Vic Xmas In July 2008 Tasting Thread

[Wardhog]

18. Mark_M - Amarillo / Motueka APA

Very bright hop flavour, but not as much hop aroma as I was expecting. Is it the Motueka (what else is/was it known as? Saaz D?) that is the main flavour? - I've not tasted it before. It's very very citrusy, almost a mouth-puckering grapefruit that overpowers everything else. Perhaps this hop combo needs the proportions tilted a little in favour of the Amarillo, but that's just personal taste. If you're shooting for a BJCP nod of approval for an APA, up the aroma addition, and work on the clarity a bit. Other than that, it's a great example of an APA.
However, as a beer - without giving a toss about categories - it's a ripper.

 

[haysie]

18- mark m

This is my first taste from the swap,
Ummm, it was good as Hog said above, citrusy, maybe not balanced, but i did love the malt flavours coming thru. Clarity was fine here. I reckon it was great, I`ll slip into a session of that.
Thanks Mark

Haysie

 

[Wardhog]

2. Fents - Some sort of US lager

I agree, this is too good a beer to be lumped in with the commercial examples of this style. Lots of good malt flavour alongside a nice level of bittering.
Persistent fluffy white head - good job, Fents.

Edit : The more I have of this, the more I like it. Have you posted the recipe?

 

[brettprevans]

10 - Haysie Oatmeal Stout

Not exactly sure what an oatmeal stout iseant to taste like. no real hop armoa and certainly needed to be not too cold. what i would call a lighter stout. ie not heavy, nice body, not too bitter, nice roasty taste. assume the 'oilyness' as Cummins describes is from the oatmeal (nice touch). Good could certainly drink this as a sessional.

Edit: just finishing the last of it. definitely better to drink when its not too cold. the characteristics, esp oilyness, comes through more and is a lot more enjoyable.

 

[brettprevans]

18. Mark_M - Amarillo / Motueka APA

No idea what motueka tastes like but i loike this. Its like LCPA with more/other hops (obviously the amarillo coming through). agreed a mouthful of citrus but im drinking it now and feel like that sort of hop hit. great drop. not its not crystal clear and I didnt get a big head in the pour but I dont care. Have to say that I like contribution this over your last one Mark (that was also nice but I prefer this one) .

 

[chris.taylor.98]

6. Andreic - Irish Dry Stout

Some grain and light roast character in the aroma, slight malt sweetness.

Predominated by roast character and the hop bitterness in the flavour, with just a hint of some esters coming through (possible pear or apple). Some astringency from the roast malt as expected.

Reasonably dry finish.

Very clean, good carbonation level. Much better then my recent attempt at this style. Very enjoyable.

Can really noticed the flaked barely giving that great mouthfeel.

(Note I have put 4 and 5 aside for latter as they seem a little under carbonated at the moment)

 

[Leigh]

Thanks for all the comments guys. This is why I took part in the swap (and to get some great beers in return)...

I will definately be taking more care in stirring in future h34r: that seems to be the most plausible place for error. I'll definately be putting another of these down in the coming weeks, so will report back on what I get for og this time

 

[Quintrex]

Just to spell out what the deal is with the split entry by voota and myself:
We brewed the base beer together but fermented it separately and added coffee in differing amounts via two different methods.
For those that got a PET bottle labelled 22, you have my entry, and for those who got a glass bottle you have Voota's, which makes mine look like a soft co#k entry. For each full longneck of Voota's you get a full dose of coffee, useful for picking you up after a few too many

Q

 

[Hutch]

(Note I have put 4 and 5 aside for latter as they seem a little under carbonated at the moment)

Hey Chris,
Number 5 is an English Bitter, and is deliberately carbonated this way (about 1 to 1.5 Volumes CO2).
In fact it was bottled from a force-carbed keg, so putting it aside for longer won't increase its carbonation!

Advise drinking it above 12deg (just as it is in the UK), otherwise it will taste cold and flat.

Also, apologies to those who don't like Windsor yeast - I only used it to avoid ending with a low FG, and it's made some "funky" flavours along the way. I have learnt my lesson!

Hutch.

 

[chris.taylor.98]

Hey Chris,
Number 5 is an English Bitter, and is deliberately carbonated this way (about 1 to 1.5 Volumes CO2).
In fact it was bottled from a force-carbed keg, so putting it aside for longer won't increase its carbonation!

Advise drinking it above 12deg (just as it is in the UK), otherwise it will taste cold and flat.

Also, apologies to those who don't like Windsor yeast - I only used it to avoid ending with a low FG, and it's made some "funky" flavours along the way. I have learnt my lesson!

Hutch.

Thanks for the heads up Hutch, I will put it back in the fridge for tomorrow nights tasting.

 

[brettprevans]

Hutch - I like windsor. so im happy to drink any youve got left over agree that some styles are best drunk at winter room temp to get the full flavor etc.

 

[haysie]

Just to spell out what the deal is with the split entry by voota and myself:
We brewed the base beer together but fermented it separately and added coffee in differing amounts via two different methods.
For those that got a PET bottle labelled 22, you have my entry, and for those who got a glass bottle you have Voota's, which makes mine look like a soft co#k entry. For each full longneck of Voota's you get a full dose of coffee, useful for picking you up after a few too many

Q

Yes I had longneck #22 today, wow the coffee to me was dominating, I dont even have coffee for breakfast hence I didnt enjoy it. I am sure coffee enthusiasts will enjoy Voota`s "Starbucks Stout"
Thanks guys.

Haysie

 

[AUHEAMIC]

Harold.

Not much more to say than I have really enjoyed this bottle whilst cooking tea tonight. I remember your muddy days. Judging by this one you have everything under control. I could go a keg or two of this beer. Good job, god job, this un.

 

[mark_m]

Well fellow swappers, so far I've thoroughly enjoyed working through the list.

Thanks for the comments so far, for those who asked, "motueka" is the re-badged NZ B-saaz - I thought the new name sounded a bit more exotic.

2 things I've realised - my palate's not as well developed as some of you fellas & I should keep tasting notes (or not "sample" 4 beers on the trot on brew night).

Having said that:

#3 "Harold" all I can remember was this was good. Refreshing pale ale

#4 Hutch Best Bitter - nice malt backbone, good level of carbonation for the style, had chilled the bottle a little too much, improved as it warmed to shed temperature.

#7 Hairofthedog Saaz pilsener - enjoyed, maybe a little more bitter than I was expecting, but would happily go there again.

#8 Chris Taylor Weizenbock. Great creamy head. Very distinctive. I'm really not a wheat fan, but a well made beer.

And from earlier tonight:

#11 Cummins English pale ale. After initial pour & what the F@#$? reaction (some really interesting yeast activity in this one I reckon), re-aligned my expectations & quite enjoyed the rest of the bottle. Vive la difference!

Cheers

Mark

 

[chris.taylor.98]

5. Hutch - London (not the) Best Bitter

Brilliantly clear, with deep copper colour. Almost no head due to low carbination.

Aroma had some hop aroma, and slight malt character though fairly subdued, also a hint of acetaldehyde (green apples).

Flavour had fairly assertive hop bitterness with some english hop character, slight alcohol presence and some malt sweetness.

The finish was reasonably dry. The acetaldehyde was also present in the flavour.

I have to say Hutch that you chose one of the hardest styles here out of all the swappers. The ESB is supposed to have very prominent hop aroma, flavour and malt all in equal balance, with low carbination ... almost an impossible ask as far as I am concerned.

That being said apart from cleaning up the acetaldehyde I would probably back off a little on the overall IBUs and try make the aroma hops and malt a bit more assertive. Also thought that the carbination was a little on the low side even for an english "real ale" style beer (low carbination would have also contributed to subdued hop aroma).

Still very drinkable beer.

 

[mark_m]

One more for the night.....

#6 Andreic irish dry stout. I have yet to try an AG stout, but will definitely have a crack at this recipe not too far into the future.

Thanks for the beer Andrei.

Mark

 

[doppelbrewer]

2. Fents some sort of US Lager

Great way to start the case swap, good head retention, nice balance of malt and hops, very refreshing. Would have to agree with the other posters, too good for a US Lager. When's the next batch?!

5. Hutch - London (not the) Best Bitter

Nice looking beer, nice copper colour, very clear. Medium level of malty goodness, didn't notice any "funky" flavours! Medium bitterness (not enough for me though, but I like the IBU's). A touch undercarbed for my tastes, otherwise a very nice drinkable beer, esp at the right temperature.

7. Hairofthedog - Saaz Pilsener

I'm not normally one for drinking Pils, but this was very nice, refreshing, good level of carbonation, good level of bitterness. More please.

 

[mark_m]

Side note to the tasting thread - have just been back to the recipe thread - Fents, looks like we might have to share in the mystique of the Motueka hop.
Without being overly presumptuous, had you considered re-badging your contribution as "Motueka lager" or "Some kind of Pacific Rim Lager"?
Either way, I would be proud to be associated.

Mark

 

[Hutch]

Hey Chris and others - thanks for the feedback on #5.
This was my first attempt at the style as an AG recipe, and agree that it is a bit off the mark. I've since made a follow-up brew where I really think I've nailed it, and the criticisms so far are spot-on.

Incidentally, I can 100% conclude that the Windsor is responsible for the Acetaldehyde (funky flavours!), as the other 20Ltrs (double-batch) got WYeast 1318, producing a far cleaner beer. Sorry that this was not my contribution to the swap!

As for carbonation, I was aiming for similar levels to hand-pumped beers in the UK, which to me are almost completely flat (and the best examples bursting with English hop flavours). I think the bottled UK beers we get here are much higher carbonation than the cask variety.

Now for another tasting...


24 - Leigh's Golden Ale

Definitely not 9.5%abv. Seems around the 5.5% mark, and very clean ferment. Slightly hazy, nice creamy head, with excellent head retention that seemed to last forever (what can I say - I'm a slow drinker!). Good choice adding the carapils and wheat DME - head retention is excellent.

I thought the kit flavour was rather prominent, which is in no way a criticism of your brewing, more a comment on the quality of most kits. I would strongly recommend you try one of the lighter kits as a base (Coopers Euro Lager for example), with added malt extract or grains. I found this kit to have very little kit twang, making it a good base for most styles. Also, the twang tends to get worse with older kits, so best to get the newest off the shelf (you should be able to get Coopers cans only a few months old).

Hop flavour and aroma was a little on the low side (for an APA), although IBU's were not excessive, and overall a very well balanced beer. I did get some green apple, which was probably the only fermentation flaw I could detect. Otherwise a very clean ferment!

To my tastes, if it wasn't tainted by the "kit twang", I reckon it would be an excellent beer. Certainly better than most kit beers I've ever made!

Cheers Leigh!

 

[therook]

Hey Chris and others - thanks for the feedback on #5.
This was my first attempt at the style as an AG recipe, and agree that it is a bit off the mark. I've since made a follow-up brew where I really think I've nailed it, and the criticisms so far are spot-on.

Incidentally, I can 100% conclude that the Windsor is responsible for the Acetaldehyde (funky flavours!), as the other 20Ltrs (double-batch) got WYeast 1318, producing a far cleaner beer. Sorry that this was not my contribution to the swap!

As for carbonation, I was aiming for similar levels to hand-pumped beers in the UK, which to me are almost completely flat (and the best examples bursting with English hop flavours). I think the bottled UK beers we get here are much higher carbonation than the cask variety.

Now for another tasting...


24 - Leigh's Golden Ale

Definitely not 9.5%abv. Seems around the 5.5% mark, and very clean ferment. Slightly hazy, nice creamy head, with excellent head retention that seemed to last forever (what can I say - I'm a slow drinker!). Good choice adding the carapils and wheat DME - head retention is excellent.

I thought the kit flavour was rather prominent, which is in no way a criticism of your brewing, more a comment on the quality of most kits. I would strongly recommend you try one of the lighter kits as a base (Coopers Euro Lager for example), with added malt extract or grains. I found this kit to have very little kit twang, making it a good base for most styles. Also, the twang tends to get worse with older kits, so best to get the newest off the shelf (you should be able to get Coopers cans only a few months old).

Hop flavour and aroma was a little on the low side (for an APA), although IBU's were not excessive, and overall a very well balanced beer. I did get some green apple, which was probably the only fermentation flaw I could detect. Otherwise a very clean ferment!

To my tastes, if it wasn't tainted by the "kit twang", I reckon it would be an excellent beer. Certainly better than most kit beers I've ever made!

Cheers Leigh!

Hutch, i think you should send out another 21 bottles so we can compare the 2

Rook