VIC 2016 Xmas in July Case Swap - TASTING

[Midnight Brew]

13. Masters Brewery-Belgian Double

Fizzed up when poured but no head at all. Deep golden in colour and clear. Aroma is malty clean, rich and sweet. Carbonation is on the lower side for Belgians, but hey I like low carb so this suits me to a T. Flavour is sweet with the perfect amount of body, it's not cloying. I get this nice little spicy note on the end, slightly pepper like which is fairly pleasant. Enjoying the richness of this ale and onto the second glass now and I think the alcohol is starting to take effect.

Having not been experienced with Belgian ales I am reading brew like a monk at thE moment and really enjoyed your version. I had a look at the style guidelines and you've hit the nail on the head in terms of flavour. Carbonation probably could use a little more work but in my case I don't think this detracts from the beer.

Man I gotta brew me some Belgians soon.

 

[Midnight Brew]

Well that rounds out the swap for me ladies and gentlemen. I must say that's the most impressive swap I've been part of and I have drawn a lot of inspiration from it that I can take into my brewing.

Bring on the December swap! Cheers.

 

[Midnight Brew]

And the Vietnamese rubber farmers.

 

[technobabble66]

In what way would you describe it as being unbalanced? Just the roast?


First thing that springs to mind could be it that perhaps you got a bit more flavour then desired from the cube additions? I noted this a few times in some of my UK ales and since moved to FWH.

Stocked the see it has 1469 as I was also fortunate to get a vial from Mardoo also and used it for the first time recently in a sweet stout which will be due for tasting in a few weeks. What temperature did you ferment at?

I'm glad I waited and held back to a wintery night. Well worth the wait. I moved onto a RIS after this last night and things got a bit hazy after that. Tonight I've got the last swap left, #13 then to sample the bummock from 2015 king lake swap. I expect things to get ahhh a little ermmm hazy again.

Yeah, hard to describe.
The esters and the aromas weren't right - some were really pronounced, others weren't, and it all seemed a little disjointed (flavours didn't blend together) and shallow. Also the roast really stood out in the aroma and the flavour - not massively as there wasn't that much, but still far too much for what i wanted.

Cube additions def might've added to the initially poor balance - i'm pretty sure i've found the polyphenols/tannins come out more initially and take a little while to mellow out, and can contribute to a slightly harsher bittering for the first few weeks.
So the bittering with this might've been a little harsher than desired initially. Still ~mild, but not as smooth as i wanted for this.

The ferment temp was very low, compared to what i initially intended to bring out the esters. 1469 is a huge FV-exploding beast, so i had to back the temp down to 16°C for most of the first 2/3rds of the fermentation - I'd had. I started it at 14°C for the first 24hrs, rose to 15°C for the 2nd day, then accidentally spiked to 17°C for several hours(?), back down to 15°C for 2 days, then 16°C for 5 days, then 17°C for a week, and 18°C for another week, then CC'd.
I'd get onto the 1469 ASAP. It's fantastic!!

 

[technobabble66]

Alrighty bitches. Posting time!!

1 - The Whiteferret, Oaty Stout

App
Bleck bleck bleck. Transparent, but deep bleck.
Tiniest head the hangs around for a bit, gradually fades from very little to virtually nothing.


Aroma
Sliiiiightest roast, big vanilla, slight berry maybe, maybe slight licorice & rum. Or maybe a slight sweet toffee in there. Slight earthiness.


Flava
Sliiiiightest roast element. Some chocolate and solid vanilla. Earthy berry & spicy in there perhaps. Super slick, smooth effect from the oats, i assume.
Very mild carb - perfect for this.
Full mouthfeel
No roast astringency at all. Maybe some warmth from the alcohol, but nothing apparent from the alc%.
Mild bitterness, balances the slightly sweet mid-palate. Finishes neutrally - neither sweet not obviously dry.

Overall
Holy cow, Wayne.
This is a seriously great beer.
It doesn’t really have that obvious roastiness that stouts normally try to achieve, but has a mild roast and earthy maltiness to it. The impact of the oats seems profound - that smooth slick mouthfeel plus the vanilla overtone is fantastic - kind of like vanilla ice-cream with that vanilla-but-something-more flavour/aroma. So maybe Vanilla with slight berry, earthy, roasty elements. Definitely want to see the recipe on this one!!

 

[technobabble66]

8 - Mofox, ICBM Stout

App
Jet black, though transparent.
slightest head, fades slowly

Aroma
Vanilla malty roast. Little floral and earthy, slight spicy element.

Flava
Super smooth.
deep smooth roast.
Earthy tone. Bit spicy underneath
Slight nectar/floral
low carbonation
mild smooth bitterness
full mouthfeel, slight alcohol warmth.

Overall
Fantastic stout full of flavour. Many elements come through - great example of an amplified stout - lots of roastiness, earthiness, spiciness, subtle floral element. Great balance with the bitterness. No astringency from the roast malts. Obviously has a high alcohol content that’s well hidden - definitely feeling it by the time i’ve finished this! Excellent stout, Mick!! Would luv to see the recipe

PS: you're a ******* - WTF is the alc% of this?!? I'm struggling!

 

[technobabble66]

#12 - heyhey, ESB

Appearance
Dark golden amber. Almost transparent
Mild head, collapses moderately quickly
Low Carb. Slight fine lacing through the glass

Aroma
Light floral, slightly fruity aroma with some caramel sweetness. Maybe a slight hint of toastiness underneath

Flava
Hmmm - slightly odd flavour initially. Maybe it’s a floral spiciness mixed with the light caramel maltiness.
Bitterness definitely punches through - strong, sharp and lingers.
Reasonably dry, with a slight sweetness at the back of the palate - good for this, i think.
Seems to be quite light on body, on “fullness” of flavour. I think i initially found it “odd” as the beer seems a little “light” and this is a flavour effect i’ve found in a couple of milds i’ve had before - not sure wtf that means, but that’s the comparison i’ve got. Something in the water coming through, maybe?
Carb is low, but perfect for this, IMO.

Overall
Hey heyhey, i think this is a great beer, but tastes more like a Mild or straight UK Bitter - i.e.: it’s got most of the right elements for an ESB, but just seems a little lighter than others i’ve had (though i’d stress it’s not a style i’ve had massive amounts of, and my nose is slightly on the blink tonight, so there could be some good stuff going on here i’m missing!). So i think after getting through several mouthfuls, everything is pretty much here and is “right” - malts used, hops used, carb levels. I think i’d “up” kinda everything or see this as a mild/bitter and maybe drop off the bitterness a little. My apologies if that sounds a bit like shit-canning this - it’s definitely not meant to be, as i said, i think you’ve pretty much nailed the various elements, it’s just a question of the concentration of “stuff” to result in either a mild, bitter, SB, or ESB; and then adjust the bitterness accordingly. I’d also note i’m not a big fan of high bitterness, so i’m a little biased in the chunky bitterness stakes. I actually really like ESBs (maybe in spite of this) so i’d love to see the recipe for this to see what you’ve done here!

 

[technobabble66]

13 - Masters Brewery, Double Belgian

Appearance -
Dark golden amber.
v little head. dissipates quickly
small amount of fine lacing

Aroma -
estery sweet floral nectar, slight earthiness, malty biscuit. Slight lingering spiciness.

Flava -
Sweet plum wine/sherry (- a bit like Umeshu, the japanese plum wine), with malty caramel in the background. Low smooth bitterness that lingers. Alcohol warmth. Super smooth. Very low carb., full mouthfeel, medium dry finish, alcohol bite adds to the bitterness in the finish. Subtle plum-cherry comes thru. Mild maltiness also comes through. No negatives/harshness.

Overall -
Definitely not Light Ice. Not exactly what i was expecting - i’m not sure what i was expecting, but i’ve been looking forward to this for a while (i’ve become a little obsessed with Belgian beers). However, either way, i’m really loving this. It has a lovely fine maltiness blending with the fruity elements - a wonderful balance between many elements. I’m assuming the alcohol level of this is really high, but though i can taste it a little, i’d never guess it’s as high as it seems to be by the time i’ve finished the bottle (it feels like i’ve just drunk a pint of that scottish weasel’s RIS!). No harsh elements at all, so i’m curious how you did this, and whether you’ve used the belgian Candi Syrups or not?
The balance of this is fantastic! I would definitely, definitely love to see the recipe for this!!


Perfect for watching a guy get kung fu-ed onto his head and then get stabbed in his butt hole. True story. i.e.: crazy 1980’s HongKong action film, Eastern Condors, 10min mark, fwiw.
But you’ll probably regret it.

 

[technobabble66]

16 - JB’s AIPA

App
Tiny frizzant, tiny head, fades gradually
Awesome mellow, deep/dark amber.
Transparent, with a whisp of lacing.

Aroma
Mmmmmm - really full hoppiness. Solid whack of tropical fruitiness, maybe with some backup of pine, and strong enough to evoke a bit of hoppy resin. Bit herbal in background. If i had to guess, something like Simcoe/Citra/Mosaic + Chinook + Columbus/Centennial.

Flava
Solid malt and bitterness. Mild carb with a full mouthfeel. Tiniest bread biscuit in there. Sharp bitterness that lingers. Maybe a bit of caramel poking though there. Solid full maltiness to carry through the whole mouthful, without really prominent malt elements. Relatively dry experience, with a tiny sweetness emerging at the end, then quickly overshadowed by the strong sharp bitterness that then lingers

Overall
TBH, i’d approached this as an Amber IPA - because i’m an idiot, i think. This coincided with it being somewhat Amber, so that expectation continued for a minute or 2 until it clicked that: no, it’s just an American IPA, duh!! So initially i was like, hmmm it’s sort of Amber-ish - a slightly flat Amber - but it still seems to work really well, particularly with all that hops smacking me everywhere. When I realised it’s just your version of IPA, it all really clicked .................. it’s Awesome!!
The malt grist works really well to evoke an Amber-ish element - nice solid presence - but still holds back a weeny bit to let the hops punch through. So there’s a subdued aspect of bready/biscuit with a bit of caramel, but otherwise it’s relatively subtle compared to what i normally look for in an Amber. But as a result, it allows the hops to shine through - as they should for an IPA. Fantastic IPA. Need the recipe. I’d be really stoked to crank out on IPA like this!

 

[technobabble66]

20 - mmmyummybeer, Fleuk U clone

App
As black as the mines of Moria. But more transparent.
Tiniest head, fades quickly. Cream tan coloured
Swirling brings up a nice fine head, that still fades moderately quickly to a small mass

Aroma
My nose must be on the blink - slightest hint of roast and that’s it. Slight hint of caramel.

Flava
Moderate to high carb.
Easy drinking, moderate to mild bitterness. Slight roastiness comes through.
Dry, medium mouthfeel. carbonic bite combined with the roasty bite and the bitterness adds to the dryness. As the carbonation drops off, everything improves noticeably - mouthfeel, balance, etc. Still a little bite at the back of the palate. Also a tricky one in that i wonder if a little sweetness would be good to offset the roast/bitterness/dryness, but then again, that’d compromise the dry session ability of the beer.
As it warms, the maltiness comes through a bit more, to better effect. The bitterness still comes through heavily - maybe just a little over-bittered for my tastes.

Overall
A slightly odd experience - in the sense that this is a great & heavily sessionable beer, but maybe lacks a particularly distinctive impact. By no means is that a negative comment! Maybe i simply expected something else from a beer with this stout-like appearance. OTOH, i thoroughly enjoyed drinking Asahi Dark in Japan, which is kinda a similar beer, really. Basically an easy drinking beer/lager that has a light flavour depth of roastiness. Big ups!!

 

[technobabble66]

21 - American Stout

App
Bleck. Veeeeery bleck. Tiniest tan head, fades rapidly. Doesn’t look opaque or non-transparent as so much as a solid black mass. Correction: second pour is totes tranny. Transparent, that is. And reeeeeaaaaally solid. And Bleck.

Aroma
Smokey roast. Slight vanilla element.

Flava
More smokey roast. Strong roast and bittering. Low carb. Slight caramel element underlying the roast. Little acidity/astringency, from the roast perhaps. Full mouthfeel, but not too heavy. Solid & relatively smooth bitterness that lingers. Moderate dryness. Maybe slight fruitiness mixed in there

Overall
Really great stout. TBH, no idea where the Americain element is - no obvious hops element seems to be apparent, though that could be my dodgy nose!
Truly impressed. I’d say this is actually really close to a more classic stout than some weird, crazy, new world bizarreness. The base here is a really great roasty, ashy, smokey stout, with a solid-but-appropriate bitterness that lingers but is generally smooth. Tiny caramel element in there, but nothing overt. I reckon this is perfect balance for a stout - a somewhat extreme style in the first place. Recipe please!

 

[technobabble66]

22 - Wiggdude, Patersbier

Appearance
Very pale. Pale straw colour. Not quite transparent.
Slight tight head. Fades fairly quickly.
Moderate fine lacing.

Aroma
Mild fruitiness, maybe a banana element - actually reminds me a little of my PoR aussie ale. Clovey spice pokes through surreptitiously, maybe with a little kidney jab of white pepper. Honey element.

Flava
Full body, mild bitterness to balance the not-quite-dry-not-quite-sweet malt flava. Honey & fruity flavour. Carbonation is bang on for the body/style. Great example of the good things wheat brings to the table - that wheaty tang that has set off the yeasty elements (i assume). Slight lingering sweetness with the mild bitterness.

Overall
OK, i can now see why there’s been all the hype around this.
I’d assumed Wiggdude had been currying favours with the previous reviewers, but i can see he’s definitely not needed to. This is clearly a stand out - which is certainly saying something considering milds almost always struggle against the higher ABVs.
I’m really surprised with how good this is - especially considering i’m not a big fan of wheat beers, and struggle to find good milds. FWIW, i’ve just had this after a really good stout (commercial - Watts River Brewery, check it out); and it still stacks up really well. Excellent balance of elements - dryness, bitterness, wheat elements, malt elements. Plus perfect full body. Truly impressive beer. Could easily drink this all day long. Genuinely impressed. Big ups, dude. Again, recipe please!

 

[technobabble66]

The latest, tonight:

15 - Micbrew, ESB?

App
Deep dark red, slightly cloudy.
Big head, reasonably tight.
hops debris in the glass.

Aroma
Mild spicy, floral.
Slight caramel element

Flava
Nice and smooth. Medium dry. Nice balance with the bitterness & sweet/dry elements. Probably not as solidly bitter as some ESBs i’ve had, but the bitterness also lingers nicely - overall it makes this a bit more sessionable. Reasonably full mouthfeel.
Definitely overcarbed, and the hops debris is helping bring it out.

Overall
Definitely grows on me (reeeeally loved it, actually, by the time i finished it!). I’m afraid my taste/nose is somewhat on the blink - i couldn’t get much distinct aroma nor flavour from this, just subtle elements. Having said that, this is a great sessionable English-style Bitter: moderate smooth bitterness that lingers nicely, mild spiciness, with maybe a tiny caramel or malt in there. If the carb was a bit lower, i think this would be an excellent English Bitter. Would love to see the recipe, as part of my growing fondness for English style beers - particularly the yeast & hops used.

By the time i'd finished this, i was a maaaaaassive fan. Great beer, Mick!

 

[technobabble66]

Very Latest:

18 - Curly79, blah blah Stout.

App
First of all, i hate you - beer went everywhere! :blink:
About a 1/2 second before beer started spurting on to everything. Unfortunately, the obvious option of just re-sealing the bottle didn’t occur to me, so 5 mins of cleaning up interrupted the review. :lol:
Totally jet black.
Head has collapsed slowly to be tiny.

Aroma
Roasty ashy aroma. Bit of earthy chocolate in there.

Flava
Solid earthiness. Mild smooth bitterness. Full mouthfeel. Neutral finish - neither sweet nor dry. Slight slickness - oats? Slight alcohol warmth. Carb has died down to a good level by the time i got to this, so i’m assuming its well over-done, but is good (low) later on. Maybe the tiniest hint of rum in there - honestly only picking because it’s in the name though. It sort of combines with other elements to highlight the earthy element. I’d point out that’s definitely a good thing. Some chocolate element in there somewhere.

Overall
Excellent stout - fantastic example of an “Earthy” stout, IMO.
All the various elements work really well in this (bitterness, sweet/dry, etc).
Not sure if you intended it, but a strong “earthiness” really stands out for me. I’m guessing the rum and the chocolate you’ve intended to smack me in the face actually seem to sit in the background … BUT work well to strongly enhance the “earthy” element.
A slight sweetness maybe helps bring the chocolate element out a little in the late flavour.
Obviously, i’m very keen to see the recipe for this! I’m guessing some oats in there, but i’m curious as to the hops (fuggles? or something else?).
Maybe down the carb a little next time! (muthafucka! B) )
Perfect for watching HP master the Basilisk, though not nearly enough alcohol content to abide Titanic. I’m not sure if that’s possible in a beer, though, so you’re definitely forgiven!

 

[mofox1]

8 - Mofox, ICBM Stout

App
Jet black, though transparent.
slightest head, fades slowly

Aroma
Vanilla malty roast. Little floral and earthy, slight spicy element.

Flava
Super smooth.
deep smooth roast.
Earthy tone. Bit spicy underneath
Slight nectar/floral
low carbonation
mild smooth bitterness
full mouthfeel, slight alcohol warmth.

Overall
Fantastic stout full of flavour. Many elements come through - great example of an amplified stout - lots of roastiness, earthiness, spiciness, subtle floral element. Great balance with the bitterness. No astringency from the roast malts. Obviously has a high alcohol content that’s well hidden - definitely feeling it by the time i’ve finished this! Excellent stout, Mick!! Would luv to see the recipe

PS: you're a ******* - WTF is the alc% of this?!? I'm struggling!

Haha. Stronger than initially intended. Planned for 1.060, got 1.067. Went down to 1.014 so around the 7 - 7.5 mark.

Recipe here: http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/89247-what-are-you-brewing-2016/?p=1364525

I intentionally kept the roast low, wanted more of the hops to come thru. I only used 3% roast barley, the other dark stuff was 5% choc & 3% roast wheat to hit the colour and flavour but without the ashy astrigency I would have done for a dry stout. The secret weapon in there is the amber... Just ties it all together beautifully.

The late kettle Chinook was from the backyard crop. According to my (occasionally incomplete) notes I didn't do the dry hop. Pity... I thought it came out the tits, but a boosted hop aroma would have added the neon twirling pasties.

 

[technobabble66]

pasties = panties ?? :huh:

 

[technobabble66]

EKG + Chinook.
Heathan.

Marvelous heathen!

 

[mofox1]

pasties = panties ?? :huh:

A quick google search should sort you out... but your innocence is cute. h34r:

 

[manticle]

pasties = panties ?? :huh:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?sts=17114&utcoffset=660&v=84WRcEt8S5o&oref=https%3A%2F%2Fm.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D84WRcEt8S5o%26itct%3DCBcQpDAYACITCOS0hfWvpNACFU01WAodv9gOxlIRdG9tIHdhaXRzIHBhc3RpZXM%253D&has_verified=1&layout=mobile&client=mv-google

 

[malt junkie]

13 - Masters Brewery, Double Belgian

Appearance -
Dark golden amber.
v little head. dissipates quickly
small amount of fine lacing

Aroma -
estery sweet floral nectar, slight earthiness, malty biscuit. Slight lingering spiciness.

Flava -
Sweet plum wine/sherry (- a bit like Umeshu, the japanese plum wine), with malty caramel in the background. Low smooth bitterness that lingers. Alcohol warmth. Super smooth. Very low carb., full mouthfeel, medium dry finish, alcohol bite adds to the bitterness in the finish. Subtle plum-cherry comes thru. Mild maltiness also comes through. No negatives/harshness.

Overall -
Definitely not Light Ice. Not exactly what i was expecting - i’m not sure what i was expecting, but i’ve been looking forward to this for a while (i’ve become a little obsessed with Belgian beers). However, either way, i’m really loving this. It has a lovely fine maltiness blending with the fruity elements - a wonderful balance between many elements. I’m assuming the alcohol level of this is really high, but though i can taste it a little, i’d never guess it’s as high as it seems to be by the time i’ve finished the bottle (it feels like i’ve just drunk a pint of that scottish weasel’s RIS!). No harsh elements at all, so i’m curious how you did this, and whether you’ve used the belgian Candi Syrups or not?
The balance of this is fantastic! I would definitely, definitely love to see the recipe for this!!


Perfect for watching a guy get kung fu-ed onto his head and then get stabbed in his butt hole. True story. i.e.: crazy 1980’s HongKong action film, Eastern Condors, 10min mark, fwiw.
But you’ll probably regret it.

still have a keg of this conditioning, I have some oak that's been soaking for 9 mths in bourbon, so next week I'll be dropping that in for a week or two. I will bring it to the swap. As far as recipe goes I'll have to have a good look (we moved house). I did use some candy probably around 500g/22L. Really glad you enjoyed.

Mike