Nsw Xmas In July Case 2007 - Consumption

[petesbrew]

7. Shonky's IPA
Top work, Shonky! Had a really good head, a nice deep cherry red colour, and the taste was sensational.
The only way I can describe the flavour is "big, roasty, hoppy". A sensational ale indeed!

 

[goatherder]

TD's Honey Brown Lager

Deep copper, persistent head and perfectly clear, this is a great looking beer. There is a hop note, a little spicy and a little floral, with some background toffee malt and a hint of honey. There is a fantastic toasted malty flavour with a little honey coming through too. The carbonation is great and the mouthfeel is nice and full. This is a top beer TD, really clean and well made with the honey not being overwhelming. Great beer for a Friday arvo outside, I really enjoyed it. Cheers.

 

[T.D.]

TD's Honey Brown Lager

Deep copper, persistent head and perfectly clear, this is a great looking beer. There is a hop note, a little spicy and a little floral, with some background toffee malt and a hint of honey. There is a fantastic toasted malty flavour with a little honey coming through too. The carbonation is great and the mouthfeel is nice and full. This is a top beer TD, really clean and well made with the honey not being overwhelming. Great beer for a Friday arvo outside, I really enjoyed it. Cheers.

Cheers goatherder, glad you liked it!

 

[goatherder]

Trent's Dry Stout

Opaque and inky black with a voluminous head which you could eat with a spoon. There is a nice dark chocolate aroma, with a hint of the smoke you alluded to in your description. Beneath the roasty coffee flavours is a solid malt presence which lasts on into the finish. The malt is perfectly balanced with the dryness of the roast and the bitterness. This is a seriously drinkable session stout with loads of flavour. Thanks Trent, top beer mate.

 

[petesbrew]

Got 3 to report on here.
16. Steve's Belhaven Export
Couldn't really be bothered trawling back through this post, but I think I remember people mentioning this as a stout. Anyway that's what I was expecting when I first tasted it, but it reminded me of a Dark Lager (Kozel Dark?). Big flavour, but quite light in body. Enjoyed this one, but kinda affected my gaming on the PS2 that night! :lol:

Josh's White Christmas - complimentary.
Unbelievably clear and white. Had a fantastic creamy head. Flavour was pretty good. Very sharp biting flavour, yet easy to drink. Nice work, Josh.

Trent's APA 106 - complimentary
Nice light golden colour. Really fresh, floral smell and sweetish flavour. I'm really getting back into the APA's now, thanks to this swap. Thanks again, Trent.


Pete

 

[petesbrew]

Shared MHB's 4year old mead last night at the Hills Brewers Guild pizza night.
One of the guys was smart enough to ask for port glasses to enjoy this in.
Bloody awesome. Smelled and tasted like a really sticky dessert wine.

Lucky for me it wasn't all drunk, so I'll try to talk SWMBO into having a glass.... won't try too hard though, she doesn't like meads. haha
Pete

 

[Stuster]

I've been very slack about writing reviews. Sorry to all those I've missed. Here are some brief ones on those I can remember.

Les' Gose - great beer. Or at least it would be without the salt. Just too much of that I thought (and I love salt), with a lovely beer hiding underneath it trying to get out.

Josh's Pilsner - I agree with an earlier reviewer that the yeast flavours are too dominant in this beer. It reminds me a lot of the pilsner I made last year. I wasn't sure if it was temp control, or whether it could have done with a bit longer on the yeast cake to clean up after itself. Not sure if any of that will help you, but other than that it was a good beer, great head and lacing and balanced.

Craig's Roggenbier - I loved this beer and better yet I think it might have persuaded SWMBO that wheat beers are drinkable after all. Great head, still very cloudy after this time in the bottle, excellent wheat beer aromas and flavours, but with some extra spice and body from the rye. Good stuff. :super:

Linz's Red - I was interested in this beer as it seemed to me to have some of the same esters that Crozdog's Irish red had. I've also read on some US sites about getting the same extreme fruitiness in Irish reds from this Guinness yeast. Still, I liked the beer myself. A bit overcarbed I guess, but a quick swirl sorted that out. Very clear, good head, and those dark berry esters that I liked.

Goatherder's bock - Nice beer. I don't have much to say about this one. Sorry. I remember it was dark , smooth, good head, a bit under-carbed, and some good maltiness.

Only two more to go now and I promise to write some reviews on those beers.

 

[petesbrew]

Barramundi's Boisterous Bellhop

This would have to be the "clearest" porter I've had, as I could almost see through it. But it was definitely Robust flavourwise, nice bitterness too. Nice work Barra. A good one for a lazy saturday night.
Pete

 

[goatherder]

Nifty's Some kind of ESB

Nice copper in colour with a bit of haze. There are some great caramel and toffee aromas which follow through into the flavour. The rich malt flavours really come through as the beer warms up. The carbonation is low but perfect for the style, along with the bitterness. Top beer thanks Nifty, really enjoyed drinking this one.

 

[goatherder]

Thommo's Blonde Ale

It pours crystal clear which showcases the active carbonation streaming up through the glass to the huge white head. The aroma has a very attractive Belgian ester profile, reminding me a lot of Murray's Sassy Blonde. There is a nice depth of malt flavour which is perfectly balanced by the hop bitterness. The beer finishes slightly sweet but still remains very quaffable. Outstanding beer thanks Thommo, a great example of the style.

 

[goatherder]

Brewer's Irish Ale

On the dark side of amber, this beer is very clear and holds a good head. There are loads of malty, toasty and caramel aromas. The aromas follow through into the flavour, making this a delicious malty beer. I detected a hint of warm alcohol in the taste. From the aroma I was expecting an overly sweet beer but this is perfectly balanced. The mouthfeel is quite full yet the beer finishes dry and very drinkable. Outstanding beer thanks Brewer.

 

[petesbrew]

15. Goatherder's Bock
Sensational. Haven't had many bocks... in fact the last one I remember would've been toohey's Blue Bock. Don't think a comparison should be made!
Awesome dark colour, a low but nice head, and a top flavour. I enjoyed this immensly while watching Beerfest again & p!ssing myself laughing.
The wife even kinda enjoyed it.... the movie that is. I don't bother offering her tastes anymore!

Trent's GSA (104 or 102) Complimentary stubby
Nice light golden colour &frothy persistent head.
Nice, big, rich, fruity flavours here, Trent. (I have to watch when I write fruity... last time it was an infection hey?! haha)
Went well with a thai red beef curry.

 

[goatherder]

Stuster's Biere de Garde

A lovely copper colour with a little haze and a nice fluffy white head. The first thing that hit me in the smell was pepper. Behind the spiciness are warm complex malts and some esters which appear as the beer gets warmer. The flavour has more deep complex malt - I get sweet dried fruit and dark toffee and just a hint of warm alchol. The bitterness is superb for a beer this size, keeping the huge mouthfeel in check. I'm finding it tough to put the glass down. I resisted the urge to drink this one early, I think it's paid off. Magic beer thanks Stuster.

 

[petesbrew]

12. Punter - Schwartzbier

Fantastic. Yet another 1st of a style tasted, that's what these swaps are great for. The flavours reminded me of my dark ale, but a whooooole lot better of course. Nice rich choc flavour, mild bitterness, easy to drink, and a head that didn't go away or didn't get too vigorous. Awesome work, Punter. I've saved this yeast for an attempt sometime (really, I've only saved one or two yeasts overall!)

 

[Thommo]

I Had Stuster's beer last night.

Awesome beer. Head lasted the whole glass. I took my time and savoured this one to see what flavours would develop as it warmed up. I didn't get the sweet fruit that Goatherder mentioned, but got the warm alcohol and kind of a toasty-toffee-biscuity flavour. Very nice. Mine was beautiful and clear, no sign of any haze.

Well Done Stu.

 

[Trent]

Pete
That was my Golden Strong Ale, and yes, it is supposed to be fruity! It isnt the best attempt, I dont think, but it is certainly a decent beer. I am glad that you liked it.
All the best
Trent

 

[Stuster]

Thanks, goatherder and Thommo. I'm shocked that you've managed to hold off drinking mine so long, Thommo, after your record quick finish to the case last time.

I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out. Hoping to do it again for my own consumption next winter. It does appear to develop well with some time. Anyway, if anybody's interested, the recipe is in the recipe section. Hope those slack NSW comp judges agree with you boys next week.

 

[Thommo]

I'm pretty proud of the restraint I've managed too.

Been trying to get a bit healthy, going to the gym, no beer midweek (last night was my first slip up in 8 weeks - I have a feeling tonight will be my second because I have Les' Goze ready for my glass).

 

[goatherder]

Beer Slayer's Oatmeal Stout

Super black with amber highlights and a tall tan head. Espresso coffee and dark chocolate aromas abound with a hint of fruity yeast esters. This continues through to the taste with the dark malt flavours lingering long into the finish. There is some sweetness at the start, well balanced by the hop bitterness but the beer finishes with the characteristic dryness of the dark malts. The mouthfeel is silky smooth and the carbonation is right on target. Top notch beer in my eyes Beerslayer, one of the highlights of the case.

 

[Barramundi]

Gentlemen , im just about through the case now , sorry ive been offline and somewhat off the radar for a while now and havent been posting reviews on the beers , in general all of them were great beers with some definate "want to try's" in terms of brewing that style of beer ..

Thanks for the feedback on my beer , glad it was liked by most of you , and once again sorry for my lack of detail review....