Nsw Ahb Xmas Case 2005 - Consumption

[berto]

Nifty's Some Sort of Aussie Pale Ale

Poured with probably the creamiest head i have seen. Was super thick with extremely fine bubbles with good carbonation below. Mouth taste was a little light on for my liking. Nice tasting beer which went down extremely easy. A little more hop or malt taste i think would have rouded it off a bit and given it a more full taste. But overall a great summer beer for sitting by the pool.

Stuster's Pacific Bitter
Once again poured well with thick creamy head. (Only had 4 of the Chrissy case so far, but all seem to have this so far. Very impressed) Didnt know what to expect from this beer with no real knowledge of the style, so was somewhat darker than i had expected. Reasonably clear in appearance. Slight haze when held to a light. Didnt improve as it warmed so probably not chill haze.
First half of the glass i had a metaly taste in my mouth. Much like that when necking an old bottle of beer and you can taste the lid. Not sure if its just a personal thing because i invariably seem to get it quite often. Could also be some kind of hop i am sensitive to. But halfway through it disappeared. Hop level was spot on for me. Gave a bit of a kick so you knew it was there, but didnt overpower with a slight malt taste rounding out the beer. Nice beer.

My biggest problem now is going to be what to make first out of all the beers im tasting ou of this case.

 

[Weizguy]

I'll be testing my Weisse sometime this week.

Will report as to it's carbonation and drinkability.

Keith at the lhbs has asked for my last longneck, so I'll taste the remaining stubbie and advise all.

Hope it still doesn't have the spewy rancid wheat aroma that was in it when Shmick tatsted it. Sorry fellas, but it didn't seem to affect the drinkability at the time.
Darn lactic!

Not making excuses, just a heads up... <_<

Seth

*Edit...spelling

 

[shmick]

A few more comments:

am's Australian Golden Ale This one's near the top of my list. Loved the Amarillo hops - lots of flavour without overpowering the malt. One of the best balanced beers I've had so far. Very well done.

KoNG's Summer Ale. Interesting for a lightish beer. Thin bodied but still retained a decent flavour. Not really my style but in the context it was designed for I'd say it was pretty good. Very easy to drink.

Borret's Mild Very complex, medium in body and subdued hop finish. Fruity plum/chocolate/bubble gum highlights made it well worth sitting back and drinking slowly. Really enjoyed it. Very smooth. Good stuff.

Redbeard's APA Sorry Redbeard - not sure about this one. Had a thin layer of fairly dark yeast around the top of the bottle and a strong medicinal aroma. I thought it might have just been one of the newcastle case bottles that was transported upside-down and I missed swirling the yeast back to the bottom. I tried carefully wiping the yeast out but still couldn't drink it. Maybe next year.

Stuster's Best Bitter One tough cap. Nearly busted my old bottle opener getting it off. Beer was nice and bitter as I was expecting but had a slight metallic twang to start with - couldn't tell if it was the hops or what was left of the cap. Slight malt flavour without getting in the way. Good to have a bitter beer without the overpowering hop aroma for a change. Very nice.

Tim's Newcastle Brown Light bodied, delicately flavoured, low hop flavour and aroma. Very clean. I was expecting a little more malt but it was good drinking none the less. Reminded me a bit of Kent Brown Old that used to be on tap down at the local. Not bad.

 

[shmick]

I'll be testing my Weisse sometime this week.

Will report as to it's carbonation and drinkability.

Keith at the lhbs has asked for my last longneck, so I'll taste the remaining stubbie and advise all.

Hope it still doesn't have the spewy rancid wheat aroma that was in it when Schmick tatsted it. Sorry fellas, but it didn't seem to affect the drinkability at the time.
Darn lactic!

Not making excuses, just a heads up... <_<

Seth

[post="98381"][/post]​

G'day Seth

Good to finally catch up the other day.
The weisse would have been fairly young when I tried it as it was only a few days after I picked up the Newcastle cases. It was pretty sour then but I wouldn't want to put anybody off trying it now.

Let us know how it turns out. :chug:

 

[Samwise Gamgee]

Thanks for the review Schmick!

I'll be needing to make another batch of that soon, only had 2 bottles for myself after the xmas case (didn't plan that too well )

 

[Stuster]

Schmick and berto, interesting that you both detected a metallic taste in the beer. Palmer had this to say.

Metallic flavors are usually caused by unprotected metals dissolving into the wort but can also be caused by the hydrolysis of lipids in poorly stored malts. Iron and aluminum can cause metallic flavors leaching into the wort during the boil. The small amount could be considered to be nutritional if it weren't for the bad taste. Nicks and cracks ceramic coated steel pots are a common cause as are high iron levels in well water. Stainless steel pots will not contribute any metallic flavors. Aluminum pots usually won't cause metallic flavors unless the brewing water is alkaline with a pH level greater than 9. Shiny new aluminum pots will sometimes turn black when boiling water due to chlorine and carbonates in the water.

I used only stainless and it was an AG brew using fresh malt so I'm a bit unsure of why this taste is there. :unsure:

Schmick, you said the cap was hard to get off. Were the caps rusty at all?

:unsure:

 

[Weizguy]

Hmmm, maybe the smell is quite normal for the yeast according to Warren in the Kolsch thread.. The German ale yeast is similar to Kolsch yeast...yes?

Good to catch up with U too Shmick. Plenty more opportunities in the future, too.

I don't wanna put anyone off the beer either, but it will improve with age...

Seth

 

[warrenlw63]

Weiz.

I've heard brewers describe the unlagered Kolsch aroma as being like "Lark's Vomit". :lol: They wouldn't be far from the truth IMO. Kolsch is a bit like the caterpillar in the cocoon that comes out a beautiful butterfly. :beerbang:

How philosophical was that?

Warren -

 

[Hopsta]

My Belgian golden strong ale is ready to drink, i had one on the weekend and am happy with how its conditioned. When i bottled it, it had a very hot alcahol taste that i thought would take a few months to meld properly but its fine to drink now....... enjoy.

P.s i have reviews on some of the beers written down on a notepad at home, i'll get them posted here this week.

 

[Trent]

Tried Kungy's amarillo APA the other night. I found it to be a little overcarbonated, but other than that, it was a great drop. Quite a nice citrusy flavour from the amarillo, not too overpowering, just right for my palate (though the missus said it was too bitter, but she says that about any pale ale). Very nice drop, well done kungy. Sorry I dont have better notes to make, I didnt write anything down, as I was in the middle of bbq'ing for guests. But, like I said, it was very nice
ALl the best
Trent

 

[Doc]

Tims Brown Ale is going to be a mystery to me.
I came home from work end of last week and my father-in-law had been over and mowed the lawns, clipped the edges and water blasted the backyard pavers, then helped himself to a couple of beers. One was Tims Brown Ale (the others were mine). So I'm reading your reviews of Tims and dreaming of what it might of tasted like

Having Linz's IPA right now. Going down pretty well too. A good level of bitterness without entering the I2PA territory. I'm not up for over analysing it right now, but my initial thoughts were that it was a little undercarbonated. It also didn't hold head for long either. Opaque deep golden hue, with the opaqueness probably due to the hop level. Easy quick quaffing beer Linz.

Beers,
Doc

 

[berto]

Homebrew worlds Robust porter

Never had a proper porter before and was expecting something mor like guinness. Wasnt as roasty a finish as guiness with a lot more hop flavour there to drown it out a little. FOund it to be quite nice actually. WOuldnt mind another right now. Was carbonated correctly for style i think, but head retention was poor and went immediately before even getting a swig.
Was a nice underlying roast taste, and beer appeared quite clear. Hard to tell in a dark beer, but didnt appear hazy if that makes sense.

Cheers, Rob

 

[shmick]

I used only stainless and it was an AG brew using fresh malt so I'm a bit unsure of why this taste is there. :unsure:

Schmick, you said the cap was hard to get off. Were the caps rusty at all?

:unsure:

[post="98426"][/post]​

Thought of that Stuster

After the first few mouthfulls I went and checked the cap and bottle neck for rust but it all looked ok including the plastic seal on the inside of the cap. I should have tasted the top of the bottle directly to be sure but didn't think of it at the time.
The cap was pretty tight on the bottle and I couldn't bend it in half afterwards like a normal cap so I figured it just must have been a really tough one.

The twang wasn't that strong, it just lingered in aftertaste along with the hop bitterness which made me think it might have been a combination of hops that didn't agree with my tastebuds. Was pretty much gone towards the end of the first glass.

I've had much worse from commercial beer. The first LCPA I ever had was so bad out of the bottle I couldn't drink it. I had a second one later (same 6pk) out of a glass and it was fine even though it had rust marks around the cap.
This being the case, it might not be coming from the cap.

Maybe somebody else could try it and clean the top of the bottle before pouring just to eliminate that possibility. :chug:

 

[Gough]

Some reviews from the few I've tasted so far...

Pint of Lager's Vienna Lager - A nice malty lager which I enjoyed drinking. Carbonation seemed fine , head lasted well, some haze. A little stronger hop flavour than I expected given the style but not over the top. Overall, a beer I really enjoyed drinking, as did my father... Looking forward to brewing a Vienna Lager of my own in the new year.

Doc's Kolsch - Very clear with good carbonation and a solid head. Much darker than Kolsches I've had in the past. Much hoppier than Kolsches I've had in the past. Top work on the label there Doc by the way...

Jase's APA - Very fiery and took quite a while to settle down, but once it did it was a really enjoyable APA style. A good 'summer APA' - refreshing and at the lighter end of the spectrum. Bad luck on the carbonation but a nice beer there mate.

Borret's Mild - Lovely dark colour and aroma, slight haze until it warmed up. Good malt aroma along with hops given the lighter style. Good strong complex flavours with a nice malt/hop balance, especially keeping the 'roastiness' present but not OTT. Carbonation maybe a bit strong for a Pommy style, but I haven't drunk any commercial Milds to compare it to - certainly higher carbonation than a Pommy Bitter/Pale Ale. Enjoyed it a lot as did SWMBO...

Some nice beers so far Xmas casers. Looking forward to the rest over the Xmas period...

Shawn.

 

[PostModern]

Schmick and berto, interesting that you both detected a metallic taste in the beer.

[post="98426"][/post]​

I'm pretty sensitive to metalic tastes and didn't pick it up at all in your brew. Might have been just two unlucky bottles? Has anyone else picked it?

 

[Stuster]

Good to hear it tasted ok for you PoMo. I opened one of my own last night and neither I nor SWMBO (who is much more sensitive to off tastes than I am) could pick up any metallic taste.

Also tried your Witbier, berapnopod. Lightly hoppy, really liked the spicy effect of the coriander etc, perhaps with the lactic sourness. Thick head which went, highly carbonated which fits well with wheat beer styles. It was perhaps slightly too sweet in the finish for me, but overall very refreshing.

SWMBO really liked this one so I may well be making a wit in the New Year. :beerbang:

 

[Borret]

I have got through a few of these beers so far but haven't really taken any notes. I also am not one to claim to talk the true lingo and pint point fine details but will give some brief feedback inline with the spirit of the case.

Duff's Kolsch I realy enjoyed this beer. Contrary to your comments mine sample was actually quite clear for an unfiltered beer and had the correct 'more subtle' balance of flavours that I assciate with a kolsch. Nice work.

POL's Vienna lager. I am unfamiliar with this style but according to the guidelines a little too hoppy I'm guessing. The malt and bitterness I did find nice, but was surprised by the haze present considering you used JW malts. I possibly tasted some yeast character in this beer that didn't belong there. It did have a long time to settle before drinking so is not the haze but could also be isolated to my bottle.

Jase's APA After I let it sit and settle down I thoroughly enjoyed this beer. Nice american hop presence and bitterness with a bit of malt to support it. Nice easy drinker.

Trents Porter I'd actually say this is one of my favourites so far. Having tried the coconut version which blended beatifully with the roast it was interesting to try this 'san's coconut' version as you put it. The residual sweetnes is still there but not cloying and the beer enjoyable righht through. A nice balance of flavours and very easy drinking. A top beer from such a simple recipe too. B)

Doc's Kolsch Nice and clear, and well presented as I expected but perhaps a touch darker and bold in flavour/bitterness than I would expect from a kolsch. Other than that it drank reasonably well.

Gough's Amber Alot of crystal up front but balanced nicely with subtle hop presence and a firm bitternes. A nice beer mate, perhaps not one of your more outstanding ones, but I did enjoy it.

Stuster Pacific Bitter. My memory has faded on this one a little but I don't recall any metalic taste. The hop combination used is something my taste is unacustomed to and so there was an imbalance that stood out but I could not pin point it directly. It may be what others are commenting on but I couldn't say for sure. Closer to room temp this beer seemed to bablance out as the malt came into play and I enjoyed the second glass more than the first. Overall still well constructed. The flavours I note may well be yeast related as I haven't had experience with this strain either.

Thanks to all you guys for these beers. All have been enjoyed and has been worth the effort.

Thanks to the guys for their feedback on the mild so far. Glad you enjoyed it. As Gough said it may be a little on the high carb for a pommy beer but having not brewed it before I was unaware of just how flat to make it. Probably show's up more due to it's low gravity. I'll defnately knock the prime down a notch next time.

Cheers

Borret

 

[Tim]

Tims Brown Ale is going to be a mystery to me.
I came home from work end of last week and my father-in-law had been over and mowed the lawns, clipped the edges and water blasted the backyard pavers, then helped himself to a couple of beers. One was Tims Brown Ale (the others were mine). So I'm reading your reviews of Tims and dreaming of what it might of tasted like

[post="98508"][/post]​

Sounds like Bad news Doc, but at least you didnt have to do the lawns yourself!

Nifty's Pale Ale.
I really enjoyed this one. I found it to have a lot more malt, body and mouthfeel that I was expecting, however it tended to be well balanced. More of a malt driven Aussie PA, than a fruity one.

Stusters Pacific bitter.
I also found the unusual 'metallic' taste which i think is from the hops, which are quite upfront and more APA in style that an english bitter. Maybe the hops were not fresh? I also found the beer to be slightly tart, which accented the peculiar hop taste. Overall, i found it most pleasant to drink.

 

[berto]

Just a small ask guys. I think it was mentioned at the start of the thread, but could everyone please post what yeast they used. If your name is already there with it entered thats fine. I just wanna assemble a good sized yeast bank. Gotta go to the brew shop again to get some more bungs and airloacks so i can drink quicker with the yeast culturing up afterwards.
Is there another good method i can use here where i dont need an airlock? Is it possible to add say 7g dextrose to each bottle and recap, then repeat a few days later?

 

[homebrewworld.com]

Sorry Guys ! :angry:

I tasted my contribution to the case last night..........
Well apart from embarased , i am really sorry it was'nt a good beer for you guys.
I guess thats what i get for a bit of a half assed organised at the last min brew.
I would jump in on xmas case again, and will next time enter a beer i can be really proud to put my name and lips too.

cheers
homebrewworld