Nsw Xmas In July Case 2008 - Tasting Notes

[Gulpa]

17. Pint of Lager - Munich Lager - Yeast 34/70

Pale. Bright. Poured very clear. Carb is high. Malty with a spicy hop aroma. Beautifully balanced flavours. Thanks POL. Very classy beer.

Id recommend others pouring this off into a jug. The high carb churned up the yeast in the bottle a bit.

Two great beers so far. I love these swaps.

Cheers
Andrew.

 

[3GumsBrewing]

#7

Just had this lovely drop, does not look like a wit, but bloody hell - what a great taste, moderately strong clove flavor, I didn't get the banana people always talk about though I never really do, excellent clarity.
Thanks Fatgodzilla

DK

 

[Tony]

13. SAH - Helles Bock (marked SAH) + 3 bottles Bitter (marked SAHB) - Both ready to drink

fantastic deep golden colour. clear as......... was it filtered? no yeast so must have been from a keg.

slight sulphur lager character and carbonic bite ballance the malty sweetness.

ballance is towards malt..... a bit more hop character would have been good but a bloody good beer all the same.

Was it AG or extract mate? excuse my ignorance but its so bloody clear! Im Jelous! and that sweetness is leaving me with "that" flavour. Could be Noble hops and lager yeast character as well. Could be wrong though......... its got me thinking its a caramalt kind of sweetness.

Can i hazard a guess and look like a fool.

Hallertau and W34-70?

I cant believe its not butter

tops beer mate, thanks.

And do post the recipe.

cheers

 

[Tony]

Well i was completly wrong wasnt i

Just finnished the bottle and it was very enjoyable! Super Alpha hey........ that was the "zing" i could sense. It made me question the beer but Super alpha makes it all ring true.

Decoction mash brings out the malt sweetness with the low bitterness. I would have liked a tad more bitterness to ballance out the sweet of the malt.

bloody nice beer and mate............. how do you get it so clear?

was it the no yeast, no protein method?

cheers

 

[sah]

13. SAH - Helles Bock (marked SAH) + 3 bottles Bitter (marked SAHB) - Both ready to drink

Can i hazard a guess and look like a fool.

Hallertau and W34-70?

Hi Tony,

I've posted the recipe and brewing notes here. I've not had a brew go worse either before or during fermentation. Fortunately it worked out ok. I had to decant a little bit from the keg before I force carbonated and I'm drinking that little bit now. I like it. I can't help but think the unplanned decoctions have contributed favourably. It's my first lager. The good news is I have another cube of it. This one I think is a little under attenuated at 70% which is the low end for WLP833. So you didn't pick the super alpha hops

regards,
Scott

 

[sah]

how do you get it so clear?

I did run it through the filter however there wasn't much yeast to remove, tt had settled pretty well. Only finings were in the kettle.

 

[Tony]

well 70% attenuation in a big beer with low bitterness will make it a bit sweet......but mate...... it was a great beer. I really enjoyed it!

Now....... on to No.7

FGZ Whitbier.

I have never made a whitbier.......... but plan to one day. I do believe its a very dificult style to reproduce.

Most of us have only really has Hoegarden as a comparison and this is a bit away from that. Bloody nice beer.... but not quite a whitbier.

Very clear, even with yeast swirled in. Flavour and aroma is fantastic.......... i really like it. Some bananna and clove in flavour, other things like sweet stone fruits like peach and apricot in aroma.

I would say its a fantastic Hefeweizen !

A whitbier is made with unmalted wheat to make it super pale and cloudy......... this is deep golden and clear.

Great beer thought mate.......... much enjoyed.

cheers

2 from 2 good ones....... off to a good start apart from finding i dont have one of Docs Schwarzbiers in my case My fault i guess....... i packed them. The 4th case i had to pack was done when the whole randon grab was happening so i guess people knew what they wanted. all others have one but i was responsible for them......... my fault.

bugger.

 

[monkeybusiness]

7. Fatgodzilla - "More Than A Half Wit"

Tasty beer Ian. I have the benefit of not having had a wit before so I can't say whether it was what you were after, but either way I enjoyed it. I got some banana and vanilla flavour. First cab off the ranks and a good start.

13. SAH - Helles Bock

Again not familiar with the style but really enjoyed this. Malt dominated. Maybe Tony's right and this might have been improved with some more bitterness, but I thought this beer was great as is. Just wish I hadn't finished the bottle already.

 

[Fatgodzilla]

7. Fatgodzilla - "More Than A Half Wit"

Tasty beer Ian. I have the benefit of not having had a wit before so I can't say whether it was what you were after, but either way I enjoyed it. I got some banana and vanilla flavour.

I have never made a whitbier.......... but plan to one day. I do believe its a very dificult style to reproduce. Most of us have only really has Hoegarden as a comparison and this is a bit away from that. Bloody nice beer.... but not quite a whitbier.

I don't know what I was really after either (other than a drinkable beer). Only got to taste one sampler (made too few bottles) which I enjoyed so glad all turned out well. Used Southern Cross hop flowers to bitter which may also offer something a tad spicy to the flavour. I wasn't trying to make anything to a particular style, just attempting to make a decent drinkable beer. Will now try and replicate the recipe and see if it wasn't just a fluke !



My two first reviews were on #19 - Josh's Brown Ale and #22 - DK's American Amber Ale. Both were lovely, easy to drink brews with no bad or off tastes anywhere. Whilst I guess similiar in style, each was very different from the other. Excellent and enjoyable to drink brews from both of you.

 

[sah]

#19 Josh's Brown Ale

Subtle aromas mostly malty. The stand out flavours are a smooth slight roasty character and a moderate carbonic bite. Some hop there too but I can't place it. Very clear, dark amber to brown. Not sweet or dry, very balanced. A great winter session beer that would satisfy most drinkers. Nice work.

I haven't brewed a brown and look forward to your recipe.

thanks,
Scott

 

[Muggus]

Brew: 7. Fatgodzilla - "More Than A Half Wit" (1st)(161)
Date: 30/6/08
Beer info: Bottled in brown 750ml Tooheys New bottle, Gold cap "7"

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in goblet. Pours a mostly clean copperish gold body with small white foam.
Bready aroma straightup, some floral hops and grainy malt, fruity esters make an appearance with a touch of sulfur in the background.
Lean and reasonably dry body, smooth texture, spritzy carbonation, bit of acidity towards the finish, bitterness is low.
Grainy malt background, banana bread and ripe apricot flavours, possibly some overly ripe pear and clove, a touch of acid toward a lingering cerealy finish.
Goes down nice and easy, seems like a Belgian Wit without the spices. Cheers Ian, a good brew to start the case!

 

[Josh]

It may have been trying to send you up the Putty Rd to Singleton. Going out the back of Blacktown, halfway to Windsor, this would sound like the likely explanation.

I used to travel home to Penrith from Singleton that way.

Had an interesting trip back.

Being the first time ive been on any of those motorways.......... i didnt knowwhere to get on or off, so i took my wifes GPS.

On the way back it kept telling me to get off the motorway......... every exit. bit didnt tell me to get off the one i needed to. So i ended up heading for the city. I copped extra tolls and say an exit. I thought F$#k it, and got off. Any longer on there and i was going to hit the coast. Ther ******* GPS "re calculated" the route and sent me heading in the oposite direction to home. It was ringing me back onto the mororway, back out west to go the way i came. I wanted to go the newcastle.

Turned out i was on Lane Cove Rd, and recognised a motel i stayed in while doing some work in sydney 6 months ago. I turned the GPS off and followed my instincts. Ended up on the pacific highway and it was all the way home from there.

Was great to meed lots of computer names and put faces to them.

Had a great afternoon.

Opened one of my Maibocks (that i have made for the mash paddel and HAG swap) and it was sour which was imbaresing. Hence have had to pull out of the hag swap.

Ive drank so much shit infected beer in the last 12 months i think im starting to think its normal so if the ESB is shit, just tip it and tell me it was infected. I really dont know any more.

3mm from giving up completly.

looking forward to trying everyones beers and thanks to Josh for the use of his place. :super:

cheers

 

[Tony]

yeah thats what i think too.

First time i have ever gotten lost was when i used modern technology!

back to the map! She can keep her GPS.

Mmmmm this reminds me. I shoulg go put a beer in the fridge for tomorrow night.

cheers

 

[Flex Broker]

Hi everyone, James here. I brought my beer (oat porter) plus Jez's and DK's. Thanks for a fun few hours of tasting and beer talk.

Have only tasted one so far - 13. SAH - Helles Bock (marked SAH)

Tasted in a pint glass. Poured a beautiful honey/amber colour. Brilliantly clear. Head was a bit sudsy, and dissipated quickly. Very low carbonation - maybe undercarbonated, which could be a reason for the lack of head retention.

Smelled faintly of honey, with a mild noble/floral hop aroma.

Great mouthfeel. Honey and caramel sweetness with a little hop bitterness at the finish. Not cloying at all with the sweetness - very easy to drink.

Overall, a well-made beer, but higher carbonation would help. Could increase head retention by raising protein levels in the wort. I would probably prefer a tad more hop aroma, but that's me. Finished the pint very quickly - tasty stuff!

 

[Muggus]

Brew: 25. Loftboy - Blue Mountain Lager . Ready to drink (1st)(162)
Date: 2/7/08
Beer info: Bottled in brown 800ml bottle, (dry-hopped Hallertau. 4.8% ABV. Bottled 23/03/08) Gold cap "25"

Sampling notes:
Served chilled in goblet. Golden body with slight haze and small white collar of foam. Not much too the nose, faint floral hops, a cidery yeast component in there. Body is quite thin, carbonation a bit on the low side, slides down very comfortably. A touch of maltiness on the body, a slight cidery apple element with noticable grassy hop, lending a mild bitterness on the finish. Simple, crisp and straight to the point, highly sessionable lager. Thanks Loftboy, the perfect pre-drink before heading off to cheer on the boys at the footy. COME ON THE BLUES!

Ps...Did you use the Morgans Blue Mountain Lager kit as a base for this?

 

[Stuster]

Fatgodzilla - "More Than A Half Wit"

Light sweet malty aroma, vanilla, clove phenolics, no banana. Would be improved by more aroma. This might be due to age, yeast choice or low fermentation temperature. Slightly hazy, thick head which fell back to a thin head which persisted well. Sweet malt flavour, clove phenolics evident though subdued. Some spiciness from the wheat malt. Pleasant flavours though a little subdued for a weizen. Light-medium body and a smooth, creamy texture, medium-high carbonation enhances mouthfeel. A lightly flavoured weizen which could be improved by a little more of the distinctive esters and phenolics of a German wheat beer. However, this is a very drinkable beer.

Pint of Lager - Munich Lager

Hard to tell much about the aroma because I was cooking Thai curry. Later appeared floral (Hall?). Dark gold, great clarity, perfect fine head which remained as a covering, thin layer. Light, sweet malts along with some more toasted notes, firm bitterness which lingers into a dry finish, floral hop flavour becomes more evident as the curry aromas fade. B) Medium body which is surprising considering the low alcohol level, creamy, dry finish, good level of carbonation for style. A great beer that does not appear to be as low in alcohol as it is. Smooth and flavourful, with malts and hops well balanced. This would be a fantastic session beer, PoL. Good stuff! :super:

 

[Doc]

Fatgodzilla - "More Than A Half Wit"
Shocking bottle. Looked like the bottle had been through forensics (white powder), semi de-labelled and mould all round the twist top.
Low head on pour and just a hint of cloudly in the glass. Looking on the dark end of the style (Wit) for sure.
Malty beer on the sweeter side. Missing a number of characteristics for a Wit (like coriander and citrus). I'd say much closer to a Weizen.

Nice drinkable beer.

Doc

 

[Doc]

Gulpa - English Bitter
Good initial head. Nice and creamy and thick.
Great dark brown colour.
Nice and malty with great nutty flavours. Flirting with the line/balance with your use of crystal, but you pulled it off.
Well balanced with great bitterness and a good level of carb for the style.
Head reduces to a thin film but does last.
I'm really enjoying and savouring this one. Great job Gulpa.

Doc

 

[loftboy]

Ps...Did you use the Morgans Blue Mountain Lager kit as a base for this?

Muggus,

Thanks for the feedback. This brew was a can of Morgans Blue Mountain Lager, along with 1.5kg Morgans Extra Pale LME & 12gms of rehydrated Morgans 514 yeast. It was in primary for 8 days & 5 in secondary. The Hallertau was dry hopped in secondary. It was also my last K&K brew. I've moved over to AG now.

Cheers,

Dave.

 

[Doc]

Loftboy - Blue Mountain Lager
Pour didn't look to lively so made my pour more aggressive and got a good head, that dissipated quite quickly.
Great clear golden colour with bright clarity.
Clean with medium carbonation.
Some slight fruity notes.
A real lawn mower beer.

Doc