Nsw Xmas In July Tasting Notes

[Muggus]

Well I don't know what to say in reply except for thanks and I am glad you enjoyed it. Is the rusty metallic note objectionable, where do you think that is coming from, hoping not and infection?

The rusty note I noticed wasn't particularly prominant, might be some sort of flavour from the peated malt. It does give off a very earthy flavour...to the point where it's almost like a mouthful of soil...could be the culprit.

 

[Muggus]

Oh yeah...and I had a bit of a session last night...don't try this at home kids!

Beer: 2. Nifty Some sort of Black ale or stout or something
Date: 6th August 2010
Details: 750ml bottle w/ nice label, gold cap 2, 5.4%, bottled 03/04/2010
Sampling Notes:
Served chilled in pint glass.

One thing you can always depend on in a NSW case swap is not only a good beer from Nifty, but itll always be some sort of this or that; the tradition continues! Also good to see the dogs making their way onto the label, nice touch.

Now the beer? Yeah, certainly looks the part; pretty much pitch black in my pint, a solid light brown finger of brown head promises the goods.

Doesnt give away much on the nose, Id go almost as far as to call it a secretive aroma, whatever that means. What I do get however, is some bread dough, burnt crust and perhaps some British hop leafiness, but its all very hush hush.

Straight-up the texture is quite enjoyable, smooth, almost velvet-like. Low carbonation and initial sweetness seems to aid in buffing out any rough edges up until a bit of woody, somewhat smoky phenolic astringency makes a presence towards the finish.

The flavour itself is not nearly as secretive as the aroma suggests, quite the opposite really; simple and straight to the point. Brown sugar, medium roast coffee, dark chocolate, charred wood and a discernable marmalade-y hop twang. Bitterness seems to be enough to keep the malt sweetness in order, that aforementioned phenolic note persists on the aftertaste, just enough to make another sip seem like a good idea, and which is probably why I finished this beer quite quickly.

Kinda got a bit poetic there with this review, bit unusual for first thing in the evening. Anyhow, as always, an enjoyable beer Nifty. Yet again, another highly sessionable black ale from this case. A porter perhaps? Who knowscheers!

 

[Muggus]

Beer: 11. Gruntus - Marzen
Date: 6th August 2010
Details: 750ml bottle, gold cap 11, 5.2%, bottled 10th April
Sampling Notes:
Served chilled in pint glass.

What a great looking beer! Clean, clear copper body with an inch of tight white foam that seems intent on hanging around and sharing my company.

Lots of caramel malts on the nose with undertones of husky cereals, biscuit and floral hop. A bit of burnt corn (diacetyl?) is noticeable in the background too.

Body is fuller, creamier, sweeter and more robust than what youd come to expect from your average German lager. Carbonation is on the money with quite a clean finish.

Flavour is no-nonsense, and straight to the point, screaming SESSION BEER in a boisterous Bavarian accent. Sweet malts that remind me of toasted breakfast cereals and cracker biscuits. An edge of buttered corn makes a brief appearance on a relatively dry finish with medium bitterness.

Glad to see some different styles of beers in these swaps. Im pretty sure this is the first homebrewed Marzen Ive come across, and it certainly was well made and tasty. Not 100%, but there may have been a note of diacetyl in there Ill leave that to more discerning palates to figure out. Cheers Gruntus!

 

[Muggus]

Beer: Josh - Doppelbock
Date: 6th August 2010
Details: 750ml bottle, gold cap 9, WLP383, 7.5%, 6/5/10
Sampling Notes:
Served chilled in pint glass.

I cant help but think back to a previous swap and the 10%+ doppelbock in there (Damos?); big, potent, dark, with lots of rich malts and dark fruit undertones. Then Im presented with this, at a totally different end of the spectrum yet just as much of a doppelbock. Goes to show how diverse such an esoteric style can be.

Regardless of my inner musings, Im presented with a very attractive pint of beer; thick looking burnt copper body, clarity is quite good, topped off with a creamy beige head that stays with me for the whole journey.

Doesnt give away too much on the nose, but I should be use to that by now. Subtle sweet tawny port-like undertones of sultana and toffee and a bit of booze. Quite clean otherwise.

The weight of this beer on the palate reveals its true colours, and possibly malice intent; thick, viscous, oily, all seemingly spurred on by a low pillowy carbonation. Alcohol is the back there somewhere, in the shadows, ready to pounce out at the end of the glass.

The colour seems to allude to the overall flavour of the beer itself. By no means is this a dunkeler bock, so not a trace of chocolate, prune or roasted nuts. Instead Im immersed in a rich, sticky liqueur of dates, brown sugar, cookie dough, Anzac biscuit and savoury spice undertones. Finish with the faintest hint of yeast character and bitterness.

Certainly a more pale example of this notoriously potent German-style, but Ill try not to hold that against you.
Nice stuff Josh, another top notch swap brew!

 

[Muggus]

Beer: 6. Gulpa Belgian Dubbel
Date: 6th August 2010
Details: 750mL, gold cap 6, Wyeast 3787
Sampling Notes:
Served chilled in pint glass.

Proper loud pop on uncapping. Carelessly I pour a pint load of rocky foam. Patiently I wait for the head to subside, and I cant help but think of a Mr Whippy ice cream as it settles; looks very odd indeed. Eventually a clear amber body emerges from underneath, and its looking very nice.

Nose on this brew is quite spicy, I decide. Clove definitely, maybe nutmeg and pepper too, some notes of brown sugar, bread underneath with some floral, citrus hop. The more I look, the more I seeor smell, as the situation warrants.

WOW! Wasnt expecting such a thick richness to the body, but hey, its very welcome. Smooth carbonation, bit of drying alcohol towards the finish.

Lots going on flavourwise; molasses, dark fruits, hop citrus, pepper and earthy spices. Woody phenolic note towards the finish, a defined hop bitterness. Some lingering alcohol noticeable and welcomingly warming.

Not a bad drop at all! Considering I can barely get out of my chair, leaves me wondering, how bloody strong is this thing!? Very tasty, cheers Andrew!


And I think bed is now a good option...

 

[Gulpa]

Beer: 6. Gulpa Belgian Dubbel

Thanks for the notes, Mike. I tried a bottle from the swap half of the batch the other day and the carb is a bit on the high side. Sorry about that guys. Im now a bit worried as its in thin glass but I guess if it was going to blow it would have by now. Alc is 7.7%. I agree its a bit sweet/rich for the style, I would have liked it a bit drier/leaner (and a few other things different as well <_< ).

cheers
Andrew.

 

[Stuster]

12. mrs eyres - Black Buste Porter

Pretty black, big head which dies back quickly to nothing. Balanced to sweet with some pleasant crystal malt sweetness (which ones?). Roasted malts are there but very smooth and roastiness is pretty mild. Bittering fairly low. Body fairly light. A nicely made beer which for my tastes could have done with a touch more bitterness/roast to balance. I definitely finished it all though.

 

[Greg Lawrence]

18. Gregor - NZ Rye Pale Ale

I ignored the advice to open this later in the month (OK, I didn't look and only found out after later, when it was the only beer in the fridge). Opens with a reasonable psst. Carbonation is on the low side but pretty good. Beautiful rich gold colour and pretty clear, good head. A really nice beer for this cold night. Balanced slightly to sweet, caramel malts, hops there and pleasant but the malts are the star. Tasty beer, Gregor. :beerbang:

Glad you liked it Stuster. This was a first attempt at this recipe and I was a bit worried that I may have over done it on the caramel malts. I sampled a couple of bottles a few weeks back and it was very sweet. Hopefully a few more weeks in the bottle will bring the carbonation up a bit.

 

[nifty]

Oh yeah...and I had a bit of a session last night...don't try this at home kids!

Beer: 2. Nifty Some sort of Black ale or stout or something
Date: 6th August 2010
Details: 750ml bottle w/ nice label, gold cap 2, 5.4%, bottled 03/04/2010
Sampling Notes:
Served chilled in pint glass.

One thing you can always depend on in a NSW case swap is not only a good beer from Nifty, but itll always be some sort of this or that; the tradition continues! Also good to see the dogs making their way onto the label, nice touch.

Now the beer? Yeah, certainly looks the part; pretty much pitch black in my pint, a solid light brown finger of brown head promises the goods.

Doesnt give away much on the nose, Id go almost as far as to call it a secretive aroma, whatever that means. What I do get however, is some bread dough, burnt crust and perhaps some British hop leafiness, but its all very hush hush.

Straight-up the texture is quite enjoyable, smooth, almost velvet-like. Low carbonation and initial sweetness seems to aid in buffing out any rough edges up until a bit of woody, somewhat smoky phenolic astringency makes a presence towards the finish.

The flavour itself is not nearly as secretive as the aroma suggests, quite the opposite really; simple and straight to the point. Brown sugar, medium roast coffee, dark chocolate, charred wood and a discernable marmalade-y hop twang. Bitterness seems to be enough to keep the malt sweetness in order, that aforementioned phenolic note persists on the aftertaste, just enough to make another sip seem like a good idea, and which is probably why I finished this beer quite quickly.

Kinda got a bit poetic there with this review, bit unusual for first thing in the evening. Anyhow, as always, an enjoyable beer Nifty. Yet again, another highly sessionable black ale from this case. A porter perhaps? Who knowscheers!

Thanks for the review Mike, it was, um, very thorough. Are you sure we're talking about the same beer??

Anyway, some of the best things about the NSW xmas swaps are the reviews given by the brewers that are in the swap, be they in depth or one liners . It is always good to read the comments and then try and match them up to the beer.

cheers

nifty

 

[white.grant]

No. 13 Stuster's Oatmeal Stout

subtle fsst on opening, pours black with ruby highlights, off white foam stand persisting. Lovely malty aromas rising from the glass, dark chocolate and roast coffee enticing me in. Flavours don't let me down, soft texture carrying the malty roasty goodness, lovely soft roast some subtle yeast flavours follow before culminating in a crisp roasty finish. Delicious beer, Stuster. Thanks.

cheers

grant

 

[Greg Lawrence]

Ive only had a few so far.
Being fairly new to brewing, Im not really familiar with what the different styles are suppose to taste like, so I'll just have to give my basic opinion without too much detail. I figure thats better than not commenting at all.

Gruntus' Marzen
This one was a great one to start my tastings.
Luckily for me, I ended up with 2 of these beauties, but on the down side I only had one in the fridge.

nifty - some sort of ...Black Ale / Porter / Not Quite Stout
A little undercarbed, but a great beer all the same. The wife liked it too. I had to fight her off for the second serving from the bottle. It was far superior to my one and only stout attempt.

Josh - Dopplebock
Not familiar with the style (apart from the Monteiths dopplebock I had on tap at the Union @ Newtown the other night) but very enjoyable. I was expecting something a bit darker for some reason. Would have gladly downed another bottle if I had one.
One style to add to my "to brew' list.

Got a couple more in the fridge for tonight

Gregor

 

[white.grant]

No. 11 Gruntus' Marzen

Opens with fsst and pours darkish amber with a white fluffy head dissipating slowly. Aroma's give up noble hops and a sweet malt, but the bottle's a bit cold and so the first sip I find that the carb is medium, bitterness is apparent and then a long dry finish. But as the glass warms we get into the rich malt and really start to enjoy the lovely balance of the noble hops and melonoidins with some cheeky fermentation character rounding everything off nicely. Great balance, really enjoyed this one.

cheers

grant

 

[Gulpa]

14. Davelovesbeer - Copper Ale.

Had this on Saturday. I needed something cold and refreshing after spending most of the day walking in the sun. This beer was perfect for that, slipped down so quickly that I didnt take notes. So from memory, lovely clear copper. Lowish carb. Light malt flavour with nothing really sticking out in the way of hops or other malts. A clean, well balanced session beer and I wished I had another to follow up with. Just what I was looking for. Nice work DLB. Thanks


19.Fatgodzilla - Dark English Bitter - standard malts, Challenger hops & Ringwood Ale yeast.

Drinking this one now after doing some late night paving.

Pours brown with ruby highlights. Small head that dies down to a film. Aroma is malty chocolate, a touch of smokiness, a light fruit as well from the yeast . Smokiness dominates the flavour initially. Not sure if its yeast derived or youve chucked in a handful of rauch malt. Once I get used to the smokiness, some nice fruits come up, light malt flavours, chocolate again, finishing with a suitable bitterness. Lowish carb. Medium light body. Nice and interesting beer, Ian. Thanks for sharing.


Cheers
Andrew.

 

[white.grant]

Hello swappers,

I was sorting through the case last night and have a bottle without any markings. It has a black cap but that is it's only distinguishing feature. Anyone hazard a guess at which beer it is? Pretty sure it's a number lower than 14.

cheers

grant

 

[Pollux]

Grant, that would be mine, Coopers bottle, black cap.....I bottled the morning of the swap and had no time to label.....

 

[white.grant]

Grant, that would be mine, Coopers bottle, black cap.....I bottled the morning of the swap and had no time to label.....

thanks Pollux.

cheers

grant

 

[Stuster]

6. Gulpa - Belgian Dubbel - wy3787

Definitely pretty high carb on this one. Some phenolics on the nose along with a bit of caramel (more as it warms). Plenty of sweet caramel malts in the flavour, and a little fruitiness. Balanced to sweet. A well-made beer and very much to style, Andrew, but the high carb suggests you let it get cool towards the end of fermentation. :beer:

 

[Gulpa]

6. Gulpa - Belgian Dubbel - wy3787

Definitely pretty high carb on this one. Some phenolics on the nose along with a bit of caramel (more as it warms). Plenty of sweet caramel malts in the flavour, and a little fruitiness. Balanced to sweet. A well-made beer and very much to style, Andrew, but the high carb suggests you let it get cool towards the end of fermentation. :beer:

:lol: You could be right. I suspect I just overcarbed it but I will conduct an ongoing investigation into your theory. The other fermenter carbed fine.

 

[Muggus]

Beer: 22. Bjorn J - Bjorn's Brown Bear
Date: 12th August 2010
Details: 750mL with cool label, gold cap, 4.7%, bottled 11.05.2010
Sampling Notes:
Served chilled in pint glass.

Pours an amber body with decent clarity. Reasonably sparse off-white inch of head hangs around for the most part.

Relatively subdued aroma. Hops come through quite a bit with earthy spice and leafy notes. Malt certainly takes a backseat, some malty caramel detectable as it warms.

High carbonation hits me straight off. Bit of carbonic bite, but nice sweet chewy malt body takes care of that. Palate of medium weight, quite dry throughout.

Hop driven body, in subtle sort of way with woody/earthy spices, dried leafy herbs and tobacco. Hints of raisins and dried apple amongst a toffee and burnt nut/roast malt flavour, without a great deal of sweetness. Very drying, slightly astringent finish, which seems to accentuate the bitterness.

Not a bad drop, flavours are quite nice but let down a bit by that astringency that seems to shorten the palate. Wouldve been nice to have some extra sweetness or body to smooth it out. What yeast did you use for this?
Certainly not a bad drop by any measure though; a bit like Newcastle Brown actually. Cheers Bjorn.

 

[Gulpa]

17. matho APA

Pours quit hazy straw. Suitable aroma of citrus hops with some caramel malts. Flavour is along the same lines. Hop flavour is at the light end of style, they let the malt flavours come through nicely. Medium carb. Light medium body. Nice lingering bitterness.Good balance. Clean. I could down a quite a few of these on a hot day. Very nice APA, thanks Matho.

cheers
Andrew.