NSW 2013 Xmas in July Case Swap - tasting thread

[Gulpa]

9. The Village ***** Brown Ale

Apologies TVI, notes from memory as i didnt take any during drinking - i thought I was grabbing the dunkelwiezenbock for some late night sipping.

Initial impression was that it wasnt a very good dunkelwiezenbock . Flavour of coffee, sweet malt, some fruityness/ferment character from the yeast. bitterness was good. Medium light body could have beed a bit fuller with everything else that was going on, but nice beer all the same. Thanks for sharing, TVI.

cheers
andrew.

 

[Josh]

21. Littlejohn - Oak smoked Porter 4.7% - Bottled 02 Jun - good to go

Apart from setting new standards in the labelling department - which we should all follow - the beer is lovely.

Subtle smoke character really sits well with the balanced roasty and chocolate flavours with a little fruity hop. Medium light body and dry finish. This is a highly drinkable beer.

Thanks Littlejohn.

 

[matho]

6. RexBanner farmhouse ale 6.7% from memory (can't access computer right now) & it's ready to go.

just had this beer, really nice flavours thanks for sharing

cheers steve

 

[Gulpa]

12. Nifty Irish Red

Nice clear red colour. head has fallen completely away. aroma is subdued, biscuity malt, lightly mocha with something i cant quite put my finger on. Flavour is more intense than the aroma. Lovely malty profile has nice richness, caramel, fruity esters. lowish carb, lowish bitterness, medium full body, spicy finish. Very nice beer, Nifty. Not sure where it disappeared to.

cheers
andrew

 

[matho]

5. barls honey bitter ~4% bottled 28/06/13 leave for a month after bottling.

an absolute cracker, thanks mate

 

[Josh]

7. Josh Dubbel

Pours with a nice big fluffy head. Nice colour, clear ruby. Aroma is sweet malt, with a nice belgian spicy belgian aroma. Flavour is dominated by sweet malt, the finish is slightly phenolic and is a bit all over the place. Mine is not really bandaid, more fresh earth / mould / musty for me. possibly just 3787 phenolic character combining with the hops to give some wierd flavours (ive seen a few 3787 beers come up quite phenolic), hard to tell really.

cheers
andrew

Cheers Andrew. I had another bottle tonight. I really love the colour that comes solely from the home made dark candi sugar. This bottle is less offensive than the first one I had.

In related news, tonight I also had a 15. Gulpa. - Belgian Strong Ale. 7.5%. Wy1388. Bottled 23/6, probably needs a month.

Pretty lively out of the bottle. Nice firm white head. Got a perfumey mixture of alcohol and phenolic flavours. Very similar to some commercial beers I've had.

It's a rare Saturday night I can enjoy a few beers these days. And I am enjoying this one.

Maybe a couple more to come.

 

[barls]

5. barls honey bitter ~4% bottled 28/06/13 leave for a month after bottling.

an absolute cracker, thanks mate

thanks mate, i think it was worth it to break out the stash for this one lets see how i do at states with it.

 

[Josh]

11. ScottC - English bitter 4.9% - Was supposed to be a Worthington Whiteshield IPA clone. Ready end of July.

I don't think I've ever had the Whiteshield. But I have read Mitch Steele's IPA book. This tastes a lot like the historical English IPAs are described in that book. Far more dry and bitter than current versions both commercial and homebrew. I like it a lot. Thanks Scott.

Would love to see the recipe.

 

[Gulpa]

16. Ester Trub Belgian Dark Strong

Pours hazy dark ruby colour. Nice big fluffy head. Lovely aroma of sweet malt, caramel, honey biscuit, belgian fruity esters. Phenols come up as it warms. Flavour big rich malty, dark fruits. Balance is towards the sweet. carb is low. Body is fullish. Finish is spicy. going to let the rest of it warm up some more and sip for the rest of the evening. Very nice beer Ester. Thanks for sharing.


cheers
andrew

 

[Ester Trub]

14. JonW Belgian Blonde Ale. 7%

This poured crystal clear, with a small head. Aroma is woody. Very low carb.
Tastes of wood too. Or possibly mild Brett?
I'm really enjoying this, and I'm intrigued by the flavour.
Thanks for sharing.

Cheers
Ben

 

[jonw]

14. JonW Belgian Blonde Ale. 7%

This poured crystal clear, with a small head. Aroma is woody. Very low carb.
Tastes of wood too. Or possibly mild Brett?
I'm really enjoying this, and I'm intrigued by the flavour.
Thanks for sharing.

Cheers
Ben

Oh dear, that doesn't sound good. Those flavours certainly weren't supposed to be there. I have a nasty feeling I have a house infection in my kegs which may be something like Brett. Might be time for new seals all round.

I'm glad you enjoyed it, even if its not quite as intended!

Anybody else who is yet to drink this, I'd recommend drinking soon or at least putting in the fridge.

 

[Ester Trub]

Even though you didn't want it to taste like that, I really did think it was a great beer, and I enjoyed the flavour, if it's any consolation?

 

[barls]

just dug out johns bottle and will let you know which strain it is.
putting in the fridge now.

 

[jonw]

Even though you didn't want it to taste like that, I really did think it was a great beer, and I enjoyed the flavour, if it's any consolation?

It is

 

[white.grant]

Interesting, this was one of the first beers I sampled from the swap - the day after from memory. Tasted pretty clean to me, certainly no brett to speak of. Really enjoyed it

 

[Ester Trub]

I'm not sure it was Brett.
But it was definitely what I would describe as woody. As in, tasted like it had been aged in a barrel.
It may have just been my bottle, but that flavour was dominant.
Still, I really enjoyed it. I would love it if I could get barrel aged flavour in some of my beers without having to purchase the expensive barrel

 

[matho]

15. Gulpa. Belgian Strong Ale. 7.5%. Wy1388. Bottled 23/6, probably needs a month.

I have just finished this, it's an excellent example of a belgian strong thanks Gulpa for such a nice beer

cheers steve

 

[barls]

drinking nifty’s right now. bloody nice mate. more a red than a brown i think
the wife likes it as well.

 

[barls]

right drinking jonw, i get estery in it, the wife smells raspberries. good drinking, mines clear but will have a second glass once warmed up a little bit.

 

[Ester Trub]

19. monkeybusiness Southern English Brown 3.5%

Nice drop. Easy drinking, roasty goodness.
I enjoyed this while I was bottling beer tonight.
Thanks

Ben