2008 Nsw Xmas Case Swap - Tasting Notes

[DiscoStu]

21. Barls- raspberry wheat beer

Nice pop opening the cap, poured with a creamy head that lasted the whole way down. Looks great, crystal clear with a funky pink colour.

Interesting aroma, you can definately pick smell the berries. Tastes great, well balanced, fruitiness from the berries is not over done. Unlike anything I'd ever dream of brewing or buying.

I honestly did not think I would like this one but actually found it quite refreshing, especially after a day spent laying turf in the backyard.
SWMBO loved it and has already requested I brew one for her.

Nice work Barls - recipe please.

Cheers Stu

 

[barls]

cheers mate.
its back here
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...st&p=397538

 

[PostModern]

4. Fatgodzilla - American Brown Wheat Beer

Pours a rich brown colour with firm long lasting head. Excellent clarity. Aroma of sherbet and caramel. Interesting combination. Medium-low body and medium carbonation. Interesting palate of roast malt and caramel, which goes really well with the subtle body. Neutral yeast character with subtle bitterness in balance with the malt bill. Very easy to drink. Had this shortly after a much fruitier, estery Weihenstephan Hefe Weizen, but I must say the contrast is enjoyable. Very nice. Probably the best beer of yours I've ever tasted, Ian. Cheers for having 4 cracks of the whip! Enjoyed it.

 

[Gulpa]

4. Fatgodzilla - American Brown Wheat Beer

Another hard to describe beer. Similar to PoMo except I found there was something almost belgian about it - a yeasty fruitiness - that moves towards citrus as the beer warms. Nice beer FGZ.

Regards
Andrew.

 

[white.grant]

No. 13 Kaboody Strong Belgian Ale

9.01.09

Poured into chalice, golden honey colour with nice head persisting, and postive cabonation

Aroma is subtle malty and smokey with some elusive esters drawing you down to sip, tempting and delivering with restrained esters, of summer fruit, nectarines and white peach - for mine - and light sugar sweetness matching well with the fruity profile, slight bitterness on the follow through and then pleasant warming alcohol across a dry finish.

Very, very nice, Kaboody. I liked this one a lot.

cheers

Grant

 

[kabooby]

Thanks Grant

Glad you liked it and I'm glad the carbonation was good.

Kabooby

 

[PostModern]

I'm glad the carbonation was good.

Gloater

 

[kabooby]

I have been using a new method to bottle from my keg so I have been a little worried that the beers may not have been carbed enough or starting to show some signs of oxidation, and maybe a little gloating

Kabooby

 

[PostModern]

13. Kaboody - Strong Belgian Ale

You're right to gloat, this beer is bloody lovely. Pillowy head forms on a slightly dark amber beer with nice carbonation, exceptionally bright once beer warms. Slight haze at fridge temp (~6C). Great aromas, phenolic and estery, with the balance towards phenols as the beer warms. Slight alcohol aroma. Dense head persists really well on a beer of this strength, leaving stringy Belgian lace down the sides of the glass. Hints of honey and a whiff higher alcohols in the palate, which is full and delicious. Nice dry finish with tasty stewed fruit and brandy in the aftertaste. Great beer, thanks for sharing!

 

[RetsamHsam]

Thanks Cortez. High praise indeed.

Recipe here

Hey Mate,

I enjoyed your beer thoroughly.. Checked out the recipe and it says you have 2 * 1minute additions of Challenger Hops.. Is this meant to be 35g of challenger and 35g of Target??

 

[kabooby]

13. Kaboody - Strong Belgian Ale

You're right to gloat, this beer is bloody lovely. Pillowy head forms on a slightly dark amber beer with nice carbonation, exceptionally bright once beer warms. Slight haze at fridge temp (~6C). Great aromas, phenolic and estery, with the balance towards phenols as the beer warms. Slight alcohol aroma. Dense head persists really well on a beer of this strength, leaving stringy Belgian lace down the sides of the glass. Hints of honey and a whiff higher alcohols in the palate, which is full and delicious. Nice dry finish with tasty stewed fruit and brandy in the aftertaste. Great beer, thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the review. I am planing on having a few mates over in a few weeks and have a go at the whole case. Can't wait

Here is the recipe if your interested Link

 

[Muggus]

Thanks for the review. I am planing on having a few mates over in a few weeks and have a go at the whole case. Can't wait

Haha awesome! That could get very messy! :lol:

Anyway, on the matter of beer, i've got my ass into gear and have had the honour of finishing the last of swap case this evening.
Big thanks once again for everyone making the effort, particularly Barls for hosting. I'd have to say this swap has been the best i've been part of to date.
And now for my last unnecessarily detailed review...

Brew: 12. Schooey - Scottish Strong Ale
Date: 12/1/09
Beer info: Brown 750ml screwtop bottle with label, black cap "12", 8.2% WY1728 bottled 22/11/08

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in glass.
Lucky last of the case swap, nice opening, pours a persistant dense orange-tan head atop of thick looking copper body.
Rich malt aroma, deep complex caramalised character, almost treacle-like, faint roastiness, hops come through more as it warms adding earthy spice.
Woah! This beer is thick! Dense syrupy texture, sticky without being all too cloying, high bitterness certainly balances. Reasonably lively creamy carbonation.
Golden syrup-like malt body, burnt toffee and chewy anzac biscuit, bit of charcoaly roastiness, subtle fruitiness with warmth plums and citrus marmalade, hops hit hard towards the finish, leafy, earthy spice, tobacco, with plenty of bitterness that lingers on the finish. Alcohol is very well hidden!
Such a big beer! Has the sort of maltiness that hits you in the face without warning, unlike anything i've ever come across. Big thanks to you for sharing this Schooey!

 

[Gulpa]

Hey Mate,

I enjoyed your beer thoroughly.. Checked out the recipe and it says you have 2 * 1minute additions of Challenger Hops.. Is this meant to be 35g of challenger and 35g of Target??

Hi Rets,

Glad you liked it.

Its 70g challenger at 1min. For some reason the recipe prog. wouldnt accept it as one addition so I had to add it as two additions. I have added a note to the recipe to explain.

Cheers
Andrew.

 

[schooey]

Big thanks to you for sharing this Schooey!

Thanks for the feedback, Muggus. It really was my pleasure, although I wish I'd had a few more for myself. I'll be brewing this one again. Now I'm finished a lot of the jbs I had planned for my holidays, I plan to get my arse into gear and attack my case. From the reviews, it looks like it's going to be very enjoyable indeed

 

[Weizguy]

Good onya, Schooey.

Ain't it the truth. It's a bit of a double-edged sword: you wish you'd kept more for yourself, but you really enjoy the thought of sharing a great beer. It's difficult, but you know that you can brew another just like it.

I need to get "arse in2 gear" and make another Berliner and show how it can be done.
Sounds like a challenge for tomorrow. First "real" day off work for this year, tomorrow.
Time to start a sour culture. Nothing too strenuous, you understand.

Drinking one of Tony's (the ugly beauty-challenged dude with the beard) red ales tonight.
Back into the case swap beer tomorrow. Enjoying my dual swaps, of course.

 

[Fatgodzilla]

4. Fatgodzilla - American Brown Wheat Beer
Another hard to describe beer. Similar to PoMo except I found there was something almost belgian about it - a yeasty fruitiness - that moves towards citrus as the beer warms. Nice beer FGZ. Regards Andrew.

Glad the beer turned out as presentable as it did. Certainly a one off as unlikely to use Scottish Ale again in the near foreseeable future. Have Irish Ale & British Ale II in the larder - appear to be similiar so my next half dozen brews will be Irish (Red, porter & stout) and english (pale ale, ordinary and ESB).

My experimental beer stage is over for the next few months (or until the mid year case swap at least) as I concentrate on proven recipes to improve my brewing practices - in the hope of less wastage !

... Very nice. Probably the best beer of yours I've ever tasted, Ian. Cheers for having 4 cracks of the whip! Enjoyed it.

I should have saved you some of the bad ones !!!!

 

[Gulpa]

17. Loftboy - Cream Ale. 4.7% ABV, US05.

Pours clear pale gold with a small head that disperses. Aroma is light malt almost lagerish. Flavour is similar with a nuttly malt profile (almond/marzipan) that Im starting to associate with german pils malt (but I could be totally wrong ie the brews Ive done with weybopils malt get the same profile). Easy drinking. Medium low carb. Bitterness just right for the body. Nice summer session beer. Thanks Loftboy.


Cheers
Andrew.

 

[Gulpa]

... Certainly a one off as unlikely to use Scottish Ale again in the near foreseeable future...

Is that wy1728? I would never have picked it. May explain the belgianness I found if you brewed this warmer.

If it was, dont write off this yeast yet. Ive used this yeast a fair bit and Ive had good results brewed cold (around 14c). Makes a great APA in the middle of winter when other ale yeasts dont work well.

cheers
Andrew.

 

[loftboy]

17. Loftboy - Cream Ale. 4.7% ABV, US05.

Pours clear pale gold with a small head that disperses. Aroma is light malt almost lagerish. Flavour is similar with a nuttly malt profile (almond/marzipan) that Im starting to associate with german pils malt (but I could be totally wrong ie the brews Ive done with weybopils malt get the same profile). Easy drinking. Medium low carb. Bitterness just right for the body. Nice summer session beer. Thanks Loftboy.


Cheers
Andrew.

Andrew,

Your taste buds are well tuned !. The grain bill was about 8% flaked maize & the rest 50/50 pale ale/pils.

Glad you enjoyed it.

David.

 

[white.grant]

10. Cortez the Killer's Smug *******

15.1.09

Pours coffee brown into nonic with a tight packed off white foam stand that just doesn't quit and carries delicious hoppy aromas, green, sometimes earthy sometimes light citrus, playing a nice game with me.

Medium mouthful some faint licorice and dark malt remnants giving over to a pleasing carb / hop bite followed by a prolonged bitterness and a satisfyingly dry finish. Beautifully attenuated.

Checking the details I'm finding 7.2% ABV hard to believe until near the bottom of the pint I start to feel it. Needless to say, the second glass was a thing of great beauty.

Thanks CTK, great beer.

cheers

grant