homebrewandbeer.com

Decided on a 'research night' after a couple of pints of Cooper's pale at the local. While I started off with the intention of sobering up to taste and feel the beers, I'm certainly quite tipsy after them (helped out by cracking one of our bitters and a lager towards the end to show off to a mate that turned up). Singha Stout, Chimay blue, Leffe and Malt Shovel Abbey Ale. The Abbey Ale was a bit disappointing. Tasted like a good beer but seemed more like just a high ABV Pale, not what I was expecting.

Singha Stout is surprisingly light on initial maltiness and somewhat lighter than I was expecting overall. Strong and beautiful raisin aromas and flavours, with toasty flavours most apparrent at the finish. Slightly astringent.

Should have done some notes at the time with the Chimay as I have now finished it off and it was one of the harder to sum up brews. It had a solid malt profile through the beer, smelled a bit yeasty/nutty but not overpoweringly so. A bit fruity.

The Leffe would be similarly described, although I found it quite different (see below), and without the initial yeasty odours and also without some of the start to finish maltiness that the Chimay seemed to have.

I really need to work on my beer vocab. Next night will be some good English bitters I think. Maybe a good UK stout in there as well (I'd rather go darker than lighter).

I'm glad I finally got to try some good Belgian ales though. Wonderful

My latest experiment in ordinary kits/exotic yeasts. I normally do allgrain but I'm doing these as quickies in between grain batches with leftover yeast cakes. To date I've done:
a Coopers Lager with Wyeast Kolsch 2565, very very nice.
a coopers Pale ale with Wyeast Kolsch 2565, a fantastic beer nothing like the normal tin(the best of these experiments).
a Coopers Mexican Cerveza with Wyeast Kolsch 2565, glorified water.
European Lager with - Wyeast 2575 - Kolsch II. Brewed as a psuedo lager but has taken as long as a normal lager to come good, now very nice.

AND this above: Coopers English Bitter, 500g of dry malt as per the instructions and Timothy Taylor Landlord Ale Wyeast 1469. Tastes somewhat like a nutty, minus the honey midstrength version of Wassa's honey porter(I know, I'll make it as a beer judge some day). A very nice simple kit beer minus the homebrew taste. However, like the cerveza, if done again I'd reduce the batch from 23 to say 20l. Having said that, as a kit I think that it is ment as a kit to be more of an English Mild. Will get me Pommy mate over to make a more accurate judgement.

Cheers

Hirns

Californian Steem Beer, wy-yeast 2112, all Northern Brewer.
Beautiful drop. Will attempt it again.
Cheers

Stones Green Ginger Wine

rogues mongrel

Bum wrote:Stones Green Ginger Wine

I haven't drunk this in years

How about some tasting notes Bum?

Like mother's milk but on fire.

speedie wrote:rogues mongrel

Wassat?

My extract version of Doc's TTL clone.

Real thing in the nonic, mine in the oxford. Colour is good, flavour is not exact but in the ballpark - probably as best I could hope for with extract and spec grains.

No.57 Coopers Mexican Cerveza. Very average. Too sweet. An extremely disappointing beer, I'm sad to say.

Oliver

Drinking my mild bottled 3 weeks ago with
10 g Magnum @ 60 min
10 g Simcoe @ 45 min
10 g Northern Brewer @ 30 min
10 g Amarillo @ 15 min
using S-04, and a us-05 version for this glass. S-05 maybe a bit bitter for a mild although very enjoyable. I like the versatility of these even though I have gone for low abv versions so far.

It actually tastes confused and the hop schedule may explaun why. Either simcoe or amarillo is out of balance, I'm thinking amarillo coz it seems flavour based.
Cheers

Built up a good stock of pale Aussie Lagers over winter, drinking very nicely now.
Most are my staple recipe.

4Kg Pale Malt
0.5Kg Wheat Malt
0.5Kg Flaked Maize

18g Galaxy Flowers @ 60
12 - 15g Amarillo @ 5

S-23 yeast.

Cheers, Mick.

i am going to open a dusty nelson soon!!
are that fruity hopped beer

Tautara Hop Head Heaven APA - Mmmm...metal filings and lawn clippings. What a tremendous beer this isn't!

Had some unpronounceable Flanders Red earlier. Mentioned in the same breath as Rodenbach Grand Cru by the retailer so I bought it. Smells much rougher than Rodenbach and tastes diluted in comparison. However, had I not had Rodenbach I'd probably be a little bit in love.

I'm a big fan of bear Republic - they really do make some tremendous beers. Big Black Stout is not one of those. Such a confused and confusing beer. Mild roasty coffee, lesser sweet choc notes, almost cloying maltiness, ridiculously 'in your face' fruity esters, moderate hop bitterness, dry finish. I can't work out what they were aiming for here. Unless this is it and in that case I can't work out why.

OeTTINGER PILS

Goes down nicely. Prefer the hoppier ales. Still can't wait for a few coins for a shed that will then lead to a place for a lager fridge!

Hirns.

No.56 Black Rock East India Pale Ale. Five-and-a-half years old now, so not only is it old, it's tasting bloody old. Over the hill. Close to undrinkable.

The phoenix is rising

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy log.

3 Ravens USB. Terrible name. Average to middling beer. Fading bitterness is pretty rough, malt is forward but non-descript. If I made it I suppose I'd keep drinking it but I won't be buying it again.

I really like this brewery and their general attitude (except their APA) but their seasonal/limited brews are pretty disappointing.

I can't go past my Timothy Taylor Landlord (hiccuupP)
Did have mild brews earlier before boil of current brew but this just kicks ass. SMOOOOOOTH, with bite.

rotten wrote:I can't go past my Timothy Taylor Landlord (hiccuupP)
Did have mild brews earlier before boil of current brew but this just kicks ass. SMOOOOOOTH, with bite.

Rotton, comparing apples and oranges... but how do you view the TTL compared to the golden ale?

Hirns