:


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## Ciderman (12/11/15)

Drinking fattox imperial dark lager now. Was saving it but needed a pet to clean the beer lines and that's all I could find! Incredible beer really. Has the smell of an imperial stout but it's super smooth. Plenty of malt but being a lager I suppose, it's very easy to drink.


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## Adr_0 (14/11/15)

Had the last couple over the last week. Sad I'm not in on the Xmas case swap but maybe next Xmas (July):

Perry's Bier de Noel:

Smooth creamy head, really really dark cloudy brown. Clove, chocolate, some fruit and spice on the nose, and tastes of spice with a nice bitter, dry, funky flavour and some pine/citrus from the hops. Smooth chocolate comes through more as it warms up with a great but subtle tang/bitterness. Great beer.

Fattox's Imperial Dark Lager:

Looks great, dark and nice thick tight head. Smells of chocolate, candy and pine/grapefruit hops. Taste was a bit full. It could have been a bit much body or could have been diacetyl, but don't think it was underattenuated. There were notes of fruit, chocolate and alcohols to go with the pine/grapefruit of the hops which was bitter at times, but I think the body/sweetness/diacetyl was too much for me. Could be wrong on the diacetyl but IMO took away from the beer a bit.


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## HBHB (31/12/15)

Had a rummage around the back of the bar fridge and came up with #4 Mad Pierre

Stunning coffee big arse stout. Well done.


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## madpierre06 (31/12/15)

HBHB said:


> Had a rummage around the back of the bar fridge and came up with #4 Mad Pierre
> 
> Stunning coffee big arse stout. Well done.


Bloody envious, would have/should have held onto at least one to let age. Got another batch in the FV right now, going to make sure it gets at least 5 months or so....will be bringing half a dozen to winter swap as well, I'm hoping.

Thanks for the feedback mate.


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## Radshoes (8/6/16)

Soooooooooooooooooooo

I still have a number 1, 3, 19 and 22!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Liam_snorkel (8/6/16)

all good beers! neck them in that order, go on you won't


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## Radshoes (8/6/16)

Nah I am on a semi self semi wife imposed mid week beer ban.


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## earle (8/6/16)

radshoes said:


> Soooooooooooooooooooo
> 
> I still have a number 1, 3, 19 and 22!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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