Fat Yak(tastes Like Crap)

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

+1 I missed my bus and shot into a bar for a quick one, it was the first time I tried Fat Yak on tap and I was very disappointed. Pretty bland and non-descript sums it up nicely. Even put me off buying bottles at Dans sticking to good old Brewdog Punk IPA.

Much the same - in the bottle, fairly boring and the hop profile on it severely suffered. I even poured it into a glass (I think this is a pre-requisite for anyone criticising a beer - out of a stubby doesn't give the drinker the ability to smell the beer as they are drinking it - even if it is subconciously - smell forms a fair portion, IIRC, of taste).

But I had it on tap at the port office last november for work's melbourne cup function and it was pretty good - lovely hop bouquet on it.

The above quote - I'm thinking the same thing happened to JS sundown lager - used to have a hoppy, grassy taste to it. Now it just tastes like a boring fizzy beer. I don't think my tastes have changed that much. Maybe both Kirin-Lion Nathan and Fosters (via CUB) are dumbing down some beers. Maybe the idea is to dumb down our taste buds and slowly move us back to their megaswill quantity lines.

Goomba

 

[cdbrown]

I ordered a few pints of Fat Yak at the Seaview Hotel in Fremantle on Friday night and it tasted just like JS Golden Ale. The bartender tasted it and then went down to check the kegs to be sure they had the right thing. The keg was labelled as Fat Yak, but it definitely wasn't. No sign of any hop flavour or bitterness, just the typical malty flavour of a golden ale. Do they brew fat yak and JSGA in the same brewery? There Seaview doesn't have any JS available so it wasn't that a tap was connected to the wrong keg.

 

[DKS]

Does it have Nelson Sauvin in it? If that's the one a mate handed me once at a BBQ probably 18 months ago, then I recall I quite liked it.

Took one sip and said, "Nelson." Then I had to explain myself. Then everyone went to sleep because most people enjoy drinking more than brewing it seems.

Yes Nick. AFAIK its Cascade and NS
Ive tried a few different recipes using these two hops together. They work nicely and definitely worth a try.
Daz

 

[Shed101]

Had this on tap at the Platform this evening.

TBH I thought this thread was all bluster - I had a couple of FYs the other week at another venue and they were really quite reasonable - floral and refreshing.

But the recipe has undoubtedly changed. Doesn't taste like crap IMHO, but seriously toned down.

 

[dr K]

Excuse me if I am wrong but it seems a fairly common topic round these parts, not Fat Yak, but how commercial beers used to be great but now they are dumbed down. One (and I indeed may be the only one) might think that the commercial imperitave of a large company, once having spent a bomb on development of the recipe, market testing, marketing and so on to brand place a product would keep as close to the orginal as possible (witness the disaster of New Coke).
Fat Yak has established a damn fine market share in its sector, as it should, but its price has dropped, [hint hint] its about $47 a case here cf Coles HomeBrand Tas Bitter at $35 or so.
The dumbing down is not in the beer but the monday morning experts.
Two other points:
The obvious is that the brewery has no QA after the beeer has been despatched (is up to you the consumer to buy from the outlets you trust).
Our (well mine) tastes change and not always in the same direction.

K

 

[rude]

I dont mind the FY especially the first stubby.

I have never had it on tap sounds the go.

After that it does become a bit bland.

I find it a bit overpriced I recon $40 -$45 would be a better buy.

If I brewed it I would be pretty happy with myself.

Might have to try brewing it, ale malt,/munich 1,/115ebc crystal,/nelson & cascade hops you say?

Yeast us05 or 1272.

 

[Housecat]

I dont mind the FY especially the first stubby.

I have never had it on tap sounds the go.

After that it does become a bit bland.

I find it a bit overpriced I recon $40 -$45 would be a better buy.

If I brewed it I would be pretty happy with myself.

Might have to try brewing it, ale malt,/munich 1,/115ebc crystal,/nelson & cascade hops you say?

Yeast us05 or 1272.

If you're into doing extracts, give this a go, I have made it a few times and really like the result. I leave out about 500g of malt and dry hop with 10g each of NS and Cascade.

HC

 

[Pennywise]

Ok, bought a 6 pack of MBFY on Saturday, first 2 beers were just as it's always been. The other 4 were infected Something in there striped the body right out of it, & pissed off with the aroma. F**K, I should have taken a gravity reading

 

[Kevman]

Could the serving temperature have something to do with the lack of aroma?

This may be relevant or totally irrelevant. I did a homebrew version of Fat Yak. When I tasted the FG reading sample (~20C) at bottling, I could really taste and smell the Nelson. I thought this was going to be a cracking beer. After leaving it for a month, I tasted it a couple of nights ago, I couldn't taste or smell the Nelson at all. I left the bottle out of the fridge for approx 30 to 45 minutes and let it warm up a bit, maybe a degree or two warmer, the next glass really had the nelson sauvin hops come to the fore.

I've also noticed at pubs that sometimes, you get a really good Fat Yak and other times, it's like an aussie bitter. Maybe the serving temperature of the beer could have an impact. I don't know what the recommended serving temperature is for Fat Yak. In fact, I don't even know if there are recommended serving temperatures for different beers.

 

[Mikedub]

I've heard a lot of people rave about Fat Yak, I dont geddit, its aroma is good, but the way it rounds off in the mouth makes me feel off,
feels like a hop milkshake, blah

just puttin it out there

 

[Sammus]

OK, another one on the wagon. I thought this thread was the old "they don't make em like they used to" ******** that you read all the time, but after a 6er of FY bought in newcastle on the weekend, and trying it on tap at a couple different pubs, I gotta say it seems like something weird has happened. Poured crystal clear golden, next to zero body, hop flavour or aroma. Tasted not far from VB :\ wtf?! FY used to be comperable to LCPA, is far from it now. At least, it was on the weekend.

 

[HoppingMad]

Seems fine on tap to me. Even better when the alternative tapheads next to it say VB, Carlton Draught or Pure Blonde (shudder on the last one).

Never tried this from bottle so maybe it's just the packaged version that's an issue? I guess I'm drinking it only fresh in the CBD of Melbourne - either at Transport or Yak Bar so it's always been a fruity fresh one there.

Dr K does have a point though about the discounting on cartons of this stuff - and we have seen other megabrewers cut corners on ingredients (see James Squire subbing for amarillo on occasion during 'shortages' - well documented on AHB).

Hopper.

 

[Fents]

Just had two pots of the yak with lunch today and it was fine maybe not as hoppy as when it first came out but still fine regardless. Remember its a crossover beer to us and not a holy grail.

 

[Brad Churchill]

Serving temp. definately makes a difference.
Have an Epic Mayhem in the fridge at the moment recommended serving temp is 5C.
Had a TTL last night recomended serving temp is 11C - 14C.
Drink a beer colder than its recomended serving temp. and generally speeking you will only taste a fraction it has to offer. Aroma too

So I would say you are spot on with the aroma coming through ata slightly warmer temp.


Cheers

Could the serving temperature have something to do with the lack of aroma?

This may be relevant or totally irrelevant. I did a homebrew version of Fat Yak. When I tasted the FG reading sample (~20C) at bottling, I could really taste and smell the Nelson. I thought this was going to be a cracking beer. After leaving it for a month, I tasted it a couple of nights ago, I couldn't taste or smell the Nelson at all. I left the bottle out of the fridge for approx 30 to 45 minutes and let it warm up a bit, maybe a degree or two warmer, the next glass really had the nelson sauvin hops come to the fore.

I've also noticed at pubs that sometimes, you get a really good Fat Yak and other times, it's like an aussie bitter. Maybe the serving temperature of the beer could have an impact. I don't know what the recommended serving temperature is for Fat Yak. In fact, I don't even know if there are recommended serving temperatures for different beers.

 

[Nick JD]

How's the Nelson Sauvin crop (and stocks) holding up?

It might be a situation where it has to change. Case in point: Citra. Demand drives the hop price up - or it simply is sold out.

What would you do if you had a public wanting a gazillion hectoliters and you had a tonne of Nelson left?

Personally, I'd bung in a few bottles of Sauv Blanc and take a wizz in it - and maybe the folks at the competition deliberately buy up their competitor's crop to stifle their popular beers.

I wouldn't like to know the bitchiness behind brewing.

 

[damianjthorpe]

G'day Brewers,

Had a FY from tap at Melbourne Q Club today. Was ok. Usual hop taste and quite cloudy. I agree with those who say when one of the "good" beers becomes popular, the taste changes due to the need to pump out a higher volume at the cost of the original recipe. Just my 2c worth.

Cheers and happy brewing,
DAmo

 

[kiwisteveo]

use to drink fat yak all the time then move to alpha and that made fat yak taste like nothing,then yesterday was havin a few home brews(aussie pale ale,american pale ale and even a couple of hefe's)then ran out of cold homebrews so all that was left in the fridge were coopers green and fark me they tasted horrible almost like carlton draught so my point is do we get used to something (stronger in malt,hops etc,etc)then go back to something we've had before and loved and doesn't quite cut the mustard anymore??

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Maybe it has something to do with drinking from the stubbie.

I had this inkling so I tested it with MB Big Helga. Had 2 the other night into a glass - fantastic, floral, aromatic, malty.

Drank one out of a stubbie last night - fizzy and lifeless. So I poured the 2nd into a glass, and it's all good.

It makes sense it'll be better in a glass. After all 1. Olfactory senses form a fair portion of taste and 2. We brewers put hops in beer for bitterness, flavour and aroma, so it goes to figure that if we can't smell the beer (being in a stubbie), how will it be balanced to what the brewer wants.

Just 2

Goomba

 

[damianjthorpe]

G'day Brewers,

Agree with Goomba, gotta use the right glass for the beer. Stubbies are terrible to drink from, all tastes crap.

Cheers and happy brewing,
Damo

 

[DUANNE]

i dont think fy has changed much at all. for my taste it has been incredibly inconsistent from day one.