2008 Hag Xmas In July Case Swap - Tasting Notes

[Offline]

9. Tony - a hazy Belgian Trippel

Just thought Id post
No infection in the one I received, or if there was and you have 50litres of it that you want to tip out call me first

 

[Tony]

I tried another one myself the other night and really enjoyed it. I will have to retract the infected call.

Juat after the amount of beer i have chucked out latly and people ringing me up saying its a bit funky.......... i had a melt down i guess.

What were your thought on it mate?

Im going to brew another one soon, im keen for feedback on it.

cheers

 

[Punter]

Just got a message from offline about my beer.
Its completely flat . I cracked one I have at home and yep, flat as a tack, not even a hint of a bubble :angry:
Sorry about this guys, it was only lagering for 3 weeks and I thought there would be heaps of yeast for carbing.
Maybe push this one to the back and wait for summer. Hopefully it will carb by then.

I have been a bit crook lately, so I havn't tried anyones beers yet.
Cheers, Duane.

 

[schooey]

Mine was flat too, Punter. I tried it last night, tasted like it would have been a great beer too

 

[m_peve]

Done - 23a - Backyard brewer - Georgetown IPA

I took this from a fridge (thats probably a little cold at the moment) and poured a glass to allow it to warm up whilst I finished off a cleanup job.
Ooops!! When I returned, the bottle had continued effervescing excitedly and it stood in a small puddle of brew. Anyway, back to the beer.
The head was very large and fluffy and sat of top of a very clear dark-gold ale. Beautiful.
I do like American hops (Amarillo is my favourite) so I wasn't disappointed when, after it warmed a little, I smelt the telltale citrus notes.
The hops continue on into the taste providing a high bitterness that blends well with the citrus floral flavours. Having said this, malt is still present and detectable which balances out the hops well and stops the finsh which is quite dry from being overly so.
A medium bodied beer that is VERY moreish!!!!
Oh I wish I had more!!! :huh:
Thanks Geoff

Pete

 

[m_peve]

No 13 - Keith's Stout

More notes that I've re-located so no long-winded prose (Sorry Keith - I know you like the more verbose form)

Poured thick and dark into the pint glass. Ahhh!!!
Medium Brown head that lasted long into the glass
VERY black!!
Roast notes - a whiff of coffee.
Some bitterness with the dark grains detectable. slight chocolate flavour
A slightly dry finish with perhaps some sweetness at the very end.
On the full side of medium bodied closer to full Very smooth!!
Really well balanced!!

Suffice to say that I really enjoyed this beer Keith.
Thanks heaps!!

Pete

 

[Offline]

What were your thought on it mate?

It was a great Belgian style beer, I would be keen to make this myself. I could not put my finger on which label of Belgian triple it reminded me of, but it was very close to one I have tried before. Sorry but I cant be much more help then that.

 

[m_peve]

No 15 - Colin - Vienna Lager

A lot of malt in the nose with the faintest whiff of Raspberry?? (something weird happening in my head I'm sure)
Creamy tightly packed head over very clear amber coloured beer.
Very complex malt flavours upfront with some punchy hop bitterness to finish off
I thought I picked up a hint of alcohol taste and warming.
Terrific beer as always. Thanks Colin.

Pete

 

[m_peve]

6. Shmick - Aussie Winter Warmer strong ale

From notes again...

YUM YUM!!!
Malt dominates the aroma.
Wonderful balance between malt sweetness, hop bitterness and alcohol.
Noticeable but not overpowering alcohol.
Medium body
Dry finish
May have troubles getting back up off the lounge.

VERY VERY NICE!!

Tanks Shmick

Pete

 

[m_peve]

No 1 - Loftboy

Yep - notes again.. but I'm up to date now. :unsure:

Poured with a thin head that dissipated reasonably quickly though some lacing occured on the side of the glass.
Dark amber in colour. Very clear.
Low aroma level. Some 'earthiness' noticeable.
somewhat sweet malty flavours. low bitterness that balances well the malt that is not overpowering.
Smooth and rounded with medium mouthfeel.
Great session beer. Thanks Dave

Pete

 

[leeboy]

4. Peve - Coriander Porter

Had this one lastnight. Poured much like when you pour coke. Fixxed up quick and then dissipated to no/little head but still bubbled away effervescently.

Aroma of Chocolate, Coffee with mild roasted character.

In mouthfeel of complex malts, coffee and a hint of chocolate, Carbonation although the beer didn't hold a head it had enough spritz to satisfy for a dark beer.
I notice this one was higher than 6%, this beer was very well balanced with no alcohol warmth or flavours which can be off putting. This beer was amazingly smooth and went down a absolute peach. When trying to find corriander in there i thought I could but really struggled. Had the label of not said corriander porter I definately wouldn't of noticed it. That might just be be though.

As a porter this beer was great, colour spot on and was amazingly clear when held to light. Got lovely ruby highlights around the edges. Smooth, extremely well balanced and obviously well crafted. Thanks heaps Peve this one makes top 5 for me. Better carbonation and might of been higher. Really tasty porter.
Lee

 

[m_peve]

Thanks for the review Lee.

Yeah not sure what happened with the head on this one. Hopefully better next time.
It was the first time recipe so you were all guinea pigs. I took the idea from a real ale I tried in transit in Heathrow and just wildly guessed at ingredients.
The amount of coriander was the scary part. I didn't know how much to add before it became overpowering so I decided to err on the side of caution. The beer had probably been in the bottle for 6 weeks before swap day so the coriander did fade a bit. I had the other half in a keg early on and the coriander was more pronounced though I thought the addition amount could be upped a bit.

See Yah
Pete

 

[shmick]

G'day Peve

I thought your porter was one of the top efforts in the case so far.
The coriander took a little bit of searching to find but it is there. It's hard to get over the top of strong dark grains with such a subtle spice.
You could try something with a bit of 'prickle' in the flavour like cardamon or caraway seed. It will lend a little peppery hit without being overpowering (3 - 5g of each in 20l batch)
For a first go at a new recipe I'd be pretty happy with it though.
Cheers

 

[goatherder]

6 - Schmick's Aussie Winter Warmer

I had this one last night with a mate so I'm going mostly by memory. It was copper in colour, a bit hazy with a great lasting head. The ester profile was a highlight, hints of apples and pears on top of the rich maltiness. Big malty flavour with plenty of caramel goodness. The bitterness was high but not harsh and provided excellent balance. I reckon this beer would age wonderfully. Top drinking thanks Schmick, perfect for a cold winter evening.

 

[goatherder]

5 - Leeboy's munich dunkel

Dark brown in colour, great clarity with some garnet highlights. The off white head was well presented and laced the glass. There are some noble hop notes on top of the toasty malt aroma. Great munich malt flavour with a hint of roasty dryness in the finish. I get a small hint of tart fruitiness on the palate which seems out of place, I'm not sure what it is. Nice mouthfeel, fullish yet finishing dry, making for excellent drinkability. The bitterness is perfectly balanced for the style. Nice beer thanks Lee, hit the spot for me tonight. Cheers.

 

[goatherder]

23a - Backyard Brewer's IPA

This beer was a picture, deep golden and clear with a big white head being worked by a constant stream of bubbles from the bottom of the glass. Big hop aroma is matched by a big hop flavour with some malt peeking in the middle. The 55 IBUs are deceptive because the balance is perfect. Outstanding beer Geoff, way too easy to drink. Cheers.

 

[leeboy]

Goatherder, thanks for the feedback. I had another bottle of the munich dunkel again tonight and got a little fruit tartness also which is why I brewed it again for comp season incase it was a mild infection of some kind. I really can't put my finger on exactly what it is but I'd love for some exploring. Ie Les, trent etc.
Any opinion would be greatly appreicated.
Lee

 

[Tony]

6 - Schmick's Aussie Winter Warmer

I reckon this beer would age wonderfully. Top drinking thanks Schmick, perfect for a cold winter evening.

I think i recal trying this on the swap day at room temp.

It was great!

Im thinking about putting mine away till next winter and trying then. IMO 12 months really improves beers like this!

cheers

 

[goatherder]

14 - Offline's 80/-

Very dark brown, letting in just enough light to show off the amber highlights. Tall off white head which persisted for the whole glass, lacing all the way. Sweet malt aroma with just a hint of hop. Rich, full mouthfeel with bready malts, toffee and some hop flavour into the finish. Well balanced hop bitterness and a touch of dryness in the finish from the dark malts. This beer is top shelf Offline, perfect balance, really drinkable and expertly made. Perfect for this rain soaked evening, thanks mate.

 

[onescooter]

I tried a couple of bottles of my beer lately and I am sorry to say that it has definately gone south recently. Has a vinegar like taste to it. I am really sorry for the way this beer has turned out. Hopefully future attempts will show that i am improving.
Cheers
Scott.