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Bum wrote: James Squire IPA is a decent sort of introduction to IPAs but probably not a classic example of the style - it is far from a dog of a beer though. ).

I've tried James Squires' but from memory all I can think of that it was bitter but not mch else (should I be expecting more?)
I will see if I can source Jamiesons beast. Cheers

Depends how long ago it was you had the JSIPA, might be worth revisiting to see if you get more from it now. For me that one actually has a lot of background sweetness under the IBU. The Jamieson offering will be quite a bit more bitter than the JSIPA but there is a bit more going on around it too.

Brew Dog Punk IPA:
My first outing with Brew Dog at all, and it's a touch disappointing. I'm certain it would be a nicer drop if it were fresher, but there's only so much that that could have helped, anyway. The aroma hit you from across the room, and yet it wasn't one that would make you salivate. Thoughts of a small-batch toucan kit beer sprung to mind whilst I drunk as the flavour performed as the aroma did; harder to miss than a cow shitting on your head, but about as pleasant.

Crystal clear with a nice amount of carbonation, but then anyone with a filter and counter-pressure bottle filler can get those pretty easily.

Won't be rushing back.

Brew Dog Trashy Blonde:
Yep, did some 'research' shopping today so figured I'd get a couple from this brewery.

Carbonation and colour are as you'd expect from the style and it has a head that seems determined to stay with me until the glass is drained.

Distinctly spicy noble hops on the nose with almost a grassy earthiness underneath. I'm guessing considerable quantities of Saaz late in the boil.

First sip shows it to have a light body, as expected, and a fair amount of spicy hop flavour. Not overly bitter and what bitterness is there doesn't want to linger too long.

All in all, definitely one of the finer of the Blondes that are being paraded about these days and I can see it being much more appropriate on a hot Summer afternoon, as opposed to a cold evening in early Spring.

Harviestoun Old Engine Oil Porter:
Hardly a noise when you open the cap, definitely low carbonation. Pours black as the ace of spades and you can't see a thing through the glass if you hold it to the light.

Huge whack of malt on the nose which is followed by aroma of dark fruit (think raisins) and a very slight astringency that almost makes this brew smell like a malt and tawny port cocktail.

Obviously a very malt-driven beer but the first thing to hit me is the smokiness. Not because it's unpleasant or overpowering, just because I was surprised to find it there after the aroma didn't hint to it at all. Definitely some choc malt used to give it a slight astringency, but that astringency and the smokiness seem to bounce off each other wonderfully at the back of the palate. It's a balance leans a bit more to the sweet side of the fence, and I'd say definitely only the one hop addition -- this brew is all about the malt.

Wonderful commercial example of a porter and I'd buy it by the case if they sold it somewhere more local to me than the 45 minutes I drove today to expand my beer knowledge.

Yeah, so working my way through a couple, tonight. Hope I don't get overly poetic the more the night goes on, but it's something I'm known to do; there's a direct correlation between the amount I put away and my similarities to John Keats.

Shepherd Neame Bishops Finger:
Would have been thrown by the name had it referenced a different denomination, but I'm lead to believe that we're okay to trust the Anglicans and where they like to put their fingers.

Pours a dark reddish-brown with a small amount of foam that recedes back to just a thin covering floating on top.

First aroma to hit the nose is the spiciness of (I'm guessing) EKG, but that is followed up with waft of malt.

Unsurprisingly, the flavour plays out much like the aroma; big hit of the English hop spiciness up front, which quickly gives way to the interesting malt profile. It's hard to pick the malt here, it finishes almost like mint, with an almost imperceptable menthol quality to it, but is sweet at first. The entire aftertaste is somewhat reminiscent of the flavour in one's mouth some ten minutes after having a mint or aniseed boiled sweet. Wonderfully interesting.

Had almost not picked this beer up in the shop, now I'm very glad that I did. Wonderful English Ale and I shall endeavour to brew something similar very soon.

Yep, still going.

Marston's Pedigree:
Pours almost the same colour as the Bishops Finger (dark reddish-brown) but without the clarity. Quite a murky drop, indeed. Minimal head on pouring with a very scant covering of foam after settling. Not surprising, considering it's another English beer so should be lightly carbonated.

First aroma to hit the nose is the malt sweetness, followed by a subdued English hop spiciness. Definitely keeping within a theme, here.

I get EKG up front but a fair amount of earthiness at the back of the palate that I'm going to guess is Fuggles. The malt profile takes more of a back seat in this brew, but it's still a very balanced offering.

Not my favourite English ale, but I certainly wouldn't say no to another one.

Last one for the evening.

Schofferhofer Hefeweizen:
You'll have to excuse me as I'm somewhat of a noob when it comes to this style.

Pours a murky amber. The head is very thin but also very thick - the consistency almost reminds one of thickened cream and seems set to accompany me through to the end of the journey.

Get a definite German aroma; earthy with a malt backing and a distinctly subtle floral spice to finish.

Such a smooth mouthfeel with a sweetness that carries through. The floral hops really stand out in this drop with the earthiness shining through at the end. The sweetness can't be overlooked, but it certainly isn't a cloying sweetness, nor is it an overpowering caramel flavour - it is a light, candyish sweetness that complements the floral hops wonderfully. Get hints of a cool herbal tea, but with such a full body and almost secretive lingering bitterness.

If all hefeweizens are this good then I need to explore this style more.

G'day Bullfrog,

I think there's an article on Schofferhofer Hefeweizen and other weizens in the latest beer and brewer mag.
I'll be adding this to my list of beers to try thanks to your report

RUM57L wrote:G'day Bullfrog,

I think there's an article on Schofferhofer Hefeweizen and other weizens in the latest beer and brewer mag.
I'll be adding this to my list of beers to try thanks to your report

Hope you like it as much as I did, mate.

Tell you what though, I shouldn't consume so many beers on a 'research' night. Most of last night's brews were pretty high abv and came in 500mL bottles. Woke the missus up spectacularly when I finally remembered where the bedroom was

Mind you, finishing the night off with one or three of my stouts was possibly what pushed me over the edge.

Hey BullFrog,

hilarious is the way i can only describe the look on my missus's face when she discovers i've been "researching" as you put it.. usually followed by her storming off to the couch once my snoring has kicked into top gear.

Although i've banned myself from anything that puts me in danger on a monday morning .. mondays suck and i've learnt not to make them any worse

Research Night Round 2 (annual leave is bloody awesome!)

Erdinger Weissbier Kristall:
Shouldn't have been surprised, considering the name, but it pours crystal clear. Was expecting the classic murkiness of wheat beer, but none to be seen. Could read a newspaper (or an internet forum) through the pint glass. Well carbonated, massive head that won't budge.

Strong aroma, all German hops. Not a whiff of malt on the nose. A slight amount of floralness (now a word) which is followed immediately by a spiciness that almost punches you in the face and kicks you while you're down.

Has that hint of creaminess on the tongue that you'd expect from a wheat beer and I'm getting a slight amount of malt astringency in it. Not in a bad way, but there and complementing the other flavours. It's a much more balanced beer than the aroma lead me to believe and the bitterness lingers only slightly. If anything can be said of the yeast profile is that it's not as pronounced as in most wheats. That being said, I do get a hint of bubblegum up front and a touch of cloves at the end. Yup, estery and phenolly (both also now words) - don't know how they do it, but they do. Unless I'm getting it wrong, of course, but let's not think that way. Not even for a second.

Dangerously easy to throw back for a full-bodied beer. Will be hard to walk past this one next time I'm at the bottle-o.

Second offering tonight (just had a quick Bulmers to clear the palate, though )

Cairngorn Brewery's Sheepshaggers Gold:
I'm of Scottish descent and when I first saw this beer on the bottle-o's 'UK' shelf I thought that it must be the first Welsh beer that I'd ever seen in a Dan Murphys. I was wrong. Turns out it's brewed in Scotland. Obviously a tribute to their Welsh brethren. In any case, I've had this beer many times before, but thought I'd properly review it this time around.

Pours a dark amber. Not quite brown but not a hint of red in it. The minimal carbonation leads to there being almost no head when pouring and only the most meagre covering on top after settling.

Aroma is slight and almost astringent. It's like smelling a port glass a few hours after its contents were consumed.

Flavour is terrific. Very balanced beer. Hard to pick the hops or the malt as all of the flavours tend to blend seamlessly into each other. A touch of fruitiness that I'll attribute to the yeast with an almost honey-flavoured aftertaste. At 4.5% abv, it's definitely not the heaviest Scottish ale going, and the mouthfeel reflects that. Not a beer that sits heavily in one's stomach. Could drink this by the case (as, it so happens, my father is known to do.)

I'd recommend this beer to anybody that likes English or Scottish ales.

So I shan't be as verbose on this one (and shall completely omit the other Erdinger I had before this drop) as it isn't a beer and the night is getting on. Had me a perry which, imaginatively, was called Perry.

Its 7.4% abv almost makes it a pear wine, and it wasn't at all unenjoyable. It masked its high alcohol content well but there was an unmistakable oiliness (going great at creating words tonight -- I'm thinking that I'm quite the wordologist, as it were, as I seem to have created as many words this evening as William Shakespeare did in any given hour of his career) to the mouthfeel. The same slight olive-oil texture that I dislike sake for.

Won't try again, probably go for something closer to the 6% mark.

Oh, and the Erdinger that I've not commented on (just labelled "Weissbier") was so similar to the Kristall that I critiqued earlier, that the only difference in the write-up would be that it had a much more murky clarity, not quite the same silkiness to the mouthfeel and one could barely notice the yeast characteristics in it, leaving the entire flavour up to the (I've always found) roughness of German hops and the exact same (it seems) malt profile. Not a standout. Get the Kristall if you have the choice.

Old Speckled Hen:
Back to English ales. This one pours a dark reddish brown. Clear but darker than I had been expecting (which is odd, because it comes in a clear bottle; guess the thickness of my pint glass makes a difference.)

Get a lot of the spiciness that comes with Goldings at first whiff. I'm also getting cloves, grass and golden syrup on the nose.

Thin in body but full in flavour. The hops don't hit you as hard up-front as in most English ales, as the malt is there with it the entire time. The thinness in body obviously comes from mashing the barley at low temperatures, as it certainly doesn't have the dryness of basic sugars or cereal adjuncts; it has a full malt presence even with the lack of a full body. Fruity aftertaste can be attributed to their yeast.

Had always walked past this one at the store, but I'm running out of beers that look like I'd enjoy and yet have not tried yet, so picked it up. Glad I did.

Had a Fullers 1845 last night.

A very tasty Old Ale that i bought for the BJCP study group plus a few extras for myself.

Served at ~16C straight out of my faux cellar (spare room that is rarely used in a double brick house).

A wonderfully malt driven beer with all the characteristics of an old ale - sweet malt aroma with caramel/toffee, a touch of dried fruits and a slight port/sherry note.

Went down very well.

Followed that up with a sparkling raspberry cyser that i made 3 years ago. Quite smooth with a tartness from the raspberries. I have one in primary at the moment this time using the sweet mead yeast rather than a champagne yeast.

Bum wrote:I'm slowly sipping 194IBU of unfermented Pliny clone. Pitched the cube onto 1272 today and I am mightily excited already.

Just tasted the first SG sample (1024) of this and it is looking very promising. Frankly, I'm wondering if the further 84g of dry hops are really required but I'll stick with the recipe so I never have to wonder what could have been. Bitterness is nowhere near what I was expecting and very much in line with the commercial example - we'll see what the further 8ish points to go have to say about that.

Last night i purchased & demolished a 6er of JSGA along with a 6er of Fat Yak. Plan was to start with a fat Yak or two, which I did, then have a few JSGA and vice versa. Once I got to JSGA I couldn't go back to Fat Yak until they were all gone, and I like my Fat Yak. First ever James Squire Golden Ale and I absoloutely loved it. There is a sweetness there that I hope comes through in my AG version of drsmurtos that gets bottled tomorrow.
Cheers

My golden ale has a lot more flavour and aroma when compared to JSGA. I think that is a good thing but it comes down to personal taste.

This is what is waiting for me at the BJCP study group tonight.......

Class 8. Strong Belgian and French Ales: Dubbel (Affligem, La Trappe), Tripel (Affligem, Westmalle), Strong Golden and Dark Ales (Duvel, Chimay, Orval, Scaldis, La Chouffe), Biere de Garde (Jenlain, 3 Monts), Saison (Saison du Pont).

And then i am judging at the SA state brewing comp on Sunday, a very beery weekend.

drsmurto wrote:My golden ale has a lot more flavour and aroma when compared to JSGA. I think that is a good thing but it comes down to personal taste.

I was a regular drinker of JSGA, but since drinking DrS's recipe (k&b) I've found it to be a bit tasteless in comparison.

drsmurto wrote:Class 8. Strong Belgian and French Ales: Dubbel (Affligem, La Trappe), Tripel (Affligem, Westmalle), Strong Golden and Dark Ales (Duvel, Chimay, Orval, Scaldis, La Chouffe), Biere de Garde (Jenlain, 3 Monts), Saison (Saison du Pont).

Nice cheap shout Doc

When divided up 7 ways beers like these are affordable.

We tasted a few $40+ bottles during the stout session.....

Scary thing is i am not a belgian fan so this will be a real learning curve for me. I need to study up as there is a good chance i will be asked to judge a belgian beer during the exam.