Vic Case Swap Xmas In July 2010 Tasting Thread

[manticle]

The way I see it you're just exacting revenge on some brewers from last time.

 

[seemax]

Seriously... who would even think of submitting an infected beer... geez... B) B) B)

 

[Fourstar]

8. wonderwoman - galaxy something...


"for your fault finiding, not taking the piss. i hope its useful."

Considering ive gone through BJCP i should know what this fault is. its got a heavy nail polish/paint thinner like aroma upon cracking and almost like cheap vodka. (after 5 mins of sniffing and tasting its hit me like a brickwall) Its got a BIG lavender/juniper aroma. like beefeater gin with tonic. :unsure:

infact i just pulled some juniper berries out of the cupboard and its pretty much spot on. as it warms it gets more of a spicyness. it also has an acidic (not sour), meaty and fresh cut onion aroma to is as well.

Its quite dank (like columbus hops for example) but nothing resembling galaxy.

ive had about 1/4 of a pint and thats about all i can palate due to the gin characters (im not a big fan of gin.)

as for infections, there is some spicyness and definite hot alcohols. The malt profile is still there but the hops are masked by phenolics. As for the gin like characters i have no idea where that would come from, nor is its gushing which is usually typical of highly attenuative bacterium in bottled HB.

intersting faults, all i can offer as advise is sanitation, sanitation, sanitation.

 

[brendo]

11. Fents - Citra APA

Alright Fents... nice work mate - not a hint of infection this time around h34r:

This is my first taste of Citra, and I gotta say I really like it as a hop - I have some sitting in the freezer and this has definitely spurred me onto using it.

Great aroma, stacks of citrusy flavour and good assertive bitterness. The hopping almost a sherbert-like quality to it, very refreshing and plays across the pallate quite nicely.

Top work mate... not too much else for me to say really, so I am just going to get on with enjoying the rest of the glass :kooi:

Cheers,

Brendo

 

[mxd]

Hi All,

As I think some of my bottles (so far 3 have been ok and 2 not ) have issues, so sorry if you get one of them. I thought a way to feel safer would be to fill from keg. So my question, how many have filled from keg ?

I might try to borrow the Melb Brew CPBF and try it out.

Again sorry if you get a bad bottle.

cheers
Matt

 

[brendo]

I CPBF'd mine this time around - but that was more about time to bottle than anything else.

 

[Fourstar]

So my question, how many have filled from keg ?

all 3 swaps ive gone from the keg :icon_cheers:

 

[donmateo]

Hi All,

As I think some of my bottles (so far 3 have been ok and 2 not ) have issues, so sorry if you get one of them. I thought a way to feel safer would be to fill from keg. So my question, how many have filled from keg ?

I might try to borrow the Melb Brew CPBF and try it out.

Again sorry if you get a bad bottle.

cheers
Matt

I popped my grave hopper this evening with dinner.
No problems with mine - very good.
Enjoyed it - Thanks.

 

[Wonderwoman]

... I did not notice any problems with it...

YAY - one person who was happy with my beer (or at least not disgusted)

The way I see it you're just exacting revenge on some brewers from last time.

:lol:

Seriously... who would even think of submitting an infected beer... geez...

:lol:

8. wonderwoman - galaxy something...


"for your fault finiding, not taking the piss. i hope its useful."

Thanks for taking the time to give detailed feedback :icon_cheers:

I'm really not sure what went wrong with this batch, but I have a few suspicions:

1. it sat in the primary fermenter for way too long (5-6 weeks) because I was too busy to bottle it
2. The bottles were 'preloved' by friend who's cleaning regime I'm skeptical of. I did reclean them before use, but perhaps there was a little something left in them
3. I'm just a shit brewer???

 

[mxd]

YAY - one person who was happy with my beer (or at least not disgusted)

I opened mine last night not good sorry.

 

[Fourstar]

I'm really not sure what went wrong with this batch, but I have a few suspicions:

1. it sat in the primary fermenter for way too long (5-6 weeks) because I was too busy to bottle

3. I'm just a shit brewer???

I'd say part one for the meaty characters i was getting. aytolysis is a wonderful thing. :icon_cheers:

Or you're just shit as pointed out in part 3.

 

[brendo]

I'm really not sure what went wrong with this batch, but I have a few suspicions:

1. it sat in the primary fermenter for way too long (5-6 weeks) because I was too busy to bottle it
2. The bottles were 'preloved' by friend who's cleaning regime I'm skeptical of. I did reclean them before use, but perhaps there was a little something left in them
3. I'm just a shit brewer???

I haven't tasted yours yet... I will try to get to that shortly and see if I can add any weight to Fourstar's feedback. However...

1. I would be surprised if that was the issues - I have done this plenty of times and 5-6 weeks isn't really that bad. At worst, I would expect some early signs of yeast autolysis (if at all, unlikely in that contact time) rather than an infection. I assume it tasted fine out of the fermentor. If you don't have time to bottle next time, might be an idea to rack to secondary to limit contact time with the yeast cake.

2. Sanitation is most likely the culprit here - particularly if it is something like acetobactor or lactobacillius.

3. Possible, but unlikely. I would say just unlucky on this occaison.

Either way, I will do my best to have a sample and see what I pick up - if it is "gin like" as per Fourstar's review, then I will probably quite enjoy it.

Brendo

 

[manticle]

Hi All,

As I think some of my bottles (so far 3 have been ok and 2 not ) have issues, so sorry if you get one of them. I thought a way to feel safer would be to fill from keg. So my question, how many have filled from keg ?

I might try to borrow the Melb Brew CPBF and try it out.

Again sorry if you get a bad bottle.

cheers
Matt

Bottled from the fermenter as I do all my bottles.

Last night, after a 14 hour day I opened Sappas' ESB. Being so late and so tired I neglected to do a proper review however carb was perfect for ESB, clarity great, head tight with lacing, subtle malt and hop aroma, beautiful flavour - very slight earthy yeastiness which might be the 04 taste everyone talks about (or fuggles if you used any or combo of the two) but it suited the beverage perfectly. Great beer, A+ (and one of the best of yours I've had).

@wonderwoman - infection can happen to the best brewer and it can happen in spite of scrupulous cleanliness and sanitation.

Mine was acidic and a little vinegar like - couldn't drink enough to give you as detailed a description as fourstar but while it can be a blow to confidence - don't let it be. Nuke the brewery, test the fermenter with a quick, easy brew and make sure the equipment is all clean and clear. Could be a scratch in the fermenter harbouring something. Check taps etc.

 

[[email protected]]

Chapter 5

I arrived home and saw a strange tall man holding a mini-gun standing at my front door.
"Who are you?" I asked as I fumbled for my keys.
"Arnold," he said in a peculiar austrian american accent. "And I am really thirsty!"
"Why don't you come in and have a drink then?" I asked. He nodded and I opened to door. I turned on the TV and 'End of Days' was just starting.
"My favourite movie," he said.
I got a beer from the fridge and grabbed a couple of glasses. I opened the bottle but got distracted by the movie as the Pope gave some familiar looking tall dude a mission. I poured myself and Arnold a glass.
I took a gulp and it was quite good. A nice quaffable american amber. Befittingly Arnold skulled his down in a single gulp and then ate the glass. Believing that he might be possessed I threw him out of the nearest window. I vaguely heard something about him coming back later, but I wasn't scared.

 

[Fents]

:lol:

 

[[email protected]]

Chapter 17

A strong solar wind made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. In the distance I could hear the sound of a really loud moterbike. Skynet had somehow thwarted my attempts to remain inconspicuous and located my position. If I was to survive I would need some thinking juice, so I got a bottle of beer out from my well insulated jacket pocket. No time to locate a glass, I decide to drink straight from the bottle. This beer was had a nice hoppy aroma with a tinge of malt, and the flavor to match. Very nice to the last drop, especially as it warmed up. Unfortunately it didn't help my brain click into gear and before I knew it Arnold had swung by on his harley and picked me up. He had come back indeed.
"Come with me if you want to live," he said.
"What ever you say man!" I replied.
Then he morphed into that dude from the last few series of X-Files, except wearing a police uniform, and I felt duped.

 

[Supra-Jim]

24. Siborg - Amber Ale

Apart from being a touch over-carbed, this was a really nice beer. Poured very clear into the glass, looked great. IF you were aiming somewhere around a JSAA, well done. I think i enjoyed this more than I normally enjoy a JSAA. Good work!

6. Sappas - Almost English Bitter

Great beer. Again very clear in the glass, nice low head that lingered for the entire glass. Good bitterness and lovely caramely maltyness and really nice malty grainy aroma. Top beer Sappas.

28. MXD - Yarrsippi Pale

Sorry Mate, i think this was a little gone. Was a bit of a gusher and something wasn't quite right.


Cheers SJ

 

[Siborg]

It's funny, a few people mentioned that it was over carbed. I've always had the opposite problem with all my brews in the past. I really wanna brew this one again now and tweak it with a few of the suggestions in this thread... Hope I can get it that clear next time.

 

[zebba]

Moonshine Oatmeal Liquorice Molasses Stout

My experiences with stouts is very limited, as I have a rather extreme aversion to coffee flavours - something the stout family tend to dish up in spades.

Opening the bottle there was a rather strong "pshh", and whilst it was far from gushing, the head did start to move up the neck - not quickly, but persistently. I quickly poured into the glass, taking it careful at first thinking it was overcarbed. The glass poured with almost no head though, so half way I tried to agitate one. It popped up, quickly, before disappearing again. "Strange" I thought, and got to tasting.

Initial taste was dry, then I detected some anice, which was soon washed away by the molasses flavour - which I loved! There was a hint of roast there, but it was very light - added a layer. Mouthfeel was very strange though - it was creamy, but at the same time it was almost effervescent. To my tastes, it seemed over carbed, and it detracted from the experience, but only marginally. Finish was quite drying.

As I neared the bottom of the glass, it started to smell "hot" - not solventy, but like it had had some vodka or something thrown in there to spice it up a bit. This extended to the initial taste as well, but the hot sensation didn't linger. Curious as to how strong it was...

Overall, I really enjoyed it. So did the wife (who only had a couple of sips). Well done.

 

[Wardhog]

17. Shimple - Northern Lights Hog Ale

This is a good beer.

Massive mouth-puckering bitterness wins out over a very large malt presence, not a fault in sight.
I think you could quite easily lift this beer from good to awesome if you went to town with the late hops, Shimple. Some massively bright hop flavour mixed in with the already classic IPA malt/bitterness ratio you've achieved would make this a fantastic beer.