Theres a few bitters and Belgian Wits doing the rounds this month. Post your reviews here, and is customary, any insights you’ve gained from the swap and wish to share.
June Bonus Brew and Swap
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I’m going to get the ball rolling with the beautifully labelled bottle from @Caramel Ox.
It’s been bottle conditioned and opens with a great hiss. Carbonation is medium to high with a generous head that dissipated two thirds of the way in.
The wheat malt is evident in the aroma with a hint of clove. The flavour is great, tonnes of clove and pepper coming through. The malt profile is similar to my own effort, wheat sweetness with orange peel notes. I’m wondering if the recipes were similar but with a much more expressive yeast here.
Great beer, well brewed and beautifully packaged. Cheers!
It’s been bottle conditioned and opens with a great hiss. Carbonation is medium to high with a generous head that dissipated two thirds of the way in.
The wheat malt is evident in the aroma with a hint of clove. The flavour is great, tonnes of clove and pepper coming through. The malt profile is similar to my own effort, wheat sweetness with orange peel notes. I’m wondering if the recipes were similar but with a much more expressive yeast here.
Great beer, well brewed and beautifully packaged. Cheers!
It’s going to be downhill from here when you have mine 
This is @Agentgonzo wit, also I think my first try at writing a proper description and it is very hard!
Appearance is spot on, lots of fluffy head and a great colour, very sophisticated label.
Aroma I struggle with, I suppose it smells like a wheat beer but that’s the best I can manage.
Taste - it is very well carbonated with a bit of honey sweetness, no overpowering tastes going on. Nice and refreshing thanks!
I agree, if you aren’t used to describing the taste, smell etc.
I’ve found that because most of these beers are new to me I have no idea what they should taste like, that’s the fun of it.
Good job
I’ve recovered from the lurgy that robbed my sense of smell, so it’s time to try another wit, this time from @SMP Brewery.
This is a much more contrasting to brew to my own. The carbonation level is spot on, and delivers a long lived fluffy head. The colour and aroma are lighter than mine and on a par with the brew from @Caramel Ox. It’s beautifully clear. The flavour is a delightful balance of wheat sweetness and the subtle lemony citrus that I associate with noble hops. Pepper and clove phenols hold everything together and complement a dry finish with a great length of flavour.
It’s a very tasty brew, crisp dry and very sessionable. I’d could easily tan a gallon of this on a sunny afternoon in the garden.
This is a much more contrasting to brew to my own. The carbonation level is spot on, and delivers a long lived fluffy head. The colour and aroma are lighter than mine and on a par with the brew from @Caramel Ox. It’s beautifully clear. The flavour is a delightful balance of wheat sweetness and the subtle lemony citrus that I associate with noble hops. Pepper and clove phenols hold everything together and complement a dry finish with a great length of flavour.
It’s a very tasty brew, crisp dry and very sessionable. I’d could easily tan a gallon of this on a sunny afternoon in the garden.
Last brew, all the way from the secret volcano lair, thank you @Agentgonzo 
. Bottle conditioned to a moderate to high carbonation level, a generous bubbly dissipated about halfway down the pint.
The aroma is now very familiar, wheat malt and clovey phenols predominate. The flavour is very well balanced between wheat malt and the clove and pepper phenols. Its got a lovely clean dry finish that makes it dangerously drinkable.
It’s another very well brewed beer, and that’s 3 for 3 in this swap. I’m looking forward to seeing all the recipes to see if my preconceptions on how each was brewed are justified!
. Bottle conditioned to a moderate to high carbonation level, a generous bubbly dissipated about halfway down the pint. The aroma is now very familiar, wheat malt and clovey phenols predominate. The flavour is very well balanced between wheat malt and the clove and pepper phenols. Its got a lovely clean dry finish that makes it dangerously drinkable.
It’s another very well brewed beer, and that’s 3 for 3 in this swap. I’m looking forward to seeing all the recipes to see if my preconceptions on how each was brewed are justified!
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Interesting. I thought it finished a bit on the sweet side. FG was 1.016 as it didn't attenuate enough.
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Hmmm, can't seem to attach the recipe
I think wheat malt gives a perceived sweetness to beer (at least to my palate) which would help hide any underattenuation. It was an easy drinker that cleared that palate nicely and went down very quickly.
I’m not attaching mine until all have tasted it, there’s something there 
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https://community.grainfather.com/recipes/772382
Screenshots it is as I can't seem to upload the PDF recipe from my phone. It's a simple recipe. Not actually dingemans malt as that's hard to get. I just used Minch lager malt and the I think it was bestmalz wheat malt.
I did a 10 minute ferulic acid rest at 44°, followed by a hockhurz step mash.
Screenshots it is as I can't seem to upload the PDF recipe from my phone. It's a simple recipe. Not actually dingemans malt as that's hard to get. I just used Minch lager malt and the I think it was bestmalz wheat malt.
I did a 10 minute ferulic acid rest at 44°, followed by a hockhurz step mash.
Intriguing. I look forward to tasting it!I’m not attaching mine until all have tasted it, there’s something there
This is the Wit from @SMP Brewery.
I’m aware that the bottle dregs are often poured into the glass in this beer style but my own experience of my beers has been that they have a medicinal flavour so they are avoided. Now I swirl the bottle and sip to decide if it’s going in - this had an interesting taste so it went all in!
Aroma is of cider? Hard to identify, it’s sort of cidery but not appley.
Medium carbonation and attractive colour.
It is quite dry and refreshing with a lingering lemony taste. Very interesting I don’t think I would have guessed wheat.
I’m aware that the bottle dregs are often poured into the glass in this beer style but my own experience of my beers has been that they have a medicinal flavour so they are avoided. Now I swirl the bottle and sip to decide if it’s going in - this had an interesting taste so it went all in!
Aroma is of cider? Hard to identify, it’s sort of cidery but not appley.
Medium carbonation and attractive colour.
It is quite dry and refreshing with a lingering lemony taste. Very interesting I don’t think I would have guessed wheat.
This is the last of my swaps - Wit from @Alastair70 I think this is keg bottled which is a first for me.
Noticeably darker than the other 2, poured with a small head but it stayed well.
Aroma of wit I suppose! Quite fruity.
Carbonation seems different somehow, it can seem quite flat but then the bubbles burst on the tongue.
Taste I get bread and fruit, it has a lightness to it which is very pleasant.
Noticeably darker than the other 2, poured with a small head but it stayed well.
Aroma of wit I suppose! Quite fruity.
Carbonation seems different somehow, it can seem quite flat but then the bubbles burst on the tongue.
Taste I get bread and fruit, it has a lightness to it which is very pleasant.
The first of my beers is a wit from @Alastair70
As a comparison I had one of mine as well and this one is noticeably darker (obviously the one on the right) than mine.
The head disappeared fairy quickly on mine, but that could just have been the glass, very nicely carbonated.
The first aroma I got was a soft spicy smell with a hint of orange.
The first thing I tasted was orange, so I’m hoping there is orange in it It seemed drier than mine and was more malt forward.
A nice beer to have on a sunny evening.
As a comparison I had one of mine as well and this one is noticeably darker (obviously the one on the right) than mine.
The head disappeared fairy quickly on mine, but that could just have been the glass, very nicely carbonated.
The first aroma I got was a soft spicy smell with a hint of orange.
The first thing I tasted was orange, so I’m hoping there is orange in it
It seemed drier than mine and was more malt forward. A nice beer to have on a sunny evening.
Interesting to see how mine has changed from 14days in the keg
To now 87days
To now 87days
If anyone fancies a wit to bitter swap I'm open for it?
Because they look nice!!
Next up is @Agentgonzo Witbier, cracking label, especially compared to mine
Opened with a nice hiss and poured soya cracking fluffy white head, and lovely colour. I didn’t put the dregs in either used what was left for aroma. From which I got mainly coriander and perhaps the faintest hint of banana, something sweet.
I tried this half and half (sounds like curry n chips with rice) the first half without the suggested lemon and the second half with. Without a doubt I preferred it without. It had a lovey soft mouth feel due to the carbonation with hints of spice and citrus that lingered in the mouth, whereas with the lemon those flavours got overpowered.
A really well brewed beer for my taste.
Opened with a nice hiss and poured soya cracking fluffy white head, and lovely colour. I didn’t put the dregs in either used what was left for aroma. From which I got mainly coriander and perhaps the faintest hint of banana, something sweet.
I tried this half and half (sounds like curry n chips with rice
) the first half without the suggested lemon and the second half with. Without a doubt I preferred it without. It had a lovey soft mouth feel due to the carbonation with hints of spice and citrus that lingered in the mouth, whereas with the lemon those flavours got overpowered. A really well brewed beer for my taste.
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