VIC 2016 Xmas in July Case Swap - TASTING

[MartinOC]

8. Mofox's ICBM.

In a word: GLORIOUS!!

I'll reiterate everything I said about Thearn's jobbie. Up-front malty-sweet with roast & chocolate overtones. Bitterness is just right & in balance with the roast.

Mid-palate, I'm trying to scavenge everything in my mouth just to keep that intensity going....& the dense head is making mouthful-sized rings on the way down the glass.

The finish is a beautifully intense dry roast/chocolate & BOY, does it have a nice warming alcohol hit!! I think I'm going to need a nice lie-down after this one....

Everything is right with this one & in just the right proportions & intensity from start to finish.

Beautiful job, mate. :super:

Edit: I hope you've got this one in Vicbrew - it's a definite contender!

 

[mofox1]

Cheers dude. Unfortunately I bailed on the entries, my last minute disorganisation got the better of me.

You didn't add a pic, so here is the one I'm drinking now ;-)

 

[Curly79]

Couple of quick ones that I forgot to comment on at the time of consumption [emoji3]. VPs Black IPA. Nice. Very Nice. Love the roast/stout like flavour along with the American hop aroma and taste. Very close to overtaking Wiggmans brew as my favorite so far
Thearns American stout. Love it! Up until now I've thought American hops should be left for pales and IPAs , however, this one nails it big time. Big coffee flavour and I love that dark brown tinge in the head. I've noticed lately that all good stouts have that?

Reardon summer ale. Shared this one with the old lady last night and it was unanimous that this was a bloody ripper beer that was too good to be drank on a shitty cold winters night. Light as a feather and delicious fruity aftertaste. Great beer mate[emoji106]

 

[Grainer]

20. mmmyummybeer - UFleku Clone.

​Didn't know what to expect here.. and haven't tried any others.. Appearance black subtle head that disappeared and laced the glass. Malt driven aroma. Taste is dominated by the hops more than the malt.. seems unbalanced a little to me. Cant say that I am a fan in general but it is an OK beer.

 

[mofox1]

20. mmmyummybeer - UFleku Clone.

Had this the other day - another one of my current fav's... sort of like a very clean robust porter? I thought it had a very nice light roast element, as flavour and aroma. Light / medium body, and a solid bitterness that lingers until the roast bite took it to a pleasing dry finish.

Cheers Tracy - I could go another 3 or 4 of those.

 

[Midnight Brew]

Digging into the swaps,

First up 12. Heyhey's ESB

Pours well, great colour and perfect carb for me (I like em low). Fruity and something else on the nose I can quiet pinpoint. In terms of flavor I get a nice little malt hit followed by this peppery characteristic which is kinda pleasant up front then really sours on the tongue. The more it warms up the worse that character gets. Still drinkable but one and done for me.

Curious to your yeast and ferment temp.

 

[Grainer]

1. whiteferret - Oatmeal Stout Bottled 30/6/16

Really enjoying this after spending 3 hours weeding and planting 30kg Olive stumps.. Not going to spend too much time reviewing.. would rather enjoy it. A little light on mouth feeling a little dry from what was expected.. but it is going down well . good job.

 

[Grainer]

19. Midnight Brew (non attending) - Dry Irish Stout - going to carb this low, pump with syringe

Quite toasty, a little watery for a stout in my mind. Bitterness is up there on the palate but is probably due to the strong roast malts. Seems clean and somewhat refreshing then dominated by the dry bitterness as expected from this. I am thinking the roasts are giving it somewhat a medicinal aftertaste on the tongue, but this may just be my impression of the bitterness and hops used.

 

[reardo]

12: Hey hey ESB

Again, I'm no expert but I like this beer. Certainly not infected. Lacing is great. Midnight brew seems right as it does have a peppery taste then does sour up, but not in a bad way, in a surprising way. Carb is spot on, the head holds well. It's my first ESB so I can't compare.
Well done Darcy

 

[Grainer]

8. Mofox1 - ICBM (Inter Continental Bloody Muther) freakin' Stout. (Ready to drink? nah, give this baby some time. August/September)

Pours nice in the glass with a creamy coffee head that is persistent to the end of the glass.. I get some sort of citrusy/ester or something coming through on the aroma(wife describes it as ripe banana- but I don't really get that), which is dominating the malt profile and detracting from the beer. Cant say I really enjoy the aroma coming off this, it is a little strange and not expected for a stout and is followed up in the taste.. maybe I am sensitive to it... or maybe it is the hop selection???. Dark and well carbed. Well bittered. Nice silky mouthfeel. Overall it has some really good elements, but it also has something I cant quite place my finger on that doesnt fit right with me if I was to be judging this.. I feel there may be a fermentation fault to the style/or yeast used e.g. too high fermentation that is pushing the ester production and dominating the malt bill.
my thoughts. .... I have kept some aside with a carb cap to get a second opinion when I get the chance..cause this one has stumped me... something I cant put my finger on..

 

[Grainer]

5. Grainer - Spare Parts Stout on Bourbon - Priming sugar added on 10th June.. give it at least a month before opening

Pours dark and clear with a persistent coffee head..looks really nice. Its got me wondering if there is some brettamyces in there because of the fruitiness (may have been from the oak cubes..but I may be wrong.. but it actually enhances the flavour somewhat.. Strong roasted malts and bitterness to match. The bourbon is not dominant but the oak is and probably needs time to mellow out.

Overall not what I expected.. pretty sure the brett got in there from my sours...Tastes similar to my Cherry Tart of Darkness in flavour (Gigayeast Cherry sour yeast)..if it is Brett I am picking up?? but it fortunately works Will be interested on other comments.. Maybe Im being too critical considering the huge array of ingredients that went in LMAO.

Oh this is ready to drink..

 

[JB]

5. Grainer - Spare Parts Stout on Bourbon - Priming sugar added on 10th June.. give it at least a month before opening

Pours dark and clear with a persistent coffee head..looks really nice. Its got me wondering if there is some brettamyces in there because of the fruitiness (may have been from the oak cubes..but I may be wrong.. but it actually enhances the flavour somewhat.. Strong roasted malts and bitterness to match. The bourbon is not dominant but the oak is and probably needs time to mellow out.

Overall not what I expected.. pretty sure the brett got in there from my sours...Tastes similar to my Cherry Tart of Darkness in flavour (Gigayeast Cherry sour yeast)..if it is Brett I am picking up?? but it fortunately works Will be interested on other comments.. Maybe Im being too critical considering the huge array of ingredients that went in LMAO.

Oh this is ready to drink..

Did you soak the oak cubes in Bourbon Grainer? If so how long?

I'm looking forward to seeing if I can pick up the Brett flavour. Your Tart of Darkness sounds like something I was planning on brewing

 

[Grainer]

They were steamed for 20 mins and then soaked in Wild Turkey for 6 months... I think it was contaminated with Gigayeast Cherry .. it tasted very similar.. but I think it works.. I am keen to see if they is the feedback.. if so I may produce another batch similar deliberately with it to see how it turns out.

If you like I can give you a bottle of the Tart of Darkness to try to see if you like it. it is very cherry flavoured (by the yeast) and quite tart.. but mellowing out..with nice dark roasts in it.

 

[TheWiggman]

Can't say I picked up too much oak and bourbon Grainer. I'm a bit of an oak junkie though and would have happily had heaps more in it. Bourbon didn't stand out as the spirit of choice there either, but I did pick up a hint of spirits.

 

[Grainer]

Can't say I picked up too much oak and bourbon Grainer. I'm a bit of an oak junkie though and would have happily had heaps more in it. Bourbon didn't stand out as the spirit of choice there either, but I did pick up a hint of spirits.

It was only 3 small oak cubes, so I wouldn't expect it to be overpowering.. just subtle.

 

[Grainer]

18. Curly79. Chocolate and Rum Oatmeal Stout. 6%. Ready to drink after 1st of September.

Im gunna say this again Curly and reiterate it even more...
SWAP BEER CHAMPION.. LOVING IT.. This for me is the stand out beer. It is exactly what it claims to be! The rum works ..not a fan of rum but I am loving this combination.. enough said.. good work.. it possibly has some improvements overall if I was to brew this myself in mouthfeel and aroma..but LOVING IT! SO fuking glad I took 2 bottles home boohahahhaha :beerbang:

 

[TheWiggman]

Now it's coming back to me. I ended up with a few double ups and hazily remember you and Curly saying "hey Wiggman, keen to grab some extras?" I said yeah but feel a bit guilty, response was something like "well if you don't grab 1 or 2 some other drunk prick will take them all". All the logic I needed. Plus chilled one if the patersbiers and shared around.
Looking forward to more hazy memories in December.

 

[Midnight Brew]

7. DJs Tenich

Golden hue, good carbonation and nice neat little head. Off the nose I get that classic wheat beer ester profile. The flavour is refreshing with neither hop or malt or yeast dominating each other, (I know I'm consuming this later then recommended) backed by a medium mouthfeel with pleasant carbonation. I kinda expected the yeast to dominate more as its what I get predominantly on the nose but never less I enjoy it. It's different, pleasant and more importantly, enjoyable.

Cheers for sharing.

 

[TheWiggman]

13. Masters - Belgian Double
Shitty photo proudly brought to you by iPhone 4. Actual colour is between brown and copper, fairly clear with medium effervescence. Aroma is malty, plum sweet and you can tell it's not a Light Ice. No esters or Belgian phenolics to steak of. Warming taste, borderline caramel and toffee that isn't too dark and not very light. Medium-full body and not outrageously flavourful, which reminds me a lot of a Roachforte 8 I had some time ago but with a bit more going on. Strong and lingering hints of alcohol and some sultana-like chewiness in the aftertaste.
I don't exactly love it, but I do like it and I didn't really rave about the Roachfort but everyone else does (immature tastes perhaps ). I think where this stands out that there's not really much to fault, which is about the best compliment I can receive and I'm happy to give it here. Top work and I'll be sipping this for at least an hour noting the changes as it warms.

 

[Midnight Brew]

20. Mmmyummybeer - U-Flecku

Pours dark, full carbonation and thick. Aroma is roasty but clean, clean as in clear malt character. Flavour is a little more roast orientated then the cube I've fermented, in a good way. I used Wy Danish Lager and had a much more clean but malty without the roast elements. Curious as to the yeast used. Mouthfeel is perfect for me and I usually like the lower carb styles so I'm a bit surprised. I finished the bottle pretty quick, due to familaraty and enjoyment.

Was awesome to try an alternative ferment on this. Thanks Tracey and Bruce.