Vic X-mas In July 2009 Tasting Thread

[Fourstar]

5. Brendo - LCBA clone

Golden/honey coloured in appearance, some chill haze in the glass (doubt its yeast as clarity was supurb in the bottle before chilling.) Thick lacy head on pour which dissipated to a nice thin film. Fruity and toffee esters on the nose. acetaldehyde or DMS on the nose, getting some fruitcake/greenapple aroma.

perfect carbonation, medium to full on the palate. Fruity profile, finishes clean bitter with pils /sweet malt flavour dominating the palate. Writing this description i have demolished 3/4 of the pint! must be good!

Cheers Brendo! :icon_cheers:

Next on the line-up... Chris' Red Weizen.

 

[Fourstar]

16. Chris Taylor - Red Weizen

Poured with a dismal head, not even pub foam. carbonation is lively, just no head (serving @ 7 deg). Colour is Dark orange to red/copper. It looks the goods! Forced some head with a pippet pocket sparkler, this dissipated within 15-20 seconds back to nothing

Big Banana Esters in this, The fermentation character in this is perfect Chris! Top work! Im also getting some vanilla/sweet tea cakey aromas out of this... nice.

A big full mouthfeel with a high/bitey carbonation. Finishes distinctvly weizen like. Drying and wheaty with the crystal taking center stage with the beautiful 3068 yeast profile.... :icon_drool2:

Onto the palate. Toffee, caramel, nutty, and uber sweet.. IMO, this would be a decent specialty grain grist for an American Amber and subbing the wheat grist for base malt. A very full on crystal character. A bit much for a Wiezen. IMO this is a Dunkelweizen come 'omg i accidently dumped my 3068 starter on my underhopped AAA!'

What can i say Chris, you have made my day with a decent, one off beer! Not quite a dunkel, not quite a red, not quite a weizen.. a dunkelredaweizen!

Cheers!

 

[driveitlikeustoleit]

21. Driveitlikeustoleit - Oatmeal Stout

Pours very dark like a stout should, nicely carbonated with a head buff colour. Very faint hop aroma.

Nice malty flavour in the mouth, lovely deep roasty flavours don't appear until after swallowing. Not sure I can taste any of the oatmeal, would have liked the oatmeal to be a bit more pronounced.

Overall a very nice beer that is very drinkable. Well done DILUSI

Is it just me, or are their heaps of dark beers in this swap?

Aah. Winter does get us dark beer enthusiasts excited.

Thanks for the comments Leigh. I roasted the oatmeal. So the slightly biscuity flavour is from that. The oatmeal is mainly for mouthfeel in my books though. Remeniscent of silk panties. h34r:

21 Driveitlikeustoleit Oatmeal stout

mate that is the nicest stout ive had in a long while fantastic creamy head & some lovely roasted malt flavors :icon_cheers:

Cheers hairofthedog. :icon_cheers:

 

[Fourstar]

9. seemax - Real Ale K&B

Deep copper/amber in appearance, soft pub foam like head. Not much going on in the aroma department (served @ 12 deg). Maybe some fruitness, thats about it. Medium bitterness with medium to full mouthfeel. Some base malt character shines through with some roasty/nuttiness. Some crystal sweetness on the end of the finish. A decent 'real ale'. drop the carbonation and its there. There is some kit like twang going on... something about ISO hops sitting in a tin turns everything metallic. If its not kit twang, its something strange. ignoring that you have a decent beer there seemax.

Cheers!

 

[WarmBeer]

9. seemax - Real Ale K&B

Sorry mate, don't know if it's my chronic fear of the Cooper's Real Ale, but I just couldn't get into this one.

The flavours came through more as it warmed up, and the tart bitterness becomes good after I got used to it, but the mouthfeel is a little thin, and has kit twang. I couldn't taste the recultured Coopers PA yeast, but could smell it.

We'll have to get together for a go at your AG English IPA instead, if you've still got any left.

Brett

 

[donmateo]

22. Lucas - Smoked Porter
first off the ranks for me.
dark brown appearance, with low tan head. Significant roasty aroma, lightly burnt.
first sip is georgeous, full follow through on the aroma promise, big chocolate and roast, hint of coffee, lightly burnt but not overpowering or exagerated.
didn't pick up very much on the smoke character, but the chocolate comes through with great success.
perhaps could have slightly better head retention, but that could have been my glass.
Overall impression - a full and rich porter with bursting with roast and chocolate character. Liked this beer a lot.
This beer leaves me heading straight for the recipe thread.
Thanks Lucas, that was a treat.

23. Shortz - EoX Porter
medium dark brown in appearance, low head quickly disapearing, although second pour produced creamy off white head.
perhaps the faintest hint of acetelaldehyde or diacetl, not sure which - but not objectionable.
soft relaxed malt flavour, mild chocolate and restrained roast characteristic, hint of coffee
Overall impression - relaxed and malty porter, chocolate, roast and coffee, and thoroughly enjoyable. I enjoyed this beer
more and more as I was drinking it.
Thanks shortz, great beer.

really looking forward to the rest of them.

 

[Fourstar]

We'll have to get together for a go at your AG English IPA instead, if you've still got any left.

Seemax you had an AG EIPA and you omitted it from the swap....shame on you!!! :angry:


!

 

[chris.taylor.98]

7. Rook - Wazza's 3 shades of Stout

Have to apologise Rook, as I am still getting over a cold so taste buds not quite on form tonight.

But what I can taste is bloody marvelous ... just what I need to help be get over a less than stella day.

Great roast character, plenty of bitterness, beautiful dark tan head.

Some slight esters.

All in all just what I was looking for.

 

[brettprevans]

15. Fourstar - American IPA
clear with slight haze. could smell the hops as soon as you opened it. Lots of 'C' hop (no chops this time). struggled to get any sort of head but that could have been the glass (probably was). great level of carbonation. takes a few sips for the taste buds to adjust then its all good. great IPA. hop flavours round off the sides of the tongue ie aren't harsh. slight honey flavour I kept tasting after finishing each mouthful. no idea where that was coming from? maybe the crystal? its was a nice touch.

25 minutes after i finished the last of it I can still taste hops. great IPA. This was exactly the way I needed to start my night after a crap day.

edit: the cat seemed interested in having a good smell of your beer. it then went nuts licking my fingers which i had duncked in the beer. So the cat liked your beer also for what its worth!

 

[Fourstar]

slight honey flavour I kept tasting after finishing each mouthful. no idea where that was coming from? maybe the crystal? its was a nice touch.

Its one of these, IMO its most likly the caramalt. I always seem to find it adds a sugary sweetness to my beers where as the Crystal is more toffee like... it could be the blend of both + munich giving you a woody/honey taste.

0.45 kg Caramalt (Joe White) (17.3 SRM) Grain 6.4 %
0.15 kg Crystal (Joe White) (34.2 SRM) Grain 2.1 %

Glad you liked it! :icon_cheers:

 

[brettprevans]

just finished a rather boring 1.5hr meeting. found my mind thinking about your AIPA 4* and my mouth watering. now I bloody well want another one. so obviously your beer had an impact on my brain.

I wonder if I can sneak out to Mrs Parmas for a quick pot.... no IPAs in stock atm though. might have to settle for a holgate anniversary nut brown ale instead.

 

[Fourstar]

just finished a rather boring 1.5hr meeting. found my mind thinking about your AIPA 4* and my mouth watering. now I bloody well want another one. so obviously your beer had an impact on my brain.
I wonder if I can sneak out to Mrs Parmas for a quick pot.... no IPAs in stock atm though. might have to settle for a holgate anniversary nut brown ale instead.

If i wasnt up the other end of Lt Bourke ST, (next door to the Supreme Court) i'd join ya! i could murder a H/Hill ESB right about now! :icon_drool2:

 

[Fents]

# 5 Bright Ale

pored clear but with some haze.

intial sniff reveals hops, saaz like but not checz.

first taste, tastes like beer, not very helpfull i know....can feel a slight alcohol warm sensation on the throat.

good beer, would drink again.

 

[brendo]

# 5 Bright Ale

pored clear but with some haze.

intial sniff reveals hops, saaz like but not checz.

first taste, tastes like beer, not very helpfull i know....can feel a slight alcohol warm sensation on the throat.

good beer, would drink again.

Good pick up Fents... it is Saaz, but not as we know it... B Saaz (or Motueka as it is now dubbed)

Glad you enjoyed it.

Brendo

 

[Leigh]

4. Hairofthedog - Dortmunder export

Just grabbed this one out of the fridge and poured it not knowing what it was. The hops hit me straight away, but in a good way. A strong "solventy" taste but that is well balanced by the hops and works quite well in this beer.

Excellent beer Troy, gone down really quick!

 

[Brewmeister70]

Ok... Home from work and time to drink some beer.


#23. Shortz Robust Porter

Deep-brown colour, medium carbonation, low off-white head. Has a very clean and slight chocolate malt-like nose but only low intensity. Can't discern any hop aroma and perhaps a slight banana ester if I really snort hard...

Body is medium-light with no astringency whatsoever and an equal balance of malt to hop bitterness (low bitterness). The most obvious flavour is that of roast malt but not harsh or bitter - perhaps you used Carafa malt in here? Either way, Shortz has done a great job at keeping the beer as smooth as it is, including fermenting this so cleanly and thoroughly.

The after-taste I get first is cinnamon followed by a pleasant roasted grain flavour that just dries the palate enough to beg another taste. There's some very subtle crystal malt sweetness to the finish but not so much that it leaves the beer full or cloying.

Great beer!!! I'd love to see the recipe Shortz.

Cheers,

Brewmeister70 :beer:

 

[Fents]

# 1 Peely's black beer

poured well nice brown head.

black as all hell.

nice choc and roast coffee coming thru. you know i dont alot of stouts mate but this one is sliding back nicely. cheers mcik.

 

[Fourstar]

27. Wardhog - Vienna lager

Deep gold to copper in appearance, thick head that dissipated down to a smooth few ml of foam. I get an aroma, slightly phenolic (im unsure if you picked this as 'solvent' wardy but i dont.) Some Acetaldehyde on the nose too.

Full mouthfeel with light carbonation (i think the carbonation being low gives the impression its full.) Sweet malt/honey like presnece throughout the palate, very clean beer. getting a smooth bitterness, well ofsett by sweet maltiness. For some reason im also getting some banana characteristics in there too... maybe its the melanoidens very subtle nonetheless.

great beer mate! top work! :icon_cheers:

Edit: as it warmed.. i got that solvent flavour you where taliking about... strange, its really subdued at lager temps, as it warms it comes out... i dont know what that is, but i doubt its solvent. Maybe some tannins? My current AAA has the same feeling on the back of my tongue and thats riddled with tannins. <_< I'm just hoping the polyphenols continue to drop as she ages, which it seems like your beer is doing as no one else has detected it yet.)

 

[chris.taylor.98]

16. Chris Taylor - Red Weizen

Poured with a dismal head, not even pub foam. carbonation is lively, just no head (serving @ 7 deg). Colour is Dark orange to red/copper. It looks the goods! Forced some head with a pippet pocket sparkler, this dissipated within 15-20 seconds back to nothing

Big Banana Esters in this, The fermentation character in this is perfect Chris! Top work! Im also getting some vanilla/sweet tea cakey aromas out of this... nice.

A big full mouthfeel with a high/bitey carbonation. Finishes distinctvly weizen like. Drying and wheaty with the crystal taking center stage with the beautiful 3068 yeast profile.... :icon_drool2:

Onto the palate. Toffee, caramel, nutty, and uber sweet.. IMO, this would be a decent specialty grain grist for an American Amber and subbing the wheat grist for base malt. A very full on crystal character. A bit much for a Wiezen. IMO this is a Dunkelweizen come 'omg i accidently dumped my 3068 starter on my underhopped AAA!'

What can i say Chris, you have made my day with a decent, one off beer! Not quite a dunkel, not quite a red, not quite a weizen.. a dunkelredaweizen!

Cheers!

Thanks for the feedback all, and I do agree with most of the sentiments being expressed. Think if I where to do this again would tone down the specialty malts and add a bit more hops.

As for the lack of head, I get this a lot with my wheat beers, and all I can put it down to is maybe my mash regime is screwing with the head forming proteins, but would have thought with 50% wheat involved it was not going to be an issue.

 

[Fourstar]

I think i might take your specialy malt bill, sub the wheat with maris otter or another base malt and make a kick ass American Amber soon... i'll let you know how it goes. I recon it would be tops!