2008 Nsw Xmas Case Swap - Tasting Notes

[schooey]

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

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

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

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

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

 

[schooey]

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

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

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

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

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

 

[RetsamHsam]

14. Retsamhsam - Brown Bastard Amber Ale

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

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

 

[Gulpa]

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

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

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

Cheers
Andrew.

 

[Cortez The Killer]

22. Beer Slayer - Wheat Beer

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

Cheers

 

[Cortez The Killer]

17. Loftboy - Cream Ale

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

Cheers

 

[Cortez The Killer]

18. Insight - Porter

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

Cheers

 

[Cortez The Killer]

21. Barls - Raspberry Wheat

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

Cheers

 

[Cortez The Killer]

16. Muggus - Weizenbock

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

Cheers

 

[white.grant]

6. Simple Lager, Monkeybusiness

7/2/09

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

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

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

cheers

grant

 

[Cortez The Killer]

15. Thommo - Brown Ale

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

Cheers

 

[Cortez The Killer]

13. Kabooby - Belgian Strong Ale

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

Cheers

 

[Muggus]

16. Muggus - Weizenbock

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

Cheers

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

 

[hewy]

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

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

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

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

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

Cheers
Hewy

 

[Cortez The Killer]

14. Retsamhsam - Amber Ale

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

Cheers

 

[Cortez The Killer]

12. Schooey - Scottish Strong Ale

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

Cheers

 

[Insight]

Insight - Who's Your Taddy Porter.

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

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

Good one brother !

Hi FGZ

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

Thanks for the feedback mate

 

[PostModern]

15. Thommo - Brown Ale, 4.5%

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

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

Cheers Thommo, loved it.

 

[Cortez The Killer]

4. Fatgodzilla - American Brown Wheat Beer

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

Cheers

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Last bottle!

2. DK - Dry Stout

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

Cheers