2009 Nsw Xmas In July Tasting Notes

[tdack]

13. Troy Dack - Belgian Golden Strong ~6.4%, bottled 05 JUL 09[/b]

Pours a darkish copper colour with a nice fluffy head that dissipates. Belgian aroma, seems phenyls are dominant with nice toffee malt in the background. Flavour is follows this, very nice mix of fruit and spice, some mineral with a nice toffee, slightly sweet malt finish. Gets some raisins as it warms a bit. Bitterness suits style. Carb is OK but could be a bit higher so it retains the head. Overall, very nice Belgian strong ale. Enjoyed it very much. Thanks Troy.

Cheers
Andrew.

Thanks! I was a little sceptical about how this would turn out. I made my own candi sugar for it and also did a single decoction during the mash. I didn't end up hitting the final numbers i was aiming for so the ABV % is down a bit. I did try a bottle of it after about 2 weeks and thought it passable, glad to hear it has improved a little in the bottle then.

 

[Cortez The Killer]

13. Troy Dack - Belgian Golden Strong

Poured into a Chimay glass. Deep amber to copper in colour. Off white head which persists. Aroma full of Belgian phenolics which are detectable a long way away from the glass. Up close there's some nice malt / caramel aromas. Stone fruits and spice.

When tasting I'm getting lots of Belgian goodness. Plums, raisins and stone fruits. Malty sweetness upfront, balanced well with bitterness and the phenolics. Medium body with almost malty sweet finish. Very complex with a lot going on. Warming in the belly. Carbonation medium low.

I wouldn't be putting this beer in the golden strong category but rather as a very tasty Belgian Dubbel. Top beer!

Cheers

 

[Gulpa]

14. Monkeybusiness - APA ~5%

Pours a hazy gold colour. Small head that drops to a thin film. Aroma is subtle, biscuit, cream with a slight orange hop aroma. Hops come up as it warms a bit. Reminds me of something I cant quite put my finger on. Citrus and spice hops come through with the flavour followed by a firm bitter finish. Malt is in the background. Low carb. Medium light body. Yeast clean and neutral. Nice beer at the subtle end of the APA spectrum. I quite like the subtle end but it probably wont be hoppy enough for the big APA lovers. Thanks MB.

Cheers
Andrew.

 

[tdack]

12. Stuster - Southern English Brown

Not infected! Went down a treat, very tasty. I haven't got the taste buds or the words to match some of the other reviews, so I'll just say I enjoyed

 

[white.grant]

Beautiful day today, spot o gardening and am sitting now enjoying the change into evening with a glass of

No. 4 Fatgodzilla's Kolsch

The lid practically fell of this one but still managed to produce a light fluffy head that dissipated over a hazy dark straw, aromas are wonderful-- grainy, bready - just like mashing in. Flavour follows and while carb is low, mouthfeel is bright revealing a medium, noble bitterness on the finish. Some subtle caramel notes appear as the glass warms adding to the malty complexity. Lovely beer Ian. Well balanced and delicious.

cheers

grant

 

[Gulpa]

7. Bizier - Ming's Myrceness US IPA ~7%abv REVISED: Back to 15th Aug

Its the 16th so I thought I would give this one a go.

Pours pale gold with a big fluffy head that drops a bit but laces the glass. Clear. Aroma is pinapple juice with some citrus, stonefruit, and a hint of grass. Pineapple on the first taste with some very assertive bitterness following this up. As you get used to the bitterness the stone fruit emerges along with a pleasant sour citrus and some other stuff. Medium body. Medium low carb. Bitterness lingers and lingers. Malt is trying to peek out from behind the hops. Awesome beer Dan, nailed the balance this time :icon_cheers: .

What is it with this beer? The missus never drinks beer but likes the aroma and taste of this one ("but it does have that beery flavour at the end").


Cheers
Andrew.

 

[Cortez The Killer]

23. Redbeard - Bo Pils

Poured very hard into a Hoegaarden Grand Cru glass to create a head. Appears to be under carbed. Pale gold in appearance, very clear. Head dissipates quickly. Spicy hops on the nose along with malt. Very clean.

Lots of spicy hop flavours, balanced well with a nice malt background. Nice bitterness coming through, crisp and clean. Medium body. Low carbonation letting this beer down a tad. Perhaps a hint of diacetyl coming through as the beer warms.

Overall a very tasty, easy drinking sessionable beer. Top beer!

Cheers

 

[Gulpa]

4. Fatgodzilla - Kolsch

Pale gold, slightly hazy. A nice head that dissipates. Lovely malty aroma, bready yeast. Nice complex malty flavours, with a nuttiness coming through. Slight fruit in there as well. Smooth bitterness seems appropriate to the light body. Low carb. Delicious. Someone else said it before and I agree, your beers keep getting better and better. Thanks FGZ.

cheers
Andrew.

 

[Bizier]

What is it with this beer? The missus never drinks beer but likes the aroma and taste of this one

Maybe it is a "lawnmower beer" in it's ability to be cutting everyone's grass

 

[Bizier]

5. Gulpa US Amber

I was really impressed with this beer Andrew. My notes were a bit sparing, but it left a definite impression on me. Very pleasant hoppy nose, following through to a clean resiny grapefruit that foils a toasty biscuity malt platform. I (slightly embarassingly) wrote "similar to LCPA but better" on my notes.
This was extremely drinkable, a pleasure to try, and a very professional beer that I know many people would enjoy. Great work mate.


I have to say that I had a bit of a merry weekend involving a wedding and a Vitalstatistix brew day with me serving no purpose onther than breaking any hope of concentration. I am sorry to report that Grant, your bottle Golden Strong is missing, and police are currently presuming it to be empty. I am sure it contributed to the great time being had.

 

[white.grant]

I am sorry to report that Grant, your bottle Golden Strong is missing, and police are currently presuming it to be empty. I am sure it contributed to the great time being had.

:icon_cheers:

Locked onto a couple of very enjoyable beers last night


No. 13 Troy Dack's Golden Strong

Poured dark honey on a medium carb into my Duvel glass, tight frothy head slowly subsiding. Very pleasant belgian aromatics with hints of caramelisation and tantalising not quite raisin. Flavours follow the aroma with pear and light stewed apple coming across on a dry finish. Really liked this beer Troy, as Cortez mentioned earlier, I don't think its a golden strong but its a great dark strong or even a dubble. Very yummy. Thanks Troy

No. 20 Gruntus' Not so sparkling Ale

Pours light gold with good carb, capped by a generous foam. Aroma's slightly fruity, with some light malt notes, (am thinking I have served it a bit too chilled) but very promising, take a couple of sips, and mmmmm, bright carb highlighting the fruity yeast flavours over a good malt presence and balanced bitterness on a dry finish. Mmmmmm. It sparkled for me Grant, great beer.

cheers

grant

 

[tdack]

21. Gibbo Trans Pacific IPA

Oh Wow! I really enjoyed this, I'll just say that I agree with the other positive comments. An awesome beer that went down a treat and had me wishing for another bottle. Thanks.


Also, thanks to Grantw and Cortez for the reviews, the challenge now is to repeat it and make another

 

[barls]

8. Cortez The Killer - Haggis For Breakfast - Scottish 80/- - 4.8%
had this last night very nice almost didnt get my glass back from swmbo.
nice malt balance.

 

[Stuster]

Barls, I had your Honey Ginger Beer last night. Strong ginger aroma, along with some sweet honey notes. Slightly cloudy, bright gold. A solid ginger bite in the mouth, along with some sweetness, very clean and bright. Would be great for a summer afternoon. Nice one. :beer:

 

[barls]

would you say better than the previous version or still no major change.
good to hear it was as it should be though mate.

 

[white.grant]

Near enough to a summers day today so shared the Honey Ginger Beer with SWMBO. Wish I hadn't offered her any, but we both really enjoyed it. Good ginger bite and really refreshing, went down well with our bbq lunch.

Nice one Barls. How do you make it?

cheers

Grant

 

[barls]

if i told you its out of a can would you believe me?
actually this is the 3rd version to the recipe ( k&k to what it is now)
heres the current version the honey used was ether white box, orange blossum or clover.

Batch 3 of honey ginger beer mk 2

Dates
Date Brewed: 1 Jun 2009 Date Racked: 21 Jun 2009
Date Packaged: 21 Jul 2009 Date Ready: 21 Jul 2009


Recipe Overview
Target Wort Volume Before Boil: 20.00 l Actual Wort Volume Before Boil: 20.63 l
Target Wort Volume After Boil: 16.00 l Actual Wort Volume After Boil: 15.00 l
Target Volume Transferred: 16.00 l Actual Volume Transferred: 15.00 l
Target Volume At Pitching: 40.00 l Actual Volume At Pitching: 40.00 l
Target Volume Of Finished Beer: 38.00 l Actual Volume Of Finished Beer: 40.00 l
Target Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.029 SG Actual Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.034 SG
Target OG: 1.039 SG Actual OG: 1.035 SG
Target FG: 1.005 SG Actual FG: 1.006 SG
Target Apparent Attenuation:: 85.8 % Actual Apparent Attenuation: 82.4 %
Target ABV: 4.4 % Actual ABV: 3.8 %
Target ABW: 3.5 % Actual ABW: 3.0 %
Target IBU (using Tinseth): 4.6 IBU Actual IBU: 4.4 IBU
Target Color (using Morey): 3.7 SRM Actual Color: 3.7 SRM
Target Mash Efficiency: 75.0 % Actual Mash Efficiency: 90.1 %
Target Fermentation Temp: 18 degC Actual Fermentation Temp: 18 degC


Fermentables
Ingredient Amount % MCU When
Australian Export Pilsner Malt 2.000 kg 34.5 % 0.7 In Mash/Steeped
German Carahell 0.600 kg 10.3 % 1.3 In Mash/Steeped
coopers ginger beer 2.000 kg 34.5 % 1.4 End Of Boil
Sugar - Honey 1.200 kg 20.7 % 0.5 End Of Boil


Hops
Variety Alpha Amount IBU Form When
NZ Pacific Hallertau 6.0 % 10 g 4.6 Loose Pellet Hops 60 Min From End


Other Ingredients
Ingredient Amount When
Whirlfloc Tablet 2 In Boil


Yeast
Coopers-Ale Yeast

Mash Schedule
Mash Type: Extract with Mini-mash
Schedule Name: Single Step Infusion (64C/147F)

Step Type Temperature Duration
Rest at 64 degC 60
Raise to and Mash out at 77 degC 15
but shhhh dont tell anyone about it.

 

[nifty]

I kicked off the case with Gibbo's Trans Pacific IPA, a big hoppy beer.

Thanks Gibbo, a very tasty beer, lots of hops in those burps.

cheers
nifty

 

[Gulpa]

6. nifty - some sort of stout, bottled 5/7/2009, 5.3%, Wyeast 1469.

Thought I should drink the stout before it gets too much hotter.

Poured with a nice compact tan head that falls down to a thin one. Aroma is roasty caramel with some darkish fruit lurking. Flavour wise the roast is out the front, caramel is also there with a really well balanced bitterness. Lowish carb. Medium full body. Smooooth. Really enjoyed it. Very nice stout. Thanks Nifty.

Cheers
Andrew.

 

[white.grant]

if i told you its out of a can would you believe me?

but shhhh dont tell anyone about it.

Really? I had a mental image of you grating a kilo of ginger, but don't worry your secret is safe with me.

cheers

grant