Nsw Special Case Swap Tasting Thread

[Bizier]

2. Grantw - An English IPA at 4.7%, bittered with EKG and Galaxy

A nice hazy orange with little head to speak of.

Light fruity hops on the nose with some nutty sweet malt aromas underneath.

Crisp and fruity with a firm bitterness and some very nice UK malt to back it up. I love the marmalade taste to the residual bitterness from the EKG.

This is the perfect beer for a beautiful autumn afternoon. Thanks Grant.

 

[gruntus]

8. Gruntus - Where has all my EKG gone - English IPA - ~ 7.5% - Bottled 6th March.

Pours a beautiful dark gold with a big white head which wants to jump out of my glass. So bright I can actually read through my pint glass.

I get a little bit of the lost EKG but mainly alcohol from what I think is warm fermentation temps. Sorry to say it's not particularly memorable, but I've finished the bottle. Thanks Grant.

I've got your Trippel in the fridge after reading Gulpa's review. Days off tomorrow, bring it on.

Glad you finished the bottle....sorry it wasn't memorable

There was no EKG in this one at all as I forgot that I had already used mine all up....doohhh.

Overall I was pretty happy with how this one turned out as I was trying for an old style English IPA, although next time I will be upping the spec malts to balance the hops. I also get a little bit of alcohol taste but only when it warms up. I fermented this out at 19C so it's not coming from a warm fermentation.

I have had a dozen of these over the last month and all of them are quite cloudy (or maybe chill haze) so I'm a little confused how yours is crystal clear.

 

[gruntus]

22. Gruntus - Trip to Brugge - Belgian Trippel - ~9% - Bottled 19th Feb

Wow! Trip to Brugge indeed. I swear I'm back in that little courtyard with the sun shining and the smoke billowing out of the tiny cafe's.

Thick and malty sweet on the tongue early. Spicy phenols in the middle and then finishes with a lingering aroma in the top of my mouth, begging for another mouthful.

Man this is a quality beer. 1-1 Yankees @ Red Sox in the top of the 2nd. I might have to se e waht else is in the fridge.

Is there a better place in the world to enjoy a beer (or six). I can remember sampling some Trippels when I was Brugge (circa 1996). I was attempting a Bruggse Trippel (simple version of a trippel) but am happy with the results.

Glad you enjoyed it.

Maybe we should all save one of our Belgian's for an aged case swap next year.....Thoughts anyone?

 

[Bizier]

20. Gulpa - Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Pours a dark dark brown with little carbonation and nearly no head.

Complex malt and yeast aroma. Lots of complex woody notes, some bubblegum, alcohol aromas, dark fruit city. I also get a lot of fortified wine stuff going on.

Again, large complex yeast and malts on the palate. Relatively dry, but with welcome sweetness to balance the savoury flavours, hops are just balancing the lot. Liqorice, more dry woody flavours, makes me think of old cedar, tobacco, some miso, some spice. Deeply warming alcohol.

This is fantastic beer Andrew.

 

[Bizier]

19. Retsamhsam - Doppelbock 10.5%

A big-arse bock.

Pours a deep hazy brown with no head.

The aroma is bread crust, port and some alcohol.

Great savoury dark-bread-crust malt with some raisin edges. Alcohol is very well hidden. There are some miso-ish flavours that come with beers of this high of a gravity. It is seriously like a loaf of good dark wholemeal bread in a glass. I would be much more tempted to be religeous if they gave you beer like this as a staple.

This is a great to-style beer. I am thankful that there is no roast, as you often get in both commercial and HB bocks. If this is the same beer from the last swap, it is a great re-visit; if it is a new one, killer job on the brewing.

Thanks Damo,

PS Condolences on the loss of your intended batch.

 

[Bizier]

1. Fatgodzilla - An english IPA

Sweet caramel and bready malt on nose with some light floral and (orange) fruity hops.

More caramel and bready malt finishing dry and with a decidedly bitter finish, leaning on the sharp side.

A very drinkable beer, good beefy malt with moderate flavour hops. I have to say that the sharp bitterness in the finish is putting me off a little. But otherwise a very drinkable malty beer.

Cheers Ian

 

[Fatgodzilla]

1. Fatgodzilla - An english IPA

Sweet caramel and bready malt on nose with some light floral and (orange) fruity hops.

More caramel and bready malt finishing dry and with a decidedly bitter finish, leaning on the sharp side.

A very drinkable beer, good beefy malt with moderate flavour hops. I have to say that the sharp bitterness in the finish is putting me off a little. But otherwise a very drinkable malty beer.

Cheers Ian

Got the same impression on the bitterness when I consumed one myself yesterday. I reckon this beer will need to sit for a few more months to meld everything together.

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Muggus - Black Warrior Imperial Stout

Pours with a massive light brown fluffy head. Black. Nose full of roasty goodness, espresso coffee, dark chocolate.

Big body, sweet upfront with a lingering bitterness. Has a creamy smooth quality. Roast and coffee. Maltiness upfront balanced nicely with the bitter finish, which seems to come from both the hops and dark roasted malt. Warmth slowly appearing.

This is a most awesome complex beer and a great example of style. The time in the bottle has really made this beer exceptionally smooth and extremely moreish. Great beer.

Cheers

 

[Josh]

2. Grantw - An English IPA at 4.7%, bittered with EKG and Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin for aroma Bottled 19.3 give it a few weeks

Beautifully bright deep gold beer with a dense off-white head.

Aroma is toasty and bready with a bit of fruit in the background.

Lovely English esters with a fresh hop flavour and toasted flavours.

Finishes with a medium bitterness and the hop aroma rising up to my nose.

Very nice beer Grant. Thanks very much. Now for Jack Bauer to save New York City before I get there.

 

[Josh]

9. Cortez The Killer - Hop Rod Rye Clone - Rye IPA - ~7% - Ready - http://hyperfox.info/allgrain01.htm#72

Bright red copper colour, little head or carbonation.

Spicy aroma I'm guessing from the rye with citrusy hops also. SWMBO scrunched her nose similar to when she tried Cantillon Geuze for the first time. Thankfully I love it. The flavour carries a lot of the rye with a resinous hop character. Kinda surprising given the total hop bill was only 100g.

Finishes with a little sweetness which might be a little alcohol sweetness and the hops kicking in also.

This is an amazing beer. Almost as amazing as Chloe O'Brien who pulled a gun on an NSA dude just then.

 

[Josh]

6. Gulpa - American IPA - 7% - 65IBU - Wy1272 - Ready to drink - bottled 18 Feb.

Slightly hazy, dark gold, dense 1/2 inch off-white head.

Hoppy and slightly fruity aroma which I put down to the Wy1272 which I've not actually used.

It's a delicious beer Andrew. Not getting quite such a crisp citrusy character from this one like you might expect in an AIPA. But that isn't a bad thing. I like the yeast and I like the complexity. And the bitterness helps finish it off nicely.

The Top Gear guys are in Bolivia and doing their best to break 3 4WDs. After a long day at work, an hour of squash and these beers, I'm very close to passing out.

 

[Muggus]

Beer: 1. Fatgodzilla English IPA
Date: 12th April 2010
Details: 750ml Bottle gold cap 1/IPA OG: 1.065 FG: 1.012 1st March 2010
Sampling Notes:
Served chilled in pint glass.

Hazy amber body, off-white head and sparse foam.

Malty aroma; biscuit, nuts, bit of sweet toffee. Some dry leafy, tobacco, earthy spice hop character and dried fruits in the background.

Medium-full palate, moderate carbonation, slight chewy texture.

Combination of toffee n nut malts and leafy hops on the body. Some spicy yeasty dough on the finish, with a reasonable amount of bitterness and somewhat phenolic aftertaste.

Easy drinking sort of strong English bitter. Probably lacking the hop oomph of a serious IPA; more like an ESB. Drinks well, cheers Ian!

 

[Muggus]

Beer: 10. Josh Imperial IPA
Date: 13th April 2010
Details: 750ml Bottle gold cap underlined 10 RTD
Sampling Notes:
Served chilled in pint glass.

Presents a good-looking deep amber body with very persistent, thick off-white foam.

Deliciously tempting aroma; passionfruit, dried apricot, ripe peach hops. Dried leafy herbs amongst it with a rich toffee malt background.

Smooth, creamy texture, rich with a relatively low carbonation.

Mouth-wateringly tasty flavour; toasty, biscuity, sweet toffee malts combine fantastically with ripe stone fruit, bitter orange and leafy hop character. High bitterness of a smooth finish, with a gentle alcohol embrace.

Ticks in all boxes for this IIPA; plenty of hop and malt flavour, plenty of bitterness, plenty of body, plenty oomph! Well done Josh, top notch!

 

[Muggus]

Beer: 2. Grantw English IPA
Date: 14th April 2010
Details: 750ml Coopers Bottle gold cap 2 4.7% 19.3.10 Ekg, Galaxy, NS hops
Sampling Notes:
Served lightly chilled in pint glass.

Copper-amber body of reasonable clarity, small beige head dissipates.

Aroma of moderate intensity; fruity hops take front seat with passionfruit, guava, gooseberry aromatic white wine-like thiols. Fragrant herbs backed by berry fruit esters and light caramel and golden syrup maltiness.

Medium body, nice malt stickiness, moderate-low carbonation; almost reminds me of a British cask ale in its feel.

Plenty of those aromatic vinous fruit hops on the body; guava, rose water, paw paw, lavender almost pot pourri-like. Nice hop bitterness combines well with a golden syrup malt sweetness and subtle roastiness. Lingering red currant and cranberry esters on a dry finish.

Really tasty, complex English bitter, would be a great cask quaffer. Once again, not as robust as Id come to expect from an IPA, but highly enjoyable regardless. Cheers Grant!

 

[white.grant]

Cheers Muggus, - what's a thiol? - Bizier and Josh, glad you enjoyed it.

Had some mashing issues with this one, the mashmate thermometer went berko and was reading low - the reality was the mash was too hot so the attenuation has suffered - which has then flowed on to the alcohol level, hop utilisation and carb (I cut back on the bottle priming just in case cause the fermentation ran out of puff at 1016) so it's not quite the beer I was planning :unsure: but as happy accidents go I kinda like it and it should make a good house special bitter if I can translate the mistakes into process.

In other news the problem child trippel has come along quite nicely and is ready to drink. It's 10%+ lolly water so be careful. I 've just had half a bootle and feel warm, relaxed and attractive. It makes up for the lack of oomph in the IPA.

cheers

grant

 

[Muggus]

Cheers Muggus, - what's a thiol?

From what i've been taught, is that a thiol is aromatic compound produced by fermentation. Depending on their composition, there's a large array of aromas they can produce, many are quite nasty - like garlic, onions, burnt rubber, skunky sort of aromas. But also some are very pleasant "terpene" aromas - like grapefruit, passionfruit, guava, rose - the sorts of aromas you get in aromatic white wines like sauvignon blanc, muscat and gewurztraminer.
Certain yeasts accentuate and produce these compounds in these wines.
Of course, this doesn't have a great deal to do with the aromatics of your beer...most of those nice fragrant aromatics came from the hops, they just happen to be remarkably similiar aromas to certain white wines.

 

[Muggus]

Beer: 13. Nifty Some sort of IPA
Date: 15th April 2010
Details: 750ml Bottle gold cap 13 7.1% bottled 14th March 2010
Sampling Notes:
Served chilled in pint glass.

Deep golden-copper body, small ring of off-white foam.
Quite a rich potent sort of aroma; lots of golden syrup and toasty biscuit malt, orange marmalade hops, with ripe apricot-like esters and alcohol spice.

Smooth body, slightly syrup-like with a drying alcohol presence. Low carbonation.

Hops and malt combine quite well on the body; candied/glace orange peel, brown sugar, dried apricot, dried herbs and clove-like phenolics. Solid bitterness with a warming, drying alcohol note to finish.

Complex and enjoyable, reminds me of an English strong ale of sorts. I can imagine this aging well. Cheers Nifty!

 

[white.grant]

From what i've been taught, is that a thiol is aromatic compound produced by fermentation. Depending on their composition, there's a large array of aromas they can produce, many are quite nasty - like garlic, onions, burnt rubber, skunky sort of aromas. But also some are very pleasant "terpene" aromas - like grapefruit, passionfruit, guava, rose - the sorts of aromas you get in aromatic white wines like sauvignon blanc, muscat and gewurztraminer.
Certain yeasts accentuate and produce these compounds in these wines.
Of course, this doesn't have a great deal to do with the aromatics of your beer...most of those nice fragrant aromatics came from the hops, they just happen to be remarkably similiar aromas to certain white wines.

It's a great word, I shall make sure to drop into conversation every now and then.

cheers

grant

 

[Cortez The Killer]

22. Gruntus - Trip to Brugge - Belgian Trippel

Pours with a large white head which persists. Copper in clolour, cloudy. Some lovely phenolics, spricy, some fruity notes from candy sugar.

Sweet upfront, revealing some great belgian phenolics. Some fruity notes orange, banana in the background, all mixed up with some tasty peppery spices. A lot going on. Medium body. Only a hint of the alcohol content as the beer warms.

This is a very delicious beer, very complex and well bodied. The only thing letting it down is clarity; sort this out and you are onto a winner.

Cheers

 

[Gulpa]

19. Retsamhsam - Doppelbock 10.5%

A big-arse bock.

Pours a deep hazy brown with no head.

The aroma is bread crust, port and some alcohol.

Great savoury dark-bread-crust malt with some raisin edges. Alcohol is very well hidden. There are some miso-ish flavours that come with beers of this high of a gravity. It is seriously like a loaf of good dark wholemeal bread in a glass. I would be much more tempted to be religeous if they gave you beer like this as a staple.

This is a great to-style beer. I am thankful that there is no roast, as you often get in both commercial and HB bocks. If this is the same beer from the last swap, it is a great re-visit; if it is a new one, killer job on the brewing.

Thanks Damo,

PS Condolences on the loss of your intended batch.

19. Retsamhsam - Doppelbock 10.5%

Again, what Dan said. Cant improve on those and really not in any state to do proper notes.

Been looking forward to this beer. Mine is crystal clear, brown with ruby highlights. Lovely munich malt aromas, raisin fruit, could sniff this all night. Flavour is more of the same, a touch meaty/soy in a good way. Everything in its place. My kind of beer, malt heaven. Awesome. Thanks Damien.

I loving the beers in this swap so far.

cheers
Andrew.