Vic 2017 Xmas Case Swap - Tasting Thread
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TSMill
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Midnight Brews House Ale:
Belgian Ardennes is one of my favorite yeasts, and got a great early hit of flavour with this one, but it did not seem to linger on my palette.
I think the low-ish carbonation worked to keep things in balance because the beer was a little on the thin side. To my tastes, I'd prefer an increase in both body and carbonation.
I'm not sure the Chinook is contributing anything, I'm guessing this was bittering additions only and for this they serve the purpose, but when I hear it name dropped, I'm kinda pining for it (boom boom).
These are really minor quibbles which are likely just personal taste, and still all up a great tasting beer that surpasses most of what I part with hard earned for. Cheers!
Belgian Ardennes is one of my favorite yeasts, and got a great early hit of flavour with this one, but it did not seem to linger on my palette.
I think the low-ish carbonation worked to keep things in balance because the beer was a little on the thin side. To my tastes, I'd prefer an increase in both body and carbonation.
I'm not sure the Chinook is contributing anything, I'm guessing this was bittering additions only and for this they serve the purpose, but when I hear it name dropped, I'm kinda pining for it (boom boom).
These are really minor quibbles which are likely just personal taste, and still all up a great tasting beer that surpasses most of what I part with hard earned for. Cheers!
malt junkie
Well-Known Member
I've had a few of the swaps 23, and 3, similar both great drinking while watching us crush the poms in the cricket, also tried Midnights house Ale a few days later.
Not going to go into too much detail as having quit smoking just before swap(now vaping, last smoke more than 2 weeks ago) I find my taste is really sensitive and esters hitting the pallet harder than what I'm used to. Not giving up on all those tasty brews (lets not throw the baby out with the water here!) but I can see it'll take some time for me to adjust to tasting ALL of those flavours well.
Mike
Not going to go into too much detail as having quit smoking just before swap(now vaping, last smoke more than 2 weeks ago) I find my taste is really sensitive and esters hitting the pallet harder than what I'm used to. Not giving up on all those tasty brews (lets not throw the baby out with the water here!) but I can see it'll take some time for me to adjust to tasting ALL of those flavours well.
Mike
Mardoo
Noob What Craps On A Bit
Hey @AJ80 I'm very happy you liked the beer. It's pretty interesting. It's not my original recipe, it's more or less Screwy's Choc Treacle Stout from the recipe database. First time I've brewed it, and I'll definitely make some minor alterations and keep brewing it. I made minor adjustments based on what I had on hand on the day I brewed. I've attached a pdf of the recipe from Beersmith.
EDIT: Oops, no baking soda used and the base was Baird’s Pale Ale.
Last edited:
Midnight Brew
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I need to get a wriggle on and put some of these int he fridge, 2 weeks out from the swap and I still haven't tried any!
Thank you all for the reviews on the house ale. After the 2 samples of pressure v non-pressure amber ales on tap at the swap, I want to give it a run with an American yeast through pressure ferment. Keeping the grain and hop bills the same and just changing the yeast, I do have one spare 11L cube which I'll run through this week. Have 3 bags of 2017 chinook flowers to get through before 2018 harvest dominates my freezer again.
I just wish I could drink more.
Thank you all for the reviews on the house ale. After the 2 samples of pressure v non-pressure amber ales on tap at the swap, I want to give it a run with an American yeast through pressure ferment. Keeping the grain and hop bills the same and just changing the yeast, I do have one spare 11L cube which I'll run through this week. Have 3 bags of 2017 chinook flowers to get through before 2018 harvest dominates my freezer again.
I just wish I could drink more.
Midnight Brew
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2. Mardoo - Treacle Stout
Appearance:
Pours thick, jet black, thick with a slightly tanned head.
Aroma:
Rich, sweet, syrupy notes, hint of chocolate.
Flavour:
Beautiful chocolate notes with hints of roast complimenting just the right amount. Very easy to drink, a little rough around the end of the palate as I expect will mellow with time. Carbonation is good, wouldn't want anymore or any less. In fact as this ages, I might pull a spare bottle through the beer engine. The richness is not thin but easy to consume, is this the treacle at play? I just looked at your recipe and seen that our old friend terrified wheat had a small role. Im actually a little surprised with the bitterness level, would never have picked that.
Overall:
This is why I never buy commercial stouts, they never live up to the home brewed versions from likes of Victorian home brewers. Cant wait to see how the remaining bottles fair with age. Enjoyed while watching GoT . (Going to need a nap after this one).
Appearance:
Pours thick, jet black, thick with a slightly tanned head.
Aroma:
Rich, sweet, syrupy notes, hint of chocolate.
Flavour:
Beautiful chocolate notes with hints of roast complimenting just the right amount. Very easy to drink, a little rough around the end of the palate as I expect will mellow with time. Carbonation is good, wouldn't want anymore or any less. In fact as this ages, I might pull a spare bottle through the beer engine. The richness is not thin but easy to consume, is this the treacle at play? I just looked at your recipe and seen that our old friend terrified wheat had a small role. Im actually a little surprised with the bitterness level, would never have picked that.
Overall:
This is why I never buy commercial stouts, they never live up to the home brewed versions from likes of Victorian home brewers. Cant wait to see how the remaining bottles fair with age. Enjoyed while watching GoT . (Going to need a nap after this one).
technobabble66
Meat Popsicle
Aaaah, student life post exams: lunch time stouts.
[emoji1]
[emoji1]
Mardoo
Noob What Craps On A Bit
You should have a go at Brew Dog’s Jet Black Heart. Best 4%-ish stout I’ve had.
Midnight Brew
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And about 3 minutes after that post I was emailed my results, HD for both health subjects, Distinction for both history subjects.
Mardoo's stout disappeared.
mofox1
Wubba lubba dub dub!
Great result. Better have a(nother) beer, ey?And about 3 minutes after that post I was emailed my results, HD for both health subjects, Distinction for both history subjects.
Edit: Between you and me, that 15 was pretty top notch. I'm going to pour that man a beer when I get the chance.
Mardoo
Noob What Craps On A Bit
While the students have been out studying, I've been busy. Some catching up to do! I've drunk these over the course of a week or so. They've been way more entertaining than my own beer at the moment.
4. DJ_L3thAL - Macleod Bitter (WLP059) 4.8%, drink now.
Drinking this right now. Very beery. Having been a former fan of Melbourne Bitter, I'd have to say that this doesn't compare. It's way too yum! Simple, easy drinking, bready, a bit of fruity flavour from the yeast. Very drinkable. And by the way this is Very. *******. Well. Balanced. Good job DJ. I'd line up a few of these during a barbie.
11. Midnight Brew - House Ale (Chinook flowers and Belgian Ardennes) - ready.
God damn this was a good beer. It was a hot day, a freaking long one on the anvil of the daycare, and this beer came out precisely when the last parent to pick up walked out of sight down the hall. I think I drank the whole bottle in 5 minutes. The glass didn't leave my hand. This is the kind of beer I need to spend more time brewing, the one you want to have and have and have again. I was very sad to find the end of the bottle at the bottom of my glass. Great spice from the yeast, good head and lacing, light and refreshing body, enough malt to give the yeast room to play, but add to the yeast's good work too. Fantastic. I'll have to plan my visits for when you have this on tap
15. Mofox1 - Blended Stout thing... ~7 or 8%. Drink now or later.
Really smooth, and a whole lot going on in this one. It was this swirling dance of malt and roast and yeast and happy. The thing that I'm finding about blends is that the smooth out the edges. However the best blends leave some of the edges for you to find. There was plenty going on in this one. It had the kind of roast you only get from the intensity of a RIS, but a bit lighter and more easy going. A bit. And then the RIS whacked me in the chops again. And now I'll ask the question I kept telling myself not to ask - "Just. Experience. The. Beer. Stop. Thinking about it. So much." - Was this a blend of the two stouts from your partigyle brew day? I really enjoyed this, and it was also quite full on. I'd love to taste it in a few months.
++Which brings up something TB66 and I talked about briefly in the 3 minutes I saw him at the swap. Let's do a sub-swap of beers that are meant to age a bit. Say, 8 people, 24 bottles each, everyone takes home 3 bottles and drinks them over a year, writing about them along the way.++
20. Malt Junkie- Raspberry sour 5.5% Ready now, or wait
Smooth Operator, this one. It had a quality I call milky, or perhaps creamy. Just silky down the palate. The kind of beer I love to gulp. I don't know, for me beer is a beverage, one to drink and enjoy the feeling of drinking. Cool and slippery, with satisfying flavours. Unfortunately this is short path to a quick day. I actually only got to drink about 3 solid gulps before my wife stole the rest, so for the non-beer drinker, you're on the right path. She won't drink pretty much any beer. I know this was a surprise sour, but I could barely detect the sour. I would have liked a bit more acid edge to bring out the raspberry more. It got me thinking about how much acid you can get from the raspberries.
21. TSMILL - biere de garde 7.5%
Wow. This was really intense when cold, voraciously carbed and hot alcohol. Once I let it sit for a bit, it really opened up a lot though. The thing with biere de garde for me is the complexity within simplicity. I'd say this had a reasonably deft hand behind it. Light touches of malt and hops playing against the carb and yeast. There's a flavour I associate with good biere de garde that I can only describe as "grapey", sort of a candy white grape flavour. This had it. The beer continued to open up for the 90 minutes or so that I took to drink it, and that grapey-ness just kept developing and deepening. Really, really nice. One which, in retrospect, I wish I could have let develop in the bottle for a year or so.
Now I wish I had another 23 from Danscraftbeer, because tonight I'm finally in the mood for it! Great job guys. I love the swaps!
EDIT: Hey Mr. Mill, any chance of a recipe for your biére de garde?
4. DJ_L3thAL - Macleod Bitter (WLP059) 4.8%, drink now.
Drinking this right now. Very beery. Having been a former fan of Melbourne Bitter, I'd have to say that this doesn't compare. It's way too yum! Simple, easy drinking, bready, a bit of fruity flavour from the yeast. Very drinkable. And by the way this is Very. *******. Well. Balanced. Good job DJ. I'd line up a few of these during a barbie.
11. Midnight Brew - House Ale (Chinook flowers and Belgian Ardennes) - ready.
God damn this was a good beer. It was a hot day, a freaking long one on the anvil of the daycare, and this beer came out precisely when the last parent to pick up walked out of sight down the hall. I think I drank the whole bottle in 5 minutes. The glass didn't leave my hand. This is the kind of beer I need to spend more time brewing, the one you want to have and have and have again. I was very sad to find the end of the bottle at the bottom of my glass. Great spice from the yeast, good head and lacing, light and refreshing body, enough malt to give the yeast room to play, but add to the yeast's good work too. Fantastic. I'll have to plan my visits for when you have this on tap
15. Mofox1 - Blended Stout thing... ~7 or 8%. Drink now or later.
Really smooth, and a whole lot going on in this one. It was this swirling dance of malt and roast and yeast and happy. The thing that I'm finding about blends is that the smooth out the edges. However the best blends leave some of the edges for you to find. There was plenty going on in this one. It had the kind of roast you only get from the intensity of a RIS, but a bit lighter and more easy going. A bit. And then the RIS whacked me in the chops again. And now I'll ask the question I kept telling myself not to ask - "Just. Experience. The. Beer. Stop. Thinking about it. So much." - Was this a blend of the two stouts from your partigyle brew day? I really enjoyed this, and it was also quite full on. I'd love to taste it in a few months.
++Which brings up something TB66 and I talked about briefly in the 3 minutes I saw him at the swap. Let's do a sub-swap of beers that are meant to age a bit. Say, 8 people, 24 bottles each, everyone takes home 3 bottles and drinks them over a year, writing about them along the way.++
20. Malt Junkie- Raspberry sour 5.5% Ready now, or wait
Smooth Operator, this one. It had a quality I call milky, or perhaps creamy. Just silky down the palate. The kind of beer I love to gulp. I don't know, for me beer is a beverage, one to drink and enjoy the feeling of drinking. Cool and slippery, with satisfying flavours. Unfortunately this is short path to a quick day. I actually only got to drink about 3 solid gulps before my wife stole the rest, so for the non-beer drinker, you're on the right path. She won't drink pretty much any beer. I know this was a surprise sour, but I could barely detect the sour. I would have liked a bit more acid edge to bring out the raspberry more. It got me thinking about how much acid you can get from the raspberries.
21. TSMILL - biere de garde 7.5%
Wow. This was really intense when cold, voraciously carbed and hot alcohol. Once I let it sit for a bit, it really opened up a lot though. The thing with biere de garde for me is the complexity within simplicity. I'd say this had a reasonably deft hand behind it. Light touches of malt and hops playing against the carb and yeast. There's a flavour I associate with good biere de garde that I can only describe as "grapey", sort of a candy white grape flavour. This had it. The beer continued to open up for the 90 minutes or so that I took to drink it, and that grapey-ness just kept developing and deepening. Really, really nice. One which, in retrospect, I wish I could have let develop in the bottle for a year or so.
Now I wish I had another 23 from Danscraftbeer, because tonight I'm finally in the mood for it! Great job guys. I love the swaps!
EDIT: Hey Mr. Mill, any chance of a recipe for your biére de garde?
Last edited:
technobabble66
Meat Popsicle
And about 3 minutes after that post I was emailed my results, HD for both health subjects, Distinction for both history subjects.
So which beer to celebrate??
Midnight Brew
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Mardoo's stout had it's way and I had a much needed afternoon nap to succumb to all the excitement.
Today: 3. Technobabble66 - Rezza Bitter (WLP-059) 4.6%.
Appearance:
Straw to gold, more on the gold side. Hazy, tight white head that laces the glass all the way down. (It would lace more if I wasn't drinking it so quick)
Aroma:
If that is not Australian beer I don't know what is. I can just smell pub memories of times past.
Flavour:
Boom! Has that commercial tang! And by twang I mean by in all intensive purposes, in a positive way. The malt is subtle but bodied enough, carbonation is perfect, bitterness refreshing but bitey enough to be forgiving in the Melbourne heat. It must be that damn yeast timing it all together. Pretty stoked I have a second bottle of this!
Overall:
Full credit to this one Stu, I want the recipe and I want it now. Oddly, I could guzzle this down on days starting with T and S. I know about 21 blokes (including myself) who would collectively polish of a 50L keg of this in an afternoon. I reckon my old man would ask me to permanently have this on tap. In fact, with all the second bottles I was generously donated for hosting, we're gonna need to do a 059-off. Lovely beer mate, **** the BJCP!
TSMill
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Battle of the bitters, round 1 (Rezza):
It's light on the fizz so you can slam it down fast! Was Aussie as, except tasted better as it warmed up, not worse.
Some fish and chips to cleanse the palette, then over to Macleod for round 2.
It's light on the fizz so you can slam it down fast! Was Aussie as, except tasted better as it warmed up, not worse.
Some fish and chips to cleanse the palette, then over to Macleod for round 2.
malt junkie
Well-Known Member
17. Belgian Wit.
Well blow me down, what a beer, I initially had this a little too cold, but came to me as she warmed up, probably perfectly carb per style and this means careful pouring or licking the bench, and with this beer you would go to those lengths to not waste a drop. I need this on tap or at least a 6er it's not too warm today on a hot day this would just disappear, hell it already has. Nice balance of hops and esters with slight clove on the end. I need more.
Well blow me down, what a beer, I initially had this a little too cold, but came to me as she warmed up, probably perfectly carb per style and this means careful pouring or licking the bench, and with this beer you would go to those lengths to not waste a drop. I need this on tap or at least a 6er it's not too warm today on a hot day this would just disappear, hell it already has. Nice balance of hops and esters with slight clove on the end. I need more.
TSMill
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Round 2, Macleod Bitter:
Great carbonation and holds a firm head....I sat and watched this bubble away for a minute or so like a lava lamp (power's out....gotta improvise).
All the 059 beers have had a je ne sais quoi....this had it the least which for me was a good thing. It's different but for me too many other great yeasts to focus on.
Actually reminded me of my late, great Uncle Max's brew....the guy who taught me homebrew doesn't have to be ****, so for that (and not because Nathan couriered my beers on the day), it's a points decision to Macleod.
Great carbonation and holds a firm head....I sat and watched this bubble away for a minute or so like a lava lamp (power's out....gotta improvise).
All the 059 beers have had a je ne sais quoi....this had it the least which for me was a good thing. It's different but for me too many other great yeasts to focus on.
Actually reminded me of my late, great Uncle Max's brew....the guy who taught me homebrew doesn't have to be ****, so for that (and not because Nathan couriered my beers on the day), it's a points decision to Macleod.
malt junkie
Well-Known Member
4. Also had the Macleod bitter, bloody smashable! Head well ($# ^#@*& ^% *&*^ %$$*~&%)*@@%^<>&## ) < not safe for publication, lets just say the head was better than most. Flavour was one the money, really should have saved this for the third test in Perth dare say I would have knocked this over before the first bowling change. Maybe slightly over on the carb but thats splitting hairs.
12. Offensive summer stout, what can I say I helped design and brew this, I was asked:why offensive? This is a beer that is deliberately outside the guide lines of where a stout should be. The nose says malt and sweet hops, The flavours aren't all over the place but also not what you'll find on a tap anywhere. I have a few spare bottles of this I'll bring to Eagle point to see where it's gone, as it may still be a little young right now but still a satisfying brew. The recipe is still on the fridge so may just knock out another batch and keg it for winter. All up happy with where it's at right now.
12. Offensive summer stout, what can I say I helped design and brew this, I was asked:why offensive? This is a beer that is deliberately outside the guide lines of where a stout should be. The nose says malt and sweet hops, The flavours aren't all over the place but also not what you'll find on a tap anywhere. I have a few spare bottles of this I'll bring to Eagle point to see where it's gone, as it may still be a little young right now but still a satisfying brew. The recipe is still on the fridge so may just knock out another batch and keg it for winter. All up happy with where it's at right now.
technobabble66
Meat Popsicle
technobabble66
Meat Popsicle
Only kidding
technobabble66
Meat Popsicle
21A - Saison, TSMILL
Appearance
Massive head, but could be my slightly warm glass
Nice deep golden hue.
Fine lacing
Aroma
Mild “Belgianesque” saisony aroma. Not super spicy, just nice and mellow, with a slight sweet honey & nectar element. Seems more like a Belgian Ale rather than a Saison, tbh.
Flava
Sweet fruity malt tones balanced really well by the high carb bite and the solid bitterness. I’m guessing this is higher alc%, like a Leffe Blonde maybe - has vaguely similar impact of the malts, etc, with the slightly sweet fruity full flavour.
Bitterness definitely at the high end for me, but still balances the sweetness & alc% well. Maybe a slight warmth from the alcohol.
Overall
Lovely nectarous, fruity & malt flavour combines well with the alcohol warmth.
Really seems more like a Belgian Blond Ale, rather than a saison - reminds me very much of a Leffe Blond... Which i’m a big fan of, so that’s definitely a good thing. The high carbonation & carbonic bite combine with the strong bitterness to nicely balance the sweet maltiness & fruitiness from the yeast used. (Which yeast did you use, by the way??).
Similarly, the high alcohol nicely balances having to watch Under The Tuscan Sun.
Excellent beer, Troy. Would love to see the recipe, if possible.
Appearance
Massive head, but could be my slightly warm glass
Nice deep golden hue.
Fine lacing
Aroma
Mild “Belgianesque” saisony aroma. Not super spicy, just nice and mellow, with a slight sweet honey & nectar element. Seems more like a Belgian Ale rather than a Saison, tbh.
Flava
Sweet fruity malt tones balanced really well by the high carb bite and the solid bitterness. I’m guessing this is higher alc%, like a Leffe Blonde maybe - has vaguely similar impact of the malts, etc, with the slightly sweet fruity full flavour.
Bitterness definitely at the high end for me, but still balances the sweetness & alc% well. Maybe a slight warmth from the alcohol.
Overall
Lovely nectarous, fruity & malt flavour combines well with the alcohol warmth.
Really seems more like a Belgian Blond Ale, rather than a saison - reminds me very much of a Leffe Blond... Which i’m a big fan of, so that’s definitely a good thing. The high carbonation & carbonic bite combine with the strong bitterness to nicely balance the sweet maltiness & fruitiness from the yeast used. (Which yeast did you use, by the way??).
Similarly, the high alcohol nicely balances having to watch Under The Tuscan Sun.
Excellent beer, Troy. Would love to see the recipe, if possible.
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