Nsw Special Case Swap Tasting Thread

[Muggus]

Beer: 40. Syd_03-RIS
Date: 1st April 2010
Details: Redback bottle 345ml gold cap 40/RIS -10.9%-Bottled 20/03/2010
Sampling Notes:
Served lightly chilled in pint glass.

Good pop on opening. Im presented with a big persistent light-brown head that leaves clumpy lace in its wake. The body is sinfully black, light struggles to escape its surface.

Nice aroma of moderate intensity; fresh espresso, dark chocolate, soy, toasted cereals.

Reasonably low carbonation, body is a bit leaner than expected, especially for the whopping abv. Slick texture seems to indicate high alcohol.

Highly flavoursome body. Lots of roasted malt complexities; burnt toast, sweet alcohol, espresso, vegemite, soy sauce, dark cherry. Finishes with a big solid bitterness, lingering coffee bean and a very warming alcohol.

Certainly a well-made stout; I get the feeling the best is yet to come in this one, the flavours are there but perhaps a bit disjointed, which time definitely will aid. Might also be a bit over-attenuated, but its not a huge issue. Other that, fantastic job Jason, really enjoyed it and looking forward to another bottle down the track.

 

[syd_03]

Beer: 40. Syd_03-RIS
Date: 1st April 2010
Details: Redback bottle 345ml gold cap 40/RIS -10.9%-Bottled 20/03/2010
Sampling Notes:
Served lightly chilled in pint glass.

Good pop on opening. Im presented with a big persistent light-brown head that leaves clumpy lace in its wake. The body is sinfully black, light struggles to escape its surface.

Nice aroma of moderate intensity; fresh espresso, dark chocolate, soy, toasted cereals.

Reasonably low carbonation, body is a bit leaner than expected, especially for the whopping abv. Slick texture seems to indicate high alcohol.

Highly flavoursome body. Lots of roasted malt complexities; burnt toast, sweet alcohol, espresso, vegemite, soy sauce, dark cherry. Finishes with a big solid bitterness, lingering coffee bean and a very warming alcohol.

Certainly a well-made stout; I get the feeling the best is yet to come in this one, the flavours are there but perhaps a bit disjointed, which time definitely will aid. Might also be a bit over-attenuated, but its not a huge issue. Other that, fantastic job Jason, really enjoyed it and looking forward to another bottle down the track.

Cheers Mike,

I was going to sample a bottle myself this weekend to see how it was going, almost don't need to now with such an indepth description (but I will; for scientific comparison of course). It has only been bottle for 11 days (have you no self control )so that would be the light carbonation and disjointed flavours. Finished at 1.021, will probably dry out slightly more over time too.

Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the constructive comments too. And yes sinfully black is a very good way to describe its appearance :beerbang:

Jason

 

[Cortez The Killer]

20. Gulpa - Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Pours black with a tan head into a chalice. Medium carb. Small head which persists. Malty sweet nose, belgian phenolics, faint hint of roast. Some alcohol. Reveals dark stone fruits as it warms.

Smooth, big body. Significant alcohol warmth. Sweet to medium dry finish. Dark stone fruit notes, some Belgian phenolics and some alcohol. Balanced really well. Highly drinkable. This beer is disappearing too quickly.

This was exactly what I was looking for with my Belgian entry. But mine fell drastically short of this great great beer. A most awesome beer once again Andrew.

Cheers

 

[Cortez The Killer]

11. Bizier - Belgian IIPA

Pours with a good head. Medium carb. Red / orange tones when held to the light. White head. Big fruity nose, passionfruit filling the room. A heap of hops. More reminiscent of fruit juice than beer.

Bitter. I'm getting some phenolics as the beer warms. But for the most part it's hoppy goodness. Medium body which finishes slightly sweet after the tongue becomes accustomed to the bitterness. Alcohol warmth in the belly and going down. A regular hop bomb! Definite bias to the bitter side but well complemented by the body. I'm getting a little grassiness as the beer warms.

This is not a beer for the fainted hearted and is reminiscent of some of the out there IIPAs I had over in the states and stands up against some of the best. This beer is most awesome. Hoppiness abounds! Really enjoyed it. Please send kegful at once.

Cheers

 

[Bizier]

Cheers Cortez, the fruit juice is from some Simcoe and a dash of NS... it is amazing how some hops can absolutely steamroller others.


12. floppinab IIPA - ~7.5%

Light carbonation and an attractive but small cap of foam on a tawny orange-brown beer.

Light citrus, sweet tropical fruit and a herbal character in the aroma. I can't tell if there is a component of this which is from an estery yeast, or if it is only the hops.

To me this seems more of an English IPA or perhaps a larger APA (I know that is what IPA is). The slightly caramelly malt is in harmony with the fruity hops. There is a firm bitterness that dries the palate, leaving me wanting more.

Even though it is not monsterous, I could drink this till the cows came home Gav. Thanks.

 

[Cortez The Killer]

28. Muggus - Belgian Chocolate Ale '09

Pours near black, very dark brown. Almost no carb, very little head. Chocolate and roast. Phenolics peaking through. Some alcohol. Ripe stone fruits, plums.

Finishes quite dry considering low carb. Medium light body. Chocolate coming through nicely. Alcohol warmth. Spicy phenolics blending interestingly well with dark malts. Getting some sweet malty notes, dark over ripe fruits.

A very delicious complex beer, which opens up nicely as it warms.

Cheers

 

[Muggus]

Cheers Mike,

I was going to sample a bottle myself this weekend to see how it was going, almost don't need to now with such an indepth description (but I will; for scientific comparison of course). It has only been bottle for 11 days (have you no self control )so that would be the light carbonation and disjointed flavours. Finished at 1.021, will probably dry out slightly more over time too.

Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the constructive comments too. And yes sinfully black is a very good way to describe its appearance :beerbang:

Jason

Haha yeah a bit wierd starting off with Imperial stouts instead of IPA's like everyone else. Luckily enough I have a few repeat bottles of the stouts and barley wines, and you'll definately be hearing my tasting notes in a year or twos time...if you can wait that long.

But that's quite interesting. Suprised that it finished at 1.021, definately didn't have that much viscosity but alot of alcohol can cloud judgement. Really looking forward to trying it down the track, personally I think it will be far better with age. Not that its bad, but imperial stouts tend to be that way by nature, like big brutal tannic Coonawarra cab savs...best after a few years.

 

[Muggus]

28. Muggus - Belgian Chocolate Ale '09

Pours near black, very dark brown. Almost no carb, very little head. Chocolate and roast. Phenolics peaking through. Some alcohol. Ripe stone fruits, plums.

Finishes quite dry considering low carb. Medium light body. Chocolate coming through nicely. Alcohol warmth. Spicy phenolics blending interestingly well with dark malts. Getting some sweet malty notes, dark over ripe fruits.

A very delicious complex beer, which opens up nicely as it warms.

Cheers

Thanks for the indepth review Gino.
Bit of a shame about the carbonation. I did find that carbonation was not at the level I was hoping last time I tried it a week ago, but there was definately a bit more than when I first tried it. Hopefully it will improve in that regard over a couple of months; it seems like I always have to wait a bit longer for these stronger beers to carb up properly! :angry:

 

[monkeybusiness]

Cant say Ive ever come across a stout like this. Its hard to get past the abrasiveness (too much roasted grain?) of it at first, but once my mouth became accustomed to it and the beer had warmed up, I found the flavour to have layers of complexity unlike anything Ive tried. I managed to get 3 bottles of these, might see how one goes in a few years time. Cheers MB!

Muggus, thanks for the review. I think you're being kind. I had the same observations about its abrasiveness & this beer really didn't hit the mark I was aiming for. But the whole high gravity thing is new to me so I didn't know what to expect & was hoping it would mellow out in the bottle. Definitely better on the warmer side of drinking though. I personally don't plan on opening another one of mine for at least 6 months and probably more like 12 months.

The grain bill looked like this:
0.70 kg Amber Liquid Extract [Boil for 15 min] 8.24 %
7.00 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) 82.35 %
0.25 kg Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) 2.94 %
0.25 kg Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) 2.94 %
0.15 kg Carafa III (Weyermann) (525.0 SRM) 1.76 %
0.15 kg Caramunich Malt (56.0 SRM) 1.76%

The amber extract was because I was shy on my target gravity and have read suggestions that amber & brown malts work well in RIS's. Wouldn't have thought this would be too much dark malt.

 

[Cortez The Killer]

15. Fatgodzilla - A kind of belgian strong ale

Pours ruby red with an off white head into a Chimay chalice. Medium low carb. Lovely caramel nose with roasty notes. Delightful malt sweetness. Based on the aroma I would have picked this as an Irish Red or some sort of Scottish. Some phenolics are peaking through as the beer warms but is otherwise fairly clean.

Flavour has lovely light roast notes, nutty caramel, and malt. Medium light body, which finishes medium dry. Some belgian funk is peaking through but is otherwise clean. Balance is toward the sweet but its dryness really balances this beer out.

Overall this is a fabulous beer but lacks any notable Belgian funk. I imagine that this beer was fermented relatively cool without having the chance to get some funk happening. I think if this were in the Scottish / Irish category it would receive an excellent score.

Cheers

 

[Gulpa]

20. Gulpa - Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Pours black with a tan head into a chalice. Medium carb. Small head which persists. Malty sweet nose, belgian phenolics, faint hint of roast. Some alcohol. Reveals dark stone fruits as it warms.

Smooth, big body. Significant alcohol warmth. Sweet to medium dry finish. Dark stone fruit notes, some Belgian phenolics and some alcohol. Balanced really well. Highly drinkable. This beer is disappearing too quickly.

This was exactly what I was looking for with my Belgian entry. But mine fell drastically short of this great great beer. A most awesome beer once again Andrew.

Cheers

Thanks Gino. Glad you enjoyed it. Im very happy with how it turned out and it does disappear a little too quickly for it to be good for you.

cheers
Andrew.

 

[Gulpa]

11. Bizier - Belgian IIPA

Pours clear red copper with a nice head. Aroma is big tropical hops, passionfruit, stonefruit, a hint of pine, a touch of caramel - very nice. Flavour follows same. Hops dominate with the resiny pine coming out a bit more. Nice malts in the background, caramel, biscuit. Im getting a hint of the Belgian funk in the background but if I didnt know it was there I probably wouldnt have picked it, it just blends in and adds complexity. Medium body, medium low carb. High bitterness. Some alcohol warmth. All the bits work well together, great balance here. Awesome beer Dan. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers
Andrew.

 

[Josh]

Don't drink either of my brews for at least two months - they need to settle.

Whoops...

Slight psst on opening. Thin off-white head on top of a deep red copper coloured slightly hazy beer.

Little hop, mainly sweet caramel aroma. Earthy hop flavour amongst the malt. Not too bitter, I thought there was a distinctive taste, purple jubes came to mind. But maybe not.

Overall I enjoyed it, even though the Yankees are throwing away a 5-1 lead on Opening Day @ Boston.

Thanks Gavin for a top day. I left a bottle there - the one Josh gave me - the Tony Archer Is A Cheat bottle. Nothing worse than a bad loser - I should know, I am one too. Thanks Josh and I'm sure you'll be happy if I re-gift this to Gav for being a great host. Brilliant day!

No problem FGZ. I hope you liked the Pils Gav, I tried the Barleywine I donated the other day and age has not been kind.

 

[Josh]

5. Retsamhsam - AIIPA 8.2% Likely around 65-70IBU Lots of Late Hops. Bottled 11th March

Dense white head with citrus aroma of mainly grapefruit.

Dark golden colour with slight haze to be expected.

Strong hop flavour of grapefruit and lemon. Minimal malt getting in the way which isn't a bad thing in this case. It's quite a refreshing IIPA. Too easily drinkable for my own good at 8.2%!

A real joy to drink while watching an equally "out there" episode of Wilfred.

 

[Gulpa]

22. Gruntus - Trip to Brugge - Belgian Trippel - ~9%

Pours a cloudy copper with a decent head. Aroma started out all bubble gum and banana but moved back to spicy peppery malt sweetness as the beer warmed - could just sniff this all night. Flavour is sweet malt, a nice blend of fruit and spice with the noble hops really driving the finish. Complex. Medium low carb. Medium body. Lowish bitterness. Balance is towards the sweet. No sign of the 9% except for the difficulty in typing. Another awesome beer. Thanks Grant.


Cheers
Andrew.

 

[gruntus]

22. Gruntus - Trip to Brugge - Belgian Trippel - ~9%

Pours a cloudy copper with a decent head. Aroma started out all bubble gum and banana but moved back to spicy peppery malt sweetness as the beer warmed - could just sniff this all night. Flavour is sweet malt, a nice blend of fruit and spice with the noble hops really driving the finish. Complex. Medium low carb. Medium body. Lowish bitterness. Balance is towards the sweet. No sign of the 9% except for the difficulty in typing. Another awesome beer. Thanks Grant.


Cheers
Andrew.

Glad you enjoyed it....I reckon it will improve over the next 6 months....but still drinkable now.

 

[Fatgodzilla]

Whoops...

Slight psst on opening. Thin off-white head on top of a deep red copper coloured slightly hazy beer.

Little hop, mainly sweet caramel aroma. Earthy hop flavour amongst the malt. Not too bitter, I thought there was a distinctive taste, purple jubes came to mind. But maybe not.

Overall I enjoyed it, even though the Yankees are throwing away a 5-1 lead on Opening Day @ Boston.


No problem FGZ. I hope you liked the Pils Gav, I tried the Barleywine I donated the other day and age has not been kind.

Which one was that one Josh - the Number 1 or the 15 ? You are spending too much time in America if you are watching baseball!

15. Fatgodzilla - A kind of belgian strong ale

Pours ruby red with an off white head into a Chimay chalice. Medium low carb. Lovely caramel nose with roasty notes. Delightful malt sweetness. Based on the aroma I would have picked this as an Irish Red or some sort of Scottish. Some phenolics are peaking through as the beer warms but is otherwise fairly clean.

Flavour has lovely light roast notes, nutty caramel, and malt. Medium light body, which finishes medium dry. Some belgian funk is peaking through but is otherwise clean. Balance is toward the sweet but its dryness really balances this beer out.

Overall this is a fabulous beer but lacks any notable Belgian funk. I imagine that this beer was fermented relatively cool without having the chance to get some funk happening. I think if this were in the Scottish / Irish category it would receive an excellent score.

Most things went wrong with the brewing and possibly the yeast also. It was a recultured Ardennes (or was supposed to be) so who knbows what happened. I have a few spare bottles I might slip into fridge and see what I reckon. I'm happy it was drinkable at least !

 

[Josh]

Which one was that one Josh - the Number 1 or the 15 ? You are spending too much time in America if you are watching baseball!

Whoops, I had two reply windows open and used the one without the beer for some reason...
1. Fatgodzilla - An english IPA though things got a little out of control and there are a lot more bitterness than expected. But hope it'll be good. OG 1.065 FG 1.012 Bottled 1 Mar 2010

 

[Muggus]

Beer: Cortez The Killer - Father's Falling Over Fluid - American Barley Wine
Date: 6th April 2010
Details: 750ml gold cap 31 -~7.7%
Sampling Notes:
Served lightly chilled in pint glass.

Managed to get two longies of this one. Always fun to compare a fresh and an aged version of these beers.

Pours a copper-amber body, small beige foam hangs around for the entire glass.

Aroma of medium intensity, quite complex in its own way; particularly malt driven with a good helping of biscuit and golden syrup, undertones of dried fruit, fig, honey and subtle orange marmalade and pine-like hops.

Smooth palate, texture is thick and chewy without being cloying, carbonation is welcomely restrained. Alcohol is remarkably well hidden; this could get messy!

Rich malts upfront on the body; light caramels, dried apricot and sultanas, almost fruitcake-like, which I could see developing very well with age. Dries out towards finish with leafy, woody hop flavours, bitter orange in there too, delivering a integrated bitterness. Very smooth aftertaste, begs another sip.

Thoroughly enjoyed this beer. Even for a young barley wine it has developed nice dried fruit/fruitcake nuances that make this style so worthwhile aging. Its also very well balanced and not nearly as aggressive as others Ive come across, which makes it good to drink now. Great stuff Gino, lovely drop!

 

[Muggus]

Beer: 4. Stuster - Rye IPA
Date: 6th April 2010
Details: 750ml gold cap 4 - 6.8% - Wyeast 1450, Amarillo & Centennial
Sampling Notes:
Served chilled in pint glass.
Presents quite a clean copper body, persistent thick inch of white foam paints the glass with clumpy lace.

Nice pungent hop-driven nose; lots of grapefruit, resinous spruce and passionfruit. Malt quite hard to detect, hint of alcohol sweetness.

Quite high carbonation, creamy texture, lengthy body that persists for quite a while.

Flavours open up more so in the mouth; biscuity malt sweetness upfront is short-lived, brutalised by copious amounts of grapefruit rind, mown grass, pine resin and a distinct earthy spice. Bitterness is high, drying, lingers for an eternity, quenching the thirst and leaves me wanting more. Alcohol is unthought of.

Very much a proper, aggressive, resinous, hop-driven American IPA. Tremendously flavourful and drinkable; wish more beers were like this! Cheers Stu.