MM Case Swap - Tasting Thread

[carniebrew]

13. Bazfletch - Summer Special Session.

I kinda wish I had tasted this before reading the detailed description in the booklet. The style in this thread says Summer Ale, and the booklet description furthers that with Motueka & Nelson hops, which I was expecting to dominate....But on drinking it it seems everything else is getting drowned out by what I can only assume is some kind of Belgian Saison yeast? Honestly this tastes like a true sessionable saison. If only the megaswill ********* could make light beer this interesting!

I'm trying to work out if the name is a typo, should it be Summer Special Saison rather than Session?

EDIT: Actually hang on, I just spotted "M44" in the booklet...that's Mangrove Jacks West Coast Ale...that doesn't seem right at all. Anyone else had the number 13 as yet??

 

[mugley]

9. Declan - Choc Mint Stout

Got peppermint crisp chocolate on the first sniff of this. After that it smelt like fresh mint. A very clean stout, roastiness is quite restrained. Liking the low carb. Very impressed with the integration of the mint in this - it'd be so easy to overdo it and make toothpaste beer, but this has a beautiful balance of stouty and minty flavours. Well done.


13. Bazfletch3 - Summer ale

Sorry Pres, nothing saisony in my bottle. This is clean and free of anything phenolic. I'm getting a big whack of NS - not a subtle Knappsteiny grape-ish tone, but the bitter, resinous, vinous flavour you get from using a decent late dose of the stuff. This is rounded out with a nice dose of fruit salad that I'm guessing is coming from the Motueka. So much hop flavour in a mid-strength beer!

 

[bazfletch3]

We'll now I'm confused!! I don't profess to have an experienced enough palette yet to pin down exactly what I've created-that's where you people come in!

It was meant to be a mix up of 2 of my summery favourites- Stone & Wood pacific, and Mountain Goat Summer. I took clone recipes of both and mish mashed them together a bit-very scientific. So it started as a "summer special" intended to end up at around 4.5%, but due to a cock up whilst mashing, followed by a dodgy gravity reading (both symptoms of having a 2 yr old as an assistant brewer!), I ended up way low on OG- hence the unintended "session" part....

I only tried a couple prior to the case swap, and to be honest I didn't quite get the hop hit I expected- but I've never used mouteka before so I didn't worry my head too much with it.

I'll be very interested to hear some more opinions

 

[TimT]

[SIZE=13.63px]8. Parktho - 'Hop Suspension' ESB[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.63px]Mmm mm. Really enjoying [/SIZE]this one Thomas, thanks for the bottle even though I wasn't officially in the swap in the end! Pleasant mid-strength sessionable goodness!

There's a pleasant little floral/citrussy smell that goes really well with a lingering sweetness in the body of the beer. Nicely balanced out by the hop flavour and bitter. And a slight complexity to the malt - I'm not sure what's going on there - just a lingering slight caramel, maybe from the crystal malts? Love to know your recipe.

 

[swedebeer]

Alright dudes, had some beers last night.

Carnie's Hefe. Spot on! Very impressed. So clean, the yeast does all the talking. What a summer drink. Made me want to brew a hefe ASAP. Still haven't ventured into this style yet. I've tried quite a few hefe's. Last one was the Erdinger one. I prefer Carnies. Maybe because it's not as phenolic. Great job! I will give it a crack!

Tim's Mornington Clone. A good IPA is not an easy job. I've always had trouble getting the balance right. This clone is great! I had it with a mate and his first reaction was. "O yeah!" Which he only does if a beer is truly awesome. I couldn't agree more. Well balanced, great hop complexity. Really enjoyed it. I've never tried the original. Maybe I shouldn't, I don't want to be disappointed. Might just stick with Tims!

Jordan's Mosaic Single Hop. Mosaic, the IT hop a couple years back and I can't say I've had much experience of it until lately. Been using it in my last 5 brews in some way.

Very tropical aroma. Bitter, tart, slightly sour is my first reaction. I'm thinking, is this how Mosaic comes out on it's own? It's like biting in a slightly under ripe mango. Makes we want to drink more, take another sip. The sweetness of the crystal balances up this sensation well but I agree with Nathan in drying it out slightly would make the hops pop even more. As the beer warms up the taste "ripens". More flavor and better balance. It's a good beer Jordan. I would happily buy a few pints of this bad boy no worries. Great job mate!

 

[Forever Wort]

Just had Dove's Amarillo Berlinner, mmm-mmmm dayumn! Sista! This is taysteeee. Sour but not too tart leaving a lingering malty sweetness. Crystal clear and that hint of Amarillo.

WIN.

:icon_drool2:

 

[Vanners]

10. Nathan's cherry porter.

Easy drinking well balanced porter. [SIZE=13.63636302948px]Nice [/SIZE]chocolate[SIZE=13.63636302948px] and roasty aroma with a hint of cherry. [/SIZE][SIZE=13.63636302948px]as with other comments, I agree It's[/SIZE][SIZE=13.63636302948px] very clean and smooth. tastes great. Well brewed![/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.63636302948px] [/SIZE]

 

[carniebrew]

We'll now I'm confused!! I don't profess to have an experienced enough palette yet to pin down exactly what I've created-that's where you people come in!

It was meant to be a mix up of 2 of my summery favourites- Stone & Wood pacific, and Mountain Goat Summer. I took clone recipes of both and mish mashed them together a bit-very scientific. So it started as a "summer special" intended to end up at around 4.5%, but due to a cock up whilst mashing, followed by a dodgy gravity reading (both symptoms of having a 2 yr old as an assistant brewer!), I ended up way low on OG- hence the unintended "session" part....

I only tried a couple prior to the case swap, and to be honest I didn't quite get the hop hit I expected- but I've never used mouteka before so I didn't worry my head too much with it.

I'll be very interested to hear some more opinions

I reckon something's gone wrong with my bottle, maybe I stuffed up the numbers or something. It was all saison, no way a Nelson Sauvin dominated pale ale! Weird.

Anyway, I'm now having Jordan's Mosaic Single Hop IPA. What a pearler! Pours a rich amber with solid white head. Massive nose of tropical fruit, and same with every sip, full on mango and tropical fruit flavours. I really love this beer. I've used Mosaic before, but only in combination with others...this thing shines on its own. Great job!

 

[carniebrew]

Mashers, do you want to try moving these tasting notes to somewhere that will be a lot more organised than just random posts in what will become a huge thread? I've set up a Google spreadsheet, with a huge table in it...find the row with your name, scroll across to the number beer you're trying, right click in the cell and choose "Insert Comment". Then type your tasting notes in the comment, and hit the "Comment" button when you're done.

To see comments for your beer, just hover over any cells in your beer's column with a little yellow/orange triangle in the top right corner, and the comment will appear.

Thought it might make it easier for brewers to see all the comments on their beers, rather than trawling through this thread. Thoughts?? I'll start copying all the existing comments over there so you get more of an idea. I've already put mine in there as examples. Click the link below to check it out, or add your comments:

bit.ly/2014mmcaseswap

 

[parktho]

Guys just opened a bottle of my ESB and it's flat! Obviously the cap hasn't sealed properly as I've had others that are fine (even too carbed!). Hopefully it's just this one, but please let me know.

Thomas.

 

[New_guy]

Life has been a bit crazy lately but I have finally attacked my case swap bounty!

Here we go:

20 Dove Bailey Berliner Weisse
This is a cracking sour - @ 3.3% is the perfect beer for a hot day. They say sour is the "new" IPA and with beers like this I know why!

5 Justin Spicer Hefeweizen
A classic hefe - more please!

10 Nathan Keatch Cherry Porter
I had this other night when we had that storm - Uber smooth rich n roasty porter with gentle cherry overtones
I demand the recipe!

7 Mattias Isaksson Raspberry Saison
Shut the front gate this **** is goooood!
Having it now as I brew a pale ale and write these notes
Excellent tart raspberry undertones to a great Saison
A really good example of how fruit need not be sweet in beer

 

[Vanners]

I just put a comment in the Spreadsheet but I'm keep them here as well I like seeing people thoughts.. bit of double handling but it does't bother me..

20 Dove Bailey Berliner Weisse
Really nice beer. Love the citrus of the Amarillo on the aroma. works great with this beers. The taste is big tart sour hit first, a little blank in the middle and then finishes with some funky sour notes all complimented by the Amarillo. Great Beer Dove, loved it. I'm keen to get a [SIZE=12.7272720336914px]Berliner[/SIZE] Weisse down at some stage.

Dove, how long did it take to get this sour?

 

[Forever Wort]

Top ESB Thomas, you can make me a case any time!

 

[plunkett195]

Dove's BW. loved it. great beer. want to make it.

Keatch's cherry porter. solid my friend

 

[plunkett195]

Thomas' ESB, wasn't flat, but wasn't far off.
BUT... it was very tasty, and the more I drank the more I enjoyed it more, it was moreish, do you have anymore?

 

[bazfletch3]

Thomas' ESB, wasn't flat, but wasn't far off.
BUT... it was very tasty, and the more I drank the more I enjoyed it more, it was moreish, do you have anymore?

I just opened a bottle here too!

Mine certainly wasn't flat, but I did notice that the crown seal didn't look like it was crimped as well as it could have been. Might need an extra whack of the hammer or pump of the capper handle next time

Enjoying the beer very much though!

 

[mugley]

[SIZE=13.63px]18. Plunkett - oatmeal chocolate stout[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.63px]Poured with a gigantic head. Dry, dark choc flavours and hints of smoke in the aftertaste.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.63px]3. Wolfman - IPA[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.63px]Big fruity nose. Resinous but smooth, slightly chewy. Tastes better than it did at ANHC.[/SIZE]

 

[TimT]

Mine certainly wasn't flat, but I did notice that the crown seal didn't look like it was crimped as well as it could have been.

Yeah, same here Thomas.

I avoid using bottles with a screw top generally for this reason.

 

[technobabble66]

My saison is ready tomorrow(/tonight!).
Just sayin'



Actually it's was ready a few days ago - a sneaky sample checked out well, so I'm keen to get the group's feedback given my lack of overall familiarity with saisons :lol:

 

[mugley]

[SIZE=13.63px]4. Forever Wort - Mongrel Saison[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.63px]Lovely orange colour. Surprisingly good clarity for a saison.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.63px]When it's cold it tastes like a 6% beer and could really **** you up. Warmed up, the body and alcohol assert themselves, along with some really nice stone fruit tones and a hint of citrus. On the nose I'm getting Belgiany phenolics and a tiny bit of something acetic. There's a slight burn in the aftertaste - guessing that comes from the ginger?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.63px]A complex beast. Big but very drinkable.[/SIZE]

 

[mugley]

[SIZE=13.63px]16. Crouch (Viv) - APA[/SIZE]

[SIZE=13.63px]Pours with a good fluffy head that laces well. Aroma is pretty subtle, but the flavour is a full-bodied combo of biscuity malt and grapefruity hops.[/SIZE] Tasty stuff.

 

[beermeupscotty]

Snuck in a few before work the other day. ******* awesome beers so far - super impressed with the efforts.

These are from my notes scribbled on the back of envelopes and stuff – finally got around to posting ‘em… Not sure if it’ll read like a pike of **** or not, but I mostly drank the beers alongside the BJCP guidelines and so I’ve tried to loosely compare to the prescribed style.

#14 – Brew Like a Monkey – Belgian Dark Strong
Alcoholic, spicy, banana, date, dark, sweet, caramel, almost like wine.

I didn’t know such a nice beer could be made from a kit – well done! I felt like it really deserved a nicer bottle.

Smooth, silky texture. A denser, moussier head would have been nice – but not easy from a kit, I’d think.

#10 – Cherry Porter
Lovely tan head. Lots of deep toast in this one (ha). Chocolate, caramel, toffee, almost licorice. I got some currants, plum, fig. Definite cherry but I thought it was quite subtle (in a nice way, but I'd be curious to taste this with more cherry).

Not terribly full bodied, but not thin. I’d have liked a touch more carbonation or fuller body, myself.

Got almost sticky sweet as it warmed.

Bloody delicious beer.

#4 – Mongrel Saison
Boy oh boy (oh boy!). So far, I've not been taken by the traditional Saison style but this was a bloody pearler(!) and call me crazy but this was possibly my favourite beer I’ve ever tasted. Super keen for the recipe if it's not vault-bound, or to even buy or trade some of this from you if there's any left...

Little to no head. Slightly tart aroma - citrus, apple, grape, alcohol – almost like white wine.

Low carb for a saison?

No tartness on the tongue. I was getting apple, clove, alcohol, ginger, a touch of banana and slight lemongrass for taste.

Definitely best cold, as the alcohol began to dominate at higher temperatures.

Overall, delightful fruit and spiciness with a soft malt backdrop and noticeable alcohol.

#20 – Amarillo Berliner Weisse
I popped the top on this and went to get my BJCP guidelines only to find the beer was gushing onto my desk! Hehe. Easily taken care of though.

Pale straw, hazy appearance.

For the aroma, I got apple and lemon, and a bit of orange. Fruity and flowery. Slight tartness / acidity on the nose.

I really enjoyed the sourness of this beer. It was, thankfully, not overwhelming. I’m usually not crazy about sour beers, as the others I’ve had basically tasted like apple cider vinegar and began to irritate my throat after a few sips, but this was like a sweet tartness to me – very pleasant.

I got a taste of apple and lemon with a light malty finish. The alcohol was perceptible but obviously light. I found the carbonation dissipated quickly.

- - -

Feedback on #5, 7, 1 and 22 to come.

#11 - White IPA
This is my beer. I've had a few over time and wanted to be the first to say it's not an easy drink. Too much going on with the flavour and too bitter. I think the coriander seed came through too strong after I crushed it and threw it into the wort. If I were to have a second attempt, I think the recipe would need to be modified for no chill (especially the hops) and the method/amount for coriander seed addition needs revision too.

 

[mugley]

[SIZE=13.63px]8. Parktho - 'Hop Suspension' ESB[/SIZE]

I got one of the flattish bottles. The cap came off super easily and the carb is low. Ah well, imagining it's from a cask
Nice malty base with some tropical tones - guessing hops combined with yeasty esters, as there's a bit of banana coming through. On the aftertaste there's a lingering bitterness that sneaks up slowly. I reckon a fizzier sample would be a pearler.


[SIZE=13.63px]15. Kevin H - ESB[/SIZE]

Having a fair idea of Kevin's beer preferences and having not paid attention to the booklet, I was expecting an English malt monster. Very surprised to discover this is a hoppy one! Cloudy to the eye but clean on the palate, this one has lots of floral, citrussy cascade blended with marmaladey EKG. One of my favourites so far.

 

[New_guy]

15 - Kevin H ESB

This was a great beer that instantly took me back to Scotland and the hand pumped ales that the UK does so well. A great beer Kev - well balanced malt and hops that I thoroughly enjoyed.

 

[pomsaleius]

Thanks Gents! Glad you enjoyed it. Nice to have confirmation I can still brew!

 

[plunkett195]

WARNING!! Similar to Jesse, I tried my stout and it frothed all over the table when I opened it.

Really sorry guys, hopefully not all bottles are over carbonated.
I've never had a home brew of mine froth quite like that before. 1000 apologies if you get an overactive bottle.

However, once it calms down its not bad.... Could definitely do with more chocolate though.

 

[carniebrew]

Lots of good feedback going into that Google Doc. Just had Zeggie's Highland Amber, really enjoyed it...feedback in the sheet.

The link again: bit.ly/2014mmcaseswap

 

[beermeupscotty]

Following that link on my phone, I'm seeing a blank sheet? Just me?

 

[zeggie]

Yeah the spreadsheet is always just blank to me...I've jotted down my notes but been lazy and havent posted here, will do so after xmas

Lots of good feedback going into that Google Doc. Just had Zeggie's Highland Amber, really enjoyed it...feedback in the sheet.

The link again: bit.ly/2014mmcaseswap

Cheers

 

[zeggie]

Well I'm an idiot, just noticed the bright red text instructions on the spreadsheet, will add all my notes soon :lol: