2014 Vic Xmas Caseswap TASTING

[Grainer]

not much..my beer smith crashed and I lost about 15 recipes .. I had to substitute the grain I think as I didn't have the same types of grain but thats about it from memory..

 

[JB]

JB - Zombie Dust. Really nice beer mate. Poured clear, great aroma and flavour. Very sessionable. Enjoying with my brother whilst watching The Departed.

Cheers Idzy, glad you enjoyed it & passed the brother test! I'm reeling in a few mates to join the homebrew fold with this beer ☺

 

[Grainer]

enjoyed the zombie the most

 

[technobabble66]

5 - Rye IPA, Tahoooose.

App -
Large cream head. Deep amber hue. Mild haze (does anyone care??). Head slowly collapses. Good small lacing.

Aroma -
Deep hoppy fruitiness. You can smell the bitterness awaiting! Nice spicy caramel/honey element. Spicy citrus melon with some caramel maltiness.

Flavour -
Malty bitterness slaps you right in the moosh. As per the aroma - spicy fruitiness, mixed in with the deep maltiness. A caramel element underneath. Smooth, strong bitterness, that lingers moderately but not excessive. Particularly after a few mouthfuls, the majority bitterness drops off quickly to just leave a small bitter itch to linger. Carbonation is perfect, though the glass might’ve taken a fair bit out. Great full mouthfeel. Decent sweetness to offset that bitterness.

Overall -
Excellent IPA, Mitch. There’s really not much to be negative here - it’s all pretty damn good! I’m a convert to the face-peeling bitterness of IPAs & DIPAs, I blame Yob, our local Ringwood hops dealer.
I still struggle to pick what the hell rye is doing, but I love the combo of spicy, fruity caramel with a solid bittersweet slap and tickle.
I actually haven’t brewed an IPA as yet (oh, aside from a little matter of that Pliny DIPA - nothing like 253 IBUs to adjust your bitterness tolerance!) - i’m too much of a tight arse with hops. But i’ve been toying with getting one down for this summer. This has been a very inspiring brew. I think i’ve tried to brew partially for my (non-bb) friends’ appreciation & expansion of their tastes. I’m starting to think i should just brew whatever the f#@k i like, and they can learn to enjoy it or buy Boags.
Again, excellent IPA. Most appreciated!
I’d ask for the recipe but, hey, i’ve already copied & pasted it from earlier in the thread!
... Chocolate malt? Can't say i picked the roast element, but i'm guessing it's blended in with the fruitiness and bitterness.

 

[AJ80]

Tonight's:

16 - Rye Saison, AJ80, Dusty Saison

App -
Darker reddish golden hue - dark amber, i guess. Mid-size lacing. Almost no head. Moderate haze


Aroma -
Fruity melon caramel. Maybe a slight spice element. Damn fine.


Flavour -
Roasty/toasty fruit flavour. Bit of a toffee caramel element. Full flavour - much more full than a regular saison. Moderate bitterness. Bitterness is smooth & lingers for only a few seconds. Significant/moderate carbonation in the mouth - so no idea what happened to the head formation, maybe my glass, etc. Neither dry nor sweet - just right! Did i mention toasty?


Overall -
Loving this beer! Any of the negatives i can suggest are on crap that doesn’t matter, tbh. I really like toasty elements in my beers, and this has all the awesomeness of a fruity saison with that also. I’d really like to see the recipe - i’m curious as to what has contributed to the overall effect: smooth bittering at a great balanced level, fruity melon aroma, toasty, clean, full flavour, carb level great, etc, etc. Especially the toasty-but-regular-ale malt bill. I have no idea where the rye is fitting in here. Nothing obvious i recognise, but it all works. How many vols of CO2 did you prime to, just out of interest?
Fantastic job, Aaron. I’m a bit jealous.

Thanks for the feedback mate, really glad you enjoyed it. Here's the recipe:

Grist:
82.5% JW Pilsner
14.5% rye malt
2% special B
1% midnight wheat (was chasing a dark red colour but clearly stuffed my dark malt ratios!)
Single infusion mash at 65C for 60 minutes.
OG: 1.055
FG: 1.004
Hops:
2.8 g/L Delta (4.4% alpha) at 60 minutes
No chill
Fermented at 24C with the yeast labs saison blend.

I've still got a couple of bottles of this one (double batch) tucked away and am quite happy with how they turned out.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

21 - FOON Saison, DJ l3thal.

App -
Like a slightly darker Jill Masterson. Head is massive - though that could be my glass - and collapses v slowly. Slight haze - not sure if it’s from the wort or the yeast. Lacing looks perfect

Aroma -
Light golden-honey & fruity aroma with that (saison) yeasty element.

Flavour -
Light and fruity. The bitterness hits like a well thrown bowler hat from a japanese henchman - smooth but strong and lethal (& lingering!) - fwiw, it’s pretty much how i find many of the commercial saisons, so big ups on replicating it!. Slight honey malt element. Alcohol comes through slightly, but at 6.6% that’s pretty damn good. Good full mouthfeel for a light style. Carbonation is perfect, though that’s after the glass took a fair bit out with the massive head. The bite of the carbonation fits really well into the overall balance of the beer - how many vols did you prime this?

Overall -
A Grand Slam example of a classic fruity saison. Really nailed it, Nathan! Would be keen to see the recipe (as a comparison to my efforts!). Bitterness is definitely on the strong side, but towards the end it seems to fit in well and, as mentioned, seems similar to the commercial ones i’ve tried - so maybe it’s for making it a better, sessionable beer. Yes, i was watching Goldfinger while sampling this.

Thanks for feedback mate, was my first ever Saison, a tweak on a kindly lended recipe that was a bit higher in ABV% due to feeding some sugars partially into the ferment as well as some coriander seeds in the boil (I thought I had some but realised I didn't on brew day so they got left out).

Carbonation I hate to say it was with a "calibrated" 3 scoop size table sugar spoon. Has one for 330mL botles, one for 500mL (Groslch etc) and one for 750mL longnecks. Just used one scoop of the 750mL in each bottle. I don't find myself focusing on carbonation in beers much at all, probably because I still have so much to learn. So a scoop from a spoon gets me reasonable carbonation so far. Have been thinking about making a sugar syrup in boiled water for a measured amount across a batch of bottles and using a syringe to put the same amount into each bottle, as bulk priming to me just takes another fermenter and seems like a pain.

Recipe below, modified a bit more based on my actual scribbles on the sheet.

PS. LOVE the Goldfinger references!!

Saison
Recipe Specs
----------------
Batch Size (L): 23.0
Total Grain (kg): 5.750
Total Hops (g): 69.00
Original Gravity (OG): 1.061 (°P): 15.0 1.054
Final Gravity (FG): 1.009 (°P): 2.3 1.006
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 6.79 % 6.6%
Colour (SRM): 4.0 (EBC): 7.9
Bitterness (IBU): 26.7 (Average - No Chill Adjusted)
Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 79
Boil Time (Minutes): 60
Grain Bill
----------------
5.060 kg Pilsner (88%)
0.345 kg Munich I (6%)
0.345 kg Torrified Wheat (6%)
Hop Bill
----------------
34.5 g East Kent Golding Pellet (4.7% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil) (1.5 g/L)
34.5 g East Kent Golding Pellet (4.7% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil) (1.5 g/L) Cube hopped
Misc Bill
----------------
0.2 g Whirlfloc Tablet @ 15 Days (Primary) @10 mins in boil
Single step Infusion at 66°C for 90 Minutes.
Fermented at 25°C with Wyeast 3724 - Belgian Saison Danstar Belle Saison (rehydrated)

Notes
----------------
Pitch at 20C and naturally raise to 25C

 

[technobabble66]

1, Sons of Zeus IPA - Midnight Brew

App -
Beautiful reddish golden amber. Slight head that lingers a bit. Nice fine lacing. 2nd pour produced a solid rightish head, so obviously the first pour was a bit too careful - more representative of the carb levels in the tasting.

Aroma -
Lovely fruity bready malty aroma. Maybe slight caramel element. Citrus melon.

Flavour -
Nice fruitiness with the malty backbone - Decent malty, bready presence. Solid smooth bitterness, that lingers quite strongly. Full dry mouthfeel. Carb is about bang on, maybe slightly slightly high. Slight caramel element coming through - med crystal?

Overall -
Great IPA. Just like West Coast in about 10 mins, a strong bitterness; but as tasty and satisfying as watching the Hawks take the Threepeat. Age has certainly dampened the hops elements - the aroma is decent, but a little less than the bitterness would suggest may’ve been there 6 months ago. Recipe, please?
Just checked your listing of it. 100% Red X? Pretty good grist in Red X if it is.

 

[Siborg]

I was cleaning up my garage the other night and found a couple of these (can't remember which ones). Thinking of chucking them in the fridge and trying them. Reckon they'd be ok? Temps could have been from 6-38 degrees over the year.... :unsure:

 

[Yob]

Only one way to find out Si

 

[Siborg]

Only one way to find out Si

Yep. Dumping what I've got left into the fridge when I get home. We'll see how they are!

 

[technobabble66]

Stouts should be great!

 

[technobabble66]

11. JB, Zombie Dust IPA

App
transparent amber, not much lacing, tight white head

Aroma
fruity caramel, tropical citrus, slight malty element

Flavour
malty
super smooth bittering
caramel
citrus
solid lingering bitternes
mild carb
slight mango-tangerine

Overall
Excellent IPA. Considering its almost 18 months old, it’s held up really well (admittedly i’ve been saving this one in my fridge for most of the 18 months). Strong & solid, but very smooth bittering. Solid malt backbone, but perfectly weighted to sit more in the background compared to the hops.
Perfect carb for me. Very very keen to see the recipe... Actually, i think i’ve already grabbed it from earlier!… Great show case of what Citra & Munich can do for an IPA. A lot of Citra, that is.
The perfect accompaniment to watching the Bombers getting smashed.
Cheers, Jas. Big ups !!

What was the carb level you went to, Jas? I'm still struggling to get my carb levels correct.
(FWIW, i had about 3mm btw the fluid level and the lid).

 

[JB]

Hello Mr Techno, nice work tucking this away for so long. Cheers for the review mate, very interesting to read how it's developed over time, although admittedly aging wasn't a consideration in the planning phase for this one.

Yep you're spot on, an absolute motherload of citra went into this fwh, late, whirlpool & dry hopped.

For carb my standard bottling is either the large end of those bottle priming scoops, 7g dex per bottle. If i bulk primed i would have disolved 230g(ish) of dex, i ended up with 30 bottles. I haven't noted down which i did for batch, sorry.

Cheers!

 

[Siborg]

Only one way to find out Si

I forgot to mention... I went and opened a glass tallie from this. I had it on the end of my bench, popped off the lid, and didn't even consider the chance of a gusher.... Yep.... It emptied nearly half of the tallie all over my bench and floor by the time I made it to the sink. Missus wasn't impressed, but the dog was loving it (I stopped her - alcohol+dogs=bad)

 

[technobabble66]

Aaaaaallllllrighty!

still plugging away at these.
The latest:


19 - AndrewF - Northern English Brown

App -
Transparent brown. Almost no head.

Aroma -
Lovely floral, nectar element (EKG??).
Could be some estery UK magic, but i’m more picking up what i think is the malts with the hops - crystal + EKG combo?

Flavour -
Chocolatey maltiness!! Moderate bitterness - in perfect balance. Slightly lowish carb, - though i think the lower carb works well for this. Great mouthfeel - solid, but not too thick, sweet nor dry.

Overall -
Really impressed, Andrew. It’s a lovely English Brown. Perfect balance with all the elements - bitterness, carbonation, malt backbone, subtle but present roastiness & chocolate, subtle hops enhancing the malts. Awesome! Especially impressive considering how old it is! I’d be very curious to see the recipe - what were the hops?? Fantastic job!

 

[idzy]

Wow Stu

 

[technobabble66]

SAH-PRISE, MUTHAFUCKAS!!

7 - Mardoo, Onan’s Oats, Amber

App
Massive head, cream-white. Bit loose
Dark amber/brown.
Transparent.

Aroma
Sweet malty, with a sherry-like caramel element. CO2 combines to produce an almost raspberry effect. i can see where the liquorice all sort description comes from.

Flava
Definitely can see where the descriptor liquorice all-sort comes in - got a deep molasses-like element combining with a candy-like element. Gradually resolves to a rum-like flavour, with a slightly-different-grain-spiciness. Certain solid maltiness coming through also. Bit of earthiness in the back palate. Probably a sherry-like influence from the ageing of this - roughly 2 years old now!
Somewhat overcarbed now.
Nice full mouthfeel, slight slickness, maybe a slightly dry-ish finish with a nice smooth moderate bitterness. Actually, maybe more like a little sweetness in there being balanced by the bitterness. Definitely on the sweeter side.

Overall
Really interesting beer. Merely seeing how 60% oats goes was worth it for this. FWIW, it works surprisingly well!. The various elements that appear in this are particularly interesting, though it’s hard to determine what is from the basic beer, and what is from the length of ageing. The way the raspberries pop out is fascinating - a good example of odd elements combining to form a distinct flavour/aroma. Is there any sugar/molasses added to this, or is it solely coming from the high oats content?

 

[Mardoo]

HA! Necro tastings. No sugar in it, just lots of oaten goodness. Interesting to hear how it aged up.

 

[WarmerBeer]

So, I'm going to need to put a BB Date on my upcoming Xmas Case Swap bottle?

 

[manticle]

No - just stop the temperance movement from crashing it.