allotment_fox
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What great beer it turned out to be on top of that it travelled well too 
Autumn Forum Brew ‘n’ Swap Reviews
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I’ve lost track of whether all reviews are in, anyway this was my imperial:
From Greg Hughes Vanilla bourbon stout mash I split the first runnings for the imperial and the second runnings to make brown porter. This caused many problems on top of the long brew day - being unsupported by Brewfather I got the volumes all wrong and the mash kettle deadspace led to there being too little difference between the worts.
CML house was used for both ferments and was lazy…I liked the final flavour though.
The imperial had either half or one teaspoon of cooking vanilla extract in 10L (annoying that I didn’t record it) and 250ml Scotch whiskey.
Neither beer was very promising when bottled but really good when matured. The porter was one of my favourite beers of 2023, the imperial peaked at about 3 months (July) and seemed to suffer particularly during the September heatwave with many garaged bottles and no cool storage.
Overall I have enjoyed the swap and home brewed imperial a lot and have 2 planned for this year.
From Greg Hughes Vanilla bourbon stout mash I split the first runnings for the imperial and the second runnings to make brown porter. This caused many problems on top of the long brew day - being unsupported by Brewfather I got the volumes all wrong and the mash kettle deadspace led to there being too little difference between the worts.
CML house was used for both ferments and was lazy…I liked the final flavour though.
The imperial had either half or one teaspoon of cooking vanilla extract in 10L (annoying that I didn’t record it) and 250ml Scotch whiskey.
Neither beer was very promising when bottled but really good when matured. The porter was one of my favourite beers of 2023, the imperial peaked at about 3 months (July) and seemed to suffer particularly during the September heatwave with many garaged bottles and no cool storage.
Overall I have enjoyed the swap and home brewed imperial a lot and have 2 planned for this year.
I do believe I'm a review short of my tripel. Hopefully it's still ok as it was bottled from keg.
Sorry @Tess Tickle's Brewery and @Caramel Ox - you are both waiting on reviews from me.
I've had a complete nightmare with this swap; pretty much as soon as bottles arrived I was shipped off to China for 2 weeks. I then came back with Covid and spent the next 6 weeks or so fighting a variety of bugs. Throw in general busy-ness around the Christmas period / the start of this year and it's meant I haven't had many opportunities to actually sit and savor them.
The good news is that they have all been in the beer fridge since arrival, so hopefully they are still in good condition, and I have a clear calendar for the next two weekends so I'll get stuck into them then.
Thanks for the info Stu - hope you are feeling better now.
Yeah I'm all good now, thanks Tess - managed to shift the last of it about a week or so back. Nice to feel like a vaguely functioning human again!
Yeah I'm all good now, thanks Tess - managed to shift the last of it about a week or so back. Nice to feel like a vaguely functioning human again!
I know what you mean! Been back from holiday for over two weeks and I've only just got over the insomnia. Flying East doesn't suit me
Better late than never... Here is @Tess Tickle's Brewery's Belgian Tripel.
Amber to orange colour, with a fluffy white head. Good clarity, which the photo doesn't do justice.
Aroma is dominated by clove phenols, with a hint of banana and caramel.
Flavour is more towards banana and pear drop esters (isoamyl acetate), with some clove and caramel to round everything out.
Bitterness is low to moderate, as per the style. Carbonation is fairly high, which is again true to style. Finish is slightly sweet, but not cloying. The alcohol content is hidden well, you wouldn't know it is 9.5%!
A really good beer, thanks for sharing and apologies again for taking so long to review it.
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I think I'm waiting on one review too
Yep, you are, sorry about that. Your beer is still safely stowed in the fridge with the others from this swap. As they are all punchy percentages I shall be slowly working my way through them this weekend and the next.
Tonight I am drinking @Caramel Ox's Enlist Today Imperial Stout.
Deep black colour with a small tan head.
The aroma is dried fruits, chocolate and spice. I can't quite place the spice, could be from the yeast/fermentation.
Flavour is chocolate and coffee, quite smooth though as there isn't much evidence of any roastiness from the dark malts. Some background notes of fruit and spice.
The body is medium and the carbonation is fairly low. There's a slight sweetness to the finish along with a touch of alcohol warmth.
Overall this is a nice, surprisingly easy drinking, version of the style.
Tonight I am having @Jim Brewster's Saison.
Crystal clear, gold to amber beer with a fluffy white head that retains well.
Aroma is quite peppery with a hint of lemon citrus notes in the background. The citrus comes through more in the flavour, along with a slight tartness.
Bitterness is moderate and the mouthfeel is medium to light, giving quite a crisp finish.
I'm really enjoying this one, thanks for sharing!
Tonight I am having @Agentgonzo's Radieuse - which I think came 3rd in the Dubbel category at Brew Like a Monk?
Dark brown with a red hue. Fairy clear wiih a small off white head that dissipated quite quickly.
The aroma is initially nail polish (which definitely isn't a fault for the style) then some dried fruit and toffee comes through.
The fruitiness (plums) comes through more in the flavour, with a caramel/toffee background.
Low bitterness and a fairly dry finish. Quite light on the mouthfeel as well which makes it very drinkable.
It's a lovely beer, going down far too easily! Thanks for sharing.
Last beer of the weekend for me, and this time it is a Russian Imperial Stout from @pilgrimhudd.
Dark black, with a tight tan head that retains well. Looked quite viscous when pouring it.
The aroma has taken me slightly by surprise, I'm getting a red wine character with some dried fruits. Not the usual coffee/chocolate/roast you would expect from a stout.
The flavour is similar to the aroma, but with a little roast character also coming through. I'm getting some treacle too.
Bitterness is quite pronounced, which cuts through the fairly full body and slight residual sweetness nicely. Carbonation is spot on too.
A really nice beer that definitely deserves to be enjoyed slowly. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Stu, glad you enjoyed it, I agree with you regarding taste and aroma, not quite what I was going for but it's worked out ok. Funnily enough I put about 200mls of freshly brewed coffee in it with I had thought might be too much in 10L, but it seems not!
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