Qld Xmas case Swap 2014- 6 Dec *tasting thread*

[ballantynebrew]

1. Earle - red wheat saison

Bloody fantastic, still trying to put my finger on the taste, bit of peppery notes - top work

 

[ballantynebrew]

3. Liam_s - Schwarzbier

Drinks like black velvet

Even ginge is a fan

 

[Liam_snorkel]

8. madpierre06 - Biggus Dikkus American Cream Ale - GIVE TWO WEEKS, ALSO CHECK THE BOTTLE COLLAR BEFORE OPENING AS WHEN CUTTING OFF OLD CAP COLLARS I NICKED THE RIM ON A COUPLE I THINK AND SLICED MY FINGER OPEN

Well, no double collars or body parts attached to this one.
Don't think I've ever had a cream ale before so I don't know what I'm in for. Slightly zesty aroma, very smooth, light citrusy hop flavour and light malt, not thin though. Pretty clean beer. Lacing is... creamy! Wouldn't mind a recipe for this mate.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

18. benken25. burn down the barn (rauchbier saison)

This is an interesting one. The tart vs smokiness really works. Yum

 

[Aydos]

4. Bradsbrew - rocky road porter.

Poured with a nick thick velvet head that lasts the whole way down the glass. Cocoa, vanilla and strawberry in the aroma, follows through into the taste. The Rose water is quite subtle in flavour, it comes through more in the aroma. Tastes very heavily of chocolate, how did you manage that so well, did you add cocoa powder to it?

Great job with this very nice beer.

 

[Aydos]

That was the photo of my glass before it was promptly smashed about 5 mins later after I just filled it up

 

[Aydos]

22. HBHB - Russian Imperial Stout

Sweet blackcurrant aroma, toffee like with a slight burnt malt. Flavour is sweet with a slight alcoholic taste, but I guess that's expected from something that's 13%...

Dark malts aren't as evident as the fruity tastes that comes through, tastes like an alcoholic dark fruit cake. I'm not sure how I would go with drinking the whole bottle on my own but luckily I have my father in law to drink it with me. He is also thoroughly enjoying it.

Great beer Martin, your yet to disappoint!

 

[bradsbrew]

4. Bradsbrew - rocky road porter.
Tastes very heavily of chocolate, how did you manage that so well, did you add cocoa powder to it?
Great job with this very nice beer.

Hi percentage of choc malt, also has oats. The creaminess of the oats also helps the choc as well.

Cheers, glad you liked it.

 

[madpierre06]

canned

 

[madpierre06]

8. madpierre06 - Biggus Dikkus American Cream Ale - GIVE TWO WEEKS, ALSO CHECK THE BOTTLE COLLAR BEFORE OPENING AS WHEN CUTTING OFF OLD CAP COLLARS I NICKED THE RIM ON A COUPLE I THINK AND SLICED MY FINGER OPEN

Well, no double collars or body parts attached to this one.
Don't think I've ever had a cream ale before so I don't know what I'm in for. Slightly zesty aroma, very smooth, light citrusy hop flavour and light malt, not thin though. Pretty clean beer. Lacing is... creamy! Wouldn't mind a recipe for this mate.

ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1419415936.681754.jpg

Thanks for the feedback mate, this is a beer which I've been pretty happy with as it ages and a little chuffed at the kind words which have been coming. I'm definitely going to be keeping this one in the loop at home here. Here's the recipe:

Maris Otter Malt (T.F. Floor Malt) 3.9 kg
Pilsner Ale Malt (B.B.) 0.265 kg
Melanoidin Malt (Wey.) 0.420 kg
Flaked maize 0.265 kg
Dried rice extract 0.265 kg - with this, I simply boiled off 150gm rice as much as I could before it burnt/dried out , then let sit in the fridge fr 24 hours and measured off 265 gms of what
I had. I added this to the mash making sure to break it up as there was a a tendency to clump.

Pacific Hallertau 36gm @ 60min Used this instead of liberty as I had some in the freezer, next batch I'm going to get some liberty and see what difference it makes
Columbus 36gm @ 3 min.

Whilrfloc 1 tab @ 30min

American Ale Yeast (Wyeast 1056) I used the twin pack of dry yeast from craft brewer.

Mash 69 C for 60 mins.

This was stovetop BIAB aiming for a batch of 23L in the fermenter. Due to larger grain bill, I only used 12 L of water for the mash and sparged through as much as I could within reason. Added enough boiled water to bring the boil volume up to 18L in the 19L pot for the boil, then made it up to the 23L in the fermenter. Pitched at about 25 C, primary ferment at 18 C for 5 days (stretched to a couple extra days) then secondary for 4 days.

Tyanks Ballantyne for the feedback as well, just picked it up.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

cheers mate

 

[Parks]

Right, well I've been through and shared quite a few over the last week so I'll try to give "best of my recollection" notes.

1. Earle - red wheat saison - GIVE IT ANOTHER WEEK OR SO TO FINISH CARBING
Very nice beer. Kinda sweet berry akin to having some raspberry or strawberry in secondary. I wouldn't have picked ginger unless told about it which means it was the perfect amount to add a nice complexity. Well done!

2. Beersuit - Bretted Farmhouse IPA Drink in 2 weeks. Pour gently
Drinking this now. I thought "that's a tiny bit Bretty" then I checked the beer. I would like more hops but that's really the story of my life. The Brett character is spot on for my personal taste. I would like a touch more bitterness or just piney resin but again mostly personal preference.

Another great beer.

4. Bradsbrew - Hazelnut Rocky Road Porter-DRINK NOW or wait a week or two out of the fridge, should help to make it tastes like it smells
I got a lot more raspberry this time aside from the rose water at the swap. It's a tough cherry to crack the old rocky road but it's a pretty good go for sure. Very enjoyable but I couldn't drink much for the dessert-ness of it.

8. madpierre06 - Biggus Dikkus American Cream Ale
Very nice mate. It's a great example of the style. Extremely sessionable. I'd be happy with that effort.

10. Winkle - hefeweizen - DRINK NOW
Lovely, easy drinking beer. Didn't take long to finish.

18. benken25. burn down the barn (rauchbier saison) Give mine a week or so
I took a good hour or so to drink this hanging out washing and dealing with f$*#&$(%king children. It gave me so much as it warmed and naturally aged in my glass on the deck...

At first it was sweet with a nice smokey phenolic but then I started picking up a strawberry flavour alongside the spicy character. I was very intrigued by this beer - nice.

19. Eagleburger- Five Elements, drinkable now, I fillrd them to the top. bottle noob.
Nice, easy drinking pale ale - good job!

20. BPH87 - Schwarzbier
I can't remember much on this one other than it being a Schwarz with no faults. Still a bit too estery for a schwarz but what ya gonna do? Very easy to drink.

22. HBHB - 13% abv Russian Imperial Stout hopped to 91IBU with Marynka Polish Hops - DRINK WHENEVER -SLOWLY
Holy turk Martin! No wonder I exited early on swap night h34r:

The alcohol was a bit hot and the beer a touch syrupy but the roast was spot on and the FIL wants some more.

23. Ballantyne Brew - Shirt Front IPA
Unfortunately I think mine may have been infected sorry to say. It was very highly carbonated, bitterness was harsh and there was some astringency. Hop flavour was there but very muted. Malt flavour may have been OK but it was dominated by the other notes.


All-in-all a very good swap again IMO. I am really excited to see the new faces coming around and sticking around. The Brissy homebrew scene (probably shouldn't forgot those outsiders who gate crash it...) looks pretty damn good!!!

:drinks: :beer:

 

[Liam_snorkel]

23. Ballantyne Brew - Shirt Front IPA

Chilled this one down in an ice slurry so no gusher here.
Pours hazy, little bit lively but not violent. Piney hop aroma, malty & lasting bitterness. My mouth has just been shirtfronted!

 

[angus_grant]

23 Ballantyne Brew - Shirt Front IPA

Tony vs Vladimir vs lamb vindaloo

Get this out of the road first. Mine was over-carb'd.

Once it had subsided though, the aroma came out and I was getting some good hop hit middle taste and after taste.

Let's see it jump in the shirt front ring with the lamb vindaloo!!!

 

[angus_grant]

Posting a follow up. Tones and vlad were no match for the vindaloo.

Sweating my arse off. Tones and vlad got pantsed and shirt-fronted by the vindaloo.

 

[menoetes]

22. HBHB - 13% abv Russian Imperial Stout hopped to 91IBU with Marynka Polish Hops

Cracked it on Christmas day to share with dad and FIL. It should be noted with my comments that I'm not a big stout drinker.

A very fruity aroma and massive mouthfeel, it coats the mouth with it's velvety texture. I got strong notes of burnt toffee with a strong bitterness on both the back and front of the tongue. Alcohol becomes more prominent as it warms (no surprises there). It was a real sipper and eye opener.

I enjoyed it but the unadventurous FIL wasn't having it.

FILs Comment: That's an ugly beer!

Lol!

 

[HBHB]

LOL, ya gotta love Rusky's mate.

 

[menoetes]

1. Earle - red wheat saison

A perplexing brew and a good one! I've only had one saison (Tidal Pete's at the swap) before this so will do my best with what little experience I have.

A spicy aroma that it took me a while to pinpoint. It is faintly reminiscent of ginger cordial! I don't know if other opinions have biased my tasting but that's what I get. The mouthfeel isn't heavy but not too dry either, the taste delicate - more ginger for me and a touch of old sock funk too. Good stuff. The head is full though light (it could be my pouring that does that too) and soon subsides.

What stands out to me is the way the flavor takes me, it pervades the mouth when drinking but there's no heavy after-taste at all, in fact I can barely feel it sit on my palette at all. Could that be the work of the wheat? I'm no pro taster and couldn't even guess at what hops were used, the yeast and spiciness covers any hop taste for me.

All in all I liked it a lot. I wish my FIL was still here to give his random-ass comments but he left yesterday.

One question, how strong is it?

 

[menoetes]

4. Bradsbrew - Hazelnut Rocky Road Porter

A hell of a beer! Pours beautifully with a slightly tan head that persists. Smells like dry fruit, sultanna with a hint of coffee. As for taste it took me a while to put my finger on it but there is chocolate and cherry! Holy crap man - I don't know how you managed it but that is definitely in there. A gorgeous brew.

If I had any criticism (and there is so little) it would be that I expected it to have a wee bit more body as a porter but either way it was still a cracker of beer!

 

[hwall95]

23 Ballantyne Brew - Shirt Front IPA

At first it was kinda sweet and berryish and piny aftertaste however it was not as bitter as I expected. As it warmed up it became far more balanced between piny goodness and bitterness. Although the bitterness did give slightly herbal astringent taste, kinda like the bitterness you get a day after you dry hop an ipa and taste your hydro sample, although that might just be the bottom of the bottle. Overall nice ipa mate, definitely enjoyed it