2010 Adelaide, Mildura & Whyalla Case Swap Tasting Thread

[drsmurto]

I would have though moving house is an anti-excuse for drinking. I know every time i have moved house i ended up drinking more not less.

:icon_offtopic:

I'm not convinced the goldings and chinook have grown into each other as there is still more than a metre between the plants.

I am keeping the bines separate as they grow up the twine and once the side shoots take off I will need to put some effort into keeping them away from each other but all is looking good so far.

The different number of leaf nodes i suspect is to do with the age of the plant rather than there be more than one variety growing on the one spot.

 

[TonyC]

Hi all,
Thanks for all the positive feedback on my case beer, twice i have made a swap beer with the intention of going to them, and have pulled out both times.I will definatly be attending from now on. As requesred here is the recipe, sorry for some reason i can not insert a beersmith file?

4.5 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter

.20 kg Cara Pils

.20kg Chocolate Malt

.20 kg Crystal Medium



Mash at 66 for 60

75 min boil

20.00gm Fuggles (5%) x 60 mins

20.00 gm Styrian (4.4%) x 60mins

15.00gm Fuggles (5%) x 30mins

15.00 gm Styrian (4.4%) x 30mins

15.00gm Fuggles (5%) x 0mins

15.00 gm Styrian (4.4%) x 0mins



Nottingham Yeast

Regards Tony

 

[Hatchy]

Yum.

 

[Kieren]

TonyC's Northern Brown Ale

Poured with low carbonation and a small head. Colour is a nice dark brown with a lovely ruby glow, appears quite clear. Aroma is light but seems mostly yeasty esters with some darker malt there too. Flavour is definitely malt forward, slightly sweet but nice and rounded. Finish is nice and clean with a good firm bitterness at the end. much enjoyed, though not a a style I often drink. Cheers :icon_cheers:

Phil's 10min ale

Shared this with legham a couple of nights back so this is from memory.

Aroma was sweet and I could detect something a little off maybe? This could have been yeasty esters which seemed to cover the hops a little. Not as much hops there as I was expecting. Flavour was more of the same. What yeast did you use Phil? Pacman?

QB's Ruddles English Ale

Again, shared this with legham a couple of nights back so this is from memory.

Poured with reasonable head, carbonation was low to medium - just right. Slight haze. Aroma - slight malt and again detectable yeasty esters or another off flavour I can can't describe which seemed to detract from the hop character. Maybe legham glasses were off :blink: Finished slightly sweet iirc.

 

[MaltyHops]

I would have though moving house is an anti-excuse for drinking. I know
every time i have moved house i ended up drinking more not less.
...

Well, I do have other brews on hand - besides, I want to be able to
enjoy the swap beers slooooooooowly ... me love 'em long time :wub:

T.

 

[Brettly]

G'day,

I've been overseas for a bit and just got home yesterday arvo.

Thanks for all the positive feedback regarding the Nelson Sav (although I'll have to read up on "yeast stress"). A couple of blokes have asked if the beer was filtered - but no it wasn't, I just racked it onto finings for 5 days cold conditioned.

Hatchy, the recipe was Ross's Nelson Sauvin Summer Ale, from the database word for word.

This has been my first case swap and I'm not experienced in beer tasting "vocabulary" but I know when I like something and all the beers I tried on the night were great. I've yet to try any of the case swap beers but from previous comments it sounds like everyone's a winner.

Cheers
Brett

 

[Mayor of Mildura]

Polished off goofinders ESB last night. As the others have mentioned very nice.

I've caved and am drinking Ravens amber. Great looking beer. I had to take a photo to share.


Well thats it for me. All swap beers are gone. Bring on the next swap!!!

 

[raven19]

I've caved and am drinking Ravens amber. Great looking beer. I had to take a photo to share.
View attachment 42422

Wow, I am waaaaaay behind on the swap sampling! How was the carbonation (and taste overall) on the amber?

 

[Mayor of Mildura]

Wow, I am waaaaaay behind on the swap sampling! How was the carbonation (and taste overall) on the amber?

Amber? I said amber. doh. It should say Ravens brown ale.should double check before i post.

Carb was good (moderate i'd say). Flavour was quite malty. It had a yeasty fruity flavour/aroma (banana's again sort of like coopers) and had a nice bitterness (maybe slight astringency). jeez i'm hopeless as describing these things.

Overall this was another good beer that I enjoyed especially as it warmed a little.

You'll have to take this review with a grain of salt Raven as this beer isn't something that I normally drink/brew! so i don't really have any idea.

Cheers mate

 

[jonocarroll]

Groucho's ESB

Poured with a good dense head, love the colour, only slightly muddy but without filtering this is hard to avoid [edit: closer look at the second glass - clarity isn't all that bad, it's just hazy]. Nose is nicely malt forward with esters right where I personally like them - hidden but detectable (even when it warms up). Fine bubbling leads to a nice lacing. Mouthfeel is amazingly good. Spot on. The creamy head does wonders. First sip is very malt heavy with a good complexity (heaps!). Maybe a little strong on the darker spec malts, some malt astringency making its way in. Bitterness has nestled itself down into the little nook of the sweet spot. Very happy with this beer. Lucky that - I've brewed up the first of two bitters today, though the bar's a little high now.

With the clarity brought up to commercial quality, this would be a regular purchase for me. Easily.

After tasting this many of the swap beers, I am perplexed... why are other states winning ANAWBS categories? Seriously people! Get those entries in next year!!!

 

[Effect]

It had a yeasty fruity flavour/aroma (banana's again sort of like coopers)

gald I'm not the only one - tried this today and was really picking up a banana character - but just assumed it was me...

 

[raven19]

gald I'm not the only one - tried this today and was really picking up a banana character - but just assumed it was me...

Interesting... 1056 was the yeast, but I did push it higher on the ferment to make sure the beer was finished in a short period of time... as I lost the previous brew.

(I have previously done an aussie pale with 1056 that had a hint of belgian fruitiness from the same yeast also...)

 

[groucho]

Finally picked up my case swap beers yesterday (thanks Hatchy for looking after them).

Boston's AIPA

Golden colour. Medium to low carbonation. Produced a good head that lasted. Laced the glass. Low Aroma. Malty with firm bitterness. Good body. Would never have guessed 82 IBUs (guess would have been much lower) - can this be in part attributed to the smooth bittering qualities of Magnum?

Overall: Drank this after a Stone & Wood Draught Ale and much preferred this IPA over the Stone & Wood. Also liked it more the longer it was left in the glass as it warmed up. A good beer.

 

[Kieren]

Mayor of Mildura's Summer Ale

Dark straw in colour - great clarity. My beers don't seem to come out as clear as some of the ones I have already in this swap - though I do dry hop most of mine. Poured with a nice tight head that faded slightly. Subdued malt aroma. Don't get hop in the aroma or flavour. I am picking am up something in the flavour too that I don't think should be there, DMS? Like a grainy vegetable flavour? Finishes quite dry and a little astringent. Interested in the malt and hop schedule used for this beer, MOM?

 

[Mayor of Mildura]

Mayor of Mildura's Summer Ale

Dark straw in colour - great clarity. My beers don't seem to come out as clear as some of the ones I have already in this swap - though I do dry hop most of mine. Poured with a nice tight head that faded slightly. Subdued malt aroma. Don't get hop in the aroma or flavour. I am picking am up something in the flavour too that I don't think should be there, DMS? Like a grainy vegetable flavour? Finishes quite dry and a little astringent. Interested in the malt and hop schedule used for this beer, MOM?

Hi Kieren

I'm pretty disappointed in this beer.

Here is the recipe

for 23L
4kg crisp MO
30g Challenger @ 90 min 20 IBU (FWH)
30g Challenger @ 20 min 10 IBU
15g Bobek @ flame out
30g Bobek dry hop added after 7 days in primary
Wyeast 1968 starter

Can you get DMS after a 90 minute boil? My thoughts were the flavour was coming from the dry hop. Don't know.


Thanks for the feedback mate.

 

[raven19]

#16 Wild Elephant's ESB

Highly restrained slight fruity/citrus aroma.
Low carbonation.
Well balanced with lingering bitterness containing a very slight grassiness at the front of the palette.
Light golden in colour.
Long lasting medium thick head, laces the glass once it has warmed slightly out of the fridge.

Coats the mouth well with an increase in the apparent bitterness after more sampling. Clean and well made imo. Noice!

 

[Kieren]

Hi Kieren

I'm pretty disappointed in this beer.

Here is the recipe

for 23L
4kg crisp MO
30g Challenger @ 90 min 20 IBU (FWH)
30g Challenger @ 20 min 10 IBU
15g Bobek @ flame out
30g Bobek dry hop added after 7 days in primary
Wyeast 1968 starter

Can you get DMS after a 90 minute boil? My thoughts were the flavour was coming from the dry hop. Don't know.


Thanks for the feedback mate.

My first thought was DMS but I think it would be hard to pick it up from the crisp MO and with a 90 min boil. Possible to pick it up during the ferment - paraphrased from Principles of Brewing Science - gram-negative bacteria such as Megasphaeria and Pectinatus if present can produce DMS during the ferment. They are ethanol, hop and pH tolerant so will typically be noticed near the end of fermentation.

However I wonder what I am is tasting is perhaps tannins which may explain some of the astringency I seem to get?

I look forward to see what others say about this beer, they may be able to give you more clues to what going on in. I am not yet confident about my ability to pick up and name all beer faults.

 

[Kieren]

Hatchy's APA

Poured with very low carbonation but had good clarity, very little sediment in bottle. Colour is quite dark for an APA - more like a light coloured amber.
Flavour has a great malt foward complexity, with a nice hop presence throughout. Finished with a firm bitterness.

This beer seems different to the one I tried before the swap. Unless my memory sucks (and it does) it is darker, less hop aroma/flavour and lower in carbonation. This was the APA you brewed when I brought my stuff down, yeah? I still really enjoyed this beer, though.

Any other bottled batches of amber or experimentale that went unaccounted for, Hatchy?

 

[Hatchy]

Was there a 6 on the cap mate? It was yr recipe brewed on yr gear. The amber ale all got kegged & if you ended up with an experimentale you'd know about it because little Matty labelled the caps. Those caps are covered in grafity. I can post the recipe tonight if anyone wants to see it.

 

[Kieren]

Was there a 6 on the cap mate? It was yr recipe brewed on yr gear. The amber ale all got kegged & if you ended up with an experimentale you'd know about it because little Matty labelled the caps. Those caps are covered in grafity. I can post the recipe tonight if anyone wants to see it.

It had a 6 on the cap. Just seems strange is all. Great beer, be interesting to brew it again and see how it comes out.

 

[Hatchy]

I'm pretty sure the grain bill was straight from brewing classic styles. To fix the darkness problem drink it from the bottle in a dark room with yr eyes shut.

 

[user 4286]

Had the Amber Fire Ale the other night. I thought the amount of chilli was great - it didn't taste like I was drinking a chilli beer but there was that slight warming/buzzing sensation after a few mouthfuls.

Unfortunately the beer itself seemed a bit lifeless. I would guess that it was possibly a bit oxidised as it was similar to a beer that I had feedback to that effect for.

 

[Hatchy]

Hatchy's APA

Poured with very low carbonation but had good clarity, very little sediment in bottle. Colour is quite dark for an APA - more like a light coloured amber.
Flavour has a great malt foward complexity, with a nice hop presence throughout. Finished with a firm bitterness.

This beer seems different to the one I tried before the swap. Unless my memory sucks (and it does) it is darker, less hop aroma/flavour and lower in carbonation. This was the APA you brewed when I brought my stuff down, yeah? I still really enjoyed this beer, though.

Any other bottled batches of amber or experimentale that went unaccounted for, Hatchy?

The grain bill was:

85% BB ale
6.9% wey munich
4.9% amber
3.2% wey wheat

Unless someone says otherwise I'm pointing my finger at the amber. If I recall correctly (which I probably don't) the amber malt that we wanted wasn't available & we ended up with a darker amber malt than we wanted. I'll have a look next time I'm digging in my grain bins.

I still have some of these left, I'll have one chilled if yr likely to be round on the weekend.

 

[raven19]

Hazard's Landlord

Minimal fruity/floral aroma.
Thin but lasting head, good medium carbonation.
Light brown to golden in colour.
Low bitterness, with no off flavours noticable.

Beautifully balanced pushing towards the malt ever so slightly. A really clean well made beer imo, certainly some crackers thus far in the swap.

 

[technoicon]

Had the Amber Fire Ale the other night. I thought the amount of chilli was great - it didn't taste like I was drinking a chilli beer but there was that slight warming/buzzing sensation after a few mouthfuls.

Unfortunately the beer itself seemed a bit lifeless. I would guess that it was possibly a bit oxidised as it was similar to a beer that I had feedback to that effect for.

hey, what would make it oxidised? (what gives you this)

i have a feeling it might have been older hops that didnt have quiet enough kick to them, def need to double the hop count. when i drank it i though about the same. i would like a little more warm buzz in the back of your mouth. the way you described the chilli is exactly what i was aiming for though, but I found it not quiet enough, maybe one more chilli in it. (btw thanks to mom for the chilli's)

 

[Kieren]

Thought it was a good night for a couple of ESB's...

Groucho's ESB

Poured with a low carbonation and small head, nice dark amber colour though quite cloudy, 'I might have stirred it up a little as I warmed it up under some hot water from the tap. Malt on the aroma with what I think now are sweet esters - same thing I picked up in QB's and Phil's beers which I am not used to - I don't use English yeasts too much - might have to start trying some. Flavour seems to be driven by the esters along with the malt - don't get much hops coming through. Finish is medium dry and lingers for a while.

Goofinder's ESB

Nice colour, pale amber with good clarity, low carb rate, poured with a good head which faded a little. Aroma is yeasty esters, not as overpowering as Groucho's. Flavour, I get a good balance between esters, malt with earthy hops in the background.

This is not a style I have brewed a lot and am only really familiar with a few commercial examples I have bought a couple of times - Fullers, Young's etc. These seem to have a bigger malt profile with some caramel and nutty notes and a stronger hop presence. It maybe a a freshness issue, I don't know. The two case swap beers above seem to be more yeast driven, however maybe I am more sensitive to this estery flavour. I reckon I have had a batch and tasted a mates that may have been infected that really drove the esters forward or maybe it was improper yeast management? Or maybe all the IIPA's I have been brewing have mutated my taste buds?

Still, I did enjoy these beers, makes me think I need to get to England and taste them fresh straight from the source.

Edit: Can you tell me what yeasts you guys use and your pitching rates and fermentation temps/schedules. As I said - want to start using more English yeast (only really used Nottingham and 1968 before). Looking at Wlp007/1098, albeit for more american hopped beers but I may crop it for an ESB batch on the side?

Edit: Edt: Getting a lot of nuttiness (peanuts?) come through Goofinder's ESB now that it has warmed up a bit.

 

[jonocarroll]

Phillip's 10 min IPA

Poured with a monster head. Clean-up aisle three. That aside, head is thick and fluffy, leaving a gorgeous lace. Nice light colour. Clarity okay. Good hop nose with some pleasant yeastiness. Did I get a different bottle to everyone else?... Big up-front hop flavour, tending towards resiny, but with a low-to-nice amount of malt support and a good mouthfeel to balance (nothing worse than a thinned-out hop-monster). Carbonation is great to give the hop aromas somewhere to go and help with the mouthfeel. Bitterness is all embedded in the hop resin and sticks around long enough to be a lingering bitterness that one might expect from a big 90 minute addition. If you reckon you make a better version of this, send it my way. Personally I love this. It could do with a bit more malt support (with scaled hops too, don't want to lessen that) and probably some hop complexity, but overall I think it's a winner (not as any sort of traditional IPA, but a winner nonetheless).

Seriously, if people are planning on doing better than these in the next swap, I'm going to be ruined for drinking anything lesser for the rest of my life. Off. The. Freakin'. Chain.

 

[technoicon]

Phillip's 10 min IPA

Seriously, if people are planning on doing better than these in the next swap, I'm going to be ruined for drinking anything lesser for the rest of my life. Off. The. Freakin'. Chain.

i agree. i'm from a house of 5 people that mostly drink draft and girly lemon beer. i went out on the sunday after the swap.. and couldnt finish my carlton, so dissapointed i've become one of those snobby home brewers who bags out how **** carlton draght tastes. lol

i'm thinking of having phils APA, as i just tried mine one that I brewed last week, and also had one of mom's. i probably had enough though.. lol

 

[technoicon]

ok so i had a little taste of phil's beer. very happy.. but was leaving it sit.. then i decided that if i shake it a little it will get rid of some of the fizz... so after it went crazy over me my balcony n my housemate.. i figured probably not the best idea.. lucky i didnt loose that much of it.. lol

best be getting my tasting book out!

 

[jonocarroll]

i went out on the sunday after the swap.. and couldnt finish my carlton

<snigger> Sorry mate, I read that slightly wrong - I missed the L in carLton, looked at the name, and thought nothing of it. :chug:

Hey, in a house of non-enlighteneds you can brew up a megaswill for cheap for them and be considered top dog... then brew up a Vienna for yourself