Hag Christmas Case Drinkin'

[Trent]

#9 n00ch's AIPA
n00ch, I hate to say it, but here is an AIPA that Tony is gonna like :lol: It poured a very dark red/copper colour, with moderate carbonation, and a slight haziness. The aroma is pretty much just strong malt, with caramel and toffee the predominant. There is a VERy feint hint of american hops, not the OTT aroma that I would expect from an AIPA
The bitterness is medium, rather than the high I would expect, and the hop flavour is nearly non existant, taking a far back seat to the complex malt that seems to take the forefront. It lacks alot of the characteristics that define an AIPA, I am afraid.
The beer itself is not bad, as a matter of fact, it is quite nice, and reminds me of a smaller version of an english strong ale. There are no faults with the beer, it is clean, and well made. In my opinion, though, it is not an American IPA, but I certainly enjoyed it.
You didnt let Tony near your fermenter before bottling, by any chance?
Thanks for sharing
Trent

 

[Sammus]

Drinking #17 Snagler's ESB. Poured a nice amber, and apart from the carbonation issue is a tasty drop. I'm not by any means an experienced taster so I don't really know how to describe what I taste it's pretty good though I say, maybe slightly astringent or dry or something at the end. I think the FG may be a little low for an ESB? I'm no style expert though so I could be wrong... Also my first taste of the case, there are so many yeasts I have to culture and I keep putting it off maybe tomorrow...

 

[n00ch]

#9 n00ch's AIPA
n00ch, I hate to say it, but here is an AIPA that Tony is gonna like It poured a very dark red/copper colour, with moderate carbonation, and a slight haziness. The aroma is pretty much just strong malt, with caramel and toffee the predominant. There is a VERy feint hint of american hops, not the OTT aroma that I would expect from an AIPA
The bitterness is medium, rather than the high I would expect, and the hop flavour is nearly non existant, taking a far back seat to the complex malt that seems to take the forefront. It lacks alot of the characteristics that define an AIPA, I am afraid.
The beer itself is not bad, as a matter of fact, it is quite nice, and reminds me of a smaller version of an english strong ale. There are no faults with the beer, it is clean, and well made. In my opinion, though, it is not an American IPA, but I certainly enjoyed it.
You didnt let Tony near your fermenter before bottling, by any chance?
Thanks for sharing
Trent

Thanks for the feedback Trent. It was supposed to be a lot hopier yet on the day I had a real issue with my water calcs. I somehow over shot and ended up with 30ltrs instead of the intended 25ltrs. I really should write the litre amounts on my HLT sight gage marks....

I tried this the other day and I agree with your comments entirely. Its got the malt but no balance with the hops, or balance towards the hops as a AIPA should. Pity though as the initial tasting seemed to be more appropriately hopped but this is no where near the case now.

I'm going to brew another (revamped) AIPA in a few weeks to try and get something more on style. Its a style I like and with all the tasting we have had of them lately its a style I would like to make a good version of.

Jeez I'm either feeding you hops (literally) or not getting enough of them :mellow:

 

[Tony]

I will ignore trent and his poor attempts at making me feel bad about not liking Yank hops (that arnt working) and move on to review another American beer :lol:

14. Punter - American Amber.

Poured a fantastic clear deep anber colour, nice tan but thin head, slightly low on carb but only by a micky hair. The prickle is on the tongue but just not enough to really break it out of colution enough to hold a nice head. Its got some head and i have had beers do this, ITs right on the knife edge and is not a problem. The lower carb actually lets the malt profile of the beer shine.
An AAA should be maltier and less hoppy than a dredded APA and this beer is spot on! It has a deep crystal malt character with a feint touch of nutty chocolaty roast in there thats a hard ballance to find, its a definate deep sweet nutty character, too much of either and its out the window...... this was perfect IMO. It really made me sit and sniff, past the hops for that delicate malt ballance in the beer. THe hops are smooth and a lot less confonting than other anerican beers ive tried so far. They hold up the malt but let it through to shin in the end with a firm bitterness lingering on the tongue in the finnish.

It was clean with no flavour or aroma faults i could detect. a clensing refreshing, very well ballanced beer with both hop and malt character at the front which is something difficult to achieve. MAte i really enjoyed both your beers in this and the NSW swap, your a quality brewer!

CHeers

 

[Insight]

21 - Pokolbinguy James Squire Golden Ale Clone

First impression was a very clear medium straw beer with a modest head which disappeared to nothing within a few minutes. Similar smells to a fruity sav blanc, and the vineous character carried through to the taste. Firm and balanced bitterness, with less flavour and aroma hops the JSGA. As the beer warmed up, the extract flavour (won't use "twang") became more apparent. I chilled down the second half of the bottle in the freezer and really enjoyed this as a crisp, dry lawnmower beer.

Its been a while since I tasted an extract beer, but this is quite a lot better than I remember them being! Your processes are obviously sound and I would encourage you to get that AG rig you are building going - you are doing well. If I were to make some suggestions on this beer, I would add more late hops, up the carbonation a bit, and do something about the head retention (presume some wheat DME would help?). Thanks Pok.

 

[Insight]

24. Stephen - English pale ale

Sorry to report, but my bottle was infected. Suspected something was wrong when it poured 2/3 head and continued climbing out of the glass. Strong lacto aroma. Getting past the lacto, I can smell toffee, raisin, nutty and a hint of chocolate. Taste is like stuffing a bag of hazelnuts in your mouth, along with some spicy and earthy hops. I reckon this would have been lovely.

It may just be my bottle, but it may be prudent if everyone isolated their #24 in the fridge. Or if you are brave, put it somewhere under the house for 12 months and you'll probably have a great Oud Bruin :icon_cheers:

 

[Punter]

14. Punter - American Amber.

Poured a fantastic clear deep anber colour, nice tan but thin head, slightly low on carb but only by a micky hair. The prickle is on the tongue but just not enough to really break it out of colution enough to hold a nice head. Its got some head and i have had beers do this, ITs right on the knife edge and is not a problem. The lower carb actually lets the malt profile of the beer shine.
An AAA should be maltier and less hoppy than a dredded APA and this beer is spot on! It has a deep crystal malt character with a feint touch of nutty chocolaty roast in there thats a hard ballance to find, its a definate deep sweet nutty character, too much of either and its out the window...... this was perfect IMO. It really made me sit and sniff, past the hops for that delicate malt ballance in the beer. THe hops are smooth and a lot less confonting than other anerican beers ive tried so far. They hold up the malt but let it through to shin in the end with a firm bitterness lingering on the tongue in the finnish.

It was clean with no flavour or aroma faults i could detect. a clensing refreshing, very well ballanced beer with both hop and malt character at the front which is something difficult to achieve. MAte i really enjoyed both your beers in this and the NSW swap, your a quality brewer!

CHeers

Glad you liked it Tony, thanks for the review.
I was a bit worried at first that the hop profile
may have been a bit too subdued, but its a beer
I enjoy.

15. American Rye.

Never tried a rye beer and was looking forward to this.
Slight haze with a very dense thick head.
American hop aroma and flavour that was not too OTT.
Good carb with a nice bitterness to balance it out.
I enjoyed this beer very much, thanks Craig.

28. Irish Red

Was good to catch up with you Colin after all these years.
Poured an amber brown colour with good carb, crystal clear
with a nice ruby red colour when held to the light.
Off white head that lasted all the way down. Sweet aroma with a
sweet crystal/choc caramel flavour with sultanas and a good
lingering bitterness.
Another great beer that I enjoyed.
Cheers, Duane.

 

[craig maher]

15. Craig's American Rye.

I just made a phone call to Simmo and called him off!
This beer was great. It was sweet, bitter, spicy, smooth, drinkable, and with a head you could eatr with a spoon!
The hops were there but i enjoyed them this time round..... cascade ans maybe something else in there, or was it the rye sweet spiciness that complimented it...... im not quite sure. I enjoyed it more cold than when it warmed up and it was great on a hot arvo after a long day.
Thanks for the bottle Craig..... very nice beer and i hope you post the recipe!

cheers

Cheers Tony glad you liked it.
Here is the recipe..
For a 30 litre batch mashed at 65

2.5kg IMC Ale Malt Grain 53 %
1.0kg IMC Pils Malt Grain 21 %
1.0kg Weyermann Rye Malt Grain 21 %
0.25 kg TF Caramalt Grain 5 %

20.00 gm Simcoe [11.90%] (60 min)

10.00 gm US Cascade [6.1%] (20 min)
7.00 gm Amarillo [8.90%] (20 min)
5.00 gm Simcoe [11.90%] (20 min)

10.00 gm US Cascade [6.1%] (10 min)
8.00 gm Amarillo [8.90%] (10 min)
6.00 gm Simcoe [11.90%] (10 min)


15.00 gm US Cascade [6.1%] (0 min)
15.00 gm Amarillo [8.90%] (0 min)
15.00 gm Simcoe [11.90%] (0 min)

1.00 items Yeast Nutrient (Boil 15.0 min)
1.00 items Whirfloc (half) (Boil 15.0 min)

Yeast US05

 

[shmick]

The aroma was great, smelt a little wine-like, and I was very intrigued. I think there was a bit of low level malt in there, and some fruitiness as it warmed, but it smelt great.
I had always heard that Nelson Sauvin produce a real sauvignon blanc type taste in the beer, and the few examples I have had didnt really show that to me, but this one did.

Trent

#23 Schooey's NS Summer Ale.

Had it last night on the back of Trent's review and it was most enjoyable. One of the top entries so far.
Loved the NS hops.
Reminded me of the JS Hop Thief limited release a year or 2 back that I couldn't quite pick. Now I know.
Kind of like a freshly skinned rabbit marinating in grapefruit juice - but in a good way. :lol:
Incredible clean citrus all the way to the end and the light malt base worked well without getting in the way.
It was nice to have a hopped up ale without being overly bitter also.

Good stuff Schooey.

 

[bigfridge]

2.5kg IMC Ale Malt Grain 53 %
1.0kg IMC Pils Malt Grain 21 %
1.0kg Weyermann Rye Malt Grain 21 %
0.25 kg TF Caramalt Grain 5 %

20.00 gm Simcoe [11.90%] (60 min)

10.00 gm US Cascade [6.1%] (20 min)
7.00 gm Amarillo [8.90%] (20 min)
5.00 gm Simcoe [11.90%] (20 min)

10.00 gm US Cascade [6.1%] (10 min)
8.00 gm Amarillo [8.90%] (10 min)
6.00 gm Simcoe [11.90%] (10 min)
15.00 gm US Cascade [6.1%] (0 min)
15.00 gm Amarillo [8.90%] (0 min)
15.00 gm Simcoe [11.90%] (0 min)

Hi Craig,

I would like to echo the other positive comments about this beer - it was very well made.

I had an Terrapin Rye Pale Ale in Atlanta last year and yours was very close. The only difference was that the rye was more prominent in theirs - having a very nice, drying character on the finish. Yours had the same character, but to a lesser extent.

Don't be afraid to bump the % up (I remember the label saying something about 25% rye malt being used) .

But don't listen to me as yours was great. Keep thi sup and we will have to get you to slip 2 bottles of your contribution into the next swap !

Dave

 

[m_peve]

8. MHB Little Creatures Bright Ale Clone

Poured with a medium sized head that dissipated fairly quickly. A lovely clear straw colour. Little discernable aroma, although I have a summer cold so my senses aren't at their best.
A thin bodied lager with hints of passionfruit??. Enough bitterness to make the beer very refreshing.
An excellent example of how good good extract beer can be. Thanks Mark!!!!

 

[snagler]

I have tried a couple of beers and am yet to be dissapointed, I wont rant on because I dont really know what I would be on about anyway????

This thread is helping me understand tasteing lingo etc. I have been opening the beers people have been reporting on so I can try and understand what their palate detects.

My favourite so far would have to be Craig's #15


Thanks guys
Loveing the beer

Adam

 

[loftboy]

3. Goatherder's Imperial Pilsner - Poured an absloute treat, had a beautiful silky white head that lasted to the bottom of the glass. Carbing was perfect and it was pretty clear in the glass.

The aroma was great and I couldn't wait to taste it, I wasn't disappointed. I thought the bitterness and the maltiness were perfectly balanced. I'm not sure what malts were in it, but I thought I maybe tatsed some Cara in there? It had a rich smooth caramel flavour and went perfectly with the cow I massacred on the BBQ tonight.

I really enjoyed it GH, and I'd be proud to say I brewed it. Thanks.

+1 On on previous comments for #3 Imperial Pilsner. I really enjoyed this one with a salad & T Bone steak after a hot day of working around the house. The style was similar to the couple of Pilsner Urqell's I had over the Xmas break. Perhaps a little bitter than Urqell, but other than that very close, especially after it started to warm up towards the end of the glass.

Well done Goatherder. You should be pleased with your efforts. :icon_cheers:

 

[Insight]

Thanks Schooey, glad you liked it.

It's hard to keep a good head on high ABV brews but It's most likely a touch under carbed. I played a little on the safe side as I didn't know how much further it would ferment in the bottle and wanted to avoid a crate of grenades.
The only downside is it may be a bit sweet without the initial carbonation bite.

The Ardennes yeast is fairly subtle for a Belgian (fruity with a touch of clove) and so I kept the spice level low as not to overpower it.
No cloves in the 3 spice mix but the corriander is correct.

A free hoorah goes to whoever picks the others :lol:

18 - Shmick - Spiced Belgian Golden Ale

Shmick, this is excellent. Very comparable to many commercial Golden Strongs I've tried, though not many of those are spiced. The spices aren't easily identifiable, so you've got the balance about right I reckon. I would have a stab that the spices are coriander, orange peel and star anise from the flavours I'm picking up. This will only get better with age I'd say.

Only helpful comment I could add is that I get a bit of diacetyl, and the carbonation was a little low for the style. It doesn't taste as dry as the advertised 1.004FG because of this.

Great contribution - thank you!

 

[goatherder]

28 - Colin's Irish Red

Brilliantly clear and deep ruby red with an ample off white head which faded as the glass emptied. The aroma is complex and delicious with hints of xmas cake and yeast esters. There is plenty of caramel malt flavour in the mouth with a subtle hint of dark malts towards the end. The mouthfeel is full but finishes very dry. The bitterness is low but very well balanced, allowing the malt flavours to take the drivers seat. An exceptionally well balanced, flavourful and easy drinking beer. Cheers Colin.

 

[Insight]

16 - Head - Irish Red.

This is a big malty drop, though the bitterness is in good balance. Pours hazy lightbrown, decent head. Smells of sherry, red cordial, chocolate. Strong malt flavours (guessing marris otter malt), yeast esters and some higher alcohols. Firm bitterness with a nice choc/slight roast aftertaste.

Looking at the style guidelines I don't know how well you would do in a competition, but I really enjoyed the beer! A few things to consider -
Haze - is your boil strong enough?
Maltiness - is your mash temp a bit high?
Higer alcohols - did the fermentation get too hot?

A nice drinking beer all the same, thanks Head!

 

[m_peve]

I'm a big fan of APA's and was keenly interested to see/taste the style as developed by the self-confessed APA hitman.
Fantastic mate!!! This is what APA's are about. Somewhat complex but more importantly drinkable and refreshing!!
Poured a hazed golden colour with a very thin head that persisted for the length of the beer. Hints of Lemon in the aroma and a sensational orange/passionfruit flavour. Medium-bodied, clean with enough bitterness to remind you that it isn't an 'Orchy' from the pub (though it is reminiscent and just as refreshing!!!!). Wonderful Tony!!! Did you dry hop (and if so, anything other than Amarillo )? Thanks mate!!

Pete

 

[Tony]

:blink:

:lol: APA....... i guess it is in a way.

I love beers to the style, just not the hop character that comes with them.

Its haze cause it was no chilled, no dry hops.......... i also very much dislike dry hopping.........its false and grassy to me.

the beer had a combo of german and nz hops with some amarillo to boot.

glad you liked it mate........ it was very experimental and a bit of a mistake. I actually was doing 2 brews at once and chucked the 15 min addition of german hops for another brew in as the bittering addition by mistake. I then had to recalculate the recipe to get the right bitterness and chuched in the amarillo that was suposed to be in there.

here is the recipe

Golden Ale

A ProMash Brewing Session - Recipe Details Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (L): 26.00 Wort Size (L): 26.00
Total Grain (kg): 4.90
Anticipated OG: 1.048 Plato: 11.79
Anticipated EBC: 11.6
Anticipated IBU: 26.2
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80 %
Wort Boil Time: 75 Minutes


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential EBC
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
91.8 4.50 kg. IMC Pilsner Australia 1.038 3
4.1 0.20 kg. TF Crystal UK 1.034 100
4.1 0.20 kg. JWM Caramalt Australia 1.036 50

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
20.00 g. Hallertau Hersbrucker Pellet 3.10 6.3 45 min.
20.00 g. Spalter Spalt Pellet 3.50 7.1 45 min.
10.00 g. Amarillo Gold Pellet 8.40 8.1 40 min.
10.00 g. Spalter Spalt Pellet 3.50 1.4 10 min.
10.00 g. Amarillo Gold Pellet 8.40 3.4 10 min.
20.00 g. Amarillo Gold Pellet 8.40 0.0 0 min.
10.00 g. D SAAZ Pellet 5.60 0.0 0 min.


Yeast
-----

US-05.... lots of it at 18 deg.

firmented from 1.048 to 1.004 in 5 days and needed a blow off tube. (24 liters in a 30 liter firmenter

cheers

 

[Tony]

16. Head - Irish Red

Poured a nice deep copper red colour that was to style.

I poured it in a Murphy stout pint glass i got from england and it was very nice from this big glass. The carb was nice.....perhapa a micky hait too low but it was pleasnat nad not prickly, which complimented the malty character of the beer.

I too am going to go and consult the BJCP guideline, as this is a nice beer but not one i have studdied up on.

OK....

Overall Impression: An easy-drinking pint. Malt-focused with an initial sweetness and a roasted dryness in the finish

Id say you hit the nail on the head (pun intended) wit this one. Its malty sweet, low hops and bitterness with a toffey, cnady like maltiness, slight..... very slight roast character in the finnish.

Maybe a bit more roast in the end.........not much, just a tad, and perhaps a tiny little bit of hops would have made this beer a bitr dryer and quaffable.

Its a bit sweet as it is and i would fatigue on it quickly.

But mate........... great beer. Clean, and well made. You have the breweing techniques down right......

cheers

 

[goatherder]

9 - n00ch's AIPA

It took a couple of pours but I ended up with something I could use Tony's spoon on. The beer was a nice deep copper colour with a good dash of haze. There are some nice earthy hop aromas on the nose but it's fairly subdued, allowing a bit of malt to peek through. There is some nice hop flavour up front and through the middle. The finish is dry and quick with a caramel malty edge to it. The bitterness is solid but not over the top and the carbonation is spot on once the pour settles. Maybe not quite hoppy enough for an AIPA but a top beer nonetheless thanks n00ch.


10 - Tony's Golden Ale

A lovely shade of golden with a little haze and a small but long-lived head. There is a wonderful complex tropical fruit hop aroma with some underlying citrus notes. The hop flavour comes on first and lingers right through to to the finish, allowing the soft malt to peek through in the middle. The body is medium thin and the finish is crisp and dry, making this very easy drinking. Tony, mate, this is a cracking good beer. Superbly balanced, expertly made and sooo easy to drink. This is how commercial beers should be. Cheers.