2014 Vic Xmas Caseswap TASTING

[mofox1]

Hope everyone else managed to about this.

Stupid fat phone fingers/autocorrect... ^avoid this.

 

[djar007]

I shotgunned mine .

 

[JB]

For the non bomb gushers, I sit the bottle upside down in the glass, once the beer level gets to the level of the bottle crown, leave it for a short while & it calms down, plus you don't lose half the bottle.

 

[Midnight Brew]

ALSO second bottle i opened in a row is labelled on lid as 1/25.12 MIDNIGHT BREW - Zeus IPA possibly slight infection ?? it is bubbling over slowly since I opened it...have to wait for it to stop bubbling over to try it.. don't leave this any longer.. drink it NOW at risk of bottle bombs..hopefully its just over carbed ..

​Can someone pm midnight..i can't pm him to let him know for some reason

sorry mofox & midnight!!

Hey John, sorry about the overcarb it is the first feedback that I've had about it so not too sure what happened but my apologies. The 25.12 was the recommend drinking date. I wouldnt have though it would of gain any more carbonation from that point. I had my last bottle about mid January and it was fine so maybe a rogue bottle? (I held onto the first and last 3 bottles from that batch).

Did it taste over carbed or have any trace of infection to it?

 

[manticle]

Probably just hop debris from the last few bottled creating nucleation points rather than infection.

 

[GrumpyPaul]

For the non bomb gushers, I sit the bottle upside down in the glass, once the beer level gets to the level of the bottle crown, leave it for a short while & it calms down, plus you don't lose half the bottle.

Im confused....I think I need to see a video of how you do this

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Im confused....I think I need to see a video of how you do this

Ditto, JB are you drinking?

 

[Grainer]

9. technobabble66 - Red Red Y'All Saison,

Slight Brown with Red hue, clean subtle subdued white head, Not much on the nose but malts are evident. Cant say I can smell much of the hops.
​Clean beer with not signs of infection or fermentation issues, medium to high carbonation smooth malts on the palate .. not quite what i was expecting from a saison, but it obviously has some characteristics ... but i actually enjoyed it .. now i am wondering if a dark saison should be on the cards.. thanks mate i thoroughly enjoyed it..

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Hey John, sorry about the overcarb it is the first feedback that I've had about it so not too sure what happened but my apologies. The 25.12 was the recommend drinking date. I wouldnt have though it would of gain any more carbonation from that point. I had my last bottle about mid January and it was fine so maybe a rogue bottle? (I held onto the first and last 3 bottles from that batch).

Did it taste over carbed or have any trace of infection to it?

Had this last weekend and it was a delight, nice a fruity to backup a firm bitterness. I had taken precaution and wrapped the bottle in glad wrap but no explosions and no foaming. Was very well carbonated once poured but nothing to raise an eyebrow about for me. Thanks!

 

[Midnight Brew]

Had this last weekend and it was a delight, nice a fruity to backup a firm bitterness. I had taken precaution and wrapped the bottle in glad wrap but no explosions and no foaming. Was very well carbonated once poured but nothing to raise an eyebrow about for me. Thanks!

Cheers, Nath. Glad you enjoyed it :icon_cheers:

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Sib org - Milk stout

Inspired to have another stout today as I had the abbottsford invalid stout last night and loved it (albeit made by CUB). This well and truly stands up to it, obviously a bit less toasty and more sweetness (lactose?) coming through. Very mild carbonation and whilst super dark looks like excellent clarity.

Really enjoying it mate, well done!

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

JB - Zombie dust IPA

unfortunately my kegerator froze the top part of this so didn't get to see how it truly poured into the glass. I let it warm a bit before trying and man was a lovely hop monster! I couldn't pick the hops but assume there is at least two of the U.S. "C's" in there? Well brewed mate sorry it's taken me so long!

To teach me a lesson the brew gods have thrown out the balance of my kegerator, I set the fridge a few C higher and as a result my taps are pouring foam! Have upped my CO2 pressure hopefully it settles back down but I did have everything perfect albeit the temp too cold.

 

[JB]

Lol, the constant battle for balance, i know it well - in life & in the kegerator!

Cheers Nath, this one had only Citra all the way through, 170g of delicious Citra ☺

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Was delicious!!! Citra tastes different than when subtly used in a pale ale!

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

15. AJ dusty rye saison

Lovely mate, you've restrained on the rye/spice, or the saison yeast funk has balanced it out? well at least that's what I can make out of this. Such a great beer mate, quite full bodied too for a saison? Thanks for sharing and sorry it's taken so long for me to get to it, best till last ay

 

[idzy]

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

 

[technobabble66]

A few reviews from the last couple of days. I've finally started getting stuck into these ... only 6 months later:

2 - Munich Dunkel, Grainer

App -
Whoa Nelly, the head is huge, though probably due to my crappy glassware, tbh. The head forms a nice solid mass of a slightly darker cream colour, slowly dissipates.
Red-black transparent. Seems to have fine lacing.

Aroma -
Lovely maltiness with a mild but decent roastiness. Slight caramel dried-fruitiness element.

Flavour -
Strong bitter hit, offset but a little malty sweetness. Heavily carbed - bottle was overflowing by the time i went for a second pour. Great roastiness. A moderate caramel element coming through, but no discernible sweetness, relatively dry finish. Lingering but relatively smooth bitterness. Slight licoricey molasses hint in there also.

Overall -
Fantastic!! Lovely sessionable beer with a decent roast malt hit, plus some added complexity in there from the overall Munich maltiness and caramel element. Having just checked the label, i’m not sure where the caramel & molasses i tasted came from - must’ve been mainly the Choc malt, plus the extra 6 months ageing, i suppose?
Carbonation was a bit overdone, but i’ve gotta admit i’m struggling with carb levels myself - what should be correct just overcarbs in the glass, and then to drop in won’t lace or form a head properly. The bane of my brewing!! How many vols of CO2 did you prime this?
De-carbing it a bit - i.e.: letting it sit in the glass, de-gas and warm up - really helped bring out the flavour more, especially the caramel element. Lovely!
Some of the best labelling in a case swap!. Though the info on ingredients needs to be slightly larger and the beer wench is too heavily dressed.
Overall, a brilliant beer, and i’m inspired to do a Dunkel replicating this one. Currently trying to work out how i can now rack and lager an additional batch to make use of my current S-189 yeast cake …


4 - Brett Saison, Brewnut

App -
Pale golden hue, mild head, slight haze. Light fine lacing.

Aroma -
Strong fruity and slightly sweet aroma. Slight wheat element. No noticeable horse blanket.

Flavour -
My first Brett … & it’s very interesting. Fruitiness is more subdued than the aroma would suggest, but definitely present. There’s an odd leathery element that’s akin to the dank resinous element you can get from some hops; but it’s not quite the same - that’s the brett, i assume (?). Works well; I like!! Moderate bitterness, rather dry & maybe a slight tart element there too. All well balanced. Slight lingering bitterness. Carbonation is great - on the high side but suits the beer well. Nice full mouthfeel, even though it’s a relatively light and lower alcohol beer.

Overall -
Great beer, really nice intro to brett. Keen to see what a more intense brett beer would be like. Actually, i just remembered that those dodgy Mildura boys rocked up with a keg of Flanders Red to that case swap - one of the best beers i’ve ever had - and i’m assuming that was done using Brett also. So maybe i should have a crack at this brett thing!
A great balance in the beer - all the elements seemed to be at the right level with respect to each other, so top effort in judging all the targets perfectly!
The fruitiness in the aroma was really impressive - very noticeable. I’d be keen to see the hops bill to see how much was from the hops and what might’ve been from the yeasts - it seemed fairly similar to an ale i did last year with a little unmalted wheat and a hops combo of Simcoe/Galaxy/Chinook. Did you use similar hops?



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.

 

[technobabble66]

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.

 

[Grainer]

Thanks techno..It was a slight change of Tara's Slam Dunkel . Do a Google Search on it.. If anything it needs to be a little less roaster and lighter grain bill

cheers

 

[technobabble66]

Negatory yakitory! I reckon your grain bill's great. I'd maybe go a little lighter on the bitterness for myself (I'm sure Yob et all would beg to differ), but the rest was great!! What's different from the TSD?