Potters Brewery In Hunter Valley..

[MVZOOM]

OK, was up there last weekend. Walked into the bottle shop at Potters (ie.. the bar) and asked for a couple of longnecks of the Bock and the Kolsch.

After forking out $30 for two long necks :blink: (apparently all the money goes into the labour, I was told), I went to my apartment at Cypress Lakes, chilled the bottles down, relaxed and cracked the Kolsch.

Was expecting pretty excellent beer - 2c per ml of beer does make one expect a decent result. However, was massively disappointed. The Kolsch has a nice maltiness, but tasted like it was fermented with an ale yeast during a heatwave (wine, anyone?). The Bock was winey also, and really boring - they almost tasted the same?

Don't know what you guys thought about the beer, but I was pretty unhappy overall - mind you, I only tasted these two.

Cheers M- mike

 

[snagler]

I tried all the beers on tap a couple of weeks ago and couldnt fault any. Perhaps a bottleing boo boo.
Did you try any from the tap?

 

[Stuster]

That doesn't sound too good, Mike, and certainly wasn't my impression of them on tap last month. Winey is often used to describe a kolsch, especially in aroma. It is made with an ale yeast, a clean one though, but sounds like the wine flavour (aroma?) was a bit too strong. It was fairly subtle to my tastes when I tried it. :unsure:

The bock is more like a mini-bock really. It's not strong enough to be a bock really, but I thought it was a very palatable dark beer and not really that similar to the kolsch.

I've got two hopmonster longnecks waiting for special occasions, but I haven't tried anything of theirs from the bottle yet. I guess it could be a bottling issue as snagler says. Did you try anything there on tap?

 

[Duff]

OK, was up there last weekend. Walked into the bottle shop at Potters (ie.. the bar) and asked for a couple of longnecks of the Bock and the Kolsch.

After forking out $30 for two long necks :blink: (apparently all the money goes into the labour, I was told), I went to my apartment at Cypress Lakes, chilled the bottles down, relaxed and cracked the Kolsch.

Was expecting pretty excellent beer - 2c per ml of beer does make one expect a decent result. However, was massively disappointed. The Kolsch has a nice maltiness, but tasted like it was fermented with an ale yeast during a heatwave (wine, anyone?). The Bock was winey also, and really boring - they almost tasted the same?

Don't know what you guys thought about the beer, but I was pretty unhappy overall - mind you, I only tasted these two.

Cheers M- mike

I agree with you Mike. Had similar views here

Cheers.

 

[SJW]

Well Mike, I got a cup full of the Kolsch yeast from the primary up there and did my own Kolsch. It ended up very tart & fruity. I suspected an infection during the transfer. I did not mind the Kolsch at Potters but the Bock did nothing for me!

Steve

 

[Thirsty Boy]

hmmmm differnt strokes for different folks I guess.

I'm pretty uniformly impressed with the Potters beers. I really like the Kolsch, liked the Bock enough to buy a bottle to age (although you are right, it could be a bit bigger) and generally thought the beers were great.

Potters is hovering at #3 - 4 on my favourite Micros list.

Also nice to see a micro that is doing a variety of lagers... not so common

Thirsty

 

[MVZOOM]

Yeah look - it may be my pallet, but they just didn't taste right. I suspect the same yeast was used for both?

I have only ever tried a couple of Kolsch's before, they had a fairly dry yet warm finish. The Potters one really tasted like wine / vinegar (gee, now I'm even more scathing than before). It was very pronounced and lingered on the tongue heavily.

First to admit that I'm not anywhere near an expert in the style, but it wasn't good. I should have tried a draught Pale Ale, as that would have been a better yardstick (just wanted something a little special, that's all).

I'd be keen to go back and have a session on the other beers, ie... the Octoberfest, which was out of stock in bottles. Presentation and stuff was A1 class, that font in the front bar I think has like 10 taps - it looks awesome.

Anyway, onward and upward. I'm keen to support Micro's (hence I paid $30 for 1.5L of un-proven beer) and trust that it's my pallet that's out...

Cheers - Mike

 

[Muggus]

My girlfriend and I checked Potters this time last year whilst we were on a holiday in the Hunter. I tried their bock and kolsch of tap and was disappointed with both, not that I really knew what to expect from a kolsch style.
I was, however, quite impressed by their pale ale, and bought a magnum bottle of that which I recently cracked open and it was excellent.

 

[craig maher]

Yeah look - it may be my pallet, but they just didn't taste right. I suspect the same yeast was used for both?
Cheers - Mike

I think they use Wyeast 2124 for both the Hunter Lager and Bock but definately Wyeast 2565 for the Kolsch.

Where is Keith the Beer Guy when you need him.

Have tried both (and plenty of others) out of the bottle (and on tap) and not had any complaints.

Normally top quality.

Cheers


Craig

 

[bigfridge]

Was expecting pretty excellent beer - 2c per ml of beer does make one expect a decent result. However, was massively disappointed. The Kolsch has a nice maltiness, but tasted like it was fermented with an ale yeast during a heatwave (wine, anyone?). The Bock was winey also, and really boring - they almost tasted the same?

Don't know what you guys thought about the beer, but I was pretty unhappy overall - mind you, I only tasted these two.

Mike,

There is an old saying - "If you liked it .... tell your friends, if you didn't ..... tell us" Have you called Potters and asked to speak to the brewery ?

This is one of the great things about Micro's - you can actually speak to the guys that made the beer rather than a faceless call centre. I am sure that once you explain how you felt about the experience they will try to see you right.

But it is always good to know a little about a style before you fork out your hard earned and the BJCP guidelines are a good place to start.

Dave

 

[Doc]

I haven't had many of the Potters beers as bottled products, but have had the majority off tap at the pub/brewery.
The Kolsch has always been a clean beer when I've tasted it and very enjoyable. My fav so far was an American Pale Ale (don't recall what they named it) in Oct last year. It was fantastic. Went back for more at the end of the weekend and they had sold out
The Oktoberfest that was on tap at Marks Homebrew for the HAG Baltic Porter Barrel project was a ripper too.

Beers,
Doc

 

[Double A]

I'd agree with snagler on the bottling issue. Picked up a few bottles 6 months back and one of them was a gusher. I mentioned it to the brewer and he said that someone else comes in and bottles their beer so its out of his hands (the brewers) to a certain extent. Apart from that, all their beers are tip top I reckon esp the pale ale.

 

[MVZOOM]

Mike,

There is an old saying - "If you liked it .... tell your friends, if you didn't ..... tell us" Have you called Potters and asked to speak to the brewery ?

This is one of the great things about Micro's - you can actually speak to the guys that made the beer rather than a faceless call centre. I am sure that once you explain how you felt about the experience they will try to see you right.

But it is always good to know a little about a style before you fork out your hard earned and the BJCP guidelines are a good place to start.

Dave

Dave, good call. The problem I have is that I fear coming across as a wanker as these people 'should' know their product backwards. It's hard - if you had a wooden table and it was bending in the middle (ie.. it shouldn't), you could call the maker and give them feedback - it's a tangible fault. With wine / beer a lot of these things are a lot harder to identify and understand.

My pallet is different from other peoples (probably a lot less refined), however I still by the claim that the Kolsch was excessively winey. I mean, it was a really big twang, reminiscent of my first K&K brews.

Heaven forbid I call them and let them know that I'm a homebrewer, they'd probably just laugh at me.

Having read the BJCP guidelines, they echo what my experience of Kolsch's have been in the past. Don't get me started on the Bock.

So this is the point of my thread, have I totally got it wrong? I dare say that off tap, they may be a fair bit different and I can't comment on the styles that I havn't tried.

Cheers - Mike

 

[Stuster]

I think you can be confident about your palate. Sorry if I gave the impression that it was just your tastebuds. It was just that the description didn't fit my memory of the beers. If you think those beers weren't right, they may well not have been. One thing about micros is that they are unlikely to have the consistency that a mega-brewery will. I'm sure they won't laugh at you. Having met them on my visit, they very much came across as guys who really care about the beers they make. You could also pm Keith the Beer Guy on here, as he's the assistant brewer there now. He's certainly not going to laugh at you for being a homebrewer.

 

[joshuahardie]

It would of been good to have tried them on tap, to see if it was a fault in the bottle or a fault in the style.

I was up there a few weeks ago, tried them all, and thought they were all pretty outstanding.

Especially the pale ale, so I bought one in the bottle to try later that night, and the bottled version was nowhere near as good as the draught. Not to say that it was a bad beer, but after trying the pale ale on tap, my expectations were very high.

oh well. sorry to hear your experience was a bit of a letdown, i personally really do think it is one of the best mircos in the state.

 

[Keith the Beer Guy]

Geez, last time I take a day off and spend it watching Columbo.

Let me say up-front, and I am sure most small business feels the same way, we actively encourage feedback; both postive and negative. Please don't hesitate to give us a call, send an e-mail or better still, drop in and talk to us in person. Part of the reason I work at Potters is that I am a big fan of the beer, and I have been since I first tried them a few years ago. I am quite proud to be part of the Brewing Team and very proud of the beers we make.

Mike, if both the Bock and Kolsch tasted the same something is way off and I would like to know why.

Personally, I love the Kolsch, it's my breakfast beer of choice. Our version is at the sweeter end of the style with a very subdued fruitiness, other interpretations have a more noticeable tartness. It should be a beer which is light and refreshing and entices you to reach for another glass.

The Bock is very much at the smaller end of the spectrum when it comes to the traditional style. In-house I have heard it referred to as a baby-bock, and I think this is pretty much on the money. My one-line description of our Bock is that it has about the same weight as an Old, but has a far richer character with chocolate and coffee dominating both the aroma and the flavour.

Let me say thanks to everyone for their constructive comments - especially yours Mike. As I said, feedback is always welcomed and I am glad to hear you are enthusiatic about the microbrewery scene. I have sent you a pm and I hope we can find out both what went astray and turn you into a fan of our beer.

Keith

 

[SJW]

Nice work Keith!

 

[MVZOOM]

Nice work Keith!

Yep, have replied back to Keith with a PM. We'll get this puppy sorted.

Cheers - ik :beerbang:

 

[Tony]

I have also tried most of the beers on tap at potters and have bought a couple of bottles. I found the bottles were as said before, great beers but not quite the same as on tap. There was nothing wrong with them, they just lacked something that i think Draught beer has anywhere.

Christ... even tooheys new tastes better on tap, not that i would compare potters beers with that

cheers

 

[Jazzafish]

I'm a fan of potters beers. If it helps, the pub across from my work sells them on tap... but they call them a Blonde (Koelsch) and Brunette (Bock). It is a choice of those beers or a standard swill... and they shit all over the standard swill.

Last time I was up there I got a Black Current Cassis and an Octoberfest. Both were great out of the bottle.

All I'm saying is don't give up on them. Seems to me like a one off.