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...