# 2008 Nsw Xmas Case Swap - Tasting Notes



## Josh (7/12/08)

This is the thread to post your tasting notes for the 2008 NSW Xmas Case Swap.

Well done to all after some gentle prodding. 28 cases arrived at Barls' yesterday.
:icon_cheers:


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## PostModern (7/12/08)

I'd like to start tasting a few of these. Can we update the wiki article with recommended tasting dates in place of the attending the swap or not info?
PS. thanks to everyone that made this happen, especially Barls the host, and the IBU bus for faithfully getting my case there and back.


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## Gulpa (7/12/08)

27. Matt n AJ - Chokesy Brown - Northern English Brown Ale - 4.8% - 4/11/08

This one looked like a good place to start. Nice brown/ruby colour. Aroma is malty and roasty. A slight sulphurey/yeasty note adds a bit of complexity. Low carb. Flavour is malt based, medium body, slightly fruity. Not much experience with english brown but it tastes like I would expect one to. Tasty beer. Nice way to start the case. Thanks MnAJ.

Cheers
Andrew


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## hewy (7/12/08)

Gulpa said:


> 27. Matt n AJ - Chokesy Brown - Northern English Brown Ale - 4.8% - 4/11/08
> 
> This one looked like a good place to start.



I went straight for the same beer...

Poured a nice brown maybe a bit lighter than I expected but looks delicious. Beer had a nice head to start with. Aroma is a little chocolatey. Beer tastes great not too roasty, I think there is a bit of sweetness lingering somewhere there. Seems to have a bit of a yeasty flavour, not sure what I am tasting there. Out of interest, which yeast did you use? It has definitely contributed something to the flavour.

Good beer mate

:icon_cheers:


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## maj (8/12/08)

hewy said:


> I went straight for the same beer...
> 
> Poured a nice brown maybe a bit lighter than I expected but looks delicious. Beer had a nice head to start with. Aroma is a little chocolatey. Beer tastes great not too roasty, I think there is a bit of sweetness lingering somewhere there. Seems to have a bit of a yeasty flavour, not sure what I am tasting there. Out of interest, which yeast did you use? It has definitely contributed something to the flavour.
> 
> ...



Cheers Guys!

The yeast I use was the WLP001 Cal. Ale. Infact I think I'll put the whole recipe here.
This Made about 24L

Chokesy Brown

Never posted a link before... See how i go... wow that was hard.. :unsure: 

Matt


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## Fatgodzilla (8/12/08)

7. DiscoStu's Dunkelweisen

A tad over carbed, but no bottle gush. Poured into my 500ml mug. Got half a glass of froth. Left for a few minutes, it settled down to a nice lacy head. Nice taste. Enjoyable brew, happily poured a second glass and drunk while working. Good stuff Stu, happy to drink this one anytime.

FGZ


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## DiscoStu (9/12/08)

Thanks for the feedback, added recipe to DB. I'm sure there's things I can improve on but nice to know I'm on the right track


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## Muggus (9/12/08)

Beer number one seems fitting for the first tasting...

*1. Josh - Belgian Wit *
Date: 25/11/08
Beer info: Brown Coopers 750ml bottle 19/11 2008, white cap "1", Wyeast 3944 5.0%alc/vol

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in glass.
Opens with a convincing pop. Cloudy straw body with white foam that doesn't seem to wanna hang around.
Aroma reminds me of a freshly squeezed lemon straightup. Some floury wheatiness and subtle spice in the background.
Carbonation is subdued, reasonably lean bodied, everso slightly dry with a nice bit of citric acidity.
Lemon juice seems to be the bulk on whats going on. Yet the sharp edges have been taken off and you're left with a bit of vanilla maltiness and faint earthy clove, turning this into a very easy going beer. Bitterness low, finishes with a grainy dryness.
One hell of a summer quaffer, I constantly keep on having to remind myself i'm drinking beer and start to wonder why the hell i'm drinking this at 10:30 on a week night and not sitting back on an inflatable lounge floating in a pool on a hot summers day. Nice stuff either way Josh! I'm interested to know what you put in it though!


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## Gulpa (9/12/08)

7. DiscoStu's Dunkelweisen

Poured with a big fluffy head. No gush. Dark. Aroma is that yeasty/wheaty aroma. Light body. Very smooth taste with an almost ginger spice to it - it took me a while to put my finger on it. Very quaffable for a dark beer. Nice job Disco. Could possibly do with a bit more body.

Is this your first AG (your sig says AG#1)?

cheers
Andrew.


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## Gulpa (9/12/08)

5. nifty - English Pale Ale 5.2% Wlp023,

Pours clear gold with a head that falls down to thin persistent. Complex aroma of malt, hops and yeast. Low carb. Flavour seems malt dominant but the hops come through at the end, slightly fruity. Medium body. Smooth bitterness. Very nice beer Nifty. Thanks.

Regards
Andrew.


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## Muggus (9/12/08)

*Brew: 24. Hewy - Hefeweizen*
Date: 9/12/08
Beer info: Brown twisttop 750ml bottle, Coopers cap "10", 50% wheat, 50% pale with 3068 yeast

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in weizen glass.
Nice pop upon opening. Pours a sizeable white foam atop a lively looking orange-gold body that gains a bit of haze when the yeast is rousted.
Typical hefeweizen nose, leaning more towards the spicy side; clove, vanilla, cinamon earthiness, some bread, some grassiness, touch of sultana-like and apricot-like dried fruit with any banana being nothing more than an afterthought. 
Lively carbonation lending some creaminess to the palate, moderately full body, a bit of wheaty dryness and tartness linger.
Doughy malt body, bit of vanilla along with clove-like phenols. Ripe fruit flavours come through with a bit of warmth, apricot, pear, banana. Smooth finish, low bitterness, lingering dryness on the tongue.
A nice hefe Hewy! Certainly hits the spot. Cheers!


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## Muggus (9/12/08)

*Brew: 7. DiscoStu - Dunkelweizen *
Date: 9/12/08
Beer info: Brown twisttop 750ml bottle with label, white cap "7", 5bottled 5/10/08, 5.21%

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in weizen glass.
Loud pop upon opening, no gushing luckily. Pours a big pillowy offwhite head that hangs around, atop a deep tanned body. Slight haze with yeast rousting resulting in a milk chocolate body.
Faint roasted malt on the nose, touch of bread and earthy spice, nothing really stands out though.
Carbonation is quite high, reasonably smooth, slight wheat and roasted malt acidity on the tongue. Body is a bit on the lean side.
Malty body, get some nice grainy chocolate malt flavours, bit of smokey roastiness and sweet nuttiness. Yeasty finish, bread in particular, some clove-like spice, with an underlying gritty leafy earthiness that lingers. Bitterness is reasonably low, possibly slightly metallic!? Dunno...
Tends to open up a bit more with warmth and more yeast in suspension, spicier in a good way. Anyhow, seems like more of an drinking dunkelwiezen than a thinking one. Very easy drinking and tasty, thanks DiscoStu.

Out of interest, what temps did you ferment this at?


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## white.grant (10/12/08)

*No. 7 Discostu's Dunkelweizen*

Tasting notes 8/12/08

Appearance: Pop! Poured into three weizen glasses to minimise the head and allowed to warm slightly, Strong foam stand that lasts, deep caramel colour -- looking delicious
Aroma: Biased to clove
Flavour: Subtle phenols biased to Clove, a bit of carb bite and something that I'll describe as a "house flavour" or as Muggus put it a slight metallic note possibly?
Overall: Good appearance, clove dominant on subtle phenols. 

*No. 27. Matt n' AJ's Choksey's Brown *

Tasting notes 8/12/08

Appearance: No pop, poured virgorously into nonic, short lived weak head, nice mahogany colour
Aroma: Neutral, some malt sweetness
Flavour: Caramel dominant and subtle roasty malt sweetness, no carb, some diacetyl (black ants),
Overall: Flat  , so comes across a bit too sweet


cheers

grant


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## DiscoStu (10/12/08)

Muggus said:


> *Brew: 7. DiscoStu - Dunkelweizen *
> Out of interest, what temps did you ferment this at?



Fermented between 21-22 degrees with WB-06 dry yeast, had trouble keeping the temp down around 20 due to hot weather at the time

Cheers

Stu


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## DiscoStu (10/12/08)

Gulpa said:


> Is this your first AG (your sig says AG#1)?



This one was AG#2, my first go I lost about 5litres of the first runnings into the kettle as the tap was slightly cracked, ended up dilluting to down to get the batch size and it came out at about 4.2% ABV, nice session beer for home but I wasn't prepared to submit it.

2nd attempt using the same recipe with the only change being from Danstar Munich to Safbrew WB-06 yeast as my LHBS was out of Munich when I bought everything.

Cheers

Stu


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## Fatgodzilla (10/12/08)

DiscoStu said:


> This one was AG#2, my first go I lost about 5litres of the first runnings into the kettle as the tap was slightly cracked, ended up dilluting to down to get the batch size and it came out at about 4.2% ABV, nice session beer for home but I wasn't prepared to submit it.
> 
> 2nd attempt using the same recipe with the only change being from Danstar Munich to Safbrew WB-06 yeast as my LHBS was out of Munich when I bought everything.
> 
> ...




My best ever wheat beer I used the Danstar Munich. I've got a packet in the fridge waiting for cooler temps (really waiting till I get off my arse and connect the fridgemate temp controller). You don't hear it spoken about a lot and is often ignored when people talk about wheat yeasts.

Stu, the general comment for the few who have tried is that the beer is a little lacking in genuine dunkel weisen qualities but remains a good drinking brew. In fact its a very bloody good effort for your second AG and you should feel mighty proud about it. Its the sort of brew you should try again at a lower fermenting temperature to see how much dufferent it might taste. If you do, and it's better in your opinion, update your recipe notes. In years to come, you'll get a buzz when they say they are brewing "Disco Stu's Dunkel Weizen" !


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## Gulpa (10/12/08)

DiscoStu said:


> This one was AG#2, my first go I lost about 5litres of the first runnings into the kettle as the tap was slightly cracked, ended up dilluting to down to get the batch size and it came out at about 4.2% ABV, nice session beer for home but I wasn't prepared to submit it.
> 
> 2nd attempt using the same recipe with the only change being from Danstar Munich to Safbrew WB-06 yeast as my LHBS was out of Munich when I bought everything.
> 
> ...



Stellar effort for #2, Stu.

Cheers
Andrew.


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## Weizguy (10/12/08)

Bottle Bomb Alert

Oh, the shame! Potential bottle bombs.
One of my smaller bottles burst at bed time last night, so only the carpet got a taste of it.
I thought it was the possums under the house knocking stuff over again, but it was a Eurostubbie in the dining room. The other Eurostubbie is in the fridge and the two remaining PET bottles have been relieved of head pressure and placed on the cool environment I recommended to all case swappers.

These bottles were the last ones bottled after the case swap bottles were filled, so they may have had residual bulk priming sugar that settled to the bottom, or it may have been a single weak bottle. The bottom of the bottle came off quite clean, and the top of the bottle was intact and just fell over. There was still some beer in it, but I chucked it.

The yeast gave me 70 attenuation and was from a new smackpack, so it should have been OK.

Anyway, I'll sample the beer in the fridge tomorrow and let you all know what I think has happened and if it's OK to drink. Then I might have to wash it down with a yucky Bretty bottle of Murray's Anniversary Ale III.

Heads up, guys.
Les

* Edit - Wiki updated too. Just be careful, and pop it in the fridge if it's in a warm spot now. Please!


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## schooey (10/12/08)

One of yours in the cases I collected exploded too, Les. Last sunday night.


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## Weizguy (10/12/08)

schooey said:


> One of yours in the cases I collected exploded too, Les. Last sunday night.


May it rest in pieces.
Frickin' thin wall bottles. Didn't have time to scout and clean the good bottles.
Sounds like that was my bottle that's gone. Get yours into the fridge, and maybe release some pressure when cold.


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## PostModern (10/12/08)

I love all the bottle bombs and gushers in the case swaps. Shows what a professional bunch of brewers we are


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## Muggus (11/12/08)

*Brew: Matt n AJ - Chokesy Brown - Northern English Brown Ale *
Date: 11/12/08
Beer info: Brown crownseal 750ml bottle , red cap "27", 4.8% bottled 4/11/08

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in glass.
Barely a whisper upon opening. Pours a cleanish mid-amber with a thin ring of offwhite foam.
Malt-driven aroma, quite subdued. Nutty, burnt toffee, cocoa, cola-sweetness, 
slight breadiness and a vinous note that I can't quite put my finger on.
Body has a decent fullness about it, carbonation is near-flat giving it a slightly syrupy texture. Dries out quite quickly, bitterness appears to be reasonably low.
Flavour leads on from the nose; crystal malt nuttiness, biscuity, slight roasted grain quality, cola-sweetness, some leafy/earthy hoppiness detectable. Finish reminds me of a dense bread like rye, drying and somewhat spicy.
Can never remember which English Brown ale is suppose to be the hoppy one, but i'm assuming it must be the Southern style. Nice malty ale Matt n AJ, just a shame about the carbonation. Maybe it needs some more bottle conditioning? I know some these sort of beers get better with a bit of age. Cheers.


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## white.grant (11/12/08)

PostModern said:


> I love all the bottle bombs and gushers in the case swaps. Shows what a professional bunch of brewers we are




At this point a gusher would be great.....

*24 (or 10 on lid) Hewy's Hefe (looking forward to this all day I might add)*

Tasting Notes 11/12

Cap fell off under gentle pressure to reveal a small piece of paper with H possibly a K written on it in texta. This had somehow been caught up between cap and bottle top.





Nevertheless, I poured the Hefe into my weizen glass, dead flat, some bubbles from agitation but no carb at all.
Appearance: despite the lack of foam appearance was good, nice colour and yeast suspension.
Aroma: Wonderful, precisely balanced esters/phenols moderate fruit and hint of clove. Nice...
Flavour: Good balance of flavours, wheat and malt in harmony with the yeast, but no carb.
Overall Impression: I am filthy :angry: , it tastes and smells like a great Hefeweizen but failed at the post to be drinkable. 

oh well...

grant


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## Gulpa (11/12/08)

*9. Grantw - Belgian Blonde Ale 7.9%, Bottled 10/10/08 Wyeast 1214*

Pours clear with a nice head but it disappears after a bit. Belgian type aroma with some underlying maltiness. Flavour is good, quite malty. A bit dryer than I was expecting, but thats good for me. Bitterness is strange, mostly at the front of the tongue (sorry Im so crap at describing Belgians). Im really quite enjoying this one, not like any blonde Ive had before with lots of stuff going on to enjoy. Thanks Grant. Good beer.

Cheers
Andrew.


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## Insight (11/12/08)

Grantw said:


> At this point a gusher would be great.....
> 
> *24 (or 10 on lid) Hewy's Hefe (looking forward to this all day I might add)*
> 
> ...



My #24 was flat too. Didn't notice any paper stuck under the bottlecap, but then I'm not one for details either


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## Muggus (11/12/08)

*Brew: 8. jonw - Nelson Sauvin Summer Ale. *
Date: 11/12/08
Beer info: Brown twisttop 750ml bottle Bottled 15/11/08. Gold cap marked '8'

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in glass.
Good pop. Pours a persistance creamy white head atop quite a clean golden body.
Aroma hits me straight away with hops; ripe tropical fruit, freshly mown grass, citrus and vinous Sav. Blanc.-like 'gooseberry' sweetness. Hint of grainy/cereal malt in the background.
Light bodied, moderate carbonation giving the body a creamy texture. Not too dry, slight metallic bitterness that but not in a harsh way.
Very nice hop character on the body; passionfruit, unripe nectarine, rockmelon, grapefruit, big hit of grass in there too. Malt takes backseat lending only a slight sweetness and cereal quality toward the end of the palate. Finish has a good linger bitterness at the top of the mouth, begging for another mouthful.
Bloody nice summer quaffer this one! Clean, crisp, easy-drinking with a excellent hop character and bitter finish. Thanks alot Jon!


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## PostModern (11/12/08)

*7. DiscoStu's Dunkelweisen*

Opened this one over the sink given the carbonation warning, but no gush. This made me happy. Started pouring slowly into my cooled glass jug. Filled to the brim with foam and no beer underneath for a good 5 mins, so I poured some more into a 500ml glass while the jug settled. Eventually got to the yeast with all the foamy beer in two vessels. Aroma at this stage was phenolic with a little bit of strong sour ester. As the foam settled, the aroma got more distinctly and deliciously phenolic.

Unfortunately the carbonation raised all the yeast from the bottle. I like my dunkels poured off the yeast, but oh, well, I'll survive . Beer is a dark brown/orange colour and has held quite some carbonation despite the massive head. Flavour is of caramel and phenols with a touch of roast. Nice. As the beer settles down, less carbon bite and the smoother it tastes.

Very nice beer, just a shame about the priming. Doesn't give the taster the opportunity to leave yeast behind.


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## Muggus (11/12/08)

*Brew: 20. Redbeard - Summer Wheat Ale*
Date: 11/12/08
Beer info: Brown twisttop 800ml bottle Gold cap '20'

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in glass.
Low pop. Pours a reasonably clear golden body with a small white cap.
Grainy malt nose, slight caramel/melanoidin-like sweetness about it but I could be talking out of my ass. Hops in the background, slight spicy grassiness...again, talking out of ass.
Carbonation is there, reasonably lively, body has a moderate malt richness to it yet still lean, slightly gritty drying texture that I generally associated with wheat malt is in there too.
Body starts with a buttery burnt caramel maltiness (diacetyl!?) with slight cereal character. Some hop character joins the show, a bit of leaf, bit of citrus, bit of spice, seems like a subtle English hopiness, the warmer it gets the more familiar it seems. Reasonably low bitterness to finish, slight hint of apple, drying out quite quickly.
Certainly a quaffer, wasn't sure what to expect actually! I convinced myself it was an English blond sort of ale, and it seems fitting enough. Anyway, enough of my ramblings, once this beer warmed to the occasion it was very enjoyable. Would make a killer cask ale. Cheers Redbeard!


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## white.grant (11/12/08)

*No 20 Redbeard Summer Wheat
*
BJCP style guides didn't help here so its all off the top of my head.

Opened bottle with a slight hiss poured agressively for a nice foam stand and rich honey colour.
Aroma: sweet and tart, green crisp hop -- plus a tart almost raspberry, green, earl grey tea perfume
Flavour: this is a complex beer and somehow confusing - sweet malt flavour, followed by tart fruit, could be hop, definitely not phenolic and can't place it. 
Overall: Not what I was expecting but really enjoyed it, particulary the summer fruit. Perhaps more carb? Thanks Redbeard, quite like it.


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## DiscoStu (12/12/08)

*Brew: No.3 Stuster - Flip-flop Saison*
10/12/08

Served chilled in a Belgian Glass

Aroma: Wonderful fruity aroma with some spicy notes and I think some floral hops aromas as well
Appearence: Crystal clear, golden colour with a thick creamy white head that persisted well
Flavour: Well balanced flavour, with fruity hops, some spicy characteristics and some light hops bitterness in the background

First time I've tasted this style and I found it a very refreshing beer to drink, could have easily knocked of another one.

Great beer, would love to see the recipe Stuster.


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## hewy (12/12/08)

Insight said:


> My #24 was flat too. Didn't notice any paper stuck under the bottlecap, but then I'm not one for details either




Sorry guys!

I bulk primed so would have expected all bottles to be equally primed?!?!?! Perhaps the ones I tried at home got all the priming sugar... mabye the dex wasnt fully dissolved.

Not sure what the paper is?!?!?! Just a lucky bonus I guess, extra fiber h34r: 

Anyway, anyone who is unhappy and out my way (Penrith) you are welcome to stop in for a beer from the keg. Have the same hefe on tap at the moment.

Cheers
Hewy


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## Stuster (12/12/08)

Glad you like it, Disco Stu.

I'll pop the recipe into the database sometime soon. A lot of the flavours come from the yeast anyway. I really like this yeast after using it twice now. It's quick, great citrus and funk flavours, and it's an amazing attenuator. Anyway, I'll put the recipe here now.


BeerSmith Recipe Printout - www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Xmas Case Saison

Batch Size: 35.50 L 
Boil Size: 42.02 L
Estimated OG: 1.048 SG
Estimated Color: 10.8 EBC
Estimated IBU: 33.4 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU 
5.50 kg Pilsner (Weyermann) (3.3 EBC) Grain 77.79 % 
1.00 kg Wheat Malt, Malt Craft (Joe White) (3.5 EBGrain 14.14 % 
0.27 kg Caramunich II (Weyermann) (124.1 EBC) Grain 3.82 % 
22.00 gm Northern Brewer [6.70 %] (60 min) Hops 10.4 IBU 
55.00 gm Fuggles [5.70 %] (60 min) Hops 22.1 IBU 
23.00 gm Saaz [2.20 %] (3 min) Hops 0.4 IBU 
14.00 gm Styrian Goldings [4.60 %] (3 min) Hops 0.5 IBU 
4.00 gm Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 min) Misc 
0.30 kg Sugar, Table (Sucrose) (2.0 EBC) Sugar 4.24 % 
2 Pkgs French Saison (Wyeast #3711) Yeast-Ale 

Mashed at 66C for 60 minutes. FG was 1002! This yeast is a monster.  


I had Nifty's English pale ale last night. A very nice beer, Nifty, really well balanced. I like that yeast and it seemed to go perfectly in this one. Not quite like the Fullers style ESB being a much lighter style, malts and hops, but much more drinkable on a summer night because of that. Have you posted the recipe yet?


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## PostModern (12/12/08)

hewy said:


> Sorry guys!
> 
> I bulk primed so would have expected all bottles to be equally primed?!?!?! Perhaps the ones I tried at home got all the priming sugar... mabye the dex wasnt fully dissolved.



I've just put your one in th fridge to try later tonight. Looks like the crown seal isn't all the way on. Perhaps some bottles have lost carb thru lack of seal? I'll find out tonight.


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## Muggus (12/12/08)

*Brew: 5. nifty - English Pale Ale*
Date: 11/12/08
Beer info: Brown crownseal 750ml bottle 5.2% Wlp023, bottled 2/11/08 Gold cap '5' og. 1.050 fg. 1.010

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in glass.
Opens with nice pop. Persistant creamy beige head leaving clumpy lace on the way down. Body is a clear copper with lively beading.
Hops seems to cut through first up on the nose, tad grassy, leafy and earthy without being overly coherent. Grainy malt in the backgroun, honeyish quality to it, bit of burnt toffee.
Nice carbonation, soft yet lively, perfect for the style. Smooth creamy texture, bitterness kicks in pretty quickly and doesn't let go for a good while afterwards.
Excellent balance on the body. Hops quite prominant; bitter orange marmalade, tea leaf, grapefruit rind, woody spice and grass, with a good hit of sweetening toffee-like malt in the background. Finishes with a solid bitter hit, lingering grass and dry bready note; very clean overall.
Very good bitter indeed. Definately my sort of beer; plenty of character yet well balanced with a good bitter kick to keep you interested. Great stuff Nifty, cheers!


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## PostModern (12/12/08)

*24 - Hewy's hefe *

Well this was a strange little creature. Cap opened with a fsss. Good, thought I, I have one of the carbonated ones. Poured into jug and it fizzed like a Berocca. The head lasted about as long as a Coke head tho. Interestinger and interestinger. Poured a glass and a foam formed. I thought it might have been the jug, but the foam collapsed in seconds in the glass as well.

Dark gold colour, I poured without yeast. Effervescent but no head to speak of. Slight aroma of solvent and phenols. Tastes of phenols and slightly fruity. Lots of carbonation on tongue and quite thin. Nice and refreshing after my pasta. Sorry, I don't know why there is no foam...


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## PostModern (12/12/08)

*9. Grantw - Belgian Blonde Ale*

Pours a bright gold with some yeast. Big carbonation. Nice head retention for the strength. A good cm of white foam atop a yeast hazed golden ale. Mmmm. Aroma of Belgian phenols and fruity esters, bit of malt and alcohol coming out there too. Can't say there's any pear in there, tho  Stewed fruit for sure. All the right signs coming out of this one.

Taste is nice and clean, with yeast character dominating. Slight warming sensation on the palate and those lovely lovely Belgy esters in the after-taste. Great balance of bitterness to malt, and a dry finish. (I was going to say "crisp" in there, but I just can't do it without laughing).

Really like this one, Grant. Cheers! :beer:

The Mrs reckons she could session on this beer, and that it hides the alcohol well. Recipe, please!


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## white.grant (13/12/08)

PostModern said:


> The Mrs reckons she could session on this beer, and that it hides the alcohol well. Recipe, please!



Thanks for the feedback PoMo, 


Its all in the yeast really, I love the WY1214 (cheers to Cortez for the sample :icon_cheers: ). 

I have put the recipe into the DB here . 

cheers

grant


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## kabooby (13/12/08)

Despite Les's advice I didn't put it in the fridge and it just went bomb in the garage. Looks like I also lost #23 in the crossfire.

If it's any consulation the beer did smell good Les.

Kabooby


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## PostModern (13/12/08)

Thanks for the warning. I've moved my #28 into the keg frigde and will sample it tonight. Would like to cellar it for 4 weeks, but I don't want to keep the volatile one for longer than I have to.


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## Stuster (13/12/08)

Yeah, thanks for the heads up on that one. In the fridge now, which is probably just as well with the weather back to hot today.

I had the other possible bottle bomb in the winter evening last night. DiscoStu's Dunkelweizen was certainly overcarbed, but not quite to gusher stage yet. Very pleasant, rich darker malt flavours, with a good level of bitterness for the style. It was perhaps a little sweet at the end, though that was nice for a winter sipper. What gravity did it finish at? It was missing the esters and phenols you'd really want from a dunkelweizen, which is probably down to the yeast. I've had the same results from it as well. Great beer for an early AG. If you want the full on German wheat beer flavours or you want to enter it in a comp, I'd try another yeast, but it's a good beer as is IMO.


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## schooey (13/12/08)

Just to let everyone know, I tried one of mine again last night. I think it is carbed well enough now, but needs a week or two in the fridge to clear out if you want to drink it early. I think it will continue to age well though if you can wait. I still have a couple of tasters so I'll post some progress in a fortnight or so.


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## white.grant (13/12/08)

*28. Les, Dampfbier (looks like a lot of this one getting drunk tonight)

*Tasting notes 13.12.08

Opens with a pop, obvious strong carb, frothing in bottle, poured carefully into weizen glass, proud firm head extending 2 cm past glass rim. Some suspended yeast , light honey colour (awesome!).

Aroma of delicious 3068 esters and phenols, balanced fruit with clove and backbeat of malt traces,
Flavours are great, backed by a strong carb bite on the tongue, great yeast flavours, that not quite banana experience blending into the malts and subtle hop bitterness which are all balancing well. I get some green flavours on the way down, as it needs more time.

The style is new to me so the yeast flavours initially made me look for some wheat tang but instead found malt. Bit confusing at first but I really like this smoother flavour that the malt provides with the weizen yeast. 

Nice beer Les, think I'll add this to my weizen rotation, where's the recipe?

cheers

grant


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## white.grant (14/12/08)

*5. Nifty's English Pale Ale*

13.12.08

Poured chilled into nonic, very clear, golden honey colour with a big foamy head.
Neutral aroma, hop forward, some light fruit
Tastes of firm bitterness, some light fruit, with a back note of malt but quite dry, mouthfeel is light, well carbed, and easy drinking.

Really nice beer, thanks Nifty, maybe a bit too carbed for style but after the heat yesterday it went down a treat.

cheers

grant


----------



## PostModern (14/12/08)

*28. Les, Dampfbier *

Gave this one an open because of the bottle bomb warning. I poured it carefully into a jug and let the gas drop down a little. On pouring into a pint glass, another mighty head formed, so I poured it back into the jug then poured once more. All the to-ing and fro-ing drove off enough of the CO2 to easily pour a glass which still retained a fine solid head. 

Lots of yeast in suspension, but as it's a weizen yeast, no dramas there. The flavour profile was odd without the wheat. Yeah, just like Grant said:



Grantw said:


> The style is new to me so the yeast flavours initially made me look for some wheat tang but instead found malt. Bit confusing at first but I really like this smoother flavour that the malt provides with the weizen yeast.



Very pleasant beer. Passes the six-pack test (ie "would I buy a six pack of this?") by a country mile.

*1. Josh - Wit *

Poured a nice pale yellow with a strong carbonation, firm head and some haze. Citrus and spice on the nose, sublte and well balanced with a hint of the malt. The flavour follows the aroma, with the citrus and spice nicely balanced with the malt, yeast and carbonation. 

I'm no Wit expert, but I really liked this beer. Refreshing and easy to drink, with enough flavour complexity to make it interesting. Cheers Josh.


----------



## Stuster (14/12/08)

I had exactly the same two beers as you last night, PoMo. Creepy.  

Same experience really. Les' beer was pretty overcarbed but ok with some coaxing. Really nice weizen flavours, and the lack of wheat made for something different, a bit more body than normal. Anyway, interesting beer, Weizguy.

Josh's wit was amazingly lemony, nearly too much for me in fact. My wife loved it however.  Have you posted the recipe yet, Josh?


----------



## Josh (14/12/08)

Recipe not posted yet. Am at work atm, but will post when I get home.

300g of fresh zest late in the boil. Mainly navel oranges with some lemon and red grapefruit. Still needs a bit more body and coriander, but I'm getting pretty close to what I want. Muggus was spot on the money with the inflatable bed in pool, although I'm an aquaduck man myself. That is the kind of beer I want in my wit.


----------



## Stuster (14/12/08)

Josh said:


> 300g of fresh zest late in the boil.



:blink: :unsure: :chug: 

I'm amazed with how much you used. In what size batch?


----------



## white.grant (14/12/08)

*1. Josh's Witbier*

14/12/08 (drinking now)

Opens with an appropriate pssfft and forms slight head in bottle neck, pours well into straight side tumbler, hazy straw and rocky white head, slowly subsiding.

Aroma's are complex, yeasty phenols from the 3944 and ripe citrus, lemon/tangarine/orange in quick succession, tart.
Taste is an explosion of lemony tartness and lingering yeast phenolics, dry, accentuated by carb bite on the tongue. As the glass sits and warms slightly, spice notes begin to emerge, peppery. Very refreshing and a really nice wit.

From your earlier comments, I agree that you should up the spice load a bit to compete with the citrus and balance that intial lemonyness with some spicey bite, but overall as the BJCP says, "a refreshing, elegant, tasty moderate strength, wheat based ale" Well done.


cheers

grant


----------



## 3GumsBrewing (14/12/08)

Thanks to Barls for holding onto my case. Picked it up today.

I applogise in advance for my non-flowery prose when writing these reviews, but i know a good beer when i drink it!
*
13. Kabooby - Strong Belgian Ale*
Kabooby, this beer kicks arse. It takes me back to holidays on the Gold Cost and drinks at the Pink Poodle, any links to the recipe would be great! Well done.

*19. Gulpa - IPA* 
Gulpa, this is a great beer and a wonderful example of the style. I could drink this all day long (until I fall over). A really good beer. Thanks.

*7. DiscoStu - Dunkelweizen*
This was a bummer, i love this type of beer but the bottle i got was just way to over primed to be drinkable. A bit of a metalic taste. Thanks anyway.


Cheers
DK


----------



## PostModern (14/12/08)

Stuster said:


> I had exactly the same two beers as you last night, PoMo. Creepy.



1 and 28. First and last. Alpha and the Omega. Creepy indeed!


----------



## Gulpa (14/12/08)

*26. MCT - IPA - 5.4% - Bottled 22/10/2008 Wyeast 1275*

Pours clear amber with redish tint. Nice head that falls down to a thin one that lasts. Aroma is nice and malty with some caramel which carries through to the taste with a hint of fruit. Low carb. Hops taking a backseat to the malt. Bitterness is assertive, but very well balanced. Delicious beer, MCT! Right up my alley. Thanks.

Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Cortez The Killer (14/12/08)

*7. DiscoStu - Dunkelweizen*

I really liked this beer - after carbonation was knocked out it drank really nicely. It was like a bigger version of a hefe with a lot more malt. Lots of wheat flavour and clove - I didn't get any banana. I thought it was pretty well balanced, I didn't get the light body that people mentioned earlier. 

*1. Josh - Witbier*

This was probably the best belgian wit I've had to date. The spices were really well balanced along with bitterness and body. Lots of citrus came through but it was over powering. Lovely colour and creamy head / mouthfeel. Very refreshing, easy drinking. 

*10. Cortez The Killer - American Strong Ale*

This was my first tasting of my case swap beer - to find out what everyone was in for. Tried to analyse this one against 19A Old Ale but it should probably be in 23 Speciality Beer, but a few characteristics of 19A came through. 

Initially a big of caremel nose that seemed to disapate quickly. Maintained a head throughout, probably a touch under carbed might need a little more time in the bottle. I was concerned that the beer would be a bit on the sweet side with all the crystal - but it isn't cloying, and farily well balanced, bitterness comes through nicely. Lots of dried fruit flavours / esters and some alcohol warmth. Malt and caramel flavours.

Not a session beer but very nice on a cool night. 

People should be right to start drinking this one soon.

Cheers


----------



## Josh (14/12/08)

Thanks for all the reviews guys. I haven't cracked any beers yet. But tomorrow during the Murrays Brewing Network Appearance might be a good time to start.

Recipe has been added to the recipe database HERE


----------



## kabooby (15/12/08)

DK said:


> 13. Kabooby - Strong Belgian Ale[/b]
> Kabooby, this beer kicks arse. It takes me back to holidays on the Gold Cost and drinks at the Pink Poodle, any links to the recipe would be great! Well done.
> 
> Cheers
> DK



Thanks mate, Posted the recipe in the recipe section here

Kabooby


----------



## Gulpa (15/12/08)

*8. jonw - Nelson Sauvin Summer Ale.*

Poured clear gold with a decent head. Aroma is a nice mix of malt and hops. Flavour is more of the same with a nice floral lift. Firm bitterness. Very nice beer, with great balance between bits. I really like this, I want more. Thanks.

cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Gulpa (15/12/08)

DK said:


> *19. Gulpa - IPA*
> Gulpa, this is a great beer and a wonderful example of the style. I could drink this all day long (until I fall over). A really good beer. Thanks.



Thanks DK. Glad you enjoyed.

Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Muggus (15/12/08)

*Brew: 3. Stuster - Flip-flop Saison *
Date: 15/12/08
Beer info: Brown 750ml twistop bottle Wyeast 3711, 5.9%. Bottled 12/11/08, gold cap "3"

Sampling notes:
Served with a chill in Leffe chalice...gotta use it for something!
Convincing sound upon opening, no gush though. Pours a large excitable head of thick white foam that coats the glass all the way down. Golden body, quite clear, very fine beading.
Interesting nose to say the least, these funky Belgian-styles never cease to intrigue me. Citrus seems quite upfront, some sort of tropical fruit-esque hop aroma is there (pineapple, rockmelon?) with a bit of leafy grass, typical Belgian ripe pear and spice character, grainy biscuity malt sweetens in the background, yet there's still something in there I can't quite put my finger on, a sort of hard-cheese note of funk early on as it warms.
Smooth, velvet-like texture, carbonation is lively yet soft on the tongue, good length about the body. Slight wheat-like dryness, acidity seems restrained, resiny hop bitterness quite prominant.
Plenty of upfront hop character, bitter citrus rind, grass, unripe melon and stonefruit (NZ hops!?). Quite dry but malt body is apparent, with a nice biscuity, slight caramel note about it. Finish is complex and lingering; alot of unripe fruit, pepper, lemon rind, clove, salty cheese. Quite high apparent bitterness, dry finish, ridiculously thirst quenching. Lovely!
One of those styles of beer where none tastes like the other, and this seems to be yet another excellent example of this diverse style. Love it Stu! Cheers!


----------



## Muggus (15/12/08)

*Brew: 26. MCT - IPA*
Beer info: Brown 750ml twistop bottle 5.4% - Bottled 22/10/2008 Wyeast 1275, gold cap "26"

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in a glass.
Good pop. Clean bronze body with a decent sized rocky offwhite head leaving dense lace on the way down.
Excellent nose, very British! Resiny, leafy, bitter orange, earthy hops, solid crystal malt presence, burnt toffee, roasted nuts, butter. Faint fruitiness, I wouldn't pick this as homebrewed!
Medium body, carbonation reasonably high but not sharp, good allround smoothness. Solid bitterness manifests itself quite early and doesn't let go until long after the palate has died down.
Fantastic flavour; big grassy hops, bitter citrus marmalade, gritty yet somewhat appealing earthiness, overly ripe stonefruit, all backed up with an excellent toffee malt background. Bitter finish, not all too lingering just solid and assertive.
Wow! This is smack bang on the mark for an English IPA, and a thing of beauty at the same time. Awesome beer, cheers MCT!


----------



## MCT (16/12/08)

Wow Muggus, I'm chuffed by that, thanks for the kind words. I almost want to make that my sig.  
I just got hold of my case today, first in the fridge are Kabooby's Belgian Strong and Stusters Flip Flop Saison. Reviews to follow.


----------



## PostModern (16/12/08)

Based on Muggus' rave review, I'm popping #26 in the fridge too. Review later tonight. Better wash the chilli off my palate with some house ale while it chills.


----------



## hewy (16/12/08)

16. Muggus - Wedding Weekend Weizenbock 6.6%, 21/10/08, drinkable now, but could do with some age :

Had this a few days ago. Was highly carbonated poured a big creamy head which lasted the whole glass. Upon pouring smelled a bit roasty but upon tasting no roastiness to be found. Went down quite nicely with some nice fruity flavours.
Quite enjoyed this one, nice work Muggus.

1. Josh - Belgian Wit, Wyeast 3944 5.0% - bottled 19/11 good to go

Had this one with dinner tonight. Went down nicely. Lots of citrus, nice pale golden colour with a creamy head. A nice easy drinking beer.

Great work!
:chug: 

5. nifty - English Pale Ale 5.2% Wlp023, bottled 2/11/08 - Ready to drink.

Drinking now. Quite bitter after the wit. Head seemed to disappear soon after pouring. Quite an easy drinking pale. Took a few sips to get used to the bitterness but now I am enjoying it! Nice beer!


----------



## Muggus (16/12/08)

MCT said:


> Wow Muggus, I'm chuffed by that, thanks for the kind words. I almost want to make that my sig.


I really did enjoy it mate. I've been really getting into my British style ales as of late, and this is well up there with the nicest i've come across.

On that note, and I dunno if its just me, but the quality of the beers this swap have been top notch. Great variety and highly enjoyable. 
I'll save the rest of my praise for the rest of the reviews!  



> 16. Muggus - Wedding Weekend Weizenbock 6.6%, 21/10/08, drinkable now, but could do with some age :
> 
> Had this a few days ago. Was highly carbonated poured a big creamy head which lasted the whole glass. Upon pouring smelled a bit roasty but upon tasting no roastiness to be found. Went down quite nicely with some nice fruity flavours.
> Quite enjoyed this one, nice work Muggus



Cheers Hewy. Was a bit paranoid about the carbonation, mainly due to the style being lively by nature, and these caseswaps are notorious for having beers gush/explode if they are highly carbed. In the end I only went 3/4 priming sugar just in case, and was a bit paranoid about it being undercarbed! 
But you've put my mind at ease and I can sleep at night once again.


----------



## Gulpa (16/12/08)

*3. Stuster - Flip-flop Saison*

Clear gold with a nice fluffy head. Falls in a bit but Im not sure if it is the glass. Belgian aroma . Taste is quite unexpected after the aroma. Lightish body. Citrusy, almost sharp but with malt coming through nicely. Nicely bittered, tingles the tongue a bit. A very nice summer afternoon beer. Thanks Stu.

Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Muggus (16/12/08)

*Brew: 28. Les - Dampfbier *
Date: 16/12/08
Beer info: Brown 750ml twistop bottle ~5% ABV W3068 gold cap "28"

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in a schooner.
Big pop, gushing wasn't as intense I expected. Poured a 50/50 glass of white foam and lively milky golden body, which dies down to a managable quantity with a bit of time, but i'm happy to wait.
Phenolic sort of nose, very weizen-like. Banana bread, clove-like spice, has a real earthiness about it, and a hint of unripe fruit sharpness. 
Smooth, somewhat milky texture probably helped with suspended yeast, carbonation quite high but soft, drying acidity isn't all too high.
Cereal malt background, particularly doughy with some nice clove and cinnamon sort of spice that complements well. Bit of overripe banana and stonefruit, dried fruit, slight leafy quality (hops?) that livens the palate a bit. Finish with a drying bready yeast note, touch of bitterness.
Almost seems like liquid banana bread to me! Much like a hefeweizen, but not quite, possibly its tasty cousin or half-brother. A wierd beast Les, and its right up my alley. Cheers!


----------



## PostModern (16/12/08)

*26. MCT - IPA*

Poured with a fair amount of foam. Aroma of fruit and malt. Much nicer once CO2 gassed off. Lovely dark copper/ruby extraordinarily clear and bright. Initial taste a little high on the citrusy bitterness for my liking, but more subdued and balanced as the gas ran off and temperture warmed a little. Malt flavours of roast and toast, some caramel. Nice easy drinking body, better when the carbonation reduced.

Cheers MCT. Enjoyed this a lot. Would like to try this with lower carbonation from a cask or keg.


----------



## Muggus (16/12/08)

*Brew: 19. Gulpa - IPA *
Date: 16/12/08
Beer info: Brown 750ml crownseal bottle 5%ish, WY1968, Bottled 17/11 gold cap "19"

Sampling notes:
Served lightly chilled in a glass.
Solid pop, pours a sizeable offwhite foam head atop quite a clean mid-amber body. Solid clumps of lace cling on all the way down.
Good nose, hit with woody/cedary American-style hops from the get go, lemon sherbert and grapefruit rind. Some detectable malt aromatics in the mix, grainy and caramely seems a fitting enough.
Medium-bodied, soft yet lively carbonation, slight chewy malt character, goes down a real treat. Bitterness hits home almost straightaway.
A solid toffee-like malt body, with a hint of roasted nuttiness, lays groundwork for the hop flavours to play on the tongue; unripe nectarine, grapefruit, pine-like woodiness, touch of pineapple, all in good balance. Finish has a firm bitter kick, lingering hop spice.
This is delectable! Excellent flavour and balance; malt body is pronounced and withstands alot of the hop character, which seems sadly a rare thing in most APA/AIPAs i've come across. Thanks alot Gulpa, enjoyed it thoroughly!


----------



## white.grant (17/12/08)

*No. 3 Stuster's Flip Flop Saison

*17.12.08

Positive gas on opening and poured gently into chalice and jug (for seconds) producing off white head which slowly dissipates, orange with haze.

Aroma is all magical phenolics, with notes of malt, bitter ripe peel
Flavour follows my nose, sipping I find tart citrus rind, it's bitter rather than sour, a and I'm unsure whether it's hop or yeast, I just can't tell, and dominating, some malt notes rising before the mother of all mouthfeels, prickly heat on the tongue-- a finish of desert dryness followed by some pleasant alcohol warmth.

this is quite an experience Stu. 

cheers

grant


----------



## Gulpa (18/12/08)

*3. Kabooby - Strong Belgian Ale 7.2% WLP550*

I always look forward to Kabooby's beer.

Pours clear dark gold/light amber with a nice fluffy head. Belgian aroma. Low medium carb. Nutty malt is prominent in the flavour with quite a fruity aftertaste. Bitterness is just right. Great beer once again, Kabooby. Thanks.

Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## monkeybusiness (18/12/08)

5. Nifty English Pale Ale:

Not too much to say beyond previous reviews but this was a great beer. Nice bitterness with a bit of sweet caramel malt in the back. Really enjoyed it and was disappointed not to have more.

Have you posted the recipe?


----------



## Gulpa (18/12/08)

Muggus said:


> *Brew: 19. Gulpa - IPA *



Glad you liked it Muggus.

Decided to crack one myself yesterday to see how its going. Strange about the US hop aroma but I get it too. Hops are primarily target/challenger with a very small amount of saaz in the dry hop mix. I think the carb is a bit overdone.

Cheers,
Andrew.


----------



## white.grant (19/12/08)

*15. Thommo's Brown Ale

*18.12.08

Served slightly warm, opened with a pfft and poured dark brown, opaque but clear into a nonic. Off white head slowly subsiding. Low carb.
Aroma is malty and biscuity, dark fruits and sweet chocolate
Creamy mouthfeel, delicious and velvety, flavours of biscuit, dark raisins and a malty sweetness. Sweet chocolate flavour infusing with the malt and fruit but it is not cloying. Finished the bottle and immediately wanted another one.

Cheers Thommo, love this style and really enjoyed the beer. Would love to have it from a cask. I want the recipe.

grant


----------



## nifty (19/12/08)

Hi Guys

Thanks for the feedback on number 5, it's been one of my faves for a while now. I've posted the recipe in the database beer

cheers

nifty


----------



## white.grant (20/12/08)

*8. Jonw's Nelson Sauvin Summer Ale*

19.12.08

Pours a golden colour with a slight haze and thick foam.
Aromas of green hops and some slight fruit. Hints of pale malt.
Nice balance of flavours with slight biase to hop fruityness, soft mouthfeel from low carbonation and a nice long bitter finish. Lip smacking quaffability. Nice beer.

Thanks Jon.


cheers

grant


----------



## Muggus (20/12/08)

*Brew: 13. Kabooby - Strong Belgian Ale *
Date: 19/12/08
Beer info: Brown 750ml twisttop bottle 7.2% WLP550

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in Leffe chalice.
Loud pop. Pours a small stable cap of dense white foam atop a deep golden-copper body with hazy.
Complex but subdued aroma (might be my nose though  ). Peppery phenolic notes, plenty of clove spice, ripe pear, vanilla, dried fruit, with an underlying dessert wine-like richness and caramelly maltines.
Luciously rich body, velvety texture lead on by a soft creamy carbonation. Dries out with a faint hint of alcohol.
Character reveals itself moreso on the body. Big juicy dried fruits particularly apricot and apple, brown sugar, grainy malt, pepper and spice, honey, maderia cake-like richness, note of sherry possibly. A slight vegetably/grassy flavour lingers on the finish, bitterness is quite low, alcohol not too apparent.
Another fantastic strong beer from you Kabooby! Always a cut above. Somewhere between a dubbel and a trippel seems to be how i'd describe this one.


----------



## barls (20/12/08)

can anyone help me on this one
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=28221


----------



## Muggus (20/12/08)

*Brew: 9. Grantw - Belgian Blonde Ale *
Date: 20/12/08
Beer info: Brown 750ml twisttop bottle 7.9%, Bottled 10/10/08 Wyeast 1214 

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in Leffe chalice.
Nice pop upon opening. Golden body with haze. Small bright white dense foam on top leaving sparce lace on the way down.
Phenolic sort of nose, plenty of clove straightup, good measure of pepper in the mix, apricot nectar-like fruitiness. Honeyish maltiness to it, slightcaramel richness, faint grassy/earthy hop character and a hint of alcohol.
Carbonation is low, rich sticky body about it. Bitterness is restrained, alcohol very well hidden.
Plenty of clove and phenolics from the nose, ripe apricot and stonefruit, some dried fruits, a perfumey quality that alot of Belgians seem to have and I fail to describe properly . Honey and sweet maltiness intergrates its way into the body. Finish lingers with a touch of spice, faint hint of alcohol, not all too dry or bitter.
Quite a decptively strong golden ale. Never used the yeast before but something about this beer seems familiar. Nice stuff Grant, cheers!


----------



## white.grant (21/12/08)

*
19. Gulpa's IPA
*
20.12.08

Pours a clear dark honey/copper colour with a tight off white foamstand that persists and looks simply awesome
Floral hop perfume dominates the aroma with some yeast fruityness, crisp pear and hints of pale malt roast
Tastes of balanced malt, bready and caramelly with floral hop then the yeasty/hoppy fruity flavours enhanced by some carb bite to finish nicely dry with lingering bitterness.

Nice one Gulpa, really enjoyed this.

*26. MCT IPA

*20.12.08

Pours a dark copper with some slight haze maintaining a firm off white head that persists.
Aroma's are all earthy hops with a little darker malt sweetness peeking around the edges,
Flavours are are a study of earthy hop bitterness, nicely aged and rounded to my palate, supported by a rich body and medium mouthfeel, finishing out dry with lasting bitterness.

Great beer, thanks MCT.

I really enjoyed sampling these two IPA's back to back, both great beers, but quite different.

cheers

Grant


----------



## white.grant (21/12/08)

Muggus said:


> Never used the yeast before but something about this beer seems familiar.




Thanks for the feedback Muggus, 

1214 is the Chimay yeast so that might be what seems familiar?


cheers

grant


----------



## Cortez The Killer (21/12/08)

*27. Matt n AJ - Northern English Brown Ale *

Low carb. Malt driven. On the sweeter side. Nutty flavour, with slight roasty note and a hint of fruitiness. Medium body. Dry finish. Low carb makes it seem a little sweet. Easy to drink none the less.

*24. Hewy - Hefe* 

Flat. Great hefe nose, banana and cloves. Flavour was great too. But lack of carbonation made the beer near undrinkable. Bottle top didn't seem to have been put on correctly  

*28. Les - Dampfbier*

Didn't know much about this style - so assesed it against a Weizen. Bottle gushed initially. Poured into jug to knock out some carbonation. The beer was very cloudy. Perhaps a brown colour - lots of yeast in suspension perhaps due to gushing. Lots of banana and clove on the nose. Flavour was great - very hefeweizen like but more intense with the maltiness. I like lots of banana and this beer had it. Malt and bread flavour to it. I enjoyed this beer immensly. It did taste a heck of a lot better than it looked.

*5. Nifty - English Pale Ale*

Assesed this as an ESB. While the beer was still cool I wasn't very impressed. So I let the beer sit and warm up. And it was excellent! Some great flavours came out. Caramel, maltiness and that smell that all english beers seem to have, must be the english hops. Really enjoyed this one as the temp increased. Good malt back bone and great hop bitterness. Carbonation was spot on for drinkablility. Could spend a evening on this beer. But must remember to let the english beers warm up first!

Cheers


----------



## Gulpa (21/12/08)

*1. Josh - Belgian Wit, Wyeast 3944 5.0%*

Ive been putting off drinking this one as Im not a big wit fan. :huh: 

Pours pale gold with a slight yeasty haze (second pour is cloudier as the yeast mixes in). Belgian aroma with citrus/lemon standing out. Taste is a flavour explosion of citrus and musk sticks. Medium carb. Bitterness just giving it a bit of body. Very refreshing. I enjoyed this a lot. Nicest wit Ive ever had. Thanks Josh.

Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Josh (21/12/08)

7. Discostu's Dunkelweizen

Mine was one of the overcarbed ones. Poured into a stein and 3 schooners, then once it had settled down consolidated into the stein. Might have lost some aroma leaving the old foam in the schooners. Still a nice sweet clove aroma early. As it warms up I'm getting an alcohol aroma possibly due to the fermentation temp? 

Caramel, roasty, nutty flavour to be expected from the style. Pretty drinkable down at the barbecue cooking my lamb.


----------



## PostModern (21/12/08)

6 Monkeybusiness - Simple Lager

Very nice clean pale lager with good bitterness. Could have done with a little more malt profile, but a very nice beer. Drank it with my double pickled herrings on pumpernickel.


----------



## kabooby (22/12/08)

Muggus said:


> *Brew: 13. Kabooby - Strong Belgian Ale *
> Date: 19/12/08
> Beer info: Brown 750ml twisttop bottle 7.2% WLP550
> 
> ...



Thanks for the review Muggus and glad you enjoyed it. For a beer that finished @1007 it still has a perceived sweetness and as you say the alcohol is well hidden. I also get plenty of dried apricot.

Kabooby


----------



## Cortez The Killer (22/12/08)

*3. Stuster - Saison*

Second ever Saison. Very interesting nose - couldn't put my finger on it. SWMBO said it was spicy / peppery, also lots of citrus in it. Great colour. Medium body, dry finish. Nice belgian flavours came through - also plenty of citrus. Slightly on the bitter side, and some alcohol warmth. Great beer, very nice to drink. 

Cheers


----------



## monkeybusiness (22/12/08)

PostModern said:


> Very nice clean pale lager with good bitterness. Could have done with a little more malt profile, but a very nice beer. Drank it with my double pickled herrings on pumpernickel.




mmmm twice pickled herrings.

I was kinda thinking the same thing re the malt. I mashed pretty low to try and get a dry beer that would be nice to knock down after a hot days work. Mighta gone a bit far... From memory the OG was 1007. Thanks for the feedback. I was a bit worried it was going to end up too bitter for style without the malt to back it up.


----------



## Muggus (22/12/08)

*Brew: 15. Thommo - Brown Ale *
Date: 22/12/08
Beer info: Brown 750ml twisttop VB bottle 4.5%

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in glass.
Opens with a slight fizz. Cola brown body with creamy pale tan head that hangs on for the trip down the glass.
Aroma is subtle at first, opens up with warmth, as expected. Toffee/cola malt sweetness, slight roastiness and nutty quality, faint dark fruits but its hard to tell.
Lovely smooth texture, creamy carbonation on the tongue, good length for strength. Slight drying sensation that seems welcome, balancing the residual sweetness of the beer.
Delicious malt driven body; dark chocolate, mollasses, roasted nuts, burnt caramel, tobacco, dried fig and plum, touch of toasted bread. Finishes with a leafy hop flavour lingering bring forth some bitterness. 
Yum! What a complex, and tasty, brown ale! Very nice indeed, cheers Thommo!


----------



## Muggus (22/12/08)

*Brew: 21. Barls- raspberry wheat beer*
Date: 22/12/08
Beer info: Brown 750ml twisttop bottle with dog on label 4.1% 15/11

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in pilsner glass.
Halfway already! Thought I might tuck into the offering from the host of this Xmas swap.
Loud fizz upon opening, slight foaming up the neck of bottle...I should pour it! Pours a billowing pink-tinged white head of foam atop a clear lively ros-like pink body. 
Aroma hits me pretty full on with tart raspberry and yeast. Faint cereally malt in the background, somewhat spicy but it should just be the gas coming off this thing. Slight note of grassy funk with warmth, which has never been anything to discourage me from drinking raspberry beer (Cantillon anyone?)
Racey carbonation without too much bite, light bodied without being watery, tart without being sour. Balance is very good.
Here where I was lead to believe that there wouldn't be much happening on the body, i'm once again taken offguard by this beer. Raspberry jam lends some sweetness, grainy wheat malt drying it out, yet theres much more to it; clove spice, green leaf and blue cheese funk, bready yeast towards the 
finish. Slight sharpness lingers, raspberry flavour still there but tart.
Such an interesting beer, certainly not in the same ballpark of a lambic fruit beer, but authenticly (is that a word!?) fruity enough to have some 'wild' complexity about it without being unapproachable. First time i've come across a fruit beer in one of these swaps, and a big props to you Barls for pulling it off... particularly with the likes of FGZ being part of the 
swap!


----------



## barls (22/12/08)

Muggus said:


> *Brew: 21. Barls- raspberry wheat beer*
> Date: 22/12/08
> Beer info: Brown 750ml twisttop bottle with dog on label 4.1% 15/11
> 
> ...


cheers mugas, this is what i was try to achieve when i first made it so many batches ago. i will say as i have many times before its all in the raspberries you use mainly. also im sure fgz will feed it to his wife or daughter.
if anyone wants the recipe to this one im more than happy to post although im not sure if i can post a kit recipe in the recipe section. hopefully i might enter this in the next comp if i have any left.
btw i had bot of the beers you left me and they went down great.


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## homebrewworld.com (23/12/08)

Hi all, and Merry Xmas!

I picked my case up from Barls today (cheers Barl's) and i have cracked my entry No 23 (APA) although there is a couple of bottles of Irish Red thrown in, as i was a tad short for the swap..
A tad over carbonated (so get in the fridge please). Open or crack the seal and leave it for a while before pouring.
Thanks to all for the fuits of your labour, and cheers!

Garry
HBW


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## Josh (23/12/08)

homebrewworld.com said:


> Hi all, and Merry Xmas!
> 
> I picked my case up from Barls today (cheers Barl's) and i have cracked my entry No 23 (APA) although there is a couple of bottles of Irish Red thrown in, as i was a tad short for the swap..
> A tad over carbonated (so get in the fridge please). Open or crack the seal and leave it for a while before pouring.
> ...


That information would have been handy yesterday!

Got home from the beach today to a little mess...

23. Homebrewworld USA PALE ALE. SO4 Dry Yeast. Ready To Drink By Xmas Day. Handful Of Cascade Pellets in the fermenter for your enjoyment. - exploded into a million pieces. High citrus aroma which annoyed me even more cos I'm pretty partial to APA and this one smelt good all over the floor. If you haven't already... put it in the fridge now.

20. Redbeard - Handcrafted Lightly hopped Summer Wheat Ale fermented by hand picked dry yeast grains, then carbonated and matured in HUGE stainless vats, then manually bottled in my artisan styled designated brewing area, then shipped via air* to the Denistone region, then dropped by in milk crates with parachutes* onto a concrete driveway# - {* Not True; # True} READY TO DRINK  - Cracked off right at the top of the neck. No further damage to the bottle so I have stuck it in the fridge and am hopeful of salvaging a taste.

24. Hewy - Hefe - ready to drink now - Number 10 Coopers cap with dusty bottles - Hefeweizen ready to drink now. 50% wheat, 50% pale with 3068 yeast. High carbonation so beware of gushing.[/color] - Lid popped off with no damage to bottle. Have placed in fridge in the hope I can drink this tonight also.

Just a heads up for those who haven't stuck these ones in the fridge. Everything should be carbed by now, so I am fridging them all.


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## Insight (23/12/08)

Josh said:


> That information would have been handy yesterday!
> 
> Got home from the beach today to a little mess...
> 
> ...



Josh, I'd be dumping your number 20 there too. The possibility of slivers of glass in your belly isn't what you want just before Xmas (or any time really!).


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## Muggus (23/12/08)

*Brew: 6. monkeybusiness - Simple Lager *
Date: 23/12/08
Beer info: Brown 750ml crownseal bottle Wyeast Bohemian Lager, bottled 1/12/08

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in glass.
Low pop upon opening. Smallish sort of head of white foam atop a bright golden body with a bit of haze.
Grainy malt nose with some floral hops in the mix, lemony and grassy.
Light bodied, medium carbonation, slight sort acidity about it lending to the bitterness on the finish.
Body reflects the aroma, malt body is grainy, slight note of hay and vanilla, some lemon zest and flowery leafy hop character hits home towards a reasonably bitter finish.
Good quaffing lager MB, simple yet effective.


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## Josh (23/12/08)

Insight said:


> Josh, I'd be dumping your number 20 there too. The possibility of slivers of glass in your belly isn't what you want just before Xmas (or any time really!).


Bit late for that. Was still effervescent after a couple of hours resting in the fridge and god only knows how many hours with no cap on. Lightly hopped is right, but just enough aroma to be enticing. Light bodied but pretty clean and a slight hop flavour. Definitely a Summer quaffer which appears to be the aim so well done.


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## Josh (23/12/08)

24. hewy hefe - 

No carbonation.. possibly due to not having a cap on it all afternoon. Anyway, the flavours are definitely there. Banana and bubblegum predominant. I reckon with carbonation this would be a pretty nice drop.


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## redbeard (24/12/08)

Sorry about the bottle Josh, I just recycled them from previous swaps. Perhaps I need to shift to Coopers which are thicker. Thanks for the positive feedback.

cheers


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## homebrewworld.com (26/12/08)

Josh,

I am sorry bout that mate. I am not the best when it comes to bottling, so please accept my appologies for the exp bottle.
Think i owe you one when we meety a pub crawl?

ALL 'PLEASE FRIDGE No 23'


Cheers
HBW


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## PostModern (26/12/08)

*23. Homebrewworld USA PALE ALE*

This one went of like a teenager first time at third base. Managed to catch half a pint after the foam subsided. Aroma of diacetyl and cascade. Flat as all the gas was used throwing the beer all over the kitchen sink. Might have been nice had it finished fermenting in the fermenter rather than the bottle.


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## Weizguy (26/12/08)

I had the DiscoStu Dunkelweizen and the Schooey scottish ale.

Briefly, if I can manage it. Both were very drinkable.

The Dark Wheat was a little porter-y for me. Not that it was a bad beer. I've made a similar beer and it went ever well at a function. Maybe too heavy on the choc wheat for a Dunkel of the style. There was the dusty flavour I associate with a phenolic beer in the wheat family. As I am an aficionado of the weizen family, I'd like to see more sweetness in a Dunkel of any style. Good balance - Both malt/bitterness and fruit/phenols. Maybe a touch of acetic, showing as saltiness? Been there, done that. The weizen yeast appears to be that primitive, exhibiting the wild characters of phenolic (POF positive - phenolic off flavours), and acetic at higher temps. I suppose the acetic is an indicator of a warm or extended ferment.
6.5/10. A little fizz-tastic, and too much carbonic bite stresses the otherwise minimal astringent roast and hop character.
Drinkable in quantity, with a chilli to chew on as a spacer.

Schoo-meister, your beer is drinkable now. I'd term it a hoppy version of an Imperial 90 shilling, certainly not a Guinea ale.
I like the malty element added by the W1728. No imperfections, other than being a hop flavour beer, first and foremost. Not sure where you heard that there was some phenolic. Maybe some bottles were bleached and got that taint from the cheap sanitiser. Can't imagine how it was in my bottle, coz I couldn't taste it. Phenolics from peatiness?
I give this one an "out-of current style boundaries" award, for being quite drinkable as an Imperial Strong Scots ale.
Hoots, mon! Grounsdkeeper Willie gives you an 8.5/10 and a big "Drink this now" rating. Can U update the Wiki with that warning of immediate drinkability, which will appeal to many.

Also drank Trent's AIPA from the local swap, and it was similarly both hop and malt driven.

FGZ, was that you accusing me in the Wiki of bottling my beer in 500 ml bottles? Not for the swap, surely.

Les out


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## hewy (27/12/08)

28. Les - Dampfbier ~5% ABV (sort of a Vienna lager, but warm fermented with W3068, will need 4 weeks cool cellaring, if ur up to it.) A couple of bottles have exploded, so...Chill immediately!I hope you listened and chilled. The beer is gassy, but not necessarily foamy if you don't shake the bottle. #1 tip!

Overcarbed, as expected. Gushed for a bit then poured a nice big head. I then noticed some big chunky floaties bouncing about in the glass? What doesnt kill you makes you stronger right?
Anyway, smells similar to the hefe I had on tap last week. Taste is similar too - perhaps a bit more body. Quite a nice easy to drink beer, shame I lost 1/4 of the bottle


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## hewy (27/12/08)

3. Stuster - Flip-flop Saison, Wyeast 3711, 5.9%. Bottled 12/11/08 so ready to go more or less.

Wow! Great beer! I could drink this all day long... Was lovely when it was 30+deg outside. Nice spicy flavour while being thirst quenching. 

Is the recipe posted somewhere? I must make something similar!

Cheers
Hewy


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## Stuster (27/12/08)

Glad you liked it, hewy. I posted the recipe earlier in the thread somewhere. Will get it into the database in due course, but here it is again. The recipe is not that vital though IMO. The yeast is much more important and really makes the most difference.


Recipe: Xmas Case Saison

Batch Size: 35.50 L
Boil Size: 42.02 L
Estimated OG: 1.048 SG
Estimated Color: 10.8 EBC
Estimated IBU: 33.4 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
5.50 kg Pilsner (Weyermann) (3.3 EBC) Grain 77.79 %
1.00 kg Wheat Malt, Malt Craft (Joe White) (3.5 EBGrain 14.14 %
0.27 kg Caramunich II (Weyermann) (124.1 EBC) Grain 3.82 %
22.00 gm Northern Brewer [6.70 %] (60 min) Hops 10.4 IBU
55.00 gm Fuggles [5.70 %] (60 min) Hops 22.1 IBU
23.00 gm Saaz [2.20 %] (3 min) Hops 0.4 IBU
14.00 gm Styrian Goldings [4.60 %] (3 min) Hops 0.5 IBU
4.00 gm Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 min) Misc
0.30 kg Sugar, Table (Sucrose) (2.0 EBC) Sugar 4.24 %
2 Pkgs French Saison (Wyeast #3711) Yeast-Ale

Mashed at 66C for 60 minutes. FG was 1002! This yeast is a monster.


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## schooey (27/12/08)

Les the Weizguy said:


> Schoo-meister, your beer is drinkable now. I'd term it a hoppy version of an Imperial 90 shilling, certainly not a Guinea ale.
> I like the malty element added by the W1728. No imperfections, other than being a hop flavour beer, first and foremost. Not sure where you heard that there was some phenolic. Maybe some bottles were bleached and got that taint from the cheap sanitiser. Can't imagine how it was in my bottle, coz I couldn't taste it. Phenolics from peatiness?
> I give this one an "out-of current style boundaries" award, for being quite drinkable as an Imperial Strong Scots ale.
> Hoots, mon! Grounsdkeeper Willie gives you an 8.5/10 and a big "Drink this now" rating. Can U update the Wiki with that warning of immediate drinkability, which will appeal to many.
> ...




I'm glad you liked it, Les. Have updated the wiki on your recommendation. I hope everyone else enjoys it as much


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## Weizguy (27/12/08)

23. Homebrewworld USA PALE ALE

I was prepared for this one. Chilled in the freezer (upright freezer) for about an hour. to assist with the pour, and contain any potential damage while cooling.
Had a glass beer jug waiting for the opening and a Sierra Nevada pint mug (phat), but still needed another vessel (Kaiserdom litre mug). Filled all three with beer and foam. No huge pop at opening. This beer just had a rapid carbonation, IMO, and little if any underattenuation. I reckon that I lost less than a teaspoon of foamy beer, whilst hurriedly fetching and rinsing the litre stein. I daresay that's about the volume lost by the schoolboy in PoMo's metaphor.

Quite clear and golden brown in colour. Expected more cloudiness due to rousing of yeast by the carbonation release.
Nice C-hops and some balancing diacetyl in the aroma. A bit flat due to CO2 losses, but still quite good medium-light body. Some sweetness in the aftertaste and some lingering bitterness, with medium-low lingering grassy hop flavours.
Quite guzzle-able, with a dry finish that calls you back for another sip.
Due to the hot weather and low carbonation, the first pint is gone by the time I typed this review.
The hop flavour lingers in a pleasant way. I'd probably go another bottle, but with less gas, please.
7/10, but would score higher with the right carbonation. BTW, I like the aroma. Reminds me of the Ruination clone I made a while back.

Off to the fridge for some HAG swap reviews now...after the remains of the bottle that didn't fit into the Phat. :icon_cheers: 
Beerz
Les


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## Cortez The Killer (28/12/08)

*8. jonw - Nelson Sauvin Summer Ale. *

Enjoyed this beer immensly. Hoppy nose, lots of fruit. Some wine aromas coming through. Carbonation spot on. On the bitter side - how I like beer. Some maltiness present, but great lingering bitterness. The NS hops are very nice. Excellent summer beer - I could spend all day on this one - a great quaffer. 

*20. Redbeard - Summer Wheat Ale*

This beer opened up alot as it warmed up with some interesting flavours/aromas coming through. However carbonation in my bottle was almost non existent, which was a shame, as it made it a little lifeless. Beer slightly on the sweet side. Some light hopping present. Some wheat. Slightly dry. Fruit flavours come though nicely. With a little more carb this could be a nice summer quaffer.

Cheers


----------



## white.grant (28/12/08)

homebrewworld.com said:


> Hi all, and Merry Xmas!
> 
> I picked my case up from Barls today (cheers Barl's) and i have cracked my entry No 23 (APA) although there is a couple of bottles of Irish Red thrown in, as i was a tad short for the swap..
> A tad over carbonated (so get in the fridge please). Open or crack the seal and leave it for a while before pouring.
> ...



Hello HBW,

I think I have an Irish Red, are they in pickaxe crown seal longnecks?

cheers

Grant


----------



## homebrewworld.com (28/12/08)

Grantw,

Hi mate, yep sounds like my IRA in th pickaxe), but if it spews all over you its my APA 
The APA fermented perfectly (SO4 @ 20c for 12 days). My bottling assistant ( 8yrs old) has gone heavy handed on the sugar in the bottles, but i will take the rap.

Les, glad you got more out of it than some, and yep i will watch the quality control (priming) at my place next time i bottle (time to buy some carb drops me thinks).

Cheers,
HBW


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## white.grant (28/12/08)

homebrewworld.com said:


> Grantw,
> 
> Hi mate, yep sounds like my IRA in th pickaxe), but if it spews all over you its my APA
> The APA fermented perfectly (SO4 @ 20c for 12 days). My bottling assistant ( 8yrs old) has gone heavy handed on the sugar in the bottles, but i will take the rap.
> ...



cheers HBW

It's in the fridge in anycase

grant


----------



## PostModern (28/12/08)

*20. Redbeard - Summer Wheat Ale*

Interesting tartness and fruitiness coming thru. Main fruit flavour I get is apricots. Delicious, just ripe apricots. Agree with Cortez, it could be a little more carbonated, but I like it at the level it has as well. Very morish and easy to quaff. Enjoyed by myself and the Mrs equally. Nice one!


----------



## PostModern (28/12/08)

*25 - Postmodern - Summer Ale *

Popped one of my overflow 500ml bottles. This brew is ready, but I recommend a day or more in the fridge before opening. My sample bottle was a little overcarbed, but as I primed the 500ml with approx the same volume as the tallies, yours should all be OK... anyway, until we get some news from a full bottle, it's a PoMo overcarb warning 

Yeast used was Denny's favourite 50, which is a good US pub ale yeast. It attenuates well (75% or so) yet leaves a nice malty taste and smooth body. If you want to catch a yeast from a bottle, you could do worse than this. It's second generation in my brewery, so the bottle dregs should be good for another 2-3 runs. I really like what it did with this recipe. For reference, it was 90% ale, 10% wheat, mashed 64C and bittered with Pac Gem to ~35IBU and 1g/l of Nelson Sauvin at the end. Simple but effective, my old house ale.


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## Josh (29/12/08)

Gulpa said:


> 5. nifty - English Pale Ale 5.2% Wlp023,
> 
> Pours clear gold with a head that falls down to thin persistent. Complex aroma of malt, hops and yeast. Low carb. Flavour seems malt dominant but the hops come through at the end, slightly fruity. Medium body. Smooth bitterness. Very nice beer Nifty. Thanks.
> 
> ...


I'll go along with most of this except I find the carbonation more medium to high. Drinking your beer at the moment nifty. I like how the hops come through in a dry finish. I keep going back for more which is always a good sign. Well done.


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## Josh (29/12/08)

28. Les - Dampfbier ~5% ABV (sort of a Vienna lager, but warm fermented with W3068

Searched through the list for a Weizen yeast I could build up to use on NYE and came aross this one. Gushed a fair bit on opening so I had to pour into a few glasses. Had a good whiff of the foam which got me wondering what was in it. This was a good learning beer for me as aromas I had associated with wheat beer are actually derived from the fermentation and not the grist.

Good malt flavour with a touch of late noble hops. Plenty of body with a malty finish. I'm a little miffed I only have one mouthful left in the glass. I'm really liking this Les. Cheers.

Was really thirsty tonight after putting together a couch this morning, working this afternoon then putting together a kitchen bench tonight. Got 3 halves of EPL to go tonight. Might have to have a few. Searching the list for the next cab off the rank.


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## Josh (29/12/08)

6. monkeybusiness - Simple Lager, Wey Pilsner, german noble hops, Wyeast Bohemian Lager

Mild malt and hop aroma but not a lot of either. Nice noble hop flavour, fairly light on body with a nice bitter finish. Definitely a Summer thirst quencher which has come in handy tonight. Nice job monkeybusiness.


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## Cortez The Killer (29/12/08)

Cortez The Killer said:


> *1. Josh - Witbier*
> 
> This was probably the best belgian wit I've had to date. The spices were really well balanced along with bitterness and body. Lots of citrus came through but it *was* over powering. Lovely colour and creamy head / mouthfeel. Very refreshing, easy drinking.


Sorry Josh

This should read "but it _*wasn't*_ over powering"

Cheers


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## Josh (29/12/08)

Cortez The Killer said:


> Sorry Josh
> 
> This should read "but it _*wasn't*_ over powering"
> 
> Cheers


No prob Cortez. I reckon it was on the cusp of overpowering. But as stated earlier, instead of cutting back the citrus, I'll just up the coriander and mash temp slightly.


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## Muggus (29/12/08)

*Brew: 23. Homebrewworld USA PALE ALE. *
Date: 29/12/08
Beer info: Brown 750ml crownseal bottle SO4 Dry Yeast, gold cap "23"

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in glass.
Big pop resulting in me pouring a glass full of head. Once the foaming subsides, i'm greeted with a effervescent orange gold body with a moussy beige head that seems to have a mind of its own.
I get ripe stonefruit hop character straightup from the nose, grapefruit, orange sherbet and grass that you'd expect from American-style hops. A whisper of some malt sweetness.
Bombarded with carbonation, luckily its not all too sharp. Body is full and has a smooth texture once its settled down. Drying is subdued and hop bitterness moderately high.
Flavours more coherent on the body with ripe nectarine, bitter orange and slight woody hop character coming through. Some caramel maltiness detectable towards later in the palate. Finishes grassy, lingering with a bit of citrus peel.
A nice APA all-round. Clean and crisp, with a nice hop character, shame that it gushed a bit. Thanks alot Homebrewworld!


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## Muggus (29/12/08)

*Brew: 4. Fatgodzilla - American Brown Wheat Beer*
Date: 29/12/08
Beer info: Brown 750ml twisttop, gold cap "4"

After hearing FGZ's ramblings and indepth description of this ale, its been a beer i'm looking forward to try. Lets hope i'm not disappointed... 

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in goblet for this mismatched beast.
Bit of a fizz upon opening. Pours a deep brown body with a small but dense creamy beige head.
I'm a bit wierded out by the smell of this thing first up! Toasted oak (French oak!?!?), banana, citrus rind, phenolic spice, mollasses, vanilla, rye grain bread. I could sit here and sniff a while longer, but I think it's best to take the plunge...
Body is somehow thinner than the aroma suggests, smooth on the tongue, carbonation is soft and welcoming. Has a wheaty dryness and acidity to it, but in good proportion.
Everything seems to come together quite nicely on the body; grain maltiness burnt caramel and mollasses about it, vanilla and clove phenolics, some ripe banana and white flesh peach. Bread on the finish, slight metallic sort of bitter note with a linger citrusy quality (hops?).
Probably should've looked up the recipe before I tackled this one, because i'm really not sure what i'm tasting! You've certainly made a beer to ponder over, thats for sure Fatz. Cheers!


----------



## Fatgodzilla (29/12/08)

Muggus said:


> *Brew: 4. Fatgodzilla - American Brown Wheat Beer*
> 
> Probably should've looked up the recipe before I tackled this one, because i'm really not sure what i'm tasting! You've certainly made a beer to ponder over, thats for sure Fatz. Cheers!



Put one of my spares in the fridge for a taste tomorrow to see if what I get can match your comments. The usage of brown wheat malts & crystal sounds like its having its impact. I guess its good to have a pondering beer - can't let you blokes off too easy ! The inspiration came from a recipe in BYO a few months back - plus I was going to make a dunkelweisen and thought - bugger it, think outside the square a little. Hence the use of US 05 to avoid too much yeast influence and what at the the time I thought was strong hop presence (aimed for a higher IBU than normal expectations for a wheaty). As I think I said somewhere before, don't necessarily treat this as a wheat beer - let it stand on its own merit as a brew almost certainly not in any BJCP style guidelines.


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## Muggus (29/12/08)

*Brew: 14. Retsamhsam - Brown Bastard Amber Ale *
Date: 29/12/08
Beer info: Brown 650ml crownseal, gold cap, 5/12/08, og 1049 fg 1018 abv 4.0% IBU 42.4 Wyeast 1968 London ESB

Sampling notes:
Served lightly chilled in glass.
Big fizz upon opening, I thought i had a gusher but she turned out alright. Quite a clear amber body with a beefy load of tan foam.
Aroma is somewhat perfumey with hops upfront, grassy and flowery. Malt background comes to life with additional sniffs, lightly roasted grain, toffee, nuts and liquorice.
Body is quite lean with a suprisingly sticky malt presense. Reasonably low, soft carb, slight grainy dryness.
Malt flavours drive the body with force; bitter chocolate, burnt toffee, roasted nut (walnut even), dark grain bread. A leafy hop quality manifests itself bringing forth a good hit of bitterness and a lingering finish. 
Nice and flavoursome. Very nice brown ale, cheers Retsamhsam!


----------



## Josh (30/12/08)

17. Loftboy - Cream Ale. 4.7% ABV, US05. Bottled 23/11/08.

Not sure if I've ever tried this style before. Thin white head which is hanging around. Very light colour. Slight grainy aroma and light vanilla flavour with just enough bitterness.

Clean, nicely balanced and going down really well. Very drinkable beer. 

Do you have a recipe for this one Loftboy?


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## Josh (30/12/08)

27. Matt n AJ - Chokesy Brown - Northern English Brown Ale - 4.8% - 4/11/08

As I was pouring into my glass it was effervescent like a soda water, but there was no head at all. Still carbonated though. Sweet caramel aroma with similar flavour plus a bit of toasty, fruity and some kind of fermentation flavour as well.

Nice brown ale, could happily have a few of these.

I've been impressed by the standard of beers in the swap so far. I hope this keeps up.


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## Weizguy (30/12/08)

I plan on drinking the Smug Bastard tomorrow, alongside a commercial beer in the same style (you know which one I mean).
As the commercial label says: "Drink it young to test your mettle". I'll take that challenge! :chug:


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## Muggus (30/12/08)

*Brew: 17. Loftboy - Cream Ale. *
Date: 30/12/08
Beer info: Brown 750ml crownseal, gold cap "17", 4.7% ABV, US05. Bottled 23/11/08

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in glass.
Small pop. Pale straw body, quite good clarity, with a nice thick creamy white cap on top, clinging for dear life on the trip down.
Cereal maltiness on the nose, slightly biscuity and vanilla-like. Faint floral hop and a sourdough quality about it.
Body is quite lean with moderate carbonation and fluffy, almost wheat-beer 
like creaminess adding a bit of oompf and subtle acidity.
I'd describe the body as having quite a complex malt character, but not in the traditional sense. Somewhat more subtle with notes of rice, savoury cracker biscuit, unflavoured popcorn, bran cereal, raw noodles; yes, I know it sounds a bit odd, but tasty in a simple way. Finishes with a yeasty bread note, floral hops make an appearence with warmth, bitterness is reasonably low, pretty clean overall.
At the end of the day I'm really not to sure what a cream ale exactly is, no commercial examples come to mind at least. Needless to say I really enjoyed this and could easily see myself drinking pint after pint of this down at the local...this coming from a guy who generally goes for the strongest, darkest stuff they've got... Nice work Loftboy!


----------



## Muggus (30/12/08)

*Brew: 22. Beer Slayer Wheat Beer *
Date: 30/12/08
Beer info: Brown 750ml twisttop, gold cap "22"

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in glass.
Small pop upon opening. Pours clean golden with a small head of thickish white foam.
Typical weizen sort of nose, unripe banana and clove, some leafiness in there too, not sure where that comes from.
Nice creamy carbonation, body is towards the thin side, plenty of wheaty dryness with slight acid bite. 
Plenty of clove spice on the body, fused with more unripe banana, tropical fruit and sweet malt. Leafy note lingers on the finish, moderate bitterness and dryness in the mix.
A nice drinkable flavoursome beer, though there seems to be something about it thats holding it back from being in the leagues of a full-blown hefeweizen. Cheers Beer Slayer.


----------



## Muggus (30/12/08)

*Brew: 25. PoMo - Summer Blonde *
Date: 30/12/08
Beer info: Brown 750ml Coopers bottle, gold cap "25", Bottled 5/12 

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in glass.
Dishes up a pale gold with decent clarity after a quiet sort of uncapping. Head is quite big and fluffy, leaving clumpy lace.
Nose is hoppy in a distinct tropical/vinous fruit way that screams NZ hops. Citrus and pine take a backseat to melon, passionfruit, herbaceous leaves and gooseberry. Malt backbone seems minimal.
Carbonation is reasonably high, body is quite full with plenty of length from aggressive hops from the word go.
Hops are upfront and personal, a big smack in the face with lemon/lime, unripe melon, passionfruit and pineapple amongst the fruit sald in the works. A hint of grainy, biscuity malt makes a presence before a drawn out, well-bittered finish, with lingering herb and citrus character that yells out "Drink me!" over and over...how can I refuse.
Yummo! What a nice summer quaffer! Plenty of hop character to keep the palate racing. Really enjoyed it, cheers PoMo!


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## Josh (30/12/08)

4. Fatgodzilla .. 4th go - American Brown Wheat Beer

Nice copper colour, persistent thin head, good carbonation. Sweet, malty, roasty, caramel and a little hop flavours. Interesting beer and well made Fatz.


----------



## Cortez The Killer (31/12/08)

*6. monkeybusiness - Simple Lager *

Pale and clear. Noble hop aroma. Small short lasting head. Medium carb. Clean flavour. Lots of noble hops. Body fairly thin. Nice bitterness. Very easy drinking - could spend a good session on this beer.

Cheers


----------



## PostModern (31/12/08)

Really chuffed by your review, Muggus. Cheers!


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## DiscoStu (31/12/08)

*Brew: 28. Les - Dampfbier *

Bit of a gusher, poured a full glass of foam initially (pot calling the kettle black I know  ) . Poured the rest into a jug and let it settle. 

Appearance: Settled to a thick off white head that persisted well, cloudy in appearance due to the yeast getting disturbed when it gushed.

Aroma: Delicious Weizen aroma, by smell alone you'd swear it was a Hefe. Picked up clove notes but not any banana.

Taste: Wow...Like a weizen but at the same time not. Initially Weizen like flavours with some definate banana but as you drink it the maltiness from the grain bill shines thru. There was something tangy in the background I couldn't put my finger on either

Overall: Excellent beer, I could drink alot more of these :chug: . Will definately be adding this style to my list of styles to brew. Have you posted the recipe ?


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## hewy (31/12/08)

Cortez The Killer said:


> *6. monkeybusiness - Simple Lager *
> 
> Pale and clear. Noble hop aroma. Small short lasting head. Medium carb. Clean flavour. Lots of noble hops. Body fairly thin. Nice bitterness. Very easy drinking - could spend a good session on this beer.
> 
> Cheers



Just popped open the same beer. Agree with everything Cortez has said. Definitely a good beer to have opened on such a hot day... :chug:


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## Weizguy (1/1/09)

DiscoStu said:


> *Brew: 28. Les - Dampfbier *
> 
> Bit of a gusher, poured a full glass of foam initially (pot calling the kettle black I know  ) . Poured the rest into a jug and let it settle.
> 
> ...


Yeah, a nice style, of which I have only brewed one example. Apologies for the tight time frame on this beer causing the foam-tastic-ness. With more lad-time this would have been a real ripper. I wish I had enough PET bottles to send to the swap. Then you could have all bled off the excess gas and enjoyed the beer to it's full capacity.

Recipe here

Weird beer, with a great result.
Beerz
Les


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## Weizguy (1/1/09)

10. Cortez The Killer - Smug Bastard
My last beer of 2008 and first of 2009. Stone brewing recommend that you should drink this beer young to test your mettle. I'm up for that. Was planning to taste alongside a genuine ABA, but my fellow taster didn't show. He has one more chance to show, or I'm on it, solo.
Up front this beer has Chinook up the wazoo, as expected and required.
I just drank a glass of water from the pint glass (SNPA phat) I poured this beer into. I got an odd flavour that persisted for a few sips, so I grabbed my Stone Arrogant BA glass, sniffed it, was clean, put about 100ml water in it and drank it before pouring the bottles remains (which filled the glass). I still get an oily BBQ chops aroma and flavour up front in the beer. This is above and beyond any Chinook aroma, which would have been overpowering when young.
The malt is in the background, and the biscuity maltiness imposes itself more as the beer warms.
This is not a malt-accented beer though, and the Chinook flavour, aroma and bitterness (*Ooh the bitterness!) are the primary instruments of torture in this beer.
Overall, a 7/10, with a bite factor of 9. from the website "This is an aggressive beer. You probably won't like it".

If "You're not worthy" AHBers, who is?

Beerz
Les


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## Cortez The Killer (1/1/09)

Thanks Les

I had my second taste test yesterday. But the long drive to Singleton up the putty didn't do the beer any favours and I got alot of yeast in suspension even with the beer in the fridge for 1.5 days. 

I got the bbq aroma flavour in this beer too, not sure where it comes from as it wasn't there earlier, sort of reminded me of a rauchbier. I got a tonne of caramel aroma/flavours previously. I did run 2 elements in the kettle on this batch for a little while, so not sure if it scorched, but have not noticed the bbq aroma in another other batch i've done to date with the elements. 

Will need to get back to the gong to try another. 

Cheers


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## Cortez The Killer (1/1/09)

*11. Crozdog - NDBrewing Amarillo Ale FWK*

Hazy amber appearence. Some sweet fruit in aroma, along with some grain/malty smells? Don't get the typical amarillo passion fruit. Fruity hop flavour. Very clean. Medium body. Pretty well balanced - fairly sweet upfront with a lingering bitterness - medium body. Interesting malt character. Good tasty easy drinking APA. 

Cheers


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## monkeybusiness (1/1/09)

I've had a fair few of the case swap beers over the xmas/new years festivites and while I wanted to make detailed notes the time just hasn't been there. So I'll just raise my glass to a couple that I've really enjoyed so far that have stuck in my head. 

10. Cortez The Killer - Smug Bastard
Had this one this last night for new years. Memories are hazy now but a great full bodied ale.

19. Gulpa - IPA
I've not had much exosure to IPA's but this one was great and has inspired me to add an IPA to my immediate brew schedule

9. Grantw - Belgian Blonde Ale
Very tasty beer great belgian flavours. Must say I'm becoming partial to these.

13. Kabooby - Strong Belgian Ale
Had this at new years after coretz's american strong ale and by the end of these two beers I was getting pretty social. This Belgian strong was packed with flavour and I thought it was outstanding. 

1. Josh's Witbier
As others have said an excellent wit. The lemon was distinct but I didn't really find it overpowering. Really nice blend of spice with the slight tartness of the lemon. Thoroughly refreshing. 

I've still quite a few more to get through but so far the beers have been top notch. Part of the reason for lack of notes (besides somewhat inadequate tastebuds) is that I've been getting family and friends to try these beers also (sips only, I don't share well  ) and the natives have been quite impressed with the quality of the "homebrew


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## PostModern (1/1/09)

Had a few case swap beers at NYE. Chosen at random by the Mrs when I sms'd a request to chill some from work. I also have a bit of a cold atm, so my palate and sense of smell are a bit off.

*16. Muggus - Wedding Weekend Weizenbock*
I know you said it could do with some age, but the Mrs put it in the fridge, so I drank it  I didn't manage to rouse any yeast with my ginger pour, so I drank it crystal. Very nice copper brown colour. Restrained esters (or my cold) on the nose and a little phenol and munich malt. At first, it hides the alcohol well, but as it warms, it comes across in the aroma and a warm sensation on the tongue. Nice malt hit, well balanced with bitterness, maybe a touch too bitter, maybe a touch too clean (or again, my cold). Enjoyed this with smoked oyster hors d'oeuvres.

*21. Barls- raspberry wheat beer*
Very distinctive sulphury aroma on this. I thought it might be infected at first, but once it was swirled in the jug until some of the CO2 (and sulphur) was blown off, it smelt a bit better, of esters and phenols and of course of the fruit. The pink colour was interesting. The flavour was dry and tart and raspberryish. Not much malt character or bitterness perceptible after the fruit character. I'm not normally a fan of fruity beers (breakfast mango weizen excepted) but enjoyed this one after garlic prawn pizza. Cheers Barls.

*27. Matt n AJ - Chokesy Brown - Northern English Brown Ale*
High carbonation. Didn't gush out of the bottle, but I was expecting something much flatter. Once the big moussey head died off in the jug with some swirling, I poured a glass and got another moussey head in the glass. Once this died off with some more swirling, I could get to the beer. Interesting crystal and chocolate malt notes balanced against a middling bitterness and a hint of yeasty esters. Not bad, but a little high in crystal for my liking. Went well with the cheese platter.


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## Muggus (2/1/09)

*Brew: 11. Crozdog - NDBrewing Amarillo Ale FWK *
Date: 2/2/09
Beer info: Brown 750ml VB bottle, gold cap "11", US05, Bottled 25/11

Technically this is my first beer of the New Year, (yesterday morning doesn't count!) so forgive me if my expectations are a bit high! 

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in glass.
Reasonably pop, pours a big old wad of white foam which eventually dies down into a persistant managable two fingers worth. Body is orangey gold, quite clean.
Big smack in the nose with the distinct grassiness of Amarillo hops, along with a bit of the citrus, pineapple, passionfruit, etc, that one would associate with this hop...its quite nice on the nose you'd have to say. A hint of an underlying grainy malt body, possibly some caramel about it, though that could also be a bit of diacetyl, maybe both, not prominant anyway.
Body is reasonably full, lively carbonation, slightly sticky malt texture, gets a bit heavy to if I gulp down too much. Some resiny bitterness manifests itself early on, without being all too brutal.
Quite a good balance on the body; upfront maltiness with a bit of biscuit and caramel character about it, hops weave their way through, freshly mown grass more than anything else, some pine-like woodiness and citrus rind. Finish has a good bitter hit, lingering dryness, maybe the slightest hint of diacetyl once again, but i'm quite pleased.
I'm afraid, can't exactly commend you on brewing the beer, Crozdog. But I can always compliment you on a fine selection of a FWK and yeast, and applaud your fine fermentation work. 
Cheers!


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## Muggus (2/1/09)

*Brew: 10. Cortez The Killer - Smug Bastard - American Strong Ale *
Date: 2/2/09
Beer info: Brown 750ml screwtop, gold cap "10",7.2% - Bottled 24/11

Sampling notes:
Served slightly chilled in glass.
Pours a sizeable rocky-offwhite head after a good solid pop. Amber body with hazy sort of clarity and fine beading.
Interesting nose, very different from anything i've come across; big earthiness about it, cedar/pine-like hops, orange sherbert, tobacco leafiness mollasses and dark brown sugar, notes of dried fruit and sherry-like undertones. Very complex, alcohol somewhat hidden amongst it all.
Medium carbonation, rich mouthfeel, verging on being liqueur-like yet balanced with a tremendous, somehow smooth bitterness that assaults the palate throughout.
Much of the same from the nose on the body; burnt toffee malt body, notes of raisin and plum, bitter orange and grapefruit rind, big woody and leafy hops, hint of cinnamon and spice. Really hard to narrow down the flavours cause there's just so much going on, particularly with the distraction of a massive bitterness linger way past the finish.
Like I mentioned earlier, this beer is like nothing i've ever come across. Rich, hoppy, bitter, and very complex, especially as it warms. (why do I taste caramel dipped bananas!?) Be a good one to put away for a couple of years.
Thanks alot Cortez for the experience!


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## Fatgodzilla (2/1/09)

Had a few beers and haven't had a dud one yet. Excuse the poor notes but the following beers were great

1.Josh's Belgium Wit - lovely. Just lovely.
5..Nifty's EPA - upset there was only one bottle of this in the swap. Your usual high standard Nifty !
7. DS' dunkelweisen - discussed previously - good brew Stu
20. Redbeard's Summer Wheat - excelled yourself Mr M. I liked it.
24. Hewy's hefe - no carb problem - wasted some by offering to a turd of a bloke who drinks VB- my fault. Should have been greedy and drunk the lot !
27. Matt n AJ Chokesy Brown - bloody nice beer lads ! Rated that a nice drop !

Planning a session for the cricket and will actually try to remember to write my notes a little better.


Am drinking 8. jonw's NS Summer ale as I read the site - yeeehhaa on the hop bite !! First impression was what the F%^$ is this .. but half way through the glass, the taste buds have adjusted and this is one hoppy brew ! Is this meant to be so hoppy ? I'm loving it, but this aint a session brew ! Should ahve given this one to the VB turd and watched him squirm on a real hop taste !


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## jonw (3/1/09)

Fatgodzilla said:


> Am drinking 8. jonw's NS Summer ale as I read the site - yeeehhaa on the hop bite !! First impression was what the F%^$ is this .. but half way through the glass, the taste buds have adjusted and this is one hoppy brew ! Is this meant to be so hoppy ? I'm loving it, but this aint a session brew ! Should ahve given this one to the VB turd and watched him squirm on a real hop taste !



Thanks for the (positive?! ) feedback fgz. I just got home from a month in the UK yesterday, and poured myself a glass of the summer ale from the keg, and was quite surprised by how bitter it has become. I put it down to my palate becoming used to English beer, but maybe this one doesn't age so well. I'm pretty sure that it wasn't so bitter when it was fresh.

I haven't collected (let alone tasted) my case yet - I'm looking forward to getting into a few decent beers. Having said that, I've been rather spoilt on excellent English beer over the last four weeks. St. Austell Tribute, TTLL from the cask, London pride and a number of craft brews were all excellent. I was surprised by just how different TTLL from the cask is to the bottled product - 4.4% vs ~5.5% for a start, a completely different beer.

We also spent a few days in Hamburg visiting my brother and his family, so had quite a few excelent German brews too.

Cheers,

Jon


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## Muggus (3/1/09)

*Brew: 18. Insight - Taddy Porter Clone *
Date: 3/2/09
Beer info: Brown 750ml Coopers bottle, gold cap "18", 5.2%, bottled 5th Dec

Looks like i'm onto the dark beers to finish up the case. Having recent tried Samuel Smiths Taddy Porter, i'm looking forward to trying this one especially.

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in glass.
Pours a picturesque pint, so to speak. A inch-thick dense, creamy, persistant tan head atop a ruby-highlighted black body. Glass is painted with lace on the trip down.
Subtle roasty aroma; bit of charcoaly, earthy, woody sort of malt presence, some burnt toffee in the works, faint dark fruits and a lactic note. 
Full, creamy body, carbonation is low and cask-like. Grain astrigency is quite noticable, drying, a bit lactic but not bitter or discouraging.
Nice, smooth roasted malt presense on the body. Bitter dark chocolate and cocoa, burnt wood-like roastiness, some rich toffee bring a hint of sweetness, possibly a hint of earthy hop spice. Unripe plummy fruits as it warms, bit of liquorice and brown sugar. Finishes with a good bitterness, lingering grainy dryness with a touch of acidity.
Very close to the mark of Sam Smiths I've gotta say, possibly a bit more body but a bit less malt complexity. Either way it's a very nice, highly drinkable dark beer. Cheers Insight!


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## Gulpa (3/1/09)

*23. Homebrewworld USA PALE ALE*


Just back from two weeks where my only beer choices were T.New and 4X  so I needed an APA. After reading above I thought I should get this one in the fridge.

Poured with a largish head B) into a pint glass and a 2L water jug and a middie glass and had pretty good clarity once settled. Nice aroma of US hops. Low carb, medium body with nice flavour hops. Finish as mentioned above is very citrusy, almost sharp. Malt flavours emerge as it warms. Would have liked to try this with proper carb. Thanks HBW.

Cheers
Andrew.


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## Gulpa (4/1/09)

*10. Cortez The Killer - Smug Bastard - American Strong Ale *

Pours thick. Dark copper to light brown. Hazy. Small head that falls down to the rim. Roasty/choc aroma with faint fruit. Taste is initially burnt caramel that moves to complex mix of malt and fruit as the bitterness builds. Low carb. Assertive but smooth bitterness thats really well balanced with alcohol very well hidden. Really nice beer, Cortez. Thanks heaps.

Cheers
Andrew.


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## Josh (4/1/09)

3. Stuster - Flip-flop Saison, Wyeast 3711, 5.9%

Pretty well carbonated, but I managed to get it into just 3 glasses so no real problems there. Tastes great, not sure how to describe all the flavours though. Perhaps peppery with some farmhouse flavours. 

I'm thinking of re-using this yeast. Might have to fire up the starter tonight so i can grow up some of the 3711.


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## Muggus (5/1/09)

*Brew: 2. DK - 13. Dry Stout *
Date: 3/2/09
Beer info: Green 750ml crownseal bottle, gold cap "2", Bottled 23/11/08

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in goblet.
Very appealing looking stout from the word go; oily black body with a light brown foam that sticks to the glass on the journey down.
Aroma is quite muted at first, and so I gave it a bit of time to warm up and breathe. Malt aromas reveal themselves; nuts, dark chocolate, burnt toffee, some earthy hop spice.
Body is quite lean, low carbonation, quite fluffy texture, smooth on the way down without too much roasted grain bite.
Smooth flavour on the body, if not the slightest bit restrained. Dark chocolate malts in the background, bit of toffee and charcoal in the works, a more defined note of hops somewhat citrusy and woody, British hops if i'd have to take a guess. Subtle dark fruits linger on tongue, finish is dry, quite bitter but still a smooth ride overall.
I was expecting something quite heavy, which is probably why I left this beer to 3rd last, but was pleasently suprised. Very drinkable dark ale. Cheers DK!


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## PostModern (6/1/09)

*5. nifty - English Pale Ale *

Poured with lots of gas into a jug. I don't know what I'm doing wrong with these case beers, but they all generally plume all over the place despite a couple days in the fridge. Now I'm down to 2 kegs, I might load up the rest of the case and give the bottles more time. Anyway, my storage issues aside, this beer plumed all over the place. The yeast held onto the bottle, so there was no haze. Poured very nice and clear once the copious head settled and displayed a rich ruby hue. Aroma was of CO2 initially (I'll forever associate bottled beer with CO2 burns to my nostrils from this case swap forth) and later of crystal malt and some subdued hops. Flavour was dominated by the "malt" but by malt, I mean dark crystal, I could not make out much base malt flavour at all. I don't mean to be overly critical, but I don't like overused crystal. Sticky toffee flavours should take a back seat, imho and compliment the base malt rather than disguise it. This beer was not undrinkable by any means, but had much too much crystal for my liking. Otherwise, the palate balance was good, it was dry enough thanks probably to a low mash temp, and was quite a drinkable pint, obviously well crafted.

Geez, rereading that paragraph, it comes across as if I didn't like the beer, and in hindsight, I guess I'm saying that although I can see the skill of the brewer in this beer, I just don't like the heavy hand with the spec malt.


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## Gulpa (6/1/09)

*25. PoMo - Summer Blonde*

Pours pale gold with a big fluffy head. Slight haze. Aroma of malt with a slight belgian yeastyness in the background. Taste follows with maltiness and a nice hint of tropical/stone fruits. High carb. Nicely balanced bitterness. Im not that familiar with the style but this is an excellent summer drinking beer. Really enjoying. Thanks PoMo.

Cheers
Andrew.


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## Muggus (6/1/09)

*Brew: 16. Muggus - Wedding Weekend Weizenbock *
Beer info: Brown 750ml CUB crownseal bottle, gold cap "16", 6.6%, 21/10/08

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in chalice.
Pours a deep copper body with a bit of haze and short lived offwhite foam.
Toffee/brown sugar aroma, wheat cereal, peppery phenols, some unripe fruit, a touch of sulfur in the mix.
Carbonation is reasonably lively without being mouthfilling, body is reasonably rich maybe not as much as others of the style. Drying texture, slight roasted grain astrigency.
Rich burnt caramel body, somewhat roasty, fruity but in a different way to most hefeweizens, more like paw paw or rockmelon rather than banana. Finishes quite bitter, big drying quality that lingers. Alcohol is an afterthought.
An odd example, probably more bitter/hoppy or possibly drier than it should be, yet still has a richness about it.


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## PostModern (6/1/09)

Gulpa said:


> *25. PoMo - Summer Blonde*
> Im not that familiar with the style but this is an excellent summer drinking beer. Really enjoying. Thanks PoMo.
> 
> Cheers
> Andrew.



Cheers. I don't know if there is a style per se (EDIT, tho it does fit easily into this style), it's just something I like to brew and drink over summer, usually with EKG or, as in this one, NZ fruity hops at the end (just for reference, that's 1g/litre with a really hearty whirlpool at flameout, no chilled). Low body yet tons of interesting flavours. I popped my one 750ml bottle the other day and it's more carbonated than when it comes off the tap at home. Sorry about that. Not sure if I'll ever get back into the bottling thing. So hard to control all the variables for carbonation.


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## Gulpa (7/1/09)

PostModern said:


> Cheers. I don't know if there is a style per se (EDIT, tho it does fit easily into this style), it's just something I like to brew and drink over summer, usually with EKG or, as in this one, NZ fruity hops at the end (just for reference, that's 1g/litre with a really hearty whirlpool at flameout, no chilled). Low body yet tons of interesting flavours. I popped my one 750ml bottle the other day and it's more carbonated than when it comes off the tap at home. Sorry about that. Not sure if I'll ever get back into the bottling thing. So hard to control all the variables for carbonation.



No probs with the carb. Almost the swap theme, mine included <_< . I thought the NZ hops worked really well. 


cheers
Andrew.


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## white.grant (8/1/09)

I had neglected to post these impressions earlier.*


No 17. Loftboy Cream Ale

*1.1.09

Pours slightly hazy into nonic bubbly head forming
Refreshing balanced palate with bright carbonation with some bitterness on the finish. Sunk it in rapid time after brewing in the shed in 40 degree temps. Exactly what I need and I enjoyed every gulp. Cheers Loftboy, very pleasant.

*No 25. Pomo Summer Blonde

*1.1.09

Poured clear into nonic, strong carb with big bubbly head, slowly lacing the glass.

Aroma is bright hops with some pleasant resiny tones and soft honey
Drinking is definite hops upfront with subtle bitterness over a light malt background. Superb balance in the middle giving over to a finish of slowly fading bitterness. Thanks Pomo, really enjoyed this one.

*No 21. Barls Raspberry Wheat Beer

*24.12.08

Pours a pleasant crimson haze into my glass tankard with a white foam slowly diminishing, giving off a pleasant fruity aroma. I love raspberries and I can sense that they're near!

Down the hatch the raspberries come across with assertive tartness backed by the carbonation and then morph across the tongue into hop bitterness that lingers briefly before drying away. As the beer warms in the glass the flavours intensify as the carb settles and the raspberry asserts. MMMmmmm. Raspberries..... Nice one Barls. Cheers.


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## barls (8/1/09)

cheers grant not bad for a kit beer. heres the recipe
Recipe Overview
Wort Volume Before Boil: 23.00 l Wort Volume After Boil: 22.00 l
Volume Transferred: 22.00 l Water Added To Fermenter: 0.00 l
Volume At Pitching: 22.00 l Volume Of Finished Beer: 22.00 l
Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.020 SG Expected OG: 1.035 SG
Expected FG: 1.009 SG Apparent Attenuation: 74.9 %
Expected ABV: 3.5 % Expected ABW: 2.8 %
Expected IBU (using Tinseth): 0.0 IBU Expected Color (using Morey): 5.6 SRM
BU:GU ratio: 0.00 Approx Color:	
Mash Efficiency: 75.0 % 
Boil Duration: 90.0 mins 
Fermentation Temperature: 18 degC 


Fermentables
Ingredient	Amount	%	MCU	When
wals wheat 1.700 kg 63.0 % 5.2 In Mash/Steeped
Extract - Wheat Liquid Malt Extract 1.000 kg 37.0 % 1.7 End Of Boil

Hops
Variety	Alpha	Amount	IBU	Form	When
NZ Hallertauer Aroma 7.5 % 18 g 0.0 Loose Pellet Hops In Fermenter

Other Ingredients
Ingredient	Amount	When
raspberries- frozen 1000 g In secondary

Yeast
White Labs WLP550-Belgian Ale

on a separate note had the following.
Les dampfier bier- different but good, well enjoyed. 
homebrew world- i think i scored one of the ipa's. slightly overcarbonated but enjoyable.


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## Muggus (8/1/09)

Only 1kg of Raspberries in the seconday Barls?
Seems like there would've been more by the colour and taste!


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## barls (8/1/09)

yeah you cant beat those farm berries for potency. dont know why there is a double post ill try to fix it.


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## Cortez The Killer (9/1/09)

*23. Hombrewworld - Irish Red*

Had the jug on hand to catch the beer as it spewed out. However this didn't eventuate, nor did the cascade hops. Looks like I've got the irsh red. 

Low carbonation, meduim copper in colour. Nose is fairly maltly and some english hops, caramel notes. Low bitterness, on the sweeter side, very clean. Very smooth drinking. Some toffee flavours. Finshes fairly sweet. But very easy drinking. I like it. Could be a little more attenuated, however this may be a funcion of under carbonation. 

Cheers


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## schooey (9/1/09)

I drank the last one of mine today and if you have been hanging on, now's the time to drink it. It's conditioned in the fridge pretty well for me, but I notice that the hoppiness is backing off a bit from the last one I tried. Anyway, I liked it


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## Cortez The Killer (9/1/09)

*19. Gulpa - IPA*

Carb meduim to high. Copper in colour. Very clear. Massive floral hoppy nose. Large head. Herbal flavours. Definitly on the bitter side - like beer should be! I must admit I've not had a good english IPA before and I think I'll stuggle to find one as good as this again. Plenty of hop flavour. Floral and earthy flavours. Good malt backbone to balance it out. A most awesome beer. 

Cheers

Edit: Can't find recipe in database - have you got this one handy Gulpa? Cheers


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## 3GumsBrewing (9/1/09)

Muggus said:


> *Brew: 2. DK - 13. Dry Stout *
> Very drinkable dark ale. Cheers DK!



Thanks Muggus,

I love my beers with low carbonation, but I thought I might have let this one get a bit too low!! Good to hear it was ok.

My thoughts on MCT's IPA here - Linky (hint, it rocks!!)

Cheers everyone, I finished my case tonight, apart for some incredibly overcarbed bottles.... Each and every one was enjoyable.

Hope to participate again in July!

DK


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## Gulpa (9/1/09)

*20. Redbeard - Handcrafted Lightly hopped Summer Wheat Ale*

Ill join everyone else and state that this is pretty hard to describe and definitely not what I was expecting.

Pours clear gold/orange. Aroma of malt, some spice with that tartness others talk about - Im getting a bit of pear in there as well. Taste is more of the same, quite complex and finishes tart with spice. Low carb. Low bitterness. Certainly unlike any other beer I have had with lots to think about. Nice. Thanks Redbeard.

Cheers
Andrew.


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## DiscoStu (10/1/09)

*18. Insight - Taddy Porter Clone, 5.2%*

Thick tan head that clings to the glass on the way down. Aroma has notes of toffee and hint of chocolate. 

Well balanced between malt and hops, nice level of background bitterness. 

Very Very drinkable beer. Enjoyed this one a lot. Only disappointment was I poured SWMBO a glass


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## Gulpa (10/1/09)

Cortez The Killer said:


> *19. Gulpa - IPA*
> 
> Carb meduim to high. Copper in colour. Very clear. Massive floral hoppy nose. Large head. Herbal flavours. Definitly on the bitter side - like beer should be! I must admit I've not had a good english IPA before and I think I'll stuggle to find one as good as this again. Plenty of hop flavour. Floral and earthy flavours. Good malt backbone to balance it out. A most awesome beer.
> 
> ...



Thanks Cortez. High praise indeed.

Recipe here


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## DiscoStu (10/1/09)

*21. Barls- raspberry wheat beer

*Nice pop opening the cap, poured with a creamy head that lasted the whole way down. Looks great, crystal clear with a funky pink colour.

Interesting aroma, you can definately pick smell the berries. Tastes great, well balanced, fruitiness from the berries is not over done. Unlike anything I'd ever dream of brewing or buying.

I honestly did not think I would like this one but actually found it quite refreshing, especially after a day spent laying turf in the backyard. 
SWMBO loved it and has already requested I brew one for her. 

Nice work Barls - recipe please.

Cheers Stu


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## barls (10/1/09)

cheers mate.
its back here
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...st&p=397538


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## PostModern (11/1/09)

*4. Fatgodzilla - American Brown Wheat Beer*

Pours a rich brown colour with firm long lasting head. Excellent clarity. Aroma of sherbet and caramel. Interesting combination. Medium-low body and medium carbonation. Interesting palate of roast malt and caramel, which goes really well with the subtle body. Neutral yeast character with subtle bitterness in balance with the malt bill. Very easy to drink. Had this shortly after a much fruitier, estery Weihenstephan Hefe Weizen, but I must say the contrast is enjoyable. Very nice. Probably the best beer of yours I've ever tasted, Ian. Cheers for having 4 cracks of the whip! Enjoyed it.


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## Gulpa (11/1/09)

*4. Fatgodzilla - American Brown Wheat Beer*

Another hard to describe beer. Similar to PoMo except I found there was something almost belgian about it - a yeasty fruitiness - that moves towards citrus as the beer warms. Nice beer FGZ.

Regards
Andrew.


----------



## white.grant (12/1/09)

*No. 13 Kaboody Strong Belgian Ale*

9.01.09

Poured into chalice, golden honey colour with nice head persisting, and postive cabonation

Aroma is subtle malty and smokey with some elusive esters drawing you down to sip, tempting and delivering with restrained esters, of summer fruit, nectarines and white peach - for mine - and light sugar sweetness matching well with the fruity profile, slight bitterness on the follow through and then pleasant warming alcohol across a dry finish. 

Very, very nice, Kaboody. I liked this one a lot.

cheers

Grant


----------



## kabooby (12/1/09)

Thanks Grant

Glad you liked it and I'm glad the carbonation was good.

Kabooby


----------



## PostModern (12/1/09)

kabooby said:


> I'm glad the carbonation was good.



Gloater


----------



## kabooby (12/1/09)

I have been using a new method to bottle from my keg so I have been a little worried that the beers may not have been carbed enough or starting to show some signs of oxidation, and maybe a little gloating  

Kabooby


----------



## PostModern (12/1/09)

*13. Kaboody - Strong Belgian Ale*

You're right to gloat, this beer is bloody lovely. Pillowy head forms on a slightly dark amber beer with nice carbonation, exceptionally bright once beer warms. Slight haze at fridge temp (~6C). Great aromas, phenolic and estery, with the balance towards phenols as the beer warms. Slight alcohol aroma. Dense head persists really well on a beer of this strength, leaving stringy Belgian lace down the sides of the glass. Hints of honey and a whiff higher alcohols in the palate, which is full and delicious. Nice dry finish with tasty stewed fruit and brandy in the aftertaste. Great beer, thanks for sharing!


----------



## RetsamHsam (12/1/09)

Gulpa said:


> Thanks Cortez. High praise indeed.
> 
> Recipe here




Hey Mate,

I enjoyed your beer thoroughly.. Checked out the recipe and it says you have 2 * 1minute additions of Challenger Hops.. Is this meant to be 35g of challenger and 35g of Target??


----------



## kabooby (12/1/09)

PostModern said:


> *13. Kaboody - Strong Belgian Ale*
> 
> You're right to gloat, this beer is bloody lovely. Pillowy head forms on a slightly dark amber beer with nice carbonation, exceptionally bright once beer warms. Slight haze at fridge temp (~6C). Great aromas, phenolic and estery, with the balance towards phenols as the beer warms. Slight alcohol aroma. Dense head persists really well on a beer of this strength, leaving stringy Belgian lace down the sides of the glass. Hints of honey and a whiff higher alcohols in the palate, which is full and delicious. Nice dry finish with tasty stewed fruit and brandy in the aftertaste. Great beer, thanks for sharing!



Thanks for the review. I am planing on having a few mates over in a few weeks and have a go at the whole case. Can't wait

Here is the recipe if your interested Link


----------



## Muggus (12/1/09)

kabooby said:


> Thanks for the review. I am planing on having a few mates over in a few weeks and have a go at the whole case. Can't wait


Haha awesome! That could get very messy! :lol: 

Anyway, on the matter of beer, i've got my ass into gear and have had the honour of finishing the last of swap case this evening.
Big thanks once again for everyone making the effort, particularly Barls for hosting. I'd have to say this swap has been the best i've been part of to date.
And now for my last unnecessarily detailed review...  

*Brew: 12. Schooey - Scottish Strong Ale *
Date: 12/1/09
Beer info: Brown 750ml screwtop bottle with label, black cap "12", 8.2% WY1728 bottled 22/11/08

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in glass.
Lucky last of the case swap, nice opening, pours a persistant dense orange-tan head atop of thick looking copper body.
Rich malt aroma, deep complex caramalised character, almost treacle-like, faint roastiness, hops come through more as it warms adding earthy spice.
Woah! This beer is thick! Dense syrupy texture, sticky without being all too cloying, high bitterness certainly balances. Reasonably lively creamy carbonation.
Golden syrup-like malt body, burnt toffee and chewy anzac biscuit, bit of charcoaly roastiness, subtle fruitiness with warmth plums and citrus marmalade, hops hit hard towards the finish, leafy, earthy spice, tobacco, with plenty of bitterness that lingers on the finish. Alcohol is very well hidden!
Such a big beer! Has the sort of maltiness that hits you in the face without warning, unlike anything i've ever come across. Big thanks to you for sharing this Schooey!


----------



## Gulpa (12/1/09)

RetsamHsam said:


> Hey Mate,
> 
> I enjoyed your beer thoroughly.. Checked out the recipe and it says you have 2 * 1minute additions of Challenger Hops.. Is this meant to be 35g of challenger and 35g of Target??



Hi Rets,

Glad you liked it.

Its 70g challenger at 1min. For some reason the recipe prog. wouldnt accept it as one addition so I had to add it as two additions. I have added a note to the recipe to explain.

Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## schooey (12/1/09)

Muggus said:


> Big thanks to you for sharing this Schooey!



Thanks for the feedback, Muggus. It really was my pleasure, although I wish I'd had a few more for myself. I'll be brewing this one again. Now I'm finished a lot of the jbs I had planned for my holidays, I plan to get my arse into gear and attack my case. From the reviews, it looks like it's going to be very enjoyable indeed


----------



## Weizguy (12/1/09)

Good onya, Schooey.

Ain't it the truth. It's a bit of a double-edged sword: you wish you'd kept more for yourself, but you really enjoy the thought of sharing a great beer. It's difficult, but you know that you can brew another just like it.

I need to get "arse in2 gear" and make another Berliner and show how it can be done.
Sounds like a challenge for tomorrow. First "real" day off work for this year, tomorrow.
Time to start a sour culture. Nothing too strenuous, you understand.

Drinking one of Tony's (the ugly beauty-challenged dude with the beard) red ales tonight.
Back into the case swap beer tomorrow. Enjoying my dual swaps, of course.


----------



## Fatgodzilla (13/1/09)

Gulpa said:


> *4. Fatgodzilla - American Brown Wheat Beer*
> Another hard to describe beer. Similar to PoMo except I found there was something almost belgian about it - a yeasty fruitiness - that moves towards citrus as the beer warms. Nice beer FGZ. Regards Andrew.




Glad the beer turned out as presentable as it did. Certainly a one off as unlikely to use Scottish Ale again in the near foreseeable future. Have Irish Ale & British Ale II in the larder - appear to be similiar so my next half dozen brews will be Irish (Red, porter & stout) and english (pale ale, ordinary and ESB). 

My experimental beer stage is over for the next few months (or until the mid year case swap at least) as I concentrate on proven recipes to improve my brewing practices - in the hope of less wastage !




> ... Very nice. Probably the best beer of yours I've ever tasted, Ian. Cheers for having 4 cracks of the whip! Enjoyed it.



I should have saved you some of the bad ones !!!!


----------



## Gulpa (13/1/09)

*17. Loftboy - Cream Ale. 4.7% ABV, US05.*

Pours clear pale gold with a small head that disperses. Aroma is light malt almost lagerish. Flavour is similar with a nuttly malt profile (almond/marzipan) that Im starting to associate with german pils malt (but I could be totally wrong ie the brews Ive done with weybopils malt get the same profile). Easy drinking. Medium low carb. Bitterness just right for the body. Nice summer session beer. Thanks Loftboy.


Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Gulpa (13/1/09)

Fatgodzilla said:


> ... Certainly a one off as unlikely to use Scottish Ale again in the near foreseeable future...



Is that wy1728? I would never have picked it. May explain the belgianness I found if you brewed this warmer. 

If it was, dont write off this yeast yet. Ive used this yeast a fair bit and Ive had good results brewed cold (around 14c). Makes a great APA in the middle of winter when other ale yeasts dont work well.

cheers
Andrew.


----------



## loftboy (15/1/09)

Gulpa said:


> *17. Loftboy - Cream Ale. 4.7% ABV, US05.*
> 
> Pours clear pale gold with a small head that disperses. Aroma is light malt almost lagerish. Flavour is similar with a nuttly malt profile (almond/marzipan) that Im starting to associate with german pils malt (but I could be totally wrong ie the brews Ive done with weybopils malt get the same profile). Easy drinking. Medium low carb. Bitterness just right for the body. Nice summer session beer. Thanks Loftboy.
> 
> ...



Andrew,

Your taste buds are well tuned !. The grain bill was about 8% flaked maize & the rest 50/50 pale ale/pils.

Glad you enjoyed it.

David.


----------



## white.grant (16/1/09)

*10. Cortez the Killer's Smug Bastard

*15.1.09

Pours coffee brown into nonic with a tight packed off white foam stand that just doesn't quit and carries delicious hoppy aromas, green, sometimes earthy sometimes light citrus, playing a nice game with me.

Medium mouthful some faint licorice and dark malt remnants giving over to a pleasing carb / hop bite followed by a prolonged bitterness and a satisfyingly dry finish. Beautifully attenuated. 

Checking the details I'm finding 7.2% ABV hard to believe until near the bottom of the pint I start to feel it. Needless to say, the second glass was a thing of great beauty.

Thanks CTK, great beer.

cheers

grant


----------



## Gulpa (16/1/09)

*16. Muggus - Wedding Weekend Weizenbock 6.6%,*

Pours clear dark copper with a very small head. Aroma is nutty malt with that wheatish yeasty aroma and a subtle spice. Flavour is more of the same. Complex. Malt is dominant with spice in the finish. I dont know why I get ginger in these types of beer. Very low carb. Seemingly lowish bitterness but I suspect is more than I think, with the other flavours carrying it. Very nice beer, Muggus. Thanks.

cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Muggus (17/1/09)

Gulpa said:


> *16. Muggus - Wedding Weekend Weizenbock 6.6%,*
> 
> Pours clear dark copper with a very small head. Aroma is nutty malt with that wheatish yeasty aroma and a subtle spice. Flavour is more of the same. Complex. Malt is dominant with spice in the finish. I dont know why I get ginger in these types of beer. Very low carb. Seemingly lowish bitterness but I suspect is more than I think, with the other flavours carrying it. Very nice beer, Muggus. Thanks.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the nice comments Andrew!
Now that you mention it, I also sometimes get a 'ginger' sort of flavour in some weizenbocks, and in some just normal weizens for that matter. Could be a yeast thing, but then again alot of these beers are very complex and somehow change dramatically as you get through the bottle. One reason I guess I love them! :icon_cheers:


----------



## Weizguy (17/1/09)

Brew: 22. Beer Slayer Wheat Beer
Date: 30/12/08
Beer info: Brown 750ml twist-top, gold cap "22"

Sorry guy. This is at it's use-by , if not beyond.
Sweet banana on opening and the same in the taste. Some tropical fruit in the aroma still, but the main flavour is gone.
So sorry to have missed this, as it's "my" style.
Still got most of the phenolics, and they are more up-front now.
Still edged in a 6.5/10 for grit, determination and what could have been.

Now I'm just ticked off with myself. Didn't realise that "ready to drink before Xmas" meant that I should "drink now".
my apologies for not catching this beer in it's prime.

Any another beer that I missed in its prime? Still have half a case, but I have 2 weeks off work (oh, and half the HAG case).

Appreciating everyone's effort and I vow to do much better next time.
Les


----------



## jonw (18/1/09)

Les the Weizguy said:


> Any another beer that I missed in its prime? Still have half a case, but I have 2 weeks off work (oh, and half the HAG case).



If you haven't had my (number 8) summer ale yet, you may want to think of it more as an IPA!


----------



## Gulpa (18/1/09)

*28. Les - Dampfbier ~5% ABV (sort of a Vienna lager, but warm fermented with W3068*

Checked the bomb shelter and this one was still whole so I thought it safe to put in the fridge.

Pours with a BIG fluffy head  . Cloudy light copper. Aroma is mostly yeast and spice. Flavour is same with some malt coming through. Low carb (now). Body is a bit light for my tastes. Bitterness is low. Would have liked to try this with proper carb levels. Thanks Les.


Also had a few last night and couldnt make notes. Sorry for the brief descriptions but that is the best I can do.

*21. Barls- raspberry wheat beer (4.1%)*

Poured pink - Raspberry definitely there in aroma and flavour. Light body. Nice. Thanks barls.

Ive only had a couple of fruit beers and still havent had a fruit beer epiphany. I think I would like one with more body but then again im not sure how the dry tartness would suit. 


*14. Retsamhsam - Brown Bastard Amber Ale*

It was a shame I couldnt have given this a bit more attention. Very malty with a slight smokiness that was very nice. Thanks Rets.


*6. monkeybusiness - Simple Lager, Wey Pilsner, german noble hops, Wyeast Bohemian Lager*

Not much to add on this one. Pretty much as described. I might have been a bit past it by this stage. Thanks MB.

cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Gulpa (19/1/09)

*Brew: 22. Beer Slayer Wheat Beer*

Thought I should drink this one before it went downhill any further :huh: .

Pours clearish gold with a small head that disappears quickly. Aroma is wheatish and I get the banana as well with malt there in the background. Flavour is similar with a bit of spice in the finish. Not overly wheaty. High carb. I wasnt expecting much but I really enjoyed this beer. Im not a big wheat drinker, maybe that why. Nice beer. Thanks BS.

Regards
Andrew.


----------



## PostModern (20/1/09)

*3 Stuster - Flip-flop Saison*

Echoing other comments on this. As usual a great Saison from the Stuster. Very enjoyable with a nice warm sensation in the tum after finishing a flavoursome and aromatic beer. Lovely. Thanks Stu!

I had a second bottle also labelled "3" in the case. Had a smokey, whisky-like flavour. Any ideas whose beer this might have been?

*22. Beer Slayer - Wheat Beer*

Again, echoing the comments of others. Not a great beer, but I drank the whole bottle.


----------



## PostModern (23/1/09)

Am I the only one still drinking these?

*11. Crozdog - NDBrewing Amarillo Ale*

Mostly clean APA. Poured with a generous head, deep amber colour. Aroma of Amarillo hops and a trace of malt. Balance between malt and hops OK. Slight astringency, but not much above my threshold and maybe a hint of diacetyl. Finish dry and pleasant, leaving a desire for another sip. Nice fermentation skillz croz 

This beer put me nicely into the mood for Cortez's Smug Bastard. If I'm still conscious, review later.


----------



## Cortez The Killer (23/1/09)

PostModern said:


> Am I the only one still drinking these?


I'm having a little break but will back into them


PostModern said:


> This beer put me nicely into the mood for Cortez's Smug Bastard. If I'm still conscious, review later.


Don't know if a winter warmer is right for this heat. 

Says the man who just had a Erdinger Dunkeler Weizenbock, a Leffe Radieuse and a Coopers 2006 Vintage

Cheers


----------



## PostModern (23/1/09)

Cortez The Killer said:


> I'm having a little break but will back into them
> 
> Don't know if a winter warmer is right for this heat.
> 
> ...



Too late, amigo. It's on its way down my gullet now. Serving it very cold tho, food fridge rather than beer fridge temps. Need some sleep for a 5am road trip starting tomorrow, so short of snorting spirits at bedtime, Smug Bastard it is


----------



## PostModern (23/1/09)

*10. Cortez The Killer - Smug Bastard*

Hoppy and floral/herbacious aroma and a bit of caramel and some fruity esters. Touch of alcohol in there as well. Poured with a decent head which dissipated with a few sips. Medium body, medium-high carbonation. Flavour similar to nose with a little toffee and caramel. Medium-high bitterness, but imho a little too low for the crystal malty backbone. Or is the caramel from the kettle? Nice drink served cold on this stupidly hot summer night. With the hops and alcohol, won't have any trouble sleeping tonight. Cheers, Cortez. Enjoyed it a lot.


----------



## schooey (23/1/09)

*4. Fatgodzilla - American Brown Wheat Beer*

Chilled this one in the freezer for half an hour or so tonight. opened with a healthy chhssshhhh... Poured into a PhAT with a healthy pure white big bubbled head that was persistent to the last mouthfull. Pours a deep amber to light copper colour, clarity is excellent. Carbonation is healthy but not overly active.

Burying my nose in the glass, up front I get a slight tartness from the wheat that is quickly over powered by big bready aromas mixed with some slight roasty notes and even some dried fruit in the backgroud. Another sniff and I get caramels and treacles and burnt candi sugar type aromas.

First sip is a bit of carbonic bite that fades quickly to the maltiness. The sweetness of crystal comes through in the mid palate, but not as much tartness from wheat malts as I would have expected from the initial aroma. This sure is a beer that keeps you guessing.... Swirling the second mouthfull around my mouth I get more bready flavours , a slight hint of roast and a long dry finish that I would expect from a wheat malted beer. The bitterness is well hidden, and for my tastes I'd like to see another 5 or 10 IBU in this one.

Thanks for sharing, Fatz, a very enjoyable beer and I commend you on your persistence in continuing until you came up with something you were happy to swap. Champion effort!


----------



## schooey (24/1/09)

*3. Stuster - Flip-flop Saison*

Opened with a nice phhssshhhht. Poured into a chilled Phat. Comes up with a clean, white, fine bubbled persistent head. Clarity of my glass is not so fantastic, but I think that may well be the way I treated my bottle. Colour is a medium straw to pale gold and I can tell already this beer will lace the glass to the bottom.

Putting my nose to the glass I get the spiciness that you would expect from a Saison. A background earthiness followed by dried orange/mandarin peel and pepper flood my nose. I also get something akin to chinese 5 spice in there, cinnamons and nutmeg almost.... very complex

My first mouthfull confirms the earthiness and peppery aromas. It's wildly different to the flavours thrown by the Belgian Saison yeast. Carbonic bite comes through on the palate, leaving a long, dry finish. Bitterness on the finish overpowers the maltiness, but I'm not sure if this is typical of style or not.

Thanks for sharing, Stu. Apologies that my feedback may not be so helpful to youm but this is a style that I'm still becoming familiar with. Very enjoyable none the less


----------



## white.grant (24/1/09)

*No. 16 Muggus' Wedding Weekend Weizenbock

*22.01.09

Poured a lovely caramel with nice carb into a tall weizen glass, frothy head, yeast gently resuspended. Nice caramelly aroma, with some clove peaking through.

A soft mouthfeel delivers more of the gentle caramel notes and yeast derived clove followed by complex wheaty, breadiness and a slight lactic twang. Gentle alcohol warmth on the followthrough. Mmmmmm. A big complex wheaty with a lot going on but nicely soft around the edges. Nice one Muggus, thanks.

cheers

Grant


----------



## Fatgodzilla (25/1/09)

schooey said:


> *4. Fatgodzilla - American Brown Wheat Beer*
> Thanks for sharing, Fatz, a very enjoyable beer and I commend you on your persistence in continuing until you came up with something you were happy to swap. Champion effort!



Thanks Schooey - I'll barbeque a steak for you any time ! Found two bottles of this brew in the cellar so may keep for a future date. I might try to repeat the recipe excepting no Scottish Ale yeast, so will try Brit Ale II. If i can repeat the flavours, I may make this a stock tap beer at my place. Otherwise write it off as a freak (just like me  )


Loftboy's Cream Ale

Poured very hazy and with a small but consistent head. Easily drinkable. Read from a different thread that this was Jamil's recipe, so interested why it wasn't a clearer beer (chill haze ?) You any ideas ? Very tasty. My VB drinking mate Pete liked it so much he drunk the last bit of the bottle, so you can take that as a successful effort. Look forward to future brews.

Crozdog's Amarillo Ale.

Like all Americans, upfront this was bold and bragging. I knew I had a tiger by the tail here. I find that with these hoppy beers, let the taste buds acclimatise the initial shock then wait for the good times to come. These are my favourite American beers (why I brew so many I guess). The only disappointment is when you swallow the last mouthful and you aint got more left. Should have kept it for Superbowl Day (GO STEELERS) but lucky I have a dozen APAs in the cellar for that day ! Tah Phil !


----------



## Weizguy (25/1/09)

Fatgodzilla said:


> <chopped> Found two bottles of this brew in the cellar so may keep for a future date. I might try to repeat the recipe excepting no Scottish Ale yeast, so will try Brit Ale II. If i can repeat the flavours, I may make this a stock tap beer at my place. Otherwise write it off as a freak (just like me  ) </chopped>


What do you mean, no Scottish ale yeast?  
You just said that you have two bottles in the cellar (or there was...). There are 2 yeast culture sources for you, and you get to drink the beer first.  
Now stop moaning, and brew. :lol:


----------



## loftboy (25/1/09)

Fatgodzilla said:


> *Loftboy's Cream Ale*
> 
> Poured very hazy and with a small but consistent head. Easily drinkable. Read from a different thread that this was Jamil's recipe, so interested why it wasn't a clearer beer (chill haze ?) You any ideas ? Very tasty. My VB drinking mate Pete liked it so much he drunk the last bit of the bottle, so you can take that as a successful effort. Look forward to future brews.



FG,

Thanks for the feedback. I'm not sure why the batch ended hazy. Perhaps it may have been from the small amount of either flaked maize or dextrose in the recipe. This was my first time using either of those adjuncts in an AG batch.

Cheers,

Dave.


----------



## Fatgodzilla (25/1/09)

Les the Weizguy said:


> What do you mean, no Scottish ale yeast?
> You just said that you have two bottles in the cellar (or there was...). There are 2 yeast culture sources for you, and you get to drink the beer first.
> Now stop moaning, and brew. :lol:




Sounds like hard work !  You're a genius - why didn't I think of that !

Actually have enough grains to do again - but I will use Brit II. Save the original for comparison.


Monkeybusiness - Simple Lager


probably unfair to the brew drinking after CD' Amarillo Ale, but thought it stood up okay. An easy drinker, a touch undercarbed but the head held on all the way through. With a tad more bitterness & carbonation, this would make a great keg house beer for the megaswill crowd ! Thanks mate !


----------



## Cortez The Killer (26/1/09)

*26. MCT - IPA*

Pours clear, copper in colour, large fine head, which persists throughout. Medium carbonation. Very english nose. Earthy, hop resin, caramel, roast, estery. Lots of hop flavour. Smooth, caramelly upfront with a bitter finish which lingers just long enough. Medium body. Great beer, bitterness well balanced with caramel toffee flavours and good malt backbone. Really enjoyed this - could imagine sitting in an english pub drinking this. 

Cheers


----------



## Cortez The Killer (26/1/09)

25. Postmodern - Summer Blonde

Light amber colour, slightly cloudy. Carbonation high. Large white head. Fruity hops on the nose, some malt, passion fruit. Flavour very american, passionfruit, melon, some pine and citrus. Reminds of the IPA I had at your place, must be the Denny's 50 yeast. Medium body. Lovely bitterness that hits toward the end, but isn't powerful. Very well balanced. Very easy drinking. A great summer beer. Please send keg full over. 

Cheers


----------



## Fatgodzilla (26/1/09)

> *Brew: 14. Retsamhsam - Brown Bastard Amber Ale *
> Beer info: Brown 650ml crownseal, gold cap, 5/12/08, og 1049 fg 1018 abv 4.0% IBU 42.4 Wyeast 1968 London ESB
> 
> Sampling notes:
> ...



Um, I'm not as stylish a judge as Muggus, in fact I know I can't distinguish much of what my esteemed collegue says above. I'll make a crap BJCP judge so I'll stick with stewarding !

What I will do is say I like this a lot. Bloody nice, in fact. Might even have a crack at making one myself !

Thanks Retsamhsam and a pleasure to meet you at Barls on the day of the swap too. Keep them coming !



#15 Thommos' Dark Ale.

Opened and poured in a dark garage, tasted on way out of door and thought - yum - tastes good. As a man weaned on Tooheys Old, the flavour reminds me a lot of that at first. As I get more into the beer, a sweet maltiness starts to dominate (heavy use of crystal ?) The beer is well carbonated but won't keep a head at all. 

This beer tastes along the lines of a few scottish ales I made last year, so this beer sits happily within my comfort zone. Thanks big fella !


----------



## Fatgodzilla (26/1/09)

Gulpa said:


> Is that wy1728? I would never have picked it. May explain the belgianness I found if you brewed this warmer.
> 
> If it was, dont write off this yeast yet. Ive used this yeast a fair bit and Ive had good results brewed cold (around 14c). Makes a great APA in the middle of winter when other ale yeasts dont work well.
> 
> ...




Actually only said it cos I've got Irish Ale and British Ale II in smackpack in the fridge and keen to brew with them (only problem is these two are readily interchangeable .. still thinking) so will make a long line of British / Irish style brews in 2009. I loved the Scottish Ale yeast - made a number of scotch ales which I really liked ! and only threw it in the case swap beer in desperation ! Well, not really. In my reading of brewing in the US in the last century and late 1800s, barley wasn't available everywhere, but wheat was. Immigrants and locals alike weren't trying to make Belgium wits, just beer. So they made wheat based beers using whatever yeast available. So, with that in mind, the American Brown Wheat Beer was an original, plagerised from a number of different sources, using a foreign yeast that was trying to bring out malt qualities in a wheat based wort ! Bloody good fluke !

The success of this brew will be if I can get close to a repeat performance !



PoMo's Summer Ale

Gees, that's a nice drop. Easily drinkable. I've read a few comments on this brew from other more informed tasters and I must concur. Like Thommo's Brown Ale, this is a sweetish tasting beer that I can't help skulling ! Like Thommo's, there is only one fault ..................................................... only one bottle ! I reckon I may try that Dennys Yeast for summer beers - this is my flavour for hot day drinking !

Thanks Rob .. give me a hoy if you go possum hunting and you need some extra hands to hold the ladder !


----------



## Fatgodzilla (26/1/09)

Barl's Raspberry Ale

Everyone's been waiting for this one.

I'll never make one.

I'll never go to a pub and order a schooner of "raspberry beer" please.

I'll never make one.

I'll never actively encourage anyone to ever make one. They are an abomination on brewing and should be eradicated from this earth.

I'll never make one.

I believe like malaria and aids we need to find a cure for those who make this type of stuff.

I'll never make one.


Bloody nice beer though Barls. Went down a treat with the garlic chicken. Clearly well made. The tartness of the raspberry was a brilliant contrast to the rest of the ingredients. I saw the recipe and am impressed with your craftmanship.

But I still do not like the beer. No matter how good it tasted ......................................................  

Good one mate !


----------



## barls (26/1/09)

this has been the one ive been waiting for. glad you liked it mate. also im sure in the easter swap there will be a bottle of something just for you.


----------



## Fatgodzilla (26/1/09)

Insight - Who's Your Taddy Porter.

Bloody nice effort (even if after Barl's raspberry ale anything would taste nice ..  )

Assume you followed the JZ/JP recipe. If so, not bad at all ! Certainly makes me wantt to brew this baby. Lovely easy drinking porter. Sessional beer ? What's the estimates ABV ? Drinks well, tastes good. Can't ask for anymore. 

Good one brother !


----------



## Stuster (26/1/09)

schooey said:


> *3. Stuster - Flip-flop Saison*
> 
> Thanks for sharing, Stu. Apologies that my feedback may not be so helpful to you but this is a style that I'm still becoming familiar with. Very enjoyable none the less



What you talking about, boy? Great feedback I think, schooey. :super: 

As you say, very different yeast to the standard Dupont saison yeast, but I prefer this one - if only because it doesn't take so long to finish the job off. Bitterness certainly can be high in this style, but not all are. There are other saisons which are more balanced to malt. It's a really varied category, if you can call it that.

Glad you liked it.


----------



## Weizguy (27/1/09)

15/ Thommo's Brown Ale.
Raisins and choc, but a lot of raisins. Dark Crystal? A bit undercarbed, but well balanced.
Surprisingly drinkable, although I'm not sure what I was expecting after drinking a bottle of Trent's brown ale on each of the last 2 evenings (W1028 and W1099).
Dark, with a garnet hue. Some hop flavour and port-wine flavour and aroma. Malty, as expected. Some Maris aroma as it warms? Also, as it warms, just the tiniest bit of astringency for me. Some warming alcohol, how, in a 4.5% beer?
Actually reminds me of the Arrogant Bastard minus all that Chinook, but the arrogant is about 7.2%
Nice drop, but a bit flavoursome for a session beer. Not necessarily a bad thing, especially if it wasn't meant for sessioning.
8/10 with a star (bonus for reminding me of the Arrogant).

Les


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## Stuster (28/1/09)

PoMo's Summer Blonde - a really excellent quaffer, Rob. It really grew on me as I drank it. At first, I was wondering if there was a slight infection or something, but by the end I was sure there wasn't and was just enjoying the resiny NZ hops. Probably just the smell of the washing up left on my hands that confused me. Good balance and the light touch made it superbly drinkable but still interesting. Can I hear crisp?  

I might take a leaf out of your book and just add flavour/aroma hops at the end of the boil. Certainly seems to have worked out well in this beer. :chug:


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## white.grant (28/1/09)

*No 4. Fg's American Brown Wheat Beer*

28.1.09

Started to pour into a weizen glass, but decided against that and not having a phat went for my trusty nonic. Pours a lovely fluffy white persistent head and amber body with haze.

Aroma is subtle hoppiness with a wheaty tang, then more tangy wheatiness on the tongue intermingling with hop flavour/bitterness, light malt and a medium carbonation that delivers a very drinkable beer. I rather like it, especially the tangy back palate which is refreshing. Nice one fatz, I think you're on to something.

I gave a sip to Sue who described it as a tasty, refreshing beer and as you know, she is always correct.  

cheers

grant


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## schooey (28/1/09)

*1. Josh - Belgian Wit, Wyeast 3944 5.0% - bottled 19/11 good to go*

Had this one after a week in the fridge, poured into a chilled Hoegaarden glass. Pours a hazy pale straw colour, largish silky white persistent head. First thing to hit the nose is lemon, fresh shaved lemon zest almost. Swirling the glass with a hand over it and burying my nose again I get the lemon again, followed by that tart wheat aroma and a really faint hint of clove in the background. 

Taking a sip, the lemon is confirmed, it almost dominates. Body is thinnish, and there is some wheat tartness there, followed by some slight spiciness in the background. I'm thinking at this point that I have this a little cold, although at this temperature it makes an excellent hot summers day quaffer and I'm in two minds to just drink the rest or let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes to warm. I decided to drink the rest of the glass and let the remainder in the bottle warm.

On pouring the head is not so persistent but the carbonation is still there, almost exactly perfect for style I would say, quite active, but not overly. Flavours have developed with warming as you would expect and I get more of the Belgian spiciness. Clove, madarin and dried orange peel aromas coming through and confirmed on the palate. The zestiness of the lemon has faded a little and makes it a much more balanced beer. The tartness of the wheat malt shines through more also and the body of the beer is amazingly different; The difference a few degrees can make, huh?

Enough ramble, excellent beer, Josh, really enjoyed on a hot arvo, cold from the fridge and after a while in the glass. Thanks for sharing


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## PostModern (28/1/09)

Stuster said:


> PoMo's Summer Blonde - a really excellent quaffer, Rob. It really grew on me as I drank it. At first, I was wondering if there was a slight infection or something, but by the end I was sure there wasn't and was just enjoying the resiny NZ hops. Probably just the smell of the washing up left on my hands that confused me. Good balance and the light touch made it superbly drinkable but still interesting. Can I hear crisp?
> 
> I might take a leaf out of your book and just add flavour/aroma hops at the end of the boil. Certainly seems to have worked out well in this beer. :chug:



Wash yer hands before sampling a beer!!! If you got a dodgy bottle, I apologise, as all bottles were washed, inspected and iodophored before filling. Just drank my last 500ml sample with /// this evening, and no sign of infection, so if it was there, it was just your bottle. Crisp... the word never entered my mind as I partook of this liquid  The 60 min and whirlpool hopping has worked really well for me in pales, I don't see myself ever changing from that regime. Very economical use of hops. This batch, according to my hazy memory had about 45IBU of 13%AA Pacific Gem at 60 mins (what's that, about 15g?) and 25g of NS in the whirlpool. Any more would be wasted against the minimalist malt and the dry finish, imho. Still, if people must use 10% crystal, they'll need to back it up with craploads of hops at 20, 15, 5, 0, dry, etc. 

Drank some others tonight as well.

*14. Retsamhsam - Brown Bastard Amber Ale*

Sorry, Retsamhsam. Could not finish this beer. Came across as very phenolic, strong, harsh, and dry. I suspect either an infected bottle, but it did not gush, or just way too much amber malt in the grist.


*17. Loftboy - Cream Ale.*

This was a very nice beer. Slightly cloudy, despite a bright appearance in the bottle. Probably my rough pour. Aroma of mild hops, some yeast notes and a touch of malt and grain. Nice pale amber colour. Taste follows the nose with hops backing up a subtle, clean, grainy base. Very easy to drink, nice and sessionable. Could have had a six pack of this without pause. Cheers!


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## schooey (28/1/09)

*5. nifty - English Pale Ale 5.2% Wlp023, bottled 2/11/08 - Ready to drink.*

Chilled this one overnight in the fridge and pored it into a room temp ribbed pint glass. Active carbonation, but very fine bubbles leading to smooth, creamy white head, kinda like a big dollop of whipped cream. Clarity is good and it seems the yeast has been in the bottle long enough not to be disturbed by the carbonation. The remainder of the bottle does rise with a large head, but doesn't quite make a gusher.

Putting my nose to the glass there is a fair bit going on. I get toffee and caramel from the crystal, faint breadiness from the base malt and that spicy funkiness from the Styrian coming through and the earthy grassiness of the EKG in the background. Very complex. (A late note; As it warms, the Styrian aroma becomes prominent, almost overpowering all the other aromas, almost makes it Saison like in aroma)

Taking a mouthful, I confirm the aroma with sweet crystal toffee and golden syrup flavours for a brief moment, along with the unmistakable flavour of MO in the background. The bitterness comes almost with it and I get that peppery, funky flavour of the styrian for a second and in the end, the long, bitter finish of the EKG on the mid palate. I think the body is good, and in my personal opinion, the bitterness and crystal malts are very well balanced. really enjoyed this one, Nifty, a well crafted beer indeed. Thanks for sharing.

As a sidenote; PoMo, have you tatsed my swap beer as yet? Just curious if you have, what you thought of the spec malt in it? If you haven't, maybe I should come pick it up from you, as you probably won't taste much else but crystal and probably won't like it.....


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## Weizguy (28/1/09)

24 (but marked as 10) Hewy - Hefeweizen.

Where's the gusher? This beer gave a bit of a phhfft on opening but not any big fizz. Unfortunately not much fizz in the glass either.
Plenty of carbonation, just very little head.
First sniff - big banana (not the one @ Coffs) and some bubblegum, smells like a weizen. You get a tick for that.
Malt and wheat are present, but I get an excess of phenolics. The phenolics fade as the beer warms, however, I suspect a mild infection by wild yeast, due the slight lack of balance. Happy to be corrected.
The malt/bitterness balance is as close to the mark as is humanly possible.
I don't smell any hop aroma, but that may be due to the abundance of esters.
OK, so I can be a bit tough on wheat beers, but I'm still happy to give this one a 7 / 10. Certainly a drinkable wheat beer, let down a little by presentation (head, mostly).

Les


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## PostModern (28/1/09)

schooey said:


> As a sidenote; PoMo, have you tatsed my swap beer as yet? Just curious if you have, what you thought of the spec malt in it? If you haven't, maybe I should come pick it up from you, as you probably won't taste much else but crystal and probably won't like it.....



I must have, as it's not one of the 4 left in my case... not sure if I posted tasting notes or not :\


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## schooey (28/1/09)

:lol:

Nevermind... It can't have been that bad if you don't remember all the crystal when you drank it.... unless you're just being nice :unsure:


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## PostModern (28/1/09)

I can only think of one diplomatic omission, and it wasn't yours...
Bugger. Any chance you might have had a 3 on the lid? It had a bit of smoke/peat flavour in it.


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## schooey (28/1/09)

Nah... mine were all 12's, with a green label like this


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## PostModern (28/1/09)

In that case, yes, I drank it.
Ninja EDIT: Crap. Looks like I didn't post a review. I suffer with a terrible memory, so I can't even recall my impression of it. Sorry Schooey.


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## schooey (29/1/09)

Nah no biggie PoMo... I was just curious after reading your view on the use of crystal here;



PostModern said:


> Flavour was dominated by the "malt" but by malt, I mean dark crystal, I could not make out much base malt flavour at all. I don't mean to be overly critical, but I don't like overused crystal. Sticky toffee flavours should take a back seat, imho and compliment the base malt rather than disguise it.


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## /// (29/1/09)

Gotta be real quick...

14. Retsamhsam - Brown Bastard Amber Ale

Shared this with PoMo, and as per Rob was a good amber ale. Thinking about it today, the beer was clear, did not self poor and looked good in the bottle. I am wondering therefore on water (any salts) and fermentation temps and yeast. It had a old millet seed type smell. So let us know where your water is from and if your doing anything with it?

17. Loftboy - Cream Al

This was a doozie, commercial quality beer. Well balanced with all the tick boxes. Pls pm me and I will send you my address and you can send me more. What a great beer!


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## schooey (29/1/09)

*6. monkeybusiness - Simple Lager, Wey Pilsner, german noble hops, Wyeast Bohemian Lager, bottled 1/12/08*

Cracked this one with only a ssmall amount of escaping gas. Poured into a chilled jug and had to agitate the pour a bit to get a head on it. Decanted from the jug into a tall lager glass. Thinnish pure white head faded fairly quickly, clarity was reasonable, but not bright. Medium to low carbonation, not very active at all, probably not a bad thing for a summer quaffing lager.

Had to have a really good swirl and a big sniff to get the aromas. This is probably my own stupid fault for leaving it for so long before drinking. Faint aromas of German hops in there, but not a lot of malt on the nose

Having a decent mouthfull and holding it in the mouth for a while, I find the body is very thin, but there just the same. I don't get a lot of flavour hops but I do get the lingering bitterness of the German hops in the finish, not as long and lingering as I would have liked for my own tastes, but maybe perfect for what you were after. Flavour is really really clean, no trace of diacetyl or DMS, very easy to drink lager. If I were to brew this, I reckon for my taste I would chuck in a little munich or perhaps even caramunich and add 5-10 IBU in bittering and a gram/litre of Saaz or something like that for flavour and I'd scoff it by the keg. 

In saying that, I had no trouble scoffing this bottle on a hot day, and could have easily went another, easy drinking at it's best. Thanks for sharing, MB


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## schooey (29/1/09)

*7. DiscoStu - Dunkelweizen (take 2), bottled 5/10/08, 5.21% ready now (slightly over primed, pour with care) *

Have had this one chilled in the fridge since Christmas. Opened with a healthy phhfffsshhht, but no self serve here. Poured it into a Schneider glass and it came up with a good measure of fluffy off white head. Let it settle for a minute or 10 and came back and finished pouring to a nice looking beer. Clarity isn't so great due to the active carbonation disturbing the yeast but the colour is a rich medium to dark amber, looks great.

Up front I get the tartness of the wheat malts, breads and biscuits and in the background the roast malts lingering. Quite a complex nose if you give it a chance to warm a little.

Taking a sip when really cold, I get that lovely tartness of the wheat malts, some brown sugar and toffee from the roast and more of a biscuit than a bread compared to the aroma. The finish is a little astringent from the roast and I get the metallic flavour too. I have had this from WB-06 a couple of times, and I must say I'm not a fan of this yeast. (Edit; on warming a little the metallicy flavour has abated quite a bit and the bread, biscuit and roast flavours come to the fore)

Nice beer, Stu, really reminded me of the Weihenstephaner Dunkel in a lot of ways. I reckon if you backed off on the roast a little and fermented with Wy3056 (haven't tried Danstar yeast so can't comment) you'd be pretty close on the money for a clone. Thanks for sharing


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## RetsamHsam (29/1/09)

/// said:


> 14. Retsamhsam - Brown Bastard Amber Ale
> 
> Shared this with PoMo, and as per Rob was a good amber ale. Thinking about it today, the beer was clear, did not self poor and looked good in the bottle. I am wondering therefore on water (any salts) and fermentation temps and yeast. It had a old millet seed type smell. So let us know where your water is from and if your doing anything with it?



I don't think that PoMo enjoyed it so much.. What do you mean when you say it _'did not self pour'_ Yeast was Wyeast 1968, primary ferment was at 18-19 degrees, i then let it ramp up to 22-23 to finish up. The water is from Warragamba and I added acouple of good whacks of Calcium Carbonate to stiffen it up abit.


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## Gulpa (30/1/09)

*12. Schooey - Scottish Strong Ale 8.2% WY1728 bottled 22/11/08*

Not many left now and I couldnt wait for winter to set in to drink this one.

Pours slightly cloudy dark ruby colour. Big fluffy head, true to swap theme  . Aroma of malty yeastiness. Flavour is malty with crystal dominant (now that youve told us). Quite sweet. Medium carb, better now that its warm. Bitterness is there but couldve been a bit more assertive to balance the sweetness for my taste. Cant believe its 8.2%, no sign of it at all. Nice beer Schooey, Thanks. Needs the middle of winter to appreciate fully.

Cheers
Andrew.


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## Cortez The Killer (31/1/09)

*22. Beer Slayer - Wheat Beer*

Pale gold in colour. Very clear. Medium carb. Lot's of clove on the nose, a hint of banana. Lovely wheat flavour, leaning toward clove - spicy and dry on the finish. Lovely phenolics. As mentioned earlier not a full blown hefe but very tasty and easy drinking. I enjoyed this one. 

Cheers


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## Cortez The Killer (1/2/09)

17. Loftboy - Cream Ale

Pours straw colour, slightly hazy. Low carb. Tight which head, bubbles very fine. Faint hops on the nose. Sort of reminds me of Coopers Pale. This beer is super smooth, almost a cream like texture. Bitterness low, but excellently balanced with malt. This is a most awesome beer. 

Cheers


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## Cortez The Killer (1/2/09)

*18. Insight - Porter*

Pours black, off white head. Low carbonation. Head persists throughout. Bitter chocolate, roasty nose, some hops and slightly caramel finish. Full body. Bitterness both from hops and roast/dark malts. Slightly astringent. Bitter upfront, and persisting, finishes dry. Bitter chocolate, roast flavours that are balanced well by the body of the beer. A very enjoyable porter, perhaps leaning toward a dry stout. I enjoyed this one. 

Cheers


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## Cortez The Killer (2/2/09)

*21. Barls - Raspberry Wheat*

Pours clear with pinkish tinge. Fine white head which persists. Fruity aroma. Flavour quite tart, raspberry notes coming through. Enjoy this one as something different, but can't say that fruit beer is my thing.

Cheers


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## Cortez The Killer (8/2/09)

*16. Muggus - Weizenbock*

Pours ruby brown in colour, clear. Large off white fluffy head, which persists. Spicy notes, cloves on the nose, bread/malt notes, also vanilla. Flavour full of dark fruits, wheat, some alcohol warmth, heaps of cloves with some vanilla. Lovely bready/malt back bone to it. Also picked up some sherry notes. Bitterness low, though note overly sweet, well balanced with the spice. Meduim body, warming flavour. Moderate carbonation. This beer meets all the requirements of the bjcp. This beer is most awesome. Great work Muggus, really enjoyed this one. 

Cheers


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## white.grant (8/2/09)

*6. Simple Lager, Monkeybusiness

*7/2/09

Poured vigorously into a schooner glass and was rewarded with a fluffy white head dissapating over honey body.

I sense bitterness on the nose and a light malt flavour which is confirmed on the taste, subtle but then perhaps I've left it too long followed by a lingering bitterness. Thirst quenching for sure and went down very easily yesterday.

I kept thinking that if CUB and Tooheys brewed their lagers to taste like this all would be right in the world, a simple lager for sure, but a good'un all the same. Thanks MB.

cheers

grant


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## Cortez The Killer (8/2/09)

*15. Thommo - Brown Ale*

Dark dark brown in appearance, not quite black. Off white head, nearer tan. Small head which persists, low carbonation. Nutty, roast on the nose, some bitter chocolate, and biscuit. Bitterness coming from combination of toasted malts and hops, leaning slightly toward the sweet side, very well balanced. Smooth, easy drinking. Medium body, slightly dry. Definite roasty bitterness, with nutty character. Enjoyed this one, really easy to drink and pleasant on warm afternoon. 

Cheers


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## Cortez The Killer (8/2/09)

*13. Kabooby - Belgian Strong Ale *

Pours deep amber. Small white head which persists. Medium to low carbonation. Nose has plenty of belgian phenolics, some malty sweetness, nuttyness?. Smooth beer, creamy. Finishes dry. Lots of spice, dark/stone fruits. As Muggus said I think there is a grassy finish. Medium body. For some reason I keep getting a Campari flavour, no where near as bitter but reminds me of it. A most enjoyable beer. 

Cheers


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## Muggus (13/2/09)

Cortez The Killer said:


> *16. Muggus - Weizenbock*
> 
> Pours ruby brown in colour, clear. Large off white fluffy head, which persists. Spicy notes, cloves on the nose, bread/malt notes, also vanilla. Flavour full of dark fruits, wheat, some alcohol warmth, heaps of cloves with some vanilla. Lovely bready/malt back bone to it. Also picked up some sherry notes. Bitterness low, though note overly sweet, well balanced with the spice. Meduim body, warming flavour. Moderate carbonation. This beer meets all the requirements of the bjcp. This beer is most awesome. Great work Muggus, really enjoyed this one.
> 
> Cheers


Wow thanks for the excellent comments Cortez!
Might have to brew another one if the way the feedback is going.


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## hewy (27/2/09)

OK, so I have been rather slack updating with tasting notes. Sorry to all those who I havent posted tasting notes for (as if I am articulate enough for you to care).

Had loftboys cream ale the other day after a hard day in the garden. Went down an absolute treat! Fantastic beer (wish I could say something more useful i.e. tasting notes...)

26. MCT - IPA - 5.4% - Bottled 22/10/2008 Wyeast 1275 RTD
Just finished this one. Poured amber, quite cloudy - probably due to my poor bottle handling (sorry). Nevertheless... the aroma was nice, hoppy yet not overpowering. Nice head, laces the glass nicely as I sip on this one. Whilst the beer was cold I could really notice the hops (are they EKGs?) along with a bit of a nutty malt flavour in the background.
As the beer warms I notice the malt a lot more. Toffee and caramel really take over from where the hops left off. Great beer mate, would love another!

19. Gulpa - IPA 5%ish, WY1968, Bottled 17/11, advise wait at least 2 weeks more 
Currently drinking this one... Poured dark amber and cloudy (excuse me for my poor bottle handling... again). Another nice beer, not quite as hoppy as the last however there is certainly enough hops to balance the malt.
Yet another nice beer.

This case has been full of beauties - cant wait for the next swap.

Cheers
Hewy


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## Cortez The Killer (27/2/09)

*14. Retsamhsam - Amber Ale*

Gusher - lost about 1/4 down the sink before pouring into a jug. Highly carbonated. Dark ruby read in colour, off white / slightly brown head. Persists throughout. Lots of english hops on the nose. Caramel, some roast and maltiness behind. Spicy. Meduim body. Quiet sweet. Low bitterness. Finishes dry, slightly dusty. Lots of malt, some twang, slightly burnt. Lots of hap flavours. A nice complex beer with alot going on. Great to drink. 

Cheers


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## Cortez The Killer (28/2/09)

*12. Schooey - Scottish Strong Ale*

Self pouring gusher. Lost about 1/2 of bottle. Dark copper in colour. Holds slightly tan head. Aroma has some malt, caramel and slight earthy english hops. Big bodied beer almost syrupy - but not cloying. Lots of malt sweetness, finishes quite dry - with alcohol warmth and well balanced bitterness. The part I salvaged has had most of the carb knocked out. Some fruity esters. Can't taste the alcohol but definitely feel warm in the tummy. Very nice to drink. Would make a great night cap.

Cheers


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## Insight (28/2/09)

Fatgodzilla said:


> Insight - Who's Your Taddy Porter.
> 
> Bloody nice effort (even if after Barl's raspberry ale anything would taste nice ..  )
> 
> ...



Hi FGZ

Yes it was following Jamil's recipe with what I had on hand. Consequently it was a 50/50% split of Marris Otter and Joe White Ale malt, which may have left it lacking a little bit of complexity. Used around 5% pale chocolate malt which I think is a bit on the heavy side. Next time I will halve it. According to my notes it finished right around 5%ABV into the bottle.

Thanks for the feedback mate


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## PostModern (28/2/09)

*15. Thommo - Brown Ale, 4.5%*

And I finish my Xmas case by finishing my Alcohol Free Month a few hours early.

Very clear brown coloured ale with a firm brownish/amber head. On the nose, there is a nice maltiness with a sweet note along with a touch of yeasty ester and interesting hops. Nice caramel and brown malt flavours balance deliciously with the bitterness on the palate.

Cheers Thommo, loved it.


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## Cortez The Killer (1/3/09)

*4. Fatgodzilla - American Brown Wheat Beer*

Dark copper / brown in colour. Get lots of aromas - lots of spice, banana, clove, some maltiness and vanilla. Medium body. Medium carb. Lots of wheat / grain flavour, slightly dry. Bitterness very low - a lot of spice. Some chocolate, cloves banana + vanilla. I don't pick up much citrus at all. Tastes a lot like a dunkel weizen. Really liked this one. Top work.

Cheers


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## Cortez The Killer (1/3/09)

Last bottle!

2. DK - Dry Stout

Black, light brown head. Burnt roast malt aroma, chocolate. Some hops. Low carb, medium body. Finishes dry. Lots of bittness both from hops and roasted malts, slightly tarry. Hops earthy. Very nice stout, very drinkable. 

Cheers


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## Stuster (4/3/09)

Redbeard's Wheat - ( I did still have your beer on the shelf after all.  )

Beautifully clear after this time in the bottle. Rich, golden colour. Aroma sweet and lightly fruity. The fruity hops are more obvious in the flavour, clean yeast, sweet malts balance really well. I can't quite pick the hops but I taste it as sweet orange. Aftertaste is verging on sticky but that's my fault for leaving it a bit long. Anyway, a very drinkable US (NZ?) wheat that's really refreshing tonight. Thanks, Craig. :super:


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