Nsw Xmas In July Case 2007 - Consumption

[shmick]

Gday All

Been suffering the flu so my tasting has been a bit slow but thanks for the kind reviews of mine so far.

The Special Bitter is a scaled down/reworked version of my standard ESB (1.3% ABV lower) and uses my fav Challenger/EKG hop combo which most likely went into some of my previous swap entries (what a memory Les ).
Cant figure out the carbonation level though. I got pretty good attenuation (75%) and only primed with 100g dex for the entire batch so it beats me.
Will get around to posting the recipe sometime.

Scribbled some quick notes below of those tried so far:

Petesbrew - Dark Ale. Not bad. Nice malt base as it warmed but the choc malt (?) got a little too much towards the end. Maybe could reduce it slightly or sub some carafa special (which is dehusked and not as astringent) to keep it nice and dark. Pretty good overall.

TD - Honey brown lager. Very nice. One of my favs so far. Clean malt with a smooth finish. Liked this one a lot.

Trent Dry Stout. Interesting smoky phenols as mentioned but very easy drinking (as it should be). The lower carb level and moderate roasted notes work very well and typify the style. As a style, IMO, a lot of people overdo their Dry Stouts and end up closer to the export/foreign category but this ones pretty good. Anyone interested should compare a Guiness draught to their Foreign/export version there is quite a difference. I could go another bottle or 2 of this one. Well done Trent.

Gulpa - AAA. Nice malt, lovely aroma but a tiny touch of late hop astringency. Been fighting a similar prob with my APAs and have been reducing the mid flavour additions to counteract. Ive also been thinking it was also due to taking too long to get through the CFWC after 15 mins whirlpool in the kettle but then again it could be just my corrupted taste buds. Nice drop nonetheless.

 

[T.D.]

I grabbed my crates from Barra this arvo. Thanks again for arranging everything Barra, much appreciated mate! :beer:

Now comes the first of many tough decisions - what one should I have a crack at tonight...??? I can think of worse dillemas in life!

 

[petesbrew]

Cheers for the tip with the carafa, shmick. Hope you get over the bug asap.

Just having DJR's Dusseldorf at the moment. A really, lovely beer. Beautiful deep brown colour, very clear, nice head and lotsa bubbles. There's a faint smell i can't put a word to, and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to taste, but I really love it. Very refreshing, light on the bitterness, but it's there in the background, nice and smooth.
Should I keep this yeast?.... ah bugger it. (Pete tops hiimself up).

p.s. shmick and TD, I just posted some pics of your beers, back on pages 4&5.

 

[PostModern]

10 - Trent's Dry Stout

A nice chilly night, so I poured this one without chilling it any further. Pours nice and smooth, nice tan head which didn't seem to hold, but it might be my glass. This is a great beer. I don't notice the smoky phenols but I might be immune to phenolic flavours. I might have enjoyed it a teensy bit more with more roast, but it's a great sipping beer in this weather. Top beer, thank you!

EDIT: Second glass... ahhh, there's them phenols. Still a nice drop, tho :beer:

 

[Barramundi]

I grabbed my crates from Barra this arvo. Thanks again for arranging everything Barra, much appreciated mate! :beer:

Now comes the first of many tough decisions - what one should I have a crack at tonight...??? I can think of worse dillemas in life!

no probs at all T.D there were plenty of other guys that made it all run smootly too, funny that you mention the dillema of choosing i had a similar look through my crates when you left to try and decide which one gets to go in the fridge first , only to walk away in frustration of too much too choose from ...

 

[shmick]

p.s. shmick and TD, I just posted some pics of your beers, back on pages 4&5.

Thanks petesbrew
It certainly is lively.
When I cracked mine, I poured it into a large jug and let it sit for 1/2 hr to warm & decarb. Still had a decent head but was more drinkable. :chug:

 

[petesbrew]

Thanks petesbrew
It certainly is lively.
When I cracked mine, I poured it into a large jug and let it sit for 1/2 hr to warm & decarb. Still had a decent head but was more drinkable. :chug:

That's a long wait! :beer:
I see your point. Still it was a fantastic beer.
Got Redbeards Bright Ale in the fridge next.

 

[nifty]

I've just finished Trent's stout and it was very nice thanks, so smooth. I gave swmbo a taste (she doesn't like the taste of any beer) and she said it tasted "ok". High praise indeed. I've just had a go at my first stout, and if it's anything like this, I'll be very happy.

cheers

nifty

 

[Punter]

Thommos blonde ale.

good carb and a nice golden colour. tight white creamy head that lasted
all the way down. This was a nicely balanced beer that went down real smooth.
I really enjoyed this beer, didnt last long and could have drank a lot more of these.
Cheers.

 

[Trent]

Gday guys
Thanks for all the happy reports on my beer, I am glad ya's are all liking it! It is just a simple recipe, 80% pale, 10% roast barley, 10% flaked barley, 35IBU.
The phenols are my mistake, I accidentally pitched a wee little bit too much yeast, , and within 40 hours of pitching, it had gone from 1042 down to 1013, and thats where it stayed (though it tasted like a campfire). I left the beer on primary yeast for another 5 days, and it cleaned it up heaps, but there is still a bit of smokiness left.

Anyway, drank HOMEBREWWORLD'S APA last night, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Was a beauftiful amber-copper colour, and crystal clear, almost down the the bottom of the bottle (the second glass had the SLIGHTEST hint of haze from the yeast, but only cause I wasnt too careful with the pouring). Low carbonation, just the way I like it. The hop aroma and flavour were a little more muted than I usually go for, and the bitterness seemed a little on the low side, but it didnt really detract too much from the beer, it just allowed the malt to show through more. The malt was a lovely toffee/caramel flavour, very smooth and clean. It certainly didnt take me long to drink it all down, thats for sure. Overall, a very nice pale ale, balanced towards the malt rather than the hops, and very drinkable. Did I mention how clear it was? It presented very well in the glass.
Thanks for sharing, hbw.com
Trent

 

[Thommo]

Punter,

Thanks for the review. I've made this as an experimental attempt for my mates who "don't drink homebrew". They all loved it. I wish it had a bit more. At least I think I've found a decent recipe to satisfy the masses.

 

[T.D.]

Had my first two brews tonight.

Gulpa's AAA: Great beer! Good malt-hop balance. Definitely could taste the hops but they didn't seem to dominate the malt. Good strong bitterness. Tasted like some chinook in there, or perhaps columbus/nugget/ahtanum??? Most of my recent American ales have been based around the more "fruity" US hops like Amarillo and Cascade. This beer makes me want to give those varieties like chinook another go. Great beer mate, enjoyed it down to the very last drop!

Redbeard's Bright Ale: I was really looking forward to this beer. Unfortunately mine gushed everywhere. There was a lot of sediment in the bottle so perhaps it was one of the last ones in the batch. I still salvaged a glass but it was mainly full of yeast sediment. It had a bit of a "Belgian" flavour to it so I'm not sure what's going on - it may have been just an odd dodgy bottle. Real shame though because I was hanging out for this one!

 

[nifty]

How's that for a coincidence, I too had Gulpa's American amber earlier tonight, a very nice beer, really enjoyed this one.

I also had Redbeards pale ale, but mine poured really well, with some great hops flavour. It's got to be the palest pale ale I've seen. Top drop.

cheers

nifty

 

[PostModern]

6. redbeard - Pirate Pale Ale - us56 - ready but low carbonation sad.gif

Fsssssshhhhhh. Big gusher. Pale as, but the aroma and flavour are all masked by yeast.

Not really low carbonation?

Tasting notes same as TD's. Maybe there was a rogue yeast in some of the bottles, ye hearties?

 

[Trent]

Just finished GULPA'S AAA, and I am afraid to say that I will have to agree with Scmick on this one, as I found there to be an astringency in it. I did enjoy the beer, and drink it all down, so it wasnt ruined by it, its just that it was there. The colour was a crystal clear copper colour, with a large white head that dissipated in a reasonable time. At first, all I could get was a faint medicinal aroma along with the malt, and even as it warmed I couldnt get any real hop aroma out of it. Actually, as I am sniffing the last sip in my glass (it is now fairly warm) I can get a faint hit of hops, and it smells vaguely like Chinook. Did you bitter with chinook? If so, that could be the cause of the astringency. There was a nice malt character to the beer, that took on a coffee note as it warmed, but it may have been the low astringency. Not as hoppy as I was expecting, though still quite drinkable. I would drink it colder next time, as the astringency shows more and becomes drying the warmer it gets. Bitterness level was pretty well spot on, and the colour was great. It seems that most people really like this beer, I just seem to be sensitive to certain tastes in beers sometimes, and I am sorry to say I have found one of those in yours, Gulpa (as, it appears, did Schmick). Wasnt a horrible beer by any stretch, just thought you might like to hear it as I tasted it!
All the best
Trent

 

[PostModern]

7. shonky - IPA

Ruby colouring. Low carbonation and a short-lived head. Slightly oxidised, I think. It has that same twang my own last case contribution (July 06 ESB) had. It's drinkable, tho. Good bitterness is discernable but the malt flavour and hops are overwhelmed by the twang, I think.

EDIT: on the second glass the idea occurs that this might be a runaway too-warm fermentation?

 

[craig maher]

Redbeards Pirate Bright Ale - sorry Redbeard sad news here also .
I tried it tonight - not a quite a gusher but very highly carbonated.
First pour was OK after it stopped climbing out of the glass.
The second glass was full of yeast and sediment.
I also got a strong belgian flavour - almost hoegaarden like?


Cheers,

Craig

 

[T.D.]

Just finished GULPA'S AAA, and I am afraid to say that I will have to agree with Scmick on this one, as I found there to be an astringency in it. I did enjoy the beer, and drink it all down, so it wasnt ruined by it, its just that it was there. The colour was a crystal clear copper colour, with a large white head that dissipated in a reasonable time. At first, all I could get was a faint medicinal aroma along with the malt, and even as it warmed I couldnt get any real hop aroma out of it. Actually, as I am sniffing the last sip in my glass (it is now fairly warm) I can get a faint hit of hops, and it smells vaguely like Chinook. Did you bitter with chinook? If so, that could be the cause of the astringency. There was a nice malt character to the beer, that took on a coffee note as it warmed, but it may have been the low astringency. Not as hoppy as I was expecting, though still quite drinkable. I would drink it colder next time, as the astringency shows more and becomes drying the warmer it gets. Bitterness level was pretty well spot on, and the colour was great. It seems that most people really like this beer, I just seem to be sensitive to certain tastes in beers sometimes, and I am sorry to say I have found one of those in yours, Gulpa (as, it appears, did Schmick). Wasnt a horrible beer by any stretch, just thought you might like to hear it as I tasted it!
All the best
Trent

I definitely could detect chinook (or similar) in this brew, which can sometimes give a similar character as astringency, but I didn't think it had a genuine astringency problem - just the hop flavour had a fair bite to it.

 

[T.D.]

Went to KoNG's place this arvo to watch the Bledisloe, and took a couple of case swaps with me.

DJR's Alt: This was my first Alt and was a great winter beer - really hit the spot! Great beer mate, thanks.

Craig's Roggenbier: I got a bit confused and thought this was a Rauch so was a bit surprised when there were no smokey flavours! :lol: Upon consultation of some of KoNG's brewing books I discovered it was a rye beer. And a bloody nice one at that! KoNG, Mrs KoNG and I all enjoyed it thoroughly! I am yet to try a rye beer I haven't liked - think its about time I bit the bullet and made one! Thanks for a great contribution mate!

 

[petesbrew]

Tried a couple of nice ones yesterday,

Someone's complimentary Kolsch? Who's was this? Sorry, I forgot!
This was a really nice drink. Have only had a few of these before, so these are on the wish list now. Very light and easy to drink. Had a spicy tone to it as well.


Redbeards Pirate Bright Ale,
Aaargh! I could definitely sink many a tankard of this one. Bloody nice and "bright", but I'm very confused.
From the first sip, to the end of the glass, all I could taste was a bloody nice Wheat beer. Didn't taste anything like what I was expecting! Still a fantastic beer, which washed down the thai takeaway superbly!