2010 Adelaide, Mildura & Whyalla Case Swap Tasting Thread

[Gopha]

Well, the path had been made so just walking along it - anyway, Raven
had a good post on PIDs on his Raven's Rims, Build Log with some good photos
of what they look like.

Hi, If you wont to check out a two vessel system with a PID X 2 control panel, your welcome to have gander at my rig. I have sent a phone number if you wont to arrange it. Cheers

 

[MaltyHops]

Hi, If you wont to check out a two vessel system with a PID X 2 control panel, your welcome to have gander at my rig. I have sent a phone number if you wont to arrange it. Cheers

Thanks, Gopha - pm-ed

 

[technoicon]

Hatchy, i'd be interested in doing more swaps. but would have to be organised when either me or mom(lol) were up there! i wouldnt mind a double swap. 12 people bring 2 beers, some of these beers i wanted another bottle of!


Tasting notes:
here they are guys, take them with a grain of trad ale!

Boston AIPA
apperance: Cloudy, large bubbly head, not much carb, poor head retention.
smell: very mild smell and aroma
Taste: Great hop flavors, thick body
Good: awesome flavour, nice strong beer, nice malt blend.
Bad: head was dead(that's what i wrote. lol), very think/full bodied (i like it a bit lighter, so this is just my preference)

Dr Smuto:
Apperance: Golden, quite clear, large bubbles (as i dropped it from the ceiling), low carb.
Smell: Very light caramel, sweet
taste: light, sweet. I was getting what i can only discribe as a dusty/light bitter taste?
Good: Nice sweet easy drinking beer. looks and smells great.
Bad: funny dusty taste i cant put my finger on.
my notes say: "Puring from a height is dangerous!!" pretty sure i got this every where! lol

Ruddles Count: (this one had bad writing. lol)
apperance: Cloudy, nice head
smell: not getting anything, "beer smell" (lol, i think i must have been smashed for this one!)
Taste: Slight caramel taste, creamy smooth, easy drinker.
Good: easy drinker think i could spend all night on this one.
Bad: No aroma, not the most flavour.

RK (i thought this was some sort of stout, so my notes my be off!)
Apperance: dark probably a bit light for stout, little cloudy, bubble are good. (def drunk)
smell: sweet, nice tasting, really good. (really drunk lol)
taste: really good taste, great balance. (well best review ever, if all i could manage to write down about a beer is really good taste! hahahaha)
Good: Great sweet stout, no off flavours, nice stout(it's not even a stout! lol)
Bad: Could be stronger. (ahahahaha)

sorry RK for the last one, it's reflex nothing of your beer only how drunk i was at the time. i'm pretty sure i had it after polishing off 4 of mom's 8% IPA's.

Cheers
Awesome

 

[technoicon]

Forgot to mention that i'm really impressed with the quality! these beers I would easily pay good money for!

My beer should be ready if you have left it out to carb for a couple of weeks. I have not tried mine yet. but plan to tomorrow night!

 

[jbirbeck]

RK (i thought this was some sort of stout, so my notes my be off!)
Apperance: dark probably a bit light for stout, little cloudy, bubble are good. (def drunk)
smell: sweet, nice tasting, really good. (really drunk lol)
taste: really good taste, great balance. (well best review ever, if all i could manage to write down about a beer is really good taste! hahahaha)
Good: Great sweet stout, no off flavours, nice stout(it's not even a stout! lol)
Bad: Could be stronger. (ahahahaha)

sorry RK for the last one, it's reflex nothing of your beer only how drunk i was at the time. i'm pretty sure i had it after polishing off 4 of mom's 8% IPA's.

Cheers
Awesome

Gold.

I'm glad it was a good stout...glad you enjoyed it.

could be stronger - It should come with a slight warning in that I'm pretty sure it tips the scales at 6.5% but I'll have to check the numbers. OG was up over 1060 though.

I'll be hitting a few more of these in the coming days, now that it will be cooling a bit I may have to have a few of the excess smoked schwartz's I have... :lol:

 

[Mayor of Mildura]

Had a3k's bright ale last night. Very very clear. This looks like a commercial beer. cool. Had a slight minerally? taste. Hoppy and dry. Another top beer.

Cheers mate.

 

[drsmurto]

We 'judged' Dans ESB last night and i scored it a 40/50. :chug:

It screamed classic ESB to me. Nailed the style guidelines although we were judging it blind* in preparation for the exam in a few weeks.

I wont post any more comments than that as Dan was there so knows what we all thought of it.

Just a tip, let this one warm up a bit, 10-12C is about right. I did dock him a few points for the carbonation though :lol:

I'd be happy to be involved in more swaps but bottling is painful.

Maybe something like a keg swap where you all rock up with a full keg and draw numbers from a hat and take a keg home. I haven't had a beer yet from the swap that i couldn't have had a full keg of on tap!

Cheers
DrSmurto

* blind = no BJCP guideline in front of you. We are supposed to memorise the entire BJCP guidelines....

 

[Goofinder]

As DrSmurto said, mine is well and truly carbed up by now so it's ready to drink.

I have had a couple more swap beers over the last few days... Gopha's Simarillo which jumped out of the glass at me ('room' temperature headmaster glass on a rather warm day was probably not the best bet) but once it had settled down was a nice easy drinking ale perfect for the conditions. Brewbot's Nelson Sauvin Summer Ale hit the spot as well. Not much to say really other than thanks for another couple of great beers.

 

[Hatchy]

Gopha's Simarillo. I struggled to keep it in the glass pouring it but on a positive note I have found a properly cleaned glass so this beer is holding it's head beautifully. Awesome flavour & aroma, I'm loving going through these.

Having read the awesomely furious post at work today (I almost soiled myself reading that) I reckon I've set myself a task for after I've gone through the 1st lot of everyone's beers. Chill the 2nd lot, drink them in 1 session & write notes for all of them. My notes aren't likely to help anyone brew better beers but should provide a chuckle. Before anyone asks what order I'll go with, top to bottom on the list.

Smurto mate, if bottling is the difference between you swapping or not swapping I'll bottle the batch for you. I enjoy bottling way more now than I did before I had kegs & brew 35L batches. Bottle a slab of stubbies, a slab of longnecks & keg the rest.

I forgot to mention the other night, someone left a glass here as well. It'll continue to get used until someone claims it.

 

[drsmurto]

Another 2 swap beers were consumed last night

RKs Smoked Schwarzbier

Mmmmmm, smoky bacon. Not sure how people are missing the smoke aroma/flavour in this beer. It's about all i could smell. It dominates the aroma. The malt and slight roast comes through in the flavour and it finishes clean and dry. A very stout like head that held all the way to the bottom of the pint glass. As the beer warmed up the malt and slight coffee aroma comes through. Really enjoyed this beer and it reminds me i have some smoked malt and should use it!

Brewbots Nelson Sauvin Summer Ale

To be honest, i wasn't looking forward to this one. That's not a slight on Brewbot or his brewing abilities, I overdid the NS hops late kit/early AG and have only used them since in combination with other hops. But i was pleasantly surprised by this beer and enjoyed it. Very pale in colour, great head and plenty of carbonation. Normally i am not a fan of carbonation but in this style of beer it works. The NS is not subtle by a long shot but is refreshing. Very clean beer, light body, no faults that i could pick up on. Nice work.

And so with another 2 down i am on track to complete my first case swap without tipping a beer out. No gushers, no infections, no shite beer. Seriously impressed with this standard. I've been swapping since xmas 2007 and at best i have managed to drink 2/3rds of the beers.

There is still time for another xmas case swap....

 

[jonocarroll]

And so with another 2 down i am on track to complete my first case swap without tipping a beer out. No gushers, no infections, no shite beer. Seriously impressed with this standard. I've been swapping since xmas 2007 and at best i have managed to drink 2/3rds of the beers.

I too am over-the-moon-happy with the quality of the beers tasted so far this swap. To put this in perspective, the last three or four 'SA' case swaps have been AG-only, restricted to known members of a different forum, and held with large restrictions on entry. They have also included many a crap beer, and had far fewer entries/entrants. Look what happens when the swap is opened up to newcomers and the restrictions dropped - heaps of great people get together and swap outstanding brews. I'm proper chuffed.

There is still time for another xmas case swap....

No, there's not . There is however plenty of lead up time to the 'South Australian ( a few towns) Summer Case Swap' that I think we need to have... before the mid-year swap! March anyone? With the great beers had this time 'round, maybe everyone will be pulling out all the stops to one-up each other?

 

[legham]

Ill be up for a swap in March. Might be able to participate this time

 

[Hatchy]

Keen!

The Adelaide & "surrounding areas" early autumn case swap?

 

[Effect]

If there is another swap - someone is going to have to help me bottle - it's not like riding a bike, once you start kegging, those brain cells are the first to be sacrificed to alcohol.

Drank rootingkings smoked schwarz yesterday as it had cooled down quite a lot. As some of you may already know I am not a fan of smoked beers at all - that was about all I could smell in this beer was smoked bacon hocks - did you dry hock this beer mate? :lol: Needless to say this beer is not for me, but was well brewed. I shared this with miles and he enjoyed it a lot. Hmmm, I will have to keep trying these smoked beers though, as my taste will have to change at some point as I get older...it did for stouts.

Have to agree with 'this swap is by far the best I have ever taken part in'. Here was me thinking that I won't enter a swap again because I don't like bottling...will happily put up with bottling to take part in another one of these. With this sort of reputation I think we will get the full 25 swappers next time. Every beer I have drunk so far I have wished that I had another. Funny how people start to brew their best beers when they don't have restrictions...

Cheers
Phil

 

[Effect]

Keen!

The Adelaide & "surrounding areas" early autumn case swap?

Let's do this then!

 

[Hatchy]

Happy to help you bottle Phil, I've tasted what comes out of yr taps.

 

[jbirbeck]

QBs Ruddles County Ale

Not sure what style we are giving feedback in. Didn't judge this against any BJCP style, i simply enjoyed it for what it was.

An exceptionally well made bitter.

Great aroma which combined subtle blackcurrant with some spice as well as nice fruity esters from the yeast and some malt and caramel. Good malt backbone and solid bitterness. So easy to drink. I only chilled it for 20 mins so it was quite warm and it went down very well. icon_drunk.gif

I had QB's Ruddles last night and agree with much of what Smurto has said above. Spicy (I initially thought it was subtle clove but its something else) and fruity dominated with some backcurrant and malt in the background. I enjoyed it, but genuinely think it would have been simply divine if the yeast esters were lower because for me it just threw it out of balance hiding some of the other good flavours in there. The malt and bitterness were about right. but the fruitiness including a hint of banana was a touch too much for my liking. - different strokes for different blokes.

Not so much a fault with the beer, but perhaps a fault with the general perception of the fruity esters we are supposed to get from English yeasts... I'd be keen to give this beer a crack in the brewery but ferment at a lower temp.

 

[jbirbeck]

Drank rootingkings smoked schwarz yesterday as it had cooled down quite a lot. As some of you may already know I am not a fan of smoked beers at all - that was about all I could smell in this beer was smoked bacon hocks - did you dry hock this beer mate? :lol: Needless to say this beer is not for me, but was well brewed. I shared this with miles and he enjoyed it a lot. Hmmm, I will have to keep trying these smoked beers though, as my taste will have to change at some point as I get older...it did for stouts.

Cheers
Phil

Now dry hocking a beer sounds like a fine idea...a nice smoked hock in a smoked beer to get a bit more bacon in there :drinks:

Instead of the Cock Ale it will be a Hock Ale :kooi:

 

[jonocarroll]

If there is another swap - someone is going to have to help me bottle

Bring a keg 'round to my place and use my CPBF. Easy. Done. Drink.

Let's do this then!

BRB...

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=49900

No need to have a sign-up article just yet, but early next year we can get that going. I'm hoping to perfect my pilsner by then, so this should give me enough time to do so.

I had QB's Ruddles last night and agree with much of what Smurto has said above. Spicy (I initially thought it was subtle clove but its something else) and fruity dominated with some backcurrant and malt in the background. I enjoyed it, but genuinely think it would have been simply divine if the yeast esters were lower because for me it just threw it out of balance hiding some of the other good flavours in there. The malt and bitterness were about right. but the fruitiness including a hint of banana was a touch too much for my liking. - different strokes for different blokes.

Not so much a fault with the beer, but perhaps a fault with the general perception of the fruity esters we are supposed to get from English yeasts... I'd be keen to give this beer a crack in the brewery but ferment at a lower temp.

I've decided I'm not a fan of big esters either, so I totally see where you're coming from here. I'm working on using the Bramling cross hops (the origin of those lovely blackcurrant notes) in a Special Bitter with S04 fermented cool and see how that goes. Cheers for the feedback.

 

[Mayor of Mildura]

Had Gopha's Simarillo last night. Nice. Very close to what I am trying to brew apa wise. As others have said a little high on carb but otherwise most awesome.

And I am currently drinking MaltyHops Belgian dark ale. Nice beer at a little warmer than fridge temp. I get a banana? type thing going on. What yeast is this? Thanks very tasty.

I've only got 2 left Goofinders ESB and Ravens brown ale. It says on Ravens to wait untill december but I reckon that I might throw caution to the wind and have a crack at it early.