2014 WA Winter Case Swap -- ** Tasting **

[dent]

Danestead - Hop Hog

This review is seriously coloured by having the Feral version here side by side. I don't know where this bottle came from or how old it is, but it was in the magic fridge ready to go. Much opinion follows...

The number one difference between the two is the ferment on the Feral one is clean. The clone is a bit flawed, much like I was saying on the case swap day. It wouldn't stand out so much, but having them side by side really brings it into sharp relief. The clone has a bit of flabbiness in the aroma and flavour. It could be diacetyl, but my palate isn't so refined I can guarantee that's what it is. I get this on some of my brews now and then, I put it down to either oxidation or yeast health/ferment regime or both. This flabbiness seriously detracts from the drinkability when compared to the Feral version. Maybe that is the "body" some others have mentioned - I can't really pick a difference on the dextrins/FG/mouthfeel between the two.

The hop aromatics on the Feral bottle are brighter. The Feral bottle's hop flavour has that "hop sweetness" which I love, and struggle to reproduce on my own APAs and IPAs - the clone lacks this also.

The clone seems a little more minerally, I agree with Nev that less is required.

The Feral is significantly more clear - but not bright. I don't think they filter this beer, and since the clone is on the same quantity of hops it should be just as clear, but it is quite hazy - this points to more process issues that could be refined.

I think in the end I think you have the recipe spot on, it is just the execution that needs some work to make it a complete clone. I'm by no means saying that the clone is shit, it is actually pretty good, but these are the points where it misses the mark. Still one of the best beers of the swap so far.

 

[dent]

Oh yeah, and the head on the Feral one was more white. So you might want to work on that.

 

[keifer33]

Well after reading about everyone's reports on the glass bottle gusher I thought I better take precautions and did it over the sink. Had my camera handy so also filmed it but didnt quite realise how much it was going to go and was only able to get a little bit in a glass that didn't have yeast in it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYVp3bM7-g0

 

[dent]

Ha - I'm onto the same one

Jono Oatmeal Stout

It's actually not a bad beer - doesn't taste infected or anything, just overcarbed. I managed to get half a pint into a glass post-gush. The dark malt is a little on the metallic side, but apart from that it would be a good stout.

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

Dont you know its the new Aussie style , black Champagne
Nev

 

[StalkingWilbur]

Some people did get a barley wine instead of the oatmeal stout. Anyone tried one of those yet?

 

[Velu]

I had one of the barley wines yesterday, was good, was well carbonated but nothing like the stout. I've nothing to compare it too, but was lovely on a showery, windy afternoon, tucked up in front of comm games. You could taste the alcohol but it wasn't overpowering.

 

[danestead]

Danestead - Hop Hog

This review is seriously coloured by having the Feral version here side by side. I don't know where this bottle came from or how old it is, but it was in the magic fridge ready to go. Much opinion follows...

The number one difference between the two is the ferment on the Feral one is clean. The clone is a bit flawed, much like I was saying on the case swap day. It wouldn't stand out so much, but having them side by side really brings it into sharp relief. The clone has a bit of flabbiness in the aroma and flavour. It could be diacetyl, but my palate isn't so refined I can guarantee that's what it is. I get this on some of my brews now and then, I put it down to either oxidation or yeast health/ferment regime or both. This flabbiness seriously detracts from the drinkability when compared to the Feral version. Maybe that is the "body" some others have mentioned - I can't really pick a difference on the dextrins/FG/mouthfeel between the two.

The hop aromatics on the Feral bottle are brighter. The Feral bottle's hop flavour has that "hop sweetness" which I love, and struggle to reproduce on my own APAs and IPAs - the clone lacks this also.

The clone seems a little more minerally, I agree with Nev that less is required.

The Feral is significantly more clear - but not bright. I don't think they filter this beer, and since the clone is on the same quantity of hops it should be just as clear, but it is quite hazy - this points to more process issues that could be refined.

I think in the end I think you have the recipe spot on, it is just the execution that needs some work to make it a complete clone. I'm by no means saying that the clone is shit, it is actually pretty good, but these are the points where it misses the mark. Still one of the best beers of the swap so far.

Cheers dent. As expected, a solid critique there!

The hogs u found in the fridge were mine that I brought along on the day and forgot about. Shit, I should have taken them home!

Feral do filter, however only coarsely, which leaves much of the yeast behind. Mine was crash chilled for 1 week, no filter. I'd expect a kegged version to be considerably more clear after another week etc.

Oxidation is a possibility as they were cpbf however I'm not sure how long that process takes?

I've made a few more tweaks to the recipe for version 3 however I'll take onboard the process issues you speak of to see if I can suss out how to get a cleaner ferment.

As for the minerally water issue, I've thought hard and decided to stick to the same profile (rodi water built from scratch) however when I did the case swap beer my scales were only 1g accurate however now I've busted out my cocaine scales which I've calibrated to 0.02g accuracy so maybe that's where my minerally thing may have come from, hopefully!

 

[dent]

Shit, I should have taken them home!

Hey if you did that, you'd've missed out on this quality criticism

The mineral thing isn't a big deal, it isn't really something that stands out.

I don't think the issues are a result of CPBF oxidation, I'd say the beer was like that right out the fermenter. But I could be wrong.

 

[danestead]

On a side note, and sorry for being off topic, however I used to rate hop hog as pretty much my fav beer however I've just discovered some out of this world stuff.

I'm in NZ atm and have had the 8 Wired Brewerys Hopwired and Superconductor. OMG. Also I've had 3 of the current Brewdog IPA IS dead single hopped IPAs. OMG also! Plus some seriously good other stuff. The monteiths American pale ale is seriously good. Worth a try. Great to see them throwing a good load of flavour in a beer. Even the bartender warned me it was hoppy!

 

[keifer33]

Found a bottle of my brew and chucked it in the fridge last night...pretty sure its oxidised as I am picking up a sherryish vibe and a bit of the stale beer dent described. I hate bottling.

 

[dent]

Yeah that superconductor I'd rate as the best IPA I've ever had, absolutely awesome. Had some on tap, I dunno if the bottles on the shelf here are any good.

 

[StalkingWilbur]

I've had bottles of superconductor and they were amazing. Lagunitas Maximus, sixpoint resin and evil twin Molotov cocktail have all been better though I think.

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

Hoppy beers , pffff...
Give me real beer any day, you know where you can taste malt as well h34r:

 

[StalkingWilbur]

When I get home and finally brew that hop hammer I'm dedicating it you, Nev. I might even through in some extra hops and dextrose in your honor.

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

Combined for everyones reading pleasure.
1. dent - Baltic Porter (10%) - CPBF + ready to drink, but feel free to see if it changes over time in the fridge if you've already sucked on the tap
2. jyo- Oatmeal Stout- Bottle Conditioned for just over a month. Give it another couple of weeks if you want.
3. Milk Lizard 84-Golden Ale ready to drink
4. Nev**** Fat Albert Belgian Amber 8% - bottle conditioning
5. keifer33 – Dry Stout - Bottle Conditioned and ready
6. Mitch_76 - ?Dubbel Choc 8.7%
7. twocansam - American Wheat Bottle conditioned, ready to drink now
keifer33 - Good beer but could do with a little more hop character for me personally. A dry hopped version would be tops.
8. Recharge - London brown ale
9. Rad - Amber ale - Ready to drink
StalkingWilbur - I did enjoy this, but I found it had a little bit of a cloying sweetness. When I had sips i enjoyed it. When I took a bigger mouthful is when I found it too sweet. Aroma was good and reminded me of endeavour amber ale, although I haven't had one of those for quite a while so could be way off.
Recharge- Poured perfectly clear and looked great in the glass. Enjoyable beer. Thanks
Ned- I enjoyed this, I don't drink a lot of amber ales, so the sweetness was different for me, I think I will try more amber ales after drinking this beer
10. lanerigg - IPA
keifer33 - Sorry mate my bottle was rock solid and a gusher. Waited for it to settle but wasnt drinkable. Very Phenolic and Solventy unfortunately.
11. StalkingWilbur - Robust Porter - give it some time. Three weeks in bottle, but was left outside in the cold so was still undercarbed when I tried one before the swap.
12. danestead - american IPA hop hog clone - CPBF ready to drink

NEV- First off I got the mineral bite but after the first glass it mellowed, its a good beer, nice and mellow and not too hoppy for me. Cheers

StalkingWilbur - Damn. I really enjoyed this. If I had known what I was in for I would've made sure I had a hop hog on hand so I could do a side by side. The aroma jumped out of the bottle andreminded me of hop hog. I think the taste was pretty close too and packed a nice hop flavor and punch. Will be looking to brew this at some point.
lanerigg - a bloody good clone! really enjoyed it. Will be making it soon
keifer33 - Great beer mate. Maybe a little drier and slightly more hop aroma and it will be an even better beer.
recharge - hop hog clone. I had a feral hop hog in tap at the kalamunda hotel on Wednesday for lunch, was disappointing. Not so with your beer, it was very enjoyable good balance of malt and hops I was looking for more. Thanks.

jyo- yup- this is tops. I shared this with a mate who is a Hop Hog freak and we were both impressed. If you truly want a clone, then I agree with Keiffer with there maybe being too much body, but flavour and aroma were pretty damn close. A great beer.
Ned- I enjoyed this, well balanced, not quite as aggressive as the real deal, but pretty bloody good
danestead- cheers for the feedback guys, really appreciated. I also agree that the body needs some thinning and a dryer finish and the aroma needs a boost which it what I've adjusted for my planned version 3.
13. wilkens - choc/vanilla porter
14. Ned - Rye APA. bottle conditioned, ready to drink because I thought the swap was on in June for some reason
Nev- a good balance of hops and malt, easy drinking, didn't realise it was bottle conditioned so last glass was thick but overall a great beer.
17. Neanderthal Black IPA - Bottle Conditioned - ready to drink.
18. Rickcobba - American IPA - needs more conditioning time, bottled 2014-07-10
19. Jono- Oatmeal Stout
jyo- Mine gushed out of the bottle and carbonation was dangerously high for a glass bottle- maybe get these in the fridge ASAP. Once settled down it had a deep rich, roasty stout flavour and was pretty good. I can feel the 6.5%....
Nev- Ended up with 1/4 of a bottle after the gush stopped. Nice beer but potentially a bottle bomb !

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

Combined for everyones reading pleasure.
1. dent - Baltic Porter (10%) - CPBF + ready to drink, but feel free to see if it changes over time in the fridge if you've already sucked on the tap
2. jyo- Oatmeal Stout- Bottle Conditioned for just over a month. Give it another couple of weeks if you want.
3. Milk Lizard 84-Golden Ale ready to drink

NEV- poured with great head, nice carbonation, hop aroma was there for sure but a good balance. My idea of a session ale.

4. Nev**** Fat Albert Belgian Amber 8% - bottle conditioning
5. keifer33 – Dry Stout - Bottle Conditioned and ready
6. Mitch_76 - ?Dubbel Choc 8.7%
7. twocansam - American Wheat Bottle conditioned, ready to drink now
keifer33 - Good beer but could do with a little more hop character for me personally. A dry hopped version would be tops.
8. Recharge - London brown ale
9. Rad - Amber ale - Ready to drink
StalkingWilbur - I did enjoy this, but I found it had a little bit of a cloying sweetness. When I had sips i enjoyed it. When I took a bigger mouthful is when I found it too sweet. Aroma was good and reminded me of endeavour amber ale, although I haven't had one of those for quite a while so could be way off.
Recharge- Poured perfectly clear and looked great in the glass. Enjoyable beer. Thanks
Ned- I enjoyed this, I don't drink a lot of amber ales, so the sweetness was different for me, I think I will try more amber ales after drinking this beer
10. lanerigg - IPA
keifer33 - Sorry mate my bottle was rock solid and a gusher. Waited for it to settle but wasnt drinkable. Very Phenolic and Solventy unfortunately.
11. StalkingWilbur - Robust Porter - give it some time. Three weeks in bottle, but was left outside in the cold so was still undercarbed when I tried one before the swap.
12. danestead - american IPA hop hog clone - CPBF ready to drink

NEV- First off I got the mineral bite but after the first glass it mellowed, its a good beer, nice and mellow and not too hoppy for me. Cheers

StalkingWilbur - Damn. I really enjoyed this. If I had known what I was in for I would've made sure I had a hop hog on hand so I could do a side by side. The aroma jumped out of the bottle andreminded me of hop hog. I think the taste was pretty close too and packed a nice hop flavor and punch. Will be looking to brew this at some point.
lanerigg - a bloody good clone! really enjoyed it. Will be making it soon
keifer33 - Great beer mate. Maybe a little drier and slightly more hop aroma and it will be an even better beer.
recharge - hop hog clone. I had a feral hop hog in tap at the kalamunda hotel on Wednesday for lunch, was disappointing. Not so with your beer, it was very enjoyable good balance of malt and hops I was looking for more. Thanks.

jyo- yup- this is tops. I shared this with a mate who is a Hop Hog freak and we were both impressed. If you truly want a clone, then I agree with Keiffer with there maybe being too much body, but flavour and aroma were pretty damn close. A great beer.
Ned- I enjoyed this, well balanced, not quite as aggressive as the real deal, but pretty bloody good
danestead- cheers for the feedback guys, really appreciated. I also agree that the body needs some thinning and a dryer finish and the aroma needs a boost which it what I've adjusted for my planned version 3.
13. wilkens - choc/vanilla porter
14. Ned - Rye APA. bottle conditioned, ready to drink because I thought the swap was on in June for some reason
Nev- a good balance of hops and malt, easy drinking, didn't realise it was bottle conditioned so last glass was thick but overall a great beer.
17. Neanderthal Black IPA - Bottle Conditioned - ready to drink.
18. Rickcobba - American IPA - needs more conditioning time, bottled 2014-07-10
19. Jono- Oatmeal Stout
jyo- Mine gushed out of the bottle and carbonation was dangerously high for a glass bottle- maybe get these in the fridge ASAP. Once settled down it had a deep rich, roasty stout flavour and was pretty good. I can feel the 6.5%....

Nev- Ended up with 1/4 of a bottle after the gush stopped. Nice beer but potentially a bottle bomb !

 

[Neanderthal]

Combined for everyones reading pleasure.
1. dent - Baltic Porter (10%) - CPBF + ready to drink, but feel free to see if it changes over time in the fridge if you've already sucked on the tap
2. jyo- Oatmeal Stout- Bottle Conditioned for just over a month. Give it another couple of weeks if you want.
3. Milk Lizard 84-Golden Ale ready to drink

NEV- poured with great head, nice carbonation, hop aroma was there for sure but a good balance. My idea of a session ale.

4. Nev**** Fat Albert Belgian Amber 8% - bottle conditioning
5. keifer33 – Dry Stout - Bottle Conditioned and ready
6. Mitch_76 - ?Dubbel Choc 8.7%
7. twocansam - American Wheat Bottle conditioned, ready to drink now
keifer33 - Good beer but could do with a little more hop character for me personally. A dry hopped version would be tops.
8. Recharge - London brown ale
9. Rad - Amber ale - Ready to drink
StalkingWilbur - I did enjoy this, but I found it had a little bit of a cloying sweetness. When I had sips i enjoyed it. When I took a bigger mouthful is when I found it too sweet. Aroma was good and reminded me of endeavour amber ale, although I haven't had one of those for quite a while so could be way off.
Recharge- Poured perfectly clear and looked great in the glass. Enjoyable beer. Thanks
Ned- I enjoyed this, I don't drink a lot of amber ales, so the sweetness was different for me, I think I will try more amber ales after drinking this beer
10. lanerigg - IPA
keifer33 - Sorry mate my bottle was rock solid and a gusher. Waited for it to settle but wasnt drinkable. Very Phenolic and Solventy unfortunately.
11. StalkingWilbur - Robust Porter - give it some time. Three weeks in bottle, but was left outside in the cold so was still undercarbed when I tried one before the swap.
12. danestead - american IPA hop hog clone - CPBF ready to drink

NEV- First off I got the mineral bite but after the first glass it mellowed, its a good beer, nice and mellow and not too hoppy for me. Cheers

StalkingWilbur - Damn. I really enjoyed this. If I had known what I was in for I would've made sure I had a hop hog on hand so I could do a side by side. The aroma jumped out of the bottle andreminded me of hop hog. I think the taste was pretty close too and packed a nice hop flavor and punch. Will be looking to brew this at some point.
lanerigg - a bloody good clone! really enjoyed it. Will be making it soon
keifer33 - Great beer mate. Maybe a little drier and slightly more hop aroma and it will be an even better beer.
recharge - hop hog clone. I had a feral hop hog in tap at the kalamunda hotel on Wednesday for lunch, was disappointing. Not so with your beer, it was very enjoyable good balance of malt and hops I was looking for more. Thanks.

jyo- yup- this is tops. I shared this with a mate who is a Hop Hog freak and we were both impressed. If you truly want a clone, then I agree with Keiffer with there maybe being too much body, but flavour and aroma were pretty damn close. A great beer.
Ned- I enjoyed this, well balanced, not quite as aggressive as the real deal, but pretty bloody good
danestead- cheers for the feedback guys, really appreciated. I also agree that the body needs some thinning and a dryer finish and the aroma needs a boost which it what I've adjusted for my planned version 3.
13. wilkens - choc/vanilla porter
14. Ned - Rye APA. bottle conditioned, ready to drink because I thought the swap was on in June for some reason
Nev- a good balance of hops and malt, easy drinking, didn't realise it was bottle conditioned so last glass was thick but overall a great beer.
17. Neanderthal Black IPA - Bottle Conditioned - ready to drink.
18. Rickcobba - American IPA - needs more conditioning time, bottled 2014-07-10
19. Jono- Oatmeal Stout
jyo- Mine gushed out of the bottle and carbonation was dangerously high for a glass bottle- maybe get these in the fridge ASAP. Once settled down it had a deep rich, roasty stout flavour and was pretty good. I can feel the 6.5%....

Nev- Ended up with 1/4 of a bottle after the gush stopped. Nice beer but potentially a bottle bomb !

Neanderthal - Jonos BarleyWine. Well after the warning I opened mine in the sink and nothing happened. Argh, a Barleywine. I then got caught on the phone for 15 mins which allowed it to warm up and settle down. Loads of caramel flavour and only a little fusel type taste from the 10.2%. Sweet but not cloyingly and lingers on the tastbud for a while. A touch too much carbonation as it took a while for me to pour due to being heady. Bigger beer than I planned on my normal drink free tuesday but now I need to go and find another beer. Enjoyed it.

 

[Milk-lizard84]

Combined for everyones reading pleasure.
1. dent - Baltic Porter (10%) - CPBF + ready to drink, but feel free to see if it changes over time in the fridge if you've already sucked on the tap
2. jyo- Oatmeal Stout- Bottle Conditioned for just over a month. Give it another couple of weeks if you want.
3. Milk Lizard 84-Golden Ale ready to drink

NEV- poured with great head, nice carbonation, hop aroma was there for sure but a good balance. My idea of a session ale.

4. Nev**** Fat Albert Belgian Amber 8% - bottle conditioning
5. keifer33 – Dry Stout - Bottle Conditioned and ready
6. Mitch_76 - ?Dubbel Choc 8.7%
7. twocansam - American Wheat Bottle conditioned, ready to drink now
keifer33 - Good beer but could do with a little more hop character for me personally. A dry hopped version would be tops.
8. Recharge - London brown ale
9. Rad - Amber ale - Ready to drink
StalkingWilbur - I did enjoy this, but I found it had a little bit of a cloying sweetness. When I had sips i enjoyed it. When I took a bigger mouthful is when I found it too sweet. Aroma was good and reminded me of endeavour amber ale, although I haven't had one of those for quite a while so could be way off.
Recharge- Poured perfectly clear and looked great in the glass. Enjoyable beer. Thanks
Ned- I enjoyed this, I don't drink a lot of amber ales, so the sweetness was different for me, I think I will try more amber ales after drinking this beer
10. lanerigg - IPA
keifer33 - Sorry mate my bottle was rock solid and a gusher. Waited for it to settle but wasnt drinkable. Very Phenolic and Solventy unfortunately.
11. StalkingWilbur - Robust Porter - give it some time. Three weeks in bottle, but was left outside in the cold so was still undercarbed when I tried one before the swap.
12. danestead - american IPA hop hog clone - CPBF ready to drink

NEV- First off I got the mineral bite but after the first glass it mellowed, its a good beer, nice and mellow and not too hoppy for me. Cheers

StalkingWilbur - Damn. I really enjoyed this. If I had known what I was in for I would've made sure I had a hop hog on hand so I could do a side by side. The aroma jumped out of the bottle andreminded me of hop hog. I think the taste was pretty close too and packed a nice hop flavor and punch. Will be looking to brew this at some point.
lanerigg - a bloody good clone! really enjoyed it. Will be making it soon
keifer33 - Great beer mate. Maybe a little drier and slightly more hop aroma and it will be an even better beer.
recharge - hop hog clone. I had a feral hop hog in tap at the kalamunda hotel on Wednesday for lunch, was disappointing. Not so with your beer, it was very enjoyable good balance of malt and hops I was looking for more. Thanks.

jyo- yup- this is tops. I shared this with a mate who is a Hop Hog freak and we were both impressed. If you truly want a clone, then I agree with Keiffer with there maybe being too much body, but flavour and aroma were pretty damn close. A great beer.
Ned- I enjoyed this, well balanced, not quite as aggressive as the real deal, but pretty bloody good
danestead- cheers for the feedback guys, really appreciated. I also agree that the body needs some thinning and a dryer finish and the aroma needs a boost which it what I've adjusted for my planned version 3.
13. wilkens - choc/vanilla porter
14. Ned - Rye APA. bottle conditioned, ready to drink because I thought the swap was on in June for some reason
Nev- a good balance of hops and malt, easy drinking, didn't realise it was bottle conditioned so last glass was thick but overall a great beer.
17. Neanderthal Black IPA - Bottle Conditioned - ready to drink.
Milk-lizard84- Really enjoyed this. Poured a treat and had a nice aroma and mouthfeel. Only just starting to appreciate darker beers so this hit the spot for me.
18. Rickcobba - American IPA - needs more conditioning time, bottled 2014-07-10
19. Jono- Oatmeal Stout
jyo- Mine gushed out of the bottle and carbonation was dangerously high for a glass bottle- maybe get these in the fridge ASAP. Once settled down it had a deep rich, roasty stout flavour and was pretty good. I can feel the 6.5%....

Nev- Ended up with 1/4 of a bottle after the gush stopped. Nice beer but potentially a bottle bomb !

Neanderthal - Jonos BarleyWine. Well after the warning I opened mine in the sink and nothing happened. Argh, a Barleywine. I then got caught on the phone for 15 mins which allowed it to warm up and settle down. Loads of caramel flavour and only a little fusel type taste from the 10.2%. Sweet but not cloyingly and lingers on the tastbud for a while. A touch too much carbonation as it took a while for me to pour due to being heady. Bigger beer than I planned on my normal drink free tuesday but now I need to go and find another beer. Enjoyed it.

 

[Jono1492]

Hey dudes! My HUGEST apologies for the gushers; these Oatmeal Stouts where one half of the batch, the half I've already drunk weren't like this; either way I am super sorry for any mess or frustration I inevitably caused! Look forward to getting into my case! Sorry again, hope what was left was worth drinking!