SE QLD Xmas-in-July 2015 (Tasting Thread)

[HBHB]

That's why I do 23L batches B) Yeah mate, about to have yours now with a couple chiko rolls for lunch, then out to the shed with Martin's and Benken's beers. THEN the cut off begins.

Careful, that shit'll make you do strange things like ride skateboards and look for a second bottle.

 

[seehuusen]

hahaha, yes

Forgot the obligatory picture, look at that gorgeous foam! mmmm wish I had more of these Martin

 

[Ciderman]

5. Robust Porter

Poured cola like in colour. I quickly snapped the picture before the head disappeared but mine was actually carbonated well. Really enjoyed this one.

Quite an amusing label too.

 

[fattox]

Two reviews
1. Earle's Hoppy Hefe - great beer, very intriguing. At first I thought I got a trace of banana but it became apparent later on that it was mango. Very clean, balanced hop bitterness.

2. No. 2 Ciderman's Rye IPA - colour is gorgeous, a deep copper, almost brown. Very murky which is what I'd expect from a lot of rye. Malt flavour is great, rich rye flavour but unfortunately lacking in the hops. I would call this closer to an actual roggenbier. Not a bad effort though, because I like roggenbiers.

 

[Parks]

Got a few reviews to catch up on.

2. Ciderman - Red Rye IPA 6.5% 66IBU - Should be ready to drink by swap date.

Similar to what fattox said but I will add a big mouth feel from the rye with a little spiciness too.

I agree it needs MOAR HOPS!!!! but I will also note it was a very easy to drink beer.

Thanks Ciderman

16. Benken25 - rice lager with lemongrass and black pepper

Beautifully clear amber colour. Very clean flavour with a great balance of the pepper and lemongrass. I questioned WTF was going on when I opened it before seeing who's beer it was!

You certainly have a great grasp on specialties with you pepper/lemon grass/lemon murtle/etc additions.

Great job mate :kooi:
17. Brewkid - (IPA - LATE SCRATCHING) OATMEAL STOUT 4.7% now replacing it, ready to drink now.

Lovely, easy to drink stout. Hits all the points. Nothing more can be said.



20. Adr_0 - English IPA

I thought this was a great beer but I wanted a little more earthiness and a little more deep British malt character. That is likely my experiences with English beers so far so not necessarily a negative.

It was still a very nice beer and showed some lovely English yeast ester and certainly some great malt.


Guys, these swaps have become such a high level I don't know what's going on! I hope all you bastards consider getting at least one entry into the QABC this year because we need to win it back!

 

[fattox]

10 - Seehuusen American Wheat IPA -
Citric American hop on the nose with a faint wheat backbone. Pours well, very well carbonated. Head hangs around for a while. Colour is beautiful, golden brown. Taste - not as hoppy as the smell, but it's got some hop presence. Light citrus, some malt backbone. Not bad overall but I'd have personally liked a hop slap in the face with this. Drinkable overall. I will let it warm up a little to see how it changes

 

[Adr_0]

20. Adr_0 - English IPA

I thought this was a great beer but I wanted a little more earthiness and a little more deep British malt character. That is likely my experiences with English beers so far so not necessarily a negative.

It was still a very nice beer and showed some lovely English yeast ester and certainly some great malt.


Guys, these swaps have become such a high level I don't know what's going on! I hope all you bastards consider getting at least one entry into the QABC this year because we need to win it back!

Bugger! I had a case of newborn attention seeking/wife rage so didn't do a 71°C rest which I should have. You were never going to get super-earthy Fuggles though sorry mate.

Popped open a 10 - seehuusen's 'merican Wheat


The carbonation was actually a touch low in this I think. The head laced really well, but wasn't big and fluffy enough. Totally ruined the beer... it took me a couple of minutes to finish and I was wondering where the second one was.

My nose was a bit off but smell was pine, grapefruit and some citrus/spice. The wheat was very subdued, really just a dry grainy note. That's fine. Bit of crystal which is ok but comes through a tiny bit too much, IMO Munich would work a little better. Good bitterness, with a bit of pine there and resin in the aftertaste.

Super-nice beer, I think a touch more carbonation would have helped but great flavours and as I said to my wife, great to taste these different beers but it's a tragedy there isn't another one to back up. We'll have to do a double batch, double case-swap next year...

 

[Parks]

Still a very much enjoyed beer Adr_0 so don't stress

FYI I toilet trained my eldest by saying you can't come into the garage until you've sh*t on the toilet and he was out there 10min later!

 

[seehuusen]

Thanks for the pointers guys, this is what I like when it comes to the swap beers, getting some feedback and trying some beer that you may never have had before

great to taste these different beers but it's a tragedy there isn't another one to back up. We'll have to do a double batch, double case-swap next year...

You know, I was thinking the exact same thing the other day. I'd be keen

 

[madpierre06]

The thing for me is that apart from a couple of beers which I simply do not like the taste (bret, I'm looking at you) and even these were given quality thumbs ups by those who would know, there has not been a beer from the three swaps I've been to that I would be asking for a refund had I paid good coin for. I end up having four today (Meno's, Seehuusen's, Benken's and Ciderman's), every bloody one of 'em were top drops.

I really have to thank you fellas for the opportunity to get into these things, been an absolute pleasure getting into the different beers out there. See yas in 6 weeks If I've got any of my lager left after last weekend of August, it'll be put in along with a mass taste testing of the balance of the swap beers. Open house!!!

 

[menoetes]

It's a bloody cold night again and time for a darker beer.

5. Liam_Snorkel - Robust Porter - chosen in part for the alluring Ainsley Harriott quote on the bottle.

I cracked the bottle and poured. I think mine is a bit lower on the carb level as the head didn't really form and it's quite still in the glass but I think the style is quite forgiving of this. The aroma is of earthy spice, chocolate and maybe even a hint of coffee. The first taste reinforces this backed by a strong dark malty presence that coats the tongue and remains there as the hop flavors dissipate.

It's a bit thinner in body then I expected but not by much and certainly not any worse off for that. I like the hint of sweetness at the end, it's just what I want in a porter. The label says it's 6.5% but you wouldn't know it because it drinks so easily. Even so I think this girl is going to be tucking me into bed soon h34r:

Thanks for the drink sir, I thoroughly enjoyed it. 'Night all.

- Meno

 

[Adr_0]

Still a very much enjoyed beer Adr_0 so don't stress

FYI I toilet trained my eldest by saying you can't come into the garage until you've sh*t on the toilet and he was out there 10min later!

That's awesome!

Thanks for the pointers guys, this is what I like when it comes to the swap beers, getting some feedback and trying some beer that you may never have had before

You know, I was thinking the exact same thing the other day. I'd be keen

We'll just get Parks to distribute again... Might need a physio appointment for his back though.

 

[earle]

16. Benken25 - rice lager with lemongrass and black pepper

Beautifully clear amber colour. Very clean flavour with a great balance of the pepper and lemongrass. I questioned WTF was going on when I opened it before seeing who's beer it was!

You certainly have a great grasp on specialties with you pepper/lemon grass/lemon murtle/etc additions.

Great job mate :kooi:

Echo these comments. Beautiful clear, clean beer. You can taste the rice but its not in an awful American lager way. Subtle lemongrass and pepper. Good stuff.

 

[earle]

10 - Seehuusen American Wheat IPA

Very nice beer. Moderate hop aroma. Good malt backbone with a touch of wheat. Solid bitterness. Very enjoyable.

IMHO not every IPA has to have a hit you in the face hop aroma. Balanced beers are an art and not every IPA needs to be over the top or a Heady Topper clone - bigger is not necessarily better. There are some brewers out there who feel the need to make everything as big possible or as complicated as they can - you've shown good restraint and skill here- well done.

 

[menoetes]

7 - Luggy- Irish Ale, 6.2%

Cheers gents. The bottle opens with a satisfying hiss of escaping gas and a sniff fills my nose with delicate floral and spice notes - even a touch of herbal tones? The dark amber liquid pours smooth and clear into my glass forming a small head that quickly dissipates though the bubbles persist, I suspect this loss of head might be the fault of my glass though. My first sip fills my mouth with sweet mellow maltly flavours and a nice background bitterness. There is a hop presence but it is a background player but one that still makes itself heard, EKG at it's best IMO.

Reading the recipe on the label I am pleasantly surprised, only one hop addition at 60min. I was previously unsure if anyone could actually taste a 60min addition before this but you've just made a believer of me, Luggy. Only 1% of crystal and roast barley? That's is a surprise too but they are definitely there in the colour and taste. On top of that I can hardly believe it's a 6+% beer either, it is such an easy drinker and I might have been fooled into thinking I could session a few of these, not that I would cared after finishing the first. By then I'd probably be calling someone a 'pommy wanka' and trying to clobber them

I'm going to have to give brewing my own Irish ales a shot I think... Thanks for the drink sir!

- Meno

 

[earle]

2. (READY) Ciderman - Red Rye IPA 6.5% 66IBU

Appearance has been covered in depth, I find my beers which are heavy in rye are not the clearest. Carbonation was quite low so not a lot of head. I get lots of sweet, caramel maltiness. You can tell that there is a solid bitterness in there but overall I think the malt dominates. Not really in IPA territory for me, nor is it a roggenbier which is all about the rye and weizen yeast character with low bitterness. Quite enjoyable as a rye ale.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

Yeah so this isn't a swap beer, but just to show that not all my beers have terrible head retention . Something must have seriously gone wrong

 

[lukiferj]

^ it's probably starsan guys. Nice try.

 

[Radshoes]

21 (green) APA, Radshoes - fantastic job!, great tasting beer, malty, the right amount of hop flavour and aroma. This is the best beer I've had so far. My I ask - did you use the CraftBrewer us05 yeast?

Just safale US05. Probably bought on special from hoppy days

 

[angus_grant]

Seeheusen American wheat

Nice subdued hop aroma although I am in the depths of man-flu and sense of smell is even worse than normal.

Zing wheaty taste. Hops are more present in taste than aroma. The high carbonation adds to the zingy flavours.

It's got some nice creaminess to it as it warms up.
Edit: also getting stronger malt flavours.

Great beer.