Whats In The Glass (commercial)

[jbowers]

Yeah, Slowbeer. The Celebration only has one month less on its BB than the Porter and the porter is the new brown label so it shouldn't be too bad He had loads of SN boxes around the shop so I'm guessing he's just got some new stuff in? Maybe not the Celebration though. US APAs are never ideal here anyway so expectations are low.

I've had the MPA before some time ago. If this batch is the same I'll love it to bits.

Yeah it's a new arrival, but its brewed in american winter so probably around christmas time.

 

[glennheinzel]

I've had the MPA before some time ago. If this batch is the same I'll love it to bits.

MPA is awesome, although I need to try it again as I had sinusitis when I last had it (I wasn't able to hold onto it until the sinusitis had cleared). Despite my snoz being out of action, I was still able to enjoy the huge bitterness.

Here's a couple of more beers from the UK (a couple of weeks ago)...

Fuller ESB from beer engine. It was stinking hot in London so it wasn't the right weather for enjoying this beer, but I had to have it anyway because it was served from the beer engine and was in an appropriate glass (at a Fullers pub). It is a great beer, but I struggled to finish it on such a hot and muggy afternoon.


Brains SA. Brillliant, sessionable beer. I had the SA Gold as well, but the plain SA was awesome.


Oakham Inferno from beer engine. Nice citrusy/fruity flavour and aroma. Finishes dry with a firm bitterness. Perfect for a hot day. Had this and next two beers at The Rake.


Brew Dog Trashy Blonde from beer engine. Lovely ctirusy taste/aroma and a firm bitterness. Great for a hot day.


Sierra Nevada Brown Ale from beer engine. Mild choc and citrus aroma. Assertive choc and citrus aroma. Would've benefited from extra carbonation.


Meantime London Pale Ale from beer engine. Not overly challenging or brilliant, but it would make a good session beer.

 

[jyo]

Thanks mate. Must be to the end of boil or dry hopped with Galaxy. The passionfruit is beautiful.

 

[O'Henry]

Thanks mate. Must be to the end of boil or dry hopped with Galaxy. The passionfruit is beautiful.

It is a fantastic drop! Was there yesterday. What an arvo...

 

[bum]

Southern Tier Un-Earthly IIPA - This one smells pretty special. Big grassiness but subtle enough to let a little crystal caramel and hoppy citrus through underneath. Had me pretty stoked for a very complex beer. Immediate flavour on tasting is an even bigger grassiness - to the point of being quite harsh. After a few mouthfuls you become accustomed to it and some other details begin to emerge. There is a nice crystal backbone but it is still somehow quite simple. Some of the citrus comes through from the hops but it is very much in the background. The warmth from the alcohol (which is somewhat understated for an 11% beer) combines with the big grassiness at the tail end to make some weird but very pleasant spiciness. If they reigned that grass in the flavour in (by 20%?) this would be a tremendous beer. Still worth the price of admission as it is.

 

[bconnery]

I think this is a very special beer. I found the grassiness didn't overpower. I really felt that the balance was so well done that I could drink pints of this, even though it was 10% or whatever level it was...

 

[Ross]

Yes, the un-earthly is a fabulous beer.

On a side note - Bum, please reduce the size of your pics, it's a real pain opening threads with huge pics.

cheers Ross

 

[bum]

It is a very good beer (the price of admission it is worth was quite steep). And I understand this shipment has been here for some time so mine might be a little worse for wear. Either way it is well up in the list of AIPAs I've had in this country.

 

[bum]

On a side note - Bum, please reduce the size of your pics, it's a real pain opening threads with huge pics.

Will do. The forum automatically resizes so I haven't been bothering but I sometimes forget not everyone has the same speed connections. I'll go back and fix the above pics to avoid inconveniencing anyone else.

[EDIT: edit option has disappeared for pictures earlier than the Southern Tier, apologies]

 

[Ives_MD]

Pretty sure this is being talked about elsewhere but too lazy to do the searching...



White Rabbit White Ale
- havent done the research myself but have been told there all sorts of crazys happening here, Juniper berries, and Australian honey as well as the usuals coriander seed and orange peel. Pretty refreshing drop with enough complexity to make you slow down the sip rate and enjoy. And yes the white rabbit branded glass does make it taste better :icon_cheers:

ps apologies re: photo size if too large, not equipped in the uploading skills dept to adjust.

 

[bum]

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

Also, that celebration must be heaps old by now!

Yep.

SWMBO smelled it and said "It just smells like beer" (which means mega swill). And while I only partly agree with her there is very little to smell here. These hops have faded pretty hard. There's a tiny bit of nondescript fruitiness and a little crystal to be picked up here but you really do gotta give the nostrils a big flair to catch it. There is little hop flavour up front as well. There is a very nice, firm bitterness however - probably good enough to have bought the beer anyway but only if you enjoy your bitterness enough to look past how unbalanced this has become. I would be expecting to taste much more malt considering the supposed aim of this beer. To be honest I get more malt backbone in their PA. Lingering bitterness is slightly rough but I'm being pretty picky here, for some the roughness might come across as spiciness. This beer isn't terrible but I wouldn't recommend anyone grab one unless they're a fan of SN's style of bittering because that's really all that is on show in these old, travel weary bottles.

I should point out that I've never had a fresh one so I am making some assumptions.

 

[daemon]

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale



Yep.

SWMBO smelled it and said "It just smells like beer" (which means mega swill). And while I only partly agree with her there is very little to smell here. These hops have faded pretty hard. There's a tiny bit of nondescript fruitiness and a little crystal to be picked up here but you really do gotta give the nostrils a big flair to catch it. There is little hop flavour up front as well. There is a very nice, firm bitterness however - probably good enough to have bought the beer anyway but only if you enjoy your bitterness enough to look past how unbalanced this has become. I would be expecting to taste much more malt considering the supposed aim of this beer. To be honest I get more malt backbone in their PA. Lingering bitterness is slightly rough but I'm being pretty picky here, for some the roughness might come across as spiciness. This beer isn't terrible but I wouldn't recommend anyone grab one unless they're a fan of SN's style of bittering because that's really all that is on show in these old, travel weary bottles.

I should point out that I've never had a fresh one so I am making some assumptions.

I was lucky enough to have it on tap in 2008 (in the US) and I remember the hop and malt flavours being quite dominant. The SNPA in bottles here has always been disappointing compared to the bottles / draught beer that I've had in the US so the Celebration ale has probably suffered the same mistreatment.

 

[bum]

Yeah, I know. I've given up on buying SNPAs here. I've had one good bottle out of probably 10 attempts. But they say there's one born every minute so I had to try this one anyway. Wasn't a complete waste for me - the bitterness up front is still very nice.

Southern Tier IPA - I'm really enjoying this beer. Not because the beer itself is amazing (it isn't) but because it is reminding me of many of the beers I had in the US recently and how Australian breweries just aren't approaching the style from the right angle. Now to talk about the beer itself rather than my recollections. Aroma is a little light on for an AIPA. There is some complex fruitiness and a little spec grain sweetness but both are a little low for my tastes and I might have expected (hoped for anyway) some low level grassiness. The fruit does come much more forward in the flavour, as does the spec malts (pretty much all crystals, I'd say, not really anything bready or biscuity going on here) which brings not only a sweetness but also an entirely different mouthfeel to APAs/AIPAs here. The bitterness is possibly a little flabby and unfocussed up front but does extend out to a lovely, long linger(, lovies (lol)). In and of itself this is not a standout beer but it does make me feel homesick for a place I've never lived in.

 

[bum]

Renaissance Craftsman Chocolate Oatmeal Stout - SWMBO picked this one and I'm a recent convert to really dark beers I'll keep this one brief. This really does smell exactly like dark chocolate. Not a hint of dark chocolate - big, in your face, no beer here, dark chocolate. Taste is very similar albeit with a different bitterness to dark chocolate. There's a faint flavour at the end that I'm picking up as being "off" but as I say I'm not familiar with the style so it could be desirable. All things considered a bloody tops beer to share with SWMBO on such a chilly Melbourne night.

 

[dgilks]

Renaissance Craftsman Chocolate Oatmeal Stout - SWMBO picked this one and I'm a recent convert to really dark beers I'll keep this one brief. This really does smell exactly like dark chocolate. Not a hint of dark chocolate - big, in your face, no beer here, dark chocolate. Taste is very similar albeit with a different bitterness to dark chocolate. There's a faint flavour at the end that I'm picking up as being "off" but as I say I'm not familiar with the style so it could be desirable. All things considered a bloody tops beer to share with SWMBO on such a chilly Melbourne night.

Ahhh, that was one of the highlights of my NZ trip. Also great from Renaissance are the MPA and Funkel'rye'sen. You are right though that it is just one big chocolate bomb.

 

[jbowers]

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale



Yep.

SWMBO smelled it and said "It just smells like beer" (which means mega swill). And while I only partly agree with her there is very little to smell here. These hops have faded pretty hard. There's a tiny bit of nondescript fruitiness and a little crystal to be picked up here but you really do gotta give the nostrils a big flair to catch it. There is little hop flavour up front as well. There is a very nice, firm bitterness however - probably good enough to have bought the beer anyway but only if you enjoy your bitterness enough to look past how unbalanced this has become. I would be expecting to taste much more malt considering the supposed aim of this beer. To be honest I get more malt backbone in their PA. Lingering bitterness is slightly rough but I'm being pretty picky here, for some the roughness might come across as spiciness. This beer isn't terrible but I wouldn't recommend anyone grab one unless they're a fan of SN's style of bittering because that's really all that is on show in these old, travel weary bottles.

I should point out that I've never had a fresh one so I am making some assumptions.

Are you familiar with their bottling date system? That's really helped me land some super good tasting bottles, and avoid bottles that will probably be bad.

The celebration that I had, about january or feb, was awesome.

 

[jbowers]

Also, drinking an Anderson Valley Imperial IPA.

Not a bad beer. Not outstanding though. Fairly well balanced for an IIPA, find it quite drinkable. I'd like the hop flavour to really 'pop' a bit more though. Can't really be arsed reviewing it properly on BeerAdvocate or anything. I'll just drink it and enjoy it.

 

[joshuahardie]

Some beers from last month

ALba Scotts Pine ale. An ale that was spiced with spruce tips and pine needle tips instead of hops. This beer was different, and brilliant. It was very sweet in the malt department, maybe because there were no hops to balance it. the spices were aromatic and had hoppy, piney aromas, that smelt great. The beer had a grape bubblegum like taste, almost hard to describe. Like I said something totally different, but totally brilliant

Innis & Gun - Rum Cask Ale. An ale that was matured in rum barrels. There was underlying hint of rum. Not really like a bundy rum which seems sweet to me, but a different type of dark rum. I am not into spirits so it is hard to describe. Some hints of oak, and was was easier to drink than the 7.4% would indicate.

Vale Ale - Really loved this one. Little thin on the body, but some malt still shone through. the balance of hops was really nice. Not too bitter, but very aromatic on the nose, and a nice citrus / flower like taste. Left the mouth quite clean afterwards, ready for another sip. Ill gladly buy this again.

Matilda Bay Long Shot - I didn't like this at all. Last month I tried a Matilda Bay Sebastian, and it was riddled with problems, and this beer tasted like it is going to head down the same infected path. Has anyone else been dissapointed with this. Prehaps I got a dud bottle. The dark malts were really harsh and acrid, then there were the acetic and lactic undertones. I passed the galss around to a few others, who gave similar reviews... Hmmmm

 

[bum]

Keen to hear what you think of the Renaissance MPA.

It is not the beer I remember. The first time it was fruity, no question, but this time it is really like biting to a piece of fruit - skin included. I'm not getting much in the way of citrus fruit but I am tasting something akin to pith. The bitterness is nowhere near as big up front as I recall (though it is bitter) and there is almost no linger to it at all. I was tasting this beer for weeks last time. While it is unquestionably a solid beer it doesn't stand up to my previous experience.

 

[jbowers]

It is not the beer I remember. The first time it was fruity, no question, but this time it is really like biting to a piece of fruit - skin included. I'm not getting much in the way of citrus fruit but I am tasting something akin to pith. The bitterness is nowhere near as big up front as I recall (though it is bitter) and there is almost no linger to it at all. I was tasting this beer for weeks last time. While it is unquestionably a solid beer it doesn't stand up to my previous experience.

Pretty much exactly my experience. I found the sweetness mingled with the fruity flavours in a slightly unpleasant way. Still nice, but I was hoping of something of a similar quality to epic armaggedon.