Nsw Ahb Xmas Case 2005 - Consumption

[KoNG]

Kungy.... KoNGy here (thats for redbeard)
yep i gave mine a little tasting the other night and it seems to be coming on alright, carb levels were pretty much there.... would be great for a steaming hot saturday afternoon session.!
as for the recipe i have a little dilema, with a recent house move (reason for late bottling) and subsequent computer problems i may need a whiles to dig it up... but i'll do my best ASAP. (i thinki have my hard copy for brew day floating around somewhere in one of 20 boxes.?!?!)

 

[berapnopod]

Pint of Lager's Vienna Lager

Aroma: Malty initially with underlying hop aroma. Some alcohol and a hint of toffee. Maybe a little grassy, which might be because it is young?

Appearance: Hazy, Good rich, white, lasting head. Dark gold colour - spot on for the Vienna style.

Flavour: Light hoppy flavour with some malt flavour behind the hops. Clean flavour overall. Quite a bitter finish - ie. more than I was expecting. Finish is also pleasingly dry.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, some warming alcohol. Carbonation is on the high side and gives the beer a slight carbonation bite.

Overall: A very easy drinking beer that is clean and very refreshing. It has a good hop flavour, which is high for the Vienna style, but makes the beer itself better in my opinion. Its a shame that there's the hop addition at the end, because I would have been very interested to see what the hop flavour would have been like with just the FWH.
Great stuff, PoL!

---------------------------

Thats right folks...
After reading that, I think it is clear that I am a complete beer judging geek. Just can't help myself.

Berp.

 

[Trent]

Gday all
This xmas case swap thing is great, its just a lucky dip as to what to drink first! Top work on the labels, everybody, I think mine comes way down the bottom of the pile, but I will better that next year! Tried Docs Kolsch on Sunday, quite a nice beer, deep amber colour, but there wasnt alot of carbonation to it, though it was still sufficient. Nice malty flavour, and firm bitterness. Maybe a little more bitterness than I was expecting, but I have only tried one Kolsch before. Quite a good beer, probably gonna have to try and brew a Kolsch now. Tried Sams Golden Ale tonight and was quite impressed. Nice golden amber colour, plenty of carbonation, not too much hop aroma (but enough) and the amarillo flavour really took over when it got in my mouth, but it was a really pleasant take-over. Reasonably light bodied, but still plenty of mouthfeel. I havent tried squires golden ale, but if this is an imitation, I will have to seek it out. If the quality of my feirst 2 brews is anything to go by, I will have quite a good time testing the rest of these brews. I think that I will have to try Schmick's on a weekend, though, looking at the ABV!
Big thanks again to all those involved in getting this thing off the ground, certainly makes xmas a little more enjoyable!
All the best
Trent

 

[berapnopod]

Duff's Koelsch

Nice going on the label, Duff! Good to see you used the umlauts as well.
...and remember that Koelsch sounds more like curl than coal.

Aroma: Hoppy up front, with german variety hops. Definitely some esters in there as you should find in a Koelsch (but not a lager). Some lemon, some alcohol. Malt is right in the back there. When I first opened the bottle, this took me back to Cologne!

Appearance: Hazy, dark straw colour - right on the style. Head is thin and has quite large bubbles, I would have expected finer bubbles and a longer lasting head. This may well be my glass, but if not, I suggest a little malted wheat could help this.

Flavour: Clean, equal proportions of hops and malt. A good dose of esters present that clearly say this is not a lager, but a Koelsch. Finish is estery and somewhat cloying. I think the bitterness is low for a Koelsch, it should be strong enough to dry out the finish and put it on the bitter side. But it also appears the cloying finish may be due to not enough attenuation?

After a few more sips, I think the cloying finish might be DMS? But I really dunno.

Mouthfeel: medium body. Carbonation is about right. There is some alcohol warmth as well.

Overall: A very good interpretation of a Koelsch. As I said I think its a bit cloying in the finish, and not as bitter as I would have liked, but these are minor points and if anyone else out there wants to know what a Koelsch tastes like, this is pretty damn close - well done Duff!

Berp.

 

[Stuster]

Just had your 'Some sort of Aussie Pale Ale' Nifty. Very refreshing on a hot evening here.

What was the recipe by the way? Just interested in what I can taste in there. :super:

Sorry I'm not up to your description level yet berapnopod. Very interesting to see this sort of analysis of a beer.

 

[berto]

Still to pick my case up . Sorry Duff will give you a call when free. I swung home past your place about 9 last night but looked like you were shut for the night.

Would have called first but couldnt get on the net to get your number.

 

[KoNG]

Tried my only spare bottle last week, and it was a little over carbonation. Had a lot of trouble in the Kangabrew dispenser, and may have been a little heavy handed on the sugar, hopefully it was the only bottle. :huh:

[post="93893"][/post]​

I had Jase's APA last night, while riding home 20km in that friggin heat... all i could think of was "that" cascade ale awaiting my arrival (i had to have a litre of water first though).
it definately hit the spot and was a tasty drop to help quench the thirst, lower on cascade flavour/aroma than i normally brew for myself... but actually had me thinking maybe i dont need to use so much
i think the yeast was definately notable too, which was to my liking, a good change from american strains.

As i seem to be the first to try Jase's beer, i guess its up to me to break the carbonation news (your suspisions were right jase). Upon opening there was the usual level hiss, which didnt trigger an alarm bells.. but on pouring i got a full glass of icecream. So i let that sit and left the bottle uncapped for 20 minutes.
the second poor was still a little tricky, but doable.
anyways by all means this shouldnt detract from a great beer.... more just a nudge to others that you may want to bleed the bottles a little before drinking. :chug:

Nice KoNG

 

[berapnopod]

Linz's Oz IPA

Aroma: Light hoppy aroma. A bit of malt, medium esters. I was expecting more hop aroma for an IPA.

Appearance: V. slight haze, copper colour, fine head of off white bubbles that form a ring around the glass.

Flavour: Good strong hoppy flavour (wouldn't have picked that from the aroma), well balanced malt flavour to support strong hoppiness. Finish is dry and bitter. Bitterness is between strong and assertive. I would have preferred more bitterness but then I like my IPAs to clean my teeth at the same time as drinking it

Mouthfeel: Med/full body. Medium carbonation. A touch of warming alcohol which also contributes to the dry finish.

Overall: This IPA has a good hop flavour to it, although it tastes odd to me, which I put down to not being familiar with this type of hops in this quantity (POR, right?). I would have preferred more bitterness. Certainly nothing wrong with it. I like the balance of malt and hop flavour, making it quite an assertive beer. Nice one Linz!

Berp.

 

[Trent]

Okay
This is the first beer I have tried that I have been home for, and therfore able to write down my thoughts, and I must warn you, it is nowhere near as technical as Berapnopods
I just finished Schmicks aussie strong ale, and it was on an empty stomach after work, so I am now a bit tipsy! Here is my review
Deep copper hue, not clear, almost opaque. Alcohol on the nose, kinda similar to a few stronger beers I had in the states, maybe one of stones Vertical Epic Ales? Cant remember. Biscuity flavours, slight nuttiness and maybe slight fruity flavours? Quite complex on the palate and a warming sensation from the alcohol. Quite a full bodied beer, nice and chewy. Creamy head that lasts all th eway down the glass. Hard to pick a fault with it, though maybe the opaqueness is due to chill haze (?) as I dont think it is dark enough to not see through. Lara (the missus) complained it was too bitter, but I think it is quiote firm in bitterness, but it is well balanced with the malt, and a sliught bitter tang left on palate after swallowing. I can see how it only fits into the english barleywine category :super: Quite a good beer, that (once again) I will have to brew one day. Top work Shmick.
Um, I dont see too many other reviews being posted, a few, but not heaps. Does this mean that reviews should be PM'ed, or are most people waiting till xmas to try ther beers?
All the best
Trent

 

[Hopsta]

Okay
This is the first beer I have tried that I have been home for, and therfore able to write down my thoughts, and I must warn you, it is nowhere near as technical as Berapnopods
I just finished Schmicks aussie strong ale, and it was on an empty stomach after work, so I am now a bit tipsy! Here is my review
Deep copper hue, not clear, almost opaque. Alcohol on the nose, kinda similar to a few stronger beers I had in the states, maybe one of stones Vertical Epic Ales? Cant remember. Biscuity flavours, slight nuttiness and maybe slight fruity flavours? Quite complex on the palate and a warming sensation from the alcohol. Quite a full bodied beer, nice and chewy. Creamy head that lasts all th eway down the glass. Hard to pick a fault with it, though maybe the opaqueness is due to chill haze (?) as I dont think it is dark enough to not see through. Lara (the missus) complained it was too bitter, but I think it is quiote firm in bitterness, but it is well balanced with the malt, and a sliught bitter tang left on palate after swallowing. I can see how it only fits into the english barleywine category :super: Quite a good beer, that (once again) I will have to brew one day. Top work Shmick.
Um, I dont see too many other reviews being posted, a few, but not heaps. Does this mean that reviews should be PM'ed, or are most people waiting till xmas to try ther beers?
All the best
Trent

[post="96671"][/post]​

I've only tried one (Docs Kolsch, very nice BTW) just havnt gotten around to writing a review on it, plus im crap at writing reviews! :lol: Im at work at the moment but have few xmas case beers in the fridge at home waiting for me so a couple more will be going down the hatch tonight! Looking forward to it! :beerbang:

 

[berapnopod]

And the odd hop flavour might be because of the hop selection...

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
15.00 g. Pride of Ringwood Pellet 10.50 21.3 60 min.
10.00 g. Fuggle Pellet 3.80 5.1 60 min.
10.00 g. Northern Brewer Pellet 9.80 13.2 60 min.
30.00 g. Hersbrucker Plug 2.50 4.8 30 min.
20.00 g. Fuggle Pellet 3.80 5.2 30 min.
15.00 g. Fuggle Pellet 5.00 0.0 0 min.
15.00 g. Hersbrucker Plug 2.50 0.0 0 min.

Thanks for the appraisal Berp....


Beerz

Linz

[post="96662"][/post]​

Wow! at a quick calculation, I get about 50IBUs. I must be much more of a hophead than I thought. Perhaps I was after something like 90IBUs, as in Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA. mmmmmmm

But I have to say, Linz, the beer really grew on me.

Now, how much alcohol was in there, 'cos I'm starting to bump into things at home - and not feeling it

Berp.

 

[Stuster]

Personally, I was initially a bit intimidated by berapnopod's reviews, but I have found them fascinating and am enjoying seeing a professional review of beers I have/will try. My reviews are more along the 'nice beer' lines at present. Any tips you can give us berapnopod? Thanks for doing the reviews.

BTW Schmick, doesn't your beer fit the Old Ale category better than the barleywine? This is the BJCP guidelines for an Old Ale. Not that styles really matter. h34r:

An ale of significant alcoholic strength, bigger than strong bitters and brown porters, though usually not as strong or rich as barleywine. Usually tilted toward a sweeter, maltier balance.

OG FG IBUs SRM ABV
1.060 - 1.090+ 1.015 - 1.022+ 30 - 60+ 10 - 22+ 6 - 9+%

 

[berapnopod]

Personally, I was initially a bit intimidated by berapnopod's reviews, but I have found them fascinating and am enjoying seeing a professional review of beers I have/will try. My reviews are more along the 'nice beer' lines at present. Any tips you can give us berapnopod? Thanks for doing the reviews.

[post="96681"][/post]​

I really don't want tp intimidate anyone with my judging. (Trying to speak objectively here) I think my reviews give a different perspective to how most would review a beer, I am more along the lines of breaking the beer down into its components.
But when it comes down to it, its really only one review! I think a brewer will learn a lot more from multiple reviews.

For example, in Linz's case you could break down my review to "Great tasting beer, but I would have preferred more bitterness". What I think would be more useful for Linz is if other people wrote in. If everyone else writes in with "...prefer more bitterness" then Linz will know his recipe can do with some more. But if more reviews come in saying "bitterness spot on" or "too bitter", then Linz will know that I am the sort of person that likes their IPAs extremely bitter. The power of multiple reviews.

So, please don't be put off by my wordy reviews. A simple one-liner may help a brewer out even more than all my babbling

As for tips to developing your judging skills into essays, probably the best advice I can give is to do the BJCP study course next year.
OK, I had to put a plug in for the BJCP. hehe

Maybe a bit more effort than you were thinking. A good start would be to just sit down with my review and the relevant beer and see if you agree with what I am saying, or at least understand where I am coming from.

Berp.

 

[Linz]

OK ...I'll have a go too.....


Jase's APA.

WAY over carbonated....Aroma was nice.....

it detonated in the garage yesterday some time...put his in the fridge pronto..

first bottle bomb Ive had, and it wasnt my beer..Sorry mate, but thanks for the experience. B)

 

[Gough]

Thanks for the heads up Linz

Shawn.

 

[redbeard]

i was saving up my xmas case for another week or 2. perhaps i should keeping them in the fridge rather than next to it ... oh, i dont have room

 

[Doc]

All mine are in the fridge except for the entries that need time to age/carbonate. Phew.

Beers,
Doc

 

[Linz]

Red,

Id put atleast one in there....

 

[Stuster]

Thanks for the warning Linz.

Had a couple of bottle bombs myself last month. Still finding glass here and there. :angry:

Jase's one in the fridge now.

 

[Borret]

Maybe it's just a freek incident on jase's bottle that may be isolated. For what it's worth the cap on mine does seem to be a little more domed than I'd expect however...... it was one of the ones delivered with yeast stuck in the neck like concrete from being transported upside down :unsure: . When I got it (and a couple others) I did agitate the crap out of them to try and get it back in suspension and settle and I did came away unscathed with no fargments of glass in my body.
So in Jase's defence it may have been a flaw in the bottle, the end of a particularly hot week, the unfortunate incident of an isolated bottle bug or a combination of the above.

However all should walk to their own level of caution. I've never had a bottle bomb either..... but would rather go and stick one of my wheat beer in the sun to experience it rather than waste the oportunity to sample the whole case. :lol:
Mine are being stored in the corner of the dining area to go in the fridge in stages cause I don't want to treat em badly.

Borret.