2008 Nsw Xmas Case Swap - Tasting Notes

[Stuster]

Glad you liked it, hewy. I posted the recipe earlier in the thread somewhere. Will get it into the database in due course, but here it is again. The recipe is not that vital though IMO. The yeast is much more important and really makes the most difference.


Recipe: Xmas Case Saison

Batch Size: 35.50 L
Boil Size: 42.02 L
Estimated OG: 1.048 SG
Estimated Color: 10.8 EBC
Estimated IBU: 33.4 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
5.50 kg Pilsner (Weyermann) (3.3 EBC) Grain 77.79 %
1.00 kg Wheat Malt, Malt Craft (Joe White) (3.5 EBGrain 14.14 %
0.27 kg Caramunich II (Weyermann) (124.1 EBC) Grain 3.82 %
22.00 gm Northern Brewer [6.70 %] (60 min) Hops 10.4 IBU
55.00 gm Fuggles [5.70 %] (60 min) Hops 22.1 IBU
23.00 gm Saaz [2.20 %] (3 min) Hops 0.4 IBU
14.00 gm Styrian Goldings [4.60 %] (3 min) Hops 0.5 IBU
4.00 gm Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 min) Misc
0.30 kg Sugar, Table (Sucrose) (2.0 EBC) Sugar 4.24 %
2 Pkgs French Saison (Wyeast #3711) Yeast-Ale

Mashed at 66C for 60 minutes. FG was 1002! This yeast is a monster.

 

[schooey]

Schoo-meister, your beer is drinkable now. I'd term it a hoppy version of an Imperial 90 shilling, certainly not a Guinea ale.
I like the malty element added by the W1728. No imperfections, other than being a hop flavour beer, first and foremost. Not sure where you heard that there was some phenolic. Maybe some bottles were bleached and got that taint from the cheap sanitiser. Can't imagine how it was in my bottle, coz I couldn't taste it. Phenolics from peatiness?
I give this one an "out-of current style boundaries" award, for being quite drinkable as an Imperial Strong Scots ale.
Hoots, mon! Grounsdkeeper Willie gives you an 8.5/10 and a big "Drink this now" rating. Can U update the Wiki with that warning of immediate drinkability, which will appeal to many.

Les out

I'm glad you liked it, Les. Have updated the wiki on your recommendation. I hope everyone else enjoys it as much

 

[Weizguy]

23. Homebrewworld USA PALE ALE

I was prepared for this one. Chilled in the freezer (upright freezer) for about an hour. to assist with the pour, and contain any potential damage while cooling.
Had a glass beer jug waiting for the opening and a Sierra Nevada pint mug (phat), but still needed another vessel (Kaiserdom litre mug). Filled all three with beer and foam. No huge pop at opening. This beer just had a rapid carbonation, IMO, and little if any underattenuation. I reckon that I lost less than a teaspoon of foamy beer, whilst hurriedly fetching and rinsing the litre stein. I daresay that's about the volume lost by the schoolboy in PoMo's metaphor.

Quite clear and golden brown in colour. Expected more cloudiness due to rousing of yeast by the carbonation release.
Nice C-hops and some balancing diacetyl in the aroma. A bit flat due to CO2 losses, but still quite good medium-light body. Some sweetness in the aftertaste and some lingering bitterness, with medium-low lingering grassy hop flavours.
Quite guzzle-able, with a dry finish that calls you back for another sip.
Due to the hot weather and low carbonation, the first pint is gone by the time I typed this review.
The hop flavour lingers in a pleasant way. I'd probably go another bottle, but with less gas, please.
7/10, but would score higher with the right carbonation. BTW, I like the aroma. Reminds me of the Ruination clone I made a while back.

Off to the fridge for some HAG swap reviews now...after the remains of the bottle that didn't fit into the Phat. :icon_cheers:
Beerz
Les

 

[Cortez The Killer]

8. jonw - Nelson Sauvin Summer Ale.

Enjoyed this beer immensly. Hoppy nose, lots of fruit. Some wine aromas coming through. Carbonation spot on. On the bitter side - how I like beer. Some maltiness present, but great lingering bitterness. The NS hops are very nice. Excellent summer beer - I could spend all day on this one - a great quaffer.

20. Redbeard - Summer Wheat Ale

This beer opened up alot as it warmed up with some interesting flavours/aromas coming through. However carbonation in my bottle was almost non existent, which was a shame, as it made it a little lifeless. Beer slightly on the sweet side. Some light hopping present. Some wheat. Slightly dry. Fruit flavours come though nicely. With a little more carb this could be a nice summer quaffer.

Cheers

 

[white.grant]

Hi all, and Merry Xmas!

I picked my case up from Barls today (cheers Barl's) and i have cracked my entry No 23 (APA) although there is a couple of bottles of Irish Red thrown in, as i was a tad short for the swap..
A tad over carbonated (so get in the fridge please). Open or crack the seal and leave it for a while before pouring.
Thanks to all for the fuits of your labour, and cheers!

Garry
HBW

Hello HBW,

I think I have an Irish Red, are they in pickaxe crown seal longnecks?

cheers

Grant

 

[homebrewworld.com]

Grantw,

Hi mate, yep sounds like my IRA in th pickaxe), but if it spews all over you its my APA
The APA fermented perfectly (SO4 @ 20c for 12 days). My bottling assistant ( 8yrs old) has gone heavy handed on the sugar in the bottles, but i will take the rap.

Les, glad you got more out of it than some, and yep i will watch the quality control (priming) at my place next time i bottle (time to buy some carb drops me thinks).

Cheers,
HBW

 

[white.grant]

Grantw,

Hi mate, yep sounds like my IRA in th pickaxe), but if it spews all over you its my APA
The APA fermented perfectly (SO4 @ 20c for 12 days). My bottling assistant ( 8yrs old) has gone heavy handed on the sugar in the bottles, but i will take the rap.

Les, glad you got more out of it than some, and yep i will watch the quality control (priming) at my place next time i bottle (time to buy some carb drops me thinks).

Cheers,
HBW

cheers HBW

It's in the fridge in anycase

grant

 

[PostModern]

20. Redbeard - Summer Wheat Ale

Interesting tartness and fruitiness coming thru. Main fruit flavour I get is apricots. Delicious, just ripe apricots. Agree with Cortez, it could be a little more carbonated, but I like it at the level it has as well. Very morish and easy to quaff. Enjoyed by myself and the Mrs equally. Nice one!

 

[PostModern]

25 - Postmodern - Summer Ale

Popped one of my overflow 500ml bottles. This brew is ready, but I recommend a day or more in the fridge before opening. My sample bottle was a little overcarbed, but as I primed the 500ml with approx the same volume as the tallies, yours should all be OK... anyway, until we get some news from a full bottle, it's a PoMo overcarb warning

Yeast used was Denny's favourite 50, which is a good US pub ale yeast. It attenuates well (75% or so) yet leaves a nice malty taste and smooth body. If you want to catch a yeast from a bottle, you could do worse than this. It's second generation in my brewery, so the bottle dregs should be good for another 2-3 runs. I really like what it did with this recipe. For reference, it was 90% ale, 10% wheat, mashed 64C and bittered with Pac Gem to ~35IBU and 1g/l of Nelson Sauvin at the end. Simple but effective, my old house ale.

 

[Josh]

5. nifty - English Pale Ale 5.2% Wlp023,

Pours clear gold with a head that falls down to thin persistent. Complex aroma of malt, hops and yeast. Low carb. Flavour seems malt dominant but the hops come through at the end, slightly fruity. Medium body. Smooth bitterness. Very nice beer Nifty. Thanks.

Regards
Andrew.

I'll go along with most of this except I find the carbonation more medium to high. Drinking your beer at the moment nifty. I like how the hops come through in a dry finish. I keep going back for more which is always a good sign. Well done.

 

[Josh]

28. Les - Dampfbier ~5% ABV (sort of a Vienna lager, but warm fermented with W3068

Searched through the list for a Weizen yeast I could build up to use on NYE and came aross this one. Gushed a fair bit on opening so I had to pour into a few glasses. Had a good whiff of the foam which got me wondering what was in it. This was a good learning beer for me as aromas I had associated with wheat beer are actually derived from the fermentation and not the grist.

Good malt flavour with a touch of late noble hops. Plenty of body with a malty finish. I'm a little miffed I only have one mouthful left in the glass. I'm really liking this Les. Cheers.

Was really thirsty tonight after putting together a couch this morning, working this afternoon then putting together a kitchen bench tonight. Got 3 halves of EPL to go tonight. Might have to have a few. Searching the list for the next cab off the rank.

 

[Josh]

6. monkeybusiness - Simple Lager, Wey Pilsner, german noble hops, Wyeast Bohemian Lager

Mild malt and hop aroma but not a lot of either. Nice noble hop flavour, fairly light on body with a nice bitter finish. Definitely a Summer thirst quencher which has come in handy tonight. Nice job monkeybusiness.

 

[Cortez The Killer]

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.

Sorry Josh

This should read "but it wasn't over powering"

Cheers

 

[Josh]

Sorry Josh

This should read "but it wasn't over powering"

Cheers

No prob Cortez. I reckon it was on the cusp of overpowering. But as stated earlier, instead of cutting back the citrus, I'll just up the coriander and mash temp slightly.

 

[Muggus]

Brew: 23. Homebrewworld USA PALE ALE.
Date: 29/12/08
Beer info: Brown 750ml crownseal bottle SO4 Dry Yeast, gold cap "23"

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in glass.
Big pop resulting in me pouring a glass full of head. Once the foaming subsides, i'm greeted with a effervescent orange gold body with a moussy beige head that seems to have a mind of its own.
I get ripe stonefruit hop character straightup from the nose, grapefruit, orange sherbet and grass that you'd expect from American-style hops. A whisper of some malt sweetness.
Bombarded with carbonation, luckily its not all too sharp. Body is full and has a smooth texture once its settled down. Drying is subdued and hop bitterness moderately high.
Flavours more coherent on the body with ripe nectarine, bitter orange and slight woody hop character coming through. Some caramel maltiness detectable towards later in the palate. Finishes grassy, lingering with a bit of citrus peel.
A nice APA all-round. Clean and crisp, with a nice hop character, shame that it gushed a bit. Thanks alot Homebrewworld!

 

[Muggus]

Brew: 4. Fatgodzilla - American Brown Wheat Beer
Date: 29/12/08
Beer info: Brown 750ml twisttop, gold cap "4"

After hearing FGZ's ramblings and indepth description of this ale, its been a beer i'm looking forward to try. Lets hope i'm not disappointed...

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in goblet for this mismatched beast.
Bit of a fizz upon opening. Pours a deep brown body with a small but dense creamy beige head.
I'm a bit wierded out by the smell of this thing first up! Toasted oak (French oak!?!?), banana, citrus rind, phenolic spice, mollasses, vanilla, rye grain bread. I could sit here and sniff a while longer, but I think it's best to take the plunge...
Body is somehow thinner than the aroma suggests, smooth on the tongue, carbonation is soft and welcoming. Has a wheaty dryness and acidity to it, but in good proportion.
Everything seems to come together quite nicely on the body; grain maltiness burnt caramel and mollasses about it, vanilla and clove phenolics, some ripe banana and white flesh peach. Bread on the finish, slight metallic sort of bitter note with a linger citrusy quality (hops?).
Probably should've looked up the recipe before I tackled this one, because i'm really not sure what i'm tasting! You've certainly made a beer to ponder over, thats for sure Fatz. Cheers!

 

[Fatgodzilla]

Brew: 4. Fatgodzilla - American Brown Wheat Beer

Probably should've looked up the recipe before I tackled this one, because i'm really not sure what i'm tasting! You've certainly made a beer to ponder over, thats for sure Fatz. Cheers!

Put one of my spares in the fridge for a taste tomorrow to see if what I get can match your comments. The usage of brown wheat malts & crystal sounds like its having its impact. I guess its good to have a pondering beer - can't let you blokes off too easy ! The inspiration came from a recipe in BYO a few months back - plus I was going to make a dunkelweisen and thought - bugger it, think outside the square a little. Hence the use of US 05 to avoid too much yeast influence and what at the the time I thought was strong hop presence (aimed for a higher IBU than normal expectations for a wheaty). As I think I said somewhere before, don't necessarily treat this as a wheat beer - let it stand on its own merit as a brew almost certainly not in any BJCP style guidelines.

 

[Muggus]

Brew: 14. Retsamhsam - Brown ******* Amber Ale
Date: 29/12/08
Beer info: Brown 650ml crownseal, gold cap, 5/12/08, og 1049 fg 1018 abv 4.0% IBU 42.4 Wyeast 1968 London ESB

Sampling notes:
Served lightly chilled in glass.
Big fizz upon opening, I thought i had a gusher but she turned out alright. Quite a clear amber body with a beefy load of tan foam.
Aroma is somewhat perfumey with hops upfront, grassy and flowery. Malt background comes to life with additional sniffs, lightly roasted grain, toffee, nuts and liquorice.
Body is quite lean with a suprisingly sticky malt presense. Reasonably low, soft carb, slight grainy dryness.
Malt flavours drive the body with force; bitter chocolate, burnt toffee, roasted nut (walnut even), dark grain bread. A leafy hop quality manifests itself bringing forth a good hit of bitterness and a lingering finish.
Nice and flavoursome. Very nice brown ale, cheers Retsamhsam!

 

[Josh]

17. Loftboy - Cream Ale. 4.7% ABV, US05. Bottled 23/11/08.

Not sure if I've ever tried this style before. Thin white head which is hanging around. Very light colour. Slight grainy aroma and light vanilla flavour with just enough bitterness.

Clean, nicely balanced and going down really well. Very drinkable beer.

Do you have a recipe for this one Loftboy?

 

[Josh]

27. Matt n AJ - Chokesy Brown - Northern English Brown Ale - 4.8% - 4/11/08

As I was pouring into my glass it was effervescent like a soda water, but there was no head at all. Still carbonated though. Sweet caramel aroma with similar flavour plus a bit of toasty, fruity and some kind of fermentation flavour as well.

Nice brown ale, could happily have a few of these.

I've been impressed by the standard of beers in the swap so far. I hope this keeps up.