homebrewandbeer.com

An important aspect in attempting to copy commercially available beer is to regularly sample the real thing....So, in the interests of better brewing, I'm submitting my palate to a recalibration exercise this evening (or until I lose bodily function!).

Here's the entree:



And main course (gotta love those pint bottles of Little Creatures!!):



And as the ambulance arrives, the dessert course:



It's a tough job, but it's all in the name of making better beer!! I'm a tad disappointed that there was no SNPA available...




Cheers,
TL

Sorry Trough, I`ve mislaid your address again?
Don`t do anything till I get there.

your old mate ryan that hasn`t been round for a while and can`t remember just where you are

Sorry Ryan - I've kicked off without you....the White Shield IPA was a ripper!

Cheers,
TL

Trough Lolly wrote:Sorry Ryan - I've kicked off without you....the White Shield IPA was a ripper!

Cheers,
TL

Wouldn`t it f##k ya, I was in such a hurry to leave I got 8 k`s down the road before I realised my pushie had a broken chain
You better have my share mate,thanks anyway.
Over and out.
{sob}!!

Burp!!

For those of us who would like to know what DMS smells and tastes like - grab a stubby of Sam Adams Boston Lager pour it in a glass, wait one minute and inhale deeply from the glass then take a swig....pheew!

Call me crazy but I'm taking notes as I go and for the hell of it, I'll post my thoughts when I'm not seeing several keyboards!

Cheers,
TL

Nice score there TL. Enjoy them, and any you can't get through, you know where to send them.
I had a Hobgoblin a few days ago, and have just finished a Weihanstephan Dunkel. Beers like that are a revelation, compared to most of the standard Aussie beers.
Not only do they educate your palate, they also give you something to aim for in your brewing.

Cheers for that - they had Hobgoblin and several Weihenstephan beers but I ran out of cash!

They had the full range of Knappstein / Mountain Goat and several other oz brewers there as well - they've come a long way from VB and Cardonay!

the white shield is my fav out of that lot..... a great example of an IPA.

cheers Ross

Yep, it's a beauty - but then again, I'll perform lewd acts for a keg of IPA or dunkel!!...And the Bishop's Finger is nice but the bitterness is quite unusual - it's somehow delayed, not an in your face bitterness but one that hits the palate well after you swallow. Quite nice but not as obvious as other well bittered Kentish Ales...

Then again, my palate is taking a hammering - much the same way it did when I visited your fine abode, Ross!

Cheers,
TL

That is indeed a fine selection...

how you holding up... thru the Little Creatures yet?

Yep...opening the first Hatlifter Stout right now...Grand Ridge have done a reasonable job - it looks like a dark ale not a stout and there's a tiny whiff off DMS in it too. Yep, definately not a stout in opaqueness - but the taste is quite nice and sweet plenty of chocolate and toffee and a hint of roasted malt - certainly not a dry stout. I'm having trouble picking up the hop bittering type but then again, I'm having troubles looking at the tv too!

It reminds me of a poor cousin to Young's Double Chocolate stout that is an excellent sweet stout IMHO...

Gee this is fun!

Cheers,
TL

I am interested to hear of the first harvest. I only recently heard of this beer and it sounds very intruiging. I am certain I have no hope of finding it locally but it may be worth having my brother in law bring one down for me next visit?

I was always under the impression that the first harvest of hops were over the top and you should wait a few years for the plants to settle in and take on their true character. Perhaps using "first harvest" hops in a beer is nothing to brag about?

Trough Lolly wrote: I'm having trouble picking up the hop bittering type but then again, I'm having troubles looking at the tv too!

lol, im not suprised, If I drank that much I doubt I could stand!!

Kevnlis wrote:I was always under the impression that the first harvest of hops were over the top and you should wait a few years for the plants to settle in and take on their true character. Perhaps using "first harvest" hops in a beer is nothing to brag about?

Kev,

I think the first harvest refers to the first harvest of the season, rather than first harvest of that plant. Link.

Cheers,
Greg

Nice find TL. I had read that it was made with the first crop of two new breeds of Tasmanian hops and was sort of experimental. I can now assume that was crap

Yeah, it was ok but not exactly jaw dropping. Mind you there were worst beers in the lineup...

Cheers,
TL nursing a bit of a hangover!

Ross wrote:the white shield is my fav out of that lot..... a great example of an IPA.

cheers Ross

Agreed! Added it to the list of styles i need to learn more about.

Nice....

I have about 40 empty LCPA pint bottles sitting around waiting to be filled... they are the perfect size...

I might have to see whether i can get my hands on the White Shield IPA.. but i'm a little poor on funds to do any R&D at the moment....

So when do we get to see the results of your palate calibration experiment and read about what you thought of your eclectic selection of beers?

when he remembers