# Nsw Special Case Swap Tasting Thread



## syd_03 (23/3/10)

Ok since I have been slack on other swap tasting note threads I will start this one off.

*34. Muggus - Black Warrior Imperial Stout 7.1%, 22nd Oct, Drink now or Med/Long term cellaring*

Date 22/03/2010
*Part 1* (I was fortunate enough to receive two bottles, so one will be long term tasting)

Poured into a brandy balloon sort of glass.

Pours well with a deep, dark, tan, thick creamy head.
Colour is best described as black (hence the name), almost opaque, very dark garnet highlights just show through when held to good light.
Aroma is dominated by burnt roast, coffee, and dark cocoa. Hints of burnt toffee and fruity, citrusy and spicey flavours to follow show through.

Thick creamy mouthfeel; carbonation is perfect. Slightly slick on the tongue. Hardly notice the alcohol. What did you say it started at/finished at again Mike; I had way too many beers that day.

Dry roast finish with a lingering bitterness. Slightly sweet caramel flavours to balance with the obvious dark grain flavours. Definite citrus rind note to the hop flavour. The hops combine really well with the roast and alcohol on the finish.

Loved it cheers Muggus.
Really looking forward to the second bottle on a cold winters night later this year.

Photos taken with the new phone, turned out suprisingly well.





Edit, deleted duplicate photos.


----------



## nifty (25/3/10)

I had a stubby of - 19. Retsamhsam - Doppelbock 10.5%, Bottled August 2009. Lots of Munich Malt Goodness

Bloody hell that was a nice beer.


----------



## Cortez The Killer (25/3/10)

Here be the list for reference purposes 

IPA List

1. Fatgodzilla - An english IPA though things got a little out of control and there are a lot more bitterness than expected. But hope it'll be good. OG 1.065 FG 1.012 Bottled 1 Mar 2010
2. Grantw - An English IPA at 4.7%, bittered with EKG and Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin for aroma Bottled 19.3 give it a few weeks
3. DiscoStu - Imperial IPA 8.5% - 100IBU - US05 - Bottled 14/02/10
4. Stuster - Rye IPA - 6.8% - Wyeast 1450, Amarillo & Centennial - Drink in a couple of weeks
5. Retsamhsam - AIIPA 8.2% Likely around 65-70IBU Lots of Late Hops. Bottled 11th March
6. Gulpa - American IPA - 7% - 65IBU - Wy1272 - Ready to drink - bottled 18 Feb.
7. Monkeybusiness - English IPA OG1053 FG1013 (5.1%) 52 IBU - Bottled 20-03-10
8. Gruntus - Where has all my EKG gone - English IPA - ~ 7.5% - Bottled 6th March.
9. Cortez The Killer - Hop Rod Rye Clone - Rye IPA - ~7% - Ready - http://hyperfox.info/allgrain01.htm#72
10. Josh - Imperial IPA - RTD - can't be there on the 20th till about 4pm
11. Bizier - if it has a 'B' (majority) it is the Belgian IIPA ~>9% A week in the fridge. If it has an 'A' it is Bulls-eye IPA (4 of them) ~8% A week in the fridge
12. floppinab IIPA - ~7.5% - Ready now has 2/10 IP on cap
13. nifty - Some sort of IPA - 7.1%. Bottled 14th March 2010.
14. Muggus - What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted (Jakes Return) NZ Imp. Brown Ale - 7.9% Bottled 19th Feb 2010 - Probably carbed by swap date, but bloody brutal!

BELGIAN List

15. Fatgodzilla - A kind of belgian strong ale with golden sryup instead of the candy not to style but tasting fine.-
16. Grantw Belgian tripel may be ready to drink around June, 10.08% (attenuation got away from me)
17. DiscoStu - Belgian Dubbel - WLP500 - 7.3% bottled 13Mar10 - give it a few weeks
18. Stuster - Belgian Blond - 8% - Wyeast 1762 - Bottled 13 Mar so give it a month or two
19. Retsamhsam - Doppelbock 10.5%, Bottled August 2009. Lots of Munich Malt Goodness
20. Gulpa - Belgian Strong Dark Ale - 10% - wy1388 - Ready to drink - bottled Oct 09
21. Monkeybusiness - Belgian strong 9.5% - Bottled 20-03-10 tasting pretty harsh so really hoping it is just the alcohol and that it will smooth out.
22. Gruntus - Trip to Brugge - Belgian Trippel - ~9% - Bottled 19th Feb
23. Cortez The Killer - Devil's Ink - Belgian Imperial Stout - ~7.7% - Ready - http://hyperfox.info/allgrain01.htm#75
24. Josh - Belgian Golden Strong Ale - RTD
25. Bizier - Belgian Blonde Ale ~6% A week in the fridge
26. floppinab - Belgian Strong Dark - ~9% - Cap has "1209" on it WLP830
27. nifty - Some Sort of Belgian Golden Ale 8.1% Bottled 07/02/2010 Wy1388
28. Muggus - Belgian Chocolate Ale '09 - 8.4%. 4th Jan 2010 - Drink now or Medium term cellaring

STOUT / OLD ALE List

29. Monkeybusiness - RIS - 9.6% bottled Feb 2010
30. Grantw - Anzus Wheatwine 2 X bottles - this is a vicious and unpleasant beer at the moment, 10.38% leave it for months maybe late July, years if possible
31. Cortez The Killer - Father's Falling Over Fluid - American Barley Wine - ~7.7% - Ready - http://hyperfox.info/allgrain01.htm#70
32. VACANT
33. VACANT
34. Muggus - Black Warrior Imperial Stout 7.1%, 22nd Oct, Drink now or Med/Long term cellaring
35. VACANT
36. VACANT
37. Josh - Foreign Extra Stout - ready, but could do with a few weeks in the fridge
38. Gulpa - Old Ale - US05 - 7.8% - needs a few weeks - Bottled 24 Feb
39. Thommo - Old Ale - Needs a good 6 weeks +. I will re-post when carbed
40. Syd_03
41. VACANT
42. Retsamhsam - English Barley Wine 11.1%, Bottled on the 11th March.


----------



## Stuster (25/3/10)

Just changing mine in a very minor way. Drank one last night and my IPA is ready to drink.

IPA List

1. Fatgodzilla - An english IPA though things got a little out of control and there are a lot more bitterness than expected. But hope it'll be good. OG 1.065 FG 1.012 Bottled 1 Mar 2010
2. Grantw - An English IPA at 4.7%, bittered with EKG and Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin for aroma Bottled 19.3 give it a few weeks
3. DiscoStu - Imperial IPA 8.5% - 100IBU - US05 - Bottled 14/02/10
4. Stuster - Rye IPA - 6.8% - Wyeast 1450, Amarillo & Centennial - Ready to drink.
5. Retsamhsam - AIIPA 8.2% Likely around 65-70IBU Lots of Late Hops. Bottled 11th March
6. Gulpa - American IPA - 7% - 65IBU - Wy1272 - Ready to drink - bottled 18 Feb.
7. Monkeybusiness - English IPA OG1053 FG1013 (5.1%) 52 IBU - Bottled 20-03-10
8. Gruntus - Where has all my EKG gone - English IPA - ~ 7.5% - Bottled 6th March.
9. Cortez The Killer - Hop Rod Rye Clone - Rye IPA - ~7% - Ready - http://hyperfox.info/allgrain01.htm#72
10. Josh - Imperial IPA - RTD - can't be there on the 20th till about 4pm
11. Bizier - if it has a 'B' (majority) it is the Belgian IIPA ~>9% A week in the fridge. If it has an 'A' it is Bulls-eye IPA (4 of them) ~8% A week in the fridge
12. floppinab IIPA - ~7.5% - Ready now has 2/10 IP on cap
13. nifty - Some sort of IPA - 7.1%. Bottled 14th March 2010.
14. Muggus - What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted (Jakes Return) NZ Imp. Brown Ale - 7.9% Bottled 19th Feb 2010 - Probably carbed by swap date, but bloody brutal!

BELGIAN List

15. Fatgodzilla - A kind of belgian strong ale with golden sryup instead of the candy not to style but tasting fine.-
16. Grantw Belgian tripel may be ready to drink around June, 10.08% (attenuation got away from me)
17. DiscoStu - Belgian Dubbel - WLP500 - 7.3% bottled 13Mar10 - give it a few weeks
18. Stuster - Belgian Blond - 8% - Wyeast 1762 - Bottled 13 Mar so give it a month or two
19. Retsamhsam - Doppelbock 10.5%, Bottled August 2009. Lots of Munich Malt Goodness
20. Gulpa - Belgian Strong Dark Ale - 10% - wy1388 - Ready to drink - bottled Oct 09
21. Monkeybusiness - Belgian strong 9.5% - Bottled 20-03-10 tasting pretty harsh so really hoping it is just the alcohol and that it will smooth out.
22. Gruntus - Trip to Brugge - Belgian Trippel - ~9% - Bottled 19th Feb
23. Cortez The Killer - Devil's Ink - Belgian Imperial Stout - ~7.7% - Ready - http://hyperfox.info/allgrain01.htm#75
24. Josh - Belgian Golden Strong Ale - RTD
25. Bizier - Belgian Blonde Ale ~6% A week in the fridge
26. floppinab - Belgian Strong Dark - ~9% - Cap has "1209" on it WLP830
27. nifty - Some Sort of Belgian Golden Ale 8.1% Bottled 07/02/2010 Wy1388
28. Muggus - Belgian Chocolate Ale '09 - 8.4%. 4th Jan 2010 - Drink now or Medium term cellaring

STOUT / OLD ALE List

29. Monkeybusiness - RIS - 9.6% bottled Feb 2010
30. Grantw - Anzus Wheatwine 2 X bottles - this is a vicious and unpleasant beer at the moment, 10.38% leave it for months maybe late July, years if possible
31. Cortez The Killer - Father's Falling Over Fluid - American Barley Wine - ~7.7% - Ready - http://hyperfox.info/allgrain01.htm#70
32. VACANT
33. VACANT
34. Muggus - Black Warrior Imperial Stout 7.1%, 22nd Oct, Drink now or Med/Long term cellaring
35. VACANT
36. VACANT
37. Josh - Foreign Extra Stout - ready, but could do with a few weeks in the fridge
38. Gulpa - Old Ale - US05 - 7.8% - needs a few weeks - Bottled 24 Feb
39. Thommo - Old Ale - Needs a good 6 weeks +. I will re-post when carbed
40. Syd_03
41. VACANT
42. Retsamhsam - English Barley Wine 11.1%, Bottled on the 11th March.


----------



## Cortez The Killer (25/3/10)

*6. Gulpa - American IPA*

Pours with a massive head, high carbonation. Off white head. Got a massive hop hit while pouring. Hazy, deep amber with orange hue. Lots of hops on the nose. Citrus, pine.

Finishes a touch dry. Bitterness in balance. Nice malty backbone. Some great C hop flavours. 

This is a very approachable delicious big beer, with a lot of hop action in aroma and flavour departments. This is just what I needed tonight. A great beer.

Cheers


----------



## Bizier (25/3/10)

I have to say that sadly, one of the beers did not make it through the night...

Stuster, I am forwarding you the cleaning bill.

While it did spontaneously explode, it looked like it may have been a flaw in the old CUB bottle, because it was a clean break at the bottom, with literally no other shards. That said, be careful people.

Stu, here is your public shaming. You owe me a game on Gav's fussball table at the least.

If I am not going to be the Case Swap Nazi... let's face it, the shoes and other apparel are significant to fill, I can still be the Bottle Bomb Nazi.


----------



## Cortez The Killer (25/3/10)

Belgian or IPA?


----------



## Stuster (25/3/10)

Ok, sounds like my IPA should go in the fridge straight away. Oops. Sorry about that all.  

On the positive side, hoppy beers are best drunk fresh. :icon_cheers: h34r:


----------



## Muggus (25/3/10)

syd_03 said:


> Ok since I have been slack on other swap tasting note threads I will start this one off.
> 
> *34. Muggus - Black Warrior Imperial Stout 7.1%, 22nd Oct, Drink now or Med/Long term cellaring*
> 
> ...


Trust you to be the one to start this thread Jas!
Glad you enjoyed the beer though; she's definately ready to go but you may be suprised/rewarded a year down the track.
As far as technical information on this beer goes....she started at 1.072, finished at 1.018 a good 2 months later when I came back from overseas, and that was a champagne yeast, for all of those playing at home.
Cheers nonetheless, love the pics!


----------



## Gulpa (26/3/10)

Cortez The Killer said:


> *6. Gulpa - American IPA*
> 
> Pours with a massive head, high carbonation. Off white head. Got a massive hop hit while pouring. Hazy, deep amber with orange hue. Lots of hops on the nose. Citrus, pine.
> 
> ...



Thanks Gino. Glad you liked it. Not too sure what happened with the carb. I tried one last Friday and I was hoping it was just that bottle.

Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## RetsamHsam (26/3/10)

nifty said:


> I had a stubby of - 19. Retsamhsam - Doppelbock 10.5%, Bottled August 2009. Lots of Munich Malt Goodness
> 
> Bloody hell that was a nice beer.



Glad you enjoyed it mate..


----------



## Fatgodzilla (26/3/10)

Don't drink either of my brews for at least two months - they need to settle.

NSW Special Case Swap 2011 already in Articles. Who's keen?

Thanks Gavin for a top day. I left a bottle there - the one Josh gave me - the Tony Archer Is A Cheat bottle. Nothing worse than a bad loser - I should know, I am one too. Thanks Josh and I'm sure you'll be happy if I re-gift this to Gav for being a great host. Brilliant day!

Monkeybusiness - your beers with mine at Wollongong. We'll organise collection at RAF Day in Easter or after.


----------



## syd_03 (26/3/10)

Muggus said:


> Trust you to be the one to start this thread Jas!



And what exactly do you mean by this comment Mike?

It was a ripper, cant wait to sample it again in july/august.

Mine will be a beast compared to yours, started at 1.104 down to 1.025 after 6 days finished at 1.021 so roughly 10.9%.

Bottled the morning of the swap so give it at least until 17/04/2010 untill you open the first stubbie. I'll crack one next weekend to see how it is going, it may take a while to carb up as only primed to about 1.5 volumes to allow for the long slow fermentation of the long chained sugars as it ages.
Cheers
Jason.


----------



## white.grant (26/3/10)

*
*Thought I'd kick off the weekend with a IIPA*

No. 3 Discostu's Imperial India Pale Ale*

26.3.10

Opens with a psst and glugs into my nonic, darkish amber/copper, producing a proud offwhite foam stand and resinous haze (mmm resiny!), Subtle hop aroma (c hops?) plus sweet malt greets the nose and then you sip, Oh yeah, bitter, very definite bitterness here and then it kind of smooths out as the sweet malt balances against the hops, then comes some relaxing alcohol warmth, smooth not harsh, on the back of a nice soft mouthfeel before the hops reassert themselves for a mouth puckering finish. 

I'll just have me another sip of this.....

Warming in the glass (and it be hot hereabouts this evening) the hop aroma increases adding to the enjoyment.

Stu, this is a great beer, well done. 

cheers

grant


----------



## Gulpa (26/3/10)

*4. Stuster - Rye IPA - 6.8% - Wyeast 1450, Amarillo & Centennial*

Ive been looking forward to Friday so I could start the case off. Thought I would go with Stuart's beer to avert a holocaust in the bottle room.

Pours a hazy light copper. Nice offwhite head. Carb is right. Not explosive in any way. Aroma is a blend hops and candy/caramel, a touch of resin. Resiny/floral hops come through on tasting, caramel malts, hints of citrus in the finish that come forward as it warms. The floral/citrus/caramel bits combine into something weirdly candyish, I cant really describe it. Medium/full body. Bitterness is assertive that pushes the long finish. Really well balanced. A most excellent beer. Great way to start off the IPA case. Thanks Stu. 

No real worries about a bottle bomb from my bottle.


Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Gulpa (26/3/10)

Fatgodzilla said:


> NSW Special Case Swap 2011 already in Articles. Who's keen?



Why not. 

Perhaps loosen the Imperial Stout to Big Dark Beer. Im keen to do an Imperial US Porter (Gonzo kind of thing). 

Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## white.grant (26/3/10)

Stuster said:


> Ok, sounds like my IPA should go in the fridge straight away. Oops. Sorry about that all.
> 
> On the positive side, hoppy beers are best drunk fresh. :icon_cheers: h34r:



Obviously a bottle flaw -- this beer rocks
*
No. 4 Stuster's Rye IPA*

(weird green bottle- what is that a cider bottle?)

Pours light copper, slight haze considering what comes next, fluffy white head which laces the glass. Aroma of loverly hop perfume plus a nice sweet malt character. flavour is great, malty sweet, fragrant hops and then there's the rye for added malt interest. Follows - the bittering and the hidden alcohol which is really inhibiting my typing at present. Smooth mouthfeel, carb is perfect so the bottle break is a structural non brewing related issue, but if like my you fridged it - go to town - the hop aromas and flavours are just great right this very minute. Loverly beer. Thanks Stu

cheers

grant


----------



## Gulpa (26/3/10)

*24. Josh - Belgian Golden Strong Ale*

Pours with a big dense head. Darkish gold. Aroma is distinctly Belgian, a good balance between spicy phenyls and fruity esters. Vanilla in there as well. Carb suits. Flavour is sweet malt with the balance more towards the clove/spice end. Quite intersting flavour profile. Medium sweetish body. Bitterness taking a back seat. Nice beer, Josh. 

Id probably say this is heading in to Triple territory, body is a bit full and not quite dry enough for a BGSA. But then again Ive only tried a few BGSA so what the fcku do I know. Nice warm happy glow happening now.  


cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Josh (27/3/10)

Gulpa said:


> *24. Josh - Belgian Golden Strong Ale*
> 
> Pours with a big dense head. Darkish gold. Aroma is distinctly Belgian, a good balance between spicy phenyls and fruity esters. Vanilla in there as well. Carb suits. Flavour is sweet malt with the balance more towards the clove/spice end. Quite intersting flavour profile. Medium sweetish body. Bitterness taking a back seat. Nice beer, Josh.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the review. I don't drink enough Belgian beer to know how to categorise it. I do like it and am glad I put it in instead of my under attenuated Dark which is in the keg fridge.

Cheers,

Josh


----------



## nifty (27/3/10)

I had the pleasure of drinking -

*9. Cortez The Killer - Hop Rod Rye Clone - Rye IPA - ~7%* last night.

Very nice, thanks.

cheers

nifty


----------



## white.grant (27/3/10)

nifty said:


> I had the pleasure of drinking -
> 
> *9. Cortez The Killer - Hop Rod Rye Clone - Rye IPA - ~7%* last night.
> 
> ...



Snap

*No. 9 CTK's Hop Rod IPA*

27.3.10

Subtle PSS on opening pours clear light copper into my nonic pint dressing it with a white fluffy head, persisting.. (Nice lacing BTW)
aroma of citrus hops, touch o stone fruit and some sweet malt. Soft mouthfeel and lowish carb, (I sense water adjustments) bringing out the hop flavours on the front palate - ripe stonefruit, balanced by sweet malt and prominent bitterness on the finish. 

Loverly beer CtK really enjoyed it.

cheers

grant


----------



## Gulpa (27/3/10)

*26. floppinab - Belgian Strong Dark - ~9% - Cap has "1209" on it WLP830*

Pours ruby with little head. Aroma is dominated by the yeast. Low carb. Flavour is sweet malt, fruity esters are forward with subtle spice. As it warms, biscuity malt and spices come up more with a hint of hops. Medium body, appears sweet but finish is dry enough. Low bitterness. Alcohol is very well hidden. Nice beer, thanks Gav.

Dont drink this beer too cold.


Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## white.grant (27/3/10)

*No.6 Gulpa's American IPA

*Big psst on opening and pours clear and light copper into my nonic pint, topped by a big fluffy white head. Nice hit of hops on the nose, floral and enticing. Down the hatch and,I find bright carbonation complementing hop flavours and accentuating bitterness. Balance is more towards hop though sweet malt makes an appearance before leading you to the satisfyingly bitter finish. 

Lovely beer Gulpa, really enjoyed it.

cheers

grant


----------



## Gulpa (28/3/10)

*9. Cortez The Killer - Hop Rod Rye Clone - Rye IPA - ~7%*

This seemed like a good choice after a hard day in the garden.

Pours clear copper with a nice dense head. Head falls away but persists and laces the glass. Aroma of light caramel and biscuity malts. Flavour is malt driven and follows the aroma. There is good complexity here, Im not that familiar with Rye but I think Im getting it. The hops are there in the finish with the bitterness building with each mouthful. Really nice beer, thanks Gino.

Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Cortez The Killer (28/3/10)

*25. Bizier - Belgian Blonde Ale*

Medium to high carb. Deep gold into a St Bernardus chalice. Hazy. Lovely phenolics, spicy, stone fruits. Some awesome belgian funk. Which yeast is this? Gotta get some in my library.

Sweet initially, finishing slightly dry. Some warmth. Great balance, lots of funk and interesting complexity.

This is one of the best belgian blondes I've had in a long time. Hard to pick from a commercial example. Most awesome. 

Cheers


----------



## Bizier (28/3/10)

Cortez The Killer said:


> Which yeast is this? Gotta get some in my library.


Wyeast 3655-PC Belgian Schelde Ale Yeast - Grab it quick! - I found it very workable and encouraging for my first go at Belgian yeast, though I did get anautolysis character that developed quickly with a few days warm maturation trying to accelarate the dry finish. I also an over pitch on my second batch was not nearly as satisfying in the ester dept. - but a good yeast overall.

Thanks for the positive review Cortez.


----------



## floppinab (29/3/10)

Gulpa said:


> *26. floppinab - Belgian Strong Dark - ~9% - Cap has "1209" on it WLP830*
> 
> Pours ruby with little head. Aroma is dominated by the yeast. Low carb. Flavour is sweet malt, fruity esters are forward with subtle spice. As it warms, biscuity malt and spices come up more with a hint of hops. Medium body, appears sweet but finish is dry enough. Low bitterness. Alcohol is very well hidden. Nice beer, thanks Gav.
> 
> ...



Thanks Andrew, I'm reasonably happy with it as a first attempt. Missed the carb a bit, probably needed a bit of fresh yeast in the bottle. And although I know many Belgians have a high ferment temp I think the combo of that and this yeast has pushed the yeasty phenols out a bit too hard. Maybe a different yeast might've handled the higher temps a bit better.

As you have stated, it's great at around 15 odd degrees with some chocolate, definately not one to have cold.


----------



## Fatgodzilla (29/3/10)

Gulpa said:


> Why not.
> 
> Perhaps loosen the Imperial Stout to Big Dark Beer. Im keen to do an Imperial US Porter (Gonzo kind of thing).
> 
> ...





Great idea. Anyone else want to suggest any variations on the theme?

Another plus .. start brewing these big beers now and look at optimal(?) condition for State / National championships later in the year.


----------



## nifty (29/3/10)

I had *10. Josh - Imperial IPA* last night. 

Very nice, thank you very much.

cheers

nifty


----------



## Josh (29/3/10)

Fatgodzilla said:


> Great idea. Anyone else want to suggest any variations on the theme?
> 
> Another plus .. start brewing these big beers now and look at optimal(?) condition for State / National championships later in the year.



Bock


----------



## barls (29/3/10)

big arse braggot like the dark one i had at the swap, im fairly sure i wont have any complaints apart from is there anymore


----------



## DiscoStu (30/3/10)

Grantw said:


> *
> *Thought I'd kick off the weekend with a IIPA*
> 
> No. 3 Discostu's Imperial India Pale Ale*
> ...



Thanks Grant, very happy with how this one turned out. Nice to put something in a swap that I'm really quite proud of.

Hops were all NZ varieties, a mixture of Southern Cross, Pacific Gem and DSaaz, ran out of DSaaz.

Cheers

Stu


----------



## Josh (31/3/10)

*4. Stuster - Rye IPA - 6.8% - Wyeast 1450, Amarillo & Centennial - Ready to drink.*

Enjoying this beer with a spot of Family Guy. My bottle was perfectly carbed, no bombs here either.

The high, but appropriate carbonation lifts the fruity hops right up into my nose. Little bit of sweetness up front, followed by the citrus mainly grapefruit hops and rye spiciness. Finishes with a hefty bitterness and nice and dry. I've knocked over the whole longneck in no time... 

:icon_offtopic: I'm gonna know about it after my bottle of IIPA which is already cracked up on the bench. Really felt like a couple of big beers tonight after dealing with incompetence and laziness at work. Thankful for 4 days off starting now!


----------



## Bizier (31/3/10)

*9. Cortez The Killer - Hop Rod Rye Clone - Rye IPA - ~7%*

Well, I will preface by saying the dented-up cap made me wonder how you capped this thing (or what it had been subjected to afterward).

Beer pours a lovely deep warm brown. I am unsure if I wanted to see it, but I thought the look of the pour even looked viscous, perhaps just psychosomatic. Nearly dead flat, sorry.

Aroma is light floral, perfumey hops with very pleasant sweet pastry notes (I am thinking mulberry pie or something) plus a little dark fruit.

On sipping, I am very glad you got the FG down, because this is very nice, even with 0.25 vol carb. I get lots of toasty and some biscuity malt mixing with the light fruity and spicy hops. It finishes clean and dry, and makes me want more.

This is an interesting beer, and I will testify that it would do well on cask, great work mate.


----------



## Cortez The Killer (31/3/10)

*4. Stuster - Rye IPA*

Pours with large white head. Which drops to a 1/2 inch. Deep amber, clear. Spicy, citrus and pine on the nose, soft malty background. 

Smooth mouth feel, definite rye notes combining lovely hop flavours with a dry finish. Bitterness well balanced with upfront sweetness. This beer goes down exceptionally easy. 

Most awesome. Please send crateful at once.

Cheers


----------



## Cortez The Killer (31/3/10)

Bizier said:


> Well, I will preface by saying the dented-up cap made me wonder how you capped this thing (or what it had been subjected to afterward).
> 
> Nearly dead flat, sorry.


I apologise about the carb. 5g went in - but perhaps it wasn't retained.

I thinks its time I got a proper capper. 

Glad you enjoyed it though.

Cheers


----------



## gruntus (31/3/10)

Cortez The Killer said:


> *4. Stuster - Rye IPA*
> 
> Pours with large white head. Which drops to a 1/2 inch. Deep amber, clear. Spicy, citrus and pine on the nose, soft malty background.
> 
> ...


+1

Just enjoying this one as well. Great beer Stuster....wanna share the recipe.


----------



## Stuster (31/3/10)

No problem, Gruntus. Really relieved that it's not going pop for anybody  except Bizier.  

Batch Size: 25.00 L 
Boil Size: 29.59 L
Estimated OG: 1.069 SG
Estimated Color: 13.8 EBC
Estimated IBU: 56.3 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 76.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU 
5.00 kg Pale Malt (Barrett Burston) (3.9 EBC) Grain 68.03 % 
1.50 kg Rye Malt (Weyermann) (5.9 EBC) Grain 20.41 % 
0.20 kg Carahell (Weyermann) (25.6 EBC) Grain 2.72 % 
0.15 kg Medium crystal (145.0 EBC) Grain 2.04 % 
55.00 gm Horizon [10.90 %] (60 min) Hops 51.0 IBU 
10.00 gm Amarillo [8.20 %] (5 min) Hops 1.4 IBU 
10.00 gm Amarillo [8.20 %] (5 min) Hops 1.4 IBU 
20.00 gm Centennial [7.20 %] (5 min) Hops 2.4 IBU 
20.00 gm Centennial [7.20 %] (Dry Hop 3 days) Hops - 
20.00 gm Centennial [7.20 %] (0 min) Hops - 
20.00 gm Amarillo [8.20 %] (0 min) Hops - 
20.00 gm Amarillo [8.20 %] (Dry Hop 3 days) Hops - 
0.50 kg Sugar, Table (Sucrose) (2.0 EBC) Sugar 6.80 % 
1 Pkgs Denny's Favourite (Wyeast Labs #1450) Yeast-Ale


----------



## floppinab (31/3/10)

Bizier said:


> *9. Cortez The Killer - Hop Rod Rye Clone - Rye IPA - ~7%*
> 
> Well, I will preface by saying the dented-up cap made me wonder how you capped this thing (or what it had been subjected to afterward).
> 
> ...



Just drinking this now, hard to add anymore than this but the dry finish really complements the pleasantly high bitterness. Love beers like this, pours almost like honey but finish quite dry. Also poured a big rocky fluffy head that really hang around.

Nicely done.


----------



## Muggus (1/4/10)

Apparently i'm on holidays already, time to get cracking with some of these beers...

*Beer: Monkeybusiness - RIS 
Date: 1st April 2010
Details: Malt shovel bottle (345ml?) gold cap 29/RIS - 9.6% bottled Feb 2010
Sampling Notes:*
Served lightly chilled in pint glass.

Light psst on opening. Pours a pretty much opaque black body. Looks reasonably bubbly, only a slight tan ring hangs around on top

Restrained aroma, even with a bit of warmth; I get some caramels, coffee grinds, soy and slight vegetative grain aromas in there.

Moderate carbonation, medium bodied much less than youd expect from such a potent beer, texture starts off somewhat syrupy yet finishes dry and astringent.

Sweet upfront; caramel and sweetened black coffee; doesnt last until a big dose of bitter cocoa, unrefined cereals, soy and what Id describe as oyster-like flavour. Bitterness is high; finish is phenolic with slight autolytic yeast character, hugely lingering with astringency and a note of espresso coffee. Some alcohol warmth on the way down.

Cant say Ive ever come across a stout like this. Its hard to get past the abrasiveness (too much roasted grain?) of it at first, but once my mouth became accustomed to it and the beer had warmed up, I found the flavour to have layers of complexity unlike anything Ive tried. I managed to get 3 bottles of these, might see how one goes in a few years time. Cheers MB!


----------



## Muggus (1/4/10)

*Beer: 40. Syd_03-RIS 
Date: 1st April 2010
Details: Redback bottle 345ml gold cap 40/RIS -10.9%-Bottled 20/03/2010 
Sampling Notes:*
Served lightly chilled in pint glass.

Good pop on opening. Im presented with a big persistent light-brown head that leaves clumpy lace in its wake. The body is sinfully black, light struggles to escape its surface.

Nice aroma of moderate intensity; fresh espresso, dark chocolate, soy, toasted cereals.

Reasonably low carbonation, body is a bit leaner than expected, especially for the whopping abv. Slick texture seems to indicate high alcohol.

Highly flavoursome body. Lots of roasted malt complexities; burnt toast, sweet alcohol, espresso, vegemite, soy sauce, dark cherry. Finishes with a big solid bitterness, lingering coffee bean and a very warming alcohol.

Certainly a well-made stout; I get the feeling the best is yet to come in this one, the flavours are there but perhaps a bit disjointed, which time definitely will aid. Might also be a bit over-attenuated, but its not a huge issue. Other that, fantastic job Jason, really enjoyed it and looking forward to another bottle down the track.


----------



## syd_03 (1/4/10)

Muggus said:


> *Beer: 40. Syd_03-RIS
> Date: 1st April 2010
> Details: Redback bottle 345ml gold cap 40/RIS -10.9%-Bottled 20/03/2010
> Sampling Notes:*
> ...


Cheers Mike,

I was going to sample a bottle myself this weekend to see how it was going, almost don't need to now with such an indepth description (but I will; for scientific comparison of course). It has only been bottle for 11 days (have you no self control )so that would be the light carbonation and disjointed flavours. Finished at 1.021, will probably dry out slightly more over time too.

Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the constructive comments too. And yes sinfully black is a very good way to describe its appearance :beerbang:

Jason


----------



## Cortez The Killer (1/4/10)

*20. Gulpa - Belgian Strong Dark Ale*

Pours black with a tan head into a chalice. Medium carb. Small head which persists. Malty sweet nose, belgian phenolics, faint hint of roast. Some alcohol. Reveals dark stone fruits as it warms.

Smooth, big body. Significant alcohol warmth. Sweet to medium dry finish. Dark stone fruit notes, some Belgian phenolics and some alcohol. Balanced really well. Highly drinkable. This beer is disappearing too quickly. 

This was exactly what I was looking for with my Belgian entry. But mine fell drastically short of this great great beer. A most awesome beer once again Andrew. 

Cheers


----------



## Cortez The Killer (1/4/10)

*11. Bizier - Belgian IIPA*

Pours with a good head. Medium carb. Red / orange tones when held to the light. White head. Big fruity nose, passionfruit filling the room. A heap of hops. More reminiscent of fruit juice than beer.

Bitter. I'm getting some phenolics as the beer warms. But for the most part it's hoppy goodness. Medium body which finishes slightly sweet after the tongue becomes accustomed to the bitterness. Alcohol warmth in the belly and going down. A regular hop bomb! Definite bias to the bitter side but well complemented by the body. I'm getting a little grassiness as the beer warms. 

This is not a beer for the fainted hearted and is reminiscent of some of the out there IIPAs I had over in the states and stands up against some of the best. This beer is most awesome. Hoppiness abounds! Really enjoyed it. Please send kegful at once. 

Cheers


----------



## Bizier (1/4/10)

Cheers Cortez, the fruit juice is from some Simcoe and a dash of NS... it is amazing how some hops can absolutely steamroller others.


*12. floppinab IIPA - ~7.5%*

Light carbonation and an attractive but small cap of foam on a tawny orange-brown beer.

Light citrus, sweet tropical fruit and a herbal character in the aroma. I can't tell if there is a component of this which is from an estery yeast, or if it is only the hops.

To me this seems more of an English IPA or perhaps a larger APA (I know that is what IPA is). The slightly caramelly malt is in harmony with the fruity hops. There is a firm bitterness that dries the palate, leaving me wanting more.

Even though it is not monsterous, I could drink this till the cows came home Gav. Thanks.


----------



## Cortez The Killer (2/4/10)

*28. Muggus - Belgian Chocolate Ale '09*

Pours near black, very dark brown. Almost no carb, very little head. Chocolate and roast. Phenolics peaking through. Some alcohol. Ripe stone fruits, plums. 

Finishes quite dry considering low carb. Medium light body. Chocolate coming through nicely. Alcohol warmth. Spicy phenolics blending interestingly well with dark malts. Getting some sweet malty notes, dark over ripe fruits. 

A very delicious complex beer, which opens up nicely as it warms. 

Cheers


----------



## Muggus (2/4/10)

syd_03 said:


> Cheers Mike,
> 
> I was going to sample a bottle myself this weekend to see how it was going, almost don't need to now with such an indepth description (but I will; for scientific comparison of course). It has only been bottle for 11 days _(have you no self control )_so that would be the light carbonation and disjointed flavours. Finished at 1.021, will probably dry out slightly more over time too.
> 
> ...


Haha yeah a bit wierd starting off with Imperial stouts instead of IPA's like everyone else. Luckily enough I have a few repeat bottles of the stouts and barley wines, and you'll definately be hearing my tasting notes in a year or twos time...if you can wait that long.

But that's quite interesting. Suprised that it finished at 1.021, definately didn't have that much viscosity but alot of alcohol can cloud judgement. Really looking forward to trying it down the track, personally I think it will be far better with age. Not that its bad, but imperial stouts tend to be that way by nature, like big brutal tannic Coonawarra cab savs...best after a few years.


----------



## Muggus (2/4/10)

Cortez The Killer said:


> *28. Muggus - Belgian Chocolate Ale '09*
> 
> Pours near black, very dark brown. Almost no carb, very little head. Chocolate and roast. Phenolics peaking through. Some alcohol. Ripe stone fruits, plums.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the indepth review Gino.
Bit of a shame about the carbonation. I did find that carbonation was not at the level I was hoping last time I tried it a week ago, but there was definately a bit more than when I first tried it. Hopefully it will improve in that regard over a couple of months; it seems like I always have to wait a bit longer for these stronger beers to carb up properly! :angry:


----------



## monkeybusiness (3/4/10)

Muggus said:


> Cant say Ive ever come across a stout like this. Its hard to get past the abrasiveness (too much roasted grain?) of it at first, but once my mouth became accustomed to it and the beer had warmed up, I found the flavour to have layers of complexity unlike anything Ive tried. I managed to get 3 bottles of these, might see how one goes in a few years time. Cheers MB!



Muggus, thanks for the review. I think you're being kind. I had the same observations about its abrasiveness & this beer really didn't hit the mark I was aiming for. But the whole high gravity thing is new to me so I didn't know what to expect & was hoping it would mellow out in the bottle. Definitely better on the warmer side of drinking though. I personally don't plan on opening another one of mine for at least 6 months and probably more like 12 months.

The grain bill looked like this:
0.70 kg Amber Liquid Extract [Boil for 15 min] 8.24 % 
7.00 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) 82.35 % 
0.25 kg Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) 2.94 % 
0.25 kg Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) 2.94 % 
0.15 kg Carafa III (Weyermann) (525.0 SRM) 1.76 % 
0.15 kg Caramunich Malt (56.0 SRM) 1.76%

The amber extract was because I was shy on my target gravity and have read suggestions that amber & brown malts work well in RIS's. Wouldn't have thought this would be too much dark malt.


----------



## Cortez The Killer (5/4/10)

*15. Fatgodzilla - A kind of belgian strong ale*

Pours ruby red with an off white head into a Chimay chalice. Medium low carb. Lovely caramel nose with roasty notes. Delightful malt sweetness. Based on the aroma I would have picked this as an Irish Red or some sort of Scottish. Some phenolics are peaking through as the beer warms but is otherwise fairly clean. 

Flavour has lovely light roast notes, nutty caramel, and malt. Medium light body, which finishes medium dry. Some belgian funk is peaking through but is otherwise clean. Balance is toward the sweet but its dryness really balances this beer out. 

Overall this is a fabulous beer but lacks any notable Belgian funk. I imagine that this beer was fermented relatively cool without having the chance to get some funk happening. I think if this were in the Scottish / Irish category it would receive an excellent score.

Cheers


----------



## Gulpa (5/4/10)

Cortez The Killer said:


> *20. Gulpa - Belgian Strong Dark Ale*
> 
> Pours black with a tan head into a chalice. Medium carb. Small head which persists. Malty sweet nose, belgian phenolics, faint hint of roast. Some alcohol. Reveals dark stone fruits as it warms.
> 
> ...



Thanks Gino. Glad you enjoyed it. Im very happy with how it turned out and it does disappear a little too quickly for it to be good for you.

cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Gulpa (5/4/10)

11. Bizier - Belgian IIPA

Pours clear red copper with a nice head. Aroma is big tropical hops, passionfruit, stonefruit, a hint of pine, a touch of caramel - very nice. Flavour follows same. Hops dominate with the resiny pine coming out a bit more. Nice malts in the background, caramel, biscuit. Im getting a hint of the Belgian funk in the background but if I didnt know it was there I probably wouldnt have picked it, it just blends in and adds complexity. Medium body, medium low carb. High bitterness. Some alcohol warmth. All the bits work well together, great balance here. Awesome beer Dan. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Josh (5/4/10)

Fatgodzilla said:


> Don't drink either of my brews for at least two months - they need to settle.


Whoops...

Slight psst on opening. Thin off-white head on top of a deep red copper coloured slightly hazy beer.

Little hop, mainly sweet caramel aroma. Earthy hop flavour amongst the malt. Not too bitter, I thought there was a distinctive taste, purple jubes came to mind. But maybe not. 

Overall I enjoyed it, even though the Yankees are throwing away a 5-1 lead on Opening Day @ Boston.



Fatgodzilla said:


> Thanks Gavin for a top day. I left a bottle there - the one Josh gave me - the Tony Archer Is A Cheat bottle. Nothing worse than a bad loser - I should know, I am one too. Thanks Josh and I'm sure you'll be happy if I re-gift this to Gav for being a great host. Brilliant day!


No problem FGZ. I hope you liked the Pils Gav, I tried the Barleywine I donated the other day and age has not been kind.


----------



## Josh (5/4/10)

*5. Retsamhsam - AIIPA 8.2% Likely around 65-70IBU Lots of Late Hops. Bottled 11th March*

Dense white head with citrus aroma of mainly grapefruit.

Dark golden colour with slight haze to be expected.

Strong hop flavour of grapefruit and lemon. Minimal malt getting in the way which isn't a bad thing in this case. It's quite a refreshing IIPA. Too easily drinkable for my own good at 8.2%!

A real joy to drink while watching an equally "out there" episode of Wilfred.


----------



## Gulpa (5/4/10)

*22. Gruntus - Trip to Brugge - Belgian Trippel - ~9%*

Pours a cloudy copper with a decent head. Aroma started out all bubble gum and banana but moved back to spicy peppery malt sweetness as the beer warmed - could just sniff this all night. Flavour is sweet malt, a nice blend of fruit and spice with the noble hops really driving the finish. Complex. Medium low carb. Medium body. Lowish bitterness. Balance is towards the sweet. No sign of the 9% except for the difficulty in typing. Another awesome beer. Thanks Grant.


Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## gruntus (6/4/10)

Gulpa said:


> *22. Gruntus - Trip to Brugge - Belgian Trippel - ~9%*
> 
> Pours a cloudy copper with a decent head. Aroma started out all bubble gum and banana but moved back to spicy peppery malt sweetness as the beer warmed - could just sniff this all night. Flavour is sweet malt, a nice blend of fruit and spice with the noble hops really driving the finish. Complex. Medium low carb. Medium body. Lowish bitterness. Balance is towards the sweet. No sign of the 9% except for the difficulty in typing. Another awesome beer. Thanks Grant.
> 
> ...


Glad you enjoyed it....I reckon it will improve over the next 6 months....but still drinkable now.


----------



## Fatgodzilla (6/4/10)

Josh said:


> Whoops...
> 
> Slight psst on opening. Thin off-white head on top of a deep red copper coloured slightly hazy beer.
> 
> ...





Which one was that one Josh - the Number 1 or the 15 ? You are spending too much time in America if you are watching baseball!




> 15. Fatgodzilla - A kind of belgian strong ale
> 
> Pours ruby red with an off white head into a Chimay chalice. Medium low carb. Lovely caramel nose with roasty notes. Delightful malt sweetness. Based on the aroma I would have picked this as an Irish Red or some sort of Scottish. Some phenolics are peaking through as the beer warms but is otherwise fairly clean.
> 
> ...



Most things went wrong with the brewing and possibly the yeast also. It was a recultured Ardennes (or was supposed to be) so who knbows what happened. I have a few spare bottles I might slip into fridge and see what I reckon. I'm happy it was drinkable at least !


----------



## Josh (6/4/10)

Fatgodzilla said:


> Which one was that one Josh - the Number 1 or the 15 ? You are spending too much time in America if you are watching baseball!



Whoops, I had two reply windows open and used the one without the beer for some reason...
*1. Fatgodzilla - An english IPA though things got a little out of control and there are a lot more bitterness than expected. But hope it'll be good. OG 1.065 FG 1.012 Bottled 1 Mar 2010
*


----------



## Muggus (6/4/10)

*Beer: Cortez The Killer - Father's Falling Over Fluid - American Barley Wine
Date: 6th April 2010
Details: 750ml gold cap 31 -~7.7%
Sampling Notes:*
Served lightly chilled in pint glass.

Managed to get two longies of this one. Always fun to compare a fresh and an aged version of these beers.

Pours a copper-amber body, small beige foam hangs around for the entire glass.

Aroma of medium intensity, quite complex in its own way; particularly malt driven with a good helping of biscuit and golden syrup, undertones of dried fruit, fig, honey and subtle orange marmalade and pine-like hops.

Smooth palate, texture is thick and chewy without being cloying, carbonation is welcomely restrained. Alcohol is remarkably well hidden; this could get messy!

Rich malts upfront on the body; light caramels, dried apricot and sultanas, almost fruitcake-like, which I could see developing very well with age. Dries out towards finish with leafy, woody hop flavours, bitter orange in there too, delivering a integrated bitterness. Very smooth aftertaste, begs another sip.

Thoroughly enjoyed this beer. Even for a young barley wine it has developed nice dried fruit/fruitcake nuances that make this style so worthwhile aging. Its also very well balanced and not nearly as aggressive as others Ive come across, which makes it good to drink now. Great stuff Gino, lovely drop!


----------



## Muggus (6/4/10)

*Beer: 4. Stuster - Rye IPA 
Date: 6th April 2010
Details: 750ml gold cap 4 - 6.8% - Wyeast 1450, Amarillo & Centennial
Sampling Notes:*
Served chilled in pint glass.
Presents quite a clean copper body, persistent thick inch of white foam paints the glass with clumpy lace.

Nice pungent hop-driven nose; lots of grapefruit, resinous spruce and passionfruit. Malt quite hard to detect, hint of alcohol sweetness.

Quite high carbonation, creamy texture, lengthy body that persists for quite a while.

Flavours open up more so in the mouth; biscuity malt sweetness upfront is short-lived, brutalised by copious amounts of grapefruit rind, mown grass, pine resin and a distinct earthy spice. Bitterness is high, drying, lingers for an eternity, quenching the thirst and leaves me wanting more. Alcohol is unthought of.

Very much a proper, aggressive, resinous, hop-driven American IPA. Tremendously flavourful and drinkable; wish more beers were like this! Cheers Stu.


----------



## Bizier (6/4/10)

*6. Gulpa - American IPA*

Pours a lively deep orange copper with a humongous but uneven head into a tulip. I got a whiff of the hop perfume as the cap released the pressure. Nice.

I get some caramel malt and marmalade aromas off the bat, plus something a little more exotic like papaya or tamarillo (!) or something plus some strong floral and sweet notes like a muscat. I have been sniffing this beer for easily five minutes now. To be blunt, I think I get some age and some rough edges, but small in the scheme of things.

On the tongue the beer is, as per usual, a very well balanced malt sweetness versus the bitterness, though more bitter than previous offerings I have tried of yours. It starts sweet, fruity, caramelly and creamy and ends at a dryish finish, aided by high carbonation, but not so dry that the hops are too aggressive. There are great orangey floral top notes to the hops and a lingering grapefruit pith bitterness.

Very drinkable beer Andrew, you are better at formulating a recipe than some brewmasters. Thank you.


----------



## nifty (6/4/10)

*20. Gulpa - Belgian Strong Dark Ale - 10% - wy1388 - Ready to drink - bottled Oct 09*

This was a great beer, I could almost use a knife and fork on this one. 

cheers

nifty


----------



## Gulpa (7/4/10)

Bizier said:


> *6. Gulpa - American IPA*
> 
> Pours a lively deep orange copper with a humongous but uneven head into a tulip. I got a whiff of the hop perfume as the cap released the pressure. Nice.
> 
> ...



Thanks Dan. Ill be honest, I was looking for something with a little more ooomph (but not IIPA oomph). Havent really done AIPA before so I just doubled one of my regular APA hop schedules. Ill probably have another go at this later in the year with more hops. Also, ferment was a bit hotter than I would have liked which may be contributing to the rough edges.




nifty said:


> *20. Gulpa - Belgian Strong Dark Ale - 10% - wy1388 - Ready to drink - bottled Oct 09*
> This was a great beer, I could almost use a knife and fork on this one.
> cheers
> nifty



Cheers Nifty. Glad you enjoyed.


----------



## Muggus (7/4/10)

*Beer: 9. Cortez The Killer Hop Rod Rye Clone Rye IPA
Date: 7th April 2010
Details: 750ml Coopers Bottle gold cap 9 - 7% 
Sampling Notes:*
Served chilled in pint glass.

Amber body, quite clean, solid off-white foam persists.

Quite intense aroma, hop driven; pine sap, citrus marmalade, peach. Some malt character underneath; caramel and spicy, doughy rye bread.

Good weight to the body, sticky resinous texture, moderate carbonation, somewhat creamy.

Nice balance to the flavour; sweet biscuity malts upfront combine with zesty grapefruit and pine hops. Assertive bitterness lingers with a bready spice and hop resin.

Highly enjoyable IPA. Good balance of malt and hop character, with a hint of rye spice peaking through. Cheers Gino, top drop!


----------



## Muggus (7/4/10)

*Beer: 6. Gulpa American IPA
Date: 7th April 2010
Details: 750ml Bottle gold cap 6 7%, 65IBU, WY1277, 18th Feb 2010
Sampling Notes:*
Served chilled in pint glass.

Loud opening, started to gush out of the top after 30 seconds, with my back foolishly turned. 
Pours a hazy, chunk-laden orange-copper body with a persistent inch of white foam.

Aroma of medium intensity, nice hop fruits, unripe melon, passionfruit, guava with a good amount of pine-like woodiness. Hint of light caramel malt peaks through.

Medium-to-full palate, quite lively carbonation, bit of stickiness to the texture.

Hops drive the body, not hugely intense though; nice ripe peach and apricot, and tropical fruits. Woody hops combine with malt sweetness on a moderately bitter finish. Lingering leafy hop resin.

Solid sort of APA. Probably lacks the serious intensity of many AIPAs, but nice enough either way. Cheers Andrew.


----------



## Josh (7/4/10)

*12. floppinab IIPA - ~7.5% - Ready now has 2/10 IP on cap*

Pours a deep copper colour with a rocky head. Fruity esters and earthy hops prominent in aroma and taste. 

Barely seems like 5% let alone 7.5%. Seems more like an English IPA, but ridiculously easy drinking either way.

What yeast did you use Gav? Loving it.

Finished the second glass in no time and haly my mouth is numb. Prehaps it is 7.5% after all.


----------



## Josh (8/4/10)

*8. Gruntus - Where has all my EKG gone - English IPA - ~ 7.5% - Bottled 6th March.*

Pours a beautiful dark gold with a big white head which wants to jump out of my glass. So bright I can actually read through my pint glass.

I get a little bit of the lost EKG but mainly alcohol from what I think is warm fermentation temps. Sorry to say it's not particularly memorable, but I've finished the bottle. Thanks Grant.

I've got your Trippel in the fridge after reading Gulpa's review. Days off tomorrow, bring it on.


----------



## Josh (8/4/10)

*22. Gruntus - Trip to Brugge - Belgian Trippel - ~9% - Bottled 19th Feb*

Wow! Trip to Brugge indeed. I swear I'm back in that little courtyard with the sun shining and the smoke billowing out of the tiny cafe's.

Thick and malty sweet on the tongue early. Spicy phenols in the middle and then finishes with a lingering aroma in the top of my mouth, begging for another mouthful. 

Man this is a quality beer. 1-1 Yankees @ Red Sox in the top of the 2nd. I might have to se e waht else is in the fridge.


----------



## Bizier (8/4/10)

*3. DiscoStu - Imperial IPA*

Wow.

Pours an almost brown amber with a large creamy very-off-white head.

Sweet and slightly fruity on the nose.

Big caramel sweetness upfront, then the carpet is whipped out from underneath and there is a shredding bitterness. There are a lot of malt flavours, dry and toasty, sweet and caramel, but the hops really accentuate the sharper malt flavours. I am surprised how dry this finished after the caramel hit at the start. I don't get a ton of late hops, but I am really loving this bitterness - your beer is making me smile right now.

Cheers Stu


----------



## nifty (8/4/10)

*11. Bizier - Belgian IIPA*

A really nice coloured beer, and a great hoppy/fuity taste. 

Great beer, thanks.

cheers

nifty


----------



## Muggus (9/4/10)

*Beer: 3. DiscoStu - Imperial IPA
Date: 8th April 2010
Details: 750ml Bottle red cap 3 8.5% - 100IBU - US05 - Bottled 14/02/10
Sampling Notes:*
Served slightly chilled in pint glass.

Hazy bronze body, tight centimetre worth of beige foam persists.

Quite subdued aroma for the style; some woody, resinous pine hop in there, but malt seems to be the star of this show with rich toffee and brown sugar, hint of spicy wheat husk in there too.

Big rich body with plenty of length. Thick resinous, sticky texture, somewhat aided by the smooth low carbonation.

Opens out a whole lot more on the body; rich toffee and mollasses malts, hint of cocoa and meaty roastiness. Resinous hops kick up a gear with a good dose of pine, bitter orange, tobacco leaf, all lingering on the finish and delivering a solid bitterness. Alcohol is warming, adding its own little bit of balance and sweetness.

Robust amber ale with a good amount of hop flavour. Highly enjoyable and well made; certainly a bit different from others of the style but I loved it. Cheers Stu!


----------



## Muggus (9/4/10)

Beer: 12. Floppinab - IIPA
Date: 8th April 2010
Details: 650ml bottle gold cap "2/10IP" - 7.5%
Sampling Notes:
Served slightly chilled in pint glass.

Reasonably clean amber-copper body, small ring of offwhite foam hangs around.

Light aroma; flowery hops, some citrus zest, and caramel malts.

Medium carbonation, full bodied, slightly syrupy texture.

Good balance of caramel and biscuity malts, with spicy, leafty hops. Some subtle dried fruits towards a moderately bitter finish. Alcohol is well hidden!

A relatively subdued IIPA, balanced well with malt character being a more prominant component of beer that most of the style. Quite enjoyable, cheers Gav!


----------



## Gulpa (9/4/10)

*14. Muggus - What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted (Jakes Return) NZ Imp. Brown Ale - 7.9% Bottled 19th Feb 2010*

Pours cloudy brown with a small light tan head. Aroma is hop driven, some C hops, a touch of honey caramel malt and Im reminded of something else I cant quite put my finger on - must be all those NZ hops. Flavour is a big resiny hop blast, caramel coffee with a very assertive long bitter finish. Medium low carb. Full body with the high bitterness giving an apparent dry finish that seems a touch harsh at first. As it warms the malt sweetness comes up to help the balance but it remains confrontingly bitter  . Quite a challenging beer atm and needs some more time in the bottle to show its best, thanks for sharing Mike.


Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Gulpa (9/4/10)

*27. nifty - Some Sort of Belgian Golden Ale 8.1% Bottled 07/02/2010 Wy1388*

Pours light copper with a big dense off white head. Slightly hazy. Aroma is ester based fruits, sweet malt with a touch of mineral. Flavour is light sweet malt, clean belgian funk, some malt nuttiness, a nice blend blend of flavours. High carb. Medium body. Slight tartness in the off dry finish nicely accentuated by the high carb. Sits well in the style. Alcohol is well hidden. Nice beer, thanks for sharing Nifty.

Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Muggus (9/4/10)

Gulpa said:


> *14. Muggus - What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted (Jakes Return) NZ Imp. Brown Ale - 7.9% Bottled 19th Feb 2010*
> 
> Pours cloudy brown with a small light tan head. Aroma is hop driven, some C hops, a touch of honey caramel malt and Im reminded of something else I cant quite put my finger on - must be all those NZ hops. Flavour is a big resiny hop blast, caramel coffee with a very assertive long bitter finish. Medium low carb. Full body with the high bitterness giving an apparent dry finish that seems a touch harsh at first. As it warms the malt sweetness comes up to help the balance but it remains confrontingly bitter  . Quite a challenging beer atm and needs some more time in the bottle to show its best, thanks for sharing Mike.
> 
> ...


Haha excellent form sir, glad to see someone was willing to take the plunge. Glad to hear you made it out alive. 
Certainly not an easy drinking beer by any stretch of the imagination; cracked a bottle open about a week ago and the bitterness is reminisant of a young barley wine more than anything else. At least it'll last a while with all of those hops!


----------



## nifty (10/4/10)

Gulpa said:


> *27. nifty - Some Sort of Belgian Golden Ale 8.1% Bottled 07/02/2010 Wy1388*
> 
> Pours light copper with a big dense off white head. Slightly hazy. Aroma is ester based fruits, sweet malt with a touch of mineral. Flavour is light sweet malt, clean belgian funk, some malt nuttiness, a nice blend blend of flavours. High carb. Medium body. Slight tartness in the off dry finish nicely accentuated by the high carb. Sits well in the style. Alcohol is well hidden. Nice beer, thanks for sharing Nifty.
> 
> ...




Hey Andrew, thanks for the comments, this was my first crack at a Belgian, so I'm glad it was drinkable.

cheers

steve


----------



## Gulpa (10/4/10)

*3. DiscoStu - Imperial IPA 8.5% - 100IBU - US05 - Bottled 14/02/10*

Bizier's review is pretty spot on.

Pours hazy copper with a lovely light tan head. Aroma is caramel candy malts up front with some biscuit and fruity hops blending in. Flavour is sweetish caramel malts, slight roast with bitterness very assertive at the finish. As it warms the complex malt profile shows. Well carbed. Medium full body. Lovely balance. Finish is surprisingly dry. Awesome beer. Thanks for sharing, Stu.



Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## rendo (11/4/10)

Cortez The Killer said:


> I apologise about the carb. 5g went in - but perhaps it wasn't retained.
> 
> I thinks its time I got a proper capper.
> 
> ...




For sure, for $40 from bigw, its in the top 3 best spends ever for my homebrewing.....
Just in case you are wondering, the top 3 are:
1. temperature control/fermenting frdige
2. Bench Capper
3. My first purchase of hops (why...because that what lead me to this site and the slippery slippery slope of learning more and making shit hot beer!) 

EDIT: Not to mention, after all that effort you put into making a brew, one of the last things you want to let you down is the capping.


----------



## Bizier (11/4/10)

*14. Muggus - What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted (Jakes Return) NZ Imp. Brown Ale*

I drank this as a primer before going out after a long brew day yesterday. No notes, but here is my dubious recollection:

Incredibly sappy, sticky resinous from big big NZ hops. Tropical flavours like passionfruit and pineapple, and however you are supposed to describe that 'NZ hop taste'.
If I did not brew so many large hoppy beers, I probably would not be able to taste the malt behind the hops, but I was happy to have some caramel, toasty and slightly roasty notes with my hop feast.

Mouthfeel sticky and smooth, decidedly resinous.

I have to say that this was a very successful primer to my night, I think I left the house with a noticeable list to one side.

Great beer Muggus, really up my alley here.


----------



## RetsamHsam (11/4/10)

Cortez The Killer said:


> STOUT / OLD ALE List
> 
> 29. Monkeybusiness - RIS - 9.6% bottled Feb 2010
> 30. Grantw - Anzus Wheatwine 2 X bottles - this is a vicious and unpleasant beer at the moment, 10.38% leave it for months maybe late July, years if possible
> ...



Out of interest, what happened to Schooey and Chappo's beers?


----------



## Bizier (11/4/10)

*2. Grantw - An English IPA at 4.7%, bittered with EKG and Galaxy*

A nice hazy orange with little head to speak of.

Light fruity hops on the nose with some nutty sweet malt aromas underneath.

Crisp and fruity with a firm bitterness and some very nice UK malt to back it up. I love the marmalade taste to the residual bitterness from the EKG.

This is the perfect beer for a beautiful autumn afternoon. Thanks Grant.


----------



## gruntus (11/4/10)

Josh said:


> *8. Gruntus - Where has all my EKG gone - English IPA - ~ 7.5% - Bottled 6th March.*
> 
> Pours a beautiful dark gold with a big white head which wants to jump out of my glass. So bright I can actually read through my pint glass.
> 
> ...



Glad you finished the bottle....sorry it wasn't memorable  

There was no EKG in this one at all as I forgot that I had already used mine all up....doohhh.

Overall I was pretty happy with how this one turned out as I was trying for an old style English IPA, although next time I will be upping the spec malts to balance the hops. I also get a little bit of alcohol taste but only when it warms up. I fermented this out at 19C so it's not coming from a warm fermentation.

I have had a dozen of these over the last month and all of them are quite cloudy (or maybe chill haze) so I'm a little confused how yours is crystal clear.


----------



## gruntus (11/4/10)

Josh said:


> *22. Gruntus - Trip to Brugge - Belgian Trippel - ~9% - Bottled 19th Feb*
> 
> Wow! Trip to Brugge indeed. I swear I'm back in that little courtyard with the sun shining and the smoke billowing out of the tiny cafe's.
> 
> ...



Is there a better place in the world to enjoy a beer (or six). I can remember sampling some Trippels when I was Brugge (circa 1996). I was attempting a Bruggse Trippel (simple version of a trippel) but am happy with the results.

Glad you enjoyed it.

Maybe we should all save one of our Belgian's for an aged case swap next year.....Thoughts anyone?


----------



## Bizier (11/4/10)

*20. Gulpa - Belgian Strong Dark Ale*

Pours a dark dark brown with little carbonation and nearly no head.

Complex malt and yeast aroma. Lots of complex woody notes, some bubblegum, alcohol aromas, dark fruit city. I also get a lot of fortified wine stuff going on.

Again, large complex yeast and malts on the palate. Relatively dry, but with welcome sweetness to balance the savoury flavours, hops are just balancing the lot. Liqorice, more dry woody flavours, makes me think of old cedar, tobacco, some miso, some spice. Deeply warming alcohol.

This is fantastic beer Andrew.


----------



## Bizier (11/4/10)

*19. Retsamhsam - Doppelbock 10.5%*

A big-arse bock.

Pours a deep hazy brown with no head.

The aroma is bread crust, port and some alcohol.

Great savoury dark-bread-crust malt with some raisin edges. Alcohol is very well hidden. There are some miso-ish flavours that come with beers of this high of a gravity. It is seriously like a loaf of good dark wholemeal bread in a glass. I would be much more tempted to be religeous if they gave you beer like this as a staple.

This is a great to-style beer. I am thankful that there is no roast, as you often get in both commercial and HB bocks. If this is the same beer from the last swap, it is a great re-visit; if it is a new one, killer job on the brewing.

Thanks Damo,

PS Condolences on the loss of your intended batch.


----------



## Bizier (11/4/10)

*1. Fatgodzilla - An english IPA*

Sweet caramel and bready malt on nose with some light floral and (orange) fruity hops.

More caramel and bready malt finishing dry and with a decidedly bitter finish, leaning on the sharp side.

A very drinkable beer, good beefy malt with moderate flavour hops. I have to say that the sharp bitterness in the finish is putting me off a little. But otherwise a very drinkable malty beer.

Cheers Ian


----------



## Fatgodzilla (12/4/10)

Bizier said:


> *1. Fatgodzilla - An english IPA*
> 
> Sweet caramel and bready malt on nose with some light floral and (orange) fruity hops.
> 
> ...




Got the same impression on the bitterness when I consumed one myself yesterday. I reckon this beer will need to sit for a few more months to meld everything together.


----------



## Cortez The Killer (12/4/10)

*Muggus - Black Warrior Imperial Stout*

Pours with a massive light brown fluffy head. Black. Nose full of roasty goodness, espresso coffee, dark chocolate. 

Big body, sweet upfront with a lingering bitterness. Has a creamy smooth quality. Roast and coffee. Maltiness upfront balanced nicely with the bitter finish, which seems to come from both the hops and dark roasted malt. Warmth slowly appearing. 

This is a most awesome complex beer and a great example of style. The time in the bottle has really made this beer exceptionally smooth and extremely moreish. Great beer.

Cheers


----------



## Josh (14/4/10)

*2. Grantw - An English IPA at 4.7%, bittered with EKG and Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin for aroma Bottled 19.3 give it a few weeks*

Beautifully bright deep gold beer with a dense off-white head. 

Aroma is toasty and bready with a bit of fruit in the background.

Lovely English esters with a fresh hop flavour and toasted flavours.

Finishes with a medium bitterness and the hop aroma rising up to my nose.

Very nice beer Grant. Thanks very much. Now for Jack Bauer to save New York City before I get there.


----------



## Josh (14/4/10)

*9. Cortez The Killer - Hop Rod Rye Clone - Rye IPA - ~7% - Ready - http://hyperfox.info/allgrain01.htm#72*

Bright red copper colour, little head or carbonation. 

Spicy aroma I'm guessing from the rye with citrusy hops also. SWMBO scrunched her nose similar to when she tried Cantillon Geuze for the first time. Thankfully I love it. The flavour carries a lot of the rye with a resinous hop character. Kinda surprising given the total hop bill was only 100g.

Finishes with a little sweetness which might be a little alcohol sweetness and the hops kicking in also. 

This is an amazing beer. Almost as amazing as Chloe O'Brien who pulled a gun on an NSA dude just then.


----------



## Josh (14/4/10)

*6. Gulpa - American IPA - 7% - 65IBU - Wy1272 - Ready to drink - bottled 18 Feb.*

Slightly hazy, dark gold, dense 1/2 inch off-white head.

Hoppy and slightly fruity aroma which I put down to the Wy1272 which I've not actually used.

It's a delicious beer Andrew. Not getting quite such a crisp citrusy character from this one like you might expect in an AIPA. But that isn't a bad thing. I like the yeast and I like the complexity. And the bitterness helps finish it off nicely.

The Top Gear guys are in Bolivia and doing their best to break 3 4WDs. After a long day at work, an hour of squash and these beers, I'm very close to passing out.


----------



## Muggus (14/4/10)

*Beer: 1. Fatgodzilla English IPA
Date: 12th April 2010
Details: 750ml Bottle gold cap 1/IPA OG: 1.065 FG: 1.012 1st March 2010
Sampling Notes:*
Served chilled in pint glass.

Hazy amber body, off-white head and sparse foam.

Malty aroma; biscuit, nuts, bit of sweet toffee. Some dry leafy, tobacco, earthy spice hop character and dried fruits in the background.

Medium-full palate, moderate carbonation, slight chewy texture.

Combination of toffee n nut malts and leafy hops on the body. Some spicy yeasty dough on the finish, with a reasonable amount of bitterness and somewhat phenolic aftertaste.

Easy drinking sort of strong English bitter. Probably lacking the hop oomph of a serious IPA; more like an ESB. Drinks well, cheers Ian!


----------



## Muggus (14/4/10)

*Beer: 10. Josh Imperial IPA
Date: 13th April 2010
Details: 750ml Bottle gold cap underlined 10 RTD
Sampling Notes:*
Served chilled in pint glass.

Presents a good-looking deep amber body with very persistent, thick off-white foam.

Deliciously tempting aroma; passionfruit, dried apricot, ripe peach hops. Dried leafy herbs amongst it with a rich toffee malt background.

Smooth, creamy texture, rich with a relatively low carbonation.

Mouth-wateringly tasty flavour; toasty, biscuity, sweet toffee malts combine fantastically with ripe stone fruit, bitter orange and leafy hop character. High bitterness of a smooth finish, with a gentle alcohol embrace.

Ticks in all boxes for this IIPA; plenty of hop and malt flavour, plenty of bitterness, plenty of body, plenty oomph! Well done Josh, top notch!


----------



## Muggus (15/4/10)

*Beer: 2. Grantw English IPA
Date: 14th April 2010
Details: 750ml Coopers Bottle gold cap 2 4.7% 19.3.10 Ekg, Galaxy, NS hops
Sampling Notes:*
Served lightly chilled in pint glass.

Copper-amber body of reasonable clarity, small beige head dissipates.

Aroma of moderate intensity; fruity hops take front seat with passionfruit, guava, gooseberry aromatic white wine-like thiols. Fragrant herbs backed by berry fruit esters and light caramel and golden syrup maltiness.

Medium body, nice malt stickiness, moderate-low carbonation; almost reminds me of a British cask ale in its feel.

Plenty of those aromatic vinous fruit hops on the body; guava, rose water, paw paw, lavender almost pot pourri-like. Nice hop bitterness combines well with a golden syrup malt sweetness and subtle roastiness. Lingering red currant and cranberry esters on a dry finish.

Really tasty, complex English bitter, would be a great cask quaffer. Once again, not as robust as Id come to expect from an IPA, but highly enjoyable regardless. Cheers Grant!


----------



## white.grant (15/4/10)

Cheers Muggus, - what's a thiol? - Bizier and Josh, glad you enjoyed it. 

Had some mashing issues with this one, the mashmate thermometer went berko and was reading low - the reality was the mash was too hot so the attenuation has suffered - which has then flowed on to the alcohol level, hop utilisation and carb (I cut back on the bottle priming just in case cause the fermentation ran out of puff at 1016) so it's not quite the beer I was planning :unsure: but as happy accidents go I kinda like it and it should make a good house special bitter if I can translate the mistakes into process.

In other news the problem child trippel has come along quite nicely and is ready to drink. It's 10%+ lolly water so be careful. I 've just had half a bootle and feel warm, relaxed and attractive. It makes up for the lack of oomph in the IPA. 

cheers

grant


----------



## Muggus (16/4/10)

Grantw said:


> Cheers Muggus, - what's a thiol?


From what i've been taught, is that a thiol is aromatic compound produced by fermentation. Depending on their composition, there's a large array of aromas they can produce, many are quite nasty - like garlic, onions, burnt rubber, skunky sort of aromas. But also some are very pleasant "terpene" aromas - like grapefruit, passionfruit, guava, rose - the sorts of aromas you get in aromatic white wines like sauvignon blanc, muscat and gewurztraminer. 
Certain yeasts accentuate and produce these compounds in these wines.
Of course, this doesn't have a great deal to do with the aromatics of your beer...most of those nice fragrant aromatics came from the hops, they just happen to be remarkably similiar aromas to certain white wines.


----------



## Muggus (16/4/10)

*Beer: 13. Nifty Some sort of IPA *
Date: 15th April 2010
Details: 750ml Bottle gold cap 13 7.1% bottled 14th March 2010
Sampling Notes:
Served chilled in pint glass. 

Deep golden-copper body, small ring of off-white foam.
Quite a rich potent sort of aroma; lots of golden syrup and toasty biscuit malt, orange marmalade hops, with ripe apricot-like esters and alcohol spice.

Smooth body, slightly syrup-like with a drying alcohol presence. Low carbonation.

Hops and malt combine quite well on the body; candied/glace orange peel, brown sugar, dried apricot, dried herbs and clove-like phenolics. Solid bitterness with a warming, drying alcohol note to finish.

Complex and enjoyable, reminds me of an English strong ale of sorts. I can imagine this aging well. Cheers Nifty!


----------



## white.grant (16/4/10)

Muggus said:


> From what i've been taught, is that a thiol is aromatic compound produced by fermentation. Depending on their composition, there's a large array of aromas they can produce, many are quite nasty - like garlic, onions, burnt rubber, skunky sort of aromas. But also some are very pleasant "terpene" aromas - like grapefruit, passionfruit, guava, rose - the sorts of aromas you get in aromatic white wines like sauvignon blanc, muscat and gewurztraminer.
> Certain yeasts accentuate and produce these compounds in these wines.
> Of course, this doesn't have a great deal to do with the aromatics of your beer...most of those nice fragrant aromatics came from the hops, they just happen to be remarkably similiar aromas to certain white wines.




It's a great word, I shall make sure to drop into conversation every now and then.

cheers

grant


----------



## Cortez The Killer (16/4/10)

*22. Gruntus - Trip to Brugge - Belgian Trippel*

Pours with a large white head which persists. Copper in clolour, cloudy. Some lovely phenolics, spricy, some fruity notes from candy sugar. 

Sweet upfront, revealing some great belgian phenolics. Some fruity notes orange, banana in the background, all mixed up with some tasty peppery spices. A lot going on. Medium body. Only a hint of the alcohol content as the beer warms. 

This is a very delicious beer, very complex and well bodied. The only thing letting it down is clarity; sort this out and you are onto a winner.

Cheers


----------



## Gulpa (16/4/10)

Bizier said:


> *19. Retsamhsam - Doppelbock 10.5%*
> 
> A big-arse bock.
> 
> ...



*19. Retsamhsam - Doppelbock 10.5%*

Again, what Dan said. Cant improve on those and really not in any state to do proper notes. 

Been looking forward to this beer. Mine is crystal clear, brown with ruby highlights. Lovely munich malt aromas, raisin fruit, could sniff this all night. Flavour is more of the same, a touch meaty/soy in a good way. Everything in its place. My kind of beer, malt heaven. Awesome. Thanks Damien.

I loving the beers in this swap so far. 

cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Gulpa (17/4/10)

*10. Josh - Imperial IPA*

Pours clear dark red copper with a nice dense head that persists and laces. Aroma is lovely, citrus hops with a floral presence underneath, caramel malts. Flavour is a nice blend of hops, quite floral, sweet caramel finishing with an assertive bitterness. Medium full body, perfect carb, no sign of alcohol. Its a touch sweet but the bitterness helps it from being cloying. Lovely beer, Josh. Thanks for sharing.

Regards
Andrew.


----------



## Gulpa (17/4/10)

*25. Bizier - Belgian Blonde Ale ~6%*


Orange gold in colour. A bit of haze with a lively head. Aroma is a little difficult to describe, spicy belgian phenolics, pepper with a distinct lemonyness about it. Flavour is very creamy, almost to the point of egg custard (weird, I know but it is), pepper again, slight banana with a sweet malt finish. Medium body, medium carb, low bitterness, well balanced. This is a very distinctive beer which Im assuming comes from yeast choice. Not like anything Ive tried before and I like that. Delicious. Thanks Dan.

Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Muggus (17/4/10)

*Beer: 8. Gruntus Where has all my EKG gone English IPA
Date: 16th April 2010
Details: 750ml Bottle gold cap IPA/8 7.5% 6th March 2010
Sampling Notes:*
Served chilled in pint glass. 

Copper body, slight haze, creamy beige head persists as 5mm of foam.

Good pungency about the nose; toasted cereals, orange and mango juice, peach and apricot nectar, tobacco leaf hop character.

Rich, syrupy texture, quite low carbonation. Alcohol adds dryness to the finish.

Nice, juicy hop flavour about this beer; orange, mandarin, guava-like tropical hop fruit notes, subtle eucalyptus-like leafiness in there too. Sweet biscuity malts mix in, almost like those Wheaten(?) biscuits. Finishes with a pepper alcohol note and decent bitterness.

Really enjoy the hops in this beer; serious proper English-style IPA with a good amount of body and bitterness to boot. Cheers Gruntus, great drop!


----------



## gruntus (18/4/10)

Cortez The Killer said:


> *22. Gruntus - Trip to Brugge - Belgian Trippel*
> 
> Pours with a large white head which persists. Copper in clolour, cloudy. Some lovely phenolics, spricy, some fruity notes from candy sugar.
> 
> ...


Glad you enjoyed it Gino. :icon_cheers: 

I have got to go back to the basics to sort out my clarity/haze issues...especially for this style. You can get a bit lazy after doing wheat beers all summer.


----------



## gruntus (18/4/10)

Muggus said:


> *Beer: 8. Gruntus Where has all my EKG gone English IPA
> Date: 16th April 2010
> Details: 750ml Bottle gold cap IPA/8 7.5% 6th March 2010
> Sampling Notes:*
> ...


Wow....wish I could write a review like that.

Glad you enjoyed it.


----------



## Gulpa (18/4/10)

*2. Grantw - An English IPA at 4.7%, bittered with EKG and Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin for aroma Bottled 19.3*

Colour is a clear copper. Starts with a small offwhite head that dies down to a film. The mix of hops comes up quite earthy in the aroma, Sauvin gives it a distinctive character. Malt is there with a light fruityness underneath, not sure if its from the hops or yeast. Flavour follows same, sauvin is dominant at the start but as the beer warms the other hops come forward. Malt flavours are quite light. Mediumish body. Low carb. Finish is dry enough. A good level of bitterness but possibly not IPA levels. Nice interesting beer Grant. Drinks more like a Special Bitter, you get that sometimes :icon_cheers: .

Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Bizier (18/4/10)

*23. Cortez The Killer - Devil's Ink - Belgian Imperial Stout *

After a hard day's brewing, this is hitting the spot dead on.

Loads of dark fruit notes, liquorice, plum, and a great cocoa-biscuit malt background. I get some vanilla type aromas, which is very nice. I like the alcohols, they are noticeable, but very complimentary to the rest of the package and not harsh or hot, more of a sherry note.

It is very drinkable, and even perhaps slightly needing a little more warmth than my current serving temp, because this seems slightly thin for something along the lines of an RIS. That said, it is a well brewed, complex, roasty Belgian beer that I would happily have as a regular on tap.

I would like to see your recipe Gino.

Cheers
Dan


----------



## Bizier (18/4/10)

*21. Monkeybusiness - Belgian strong 9.5%*

Drank this while transferring wort and yakking with mates, so no notes sorry. I am happy to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I was left with an impression that there was a high proportion of simple sugars used in the grist, which took the edge off for me. But other than that, I enjoyed the beer very much. A good dark, fruity beer with a bunch of spicy phenols.

Thanks MB


----------



## Bizier (18/4/10)

*A blur of other beers that are gone*
Josh, I loved your golden strong, loads and loads of apple and pear esters, very juicy and lush. I really enjoyed it.
I was not a big a fan of your IIPA, while I loved the huge hop profile, I found it a little too chewy and worty for me to consider it drinkable. But if it were drier, I would love it completely.

Gruntus, I drank your IPA and really enjoyed it. To me it had everything in the right place. I am not as well versed in UK IPA as I am US IPA, but I thought yours fit the bill well and I remember that the carbonation and dryness really finished the beer well. I think it was your Belgian that I opened and it nearly emptied itself in my sink, but I am not sure if it was yours.

Some other beers have been drank with no notes, I apologise for not giving the same consideration to all beers.


----------



## Gulpa (18/4/10)

*28. Muggus - Belgian Chocolate Ale '09 - 8.4%. *

Colour is close to black with ruby highlights. A vigorous pour created a smallish head that died down pretty quickly. Big belgian aroma, perhaps phenyls to the fore. A slight mineral/metallic edge to it that I sometimes find with belgian yeasts. Flavour is sweet malts, belgian yeast flavours, dark fruits, coffee/chocolate comes up as it warms with the mineral/metallic thing showing on the finish. Medium light body. Low carb. Belgian balance. Nice beer Mike, but I found the metallic thing threw the finish out a bit.

Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Bizier (18/4/10)

*16. Grantw Belgian tripel may be ready to drink around June*

Pours a brilliantly clear yellow with a white head that soon dies.

Tripel is not my favourite style. This is a fantastic one that gives hope.

Moderate light fruity apple-ish esters and some spicy phenolics, and a grassy note in there. Alcohol is a pleasant presence, and is evil in its strength.

Dry, dangerously quenching, fruity. Great.

I don't really see the difference between this and a golden strong, perhaps it would do better under that title, though I might be wrong.

Mark Rothko doco on telly, and this is winning, really great beer Grant. Thanks.


----------



## Cortez The Killer (19/4/10)

Bizier said:


> I would like to see your recipe Gino.


Glad you liked it - I wasn't a big fan of this beer initially but haven't tried one for a while - may need to pop one into the fridge

Recipe here - http://hyperfox.info/allgrain01.htm#75

Cheers


----------



## Josh (19/4/10)

*14. Muggus - What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted (Jakes Return) NZ Imp. Brown Ale - 7.9% Bottled 19th Feb 2010 - Probably carbed by swap date, but bloody brutal!*

Brutal indeed. 

Cloudy brown with a tan head.
Quite a sweet caramel aroma with hops in the background.
The flavour is very full on. Big hit of sweetness, burnt toast, chocolate, citrus and summer fruits. And a big whack of bitterness that lingers with the rich sweetness long after I swallow.

Thanks for the beer Mike. Interesting to try this style. I'm planning on brewing the CYBI Nogne 100 clone tomorrow and JZ categorised that beer as an Imperial Brown Ale.

If you guys haven't had it yet, I'd consider storing for a while longer.


----------



## Stuster (19/4/10)

I'm too slack to post up my review(s) today but I thought Muggus' beer was good now. Intense, sure, but in a good way. Great beer. :super:


----------



## Josh (19/4/10)

*11. Bizier - if it has a 'B' (majority) it is the Belgian IIPA ~>9% A week in the fridge.*

Relatively clear, gold with a hint of red and a thin dense off white head. Hop flavour and bitterness are abundant. Slick mouthfeel, Belgian phenols are there, but not too over the top. 
Finishes dry and bitter, very tasty beer, thanks Dan.


----------



## white.grant (20/4/10)

I'm with Stuster!

*No. 14 Muggus' What becomes of the broken hearted

*Pours darkly into my nonic pint with a white head that slowly dissipates. Hop aroma is noticeable from over 1 metre away from the glass, so its nicely fragrant. On the tongue I am impressed by the balance of malt and hops, big everything here, subtle hints of warming alcohol as the glass warms, handwritten notes become very difficult to read. Loverly beer. 

Make no mistake, this is a challenging beer to consume but I really enjoyed it, I don't think leaving it longer will make it easier to drink and may well compromise the hop aroma action which is outrageous and the malty goodness which I found most agreeable. 

Muggus, you really do chance your arm on these epic beers and kudos to you, it is unlikely that I will ever drink such a gorgeously balanced over the top beer again. 

cheers

grant


----------



## white.grant (20/4/10)

Bizier said:


> *16. Grantw Belgian tripel may be ready to drink around June*
> 
> Pours a brilliantly clear yellow with a white head that soon dies.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the feedback Bizier and glad you enjoyed it. 

I was hoping for a little more yeast character and a little less attenuation so the golden strong comparison makes a lot of sense. It is ridiculously easy drinking for 10% gives me a heightened sense of self worth every time I drink it :icon_drunk: . 

cheers

grant


----------



## Muggus (20/4/10)

Gulpa said:


> *28. Muggus - Belgian Chocolate Ale '09 - 8.4%. *
> 
> Colour is close to black with ruby highlights. A vigorous pour created a smallish head that died down pretty quickly. Big belgian aroma, perhaps phenyls to the fore. A slight mineral/metallic edge to it that I sometimes find with belgian yeasts. Flavour is sweet malts, belgian yeast flavours, dark fruits, coffee/chocolate comes up as it warms with the mineral/metallic thing showing on the finish. Medium light body. Low carb. Belgian balance. Nice beer Mike, but I found the metallic thing threw the finish out a bit.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the feedback Andrew.
I tried a bottle of this over the weekend and definately know what you mean; has a definate phenolic sharpness about it. Also found it very vinous, "Like a red wine" as one of my mates put it.


Good to hear feedback on my brown ale too! Glad that people actually enjoyed it!  Can't say as much about my unsuspecting friends and family...


----------



## Muggus (20/4/10)

*Beer: 5. Retsamhsam - AIIPA
Date: 18th April 2010
Details: 750ml Bottle gold cap IPA 8.2% 65-70IBU Bottled 11th March 2010
Sampling Notes:*
Served chilled in pint glass. 

Copper body, decent clarity, retains a decent beige head.

On the nose I get a fair bit of ripe yellow peach, pine, grapefruit, slight caramel malt sweetness; quite intense overall.

Moderate carbonation, very smooth, quite creamy texture with excellent length.

Excellent amount of hop flavour on the body; bitter orange, pine, apricot skin, peach. Finishes somewhat phenolic, very bitter, lingering spiciness.

Intense and rich IIPA; highly flavourful and enjoyable. Good stuff, cheers Damo!


----------



## Muggus (20/4/10)

*Beer: 11. Bizier B Belgian IIPA
Date: 18th April 2010
Details: 750ml Bottle gold cap 11/B 9%
Sampling Notes:*
Served chilled in pint glass. 

Quite clean copper gold body. Big persistent yellow-tinged foam.

The aroma of this beer is majestic; freshly grated orange and lemon peel, mandarin, subtle green spices. Hugely citrusy, as my notes mention twice; mightve been trying to make a half-drunken point.

Serious body about it, relatively low carbonation, sticky, resinous malt and hop texture.

Intense flavour; lots of pine, pepper, peach, apricot and leafy herbs. Finishes highly bitter, dry and warming.

Full on, big flavours; right up my alley! Awesome beer, cheers Dan!


----------



## Muggus (20/4/10)

*Beer: 30. GrantW Anzus Wheatwine 
Date: 18th April 2010
Details: 345ml MSB bottle gold cap 30 -10.4% managed to score two of these
Sampling Notes:*
Served lightly chilled in pint glass.

Small pop upon opening. Head needs a bit of encouraging; I wind up with a film of persistent foam above a relatively clear deep gold body.

Would have to agree with you there when you mention its a bit rough Grant; certainly smells a bit rough! A lot going on but specifically I pick up; toasted Weetbix-like cereal, sharp hop aromatics; grapefruit, lemon, perhaps even a hint of Brettanomyces vinegar and mousiness; bit funky and sharp.

Quite thick, syrupy texture, definite viscosity about it without a great deal of noticeable alcohol. Carbonation is low.

I wouldnt so much call the flavour rich, rather intense. Having said that it tastes much nicer than the aroma would suggest; a lot going on! 
Weetbix, sultana, balsa wood (yeah, never used that term before), lemon rind, pink grapefruit, kiwifruit skin, pepper, salt(?), subtle horsy funk. Solid bitterness, with lingering complexities.

Quite a different beast to anything Ive ever encountered wheat, hops and strength is there but theres so much more to it. Really love to see how this develops in the bottle. Many thanks Grant!


----------



## Josh (20/4/10)

*13. nifty - Some sort of IPA - 7.1%. Bottled 14th March 2010.*

Pours hazy golden with a thin but persistent head and medium carbonation.

Nice fruity aroma and a biscuity malt backbone supports the hops well.

Finishes with a bit of alcohol and some bitterness. 

Tasty beer nifty. Thanks.


----------



## Gulpa (20/4/10)

Muggus said:


> Thanks for the feedback Andrew.
> I tried a bottle of this over the weekend and definately know what you mean; has a definate phenolic sharpness about it. Also found it very vinous, "Like a red wine" as one of my mates put it.
> 
> 
> Good to hear feedback on my brown ale too! Glad that people actually enjoyed it!  Can't say as much about my unsuspecting friends and family...



Hey Mike,

What yeast did you use? Ive got a dubbel in the fermentor with wy3787 that has similar notes and Im wondering if its phenolics specific to the yeast?

Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Muggus (22/4/10)

Gulpa said:


> Hey Mike,
> 
> What yeast did you use? Ive got a dubbel in the fermentor with wy3787 that has similar notes and Im wondering if its phenolics specific to the yeast?
> 
> ...


I used a starter of WLP500 Trappist Ale for my beer, not sure of the Wy yeast equivelent.
Tried to ferment around 20 degrees but have a feeling probably got a bit warm 24-26 degrees at one stage or another, which more that likely contributed to that.
White Labs have a pretty handy table on their website in regards to the phenolic compounds created by Belgian strains at certain temps. Well worth a look at.


----------



## Muggus (22/4/10)

*Beer: 38. Gulpa Old Ale
Date: 20th April 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap 38 US05 7.8% - 24th Feb 2010
Sampling Notes:*
Served lightly chilled in pint glass.

Faintest of pops on opening. Presents nicely regardless; deep copper body, persistent dense beige head.

Nice rich malt aroma; biscuit, toffee, bread, a bit like a sticky date pudding, with notes of sultana, date and tawny port starting to develop in background.

Thick, smooth, somewhat sticky texture. Good length, low carbonation.

Plenty of enjoyable malt flavour of the body; molasses, brioche, caramelised walnuts, light hop spice. Developing notes of fortified wine dried fruits, woodiness, and honey. Finishes with a lingering cinnamon-like spice and balancing bitterness.

Really enjoyed this beer; clean with good malt flavours and lovely subtle aged/oxidised complexities, that should develop beautifully with age glad Ive got another bottle! Great beer, cheers Andrew


----------



## Muggus (22/4/10)

*Beer: 39. Thommo Old Ale 
Date: 20th April 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap 39
Sampling Notes:*
Served lightly chilled in pint glass.

Decent psst on opening; definitely has carbonation. Pours a hazy sort of bronze body with a thick ivory-coloured head.

Aroma is particularly spicy and doughy; notes of rye, pepper, caraway, coca, clove and cinnamon.

Quite a rich body, moderate carbonation, oily sort of texture.

Flavour is somewhat vinous; Madeira, brown sugar, dense rye bread, pepper, tobacco and smoke (almost like cigar!), woodiness hinting at sherry and dried fruit undertones. Finish is warming, slightly phenolic and bitter with more spice lingering.

Seemed a bit abrasive at first, but this beer really opens out with warmth. Deeply complex and delicious. Looking forward to trying the other bottle I have a bit further down the track. Cheers Thommo, shes a cracker!


----------



## Muggus (22/4/10)

*Beer: 22. Gruntus Trip to Brugge Belgian Trippel
Date: 21th April 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap 22 9% - 19th Feb 2010
Sampling Notes:*
Served lightly chilled in pint glass.

Deep golden-amber body, slight haze, white foam that dissipates quickly.

Rich aroma; good dose of caramel, burnt toffee and biscuity sort of malt. Notes of vanilla, pepper and stewed berries in the background.

Sticky texture, smooth syrup-like consistency with a medium-low carbonation.

More rich toffee and cola-like malts on the body; very sweet. Pepper phenolics follow, notes of date, apricot, stewed fruit and spice in there. Boozy finish, quite dry with lingering spices.

Rich pale malts, subtle esters, and spicy phenolics; all in good balance. Shes a Belgian ale all right, and a nice one indeed. Cheers Gruntus.


----------



## Cortez The Killer (22/4/10)

*3. DiscoStu - Imperial IPA 8.5%*

Pours a ruby red into a straight pint, exceptionally clear, off white head. Malty nose upfront, some pine hop notes in the background. 

Big malty body which clears to reveal a long bitter finish. Medium low carb. Very smooth. Some lovely caramel/toffee, toasty flavours. The sweet body is very well balanced with the bitterness. Hops were definitely added early on. 

This is a big beer, superbly balanced with a good whack of bitterness. Really enjoyed this one, extremely moreish.

Cheers


----------



## Cortez The Killer (22/4/10)

*37. Josh - Foreign Extra Stout*

Pours motor oil black. Tan head which manages to pour it self out of the glass and onto the rug, while I quickly glance at Getaway on telly. Sweet light malt nose with supporting roasty goodness and a hint of caramel. 

Roasty, sweet malt flavours. Medium finish, leaning toward the sweet with some roastiness balancing it out. Medium low carb. Roast gives the impression of being quite dry. Smooth.

This is a wonderful beer, easy drinking and velvety smooth. Awesome.

Cheers


----------



## Bizier (22/4/10)

*28. Muggus - Belgian Chocolate Ale '09 - 8.4%*

Poured almost still, and may have if I didn't increase the pour distance. A dark, slightly red brown.

I get lots of wood and spice on the nose, also a little towards the hot side, very earthy.

Tasting, I really get a huge hit of savoury wood notes (as opposed to vanilla), like a cigar scroll. If I take a gulp, I get a flashback to the sour cola bottle lollies I ate as a kid. There are some raisin and smoky notes in there. Alcohol is warming, but perhaps a bit too much so.

This is an interesting beer Muggus. I can see what you are doing, and I dig the direction, but for me the phenols and alc are a bit too loud. Nevertheless, I am enjoying the remainder.

Cheers mate


----------



## Cortez The Killer (23/4/10)

Any one else find when writing these reviews, contemporaneously with drinking the beer, that after the second bottle you no longer remember what you had written about the beers (or much else for that matter)

And then find yourself a little bewildered when re-reading them the next day 

Should a special case swap get up again I think stubbies should be mandatory or there be both >6% and <4% categories to get some sort of balance

Cheers


----------



## white.grant (23/4/10)

Cortez The Killer said:


> Any one else find when writing these reviews, contemporaneously with drinking the beer, that after the second bottle you no longer remember what you had written about the beers (or much else for that matter)
> 
> And then find yourself a little bewildered when re-reading them the next day
> 
> ...



Yes my notebook is full of strange squiggles and blotches and my memory has been playing up on me a bit these last couple of weeks. On the plus side I have been sleeping really well!

cheers

grant


----------



## nifty (23/4/10)

Grantw said:


> Yes my notebook is full of strange squiggles and blotches and my memory has been playing up on me a bit these last couple of weeks. On the plus side I have been sleeping really well!
> 
> cheers
> 
> grant



Ah yes, the brown sleeping tablets.

2 of these beers and I'm out like a light.


----------



## Gulpa (23/4/10)

Cortez The Killer said:


> Any one else find when writing these reviews, contemporaneously with drinking the beer, that after the second bottle you no longer remember what you had written about the beers (or much else for that matter)
> 
> And then find yourself a little bewildered when re-reading them the next day
> 
> ...



Yeah, its hard work drinking these beers :icon_cheers: . I dont think stubbies would help me personally, it just means I would put 4 in the fridge instead of two longnecks. 

Oh, and the "Homebrew doesnt give you headaches" myth is well and truly busted :blink: .

Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Gulpa (23/4/10)

Had a couple though the week that I didnt take notes for because of some reason or another.

*16. Grantw Belgian tripel may be ready to drink around June, 10.08%*

Had this one last night. Well in the GSA camp for me, lovely spices, nutty malt, dry finish, lethal alcohol. Excellent beer Grant. 


*23. Cortez The Killer - Devil's Ink - Belgian Imperial Stout - ~7.7%*

Had this a few nights ago. I can see what youre saying with this beer Gino. Its nice enough, well made and fault free, but just a bit under for some reason. Needs a bit more belgian character and a bit more stout character. Still I enjoyed drinking it.

cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Cortez The Killer (23/4/10)

I wasn't really happy with it - it's drinkable like you said

But falls drastically short of what I was aiming for

I used the Rochefort yeast but got none of the elements I was after from it - I'm thinking I over pitched and ran it too warm

Cheers


----------



## Muggus (23/4/10)

Cortez The Killer said:


> Any one else find when writing these reviews, contemporaneously with drinking the beer, that after the second bottle you no longer remember what you had written about the beers (or much else for that matter)
> 
> And then find yourself a little bewildered when re-reading them the next day
> 
> ...


Haha, yeah it's a tough gig but someones gotta do it! :icon_cheers: 

I found i'm getting a bit more lazy with these beers. Whereas I usually write my notes on beers straight into the computer with the beer sitting with me; i'm more enclined to sit down with pen and paper with these strong beers and take my time writing it.

Tough going though. I set myself the task of getting throught 3 longies last Sunday; got to 2 and almost fell asleep on the couch with a full glass in hand!


----------



## Muggus (23/4/10)

*Beer: 24. Josh Belgian Golden Strong Ale 
Date: 22th April 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap 24 RTD
Sampling Notes:*
Served chilled in pint glass.

Hazy gold body, fluffy white head slowly dissipates.

Aroma of medium intensity. Hops are quite prominent with notes of lime and melon (Motueka?), peppery phenolics and spice combines with hops, and a hint of toasted cereals and golden syrup in the works.

Subdued carbonation, thick syrupy texture hides with alcohol pretty well.

Im really enjoying the balance and flavour of this beer; lime, toasted cereals, wholemeal bread, pepper, clove, dried herbs, hint of tropical fruits. Smooth, moderately bitter finish, soft alcohol warmth and dryness lingers.

More of a hop-driven Belgian ale than most. Really easy to drink with mulit-layered complexity. I like it, cheers Josh!


----------



## Gulpa (23/4/10)

*7. Monkeybusiness - English IPA OG1053 FG1013 (5.1%) 52 IBU*

Picked a few randoms from the case for tonight.

Pours a nice clear copper with a nice dense head. Aroma says malt and with some nice earth/floral/leaf hop aromas. Flavour has a lovely creaminess to it, quite hoppy in an english way with a suitable malt back bone. Medium body. Lowish carb. Mediumish bitterness - you could up this without detracting from everything else. Very nice beer, thanks MB.

cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Cortez The Killer (23/4/10)

*27. nifty - Some Sort of Belgian Golden Ale*

Pours light copper into a chalice. Off white head, which persists. Touch of haze. Loveley phenolics, pear, apple, some stone fruits as it warms. Hint of malt in the background.

Medium body, with medium high carb and finishes quite dry. Noticeable alcohol warming but no real alcohol aroma or flavour. Assertive bitterness likely due to the phenolics. Quite smooth as I become accustomed to the bitterness. Pepper and spice as it warms.

Overall a very delicious Belgian golden ale. Well balanced and good carbonation and attenuation to make it very easy drinking. Top work.

Cheers


----------



## Gulpa (23/4/10)

*8. Gruntus - Where has all my EKG gone - English IPA - ~ 7.5%*

Colour is a deep amber, head falls back. Aroma is initially quite light, some caramel malt, a bit of yeast. Earth notes and further caramel and yeast come up as it warms. Flavour is malt sweetness up front, some coffee/roast, followed with some UK hop bitter orange on the finish. Medium body. Medium low carb. Bitterness is there. Alcohol is very well hidden. Very nice beer Grant, especially as it warms. Thanks.

cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Gulpa (23/4/10)

*17. DiscoStu - Belgian Dubbel - WLP500*

Pours a deep amber/brown. Aroma is quite smokey phenolics, dark fruits, dark caramel, belgian funk. Flavour is sweet malt, dark fruits with a suitable belgianess about it. Vinous, almost red wine like in a Hunter kind of way (Mike, its definitely this yeast, your friends are right now that you point it out). Medium body. Belgian sweet balance. Very nice beer, Stu. Thanks

cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Josh (24/4/10)

*3. DiscoStu - Imperial IPA 8.5% - 100IBU - US05 - Bottled 14/02/10*

Wow. Loving this beer Stu. Beautiful dark red and the first pour was pretty much clear save for a bit of a hop haze. Smells of fresh US hops. The first thing I taste is the hops. Then soon after a sweet malt and a bit of a chocolate toasty character. Then the bitterness and warming alcohol linger in the mouth. But both are not harsh at all. Just really smooth and pleasing.

The only thing more pleasing is that with 20 minutes to go in the Sharks-Knights game, I am in line to collect handsomely at the TAB.


----------



## Josh (24/4/10)

*7. Monkeybusiness - English IPA OG1053 FG1013 (5.1%) 52 IBU - Bottled 20-03-10*

Another very drinkable beer tonight. Copper colour with a bit of head. Fruity esters abound. Nice hop flavour and aroma and a pretty firm bitterness. 

A lovely beer, thanks MB.

That's it for the IPAs. A very tasty case indeed.

Now to check out the Belgians and Stouts. Bring it on.


----------



## Gulpa (25/4/10)

*12. floppinab IIPA - ~7.5%*

Pours a great looking beer. Copper with a nice smallish head. Bright. Aroma is malt with yeast in the background. Hops taking a back seat. Flavour is more of the same, malt dominant, roasty notes, earthy hops finishing with a medium bitterness. Medium body. Medium low carb. Medium bitterness. Nice beer. Thanks Gav.

Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Cortez The Killer (25/4/10)

*26. floppinab - Belgian Strong Dark*

Pours dark copper with a small head. Low carb. Sweet malt, with some dark stone fruits. Slight alcohol notes. Some spice. 

Malty sweet. Over ripe stone fruits and other fruits. Spicy. Finishes medium dry. Would not have guessed the 9% alcohol. 

Over a very tasty easy drinking beer. Very smooth, with delightful fruity esters. Top beer.

Cheers


----------



## Gulpa (26/4/10)

*15. Fatgodzilla - A kind of belgian strong ale with golden sryup instead of the candy not to style but tasting fine.-*

Colour is brownish with ruby highlights. Vigorous pour gives a nice compact head. Aroma is citrusy, almost UK type citrus, a floral something I cant put my finger on. Flavour is malt driven, a touch of yeasty complexity, UK type hop flavours come up here as well. Medium body, medium low carb. Quite bitter for a belgian style. Drinks more like an old ale but very enjoyable. Nice beer, Ian. Thanks Ian.

Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Fatgodzilla (27/4/10)

Gulpa said:


> *15. Fatgodzilla - A kind of belgian strong ale with golden sryup instead of the candy not to style but tasting fine.-*
> 
> Colour is brownish with ruby highlights. Vigorous pour gives a nice compact head. Aroma is citrusy, almost UK type citrus, a floral something I cant put my finger on. Flavour is malt driven, a touch of yeasty complexity, UK type hop flavours come up here as well. Medium body, medium low carb. Quite bitter for a belgian style. Drinks more like an old ale but very enjoyable. Nice beer, Ian. Thanks Ian.
> 
> ...




Can safely say that the yeast I thought was Ardennes (saved and revived from a previous case swap entry) was not such, because clearly neither my entries show any Belgian yeast characteristics at all! No idea what the yeast was then .. but it worked! Glad it was drinkable at least!


----------



## Muggus (28/4/10)

*Beer: 23. Cortez the Killer Devils Ink Belgian Imperial Stout 
Date: 23rd April 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap 23 7.7%
Sampling Notes:*
Served lightly chilled in pint.

Nice loud psst on opening. Presents a nice big, thick tan head atop a near-opaque ruby-highlighted cola-coloured body.

Subdued aroma; rich molasses, burnt toffee and dark chocolate notes, hints of dark berries, plum and earthy spice.

Good weight to the body, thick somewhat velvet-like texture with a soft carbonation.

Malt driven body, rich without being cloying or overly roasty; dark chocolate, plum, black cherry, prune, wood smoke, molasses. Phenolic finish, drying with quite a high bitterness and peppery alcohol.

Solid dark Belgian strong that should age very nicely! Probably a bit more roasty that most run-of-the-mill dark strong ales, yet not as roasty as most Imperial stouts A Belgian strong porter perhaps? Either way very tasty. Cheers Gino!


----------



## Muggus (29/4/10)

*Beer: 20. Gulpa Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Date: 29th April 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap 20 10% -wy1388 bottled Oct 09
Sampling Notes:*
Served chilled in pint.

Holds a small tight tan head atop an opaque mahogany body.

Rich aroma; dark chocolate, molasses, dough, plum, sultana, cinnamon, clove and woody spice.

Subdued carbonation, thick, silky texture with tremendous length.

Very rich, sweet flavour; lots of thick caramel and toffee, dark chocolate, rye bread, prunes and dates, cinnamon and an array of savoury spices. Warming finish, smooth, bit of bitterness and lingering husky/vegetal dryness.

Yum! This is the kind of beer I think of as liquid bread; thick, rich, nourishing; almost like a pudding in liquid form even. Top notch beer Andrew, cheers!


----------



## Gulpa (30/4/10)

*13. nifty - Some sort of IPA - 7.1%. Bottled 14th March 2010.*

Pours a hazy dark gold. Nice head. Aroma indicates UK style IPA, malts dominate, caramel, biscuit, with yeasty esters in there as well. Plenty of flavour here, lovely almond nuttiness from the base malt, fruity yeast notes, well bittered with a touch of sweetness to balance it. UK hops come up as it warms. Medium body, lowish carb, very well balanced. Great beer. Really enjoying it. Thanks Nifty.

Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Gulpa (1/5/10)

*5. Retsamhsam - AIIPA 8.2% Likely around 65-70IBU Lots of Late Hops. Bottled 11th March*

I think its this one. Label is Lapulin Overload IIPA and the alc % matches.

Pours a lovely clear copper colour with a nice head that laces the glass. Aroma is all caramel malts and floral hops. Hops are more upfront in the flavour, floral/perfume dominates, some citrus, a bit of earthyness. Assertive bitterness with sweet malt balancing. Medium body. Medium carb. Fantastic balance. Great beer. Thanks Damien.

cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Gulpa (1/5/10)

*21. Monkeybusiness - Belgian strong 9.5% - Bottled 20-03-10*

The final belgian. Pours dark ruby. Nice head that falls back a bit. Aroma starts out bananas but comes back to a lovely spicy belgian aroma with fruity esters. Spicy phenyls dominate the flavour, sweet malt, caramel. Medium carb, medium body. Nicely bittered. Some alcohol warmth which suits. Not rough at all, its now a very dark strong. Thanks MB.


*18. Stuster - Belgian Blond - 8% - Wyeast 1762 - Bottled 13 Mar *

Also had this one last night. No notes cos I was doing stuff. Like dozing on the lounge :huh: . Lovely looking beer with a big big fuffy head in my new duvel glass. The highlight for me was the high carb giving it a great carbonic bite. Great beer Stu. Thanks. Ive been trying to get this much carb into my belgians but havent managed it yet.

I have to say, the beers in this swap have been an awesome experience. Ive got one IPA left (FGZ) before moving onto the Stouts/barley/strong case. Next time we do this I think we should separate the UK/US IPAs. In my tastings, the UK IPAs have unjustly suffered a bit in comparison to the US IPAs. Be nice to see them in their own category next time so we can compare oranges.

cheers
Andrew.


----------



## DiscoStu (1/5/10)

*14. Muggus - What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted (Jakes Return) NZ Imp. Brown Ale - 7.9% Bottled 19th Feb 2010 - Probably carbed by swap date, but bloody brutal!

*

Wow, what can I say about this one, Muggus this is a brilliant beer and I am enjoying it imensly. Over the top and somewhat brutal but balanced at the same time. 

Superb job


----------



## syd_03 (3/5/10)

Had one of mine last night and it is tasting ok.
Still a little young, but may be good to try one soonish and the other later on, maybe even next year.


----------



## Muggus (5/5/10)

DiscoStu said:


> *14. Muggus - What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted (Jakes Return) NZ Imp. Brown Ale - 7.9% Bottled 19th Feb 2010 - Probably carbed by swap date, but bloody brutal!
> 
> *
> 
> ...


Thanks Stu. Glad you enjoyed it! :icon_cheers: 



Another one down...

*Beer: 19. Retsamhsam - Dopplebock
Date: 5th May 2010
Details: Labelled 750ml bottle gold cap DOP 8/10,10.5% August 2009
Sampling Notes:*
Served chilled in pint.

Bit of a gush upon opening. Pours a reasonably big fluffy, off-tan head that hangs above a hazy chocolate brown body.

Pungent oxidised aroma; cookie dough, brown sugar, rusted iron metallic note, cinnamon and woody spice, sultana, sherry and a vegetal grainy note.

Smooth, thick, almost cream-like consistency, quite high carbonation, and warming alcohol presence, 

Rich malt-driven flavour; molasses, dates, bread, prunes, milk coffee, sultana, tawny port, spice and plum jam. Bit of bitterness to balance out initial sweetness; finishes dry with smooth boozy warmth. Tastes better than it smells.

Big lager with lovely malty flavours and notes of vinous oxidised fruit and spice; surprisingly so for a relatively young beer! Tasty stuff, cheers Damo.


----------



## Muggus (7/5/10)

*Beer: 25. Bizier Belgian Blonde Ale
Date: 6th May 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap 25,6%
Sampling Notes:*
Served chilled in pint.

Presents a huge rocky white head that slowly dissipates atop a hazy gold body.

Peppery phenolics on the nose, it has a unique spiciness about it; clove, vanilla, nutmeg with a lemony ester note.

Beautifully creamy texture on the tongue, moderate carbonation and full bodied. Slight acid tartness reminds me a bit of saison.

Flavours open out quite majestically on the body; green banana, peaches and cream, ripe rockmelon, lemon pepper, clove and nutmeg, with some sort of green tannic spice that I cant quite put my finger on. Finishes with a beautifully well rounded, with sweet, tart and bitter components in perfect harmony.

Rich, velvet-like ale with a uniquely delicious yeast profile. Absolutely stunning blonde Dan, cheers!


----------



## Bizier (7/5/10)

Cheers heaps for the positive feedback Mike.

I was pretty happy with it for my first real attempt at a Belgian style. I really felt it could have been a touch drier. I find it a little too sweet for me to want to go back for third and fourth servings.


----------



## Muggus (7/5/10)

Bizier said:


> Cheers heaps for the positive feedback Mike.
> 
> I was pretty happy with it for my first real attempt at a Belgian style. I really felt it could have been a touch drier. I find it a little too sweet for me to want to go back for third and fourth servings.


You might be right about it being a touch on the sweet side. Certainly not by any means cloying, and certainly works well with the flavour profile, but I think it has the sweetness that a beer or 8-9% might have, without the warmth...quite deceptive.
If it were a bit dryer, and more attenuated especially, I reckon it'd be very much in saison territory...and there's nothing wrong with that! :icon_drool2:


----------



## Cortez The Killer (7/5/10)

*14. Muggus - What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted (Jakes Return) NZ Imp. Brown Ale - 7.9%*

Pours a muddy brown with a tan head. Massive hit of hops even from a distance. Some caramel malt in support. 

Big lingering bitterness. Lots of hop goodness. Sweet upfront. Supporting caramel, coffee and toasty notes. Medium body. Low carb. Finishes dry. 

This is an intense beer with some awesome bitter action. Great hop resin to it. Really enjoyed this one. 

Cheers


----------



## Gulpa (7/5/10)

*34. Muggus - Black Warrior Imperial Stout 7.1%, 22nd Oct, *

Time to get into the final case.

My careless pour give a big thick tan head that laces the glass. Initial aroma of coffee, black olives and smokey malt. A herbal hop aroma peeks through. Flavour starts all coffee (I could almost be drinking cold espresso). A nice nice biscuit/munich character is there behind the the coffee. Smokeyness continues in the flavour. As it warms it becomes roasty with that nice astringent dry finish that good stouts have. And thats really only half of whats going on here. Medium full body. Well carbed. Wery complex. Great balance. Awesome beer. Thanks Mike.

cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Muggus (8/5/10)

*Beer: 26. Floppinab Belgian Dark Strong*
Date: 7th May 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap BDS/1209 9% WLP830
Sampling Notes:
Served chilled in pint.

Deep bronze body, small thick creamy white head persists, leaving tight lace rings.

Subtle sort of aroma straight up; vinous dark berries, black pepper, dark chocolate and treacle.

Voluptuous and velvety body, with smooth carbonation and excellent length.

Tremendously rich body of flavour; dense rye bread, brown sugar, dark chocolate, raisins, vanilla bean, plum jam, fig, clove spice I could go on! Silky finish, only a slight suggestion of that big abv, and not a rough edge in sight.

Wow! This is a dead-set pearler of a beer! Couldnt have asked for a better beer for my 350th documented homebrew tasting to date. This could well be my pick of the case thus far! Great job Gav, cheers!


----------



## Muggus (8/5/10)

*Beer: 15. Fatgodzilla A king of Belgian strong ale with golden syrup*
Date: 7th May 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap 15
Sampling Notes:
Served chilled in pint.

Quiet opening. Presents a uniform amber body with orange-beige foam.

Decidedly hop-driven aroma; lemon and kaffir lime leaf (?), some pale malt and caramel/golden syrup in the background.

Medium-full body, slightly syrupy texture with moderate carbonation.

More lemony, floral, leafy hops on the body. Light caramel sweetness with a suggestion of spice. Finishes with a firm bitterness and a lingering honey note.

Reminds me more of an English pale ale than anything else with the hops and caramelised malt; quite enjoyable nonetheless. Cheers Ian.


----------



## Gulpa (8/5/10)

*30. Grantw - Anzus Wheatwine* 2 X bottles - this is a vicious and unpleasant beer at the moment, 10.38% leave it for months maybe late July

With a description like that I just had to have one.

Pours a cloudy orange gold. Little head arises with some swirling. Aroma is orange marmelade, some maltiness with a grassy herbal thing as well as something familiar but I cant quite put my finger on it. Flavour follows along similar lines, creamy malt and finishes with a nice bitter orange with some yeast funk. Full viscous body. Very low carb. Warming alc. Bitterness suits. Very nice beer, Grant. Not unpleasant at all. Im looking forward to trying the next one later in the year.

cheers
Andrew.


----------



## white.grant (9/5/10)

Gulpa said:


> *30. Grantw - Anzus Wheatwine* 2 X bottles - this is a vicious and unpleasant beer at the moment, 10.38% leave it for months maybe late July
> 
> With a description like that I just had to have one.
> 
> ...



Cheers Andrew,

It actually tasted fairly interesting out of the fermenter but was going to need a long conditioning period, so I was just trying to discourage early consumption. I haven't tried one yet so might put one in the fridge for later.

grant


----------



## Cortez The Killer (9/5/10)

*1. Fatgodzilla - An english IPA though things got a little out of control and there are a lot more bitterness than expected.*

Pours a hazy dark copper with red hues. Off white head. Fruity nose with some caramel malt in support. 

Medium carb, body and medium sweet finish. Medium high bitterness which balances malt sweetness chewiness. Some toastiness and roast. 

Overall a very nice big beer. Lovely on a cool night.

Cheers


----------



## Cortez The Killer (9/5/10)

*24. Josh - Belgian Golden Strong Ale*

Deep gold. White head which persists. Sweet spicy nose. Light fruity notes. Some light grain notes - pilsener. 

Spicy. Clean. Medium carb. Medium light body, which finishes slightly dry. Though there are some sweet notes. Alcohol warming rises slowly. 

This is very easy to drink. Well hidden alcohol. A great example of style. A most enjoyable refreshing beer, that I think is gonna make to fall asleep when I finish the long neck.

Cheers


----------



## nifty (9/5/10)

*16. Grantw Belgian tripel *

Top drop, I enjoyed this one. 

If I remember rightly, you were tossing up whether to put this beer in as you thought it was infected? glad you did.

cheers

nifty


----------



## white.grant (9/5/10)

nifty said:


> *16. Grantw Belgian tripel *
> 
> Top drop, I enjoyed this one.
> 
> ...



Cheers Nifty,

Glad you enjoyed it. The fermentation was a real worry for me but I'm quite pleased now with how it has turned out. I had a bottle this evening and thought that the Unibroue yeast flavours are beginning to emerge making it a bit more interesting. I've still got a few bottles left at least for the moment!

grant


----------



## Josh (9/5/10)

*19. Retsamhsam - Doppelbock 10.5%, Bottled August 2009. Lots of Munich Malt Goodness*

Enjoying my first of two bottles tonight Rets.

Clear, brown with a fast dissipating head. Rich malty goodness all over the place. Chocolate, plum, and a background honey sweetness. Finishes dry, but also coats my tongue with malt at the same time. Lovely complex beer.

Thanks very much.


----------



## Josh (9/5/10)

*23. Cortez The Killer - Devil's Ink - Belgian Imperial Stout - ~7.7% - Ready*

Opaque black with no head, low carbonation.

Sweet and roasty. Numbing on the tongue without being at all harsh. Slight belgian phenols as it warms up. 

A lovely beer. Thanks.


----------



## Gulpa (10/5/10)

Cortez The Killer said:


> *1. Fatgodzilla - An english IPA though things got a little out of control and there are a lot more bitterness than expected.*
> 
> Pours a hazy dark copper with red hues. Off white head. Fruity nose with some caramel malt in support.
> 
> ...



I also enjoyed this one last night. No notes, but my main memory was the lovely aroma of malt and fruit from the yeast/hops and also how well balanced it was. Great beer, Ian. Thanks.

Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Muggus (11/5/10)

*Beer: 27. Nifty Some sort of Belgian Golden Ale*
Date: 10th May 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap 27 8.1%, 07/02/2010 WY1388
Sampling Notes:
Served chilled in pint.

Presents quite a clear deep gold/pale copper body with a nice thick off-white head.

Yeasty sort of nose; bread dough, pepper, cinnamon, some citrus peel.

Full bodied, moderate carbonation, creamy sort of texture.

Nice flavours; banana bread, cinnamon and nutmeg, peppery alcohol, sweet light caramel. More subtle summery fruits (apricot?) on a slight warming yet smooth finish.

No nonsense, easy drinking, and enjoyable golden Belgian. Id be very happy making something like this! Cheers Nifty.


----------



## Muggus (11/5/10)

*Beer: 17. DiscoStu Belgian Dubbell*
Date: 10th May 2010
Details: 750ml bottle red cap 17 WLP300 7.3% 13 Mar 2010
Sampling Notes:
Served chilled in pint.

Amber body with uniform hazy and a small tight beige head.

Subdued aroma; some peppery phenolics, some clove, some dark brown bread.

Moderate carbonation, sticky texture with a decent weight on the palate.

Flavour is sweet upfront; golden syrup and toffee, biscuit and wholemeal bread, with notes of cinnamon, date, fig and sultana. Finish is slightly dry, alcohol barely registers.

Decent sort of Belgian ale; good phenolics and caramelised character, probably has a bit less complexity than most commercial example, but tasty regardless. Cheers Stu!


----------



## Muggus (13/5/10)

*Beer: 18. Stuster Belgian Blond *
Date: 11th May 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap 18 8% - Wyeast 1762 13th March 2010
Sampling Notes:
Served lightly chilled in pint.

Pours a clean gold body with an inch of persistent creamy white head,

Yeasty aroma; sweet dough, lightly toasted bread, vanilla, clove and woody cinnamon-like spice.

Medium carbonation, silky texture, surprisingly lean body for strength.

Sweet malts upfront on the body; golden syrup, toasted cereals, with nice woody and leafy spices, and peachy/stonefruit-like fruits. Bready finish with a moderate bitterness and peppery drying alcohol note.

Dangerously easy drinking beer. Good flavour and balance. Great stuff, cheers Stu!


----------



## Muggus (13/5/10)

*Beer: 21. MonkeyBusiness Belgian Strong*
Date: 11th May 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap B/21 9.5%, 20-03-10
Sampling Notes:
Served lightly chilled in pint.

Tight persistent off-white foam sits atop quite a clean amber body.

Mild aroma; toffee, peppery phenolics, sultana and port-like dried fruit undertones.

Thick, syrup texture, low carbonation, rich palate.

Deeply rich and complex; treacle, prune, raisin, clove, rye bread. Finishes with a drying alcohol pepper and warmth.

Big, bold dubbel sort of Belgian. Some slightly astringent phenolics in there, but well balanced with sweetness and fruit flavours. Nice, cheers MB.


----------



## nifty (13/5/10)

I haven't had much chance to get into these beers lately but last night i had -

*23. Cortez The Killer - Devil's Ink - Belgian Imperial Stout
*
and I thought it was a very nice beer. 

cheers

nifty


----------



## Muggus (17/5/10)

*Beer: 16. GrantW Belgian Tripel *
Date: 17th May 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap 16 10.08%
Sampling Notes:
Served lightly chilled in pint.

Persistent creamy white head atop a hazy gold body.

Quite sharp yeast nose; lots of pepper and clove, sour dough bread, lemon rind and apricot pip, with some noticeable alcohol aromas.

Full, creamy body with a nice smooth carbonation. Bit of yeast tartness contributes to dryness and malt balance.

Sweet pale malts upfront; bit of bread crust, unripe apricot skin, clove, cinnamon and hazelnut. Phenolic sort of finish; some bitterness and pepper alcohol add warmth and dryness.

Gustsy sort of Tripel; phenolic flavours are quite reminiscent of a Saison but with a fair bit more body. Cheers Grant, good beer to end the Belgian case on!


----------



## Josh (17/5/10)

Celebrating an Eels victory with:
*39. Thommo - Old Ale - Needs a good 6 weeks +. I will re-post when carbed*

Reasonably carbed. Murky Dark Brown with little by way of head. 

There's a dark sweetness early, a little bit raisiny and a bit phenolic which adds to the complexity.

As it warms, I'm picking up more alcohol, not overly harsh, just present.

Nice beer Thommo, thanks. I have another bottle I'll store away for later.


----------



## Josh (17/5/10)

I had doubles of this so I put it in the fridge a few days ago:
*37. Josh - Foreign Extra Stout - ready, but could do with a few weeks in the fridge*

Didn't realise I was putting my own in the fridge when I did. But glad I did. I won't be changing a thing about this beer the next time I brew it. And now that I'm the proud owner (pending delivery) of a 6 tap font, I'll have to start filling some kegs... this will be one of the regulars.

Anyone going to Brewshare tomorrow night, you will get a taster of it before you crack your case bottle.


----------



## Gulpa (18/5/10)

*29. Monkeybusiness - RIS - 9.6%*

Thought I should try one of the RIS on a cold wet night. I meant to pick Jasons but got this one instead.

Black. Small light tan head that dies back to a thin film. While still quite cold, aroma is quit caramelly, a touch of roast, some yeasty phenolics. Flavour dominated by the roast, caramel again with a lovely raisin/muscat/dark fruit thing going on. Full body, well bittered, smooooth. Fantastic. Thanks MB.

cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Gulpa (20/5/10)

*40. Syd_03 - RIS*



Pours black with a big fluffy dark tan head. Aroma of roast malts, spicy fruit from the yeast. Flavour is dominated by intense smokey roast, some fruit from the yeast with a bit of sweetness at the end. Full body, assertive bitterness, roast astringency is a touch abrasive atm, good carb, alc well hidden. Nice beer, Jason. I think it needs bit more time, it has the intensity to be excellent when everything rounds out. I will try the next one in a few months and save the last one for next year. Thanks Jason.



Cheers

Andrew.


----------



## Cortez The Killer (20/5/10)

*13. nifty - Some sort of IPA*

Deep orange. Clear. Small head. Sweet fruity estery, malty nose. Earthy hops. 

Bitter with lingering bitterness. Has a graniness to it. Floral earthy hop character. Maltiness comes through as I become accustomed to the bitterness. Biscuity. Hint of roast. Medium body. Medium dry finish.

Overall a big english IPA, with great complexity. Really enjoyed this one.

Cheers


----------



## Cortez The Killer (21/5/10)

*7. Monkeybusiness - English IPA*

Clear copper, with dense white head. Malt sweet nose, with caramel notes. Earthy hops. 

Medium carb, medium body. Bitter. Graininess to the beer. Slightly fruity. Clean. Crystal, caramel notes. 

A lovely beer. Easy drinking and quite sessionable. Would love to see how this would go through a hand pump. Top work.

Cheers


----------



## Cortez The Killer (21/5/10)

*10. Josh - Imperial IPA*

Small white head. Copper colour. Lovely aroma. Fruity. Passion fruit. I could sniff this all day.

Sweet upfront. Clearing to reveal a lingering bitterness. Delicious hoppy goodness. Low carb. Medium light body. Finishes medium dry. Fruitiness from the hops passionfruit following with stone fruits. Ultra smooth. Extremely moreish.

This is a most awesome beer. Excellent work. Please send crateful at once.

Cheers


----------



## Josh (22/5/10)

Cortez The Killer said:


> *10. Josh - Imperial IPA*
> 
> Small white head. Copper colour. Lovely aroma. Fruity. Passion fruit. I could sniff this all day.
> 
> ...



I sent this beer to the NHC. Scored a 30.5. The underlying comment was not enough hops for an Imperial IPA. Not enough bitterness. There were some minor flaws in the beer, but basically, it wasn't hoppy enough to score highly in the US NHC....

3 more bottles for me to drink :icon_chickcheers:


----------



## Gulpa (22/5/10)

Josh said:


> I sent this beer to the NHC. Scored a 30.5. The underlying comment was not enough hops for an Imperial IPA. Not enough bitterness. There were some minor flaws in the beer, but basically, it wasn't hoppy enough to score highly in the US NHC....
> 
> 3 more bottles for me to drink :icon_chickcheers:



Thats pretty scary. I thought it plenty hoppy enough. They must get some extreme beers.

Cheers
Andrew.


----------



## white.grant (23/5/10)

I have been very slack with note taking on the strong beers, just can't read my garbled writing and begin to make sense of what I was trying to say. 

One thing I can say for sure that they have been going down very well. 

Two recently sampled were CtK's father's falling over fluid, and Joshs Export stout. Both were lovely. Cheers Guys

grant


----------



## Thommo (23/5/10)

I had Muggus' Stout this afternoon. Didn't feel overly strong or alcoholic...but snuck up on me towards the end in a big way. Very enjoyable mate. Well done. Quite smooth for a big beer.

Cheers,
Thommo.


----------



## Cortez The Killer (23/5/10)

*21. Monkeybusiness - Belgian strong 9.5%*

Pours a dark copper. With a organge/tan head which quickly dissipates. Lovely Belgian nose. Spicy, sweet, dark stone fruit phenolics. 

Flavour peppery, sweet upfront, viscous. Low carb, medium dry finish. Great complexity. Decent bitterness coming from yeast. Lots of overripe stone fruits. 

This beer is most awesome. A very approachable big beer, with great complexity and very well hidden alcohol. Top work!

Cheers


----------



## Cortez The Killer (23/5/10)

*19. Retsamhsam - Doppelbock 10.5%*

Pours near black. Small head. Vegemite aroma. 

Vegemite continues in flavour. Smooth. Alcohol warming. Spicy peppery. 

My bottle doesn't seem to line up with other reviews. I'll put the other stubbie in the fridge.

Cheers


----------



## Josh (24/5/10)

*17. DiscoStu - Belgian Dubbel - WLP500 - 7.3% bottled 13Mar10 - give it a few weeks*

Not great at describing the Belgians. Looks great in the glass, deep copper, little head. 

Drinking really nicely. I was watching Then There Were None which I've IQ'd from last week. But finding it hard to concentrate now. So I've flicked to the Tour of Italy. Makes me think back to Europe '09 and how much fun I had. And this beer is taking me back to the few Belgians I had in Brussels and Bruges . Really well made beer Stu. Thank you.


----------



## Josh (24/5/10)

*25. Bizier - Belgian Blonde Ale ~6% A week in the fridge*

Effervescent, golden, thick white head. 

Lots of pear. Really tasty. Thanks for this one Dan. Really enjoying it.

The Liquigas team have 4 of the top 16 riders in the Giro. Evans on his own once again in a grand tour.


----------



## white.grant (24/5/10)

I had Muggus' RIS, the black warrior last night. Fabulous beer, so smooth and so lethal. I ran out of consciousness half way through the second glass.

Thanks Muggus (I think)


----------



## Muggus (24/5/10)

Grantw said:


> I had Muggus' RIS, the black warrior last night. Fabulous beer, so smooth and so lethal. I ran out of consciousness half way through the second glass.
> 
> Thanks Muggus (I think)


Haha thanks for the comments Thommo and Grant (I think).

I get the impression this beer may be a bit bigger than the 7.1% alcohol I worked it out to be; certainly used enough bloody malt to make it!
Might have to take a sample to the lab and see what they reckon...


----------



## white.grant (24/5/10)

I have a bottle with BDS 2109 on the cap. Can't find a description on the wiki so it could possibly be a side swap? Anyone know, I need to choose temp and glass. Pedant that I am

cheers

grant

And Muggus, I was tempted to finish off the remaining half glass when I woke up this morning and stumbled from my bed - such were the compelling aromas. No way its 7% though.


----------



## Stuster (24/5/10)

Well, Gav's BDS has 1209 on the cap. Have you been drinking? Or was Gav when he was bottling?  

And really not sure a lager qualifies as a BDS but definitely looking forward to that one anyway.


----------



## white.grant (24/5/10)

Stuster said:


> Well, Gav's BDS has 1209 on the cap. Have you been drinking? Or was Gav when he was bottling?
> 
> And really not sure a lager qualifies as a BDS but definitely looking forward to that one anyway.



I'm a bit lysdexic perhaps.


----------



## Josh (26/5/10)

*15. Fatgodzilla - A kind of belgian strong ale with golden sryup instead of the candy not to style but tasting fine.-*

Enjoying this beer watching the lead up to the SOO. No tasting notes, but it's pretty enjoyable FGZ.

Monthly Beer Club beers for the rest of the night. Go the Blues!


----------



## Cortez The Killer (30/5/10)

*5. Retsamhsam - AIIPA*

Pours a light copper. With a white fluffy head. Big hoppy fruity nose. With a delicious caramel in support. 

Lots of grapefruit, pine. Medium carb. High bitterness. Finishes medium dry. Has a malty chewiness to it. Very refreshing and disappearing too quickly. Alcohol hidden very well. 

This is a highly drinkable and tasty IIPA. Great work!


----------



## Cortez The Killer (30/5/10)

*17. DiscoStu - Belgian Dubbel*

Pours coppery with an off white head. Nice phenolics in the aroma. Spicy. Some pear and clove. 

Flavour follows same. Medium carb. Finishes dry. Very easy drinking. Some sweet caramel notes at the end.

Very refreshing dubbel. Nice belgian goodness. Enjoyed this beer. 

Cheers


----------



## Cortez The Killer (3/6/10)

*38. Gulpa - Old Ale*

Pours copper into a straight pint. Small off white head. Big malty nose with caramel toffee sweetness. Earthy floral hops in support. 

Big body to the beer. Lots of sweetness. Low carb. Flavour is predominantly malt driven. With some toffee/caramel and dried fruits. 

This is a big rich beer, would be lovely next to a fire on a cool night. 

Cheers


----------



## Gulpa (6/6/10)

Cortez The Killer said:


> *38. Gulpa - Old Ale*
> 
> Pours copper into a straight pint. Small off white head. Big malty nose with caramel toffee sweetness. Earthy floral hops in support.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the notes, Gino. Too sweet imho which is kind of strange as I used bugger all crystal and low mash temp.

cheers
Andrew.


----------



## Muggus (6/6/10)

*Beer: 42. Retsamhsam English Barley Wine*
Date: 1st June 2010
Details: 750ml bottle red cap 42/BW, 11.1%, 11th March 2010
Sampling Notes:
Served at room temperature in a pint glass.

Nice deep copper-gold body, alluding to viscous malt content. A beige heads sits atop, pretty much alluding to the same thing!

Certainly smells like a barley wine with that distinctive rich caramelised malt presence; almost Madeira-like. Notes of raisin and date, with pineapple (?) and dried herb-like hops.

Thick, chewy, sticky, glycerol-like body with good length, alluding to high alcohol but certainly well masked. Very smooth low carbonation, nice on the way down.

Luscious palate of flavour; golden syrup, pinesap and pineapple, toast, orange marmalade, hint of sourdough bread with a highly bittered finish. Lingering hop resin and, disturbingly, no sign of that huge abv!

Top notch brew Damo! Distinctly a British style barley wine, drinking very nicly now but should be well preserved for a few years with the high bitterness and residual sugar.


----------



## Muggus (6/6/10)

And the last beer of the swap. I feel a bit emotional now, it's been such a journey... :wub: 

*Beer: 37. Josh Foreign Stout*
Date: 1st June 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap 37
Sampling Notes:
Served lightly chilled in a pint glass.

Rocky tan head sits proudly atop an oily black body.

The aroma doesnt give much away; some cocoa, dark grain bread and dusty, spicy earthiness.

Carbonation is quite lively. Full bodied beer with a slightly oily, creamy texture.

Lots of lovely sweet cocoa flavours on the body. Notes of bread, nutmeg and cinnamon spice in there. Finishes dry, moderately bitter.

Straight to the point, very drinkable dark ale. Might be a bit tame in comparison to the other stouts in this swap, but nicely flavoured and well crafted nonetheless. Cheers Josh.


----------



## Gulpa (11/6/10)

*37. Josh - Foreign Extra Stout*

Thought I should write some more notes. This final case has been slipping down too easily. Ive had a couple of attempts with Rets' barleywine but by the time I finish Im too tired to do justice :icon_cheers: . 

Pours black with a big fluffy dark tan head. Aroma of coffee, toffee/candy, nice fruit esters from the yeast with some cream. Flavour is roast coffee, with some dark fruits. Creamy. Quite sweet on the finish. No sign of the alcohol. Medium full body. Well bittered. Balanced. Long finish. Delicious beer, thanks Josh.

Cheers,
Andrew.


----------



## white.grant (11/7/10)

Well, if there are any surviving bottles of my tripel out there, it is now ready to drink. Make sure you unsettle the yeast before pouring. 

I have just enjoyed the 4th last bottle and the delicate flavours of the unibroue yeast are now coming through, it's actually quite fin de mondish if you know what I mean.

Cheers

Grant


----------



## nifty (11/7/10)

Grantw said:


> Well, if there are any surviving bottles of my tripel out there, it is now ready to drink. Make sure you unsettle the yeast before pouring.
> 
> I have just enjoyed the 4th last bottle and the delicate flavours of the unibroue yeast are now coming through, it's actually quite fin de mondish if you know what I mean.
> 
> ...



Bugger, it tasted nice back in May, wish I had hung on to it.


----------



## Josh (24/3/11)

With all this rain, I've been getting through a few of these bottles. 



Gulpa said:


> > 38. Gulpa - Old Ale
> >
> > Pours copper into a straight pint. Small off white head. Big malty nose with caramel toffee sweetness. Earthy floral hops in support.
> >
> ...



38. Gulpa - Old Ale
Go along with the comments above. The sweetness is still there, but there's a pleasant age to it. Not a lot of hop around now, but it's 2:16am and I'm looking for dessert, not a bunch of bitterness.

Looking forward to finishing this case. There's been some really nice beers in the last few days.


----------



## Josh (24/3/11)

*40. Syd_03
42. Retsamhsam - English Barley Wine 11.1%, Bottled on the 11th March.*

I enjoyed these two tonioght also. Jason's Imperial Stout was really good. Little highly carbonated and seemed a little thin. But it was still big and roasty and enjoyable.

Rets' BW was delicious. Smooth and big and the flavours have combined really well. Loving the colour in the glass. The bubbles are super slow pushing through the viscous liquid too. Thanks Rets.


----------



## Josh (24/3/11)

*31. Cortez The Killer - Father's Falling Over Fluid - American Barley Wine - ~7.7% - Ready - http://hyperfox.info/allgrain01.htm#70*

Drinking this right now. Man I love the big beers when the hop flavour can hang arounsd.. The other beers tonigth were big and smooth and delicious. But adding the American style hops as well, man its nice.

I need to make an American Barleywine like this, to drink next Winter.


----------



## RetsamHsam (24/3/11)

Josh said:


> *40. Syd_03
> 42. Retsamhsam - English Barley Wine 11.1%, Bottled on the 11th March.*
> 
> I enjoyed these two tonioght also. Jason's Imperial Stout was really good. Little highly carbonated and seemed a little thin. But it was still big and roasty and enjoyable.
> ...




Thanks mate.. I also enjoyed one of mine the other night, i'm pretty happy with how it is coming along. I only have about 8 left hopefully they make it past this winter.. :drinks:


----------



## Cortez The Killer (24/3/11)

Glad you liked it Josh

Wish I'd hung onto a few bottles to sample now

Cheers


----------



## Gulpa (26/3/11)

Josh said:


> With all this rain, I've been getting through a few of these bottles.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks for the notes, Josh. Ive still got a couple bottles left so I may pull one out. Most of the remainder of the batch went back into the fermentor with some Brett. Even with the brett its still a bit sweet :unsure: .

cheers
Andrew.


----------

