Nsw Special Case Swap Tasting Thread

[Muggus]

Beer: 30. GrantW Anzus Wheatwine
Date: 18th April 2010
Details: 345ml MSB bottle gold cap 30 -10.4% managed to score two of these
Sampling Notes:
Served lightly chilled in pint glass.

Small pop upon opening. Head needs a bit of encouraging; I wind up with a film of persistent foam above a relatively clear deep gold body.

Would have to agree with you there when you mention its a bit rough Grant; certainly smells a bit rough! A lot going on but specifically I pick up; toasted Weetbix-like cereal, sharp hop aromatics; grapefruit, lemon, perhaps even a hint of Brettanomyces vinegar and mousiness; bit funky and sharp.

Quite thick, syrupy texture, definite viscosity about it without a great deal of noticeable alcohol. Carbonation is low.

I wouldnt so much call the flavour rich, rather intense. Having said that it tastes much nicer than the aroma would suggest; a lot going on!
Weetbix, sultana, balsa wood (yeah, never used that term before), lemon rind, pink grapefruit, kiwifruit skin, pepper, salt(?), subtle horsy funk. Solid bitterness, with lingering complexities.

Quite a different beast to anything Ive ever encountered wheat, hops and strength is there but theres so much more to it. Really love to see how this develops in the bottle. Many thanks Grant!

 

[Josh]

13. nifty - Some sort of IPA - 7.1%. Bottled 14th March 2010.

Pours hazy golden with a thin but persistent head and medium carbonation.

Nice fruity aroma and a biscuity malt backbone supports the hops well.

Finishes with a bit of alcohol and some bitterness.

Tasty beer nifty. Thanks.

 

[Gulpa]

Thanks for the feedback Andrew.
I tried a bottle of this over the weekend and definately know what you mean; has a definate phenolic sharpness about it. Also found it very vinous, "Like a red wine" as one of my mates put it.


Good to hear feedback on my brown ale too! Glad that people actually enjoyed it! Can't say as much about my unsuspecting friends and family...

Hey Mike,

What yeast did you use? Ive got a dubbel in the fermentor with wy3787 that has similar notes and Im wondering if its phenolics specific to the yeast?

Cheers
Andrew.

 

[Muggus]

Hey Mike,

What yeast did you use? Ive got a dubbel in the fermentor with wy3787 that has similar notes and Im wondering if its phenolics specific to the yeast?

Cheers
Andrew.

I used a starter of WLP500 Trappist Ale for my beer, not sure of the Wy yeast equivelent.
Tried to ferment around 20 degrees but have a feeling probably got a bit warm 24-26 degrees at one stage or another, which more that likely contributed to that.
White Labs have a pretty handy table on their website in regards to the phenolic compounds created by Belgian strains at certain temps. Well worth a look at.

 

[Muggus]

Beer: 38. Gulpa Old Ale
Date: 20th April 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap 38 US05 7.8% - 24th Feb 2010
Sampling Notes:
Served lightly chilled in pint glass.

Faintest of pops on opening. Presents nicely regardless; deep copper body, persistent dense beige head.

Nice rich malt aroma; biscuit, toffee, bread, a bit like a sticky date pudding, with notes of sultana, date and tawny port starting to develop in background.

Thick, smooth, somewhat sticky texture. Good length, low carbonation.

Plenty of enjoyable malt flavour of the body; molasses, brioche, caramelised walnuts, light hop spice. Developing notes of fortified wine dried fruits, woodiness, and honey. Finishes with a lingering cinnamon-like spice and balancing bitterness.

Really enjoyed this beer; clean with good malt flavours and lovely subtle aged/oxidised complexities, that should develop beautifully with age glad Ive got another bottle! Great beer, cheers Andrew

 

[Muggus]

Beer: 39. Thommo Old Ale
Date: 20th April 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap 39
Sampling Notes:
Served lightly chilled in pint glass.

Decent psst on opening; definitely has carbonation. Pours a hazy sort of bronze body with a thick ivory-coloured head.

Aroma is particularly spicy and doughy; notes of rye, pepper, caraway, coca, clove and cinnamon.

Quite a rich body, moderate carbonation, oily sort of texture.

Flavour is somewhat vinous; Madeira, brown sugar, dense rye bread, pepper, tobacco and smoke (almost like cigar!), woodiness hinting at sherry and dried fruit undertones. Finish is warming, slightly phenolic and bitter with more spice lingering.

Seemed a bit abrasive at first, but this beer really opens out with warmth. Deeply complex and delicious. Looking forward to trying the other bottle I have a bit further down the track. Cheers Thommo, shes a cracker!

 

[Muggus]

Beer: 22. Gruntus Trip to Brugge Belgian Trippel
Date: 21th April 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap 22 9% - 19th Feb 2010
Sampling Notes:
Served lightly chilled in pint glass.

Deep golden-amber body, slight haze, white foam that dissipates quickly.

Rich aroma; good dose of caramel, burnt toffee and biscuity sort of malt. Notes of vanilla, pepper and stewed berries in the background.

Sticky texture, smooth syrup-like consistency with a medium-low carbonation.

More rich toffee and cola-like malts on the body; very sweet. Pepper phenolics follow, notes of date, apricot, stewed fruit and spice in there. Boozy finish, quite dry with lingering spices.

Rich pale malts, subtle esters, and spicy phenolics; all in good balance. Shes a Belgian ale all right, and a nice one indeed. Cheers Gruntus.

 

[Cortez The Killer]

3. DiscoStu - Imperial IPA 8.5%

Pours a ruby red into a straight pint, exceptionally clear, off white head. Malty nose upfront, some pine hop notes in the background.

Big malty body which clears to reveal a long bitter finish. Medium low carb. Very smooth. Some lovely caramel/toffee, toasty flavours. The sweet body is very well balanced with the bitterness. Hops were definitely added early on.

This is a big beer, superbly balanced with a good whack of bitterness. Really enjoyed this one, extremely moreish.

Cheers

 

[Cortez The Killer]

37. Josh - Foreign Extra Stout

Pours motor oil black. Tan head which manages to pour it self out of the glass and onto the rug, while I quickly glance at Getaway on telly. Sweet light malt nose with supporting roasty goodness and a hint of caramel.

Roasty, sweet malt flavours. Medium finish, leaning toward the sweet with some roastiness balancing it out. Medium low carb. Roast gives the impression of being quite dry. Smooth.

This is a wonderful beer, easy drinking and velvety smooth. Awesome.

Cheers

 

[Bizier]

28. Muggus - Belgian Chocolate Ale '09 - 8.4%

Poured almost still, and may have if I didn't increase the pour distance. A dark, slightly red brown.

I get lots of wood and spice on the nose, also a little towards the hot side, very earthy.

Tasting, I really get a huge hit of savoury wood notes (as opposed to vanilla), like a cigar scroll. If I take a gulp, I get a flashback to the sour cola bottle lollies I ate as a kid. There are some raisin and smoky notes in there. Alcohol is warming, but perhaps a bit too much so.

This is an interesting beer Muggus. I can see what you are doing, and I dig the direction, but for me the phenols and alc are a bit too loud. Nevertheless, I am enjoying the remainder.

Cheers mate

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Any one else find when writing these reviews, contemporaneously with drinking the beer, that after the second bottle you no longer remember what you had written about the beers (or much else for that matter)

And then find yourself a little bewildered when re-reading them the next day

Should a special case swap get up again I think stubbies should be mandatory or there be both >6% and <4% categories to get some sort of balance

Cheers

 

[white.grant]

Any one else find when writing these reviews, contemporaneously with drinking the beer, that after the second bottle you no longer remember what you had written about the beers (or much else for that matter)

And then find yourself a little bewildered when re-reading them the next day

Should a special case swap get up again I think stubbies should be mandatory or there be both >6% and <4% categories to get some sort of balance

Cheers

Yes my notebook is full of strange squiggles and blotches and my memory has been playing up on me a bit these last couple of weeks. On the plus side I have been sleeping really well!

cheers

grant

 

[nifty]

Yes my notebook is full of strange squiggles and blotches and my memory has been playing up on me a bit these last couple of weeks. On the plus side I have been sleeping really well!

cheers

grant

Ah yes, the brown sleeping tablets.

2 of these beers and I'm out like a light.

 

[Gulpa]

Any one else find when writing these reviews, contemporaneously with drinking the beer, that after the second bottle you no longer remember what you had written about the beers (or much else for that matter)

And then find yourself a little bewildered when re-reading them the next day

Should a special case swap get up again I think stubbies should be mandatory or there be both >6% and <4% categories to get some sort of balance

Cheers

Yeah, its hard work drinking these beers :icon_cheers: . I dont think stubbies would help me personally, it just means I would put 4 in the fridge instead of two longnecks.

Oh, and the "Homebrew doesnt give you headaches" myth is well and truly busted :blink: .

Cheers
Andrew.

 

[Gulpa]

Had a couple though the week that I didnt take notes for because of some reason or another.

16. Grantw Belgian tripel may be ready to drink around June, 10.08%

Had this one last night. Well in the GSA camp for me, lovely spices, nutty malt, dry finish, lethal alcohol. Excellent beer Grant.


23. Cortez The Killer - Devil's Ink - Belgian Imperial Stout - ~7.7%

Had this a few nights ago. I can see what youre saying with this beer Gino. Its nice enough, well made and fault free, but just a bit under for some reason. Needs a bit more belgian character and a bit more stout character. Still I enjoyed drinking it.

cheers
Andrew.

 

[Cortez The Killer]

I wasn't really happy with it - it's drinkable like you said

But falls drastically short of what I was aiming for

I used the Rochefort yeast but got none of the elements I was after from it - I'm thinking I over pitched and ran it too warm

Cheers

 

[Muggus]

Any one else find when writing these reviews, contemporaneously with drinking the beer, that after the second bottle you no longer remember what you had written about the beers (or much else for that matter)

And then find yourself a little bewildered when re-reading them the next day

Should a special case swap get up again I think stubbies should be mandatory or there be both >6% and <4% categories to get some sort of balance

Cheers

Haha, yeah it's a tough gig but someones gotta do it! :icon_cheers:

I found i'm getting a bit more lazy with these beers. Whereas I usually write my notes on beers straight into the computer with the beer sitting with me; i'm more enclined to sit down with pen and paper with these strong beers and take my time writing it.

Tough going though. I set myself the task of getting throught 3 longies last Sunday; got to 2 and almost fell asleep on the couch with a full glass in hand!

 

[Muggus]

Beer: 24. Josh Belgian Golden Strong Ale
Date: 22th April 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap 24 RTD
Sampling Notes:
Served chilled in pint glass.

Hazy gold body, fluffy white head slowly dissipates.

Aroma of medium intensity. Hops are quite prominent with notes of lime and melon (Motueka?), peppery phenolics and spice combines with hops, and a hint of toasted cereals and golden syrup in the works.

Subdued carbonation, thick syrupy texture hides with alcohol pretty well.

Im really enjoying the balance and flavour of this beer; lime, toasted cereals, wholemeal bread, pepper, clove, dried herbs, hint of tropical fruits. Smooth, moderately bitter finish, soft alcohol warmth and dryness lingers.

More of a hop-driven Belgian ale than most. Really easy to drink with mulit-layered complexity. I like it, cheers Josh!

 

[Gulpa]

7. Monkeybusiness - English IPA OG1053 FG1013 (5.1%) 52 IBU

Picked a few randoms from the case for tonight.

Pours a nice clear copper with a nice dense head. Aroma says malt and with some nice earth/floral/leaf hop aromas. Flavour has a lovely creaminess to it, quite hoppy in an english way with a suitable malt back bone. Medium body. Lowish carb. Mediumish bitterness - you could up this without detracting from everything else. Very nice beer, thanks MB.

cheers
Andrew.

 

[Cortez The Killer]

27. nifty - Some Sort of Belgian Golden Ale

Pours light copper into a chalice. Off white head, which persists. Touch of haze. Loveley phenolics, pear, apple, some stone fruits as it warms. Hint of malt in the background.

Medium body, with medium high carb and finishes quite dry. Noticeable alcohol warming but no real alcohol aroma or flavour. Assertive bitterness likely due to the phenolics. Quite smooth as I become accustomed to the bitterness. Pepper and spice as it warms.

Overall a very delicious Belgian golden ale. Well balanced and good carbonation and attenuation to make it very easy drinking. Top work.

Cheers