2011 Nsw Special Case Swap - Tasting Thread

[barls]

11. Barls- Smoked Belgian Dark Strong

Pours dark brown with a reddy hue. Head dissipates quickly. Off white almost tan. Looks to have low carb. Smoke malt aroma, bacon, bbq etc. Not over powering. Belgian phenolics peaking through. Pear, some stone fruit and caramel sweetness.

Heaps going on on palate. Smoke upfront and a heap of phenolics. Packs a punch upfront but finishes quite subdued. Lingering bitterness driven by phenolics balanced by a fair body revealing sweetness.

Carb very low almost real ale territory. A little roast chocolate also apparent. The low carb works well in the big beer making it far too easy to drink.

cheers mate but there are no roast malts in there at all, its all in the smoke malt and candi sugar. bit upset about the carb level, but ill get over it.

 

[Josh]

36. Muggus - Black Passion Porter - Bottled 1/11/10 (6.8%) - Might be a couple of bottles short, may sub something else in

Very nice beer Muggus. I'm getting a fair bit of the fruity hops pushing through the malt. Quite a chocolate hit as well. It's like a big American style porter. Thanks.

 

[petesbrew]

Gulpa - a bottle labelled "BQ".

Can't remember what it was, so I'm guessing Belgian Quadruple.

Pours lively, but no gusher. Full, foamy head, that dissipates over time.
Gorgeous dark brown/black colour and a fruity, slightly phenolic aroma.
Flavour is "belgian spicey", with a little roast, a little smoke, and, I'm guessing, a dose of Cardamom?
Nice full body. Intruiging on the first sip, and one to settle down into. Very nice work, Andrew.
Got anymore info on this one?

 

[Gulpa]

Gulpa - a bottle labelled "BQ".

Can't remember what it was, so I'm guessing Belgian Quadruple.

Pours lively, but no gusher. Full, foamy head, that dissipates over time.
Gorgeous dark brown/black colour and a fruity, slightly phenolic aroma.
Flavour is "belgian spicey", with a little roast, a little smoke, and, I'm guessing, a dose of Cardamom?
Nice full body. Intruiging on the first sip, and one to settle down into. Very nice work, Andrew.
Got anymore info on this one?

Hi Pete,

Bad labeling on my part. I believe this is the Brett Porter funky side swap we did. If it was in a 650ml bottle that confirms. All that belgian spicy is from the brett, the base beer was a fairly stock porter that wouldnt attenuate. I havent had one for a while, Ive been letting it develop. Might have to put one in the fridge to try soon.

cheers
Andrew.

 

[petesbrew]

Hi Pete,

Bad labeling on my part. I believe this is the Brett Porter funky side swap we did. If it was in a 650ml bottle that confirms. All that belgian spicy is from the brett, the base beer was a fairly stock porter that wouldnt attenuate. I havent had one for a while, Ive been letting it develop. Might have to put one in the fridge to try soon.

cheers
Andrew.

Yeah that's right, a 650ml side swap. Flavours mostly forgotten, but the cardamom flavour was one to remember.

 

[petesbrew]

3. Mrs Eyres Tripel

Thin head that fades quickly. Low carbed but well suited to this beer.
Very clear light gold colour.
Aroma gives a slight alcohol heat.
Flavour is to die for, spice, maltiness & sweetness perfectly balanced, alcohol well hidden, light medium bodied but full flavoured.
Absolutely beautiful. Well suited to every season.

 

[Josh]

9. Gruntus - La Moinette Blonde - Bottled late Feb - 8.9% - Ready to drink

Clear golden, no head, minimal carbonation. Sweet and spicy aroma. Big punchy Belgian phenolics in the flavour with no hint of the 8.9% abv. Finishes with sweet flavour but dry also. Quite a feat. Great beer Grant, thanks for sharing.

10. nifty - Some sort of Belgian darkisk strong ale - Bottled 10/04/2011 (8.3%) Ready to drink.

Very dark, almost black with a huge creamy head. Spicy aroma. Sweetness up front with plums and raisins. Moderate Belgian phenolics and a hint of the 8.3 abv. But by no means harsh. Finishes with a warm afterglow in my mouth and a smile on my face. Thanks to you too nifty.


Drinking these two fantastic beers in tandem. I'm hoping to see the end of stage 18 but these are following in a Leffe Veille Cuvee and Gouden Carolus Ambrio. Cadel will have to do it without me I think...

 

[Gulpa]

31. Fatgodzilla .. ended up with an India Pale Ale 1.068 down to 1.012, with palm sugar

Pours a nice clear gold colour. Decent head that falls back to half cm of foam. Fruity estery aromas dominate with a light malty aroma. Flavour is sweet fruit forward, pears and stuff with a substantial malty profile to it. There is some phenolic spice as well, almost seems like there is a touch of chilli. Can definitely see the palm sugar in the finish gives it quite a distinct flavour. Medium low carb. Off dry finish. Bitterness suits weight of beer. Very Belgian to my tastes. Top job, Ian. Thanks for sharing.

cheers
Andrew.

 

[Gulpa]

Gulpa - a bottle labelled "BQ".

Can't remember what it was, so I'm guessing Belgian Quadruple.

Pours lively, but no gusher. Full, foamy head, that dissipates over time.
Gorgeous dark brown/black colour and a fruity, slightly phenolic aroma.
Flavour is "belgian spicey", with a little roast, a little smoke, and, I'm guessing, a dose of Cardamom?
Nice full body. Intruiging on the first sip, and one to settle down into. Very nice work, Andrew.
Got anymore info on this one?

Hi Pete,

Decided to pull out a bottle the other night. I can see where you went with this. Mine gushed a bit. The brett is certainly toned down now and well integrated to create complex flavours spicy roasty fruity flavours. Its been interesting to see how the brett develops over time. Its been in the bottle for 2 years and changed heaps over that period. It just seems to get more complex as time goes on.

cheers
Andrew.

 

[petesbrew]

Sour Dark Strong Ale (24/02/11) - previously marked with a white label "coopers sparkling ale 11 April 09"
I assume this is Barl's one.

Pours a very deep copper with a nice, creamy & well lasting head.
Flavour is mellow & biscuity. Alcohol well hidden, very well hidden, as I'm hitting the backspace quite a bit in this post.
Sourness, while mildly evident, takes a backseat to a wellcrafted delicious beer.
thanks dude.
Pete

 

[barls]

not a problem pete. glad you liked it

 

[Gulpa]

Pete's post prompted me to put this one in the fridge last night:

51. barls - sour dark strong

No real notes because I had it at the end of the night but Ive got agree with Pete here. Absolutely delicious. Funk is mild, but all in all had all the bits for a great Dark Strong. Nicest DS that Ive had for quite a while. Thanks for sharing.


Wasnt as keen on the smoked Dark Strong that I had last week. Sorry Barls, too smokey for my wimpy smoke tolerance.

cheers
Andrew.

 

[Josh]

40. Grantw - Jacobite Ale (aka Scottish strong ale) leave until spring at the earliest - whoops

Echoing previous comments re: leaping out of the bottle and some phenolics. I like the molasses like malt character and the hint of spiciness though. Definitely not a bad beer, just not what you may expect. Be sure to open in the sink with a jug at the ready though.

 

[Josh]

14. Cortez The Killer - Crasian IPA ~ 7.5% - After June 10th

Wow this is a really tasty IPA. I saw on the wiki that you gave the recipe so I had a look. Only 30g hops at 0 and 15 mins? Man those Chinese hops go alright. GLS was onto something h34r: I can't describe it, but the hop flavour is intense. Appropriately balanced well towards the hops with a malt presence and just a little toasty character that I really like.

Cracking beer Gino, thanks.

 

[Josh]

3. mrs eyres - tripel 8.7%, wyeast 3787, bottled 1/4/11

Aroma, appearance, taste. All right where I woud expect for a Tripel. This is a fantastic beer Kelly. Thanks for sharing.

 

[white.grant]

No. 44 CtKs Black Weizenbock

Pours dark with a ruby highlights, off white foam stand persisting, slight yeast induced phenols on the nose and some detectable dark malts. On the tongue I'm finding lowish carb, medium mouthfeel, flavours are driven by dark malts giving a soft astringency and that weizenbockesque slightly sweet finish. Nice beer Gino!

No. 54 Josh Berlinner Weiss

Pours pale and hazy, big foam stand persisting. Aroma is at first sour then there's a note that I struggle to describe, not farmyard exactly but maybe next door. Tasting the beer is wonderful, very light and bubly, fresh. Medium to high carb with a fruitiness that is really refreshing, moving on to a dry finish, with noticeable sourness but not too over the top. Very nice beer Josh.

cheers

grant

 

[Gulpa]

58. Grant - Gose

Looking for beer to put in the fridge for after gardening and picked this one.

Pours a picture. Very clear pale straw, bright, big white fluffy head that dies down after a few minutes. Aroma is light sweet pale malt, honey?, with a slight belgian twang. Flavour follows with the light sweet malt up front, slight saltiness give a thickness to the beer. Belgian phenolics give some complexity. Bitterness is good. Carb is good. Balance is exceptional. Great beer, Grant. I could drink a truckload of this after a hard days work. Thanks for sending me a bottle. Much appreciated.

Cheers
Andrew.

 

[white.grant]

58. Grant - Gose

Looking for beer to put in the fridge for after gardening and picked this one.

Pours a picture. Very clear pale straw, bright, big white fluffy head that dies down after a few minutes. Aroma is light sweet pale malt, honey?, with a slight belgian twang. Flavour follows with the light sweet malt up front, slight saltiness give a thickness to the beer. Belgian phenolics give some complexity. Bitterness is good. Carb is good. Balance is exceptional. Great beer, Grant. I could drink a truckload of this after a hard days work. Thanks for sending me a bottle. Much appreciated.

Cheers
Andrew.

Thought you'd like it

 

[petesbrew]

FYI to those who have my Flanders Oud Bruin.

About 3 months down and it's showing no signs of carbing up. I'm a bit peeved, but what can you do hey?
If you don't mind flat beer, it tastes pretty good at the moment. But if you want to hold on, it's definitely improving with age. (IMHO).
Sorry guys.

 

[petesbrew]

57. Boris - 5.5% Old Ale - Bottled: 26/5/2011 - US05 in primary, cubes of Hungarian oak infused with 9097 (brett strain) in secondary for 2.5 months.

Poured flat, but a thin head & miniscule carbonation appeared out of nowhere.

I haven't tried many, or any, old ales, so it's hard to really criticise this too much.
After a few sips I had to look up the description in Brewing Classic Styles - it's calling for a pretty strong beer, so that's what threw me. This one is really light, easy drinking, but has a rounded smoothness to it.

Very light and smooth. I'm not really getting any oak flavours - but maybe it's coming across in the smooth mouthfeel.
After a few gulps I'm getting the aroma, a very faint mild sourness.

I offered a sip to my beerhating wife, and she said it's not offensive - one of the best compliments you can get (next to "it's nice, but I wouldn't drink it").

Yeah I've opened this only a few days past your "best after" date, so maybe it's got more maturing to go, but I really enjoyed it.
I'd be interested to see how this one ages.