2016 QLD Xmas Case Swap (Tasting Thread)

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12. Beersuit - Belgian Blonde

Classic Belgian pale. Plenty of fruit esters with gentle spice in the background. Alcohol is warming but pleasant. Highly enjoyable.
 
I had the last of my swap beers on the weekend, apologies if I miss reviewing anyones beer it's been a while since I had some of them.

1. evoo4u - Julebryg
First beer I've had of this style, definitely picked up some cinnamon but couldn't put my finger on otther spices used. Nice beer mate I enjoyed it.

2. Aydos - Galaxy Pale ale
Good beer mate but I found it to be a touch too bitter for my palate, if the bitterness was toned down a touch I couldn't fault it

3. Liam_Snorkel - Impish Stout
My thoughts on this are pretty much the same as everyone elses, not enough body to carry the roast, an interesting experiment none the less

4. Ballantyne - funktown pale ale
My memory's a bit hazy on this one but i remember enjoying it

5. madpierre06 - Funky Saison
For some reason I thought both of the saisons you put in the swap were the same, if i had of realised this had orval dregs in it I would have held onto it for longer. Good beer mate I love a good saison and this ticked boxes for me, the slight funk was a nice addition

6. Earle - Choc Wheat IPA
Wasn't sure how this was going to turn out but after taking my first sip those thoughts were put to bed, nice beer mate it's not easy to get roast/choc flavours to play nicely with hops but you pulled it off, good job mate.

8. Davy - Rye Pale
Well brewed but needed more hop presence

9. Peege - Ainsley Harriot (milk stout)
I'm not a massive fan of milk stouts but this was well balanced and well brewed, good job

10. Benken25 - American farmhouse with mulberry and chilli
Really enjoyed this one mate, nice mulberry flavour that played well with the saison characteristics, just enough chilli to be noticed and support the other flavours without being overpowering.

12. Beersuit - Belgian Blonde
I had this on the weekend, pretty well nailed the style I really enjoyed it mate. Totally agree with the sentiment on the back of the label too

13. evoo4u - APA
Nice beer mate, my only criticism is that for my palate it was a little bit underbittered but other than that it was very enjoyable, well brewed mate

14. Ciderman - Mulberry Sour
I really enjoyed this one, ticked all the boxes for me it had a nice sourness to it and the flavour from the mulberry played nicely, wish I had another bottle ot two

16. giatuprs - Rex Banner's Bannier Hammer XPA
Wasn't sure about this when I had my first sip but the more I drank it the more it grew on me

17. pcqypcqy - Robust Porter.
I vaguely remember drinking this, pretty sure I liked it

18. Nickxb - Coconut Rum Porter
I'm not a rum fan so when i cracked the bottle and had a sniff I was a bit worried it was going to be too rummy but when I had a sip the rum was prevalent but not too overpowering, I could only just pick up the coconut. I think you've already said earlier for the next one you're going to tone down the rum and up the coconut, I reckon if you do that you'll be onto a winner

21. Peege - Grvm RIPA (Red IPA)
Sorry mate I don't remember drinking this, I'm not sure if I actually got a bottle of it

22. madpierre06 - Hopp-a-long Saison
Nice beer mate, hit the spot on a hot day. Was it supposed to be a hoppy saison or was it just a name because I went into this expecting a hoppy saison but when I drank it all I got from it was a well brewed saison

23. Parks - 7.2% Black IPA
I really enjoyed this one mate, the roast and hops were balanced nicely and it was smashable despite being 7.2%, well brewed

24. tazman1967 "Scorched Earth" Smoked Saison
I could pick up a hint of smoke in this but other than that it was a nice beer

Cheers all, the quality of beers has been getting better every swap. Thanks again to Roger for hosting, hopefully see everyone at the next one.
 
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I find this a confusing beer. It packs a punch aromatically with strong yeasty Vegemite aromas. It leads on that it's going to be in the imperial stout spectrum but fails in delivering that big malty whack I would be expecting.

It smells and tastes much boozier than 6% yet has a delicious and rather seemless velvety texture.

Not that I'm overly familiar with the robust porter style but this is unlike any porter I've had before.

Did I enjoy it? Absolutely. But it's certainly a mindfuck.
 
pcqypcqy said:
1. evoo4u - Julebryg

This was very tasty. You can't have a heap of it in one sitting, it's totally wrong season for it, but the wife and I split the bottle on a warm afternoon and it really hit the spot. Nice and sweet, good hints of christmas spices, nice mouthfeel and carb level. Something I'll consider copying come autumn.

What was the ABV on this one Roger?
5.7%

Herbs and spices were vanilla pods, star anise, cinnamon stick and coriander seed, and hops were Brooklyn.

I formulated it on the basis that the herbs/spices shouldn't dominate, but the beer should still allow the flavours to come through. Balanced, I guess is the term for it!

Overall, I'm happy with the way it turned out, but next one, I might just up the Christmas a bit.
 
evoo4u said:
5.7%

Herbs and spices were vanilla pods, star anise, cinnamon stick and coriander seed, and hops were Brooklyn.

I formulated it on the basis that the herbs/spices shouldn't dominate, but the beer should still allow the flavours to come through. Balanced, I guess is the term for it!

Overall, I'm happy with the way it turned out, but next one, I might just up the Christmas a bit.
Very nice beer. Reminded me of Courtney Barnett's early work.
 
Yeah luggy, the #22 was a hoppy one so I'm guessing that the hops have started to fade. The #5 has only just lately had the funk start turning up so should only get better with time, I'm hoping. First time I've done the bottle addition.


luggy said:
5. madpierre06 - Funky Saison
For some reason I thought both of the saisons you put in the swap were the same, if i had of realised this had orval dregs in it I would have held onto it for longer. Good beer mate I love a good saison and this ticked boxes for me, the slight funk was a nice addition



22. madpierre06 - Hopp-a-long Saison
Nice beer mate, hit the spot on a hot day. Was it supposed to be a hoppy saison or was it just a name because I went into this expecting a hoppy saison but when I drank it all I got from it was a well brewed saison
 
evoo4u said:
As in the more you drink the better she sounds...
I think I could be paralytic and on the verge of passing out before she sounds remotely harmonic. That's still not saying she would sound better.
 
23. Parks - 7.2% Black IPA

Top beer. Straddles that line between dark/brown IPA and something more sinister like a porter. Some black/dark IPA's are just IPA's with some colour in there, but you've captured some of the best elements of both.
 
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23. Parks - Black IPA

My bottle was throbbing. The pet bottle had actually changed shape. Ridiculously overcarbed in terms of pourability but didn't affect the taste too much.

Pushing that aside it's a pretty good beer. Needs a touch more bitterness to balance the abv and perhaps not as hoppy as I would expect from an Imperial IPA.
 
Siderman said:
23. Parks - Black IPA

My bottle was throbbing. The pet bottle had actually changed shape. Ridiculously overcarbed in terms of pourability but didn't affect the taste too much.

Pushing that aside it's a pretty good beer. Needs a touch more bitterness to balance the abv and perhaps not as hoppy as I would expect from an Imperial IPA.
I did carb quite high to compensate the bottling process but it looks like yours may have done a little more in the bottle (wouldn't take much).

Glad it was still good.
 
8. Davy - Rye Pale

This went down very well, the rye plays a big part which I really enjoyed because the spiciness really enhanced the hop flavour. The hops played a very nice part but not overwhelming. I found it to be very well balanced and neither the malt or hops took the line light.

Good work mate, really enjoyed!

22. madpierre06 - Hopp-a-long Saison (Drink NOW)

If this beer was dry hopped then it mustn't have been a large portion because the yeast driven esters are more prominent than anything else. A real barnyard aroma which follows into the flavour of the beer. This is exactly how I enjoy my Belgian saisons. I am detecting an ever so slight alcohol presence but it's understandable for typical saisons.

Well done!

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1. evoo4u - Julebryg

This is an interesting beer for me, taking all things into consideration I grabbed this out not knowing what it was to start with. Initial impressions was a brown ale with an addition of rubarb but there was just something else in there I just couldn't figure out.

So I thought I would dig a little deeper and have a look at others reviews and it's where I came across yours with the addition of spices.

I have to say I am not getting the star anise in the flavour apart from a lingering after taste but I wouldn't have even noticed without knowing it was meant to be there. The cinnamon is noticeable but not over powering but I think it was the nutmeg that got me curious. It "rounds" the dark malts without being obtrusive in a way (unlike Courtney Barnett), very hard to describe.

Anyway, lovely beer, enjoyed to the last drop. Stella effort Roger!

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8. Davy - Rye Pale

Great clarity. Nice Rye flavour. Overall hits the spot for me on a hot day. I do agree with the other comments that it could use more hops.
 
3. Liam_Snorkel Impish Stout

Aside from the previously mentioned lack of body, and even that wasn't too much of an issue given the 2% ABV, an interesting and enjoyable little drop. Decent head, roasty, toasty.


9. Peege Ainsley Harriott milk stout

Neithert of my 2 bottles had any carb at all, but 'twere still a nice drink. Malt and bitterness balanced out well with a little creaminsess coming nicely through the middle.

23. Parks - Black IPA

Loved it. Not as hoppy as I expected, more like it was sidling towards being a member of the dark ale family.

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3. Liam - impish stout

Interesting beer. Pours thick and dense just like you'd expect from an imperial. No head. It's much dryer than I was expecting given the FG. Great experiment. Let's be honest, what beers under 3% have any flavour whatsoever. This has plenty of roasty goodness considering it's abv.

If I could drink a litre of this and be able to drive I'd be a happy man.
 
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13. Evoo4u - APA

Overcarbed in the pour but nice once it settled. I thought it had nice sweet crystal malts and a good balance of bitterness. There was a faint whiff of sherbet but honestly this tasted more in the English bitter spectrum than APA. Great beer nonetheless.
 
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24. Tazman1967 - Smoked Saison

It's what it claims to be. Smoky and typical of a well brewed saison. Not much to say here, it's going down nicely.
 
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16. Giatuprs - Brett IPA

Thankfully I didn't really get much Brett in this. Well made IPA. Good aromatics and bitterness with a bit more complexity than your average IPA.
 

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