Vic Case Swap: Xmas In July Tasting Feedback

[manticle]

For Razz

 

[razz]

:wub:

 

[Siborg]

Razz, I've got your brown ale in the fridge to chill a little, and I'll taste it after dinner

 

[razz]

Zebba's English Pale. No.3
Some straw notes in the aroma, Challenger hops. This ale has a slightly sweet finish, and low bitterness. It also has a very persistent head, right to the bottom of the schooner! I noticed that this ale was bottled 26th June. It had plenty of carbonation so perhaps drink it sooner rather than later, I would hate to see it develop to much gas. I poured from the bottle into a jug over an hour ago and the last of it is still heady. Back to that sweet finish, I would think it's from the 1968 yeast although you did get better than 75% attenuation, which is high for that yeast. Perhaps low bitterness also, Zebba you didn't indicate the bitterness. There is some alcohol in the flavour. Food for thought.....anyway, I like it. :icon_cheers:

 

[Siborg]

9. Razz - Bender Brown Ale

Nice nutty aroma with a hint of aged alcohol (port/sherry-like)
Poured a moderate tan head that has lasted the whole glass. Dark brown with a very deep red hue (hope the photo shows it)
full-bodied, moderate carbonation and a very smooth texture
Nuttiness in the flavour, with some nice sweetness. Getting that smooth alcohol coming through. Hops are of the earthy/floral character - noticeable but not over the top. That nuttiness last well into the finish that stops just short of cloying. Bitterness is subdued - this is definitely a malt-forward beer.

I'm really enjoying this beer. It's just so smooth to drink and the mix of nuttiness and smooth alcohol along with some smooth roasted notes really work well together. Good stuff Razz!

 

[zebba]

It had plenty of carbonation so perhaps drink it sooner rather than later, I would hate to see it develop to much gas.

I really need to get organised and start bulk priming...

Back to that sweet finish, I would think it's from the 1968 yeast although you did get better than 75% attenuation, which is high for that yeast. Perhaps low bitterness also, Zebba you didn't indicate the bitterness.

I was aiming for a little honey sweetness on the finish. Circa 35IBU. My concern from my tester was that it had dried out too much. After reading this, I think my tastebuds may have gotten corrupted from a forced 2 month dry spell...

There is some alcohol in the flavour.

Yes, I got this too. My thoughts were it would be better at half or even a whole %ABV lower

Thanks for the feedback. Honoured to be the first

 

[Siborg]

13. Bullsneck - pale ale

Appearance: A nice looking pale golden colour. White head quickly dissipates. Fairly cloudy, which I'm putting down to dry hopping
Aroma: Just bursts of galaxy. I'm in love with this hop, and you've done well here. I smell some sweet malts and a bit of yeasty bread
Flavour: That fresh hop flavour is just amazing. The right amount of bittering (not overdone). In fact, I'd say this beer is quite evenly balanced between maltiness and bitterness. Very, very drinkable. Finishes slightly sweet but that hop flavour is there all the way.
Body and mouthfeel: moderate-full body, moderate carbonation, smooth finish.

Wow... just wow. This beer has deepened my love for galaxy hops. You've done well to produce a hoppy pale ale that is not a killer on the bitterness and has a decent malt bill to back it up. Just looking at your recipe again and it's fairly simple, but works really well to support the hops.

A couple of points for next time: maybe drop your mash temp a little as it was probably a bit too high on body. Head retention was poor. Could be because of the hop oils? Could be something else? I noticed it was starting to slowly snake out of the bottle as soon as I opened it, so maybe a carbing issue? But I wouldn't be too worried about head retention when the beer smells and tastes that good!

Thanks, bullsneck!

edit: now that I've finished reviewing, I can sit back and just enjoy every mouthful of that wonderful galaxy goodness!

 

[scott_penno]

18. Don Mateo - Robust Porter

Deep dark mahogony brown color with a thick coffee colored head. Little to no aroma. Rich coffee flavor with hints of toffee. Subtle bitterness although I get a resinous taste that lingers (but it could just be me) and moderate carbonation. A nice, warming drink on a cold (Melbourne) winters evening. Definitely best consumed warmer than colder. I'd love to see the recipe for this *hint*...

A great start to the swap beers...

 

[Steve@PMF82]

13 - Bullsneck - Pale Ale

Im going to try and be more articulate with my tasting, so bare with me guys.

Pours a hazy orange colour straight out of the fridge which clears up slightly after a while
to show golden hues around the edge of my shitty jar. (i need to just go buy a decent pint glass i think)
Thin head that seems to want to hang around, looks like its quite spritzy in the carbonation.

I am letting it sit near me while i type this and i am getting lovely wafts of that passionfruit/tropical galaxy aroma
mixed with soft sweet bready malt. I have a feeling this is going to push me over the edge
and have to try galaxy in a brew sometime soon.

First up in the mouth i get more of the same from the Galaxy, yum.
then melts very well into a good level of bittnerness that lingers slightly
then i am left with nice soft bread malt / lingering fruits.

I find this to very well balanced, quite enjoyable, mouthfeel / body is getting a little more
heavy as it warms, but still very drinkable for me.

I think i like the Styrian pale i had at the swap just a little better, from what i remember?
Wheres my recipe?

 

[Lecterfan]

Caveat: I don’t know what the hell I am talking about and I am just trying to address points that I have seen others do. Also, as with everything beer related this is entirely subjective, first principles etc etc.

Another addendum (can a write an addendum at the end but still put it at the start???): I don’t overly care about aesthetics in beer, but many do- so I have tried to mention it to some degree.

I did this on "word" over the course of the arvo to post in one hit…

So we all know that I tend to trip up and slip fairly easily. I was just walking through the kitchen around 2pm and slipped and accidentally poured:

19. Bullsneck's Galaxy pale ale. What a delicious accident!
Poured with a nice white, tight head that didn't last too long but left excellent bracing down the glass after each mouthful. I'd be interested to know the FG of this - maybe it's still a bit too close to breakfast for me but it feels quite big in the mouth. Nice in winter - but a heap of these on a balmy spring day would be great. Colour about what you’d expect, clearer than some beers, not as clear as others. Well balanced with strong hop flavour and big aroma as you’d expect from this hop.

No pics sorry - gf took her camera back, she got sick of "chicken wing" photos after each weekend.

After that little slip up I went to the kitchen to consider lunch, and WHOOPS!

7. Beer4U’s Cali Common flew at my glass like an angry ninja in liquid form. Being trained in the in the art of watching Kung Fu movies I responded with the move known as “dragon plays the lute” and proceeded to empty my glass down my throat.

This style is new to me, my only other example being Brendo’s (I think?) on Saturday. This beer is clear, if not what they call “bright”. Again the head is great but doesn’t last (that sounds like my ex), but the bracing down the glass is fantastic. I found this beer really crisp and well balanced, the bitterness lingering slightly after the malt finish. Carbed at a level that I love (a touch lower than many American hopped beers). To be honest I could have spent the rest of the day on this one. Yummers!


Next up 19. Nick Penno’s APA. A beautiful aroma…that’s the first thing that struck me with this one. Not much head (but I did pour it pretty gently), but still plenty of good bracing on the glass. Slightly higher level of carbonation which adds a crispness to the beer. Lots of lingering hop flavour – the fruity hop flavour is still there long after the maltiness and a touch longer than the bitterness per se. A really nice APA on a par with some of the commercial micro brewed examples I’ve tasted recently.


Ok – had a break, had some tucker etc. and settling down to:

3. Zebba’s EPA (am I allowed to use that acronym?). Straight away – and after quite a few full on American hoppy beers, this is really nice. I don’t know the flavours to describe in this, but I’m getting hints of vanilla and a real malty sweetness that is not cloying or overbearing…the challenger hops (which I’ve only used twice before) are amazing…I love them and next ESB I do I think I’ll drop some of the others to push this a bit more. The aroma is great and improving as the beer warms up. Again I poured with some reserve so moderate head but nice bracing. I think the hop character would be just as good with a slightly less malty beer – for my personal taste I think a bit more bitterness would make it a bit cleaner in the finish. ****Just reading the tasting thread and the recipe thread**** I don’t think there is too much alcohol warmth coming through (unless you want this to be a full on session beer), but there is also no way it is too dry. Still, what the hell would I know? This is really nice and with the sun gone down on another grim day in Ballarat I could happily sink a few more of these – but not a quaffer for me.

……ok now some of you will roll your eyes and groan, but on the last half of my second glass of this I gave it the old “pocket sparkler” treatment – drew up a couple of mls and squirted the be-cheeses out of it… the result? The creamiest head imaginable, an exaggerated hop aroma (the beer had warmed to probably 7-8c by now) and the maltiness was really pushed forward. I think this beer is best kept away from a hand pump if you want to drink more than 4 of them haha… but don’t take that the wrong way, as is, this is a very nice brew with pronounced (but not overdone) flavours.



....I reckon I've got one more in me after tea. :icon_cheers:



edit: hahaha @ razz - also Taschris has kindly pointed out that it should be "lacing" not "bracing"...I replied that I could not be any more of a fool than I was on the night so no one will care...

 

[razz]

:lol: :lol: :lol: Nice read lecterfan. I laughed out loud at the comment about your ex, my missus shot me a look, not "that look" unfortunately. Keep em coming, go on, have another! :chug:

 

[razz]

Okay, I'm into it.
Siborg's American Stout. No. 6 (Rogue Shakespear Stout clone)
To quote the Rogue website...Ebony in color with a rich creamy head, earthy flavor and a mellow, chocolate finish.
Not far off the mark Si. It didn't decant too well into the jug but into the glass it has a nice tan head with plenty of lace.
Not so much of the earthy flavour but some cascade and strong chocolate malt with some roast and firm bitterness, good idea on adding the roast in the last few minutes. Chocolate/roast aroma. Creamy and med/full bodied mouth feel, low carb, dry finish. Si, you didn't indicate the FG in the recipe.
Nice ale, I think I like stout's with a slightly sweeter finish but this is still a very nice ale.
Well done mate! :beer:

 

[Lecterfan]

:lol: :lol: :lol: Nice read lecterfan. I laughed out loud at the comment about your ex, my missus shot me a look, not "that look" unfortunately. Keep em coming, go on, have another! :chug:

I'm drinking one of my batch to make me feel adequate in the meantime haha...(not my swap submission - I left that for young Si).

I have two more left....as in two more long necks and two more episodes of season one of game of thrones...so there is bound to be more feedback hee hee.

 

[Yob]

I have two more left....as in two more long necks and two more episodes of season one of game of thrones...so there is bound to be more feedback hee hee.

wouldnt you know it a bel. blonde just fell out of my fridge, I dont know if it's your swap one (havnt checked) but it's deicious... fruits?

 

[Lecterfan]

wouldnt you know it a bel. blonde just fell out of my fridge, I dont know if it's your swap one (havnt checked) but it's deicious... fruits?

haha no mine was a schwarz - but I'd also like some feedback on that POR ale I left you (AP - very low in IBUs, I know that already!).

I woke up this morning in the bleak Ballarat tundra winds not wanting to leave the bed cos I don't have CENTRAL HEATING!!!! DAMN YOU!!! No man should have the luxury of waking to that kind of comfortable temperature hahaha!!!

My left foot has turned blue by the way :icon_chickcheers: ! Only craftbrew can ease the pain...


I've got two more swap beers lined up...let's get into it...

 

[razz]

wouldnt you know it a bel. blonde just fell out of my fridge, I dont know if it's your swap one (havnt checked) but it's deicious... fruits?

Most likely Manticle's Grand Cru

 

[bullsneck]

Swap beer # 3 - Zebba's English Pale

A beautiful aroma filled the laundry as the longneck lay broken, in pieces, on the tiles. Head retention was poor, dissipated quite quickly as did the beer down the drain in the center of the floor. Nice colour, slightly hazy, but that could be blamed by the receptacle i chose to use; i.e. - off white tiles.

Damn shame I missed this one.

Here's a picture of the remains.



Note - no idea why the picture has turn sideways.

 

[Yob]

My left foot has turned blue by the way :icon_chickcheers: ! Only craftbrew can ease the pain...


I've got two more swap beers lined up...let's get into it...

Soldier on trooper :lol: :lol: at least the foot aint so bad you cant make it to the painkillers :chug:

 

[wakkatoo]

wouldnt you know it a bel. blonde just fell out of my fridge, I dont know if it's your swap one (havnt checked) but it's deicious... fruits?

That would be mine. Not a swap beer but it was there in a keg. Gave that to you to say thanks for the accomodation. Glad you enjoyed :icon_cheers:

 

[Yob]

the missus too as is right :icon_cheers: