2008 Nsw Xmas Case Swap - Tasting Notes

[schooey]

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

 

[white.grant]

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

Tasting notes 13.12.08

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

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

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

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

cheers

grant

 

[white.grant]

5. Nifty's English Pale Ale

13.12.08

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

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

cheers

grant

 

[PostModern]

28. Les, Dampfbier

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

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

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

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

1. Josh - Wit

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

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

 

[Stuster]

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

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

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

 

[Josh]

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

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

 

[Stuster]

300g of fresh zest late in the boil.

:blink: :unsure: :chug:

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

 

[white.grant]

1. Josh's Witbier

14/12/08 (drinking now)

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

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

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


cheers

grant

 

[3GumsBrewing]

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

I applogise in advance for my non-flowery prose when writing these reviews, but i know a good beer when i drink it!

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

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

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


Cheers
DK

 

[PostModern]

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

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

 

[Gulpa]

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

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

Cheers
Andrew.

 

[Cortez The Killer]

7. DiscoStu - Dunkelweizen

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

1. Josh - Witbier

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

10. Cortez The Killer - American Strong Ale

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

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

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

People should be right to start drinking this one soon.

Cheers

 

[Josh]

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

Recipe has been added to the recipe database HERE

 

[kabooby]

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

Cheers
DK

Thanks mate, Posted the recipe in the recipe section here

Kabooby

 

[Gulpa]

8. jonw - Nelson Sauvin Summer Ale.

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

cheers
Andrew.

 

[Gulpa]

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

Thanks DK. Glad you enjoyed.

Cheers
Andrew.

 

[Muggus]

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

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

 

[Muggus]

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

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

 

[MCT]

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

 

[PostModern]

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