Nsw Xmas 2010 Tasting Thread

[Muggus]

Fatz, mate, really appreciate the beer, shame you couldn't get one out but it happens. Excellent choice either way...and if you really want to hear my ramblings about it here's one I prepared earlier.

 

[bit]

Hi Muggus,

Cheers for detailed comments. Glad you enjoyed it. :icon_cheers:

Boris

Beer: 25. Boris Brown Rye Ale
Date: 14th February 11
Details: 750mL bottle w/ label, gold cap "25" Brewed 15/10 bottled 14/11
Sampling Notes:
Gusher, but saved the vast majority. Deep bronze body, holds a small off-white head.

Medium intensity nose. Woody, leafy hops detectable with charred toasty malts and a hint of peppery spice.

Slightly prickly carbonation, medium body, slick texture, somewhat drying on finish.

Flavour is just a lovely smooth ride; pumpernickel bread, brown sugar, hop resin, caraway seed, cola, bitter orange and pepper. Dry finish with decent bitterness.

Top notch brown with plenty of complex malt and hop flavour to keep it interesting. Seemingly the perfect hit of rye in there, cheers Boris!

 

[Muggus]

Beer: 26. Lokpikn Dark Wheat Beer
Date: 15th February 11
Details: 750mL bottle gold cap 26
Sampling Notes:
Hazy orange amber body. White foam dissipates quickly.

To be brutally honest; I get a huge whiff of sweaty, leathery Brettanomyces straightup on the nose. Seemingly, it overshadows the nice toasted and toffee malts, and subtle spicy phenolics.

Relatively low carbonation, medium bodied, some acidity counter balances malt sweetness.

Sweet bready, cakey malts on the body fuse with the ever-present Brett character, adding its trademark sour cherry and barnyard flavours to the mix. Undertones of plummy esters and clove phenolics hide in the background towards a medium dry finish with lingering cheesy funk.

Im assuming that the Brett taint Im tasting in this beer was not intentionally put there, which may have something to do with poor sanitisation, or possibly the yeast starter or brew itself getting infected after fermentation. Having said that, being a Funk Freak, I actually found the flavour quite appealing; the sweetness of the malts help up quite nicely against the funk, and it wasnt too overpowering, although it will get worse with time. Anyway, cheers for the brew Lokpikn, and I hope this bottle was a stand-alone problem.

 

[BjornJ]

22. Cortez The Killer - Flying Ninja Squirrel IPA - American IPA - ~6.5% - http://hyperfox.info/allgrain01.htm#81 - Bottled 17/11/10 - RTD Mid December

WOW!
What a beer!
Fresh, piney aroma. Golden colour, very clear. Good head.
It's got it all. A bit on the heavy side for me with 6.5%, I;d be hammered by two longnecks of this
Clean, well balanced with a warmth and aroma that seems to stay even after swallowing.

Very happy with it.

thanks
Bjorn

 

[BjornJ]

been reading through the Ninja Squirrel IPA recipe while drinking another glass.



http://hyperfox.info/allgrain01.htm#81<br
81) Flying Ninja Squirrel IPA

Brewing Date: XXXday October XX, 2010

Batch Size (L): 27.00 Wort Size (L): 27.00
Total Grain (Kg): 7.00
Anticipated OG: 1.060 Plato: 14.82
Anticipated SRM: 12.3
Anticipated IBU: 60.7
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 75 Minutes
Mash Temp: 67.5
Actual OG: 1.0xx
Actual FG: 1.0xx

Grain/Extract/Sugar
% Amount Name Origin Extract SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
60.0 4.20 kg. JW Traditional Ale Australia 1.037 3
28.6 2.00 kg. Weyermann - Vienna Germany 1.018 3
7.1 0.50 kg. Weyermann - Rye Malt Germany 1.003 3
2.9 0.20 kg. Weyermann - Caraaroma Germany 1.002 178
1.4 0.10 kg. JW Crystal Australia 1.001 140

Hops
Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
40.00 g. Centennial Pellet 7.72 35.7 60 min.
20.00 g. Chinook Pellet 8.46 19.6 60 min.
30.00 g. Centennial Pellet 7.72 5.4 10 min.
10.00 g. Centennial Pellet 7.72 0.0 Dry Hop

Yeast
-----
US-05

Notes:



Thoughts:
1: OG 1.060 and still so clean and fresh. How did you do that, massive starter and massive aearation?
2: 60 IBUs, I would not have thought I would have liked a beer that bitter other than Brendan's Jane's Brown, but this is really nice.
3: Don't tell the wife when a case swap beer is 6.5% as she knows my beers are usually 3-4%. Harder to enjoy a nice beer with green Eye of Death from the couch
4: Please understand point 3 was a joke.
5: Centennial hops. Never tried but I like. A lot.
6: How the Hll do you make a HG beer that laces nicely down my beer glasses? My beers have a nice big fluffy head then dies away while this one is making curtains all the way.


My only beer that was OG 1.060 was the TB Lager that ended up tasting of bananas.. I buy the explanation that the cause was my bad aeration and under-pitching, but here is a beer that has the same big OG and none of the problems I encountered.

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Thanks BjronJ

I usually run my yeast over a few batches

So I'll make something 1.035-1.045 for the first batch and then usually take some of the yeast cake for another 1 or 2 batches etc

Aeration wise I simply tip the cube into the fementer - this results in a fair bit of foam/agitation

I'm not sure the bitterness was quite at 60 - I did age the hops in promash - so I think it may be close

I've not really have many beers that don't lace the glass - hops help with foam retention and the rye this one is probably aiding it too

From my notes it looks like the highest I've brewed was an American Barely Wine at 1.080 and from memory this held a head too

Glad you liked it

Cheers

 

[BjornJ]

7. gruntus - Meine Aventinus - Weizendoppelbock - 8.25% - Brewed 25/9/10 - Bottled 9/10/10 - RTD Now - Wyeast 3068



This is going to be awkward..

Just reread my slightly drunken review of the Flying Ninja Squirrel IPA and I clearly remember how big and nice it was.

Today I've only had two longnecks and the first one was an IPA that had "IPA sydx03" or something on the bottle top, very nice.

Then I opened bottle number 7, liked the colour and had half a glass.
Mmmm. Liked it. Big and full-tasting but in a clean, not too heavy way if that makes any sense.
Really liked it. Could taste it was not a 4% beer but was thinking more along the lines of christmas cake, dark fruit cake than high alc, almost sherry like tones, not all that big?
Then read on the case swap beer listing.

8.25%!!!!
What the h.l. is this? A 8+ % beer I actually like?
I blame Stu.
Never should have entered that BJCP course.
I used to like normal, healthy beers from 3-4.5 % with no massive hopping.
Now I'm drinking IPAs, thoroughly enjoying a double bock?
What is going on here..
Stu, no more funny beers for me, all right :lol:

How is this going to end up?
Soon I'll be brewing belgians and talking of candi sugar and golf with soft wrists..

On to the beer,
low hop aroma, dark rich colour.
Dark fruits, sherry, almost wineous flavour elements.
Very clear, more red than brown when holding it up to the glass.
Good head that quickly died down to a ring.
Lingering, warming heat, probably from the high alc and full body.

Very nice.
Bjorn



Bjorn

 

[syd_03]

7. gruntus - Meine Aventinus - Weizendoppelbock - 8.25% - Brewed 25/9/10 - Bottled 9/10/10 - RTD Now - Wyeast 3068



This is going to be awkward..

Just reread my slightly drunken review of the Flying Ninja Squirrel IPA and I clearly remember how big and nice it was.

Today I've only had two longnecks and the first one was an IPA that had "IPA sydx03" or something on the bottle top, very nice.

G'day Bjorn,

That would be my sideswap (IPA syd_03) and was American styled IPA. I am glad you enjoyed it, what would you say if I said that that one actually turned out somewhere around 8- 8.5% as well.

Did you take any notes on that one? Would be keen to hear your comments similar to your thoughts on Cortez's and how mine compared.

OG from memory was around 1.07ish and IBUs around 60. Just pitched 1 pack US05, not sure if the OG was above the recommended max for a single pack or not. Hops were Simcoe, Amarillo and Chinook; malts were JW trad ale, Munich and pale crystal.

The highest I have brewed by the way was my RIS and I think that was about 1.104 and it definitely had a head :lol:

Cheers Jason

 

[BjornJ]

Hi Jason,
glad to find out where the IPA came from. I really liked it, pine-like resinous hop aroma and a nice amber colour.
Not as clear as the doppelbock but very nice looking and also with great head. Had to wait a minute before I could continue pouring into the glass.

Only had your IPA and the Doppelbock yesterday but by the sound of it I had a day's ration of alcohol.
No wonder I slept like a log from putting our daughter to bed at 9 last night until this morning :lol:


I really enjoyed both of these IPAs, so much I now have a new favourite style.
Can't remember right now how they compared, more that I really enjoyed them both and that I was amazed how nice and clean you guys can make so big beers.
I would not have though a single pack of US-05 could do that in a big beer.


Anyway, off to Edgecliff_brewer for today's ISB meet up, hoping to see some of you there.



thanks
Bjorn

 

[BjornJ]

11.Thommo - Porter, Bottled 13/11/2010


Very nice, I like it.
An enjoyable, dark beer with red highlights.

A full-bodied beer without being too roasty or full-on.
Wouldn't mind drinking this one again.

Clean tasting and smelling.

thanks
Bjorn