Vic Xmas In July 2008 Tasting Thread

[Hutch]

Make sure you pull everything apart and work through it with 2 different sanitizers.

Good advice Q.
I'd suggest a long soak with hot napisan, and get into the tap thread with a brush to remove all the visible crud.
Follow this with a dose of caustic soda (available at the Supermarket), followed by some strong Acid sanitiser (Grain & Grape sell a product called Defender, a phosphoric-acid sanitiser that works a treat).

Nothing should survive that onslaught - If it doesn't get rid of the problem, chuck it all out and start again!

 

[voota]

Agree with hutch's words about superhero stout... That beer has been the pick of the swap for me so far by a long way (not to take credit from the other beers... but this stuff was sensational!)
I'll post my tasting notes on a few of the beers soon(ish).
and sorry to the people who don't like coffee, and subsequently wont like my contribution to the swap.

 

[andreic]

5. Hutch - London (not the) Best Bitter

Very low carbonation so no head at all to speak of (to be expected from previous comments). Golden-brown, mostly clear with a slight haze. Aroma was quite malty, nutty, with some fruit showing through as it warmed. Tasted very malty, nutty and very fruity from the yeast. Nice level of bitterness to match the flavours going on. There was a bit of sharpness in the bitter finish but this seemed to subside or disappear from prominence as it warmed up. Its medium bodied.

Good one Hutch! I've no idea how close this is "to style" but its a tasty beer. Even though you aimed for low carbonation I'd probably give it a touch more, but that didn't prevent my enjoyment of the beer. Between this beer and the last beer I made with Windsor I've decided its a yeast I like...

cheers, Andrei

 

[Fents]

i really should throw some swaps in the fridge!

 

[Barramundi]

i havent got any to the fridge yet i usually like to let them rest a week or so before they go into the fridge ...

 

[Hutch]

i really should throw some swaps in the fridge!

You still recovering from swap day Fents?

Another tasting tonight...

7. Hairofthedog - Saaz Pilsner

For want of a BJCP style, I'm assuming this is a Bohemian Pils...
Light gold, medium carbonation, Medium chill-haze (or maybe yeast haze). Reasonable, but not too agressive saaz aroma, perhaps on the low side for my liking, but highly drinkable none the less. Seems like a good session beer, with nice aroma, but not excessive hop levels. Medium body, with a nice clean pils maltiness, though perhaps a little one-dimensional (needs some melanoidins to give it a slight "caramel" maltiness typical of Boh pils).

As it warms, the stewed pear & apple flavours stand out a little, and there's some slight higher-alcohols present (very slight cardboardy aroma that I recognise from the tail-end of vodka ... um, urr, "essential oil" distillation).

As was commented above, I think this is as good a beer as you can make with saf yeasts, a real credit to you Troy. Only suggestions I'd make are to add a touch of Melanoidin (say 1%), and maybe a few % Munich or Vienna for good measure, and get your hands on a good liquid pilsner strain, pitch BIG, and ferment low.

I really enjoyed this beer, and the above notes are as critical as I can be about it.
Top stuff hairofthedog :icon_cheers:

Hutch.

 

[superhero]

Hello All,

The tasting continues ...

14. 65Bellett's Best Brown Ale - dark brown in colour, medium/high carbonation and a very, very long lasting creamy white head. Great head 65Bellet!!!
Aroma initially predominantly white bread with medium/low chocolate. White bread aroma is overtaken by chocolate as the beer warms. Taste is slightly
malty with medium chocolate and roasty notes. Improves as it warms up. A very drinkable sessional brown ale.

Not sure what's next but I'll be sure to post the tasting notes.

Beer on!

Cheers

Superhero

 

[andreic]

9. Barramundi - One grain One Hop Ale

Very light pale yellow colour. Almost totally clear with a very slight haze. Nice white compact head with medium carbonation. Some malty/grainy aroma with slight hint of perfume. Tastes pretty clean, with a light malt flavour and something else - a subtle character from the yeast perhaps? Its has a moderately bitter finish. Pretty light bodied.

I thought it was almost lager like. It was very easy to drink and I think would make a great session beer! Well done Barramundi.

cheers, Andrei

 

[brettprevans]

5. Hutch - London (not the) Best Bitter

drank at room temp (so ~12C). Very low carbonation but you still get a head out of it if you know how to pour it. the carb level was fine i thought for this sort of beer. Gingerale brown and clean as a whilstle. malt, nut and some hops bitterness coming through - maybe a little buscuit?. not a huge amount of bitterness until the aftertaste/finish, the it kicks in. really easy to drink. I could have eaasily knocked back 3 longnecks of this.

 

[AUHEAMIC]

Just chuggin down Hairs pils. Bloody top drop bud. I normally find Saaz a bit too soapy for my taste. This ones got none of that. Even brought a smile to the wifes dial.

 

[Wardhog]

11. Cummins - you were right, Cummins. That is the same infection as Alvin's, and from what you've told me, it can't be kit twang.

23. Moonee - Oak Butt Brown Ale
I thoroughly enjoyed this beer, it's what I wanted Harold to be, but with different hops. A hoppy but not over the top hoppy pale ale. Great job, I could happily drink this often.

 

[brettprevans]

9. Barramundi - One grain One Hop Ale

good colour with only a little haze? good carbonation. really light clean taste. if this was served as a commercial beer you'd be going through kegs of it with the average punter. It would appeal to the normal palate. Must have had a really low FG? 1 grain and 1 hop, damn good job. can anyone say session beer?!

 

[andreic]

1. Peels - Kinda Porta

Unscrewed the lid and was greeting by a foaming head creeping slowly out of the bottle. High carbonation. Poured carefully and still got a massive off-white head. Its a nice deep brown colour which won't let me quite see through my large glass. Nice roasty malty,chocolate aroma. Tastes malty roasty, coffee, chocolate, some fruit. A nice level of bitterness. It feels nice and smooth and has a slightly dry finish.

I think this beer is over-primed. After my first half glass I let it sit a while and drank slowly. As some of the excess carbonation went away it became a very nice beer indeed. I enjoyed it a lot.

cheers, Andrei

 

[Hutch]

6. Andreic - Irish Dry Stout

Andrei, I don't think you can make a bad beer. This was another great drop, and I'm usually not a big fan of homebrewed stout (maybe those Coopers kits in the early days have tainted my opinion).

The finish was indeed quite dry, perhaps over-emphasising the level of carbonation, which I immediately didn't like (my reference being the usual Irish suspects, although I guess it's hard to mimic Guinness without the widget!)

I drank it slowly. Head retention is excellent, and the carbonic bite gives way to a nice balance between roast barley, and very clean bitterness. I could note detect a distinct hop character (not unexpected), and was surprised to see a mix of 3 UK hop varieties in the recipe. It even had an almost textbook acidic tang of drought Guinness, though don't know how you managed this!
I'm very impressed you achieved this result with a relatively simple grain-bill, and Nottingham dry yeast. Definitely another recipe to add to the list. Very clean fermentation, and no evident apples or warm alcohols.

If possible, I think this would be a sensational keg brew with a Nitrogen mix!
Top job.
Hutch.

 

[andreic]

11. Cummins - English Pale Ale

Very muddy, murky looking with a thin head that disappears almost instantly. Strong smell of burnt rubber. Tastes a little watery, slightly tingly and hint of sour aftertaste - not very beer-like. Its infected and was tipped out.

Sorry mate. I've had the same infection once last year myself. I brewed a double batch of aussie pale ale and put it into 2 no chill jerry-cans. One jerry-can didn't seal properly - letting some air in, and it also leaked a bit. This jerry was stuffed with the same characteristics (murky, thin head, rubbery smell, and off taste). The other jerry fermented out fine. I instantly retired the fermenter with the dud beer. Do you have a theory of where it went wrong?

Andrei

 

[andreic]

6. Andreic - Irish Dry Stout

...

If possible, I think this would be a sensational keg brew with a Nitrogen mix!
Top job.
Hutch.

Thanks for the kind feedback Hutch!

I don't have kegs yet. Is it really possible to get the nitrogen mix? I'd love to do that some day...

Andrei

 

[Wardhog]

7. Hairofthedog - Saaz Pilsner

B Saaz, right? That's an awesome hop,and this is a very, very good beer. A competition judge would say it's too sweet, but that's right up my alley. Great job. Nice pale straw colour, fantastic hop flavour. I could have the most painful (headache-wise) Sunday in history and would be happy because it meant I had a Saturday night on this beer.

 

[andreic]

19. Alvin Ng - No idea yet

Golden, very slight haze, fairly thin head. And that burnt rubber aroma again.... yep, I agree that this seems to be infected with the same bug as Cummins English Pale Ale, though perhaps not quite as bad.

Sorry mate, I tipped this one out. These things happen... (there was at least one last swap also from memory).

Andrei

 

[Wardhog]

Thanks for the kind feedback Hutch!

I don't have kegs yet. Is it really possible to get the nitrogen mix? I'd love to do that some day...

Andrei

You can do it with Tap-A-Draft, but I don't know for sure with regular kegs.

 

[brettprevans]

#3 "Harold" Wardhog
great beer. really interesting flavours. chinook was interesting. really enjoyed this whilst cooking dinner tonight. went too fast.

8. Chris Taylor - Weizenbock
wow chris! havent had one before so nothing to compare to. is it the cane sugar giving it that slight bubblegumy? flavour? maybe its the yeast? a really nice "flavour layered" beer. really enjoyed this too. some thing sip on really enjoy the individual flavours as they mellow in together,

will have to brew both of these.

Thanks fellas.

I think im half way through the caseswap.

 

[andreic]

20. mortz - Munich Dunkel

Very dark brown colour. Beautiful looking slight off-white head. Medium carbonation. The aroma was very malty with hints of chocolate, some roast and something sweet. Tastes was also rather malty. It was slightly sweet. There were some other flavours in the background which I'm not sure about... caramel? honey? vanilla? It really smooth, clean and finishes a little dry. There's just enough hop bitterness to make sure the sweetness is too much. Medium body.

Wow - what an awesome beer mortz. Well done. I really wanted to crack a second bottle... :beer: I've never had a munich dunkel before but I'm thinking I should put it on the brewing schedule very soon.

cheers, Andrei

 

[Wardhog]

21. superhero - Milk stout

I've never had a beer that's taken me two hours to drink around 700 ml of and enjoyed every minute of it. One bottle would be the limit for me, I wouldn't enjoy a second one, but I sure enjoyed the hell out of the first one.
8.2%? That's that lovely warm taste that I enjoyed so much (and made me want to go to sleep).
I don't normally go in for stouts, but this one has made me decide to brew a monster black beer soon for Christmas.

Sheesh, there's not many bottles left in my case, and there's only a couple that haven't been brilliant. Good work, guys.

 

[superhero]

Hello All,

Just tasted Leigh's Golden ale and I like it. I'm not quite sleepy enough for it to be 9.5% alc/vol. Maybe I'm becoming more alert!!!

24. Leigh's Golden ale - Colour is orange/brown, at a bit of a stretch it's dark gold! Carbonation is medium with a thin head but wonderful
Belgian lace. Aroma is very citrusy. Taste is also citrusy. Not much malt to speak of but strong citrus hop flavour and medium bitterness.
A very nice drop.

Thank you to everyone who likes my milk stout. I didn't mean for everyone who normally doesn't like stout to like stout but
I reckon there's no better beer in Winter.

Until next time.

Cheers

Superhero

 

[AUHEAMIC]

21. superhero - Milk stout

Superhero,
What can I say about this beer that hasnt already been said. Oh yeh, its f#!king fantastic. Never had a milk stout before but like some others Im not a stout fan. I just dont like the high level of roast/black malt used in stouts. What ever you have done to this beer has toned down the burnt malt nicely. You must have taken your glasses of and had a change of clothes when you made this one.

Cheers
Peels

 

[superhero]

21. superhero - Milk stout

I've never had a beer that's taken me two hours to drink around 700 ml of and enjoyed every minute of it. One bottle would be the limit for me, I wouldn't enjoy a second one, but I sure enjoyed the hell out of the first one.
8.2%? That's that lovely warm taste that I enjoyed so much (and made me want to go to sleep).
I don't normally go in for stouts, but this one has made me decide to brew a monster black beer soon for Christmas.

Sheesh, there's not many bottles left in my case, and there's only a couple that haven't been brilliant. Good work, guys.

Hi Wardhog,

I'm glad you enjoyed the beer and have inspired you to brew a big stout!
I could probably get another bottle to you if you did want to drink it faster!

I too feel a bit sleepy after one of my milk stouts. I've been told it's more
a cross between a milk stout and an imperial stout. I like it and it's good
for aging. My milk stout from 2005 was very tasty.

Maybe Harold can be next on my list for tasting! I'll be nice to him. Not like Mr. Taylor!!!!

Cheers

Superhero

 

[Wardhog]

^^^ Harold wants to meet Chris in the car park in 5 minutes. Harold tells me that Chris insulted his family as he pulled him out of the freezer as well.

8. Chris Taylor - Weizenbock Att

Picked a perfect day to taste this one - cold, windy, wet. What %ABV is this? It has a lovely alcohol warmth, and the bitterness sparkles in the mouth - I probably wouldn't appreciate this fully on a hot day, but it's doing it for me right now. Another great beer.

 

[andreic]

24. Leigh - Golden Ale

Nice golden colour. There's a very slight haze. I got a nice white head in my glass. There was a nice hoppy aroma that I really liked - cascade I think. A little hop flavour. Fairly sweet. Feels nice in the mouth but quite filling. I think other's have already stated disbelief at the labelled 9.5% - I would tend to agree, but it does feel like there's a healthy level of alcohol there.

This beer has some nice aroma and flavour and was quite enjoyable. Its slightly sweet and filling which would limit me to 1 or 2 in any single sitting but that's to be expected with a beer labelled 9.5%!

cheers, Andrei

 

[chris.taylor.98]

^^^ Harold wants to meet Chris in the car park in 5 minutes. Harold tells me that Chris insulted his family as he pulled him out of the freezer as well.

8. Chris Taylor - Weizenbock Att

Picked a perfect day to taste this one - cold, windy, wet. What %ABV is this? It has a lovely alcohol warmth, and the bitterness sparkles in the mouth - I probably wouldn't appreciate this fully on a hot day, but it's doing it for me right now. Another great beer.

My profound apologies to Harold and all his ilk. I sincerely regret the whole incident and doing my best not to repeat it in the future. All I can say is that Harold seemed remarkedly unaffected for the experience and still tasted great regardless.

BTW I estimate the Weizenbock to be about 8.3% ABV.

I tasted this again when Superhero was around here the other night, and agree with some previous comments that this sample is a little bit on the harsh side, and will hopefully improve with age.

If you appreciated this beer at all Wardhog do yourself a favor and go and try Schneider Aventinus for the real deal.

 

[chris.taylor.98]

#3 "Harold" Wardhog
great beer. really interesting flavours. chinook was interesting. really enjoyed this whilst cooking dinner tonight. went too fast.

8. Chris Taylor - Weizenbock
wow chris! havent had one before so nothing to compare to. is it the cane sugar giving it that slight bubblegumy? flavour? maybe its the yeast? a really nice "flavour layered" beer. really enjoyed this too. some thing sip on really enjoy the individual flavours as they mellow in together,

will have to brew both of these.

Thanks fellas.

I think im half way through the caseswap.

CM2, I suggest the bubblegumy is most likely coming out of the yeast. My previous attempt was a bit muted on the yeast flavour side, so I pitched it at 22C for the first 12 hours then down to 18C for the next 2 weeks. If I do this one again, I will be aiming somewhere between the two (ie maybe 20C at pitching).

I don't think I can really taste the sugar, but it did cause the FG to drop to 1.014, which is far too low for a big beer like this. In my experience, when the Weizen yeasts attenuate too far it usually results in a much harsher overall taste.

 

[chris.taylor.98]

9. Barramundi - One grain One Hop Ale

Great beer Barramundi, in fact until I copied out the title from the case swap list, I was under the impression that this was actually a lager it has come out so clean.

Some malt/grain in the aroma, slight hop aroma, and possibly slight sulfur.

Flavour was more of the same, with the grainy flavour a little more prominent. Good bitterness to balance the malt sweetness carrying through to a pleasantly dry finish.

Very balanced. My only disappointment was that the bottle ran out too soon.

I have to agree with previous posters that overall the beers tasted so far have all been of a very high standard.