Get Together/Case Swap 7th July

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Okey dokey, Spank me Bitte - the 'real' name of the brewer was on the bottle, but I'm pretty sensitive to using real names online and that some people might be a offended if I do - so hopefully the name of the beer will pique the brewer's interest.

Pours extremely clear for a bottled beer (actually out of keg it would have been fantastic), excellent head with excellent retention and medium-high carbonation.

As the label called it a British-German Bitter Ale, I'm not going to judge it to "standard bitter" style, but take into account the brewer's intentions.

I loved this beer. I reckon the hops are Saaz or something German. It was spicy, rather than the typical floral notes of UK hops - I'm assuming that this is part of the "German" part - other would have been either some Munich or Caramunich. But the base malt doesn't seem to be German. I'd hazard a guess at MO or GP, but again, I'm not an expert and tasting on the back of my Belgian. It has a gorgeous body, with a sweet, biscuity, caramelly slant to it.

Then the bitterness kicks in and stops this being sweet in taste. So balanced, I'm envious. My latest bitter isn't anywhere near as good as this, and up until I tried this beer, I was really happy with my bitter. I think this was ESB/BB sort of ABV level, because I can feel it (whereas mine is 3.5% and has the thinner body to boot), but hell - I reckon I can handle the higher ABV given the fact that this is so balanced.

Excellent effort. Probably close to my pick of the brews.

 

[paddy2]

Thank you Lord Raja Goomba (and Lager Bomb from a few weeks back) for your constructive reviews of the Spankme Bitte. By way of background, the bullshit on the label was an attempt by me to give some credence to the name of the beer - a weak pun on the word 'bitte" (being the German word for please). I thought that if the beer wasn't too flash then the label would be remembered. You were pretty close with the malts - it has Munich and Amber with a base of JW Pale and a smidgen of Wheat. I bottled this beer in mid Feb so I reckon that would account for the clarity.The hop is EKG. If you want the recipe I will put it up. You have given me an idea with the Saaz and when I brew it again, I will chuck some in.
In regard to my assessments of the beers I have thus far sampled, I must admit I have been tardy and offer no excuses. The first one I tasted was, I assume, Lager Bomb's pale ale (it was a cleanskin). A very pleasant drop with a nice floral finish and one I could happily drink any time. Head retention was very good as was the carbonation.
Then I tried JLM's Schwartzbier. I had consumed a few mil of this beer straight from the keg at the swap and it was the first time I had tried this style. I was most impressed and was not disappointed when I sampled the bottled version. The more I drank it the more the malty flavours came through. Definitely a beer style which I intend to pursue.
The last beer I tasted was LRG's Vienna/Munich. This beer had a lovely golden brown colour and the flavours reflected this. It had a nice mouthy feel to it and a very pleasant, clean aftertaste with a slight bitterness. The malty flavours combined to give it a really good balance. I think this would be a standout with another couple of months in the bottle.
I think that leaves 3 more to taste so I should knock them over in the next couple of weeks.
Just as an aside, attempting to critically appraise other people's beer is not an easy exercise. In the past it has been a case of just liking a beer or not so this calls for the further development of one's palate. All the more reason to drink more beer.