OK, finally got my ass into gear. Prepare for spam!
Beer: 58. Grant - Gose
Date: 15th September 11
Details: 750mL bottle
Sampling Notes:
Appearance is pretty much flawless (for a style of beer Ive never tried!); pale gold body, very fine bead, great clarity. Holds an inch of mousse-like head.
Mild aroma. Somewhat Witbier-like particularly spicy, coriander seed, white pepper, grainy, husky cereal malts.
Medium somewhat creamy carbonation. Light body, really interestingly so, spurred on by a drying brine-like quality. Flavour is persistent on palate.
Again, Im reminded of a Witbier its ******* German brother perhaps; coriander, clove, floral and citrus notes atop a delicate pale malt backbone. Light bitterness, dry yet somewhat clean, and oddly briney.
Looked forward to trying this one for sometime, and certainly wasnt disappointed. Really delicate, spicy and floral character the sort of beer I could drink all day amazingly refreshing! Cheers Grant!
Beer: 14 Cortez the Killer Crasian IPA
Date: 15th September 11
Details: 750mL bottle ~ 7.5% - After June 10th
Sampling Notes:
Bit of a gusher. Billowing white foam is poured atop a pale amber body with decent clarity.
Hop-driven aroma; pine resin, bitter orange, cedar, supporting golden syrup malt, possibly just a hint of DMS corniness hard to say.
Nice soft carbonation of moderate intensity. Medium full body, not nearly as the abv alludes to.
Palate full of hops; lots of bitter orange, spicy wood/pine, with biscuit malt adding a light bit of sweetness. Firm bitterness, lingering finish.
Serious IPA. Plenty to think made overall. Cheers Gino!
Beer: 54. Josh - Berliner Weisse
Date: 18th September 11
Details: 750mL bottle - sour mash and Wyeast 1007 - bottled 27/05/2011
Sampling Notes:
Looked quite majestic when poured out into a champagne flute very much the Champagne of beers! Very pale straw, slight haze, very fine bead, inch of creamy white head persists.
Mild aroma. Nice bit of white pepper phenolic spice, white bread malt, bit of pear and banana ester, hint of citrus, that unmistakable lactic twang from a sour mash.
Body is a bit fuller than I was expecting for the style, nice creaminess to the texture combining with a moderate sort of carbonation.
Bready malts and hay upfront on the body. Sourness cuts through mid-palate, giving it a faint lemony tartness combined with a yoghurt-like lactic hit. Bit of pepper spice on persistent sort of finish.
Lovely sort of sour beer. Not overly tart or funky, quite subtle and well rounded; quite a joy to drink really. Cheers Josh!
Beer: 3 Mrs Eyres - Tripel
Date: 20th September 11
Details: 750mL bottle 8.7% Wyeast 3787, bottled 1/4/11
Sampling Notes:
Hazy orange-gold body, white foam dissipates.
Complex sort of nose combination of ripe apricot, cooked citrus, pepper and floral spice, and golden syrupy malts.
Medium carbonation, thick sticky texture, plenty of body long on the palate.
Very sweet upfront lot of light caramels and sugar syrup. Phenolic spice cuts through with notes of white pepper and clove, and ripe fruits apricot, fig, caramelised banana. Dries out on finish, moderately bitter, nice hint of warmth.
Nice Belgian tripel. Good flavour and balance. Possibly missing that really creamy/velvety/silky texture that the best examples to have, but thats asking a lot! Cheers Kelly!
Beer: 8- GrantW - Dubbel
Date: 21st September 11
Details: 750mL bottle
Sampling Notes:
Copper amber body, bit of clarity, white foam dissipates.
Decidedly spicy aroma lots of pepper in particular. Very ripe stone and citrus fruits, distinct floral note in there with molasses and some booziness.
Low carbonation, full body, bit sticky yet alcohol dries it out.
Sweet caramelised/dried fruit malt sweetness upfront. Once again, plenty of spice, some citrus and ripe peach. Bitterness apparent, possibly a touch high, warming alcohol to finish.
Whilst I enjoyed this beer, it feels like something may have not gone according to plan during its brewing. Balance of flavours is a bit off. Cheers Grant.\
Beer: 43. Nifty Some sort of big strong black beer
Date: 21st September 11
Details: 750mL bottle Bottled 30/01/2011 (7.7%)
Sampling Notes:
Pretty much a picture perfect dark beer light brown head, great persistence, opaque black body.
Quite mild aroma; cocoa, liquorice, brown malt, biscuit, with earthy and bitter orange hop character.
Moderate carbonation, beautifully smooth and full-bodied.
Chocolate, mocha malt flavour, with earthy spice hops in decent measure. Smooth finish, balanced bitterness.
Nice stout/porter sort of beer robust porter I spose. Well made, cheers Nifty.
Beer: 32. Gulpa - 102 Imperial Porter
Date: 22nd September 11
Details: 750mL bottle 10% - Wy1388
Sampling Notes:
Opaque near-black body. Tan head foams up, dying down into a persistent dense head.
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Decidedly hop-driven aroma; American sort of grapefruit citrus and resiny pine sap character, some supporting charred malt character. Bit of background earthy spicy and dried apricot almost indicative of bottle age?
Plenty weight on the palate, reasonably lively carbonation. Bitey bitterness cuts through, some lingering astringency.
Chocolatey and burnt caramel malts upfront, but hop character seems most dominant on palate grapefruit rind, bitter orange, grass, cedar, resin lingering. Bit of smokiness, very high bitterness somewhat astringency with a touch of fusel alcohol on finish.
Almost comes across as a Black IPA lots of hops & bitterness, mild supporting dark malts. Not sure if this is an older beer or not, but theres subtle secondary characters that would be interesting to see develop down the track pretty sure Ive snagged another! Cheers Andrew
Beer: 31. Fatgodzilla .. ended up with an India Pale Ale
Date: 23rd September 11
Details: 750mL bottle 1.068 down to 1.012, with palm sugar
Sampling Notes:
Occurred to me typing into the computer, this is my 500th homebrew tasting. Good way to celebrate!
Sizeable foamy head holds atop an orange gold body, decent clarity.
Good whack of hop on the nose; citrus, leafiness, spice, event a touch of vanilla (Pommy hops?). Supporting malt blends in well with biscuit and light caramels.
Medium-full body, smooth texture, relatively subdued carbonation.
Nice malt character; biscuit, golden syrup, toast subtle but well balanced with marmaladey hop citrus and leafy spice. Firm bitterness on finish, lingering hop spice, and just a suggestion of fruity esters.
Rather tasty (British) pale ale. Certainly not over the top like most IPAs tend to be - far more drinkable too! Cheers Ian!
Beer: 2. Gulpa - Not quite Dubbel
Date: 24th September 11
Details: 750mL bottle - 7% - Wy1388
Sampling Notes:
Copper body, hint of red and haze. Foamy head dies down eventually.
Pleasant aroma somewhat floral, yet has a distinct richness; caramel, vanilla, dried fig & apricot, white pepper & clove, dried herbal hop, and just a hint of booze.
Full rich body, lovely silkiness to it, carbonation being a bit subdued probably the only let down.
Body packed full of caramel and sweet cakey malt. Sultana, fig, overly ripe stonefruits, some cooked citrus, and white pepper, vanilla, cinnamon perhaps even a hint of French oak!? Smooth finish, moderate bitterness, booze drying out finish a touch.
Rather a tasty dubbel and no question about it being a dubbel its spot on to me! Cheers Andrew!
Beer: 41. Petesbrew - Soul Glo Belgian inspired RIS
Date: 24th September 11
Details: 330mL bottle (11.5%)
Sampling Notes:
Picture perfect looking stout opaque pitch black body, dense orange-tan head leaves dense lace.
I gotta say, first whiff of this really did smell a bit like Tequila! Alcohol certainly noticeable on the nose, but looking past that, theres a lot on offer; burnt toast, dark roast coffee, burnt toffee, aniseed, chocolate, dark grain bread, cooked herbs.
Thick and viscous, without being cloying for a beer of this strength. Medium carbonation, long warm finish, acrid roast kept in tow.
Great complexity of roast & sweet malt characters chocolate, espresso, liquorice, burnt toffee, toasted, charred oak. Taste of fusel alcohol noticeable on finish without being too off-putting. Firm bitterness balances well.
This is SERIOUS black beer serious! Really complex, no doubt well made. HUGE abv is noticeable yet doesnt distract from the rest of the beer. Well done, cheers Pete!
