2016 Qld xmas in july case swap tasting thread

[evoo4u]

Also finishing the weekend with evoo4u's Baltic porter. Echoing the comments from Adro & Anus, smooth, dark fruit & roast. Very good drinking.
Also props for a label featuring nudity, violence & beer. The cornerstones of civilisation.

ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1471769898.260934.jpg

Ahh yes, the label -- Being a 'Baltic' porter, I had this picture in my head of the Vikings returning home from another raid of pillaging and looting, and letting their hair down in a debauched session of merriment and mayhem and whatever else Vikings do to unwind -- and I came across this picture...

Re the beer-swap brews:
Been trying a few over the last few days, and I'm not good at describing flavour nuances, so in simple terms:

9. Seehuusen - Resch Extra Stout - with Brett
Nice beer, no head though, and first time I've ever had brett style. I could get used to it!

7. Liam_snorkel - Black brett IPA
Enjoyed this one too.

5. Motobika - Lichtenhainer
I just can't get into sour beers, so this one did nothing for me at all.

6. Lukiferj - Rye Hard with a Bitty Smoke
Wonderful! I can see I'm going to have to start playing with smoked brews, also rye as part of the grain bill.

I agree with the comments about the standard of the brews. My first time participating in a beer-swap, and a real eye-opener to the variety and quality of beers you guys are making.

 

[evoo4u]

4. madpierre06 - Black Rye IPA

Wow - what a ripper! A beautiful IPA, not overdone in the hops department, and that rye -- again I feel the need to include it in some of my brews. The taste of this IPA lingered, and even 18 hours later, I can still remember the taste. A truly memorable beer. Well done mp! If ever you come up the range visiting, feel free to bring a few of these...

 

[Parks]

4. madpierre06 - Black Rye IPA

Wow - what a ripper! A beautiful IPA, not overdone in the hops department, and that rye -- again I feel the need to include it in some of my brews. The taste of this IPA lingered, and even 18 hours later, I can still remember the taste. A truly memorable beer. Well done mp! If ever you come up the range visiting, feel free to bring a few of these...

Unfortunately mine is like the few others that didn't make it. Mine didn't resemble an IPA at all and had a really smokey phenolic. It wasn't undrinkable by any means but wasn't right.

Glad it wasn't a whole batch though.

 

[madpierre06]

4. madpierre06 - Black Rye IPA

Wow - what a ripper! A beautiful IPA, not overdone in the hops department, and that rye -- again I feel the need to include it in some of my brews. The taste of this IPA lingered, and even 18 hours later, I can still remember the taste. A truly memorable beer. Well done mp! If ever you come up the range visiting, feel free to bring a few of these...

Cheers evo, this is certainly on a remake list, the couple I've had I really enjoyed. And if doing a range run, you will be one of the first to know. Always up for sharin' a traveller.

Unfortunately mine is like the few others that didn't make it. Mine didn't resemble an IPA at all and had a really smokey phenolic. It wasn't undrinkable by any means but wasn't right.

Glad it wasn't a whole batch though.

Sorry about that Parks, you are ALSAO ON THE Redo list.....obviously there are issues with my bottle processes, although I basically follow the same steps every time. Will have to look into this. Whether overconfidence, familiarity....it does seem to be there that the problem has arisen. Sorery agasin mate.

 

[evoo4u]

Sorery agasin mate.

Keyboard issues too ...

 

[madpierre06]

:lol:

And there's anothery as well, I have to put my hand up as I reckon it has to be the bottling...sorry fellas, I have clearly missed something or maybe just got a tad blasay. I do have a couple bottles left, but am on the dry till septemberey so won't be getting to test ;em till then. Will post back once I do.

 

[evoo4u]

11. Fattox - cherrywood smoked foreign extra stout

Well I'm not good at picking the subtleties of flavour, but I got the smokiness right up, and a touch of bacon??? Or was that because my good lady was chopping up some bacon at the time for inclusion in the dinner, and I saw that as I tasted? No, I don't think so - definitely a bacon flavour. Whatever, a very nice stout, with a little more head appearing on the second glass.

I'm going to have to investigate how to get the smokiness in beers, as it sure is a lovely touch.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

Yep cherrywood is straight up pork hock if you use enough of it

 

[benken25]

Drinking 16. Evoo4u baltic porter. After a crappy day doing a couple of breakdowns in the rain this was the first thing i cracked when i got home. Beautiful dark malts and a hint of rum and raisn type smell on the nose. Very smooth. Maybe a touch too sweet for my tastes and the alcohol starts to become present as it warms but its not offensive. This beer is definitely a fine winter warmer

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

22. BenKen25 Breaky Porter - Dark Golden Brown beer with extremely persistent dark tan head that laces and does not dissipate through the entire glass. Lots of smoked bacon smells on the nose. Body is thinner than I expected (not a bad thing, mind you), that adds a drinkability and quaffability to it that I didn't expect. On the palate is the big bacony thing. I'm noticing that as these smoked beers warm up, the smoke starts to take more of a backward seat. Good solid beer, well brewed porter with smoke. I quite liked it, though as I say, I'm not a big smoked beer fan. This was infinitely more sessionable than I had expected. I like that I don't pick up esters in this beer, and the coffee/chocolate takes a back seat to the smoke, but the smoke is not overbearing. No liquorice, as others have said. Top effort, Ben - from a smoke agnostic, this is well proper beer.

15. Radshoes Infected Saison - light golden very clear beer with good carbonation (better than I expect from a sour) and a small head that persists far longer than I'd expect from a sour, but less than I'd expect from a Saison. Fruity on the nose, with the clove phenols being far more minimal than any of my belgian beers. On the palate, there is the slightly cheesy funky sourness, combined with a candied lolly of the sweetness and sourness of gummi bears or sour coke bottles (not the flavour, just the palate feel), which sweetness does not linger but is cleansed by the clean sourness that comes in at the end. Faint belgiany esters and phenols, but very faint - carbonation adds an extra refreshing bite to it (normally most sours I find tend to be very low carbonation) You can almost taste that there is a saison underneath, but not quite. Cracking Beer. For a sour novice like me, this is what I want my sours to be like. Refreshing, flavourful, interesting, and I kept wanting to chew lolly from the beer and then the palate cleanse comes in and lifts the beer. Sorry for lots of words, but not lots of useful words. Suffice to say, I loved this beer and this is what I want to brew a sour to be. So much so, I'm reconsidering the saison I was going to brew, because I know it won't be as good as this.

 

[Mardoo]

Awesome thread guys. Have read the whole thing. I like how y'all think about beer.

 

[Radshoes]

Raja,

This is a never to be repeated beer as well. Was truly experimental dumb luck.
Went kind of like this -

Hey everyone is buying barrels I want one too.
What the **** am I going to put in the barrel?
Oh wait - what if i make 100litres of saison, Give it colombus for bittering and a flavour addition and then chuck it in the barrel.
Oh hey this beer im drinking tastes nice, might put the dregs in the barrel.
Oh hey we are putting a wyeast order in at work, maybe i should order some WY 5526 | Brettanomyces lambicus.
What am i going to do with this Brett now?
Oh hey look I have that barrel with 100 l of *******ised saison maybe I should put it in there.
3 months later.
Might pull a keg off that barrel see what it tastes like.
yeah not too bad, the missus likes it too.
Better top it up - but i have to do a 45-50 litre batch.
**** case swap coming up need a beer but the next thing I am brewing is a top up for the barrel - but wait im brewing more than i took out of the barrel.
Yeah I can just use barrel beer for the swap then I will have close to 45 litres of empty space.

And the rest is you guys drinking it.

And I topped it up with a darker base so the next lot will be almost brown!

 

[madpierre06]

Raja,

This is a never to be repeated beer as well. Was truly experimental dumb luck.
Went kind of like this -

Hey everyone is buying barrels I want one too.
What the **** am I going to put in the barrel?
Oh wait - what if i make 100litres of saison, Give it colombus for bittering and a flavour addition and then chuck it in the barrel.
Oh hey this beer im drinking tastes nice, might put the dregs in the barrel.
Oh hey we are putting a wyeast order in at work, maybe i should order some WY 5526 | Brettanomyces lambicus.
What am i going to do with this Brett now?
Oh hey look I have that barrel with 100 l of *******ised saison maybe I should put it in there.
3 months later.
Might pull a keg off that barrel see what it tastes like.
yeah not too bad, the missus likes it too.
Better top it up - but i have to do a 45-50 litre batch.
**** case swap coming up need a beer but the next thing I am brewing is a top up for the barrel - but wait im brewing more than i took out of the barrel.
Yeah I can just use barrel beer for the swap then I will have close to 45 litres of empty space.

And the rest is you guys drinking it.

And I topped it up with a darker base so the next lot will be almost brown!

Sounds like a brew day at chez pierre.

 

[Ciderman]

Sounds like a brew day at chez pierre.

Have you filled your barrel yet?

 

[winkle]

Barrel management like a pro :super:

 

[madpierre06]

Have you filled your barrel yet?

Nah it started a small leak again when i grt back next week gitta dig out an old cold chisel and give the rings a few whacks

 

[benken25]

22. BenKen25 Breaky Porter - Dark Golden Brown beer with extremely persistent dark tan head that laces and does not dissipate through the entire glass. Lots of smoked bacon smells on the nose. Body is thinner than I expected (not a bad thing, mind you), that adds a drinkability and quaffability to it that I didn't expect. On the palate is the big bacony thing. I'm noticing that as these smoked beers warm up, the smoke starts to take more of a backward seat. Good solid beer, well brewed porter with smoke. I quite liked it, though as I say, I'm not a big smoked beer fan. This was infinitely more sessionable than I had expected. I like that I don't pick up esters in this beer, and the coffee/chocolate takes a back seat to the smoke, but the smoke is not overbearing. No liquorice, as others have said. Top effort, Ben - from a smoke agnostic, this is well proper beer.

15. Radshoes Infected Saison - light golden very clear beer with good carbonation (better than I expect from a sour) and a small head that persists far longer than I'd expect from a sour, but less than I'd expect from a Saison. Fruity on the nose, with the clove phenols being far more minimal than any of my belgian beers. On the palate, there is the slightly cheesy funky sourness, combined with a candied lolly of the sweetness and sourness of gummi bears or sour coke bottles (not the flavour, just the palate feel), which sweetness does not linger but is cleansed by the clean sourness that comes in at the end. Faint belgiany esters and phenols, but very faint - carbonation adds an extra refreshing bite to it (normally most sours I find tend to be very low carbonation) You can almost taste that there is a saison underneath, but not quite. Cracking Beer. For a sour novice like me, this is what I want my sours to be like. Refreshing, flavourful, interesting, and I kept wanting to chew lolly from the beer and then the palate cleanse comes in and lifts the beer. Sorry for lots of words, but not lots of useful words. Suffice to say, I loved this beer and this is what I want to brew a sour to be. So much so, I'm reconsidering the saison I was going to brew, because I know it won't be as good as this.

Cheers mate glad you enjoyed it.

 

[angus_grant]

MP: have you tried filling the barrel with water for a couple of weeks? If it's leaking from the ends, stand barrel on end and fill ends with boiling water. This will hopefully seal the heads.

 

[angus_grant]

Parks barrel aged imperial stout.

Phenomenal. Big imperial stout, bags of Shiraz from the barrel, and some nice okay characteristics coming through as well.

 

[earle]

Lots of high alc beers in the swap this time but I've decided I need to harden up and commit.

Couple of great malty beers tonight

6. lukiferj - Rye Hard with a Bitty Smoke
Great beer. Malt forward, rye flavour with a little bitty smoke as advertised.

19. Angus - "pick a windae" wee heavy
Rich malty flavours. Good stuff.

Really enjoying these malty beers which contrast against the commercial trend to hop the **** out of every thing.