Nsw Special Case Swap Tasting Thread

[Gulpa]

34. Muggus - Black Warrior Imperial Stout 7.1%, 22nd Oct,

Time to get into the final case.

My careless pour give a big thick tan head that laces the glass. Initial aroma of coffee, black olives and smokey malt. A herbal hop aroma peeks through. Flavour starts all coffee (I could almost be drinking cold espresso). A nice nice biscuit/munich character is there behind the the coffee. Smokeyness continues in the flavour. As it warms it becomes roasty with that nice astringent dry finish that good stouts have. And thats really only half of whats going on here. Medium full body. Well carbed. Wery complex. Great balance. Awesome beer. Thanks Mike.

cheers
Andrew.

 

[Muggus]

Beer: 26. Floppinab Belgian Dark Strong
Date: 7th May 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap BDS/1209 9% WLP830
Sampling Notes:
Served chilled in pint.

Deep bronze body, small thick creamy white head persists, leaving tight lace rings.

Subtle sort of aroma straight up; vinous dark berries, black pepper, dark chocolate and treacle.

Voluptuous and velvety body, with smooth carbonation and excellent length.

Tremendously rich body of flavour; dense rye bread, brown sugar, dark chocolate, raisins, vanilla bean, plum jam, fig, clove spice I could go on! Silky finish, only a slight suggestion of that big abv, and not a rough edge in sight.

Wow! This is a dead-set pearler of a beer! Couldnt have asked for a better beer for my 350th documented homebrew tasting to date. This could well be my pick of the case thus far! Great job Gav, cheers!

 

[Muggus]

Beer: 15. Fatgodzilla A king of Belgian strong ale with golden syrup
Date: 7th May 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap 15
Sampling Notes:
Served chilled in pint.

Quiet opening. Presents a uniform amber body with orange-beige foam.

Decidedly hop-driven aroma; lemon and kaffir lime leaf (?), some pale malt and caramel/golden syrup in the background.

Medium-full body, slightly syrupy texture with moderate carbonation.

More lemony, floral, leafy hops on the body. Light caramel sweetness with a suggestion of spice. Finishes with a firm bitterness and a lingering honey note.

Reminds me more of an English pale ale than anything else with the hops and caramelised malt; quite enjoyable nonetheless. Cheers Ian.

 

[Gulpa]

30. Grantw - Anzus Wheatwine 2 X bottles - this is a vicious and unpleasant beer at the moment, 10.38% leave it for months maybe late July

With a description like that I just had to have one.

Pours a cloudy orange gold. Little head arises with some swirling. Aroma is orange marmelade, some maltiness with a grassy herbal thing as well as something familiar but I cant quite put my finger on it. Flavour follows along similar lines, creamy malt and finishes with a nice bitter orange with some yeast funk. Full viscous body. Very low carb. Warming alc. Bitterness suits. Very nice beer, Grant. Not unpleasant at all. Im looking forward to trying the next one later in the year.

cheers
Andrew.

 

[white.grant]

30. Grantw - Anzus Wheatwine 2 X bottles - this is a vicious and unpleasant beer at the moment, 10.38% leave it for months maybe late July

With a description like that I just had to have one.

Pours a cloudy orange gold. Little head arises with some swirling. Aroma is orange marmelade, some maltiness with a grassy herbal thing as well as something familiar but I cant quite put my finger on it. Flavour follows along similar lines, creamy malt and finishes with a nice bitter orange with some yeast funk. Full viscous body. Very low carb. Warming alc. Bitterness suits. Very nice beer, Grant. Not unpleasant at all. Im looking forward to trying the next one later in the year.

cheers
Andrew.

Cheers Andrew,

It actually tasted fairly interesting out of the fermenter but was going to need a long conditioning period, so I was just trying to discourage early consumption. I haven't tried one yet so might put one in the fridge for later.

grant

 

[Cortez The Killer]

1. Fatgodzilla - An english IPA though things got a little out of control and there are a lot more bitterness than expected.

Pours a hazy dark copper with red hues. Off white head. Fruity nose with some caramel malt in support.

Medium carb, body and medium sweet finish. Medium high bitterness which balances malt sweetness chewiness. Some toastiness and roast.

Overall a very nice big beer. Lovely on a cool night.

Cheers

 

[Cortez The Killer]

24. Josh - Belgian Golden Strong Ale

Deep gold. White head which persists. Sweet spicy nose. Light fruity notes. Some light grain notes - pilsener.

Spicy. Clean. Medium carb. Medium light body, which finishes slightly dry. Though there are some sweet notes. Alcohol warming rises slowly.

This is very easy to drink. Well hidden alcohol. A great example of style. A most enjoyable refreshing beer, that I think is gonna make to fall asleep when I finish the long neck.

Cheers

 

[nifty]

16. Grantw Belgian tripel

Top drop, I enjoyed this one.

If I remember rightly, you were tossing up whether to put this beer in as you thought it was infected? glad you did.

cheers

nifty

 

[white.grant]

16. Grantw Belgian tripel

Top drop, I enjoyed this one.

If I remember rightly, you were tossing up whether to put this beer in as you thought it was infected? glad you did.

cheers

nifty

Cheers Nifty,

Glad you enjoyed it. The fermentation was a real worry for me but I'm quite pleased now with how it has turned out. I had a bottle this evening and thought that the Unibroue yeast flavours are beginning to emerge making it a bit more interesting. I've still got a few bottles left at least for the moment!

grant

 

[Josh]

19. Retsamhsam - Doppelbock 10.5%, Bottled August 2009. Lots of Munich Malt Goodness

Enjoying my first of two bottles tonight Rets.

Clear, brown with a fast dissipating head. Rich malty goodness all over the place. Chocolate, plum, and a background honey sweetness. Finishes dry, but also coats my tongue with malt at the same time. Lovely complex beer.

Thanks very much.

 

[Josh]

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

Opaque black with no head, low carbonation.

Sweet and roasty. Numbing on the tongue without being at all harsh. Slight belgian phenols as it warms up.

A lovely beer. Thanks.

 

[Gulpa]

1. Fatgodzilla - An english IPA though things got a little out of control and there are a lot more bitterness than expected.

Pours a hazy dark copper with red hues. Off white head. Fruity nose with some caramel malt in support.

Medium carb, body and medium sweet finish. Medium high bitterness which balances malt sweetness chewiness. Some toastiness and roast.

Overall a very nice big beer. Lovely on a cool night.

Cheers

I also enjoyed this one last night. No notes, but my main memory was the lovely aroma of malt and fruit from the yeast/hops and also how well balanced it was. Great beer, Ian. Thanks.

Cheers
Andrew.

 

[Muggus]

Beer: 27. Nifty Some sort of Belgian Golden Ale
Date: 10th May 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap 27 8.1%, 07/02/2010 WY1388
Sampling Notes:
Served chilled in pint.

Presents quite a clear deep gold/pale copper body with a nice thick off-white head.

Yeasty sort of nose; bread dough, pepper, cinnamon, some citrus peel.

Full bodied, moderate carbonation, creamy sort of texture.

Nice flavours; banana bread, cinnamon and nutmeg, peppery alcohol, sweet light caramel. More subtle summery fruits (apricot?) on a slight warming yet smooth finish.

No nonsense, easy drinking, and enjoyable golden Belgian. Id be very happy making something like this! Cheers Nifty.

 

[Muggus]

Beer: 17. DiscoStu Belgian Dubbell
Date: 10th May 2010
Details: 750ml bottle red cap 17 WLP300 7.3% 13 Mar 2010
Sampling Notes:
Served chilled in pint.

Amber body with uniform hazy and a small tight beige head.

Subdued aroma; some peppery phenolics, some clove, some dark brown bread.

Moderate carbonation, sticky texture with a decent weight on the palate.

Flavour is sweet upfront; golden syrup and toffee, biscuit and wholemeal bread, with notes of cinnamon, date, fig and sultana. Finish is slightly dry, alcohol barely registers.

Decent sort of Belgian ale; good phenolics and caramelised character, probably has a bit less complexity than most commercial example, but tasty regardless. Cheers Stu!

 

[Muggus]

Beer: 18. Stuster Belgian Blond
Date: 11th May 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap 18 8% - Wyeast 1762 13th March 2010
Sampling Notes:
Served lightly chilled in pint.

Pours a clean gold body with an inch of persistent creamy white head,

Yeasty aroma; sweet dough, lightly toasted bread, vanilla, clove and woody cinnamon-like spice.

Medium carbonation, silky texture, surprisingly lean body for strength.

Sweet malts upfront on the body; golden syrup, toasted cereals, with nice woody and leafy spices, and peachy/stonefruit-like fruits. Bready finish with a moderate bitterness and peppery drying alcohol note.

Dangerously easy drinking beer. Good flavour and balance. Great stuff, cheers Stu!

 

[Muggus]

Beer: 21. MonkeyBusiness Belgian Strong
Date: 11th May 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap B/21 9.5%, 20-03-10
Sampling Notes:
Served lightly chilled in pint.

Tight persistent off-white foam sits atop quite a clean amber body.

Mild aroma; toffee, peppery phenolics, sultana and port-like dried fruit undertones.

Thick, syrup texture, low carbonation, rich palate.

Deeply rich and complex; treacle, prune, raisin, clove, rye bread. Finishes with a drying alcohol pepper and warmth.

Big, bold dubbel sort of Belgian. Some slightly astringent phenolics in there, but well balanced with sweetness and fruit flavours. Nice, cheers MB.

 

[nifty]

I haven't had much chance to get into these beers lately but last night i had -

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

and I thought it was a very nice beer.

cheers

nifty

 

[Muggus]

Beer: 16. GrantW Belgian Tripel
Date: 17th May 2010
Details: 750ml bottle gold cap 16 10.08%
Sampling Notes:
Served lightly chilled in pint.

Persistent creamy white head atop a hazy gold body.

Quite sharp yeast nose; lots of pepper and clove, sour dough bread, lemon rind and apricot pip, with some noticeable alcohol aromas.

Full, creamy body with a nice smooth carbonation. Bit of yeast tartness contributes to dryness and malt balance.

Sweet pale malts upfront; bit of bread crust, unripe apricot skin, clove, cinnamon and hazelnut. Phenolic sort of finish; some bitterness and pepper alcohol add warmth and dryness.

Gustsy sort of Tripel; phenolic flavours are quite reminiscent of a Saison but with a fair bit more body. Cheers Grant, good beer to end the Belgian case on!

 

[Josh]

Celebrating an Eels victory with:
39. Thommo - Old Ale - Needs a good 6 weeks +. I will re-post when carbed

Reasonably carbed. Murky Dark Brown with little by way of head.

There's a dark sweetness early, a little bit raisiny and a bit phenolic which adds to the complexity.

As it warms, I'm picking up more alcohol, not overly harsh, just present.

Nice beer Thommo, thanks. I have another bottle I'll store away for later.

 

[Josh]

I had doubles of this so I put it in the fridge a few days ago:
37. Josh - Foreign Extra Stout - ready, but could do with a few weeks in the fridge

Didn't realise I was putting my own in the fridge when I did. But glad I did. I won't be changing a thing about this beer the next time I brew it. And now that I'm the proud owner (pending delivery) of a 6 tap font, I'll have to start filling some kegs... this will be one of the regulars.

Anyone going to Brewshare tomorrow night, you will get a taster of it before you crack your case bottle.