Vic Case Swap Xmas In July 2010 Tasting Thread

[wakkatoo]

Wakkatoo: Schwarzbier

Pours black into a glass. Very difficult to see but ruby highlights when held to the light suggest it's clear not murky. Fluffy head which quickly dissipates. Small amount of lacing.

Aroma of apples.

Carbonation moderate - moderately low. Flavour is malt, smooth burnt sugar (if there is such a thing) and granny smith. The granny is fairly subtle and I',m questioning myself because I tasted it in someone else's beer last night. Tasting is so subjective (strike one for captain obvious) but it's a flavour I keep coming back to.

If I had never heard of acetylaldehyde and been told it's a beer fault I might just wonder what that crisp apple taste was and find it an interesting phenomenon. Therefore I'm going to do that here because it's not overpowering and apple and burnt sugar go quite well together. Everything else about the beer is nicely balanced - in favour of the malt generally, carbonation works with it, not overly roasty, definitely no harshness for such a dark beer, flavours integrated well. Slight carob/choc finish.

You analyse these beers hoping to do them justice and not just write 'good beer mate' but sometimes you can overthink and I'm not sure if I apply as much analysis to my own beers. I'm still super (even hyper) critical of my own but it's less Nancy and more Paddy.

Thanks Manticle,

Glad someone has tried it, will now put mine in the fridge and give it a go. Will see if I can find any of those apples cos they sure as hell shouldn't be there. It's definately a beer I want to do again so the feedback is good - gives me some areas to tweak.

 

[manticle]

That's funny. I bought two boxes of PET bottles special for the swap, to avoid reusing bottles. Oh well, doesn't matter, glad you ejoyed the beer.

Probably wasn't yours as 4* pointed out. Didn't seem quite like an ES. Keen to find out whose and what as it was delicious. I'll count back but I also have to account for the one with the runny texta too.

Fourstar: SNCA thingy majiggy with hops in it.

Pours deep amber with good clarity when held to the light. Nice head that thins but laces well. Aroma of subtle hops and caramel. Carbnation moderate.

Flavour of bitter grapefruit. First sip: very strong hop flavour with great bitterness which lingers much longer than usual. Caramel is a minor player - bitter citrus grapefruit is the main contender. My second sip I unfortunately breathed into my lungs but what was left after choking was a bit more sweetness and caramel.

Good, bitter, hoppy beer this one. Not one for the hop shy but well made, balanced and ballsy.

@wonderwoman - part of the tasting and feedback is describing what you perceive. It's great to learn and interpret what your senses tell you but it's also good just to give and get straight up honest 'this is my perception now' feedback.

 

[WarmBeer]

8. wonderwoman - galaxy pale ale

Sorry mate, this one is all cider and vinegar - The acetobacteria strikes back.

I kept this cold for the past couple of weeks, but it's taken hold.

It happens

 

[wakkatoo]

8. wonderwoman - galaxy pale ale

Sorry mate, this one is all cider and vinegar - The acetobacteria strikes back.

I kept this cold for the past couple of weeks, but it's taken hold.

It happens

Phew!, so it wasn't just me. Got exactly this as well.

 

[mxd]

yeah my first taste, got my swap case Wednesday night, thanks 4*, put a few in fridge to taste when SWMBO was back, but alas my balls had dropped and I will proceed at risk.

4 Manticle ESB

Small head (off white), lacing when warmed up, there is still a faint covering of head on the last mouthful.
low to mod carbonation (well less than I normally do )
Clear copperish colour,

When I first tried it (colder than suggested, it had a flavour that one of my ESB's had. This flavour 4* described as sherbet (well I think it was this flavour ), as it warms up it losses that flavour. This flavour appeared at the end of a mouthfull.

I get a warming feeling on the roof of the mouth, which I guess is the alcohol (as it's quite a high alcohol content).

Overall, I like it :kooi: and could see my self falling off a chair after a few dozen of these.

Thanks all, very much looking forward to my first swap.

 

[Wardhog]

8. wonderwoman - galaxy pale ale

Sorry mate, this one is all cider and vinegar - The acetobacteria strikes back.

I kept this cold for the past couple of weeks, but it's taken hold.

It happens

+1

 

[Wardhog]

6 - sappas - Almost English Bitter

Sorry sappas, I didn't read to give it a few more weeks until after I'd poured myself a glass, and I'm kicking myself for it. This is going to be a top beer, hell, it's pretty good now.
One of the best looking beers I've seen, clear as a bell. Balance is tilted in favour of bitterness, but there's still plenty of mid-to-darker crystal flavours to be had. Have you posted the recipe? I might have a go at it, and I'd also like to find out what those hop flavours are.

 

[seemax]

8. wonderwoman - galaxy pale ale

Sorry mate, this one is all cider and vinegar - The acetobacteria strikes back.

I kept this cold for the past couple of weeks, but it's taken hold.

It happens

+1 and it seemed a lot more acidic than when I sampled it pre swap day.

 

[scott_penno]

Hi Wardy,

Glad you liked it. Recipe is the last one in the Xmas in July 2010 recipe thread.

sap.

6 - sappas - Almost English Bitter

Sorry sappas, I didn't read to give it a few more weeks until after I'd poured myself a glass, and I'm kicking myself for it. This is going to be a top beer, hell, it's pretty good now.
One of the best looking beers I've seen, clear as a bell. Balance is tilted in favour of bitterness, but there's still plenty of mid-to-darker crystal flavours to be had. Have you posted the recipe? I might have a go at it, and I'd also like to find out what those hop flavours are.

 

[donmateo]

10. Brendo - Black Sheeps Riggwelter clone

I loved this one.
Beers like this I really hang out for in swaps.
Clean, tasty - but not heavy handed. It's a treat.

 

[manticle]

Mr faded texta man: something

Pours cloudy golden amber, good head that remains and laces even after 30+ minutes. Aroma of caramel malt and oranges.

Carbonation mild, flavour delicious - malt, hint of choc and slight orange zest. Lingering bitterness.

Who the hell brewed this and what is it?

 

[manticle]

Just throwing away some recycling and noticed the smoked choc porter bottle had a no. 14 on it so thanks Seemax - really enjoyed it despite having no idea what it was.

 

[Fourstar]

Mr faded texta man: something

wtfd did you do to your bottles mants? Put them through the spin cycle in your washer or leave them out in a hurricane or something?

 

[[email protected]]

Chapter 24

High tempo movie style chase music made me start to run. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that Agent Smith was chasing me in the distance. Then I saw two identical cats pass the road in front and Agent Smith lept out of the nearest dustbin and apprehended me. Before I knew it, I was handcuffed to a chair in a high story glass building being interrogated to divulge the whereabouts of my remaining beers. They brought in an intravenous drip to help them get the answers they needed. Luckily they started feeding me a really nice amber ale. It had a nice malt-driven aroma, and a nice flavour balancing the malt and bitterness with a subtle roasty finish. A feigned to be in excrutiating pain to ensure they fed me the entire bottle. Then I decided to take a nap.

 

[[email protected]]

Chapter 3

It didn't take long for the pyschotropic mind altering lime flavored beer to take affect. The wall paper started to swirl and contort as I stumbled for the front door. I could hear the sounds of a festival outside, quite strange for my otherwise usually quiet street. It turned out to be a Brazilian mardi gras, though the heads of the women on the floats were all wolves and alligators. They were handing out bottles of beer, so I took one. Looking at the bottle it seemed to be pre-rated at 4 stars, how presumptuous. Pulling out a beer glass from my back pocket, I opened the bottle. A subdued but enticing hop aroma hit my nostrils. The beer poured cloudy with a reasonably thick off white head. The psychotropes forced me to drink the beer and it tasted of hoppy bitterness and a thick crusty bread malt flavour. Full of flavor and warming alcohol with every sip, I slowly finished off the bottle while sitting relaxed on the side of one of the floats.

 

[Fourstar]

11. Fents - all citra apa

Im going to keep this short and sweet. Great big cirta aroma, like grapefruit and orange cake with mild soft malt. A beautiful malt complexity on the palate. Toasty, breadcrusts and sweet mild light toffee. It would have been better if i chilled it for loger to drop more yeast out of suspension but overall, a tip-top beer. You know what the best thing about this beer was?



Beautiful lace all the way until the last mouthful :icon_cheers:

 

[manticle]

Just tallied up all the numbers I have left and all the brews I have drunk and pretty sure that Mr faded texta man was Mccook. Mccook - did you use red/pink texta to label your bottles (white cap)?

If so your review is above (several posts up).

 

[manticle]

8: Wonderwoman: Pale ale

Sorry mine was infected.

15: Hutch: Tripel

Pours fairly clear, golden colour the head that forms vanishes almost immediately. Smells like belgian yeast (subtle). Carbonation moderately high.

Tastes similar to the aroma - yeast phenolics, faint orange undertones, subtle warm alcohol, light spice.

A real good effort at a tripel, very balanced. I personally wouldn't mind a bit more lingering bitterness as it's something I enjoy in things like westmalle but this is pretty delicious. I've struggled with my Belgians to get them where I want them - I think this one would make me happy if I brewed it. Not overcarbed either.

 

[[email protected]]

Just tallied up all the numbers I have left and all the brews I have drunk and pretty sure that Mr faded texta man was Mccook. Mccook - did you use red/pink texta to label your bottles (white cap)?

If so your review is above (several posts up).

I did use a red pen on a small white sticker, but I don't think I had any white caps. It might remain one of those unsolved mysteries. :icon_drunk:

 

[manticle]

Probably white sticker and my brain has forgotten. I just remember white and faded red/pink so must have been yours. The mystery suits your reviews anyway.

Cocko: APA

Pours clear amber with fluffy meringue like head that lingers. Aroma of fruit and toffee.

Carbonation moderate, mouthfeel quite full. Less hop flavour than I was expecting but that's not a bad thing. Very malty with a tiny hint of chocolate and a subtle bitterness that lingers. A faint hit of yeast in the second sip that I'm not a fan of - I detect this in a lot of beers (including some of my favourite commercial styles).

Tiny hit of citrus at the end, some bready malt. Not that pale but neither is kooinda pale and that's still mighty tasty.

Generally a lovely beer. I seem to be a bit sensitive to some yeasty notes and what I detected in this was not overpowering but certainly without that it is a very tasty beer. Less bitter and hoppy than I was expecting but I don't mind expectations and assumptions being challenged. That's what beer and brewing is all about.