NSW 2013 Xmas in July Case Swap - tasting thread

[Josh]

One of my bottles fell off a table the other day and the lid popped off just a little giving a long foamy hiss out the top.

It is carbed up and ready for drinking. So throw a number 7 in the fridge if you like.

 

[barls]

mine are ready to go people, just had one and its carbed and ready to go. not to mention tasty.
pity fatz missed out on his guava infused one.

 

[pimpsqueak]

One of my bottles fell off a table the other day and the lid popped off just a little giving a long foamy hiss out the top.

It is carbed up and ready for drinking. So throw a number 7 in the fridge if you like.

Drinking yours now Josh. Damn fine drop. Crystal clear, good carbonation and delicious.
Is it supposed to have Brett in it? I don't exactly have a trained palate, but I could swear it's Brett. And it's good! :chug:

 

[Josh]

Drinking yours now Josh. Damn fine drop. Crystal clear, good carbonation and delicious.
Is it supposed to have Brett in it? I don't exactly have a trained palate, but I could swear it's Brett. And it's good! :chug:

No brett. Uh-oh.

Might have to try one at midnight to see how it's tasting.

 

[jonw]

3. grantw Theakston Old Peculier 5.8% bottled 28/06/13 leave till August 11.

Very dark brown with a thin off white head. Compared to the commercial example I had, yours is slightly darker with a darker head. I didn't get any hop aroma from the commercial example - it was all sweet molasses, which was backed up by the flavour. The home-brew, on the other hand, had quite a lot of hop aroma and flavour. Bitterness, carb, and mouthfeel were pretty much the same, although the homebrew's bitterness lingered longer than the commercial. Altogether a very enjoyable beer. Thanks for sharing.

@matho: glad you enjoyed it. My CPBF foo is a little lacking I'm afraid: the kegged beer had rather more carb than the bottled one.

 

[technobabble66]

Sounds good, grantw !
I might need to give that TOP recipe a go.

 

[Ester Trub]

2. Matho AIPA 8.5%

Perfectly Piney, Easy drinking. A bit lacking in hop aroma though.
Hard to believe the 8.5% abv! The alcohol is well hidden.
I'm almost done with this bottle and I really wish I had more.

Cheers
Ben

 

[Ester Trub]

1: Cortez the Killer 100% Heavily Peated Distilling Malt Strong Ale 7%

What can I say?... Peaty!
Tastes like Whiskey and camp fire.
This brew is surprisingly very drinkable. Not what I would expect from a 7%abv 100% peat malt beer.
I'm sure it won't be to everyone's taste, but I love it.

Cheers
Ben

 

[Ester Trub]

3. grantw Theakston Old Peculier 5.8%

Pours a very dark reddish brown when held up to the light, with a beautiful creamy head. Roasty aromas dominate.
Roast flavours up front, finishes with dark chocolate flavours when allowed to warm a bit.
My last glass of this was fantastic after leaving the bottle out for a while. Definitely better warm.
Yum.

Cheers
Ben

 

[white.grant]

Cheers Ben, glad you liked it. I'm going to have to sit down and transcribe my tasting notes, have been enjoying the beers in the swap!

 

[white.grant]

No. 6 Rex Banners Farmhouse Ale

Opens with a fsst and pours light gold into a chalice with a prodigious rocky foam stand atop it. Sweet bready malt and yeast esters carrying light pear/hay and pepper on the nose. Mouthfeel is bright on a low carb. Tasting, there's malt sweetness upfront and some yeast derived character, slightly phenolic, slightly funky, on a dry finish. Very interesting beer, thanks for sharing.

No. 1 CTK's Peat Monster

Opens well and pours nicely into my nonic, light amber with a slight haze. Aroma is, well, very peaty, monstrously so. Flavours follow, peat as far as the tongue can taste, so much peat. I'm struggling to think of descriptive terms, but rest assured there's a lot of peat in this beer. Dry finish, with some lingering peat. Now I know what the Tollund man tastes like, thanks Gino!.

No. 21 LittleJohns Oak Smoked Porter

Opens with a slight fsst and on a vigorous pour delivers an off white foamy head which recedes. Aroma has a pleasant smoked character and some english yeast characteristics, laid back. Carb is low, low /medium mouthfeel. Mostly wood and smoked malt up front, falling away to light bodied dry finish, with dry choc, smooth roast and a little acridity. Nice restrained smoke and wood, works well for me (no bacon ), thanks for sharing.

 

[white.grant]

No. 2 Matho's AIPA

Opens well carbed and pours dark straw with a rocky foam stand, slowly receding. Very clear. Aroma has slight perfumey hops, touch of passionfruit and, rockmelon, citrus. Mouthfeel is bright on a light/medium body. Solid bitterness confronts the palate dominating the malt, spicy and peppery, with a long drying finish. Very nice!

No. 4 Black Labbs Belgian Pale Ale

Opens with a powerful fsst and pours dark straw/light copper, some slight haze. Prodigious foam stand recedes slowly. Estery aroma, light pear and tropical fruit evident, some sweet malt and slight perfume. Mouth feel is medium to low on a bright carb, belgian perfume is fleeting before a dry finish. Thanks for sharing!

 

[white.grant]

No. 9 TVI's Bock (or a clean brown ale)

Pours clear and copper with a proud offwhite head slowly receding. Aroma has some noble hop notes and brown malt sweetness. Mouthfeel is medium on a bright carb, mellow maltiness allows the hops to come forward, definite bitterness on a long slightly sweet finish. No alcohol apparent. Tasty and enjoyable, not quite a bock however

No. 11 ScottC's Bitter

Opens well and pours light copper, slightly hazy, with a rocky white foam. Aroma of sweet malt, with hop earthiness coming through. Mouthfeel is bright, medium carb. Flavours are bang on, some simple sugars, clean malt with a growing bitterness building as you sip delivering a long and quite bitter finish. Very moorish, quite enjoyed it Scott.

 

[Josh]

8. Nick R Aconcagua Ale - 4.7% - Quinoa and Maize (and barley) ale w/ Saaz.

Interesting type of beer this one. Haze not surprising given the grain bill. I think the quinoa adds a spicy character similar to the way rye does. Saaz works well with it too.

Thanks Nick.

 

[Josh]

9. The Village ***** - Was aiming for a Bock, not sure how good my aim is. Might be a clean tasting Brown Ale?

Nut brown, clear, big head and high carbonation. Don't pick up much aroma. Malt flavours are nice. A bit too bitter/carbonated to be a bock though. But an enjoyable beer regardless.

 

[Ester Trub]

4. black_labb Belgian Pale Ale?

Huge ice cream like head on first pour. Flavours are nice and mildly fruity with a caramel aftertaste that lasts. Very well balanced beer.
I don't get any Belgian yeast character coming through with this beer though. I agree with Gulpa, that this is more like an English Bitter.
However this is still a great beer that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Cheers
Ben

 

[Ester Trub]

5: barls honey bitter 4%

Small creamy head that lasts and lasts. Beautiful, crystal clear, dark red/brown in colour. Lightly carbonated. Lightly hopped.
Honey aromas dominate. Flavours are malty honey, with a fruity yeast character.
I absolutely love this beer.
I have always aspired to make a beer like this one, but never succeeded. I would be really interested to get your recipe, or at least to know how you use the honey and retain such aroma and flavour.

Thanks
Ben

 

[barls]

5: barls honey bitter 4%

Small creamy head that lasts and lasts. Beautiful, crystal clear, dark red/brown in colour. Lightly carbonated. Lightly hopped.
Honey aromas dominate. Flavours are malty honey, with a fruity yeast character.
I absolutely love this beer.
I have always aspired to make a beer like this one, but never succeeded. I would be really interested to get your recipe, or at least to know how you use the honey and retain such aroma and flavour.

Thanks
Ben

will post the recipe when I get back. It basically my dark mild with banksia honey added after fermention had slowed down. You should be able get 90% of the ingredients but one is sort of rare ie it's choc chit

 

[black_labb]

4. black_labb Belgian Pale Ale?

Huge ice cream like head on first pour. Flavours are nice and mildly fruity with a caramel aftertaste that lasts. Very well balanced beer.
I don't get any Belgian yeast character coming through with this beer though. I agree with Gulpa, that this is more like an English Bitter.
However this is still a great beer that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Cheers
Ben

I was dissapointed with the lack of belgian character coming through when i bottled it. My first thoughts were the heritage of 1318 as a scottish ale yeast transplanted to belgium. I started the ferment low like I do with stronger belgians. Maybe I should have fermented higher from the start.

Surprsed at the caramel comments. I guess a 250g of carabelge and 50g of spec b must go further than I thought even with all the abbey and vienna. Another month and I can find out myself. Until then it's сиъерски корона, as insipid as the mexican corona (actually there are a few decent beers around when I get to towns with more than 22 people)

 

[Ester Trub]

7: Josh Belgian Dubbel - 6.2%

Pours crystal clear, with a small head that stays for the entire glass. Colour is dark coppery brown.
Smells very medicinal but Belgian yeast aromas are also present.
Flavours are unfortunately dominated by a strong band aid flavour.
I fear you have some really stressed Belgian yeast here, or possibly excess chlorine in your water? Definitely not Brett.

Cheers
Ben