2008 Hag Xmas In July Case Swap - Tasting Notes

[n00ch]

I haven't tried any of the swap beers yet but have just fridged a few to try tonight.

I did try the smoked pale again after the swap last weekend and being a sucker for smoked beers I enjoyed it. I like the citrus hop aromas and flavours and once the smoke has died down a bit the underlying APA is a nice beer. Don't know how sessionable it is but I could have gone another quite easily.

Glad to hear you enjoyed the "not so Maibock" Peve. After the screw up of a brew day and use of less grain then intended but the same hopping rate I think it would be a more hop dominated beer, clearly not to style. I really hope that those caramel and toffee aromas aren't diacetyl

I haven't tried it yet as its only been in the bottle a bit over a week and I really wouldn't recommend anyone else trying it in the next month.

Cheers

 

[goatherder]

12 - Trent's Bitter, split batch

Side by side tasting. Deep amber, verging on copper with an almost white tight knit head, sitting a finger width tall on top of the beer. Toffee like malt greets the nose along with some fruity esters, a little more prominent in the 1098 beer. I'm amazed by the difference the yeasts make in the flavour. The 1098 beer has a great hop flavour up front, followed by a short malty middle and a crisp, slightly thin finish. In contrast, the 1028 beer has much less emphasis on the hop flavour but the malt is bigger, sweeter and more rounded through the middle and into the finish. Both beers are extremely flavoursome and well made, excellent session beers. I think I prefer the 1028, it seems to fit my version of what a good bitter should be. The malt is rounder and more pronounced, the mouthfeel is fuller and there is a little extra sweetness. Was there a difference in FG between the two beers?

Top marks for splitting the batch Trent, a great exercise. I've learned a lot about what yeast can do to a beer thanks to this. And to cap it off the beers were tops. Thanks mate.

 

[goatherder]

13 - Keith's Stout

Inky black, not even a hint of light can get through this beer. The tan head poured tall and stuck around. Rich chocolate pudding aromas with a hint of espresso. Sweet up front, rich chocolate and caramel malts through the middle with just a little booziness in the finish. The bitterness is restrained but there is enough to keep the big mouthfeel in check and balance out the finish. Great stout thanks Keith, just how I like them - loads of flavour and a shade on the sweet side. Perfect with the lamb curry I had for dinner. Cheers.

 

[Tony]

ISnt it interesting hop people perceive things differently.

I found the ecact oposite from you mate........... i found the 1098 to be maltier and les hops and the 1028 to be a bigger hop fromt and crisper malt.

I too prefered teh 1028 beer though.

I know what yeast i will be getting for Bitter and Aissie ale duty next!

cheers

Christ they will pick this one to death........... not changing it though Drinking 6+% Rauchbier on tap )

 

[leeboy]

Just posting the beer list in this thread. If not for anyone else but for me so i can use it as a reference to know what beers to drink when. Just going to throw a few in the fridge now, so will be posting feedback over the next week.
Lee

1. Loftboy - Fat ******* Ale (Scottish Export 80/-)
2. Schooey - Dunkel Weizenbock^2, Wyeast 3068, 6.3% abv, Bottled Mar 08, drink now
3. Pok - Bastardised Lager....other info unknown off the top of my head.
4. Peve - Coriander Porter - 6.3%, S-04
5. Leeboy - Munich Dunkel Wyeast Munich Lager yeast
6. Shmick - Aussie Winter Warmer strong ale
7. goatherder - Maibock. S-189, 6.4% abv. Bottled 22/6.
8. Les the Weizguy - Heller Weizenbock 9.8% ABV (Bottled 24/7/08 - I recommend 3-12 months b4 drinking) W3638
9. Tony - a hazy Belgian Trippel
10. Punter- Quaffing Pilsner WY2278 Czech Pils. (Bottled 25/7/08 so leave for a month)
11. nooch - Maibock, Wyeast 2487VSS Hella-Bock, 6.3% abv.
12. Trent - English Ordinary Bitter in stubbies, showcasing the same wort with 2 different yeasts - WY1028 and WY1098. No yeast farming available, I added a fresh slug of 1098 to each beer at priming. ready to drink.
13. Keith - Stout ~5.5%, Wyeast 1028 London Ale (Bottled 25.07.08, Kegged Oct. 07, Brewed Sept. 07). DRINK NOW.
14. Offline - Scottish Ale Export 80 Wyeast 1728 (Bottled 22.07.08 ~ 6% ABV)
15. Colin - Vienna Lager 5.5% ABV, S-189, Carbonated but still needs a month or so in the fridge before drinking.
17. Onescooter - Shwartzbier. (Ready to go)
21. Scotty
23. backyard brewer - Georgetown/India Pale Ale. High hopped for that long boat journey from the lounge to the fridge...
5.8% 60 IBU ish

 

[onescooter]

Just to update my entry for information purposes.
1. Loftboy - Fat ******* Ale (Scottish Export 80/-)
2. Schooey - Dunkel Weizenbock^2, Wyeast 3068, 6.3% abv, Bottled Mar 08, drink now
3. Pok - Bastardised Lager....other info unknown off the top of my head.
4. Peve - Coriander Porter - 6.3%, S-04
5. Leeboy - Munich Dunkel Wyeast Munich Lager yeast
6. Shmick - Aussie Winter Warmer strong ale
7. goatherder - Maibock. S-189, 6.4% abv. Bottled 22/6.
8. Les the Weizguy - Heller Weizenbock 9.8% ABV (Bottled 24/7/08 - I recommend 3-12 months b4 drinking) W3638
9. Tony - a hazy Belgian Trippel
10. Punter- Quaffing Pilsner WY2278 Czech Pils. (Bottled 25/7/08 so leave for a month)
11. nooch - Maibock, Wyeast 2487VSS Hella-Bock, 6.3% abv.
12. Trent - English Ordinary Bitter in stubbies, showcasing the same wort with 2 different yeasts - WY1028 and WY1098. No yeast farming available, I added a fresh slug of 1098 to each beer at priming. ready to drink.
13. Keith - Stout ~5.5%, Wyeast 1028 London Ale (Bottled 25.07.08, Kegged Oct. 07, Brewed Sept. 07). DRINK NOW.
14. Offline - Scottish Ale Export 80 Wyeast 1728 (Bottled 22.07.08 ~ 6% ABV)
15. Colin - Vienna Lager 5.5% ABV, S-189, Carbonated but still needs a month or so in the fridge before drinking.
17. Onescooter - Schwartzbier. (Bottled May 07, S189, 6.1%, Recipe from Brewing Classis Styles)
23. backyard brewer - Georgetown/India Pale Ale. High hopped for that long boat journey from the lounge to the fridge...
5.8% 60 IBU ish

 

[onescooter]

Not really a wordsmith so my reviews will be very short.

Sorry n00ch but I too tried your beer before going back through the list and finding that I shouldn't have. Must say though that this was a fine beer. I really enjoyed the balance even if it was hoppier than you hoped for. Maibock is now on the top of my brewing list after this one.

Trent's bitter - The first mouthful of this beer took me back a few years, to a beer that I can't quite put my finger on. Would really love the recipe to try and get a handle on what it was. Nice bitter.

Keith's Stout - Damn fine. Everything I love in a stout was right there. Nice firm tan head. Beautiful roast flavours without being too harsh. Very drinkable.

BYB's IPA - I thought that the hopping for this one was spot on for me. I am not really an APA fan but for some reason have taken a liking to the IPA's. Would be happy to have lots more of these.

Cheers
Scott.

 

[Tony]

Schooeys Dunkel Weizenbock

Was bottling in the cold garage so thought i would pour something to cheer things up.

Went and got my fav tall wheat glass as i was expecting good things.

I wasnt disapointed.

Mate you told me it tasted like B1 and B2 got run over by a steam roller. Thats how 3068 is. You got the yeast just right! Bananna......... Y.U.M. and a bit of clove to ballance it out.

You also said it was a bit dark. I disagree. I love the fact it is porter like colour but i cant really pick up any roast. Its smooth and drinkable.

Perhaps a bit light boddied for a bock but very very nice mate. I enjoyed it.

cheers

 

[Trent]

Hey Guys
Great to hear that people are liking my bitters, I dont have the notes on them at the moment, but from memory, the recipe was something like 84% maris otter, 10% munich, 5% crystal 145EBC and about 1% chocolate. Started at 1036, about 40IBU. The FG's I may be a LITTLE off on, but if my memory serves me correctly, the 1098 finished at 1011, and the 1028 finished at 1009. I recall being surprised that in the last few different beers I have tried the 2 yeasts together, the 1028 has finished 2 or 3 points lower, yet tasted much fuller bodied than the 1098. Dont have much time on the net, so I will update my thread in a few days when i get back to canada, but currently in sarajevo. it is a beautiful city, infested with amazingly hot women, pretty cheap and there is a brewery in town that makes some very drinkable beers - a regular lager, a dark lager, an export lager and a premium lager. While not being earth shattering, they are all quite good, and I would much rather choose any of them over VB or Tooheys.
All the best (and I cant wait to get home and try all the swap beers!)
Trent

 

[leeboy]

13. Keith - Stout ~5.5%, Wyeast 1028 London Ale (Bottled 25.07.08, Kegged Oct. 07, Brewed Sept. 07). DRINK NOW.

Pours a lovely black with ruby red highlights around the edges when coming out the bottle. Carbonation was perfect for this style and held the classic tan head of a homebrewers stout who just loves choc malt so throws in heaps more than they would commercially.

THick and creamy in mouth feel and big on chocolate, with some coffee in the background. Fairly well balanced with a little noticable alcohol warmth.

Went great with the roast dinner lastnight. Another Keith special in my opinion, enjoyed this one

 

[Weizguy]

Hi all

I agree with Craig, Tony and Schooey's opinion of 23b. it was bottled straight from keg without any priming so carbination did get a hell of a knock so please drink it RIGHT NOW. There is a pretty big hit of honey so you you might want to spread it on your toast for breakfast... (and put Kieths stout in your coffee cup as well. the wife will never know)

cheers

Geoff

Tasted 23b on the weekend. I got an odd flavour up front and then lingering through the middle taste. I thought it was phenolic, but then thought it to eucalyptus (from the honey). Maybe it was a menthol flavour, but it was dominant.
The malt comes through in a big way at the end, but I couldn't taste the honey well when it was cold.

Anyway I left the bottle, with the lid on, but not sealed tight. When I sampled it again, warmish (room temp) and flattish and a slight oxidation, the odd flavour had cleared off, and I could taste the big hit of honey and malt. I got a little background flavour that reminded me of anise. I enjoyed this beer much better flat and warm (not really as room temp was about 8-10C), so be prepared to use that option if the flavour is too confronting when cold.

Cheers
Les

 

[schooey]

6. Shmick - Aussie Winter Warmer strong ale

When I drink a beer like this, it makes me wish I had already been through the BJCP tasting/learning course already. I can't wait until the next HAG one is put together, it might help me give a review to do a beer like this justice....

I left this one out in the garage to have it just slightly cooler than room temp at about 14 degrees. It poured a really deep copper almost dark amber colour, crystal clear with perfect carbonation and a good finger thickness of creamy light tan head. I could smell toffees and malty aromas mixed with a slight slight whiff of the alcohol hidden underneath. On first taste I thought maybe i had it a little cool for this beer and I left the glass on the bench for 20 mins or so. At the cooler temp the sweetness seemed to overpower the other complex flavours that would develop in this beer.

When I came back I was instantly glad that I had left to warm a little, big malty profile to back up the sweetness and bitterness coming through on the back of the tongue. Slight alcohol warmth is present, but still hidden well in a 7%+ beer, the balance between malt and hiops is great IMO, great flavours in there I'm not sure how to describe so I'll really appreciate reviews from the likes of Trent, Keith, Les et al so I can learn a little here..

Anyway, enough dribble from me, really great beer, Mick, very very enjoyable on a cool winter night. Thanks for sharing...

 

[leeboy]

2. Schooey - Dunkel Weizenbock^2, Wyeast 3068, 6.3% abv, Bottled Mar 08, drink now

Pours very well, with a small head (which i like in darker beers), the lead lasted the distance and carbonation was fair.

Aroma is of truckloads of bannana's. Didn't really get much else in aroma, perhaps the esters were overpowering the melanoidans and rich bready character I was looking for also.

In the mouth was huge again on the bannanas with a lovely wheat backbone that held this one high up there. Taste of bannanas lingers long with a hint of that sweetness expected from using munich. Almost tastes like there is no pilsner malt in there which I like for this style. However this was gained at a compromise for colour. Much darker than to style and probably the darkest munich dunkelweizen I've had.

Very tasty, the light chocolate malt did brilliant to leave no roasty flavour which are unacceptable in a dunkelweizen. again though didn't get any of those carmel characters due to the bannana. This is definately a beer that I would be going back for a second of.

Very well made, what yeast did you use because crap I can still taste bannanas. Loved the beer and want more.
Lee

 

[Tony]

Just received a phone call from a concerned swapper about my trippel

I went strait to the garage and cracked on off the shelf.

The 3787 was the last yeast to go through the starter flask with the dodgy rubber bung.

It seems the bug it held has decided to start on the trippel also.

It was clean with a smooth belgian flavour. Now that flavour lasts about 2 seconds and is masked by a spicy vinigar sourness thats developing.

Same bug that killed 46 liters of Maibock. It was great for a couple of weeks and hen went down hill

Try it if you like but i would recomend just putting the bottle in the bin, beer and all.

I here by remove myself from any future case swaps.

never again.

Sorry folks.

Never Ever Again!

 

[Trent]

Tony
Sorry to hear that your beer is infected, I was looking forward to that. Do what I did, and turf out all yer flasks, stoppers, etc... and I now just make a starter and put a litre into a freshly emptied and sanitised water bottle (plastic), pitch my yeast pack in, and then throw in 500-750mL into my wort when the starter is at high krausen. I then let the remaining 300mL odd ferment out, decant the beer off the top, and then add another litre of starter on top of that yeast ready for my next beer. it means that ya have to do a few beers in a row that use the same yeast, but drastically reduces yer chance of infection, especially a persistent one.
I look forward to yuou being in the next case swap, as I am sure between the lot of us, we can work out a way to stop the infections for you.
All the best
Trent

 

[Tony]

I found the culprit a little while back trent. It was in the rubber stopper on the flask. It went strait in the bin and i now use a fresh piece of tin foil over the top, replacing every time.

The beers are clean since i found that. fingers crossed.

I think that the belgian yeast was the last one to go through the starter before i found the problem.

Thanks for your help trent........... but i doubt i will do the swap thing again. This has really really upset me. see what happens i guess.

like i said folks............ sorry <_< :angry:

 

[goatherder]

Don't beat yourself up Tony. I just sent an infected beer to a comp. Not on purpose either.

It must be hard sending a bad beer to a swap but still some good can come from it. I really didn't know what an infected beer tasted like until I got an obvious one a few swaps back. The smell and taste of it burn into your mind so when you get a it yourself (like I did a while back) it sticks out like dogs balls. I found it a good learning experience in past swaps so perhaps some of the other swappers might benefit.

And don't think about staying out of the next hag swap. Your beers are way too good.

 

[goatherder]

4 - Peve's Coriander Porter

Very dark brown, a touch hazy and a thin off white head which stuck around to the end of the glass. Complex nose with esters and spice. As it warms up the coriander starts to stand out. It's subtle and really suits the style. The flavour is good and malty with some choc malt notes right through the finish. The coriander makes an appearance but again it is very subtle and not out of place. The beer is on the sweet side with the bitterness and some dryness from the dark malts helping to keep the balance. A really enjoyable beer Pete - one of those ones which keep you thinking as you drink it. I found it hard to put the glass down. Cheers mate.

 

[leeboy]

12. Trent - English Ordinary Bitter in stubbies, showcasing the same wort with 2 different yeasts - WY1028 and WY1098.

Had the 1028 first followed by the 1098 with only a small side by side comparison. Both very well crafted beers with great clarity and as far as beers to style. These fit perfectly IMO. Colour perfectly copper, carbonation great, slighly bitter as they should but not overwhelmingly. Can still taste the malts coming through. Not to much residual sweetness in there but enough to hold it.

As far as the comparison goes I prefered the 1098. I think that the 1028 left a little slight chalky grain taste where the 1098 was smooth as silk. Had to really sit and think about that comparison and it was a great experience. Thanks heaps for sharing trent two great beers and in my opinion 1098 beat 1028 by a nose.

 

[goatherder]

17 - Onescooter's Schwarzbier

Very dark brown and opaque, not quite black with some minor amber highlights when held up to the light. The tan head pours with course bubbles and settles back to a fine covering which provides some lacing. The aroma has a dominant fruit aroma, pushing the hops and malt into the background. I'm going to take a stab and say it's acetaldehyde. The fruitiness is apparent in the flavour too, unfortunately distracting from the great malt profile underneath. The bitterness is bang on, well supporting the big round malt flavours. The finish is crisp and dry, perfect for style. The carbonation is just a little high for my liking - the bubbles lending a coarseness which is accentuating the fruity effect. You mentioned you used S-189 - how big was your batch size, how much yeast did you pitch and how long did you leave the beer on the primary yeast cake? I'm really curious as to what went on because this beer has the potential to be an absolute blinder. Cheers Onescooter.


23b Backyard Brewer's Grand Cru

Pale like a pils, a touch of haze and a wispy yet persistant white head. Ginger beer on the nose. Seriously, it must be one too many for me tonight because all I can smell in this beer is ginger beer. It's malty sweet up front and right through the middle but the bitterness rises up crisply to balance things out, leaving the finish slightly balanced towards the hops. The big full mouthfeel manages to not be cloying so this is a beer I can keep sipping. For the size of it there isn't a hint of booziness. Dangerous... Great drinking Geoff, thanks for putting in the effort of bottling the extra beer for us. This one might see me out for tonight.