Nsw Xmas In July 2006 Case Consumption

[Stuster]

I've been a bit lazy on the review front. Just some quick reviews.

Duff's Dunkelweizen was a nicely drinkable beer. Probably fairly mild on the phenolics for this style but I think I enjoyed it more as it was.

Berto's Oatmeal Stout. Sorry berto, but I think there is something wrong with this one. Mine had a very strange smell which I thought might be autolysis. Not sure though.

Thommo's California Common was an enjoyable drop. Clean, balanced and slipped down all too easily. :super:

 

[berapnopod]

Hardman's Golden Sarz Pilsener

Aroma: Light, malt accented aroma. A hint of apple in there (esters?)

Appearance: Poured with a thin head, but completely disappeared quickly. Not sure if its the glass or the beer though. Beautiful gold color and excellent clarity.

Flavour: Again, an overall light flavour with the accent on the malt. Low esters. Good hop bitterness that does not dominate, but at the same time is assertive. Finish is bitter, dry, with a tangy touch. Not sure if the tanginess is a real sourness or from the carbonation.

Mouthfeel: Medium/full body. Carbonaiton is medium/high, but short of giving a foamy mouth. It does give a carbonation bite to the beer.

Overall: A well made pilsener which is very clean, tastes fresh and has a solid bitterness to back it up. I would have preferred more hop flavour and aroma in this one, but that might be a result of the beer being a bit past its prime and suffering a little. As I said, I am not sure if the lack of the head is my glasses fault or the beer's.
If you find its the beer's then I suggest add a bit of wheat malt to your mash, which does wonders to beer head. Something like 250g in a 20 litre batch should do it.


Berp.

 

[Weizguy]

G'day,

I sampled some of this over a week ago and allowed the gas to escape for a little while as it was too gassy for a true taste, due to carbonic bite. The bottle was recapped and allowed to sit tin the fridge for some time.

Time to tell you what I thought of POL's Dortmunder

First off I get a little banana and maybe some bubblegum like Berp found. I would have expected to find some German hops in there. Not bad so far, but perhaps a little off-target.

The appearance is good for the style, although it was a little cloudy when cold. I'd have to say chill haze, as it's perfect right now.

The flavour is quite malty with a significant ester component. No carbonic bite, though. I'm not an expert, but I'd recommend a cleaner lager yeast, and maybe ferment cooler. I'm tasting significant malt with little apparent bitterness up front, but the bitterness comes through as the malt recedes from the tastebuds. The malt, for me, is heavier than German malt flavour, and the beer is therefore not as crisp as most German lagers (you know I mean pilsners). The malt lingers in a cloying way for me. It may be due to the body and thicker mouthfeel. Maybe a cooler mash temp might help.

Overall, a little cloying for my tastes. Although, as it warmed, and I got to the bottom of my 200ml DAB mini-stein, I was finding it more appealing. Maybe the sweetness was more balanced when warmer, but when cold, sorry to say, was too sweet/fruity for me to consider it a clean Dortmunder. Maybe it's the fact that I was becoming intoxicated?

Background: I have never tasted a Dort in it's homeland, and have only tasted DAB here, and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Conclusion: I would suggest German malt and a Dort/ Danish lager yeast and a cold ferment below 10C. There were some esters in this beer and they don't belong here. The Germans are anal re clean flavours, and this beer falls short of that ideal. There's something in this beer's flavour that stops it from being a session beer for me. A little heavy, but still clean and uninfected (unlike a previous effort of mine - he he).

All of this is my opinion, and is not subject to reality checks or anyone else's impressions. All opinions are subject to review and the scrutiny of my peers.

Seth (Sour blue cheese beer maker of yore)

* Edited to add further details

 

[Josh]

Haven't posted much since I was on here a couple of Sunday nights ago. That night I did a number on myself with the following beers from the Xmas in July case:
Schmick's ESB, DC82's Pilsener, n00ch's Dark Mild, hbw's Irish Red Ale, Chilled's Australian Lager, Beer Slayers's APA, Weizguy's Berlinner Weisse, Berapnopod's Dry Stout and Keith's Chocolate Porter
Needless to say, after all of those fine beers my wife found me slumped in the computer chair at 4am. They were all very nice, but that Berlinner Weisse from Weizguy was out of this world. Thanks to those who contributed.

Since then I have also had Gough's Dry Stout last night and it was excellent too.

 

[T.D.]

Wow - 9 longnecks in one sitting!! :wacko:

My hat comes off you you Josh!! :beer:

 

[Trent]

Gday all
Tried a few beers in the last week or so.
Weizguys Berliner Weisse was very clean, and extremely refreshing and light. Would be perfect for summer. I think it probably could have done with a bit more sourness for style, but it was pretty much perfect as it was. Hats off to you, Seth. Almost makes me wanna make one now!

Thommo's Cal Common. This one was a very enjoyable beer, I think as far as the style goes, it kinda lacked a little for the hop presence and slight fruitiness of the style. It was very clean, and easy drinking, and I liked it quite a bit, it didnt last very long

Beerslayers APA. Excellent example of an APA. Hate to say it, but it leaves most of mine for dead, very clean, crisp, and easy to drink. My only improvement for it would to add more aroma hops, and maybe ferment a touch warmer for some esters, but that is purely personal. Very nice indeed.

Kieth the Beer Guys ******* Chocolate Porter. Lovely chocolate aroma, with a very slight hint of coffee. Looked like a stout, opaque, with a beautiful tan head. Chocolate translates into the flavour in the light roastiness. Absolutely delicious, wish I had more of them. More a dessert beer than an all night quaffer, and that could be my only criticism, due to the full body (maybe had a high FG?).
All the best
Trent
EDIT Spacing between beers!

 

[Doc]

Berp's Stout

Had Berp's Stout tonight. Only had it in the fridge for a couple of hours so it was a perfect temp when I opened it.
Good level of carbonation. Very deep ruby notes visible when held up to the light. Great low density head. Super smooth drinking. Could tell it was in the lower alc range, but some great roasty notes with enough body. I really really enjoyed it, and was even thinking this would be a great breakfast beer.

Top job Berp.

Beers,
Doc

 

[berapnopod]

Thanks for the comments Doc!

Keith's ******* Chocolate Porter

Aroma: Chocolate aroma up front. A hint of vanilla too. Some roastiness.

Appearance: Head quickly dissappated on pouring. Dunno if its the glass or the beer since someone else washed my glass this time *grrr*. Black.

Flavour: Initially a sweet chocolate flavour with notes of toffee/caramel. This slowly develops into a warming beer, with some green apple flavour (acetaldehyde). After this the flavour keeps on coming with a wonderful roasty flavour which gets you right before the finish. The finish itself is roasty, drying from alcohol(s) and a touch tart.

Mouthfeel: Full body with a creamy feel to it. Theres a little hotness in there, which I am guessing is partly acetaldehyde and partly from higher alcohols. This suggests to me it was fermented at a warm temperature. Carbonation is meium/high, which seems just about right.

Overall: Boy, what a complex beer! There is a LOT going on in here in the flavour, and its really great! Overall, the flavour is *very* similar to Sheaf Stout. I think a lower ferment temperature would take away some of the harder edges next time. Also, the acetaldehyde, as well as a possible papery whiff when I first opened implies there is slight oxidatino of the beer. but thats not too suprising given its a few months old now.


Berp.

 

[berapnopod]

Berto's Oatmeal Stout

Aroma: Some roastiness. Yeast autolysis appears to be quite prominent. Slightly metallic aroma too.

Appearance: Thin tan coloured head of large bubbles. Black with ruby highlights. Clear.

Flavour: Initially there is a disagreeable flavour which I think is the yeast autolysis, so this one's past its prime now. Also tastes plasticky, so this might be an infection. Luckily these flavours don't last too long and the flavour changes to an assertively roasty flavour. Finish is roasty and markedly drying. Bitterness is in the background, which feels like a good level but maybe better with more bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Some alcohol warmth. Medium body. No creaminess that I would expect from an oatmeal stout.

Overall: I assume you used oats in the recipe, so I am not sure why there is no creaminess. Perhaps there is a wild yeast in there that has managed to munch on the starch that would give the creaminess to the style.
It does appear the beer has suffered from the ravages of time, and in particular yeast autolysis. Apart from that, it has a good roast quality to it and the finish is very pleasant.


Berp.

 

[Stuster]

Had a couple of beautiful beers from the case recently, Kungy's AIPA and Keith's Chocolate Porter. I really enjoyed both of these beers at different ends of the taste spectrum.

The Crazy Horse AIPA had a great hoppiness for my tastes, though I was surprised by both the 60IBUs and the alcohol content. Good clarity and head retention. Nice maltiness to balance the hops.

Keith's B*stard Chocolate Porter was roasty with some tobacco notes. A satisfyingly rich dark beer. (BTW, I got good head retention on my beer berp for this one so...)

I was left regretful they were finished at the end of both these beers. What better compliment can there be. :super:

 

[Keith the Beer Guy]

Hi,

thanks everyone for the feedback on my beer.

Truth be told I am fairly disappointed with it, and rate it as pretty ordinary. My own take is the flavours are fairly muted given the grain bill. I suspect some oxidation at racking/bottling has dulled some of the character of the beer. Head retention is a problem because I was a lazy git and left break in the primary, or at least thats my understanding.

But anyway... the feedback is much appreciated and I should get off my ass and taste a few more of the case that I have left.

Thanks again,

Keith

 

[berapnopod]

Gough's Dry Irish Stout

Aroma: Estery nose with some woody notes. Low aroma overall.

Appearance: Thick tan head of creamy/fine bubbles that looks like it will last. Black.

Flavour: Mild flavour overall. Initially a flavour of toffee and roasted grains, followed by some fruity esters. Finish is dry, roasty and tart/sour. Bitterness is in the background and supports the roasted flavours very well.

Mouthfeel: Medium/light body. A good deal of creaminess, with just a hint of astringeny at the end.

Overall: I am really loving this stout! It is *very* easy to drink, with nothing offensive whatsoever. but at the same time, it has an assertive roasty flavour that is beautifully balanced by a creaminess, as well as the underlying hop bitterness. The finish leaves you with the impression that you've just drunk a powerful beer, but at no stage is it overwhelming. Excellent stuff, Gough!


Berp.

 

[PostModern]

Weizguy's Berliner Sauer Weisse.

I really enjoyed this beer. After approaching it with some slight trepidation after my experience last year I was really impressed. It had a very interesting aroma, kinda yoghurty.... but not, sour flavour, extremely refreshing. The complexity added by the lacto culture completely belies the 2.8% strength. What a great beer.

Thanks Seth for re-doing this brew.

Cheers,
PoMo.

 

[PostModern]

Nifty's California Common

I tasted an Anchor Steam this afternoon in preparation for tasting this case entry. In your recipe comments you said "The recipe was derived from reading up on the style in Ray Daniels book, Designing Great Beers and a lot of searching on the web. I still don't know how close I am to style but it tastes ok.". Having tasted them both on the same day, I'd have to say your beer is right on style. It's not a Steam clone, but definately the same ball-park. Bitterness is just right, colour is spot on, nice Northern Brewer hop aroma and flavour. The only major difference I could pick between your brew and Maytag's is a slight fruitiness in your beer which is absent in the Steam. Thoroughly enjoyed this beer.

Thanks.

 

[Barry]

Good Day
Had Chiled's Aussie Lager last night. Excellent example of the style. Son who was drinking a TED had half a glass and wanted to know who made it (never wanted to know about my beers). Shows what the main stream Aussie lagers should be. 40/50.

 

[berapnopod]

Weizguy's Porter

Aroma: Chocolatey aroma. Some yeast autolysis noticeable. Perhaps a hint of roast too, although I am not sure about this and might be higher alcohols.

Appearance: Thin, dense head of fine tan bubbles that is lasting. Almost black.

Flavour: Initially malty with toffee and caramel, followed by an assertive bitterness which lingers through to the end. After the bitterness comes some esters and then chocolatey malt with some tangy sharpness at the end. I believe this is a bitterness coming from dark grains, perhaps some roasted grains?

Mouthfeel: Medium body. Carbonation is medium and well placed, so gives a good carbonation feel but no bite. A touch of alcohol warmth.

Overall: A well balanced porter with strong malt and hop notes. Not much on hop flavour, but certainly an assertive hop bitterness. Perhaps a little too strong on the bitterness for balance.


Berp.

 

[berapnopod]

Stu's Dubbel

Aroma: Light sugar aroma with caramel. Some alcohol in the aroma but overall quite low.

Appearance: Very thin head forms a crescent around the glass. Red/brown colour. Great clarity!

Flavour: Initially toffee, quickly changing to alcohol and dark malts with a good deal of esters in the heady alcohol warmth. This is followed by an underlying bitterness which beautifully complements the rest of the flavour. The finish is alcoholic, dry and clean, with a lingering toffee flavour.

Mouthfeel: Medium/full body. Medium carbonation. Lots of alcohol warmth.

Overall: Fantastic Dubbel, Stu! This is almost a perfect balance of ingredients for this style of beer - the toffee and candy from the sugars and malt, good deal of esters, some reminiscent of dark fruit (cherries). The bitterness is also well placed, and the alcohol warmth is perfect! You feel it in your head and not in your throat.
Top stuff Stu!


Berp.

 

[Weizguy]

Berp,

I almost forgot that I made a porter, coz I gave my bottle to someone at work.
I checked the recipe, and you may have tasted crystal, choc and roast barley. Yet there was a bit of hop contribution, with 20ish IBU from EKG and 17ish from Target, and late EKG.

I reckon it may have overattenuated, and the W1318 was the wrong yeast. It seems that W1318 is highly cannibalistic and the wort should not remain on the lees for very long. I saw it as a slight yeastiness.

Thanks for the feedback session, too.

I look forward to your feedback on my weizen in the Xmas case.

Who was I to think that I could pull off a Paddyz Portah? I'm a wheat man. I hoped that might stretch to the half kilo of wheat in the brew, but it's not as instinctive.

Seth out

BTW: Borret's Mild from the last Xmas case was tasty tonight. Brent - U know what to do if you want more specific feedback. :beer:

 

[Borret]

Thanks Seth.... send it thru.

I know I wasn't part of this case but I also had the pleasure of dinking one of Weiz'z Berliners on friday night and must say I was suitably impressed. As others have said it was very, clean crisp and slightly tart.... and I could've drunk a whole lot more A very well brewed beer in my opinion. I have no other examples of this style to compare it to but was impressed by it none the less. Well done mate. B)

I also look forward to hearing how you went with 'Saison Fou'

Cheers

Brent

 

[Doc]

Weizguy's Berliner Sauer Weisse

I ended up with two of these after getting the second as a bonus beer for helping sort out the logistics.

Opened the first and poured. Poured well, very light in colour, fluffy head that disappeared quite quickly. Forgot it was a low alc beer and thought the lack of head was a bit weird. Good carbonation for mouth feel though. A great easy drinking refreshing Berliner Weisse. I'm actually just finishing off the second bottle now. Drinking these tonight allowed me to use power tools in the shed to build the stand for the dual-hopback setup. No blood split tonight which must be a first
Top drop. If anything I'd like to see a bit more alc, but that is prob just me

Doc