Nsw Xmas In July Case 2007 - Consumption

[petesbrew]

Tried TD's Honey Brown Lager last night.

A nice brown colour, with a persistant head. Really smooth, and the honey I found quite subtle, but definitely there in the background. Another top beer.
I've got my longneck in the fridge, which I'll give a go over the weekend next.

Pete

quick edit: pic added... should've taken it at first pouring, not second.

 

[Thommo]

I tried my spare bottle a couple of nights ago. Has carbed up nicely.

Unfortunately, it's a bit of a nothing beer. I was aiming for an easy tasting lawn mower ale, but I think it's too light (in taste that is, as it's 5.9%)

Have a few bottles in the fridge for a poker night tomorrow night that I'm going to. Bring on the weekend.


Cheers,
Thommo

 

[shonky]

Just sipping away on SHONKY'S IPA - Without meaning to sound harsh, I am just going to describe the beer (which I am quite enjoying, mind you) as I am not sure if I may have gotten a ring-in or not. On the lid was a 7 written in liquid paper. Speaking of paper, there was actually some on the rim of the bottle under the lid :lol: Anyway, the beer istself poured with low-ish carbonation, as warned, but it isnt too bad, developed a nice off white head that is slowly dissipating. The first thing I noticed, was the very dark colour of this beer, it is like a deep brown, about the colour of my brown ales. The aroma I get, rather than being hops, is a distinct honey aroma, more pronounced than in TD's honey brown lager. As a matter of fact, I coulda mistaken em! The flavour is also of honey, and caramelly maltiness. The bitterness is med-high, and I cannot detect the hops as prominently as I was expecting. I put my hand over the glass, and gave a light swirl then took my hand away and sniffed, and instead of hops, I actually got quite a solventy aroma - not terrible and "oh yuck", but it is definitely there, and fades quickly back to honey. The beer is quite sweet, as if it had a high FG, or had honey used as a priming agent (?) The beer is clear when held to the light, and is a beautiful copper colour. The bitterness is high enough to keep the malt sweetness in check, and balances it well. I can only ASSUME that the honey note is a sign of oxidation, as hop aroma certainly breaks down with oxidation, and can sometimes (IIRC) have a honey note to it.
The body is fairly full, and it is thick in the mouthfeel, but is far from a bad beer, it is clean, no signs of infection, and is quite pleasant, if not a little filling.
As it warms, the alcohol note comes through a little more in the aroma and flavour. What temp was this fermented at, and were their any sugars added? My apologies if everything was done correctly, and there were no sugars, I am just trying to work out where the higher (but not hot) alcohols have come from.
As it is, I may have gotten a ring in somehow, but if not, then if you dont mind, Shonky, I will treat it as a Honey Brown Ale and thoroughly enjoy it as such.

G'day Trent, good detective work on my IPA. You are correct on a number of points, there is indeed some honey in the recipe - 600gms in a 40lt batch at 15mins, beer was primed with normal sugar. It did also ferment a little high, I used a cultured coopers PA yeast which is known for its funky banana flavours at higher temps and it did get to around 22-23 I think.



This was a bit of an experimental recipe I have to admit so not toally surpirsed you dont feel it fits well in the IPA style, it was FWH with a high alpha dual purpose (Southern Cross) and could have done with some more aroma hops. I will post the recipe sometime this weekend as I don't have it with me now.



You can call it a honey brown ale, or anything else for that matter , I am not a style nazi and don't take it personally. I was thinking of calling it a banana smoothy ipa actually as the honey and banana are quite pronounced. No brown or amber malt in the grist from what I remember but there is some dark wheat and dark crystal. Bitterness and alcohol are up there which is why I thought it was best put in the IPA.


Good work picking the honey, if I brew this again I will probably up the aroma hops, lower the ferment temp or use an English yeast. As for the honey, I know it is not strictly to style, and some people strongly object to honey in beer, but I quite like the flavour and may use it again.



Cheers

Shonky

 

[Thommo]

Guys,

Just thought I'd post this for the Yeast Farmers out there like me.

Just a doc with the yeasts and which bottle they are in.

Nothing special or pretty.

Cheers,
Thommo.

View attachment CHRISTMAS_IN_JULY_CASE_SWAP.doc

 

[T.D.]

13. T.D. - Honey-Brown Lager

Nice drop T.D.
Great colour, smell and taste. No bitter aftertaste which I like :lol:

Really went down well, could have easily had a couple more of these!
The "honey" was the colour and not any additions was it?

Cheers
DK

Thanks DK, glad you liked it! :beer:

And yep, just to clarify, there is no actual honey in this beer - the "honey-brown" bit is describing the colour mainly, but I guess also fits with the rich malt-driven flavour.

Cheers

 

[PostModern]

Guys,

Just thought I'd post this for the Yeast Farmers out there like me.

Just a doc with the yeasts and which bottle they are in.

Nothing special or pretty.

Cheers,
Thommo.

You might not want to use my yeast (#25) out of that batch unless you're a plater. It's pretty old (about 4th gen). Some might pick it up in the aroma if bottling day was anything to go by.

 

[petesbrew]

Thanks DK, glad you liked it! :beer:

And yep, just to clarify, there is no actual honey in this beer - the "honey-brown" bit is describing the colour mainly, but I guess also fits with the rich malt-driven flavour.

Cheers

h34r: Well I thought I could taste honey in it. Still, it was a nice lager indeed!

 

[petesbrew]

Had one of Trent's extra stubbies this arvo (gotta love RDO's). A Porter (105 on the cap).
Damn it this beer was fantastic!
Poured out with a pretty thin head, but the taste was sensational.
Hop aroma was low I think (dunno really), and lots of roasty, coffee and choc flavours. Big flavours, but easy to drink.
Insisted Shaz taste it , she quickly washed the flavour out with a big swig of Chards, and said she'll never share my love of beer. Sad, but more for me.
Top effort indeed, Trent.

Oh, just remembered. My boss hopefully dropped in the bottle openers today on a trip up north to MHB's shop for the Newcastle guys.
So next time you're in the shop he will hopefully have em for you
Pete

 

[T.D.]

h34r: Well I thought I could taste honey in it. Still, it was a nice lager indeed!

Yeah, it does have a bit of a honey flavour, but it must be from the crystal and brown malt. That brown malt is great stuff. Sorry for any confusion caused by the name, but glad to hear you enjoyed it all the same! :beer:

 

[DJR]

Yeah, it does have a bit of a honey flavour, but it must be from the crystal and brown malt. That brown malt is great stuff. Sorry for any confusion caused by the name, but glad to hear you enjoyed it all the same! :beer:

Honey flavours can also be caused by mild oxidation, but i think in this case it might be auto-suggestion. I'll have to try it for myself and see. I've not had any of the beers besides my own so far. First cab off the rank might be Punter's schwarz since i'm really enjoying schwarz and cerny pivos at the moment.

 

[nifty]

I have just finished T.D's beer, a very nice drop. I really enjoyed this one, sorry to see the end of it.

thanks
nifty

 

[Punter]

Yeah, it does have a bit of a honey flavour, but it must be from the crystal and brown malt. That brown malt is great stuff. Sorry for any confusion caused by the name, but glad to hear you enjoyed it all the same! :beer:

Wow, must say T.D., I thought there was honey in this beer as well. h34r:

Forkboys choccy porter.
This was a nice beer mate.dark colour, nice malt flavours and aromas, well balanced
and very easy to drink.
Thanks.

Brewers Irish Ale
Another very nice beer. A bit hazy, with a nice creamy head and lacing
that lasted all the way down. Drank very fast, too easy to drink.
Hope you will share the recipe, wouldn't mind giving this a go.
Thanks.

 

[Punter]

I have just finished Punter's Schwartzbier, a very nice beer. I'd like to give this a go soon, so I hope you post your recipe.

thanks

nifty

Glad you enjoyed it Nifty. Certainly not my best Schwartz, but drinkable none the less. A bit roasty for a Schwartzbeir, but a nice black lager still.

 

[Trent]

Gday all
Just trying CRAIG'S ROGGENBIER, ande what a tasty number it is. Lovely orange/yellow colour, with some high carbonation and a nice thick head, that dissipates quickly, but my glass isnt as clean as it could be (currently eating chips!) Spicy aroma, slightly acidic or tart, with some clove thrown in for good measure. Cant really pick up on much banana, though there is a slight hint of it as the beer warms. High carbonation, with spiciness from rye (I guess) and a kinda bready flavour. The clove is also there, and the bitterness is med-low. Body is medium, though the high carbonation helps thin it out a little, and make it very easily drinkable. Nice and cloudy, as the style demands, and something I could probably drink all night long.
This is an excellent beer, and I am very glad to I got to try it. From best I can tell, it is a very good example of a roggenbier. Just a pity I dont have a few more.
All the best
Trent

 

[PostModern]

19. Petesbrew - Dark Ale

Great Label, Pete. Had me in stitches.

Slightly over carbed and began climbing out of the bottle once opened, so I poured it straight into two glasses. One glass foamed up, the other fizzed like Coke. Aroma of malt with slight roastiness. Once I let it settle down in the glasses and warm up a bit, it had some caramel and roast notes that remind me of the Highwayman at the JS Brewhouse. Once my palate got used to the flavour tho, it thinned quickly and left me wanting more body. Not a bad beer, but definitely a bit light on in the malt department.

 

[Weizguy]

You might not want to use my yeast (#25) out of that batch unless you're a plater. It's pretty old (about 4th gen). Some might pick it up in the aroma if bottling day was anything to go by.

PoMo,
I dunno if you top-crop your yeast, but I've read many articles espousing that technique for keeping the yeast vital between generations.
Maybe your yeast is feeling a bit old, like several of my English strains.

Certainly worth a try, next time you culture or buy another culture of this yeast.

Cheers
Seth

 

[PostModern]

PoMo,
I dunno if you top-crop your yeast, but I've read many articles espousing that technique for keeping the yeast vital between generations.
Maybe your yeast is feeling a bit old, like several of my English strains.

Certainly worth a try, next time you culture or buy another culture of this yeast.

Cheers
Seth

I top cropped for two generations then repitched on slurry for two (other fermenters full, so I figured the yeast would be better off in under beer rather than in a bowl in the fridge for a week). Probably not the best practice, but it made three nice beers.

I don't know how the stout has turned out yet, it tasted ok on bottling day, just had a yeasty aroma. It might clear up with aging...

I've taken top cropping lessons from my master, so I have a fair respect for the method with English styles. It's worked well for me in the past with a couple English strains, tho now I largely brew with dry yeast!

 

[craig maher]

Gday all
Just trying CRAIG'S ROGGENBIER, ande what a tasty number it is. Lovely orange/yellow colour, with some high carbonation and a nice thick head, that dissipates quickly, but my glass isnt as clean as it could be (currently eating chips!) Spicy aroma, slightly acidic or tart, with some clove thrown in for good measure. Cant really pick up on much banana, though there is a slight hint of it as the beer warms. High carbonation, with spiciness from rye (I guess) and a kinda bready flavour. The clove is also there, and the bitterness is med-low. Body is medium, though the high carbonation helps thin it out a little, and make it very easily drinkable. Nice and cloudy, as the style demands, and something I could probably drink all night long.
This is an excellent beer, and I am very glad to I got to try it. From best I can tell, it is a very good example of a roggenbier. Just a pity I dont have a few more.
All the best
Trent

Thanks for the feedback Trent
Glad you liked it :beer:
I better start trying some of my case soon.

Cheers,

Craig

 

[Weizguy]

Hi guys,

Just wanted to advise that I tryed my irish red on Sat might (for quality purposes of cource B) ) & must say it is ready to go! :beerbang: I'd suggest drinking it a bit warm ie around the 8+ degrees to get the full effect, cause it was a different beer after I'd left it out for a while to when I first porured it.

It's the 1st time I've tried to make this & must say I'll be doing it again!

Hope you all Enjoy it.

Crozdog.

Onya Croz, I had your Red 2nite.

When cold, the hop flavour tends to dominate. Is it Bramling Cross? It gave me almost medicinal blackberry notes in the nose and on the tongue. It may be a little too hoppy for the style, but it wasn't going anywhere but my belly.
I didn't taste much malt when cold, but as the beer warms, I smell the delicious malt and caramel typical of the style, and get hints of it in the flavour.
Great, persistent medium head, all the way to the bottom of my grubby Kilkenny glass.
The colour is more brown than red, but certainly close.
Very clean flavours, and no diacetyl detected.
I'm saving the other 1/2 bottle from tonight, and serving it warmer tomorrow, in case my tastebuds are affected by the pizza I made (and ate) tonight.

Also finished Craig's Roggenbier tonight. I should've capped the bottle a little tighter coz it was near flat. I got the strong fruity notes, and peppery flavour, but lost most of the overall appeal due to low carbonation.
However, I sampled it a few nights ago, based on Craig's recommendation, and was not disappointed. I liked it so much, I recommended it to Trent, who has reviewed it already. Seeing that he has beaten me to to it, I thought that I better get my finger out. Prob better that Trent gave his feedback first, so it doesn't appear that my weizen bias is a major factor.

SO, I thought that this beer was great. Couldn't pick any faults, unless you consider that the rye factor wasn't huge.
The head was good (to style) and white and persistent. I served it in a half litre weizen glass.
The colour was pale yellow- gold and the aroma had elements of banana, passionfruit, peppery notes and cloves and something that must have been rye. The flavour followed through on the promises made by the aroma, and it finished with a low, balanced bitterness.
I'm not too familiar wit Roggenbier, but I assume, like Weissbier, there is a range of rye percantages permitted. This beer has enough weizen character to tickle my fancy and enough rye to make it "not weizen" and oddly appealing (although "oddly" may be an inappropriate term). I recommend that case drinkers chill their "Craig's Roggenbier" and give it a run soon.

Seth

 

[Trent]

Oops
I dont think I gave you props for recommending me that beer in my review mate, so if I didnt, sorry! But I can say that I too think that everyone should listen to you and get into Craig's beer soon, cause if they dont, I may come and visit em to try their bottle's, make sure no poisonous ones got sent out....
All the best
Trent