June Bonus Brew and Swap

[Agentgonzo]

Second on my list is this witbier from @Alastair70 .

Bonus points for picking a bottle cap that matches our kitchen .

Moderately carbonated beer, but with an excellent head that lasted ages (unlike mine that vanishes). Plenty of lacing.

This was a bit surprising as it doesn't have the normal wheat beer smell and taste, and is darker than thinks like Hoegaarden/Blanche's etc. I can taste the wheat in there (I think) but the wit flavour (banana/clove) is very low and subdued - what yeast did you use?

If pushed, I would say it's half way between an English bitter and a witbier. Moderate malt flavours and a dry finish with low bittering make this very refreshing and a lot more digestible (as the Belgians would say) than I get from other wits in that I keep going back for it but it doesn't leave me burpy and feeling a bit overwhelmed by the wheatiness. The aftertaste has a lovely softness that lingers on the palette for about 30s as it gradually fades away with hints of orange and thyme. The beer burps are much more pleasant than Hoegaarden etc and a pleasant aftertaste of the beer, rather than the "someone farted beans up my gillet that I get from most witbiers"

Not quite what I was expecting from a wit, but in many ways I prefer this to what I was expecting - it's not as "in your face wheat" as a lot of wits are and it is fantastic because of that because you can just keep going back for the next sip. It's just a shame that I can't go back to the bar and ask for another pint, because that's exactly what I want!

Excellent work, well done

 

[Alastair70]

Second on my list is this witbier from @Alastair70 .

Bonus points for picking a bottle cap that matches our kitchen .

Moderately carbonated beer, but with an excellent head that lasted ages (unlike mine that vanishes). Plenty of lacing.

This was a bit surprising as it doesn't have the normal wheat beer smell and taste, and is darker than thinks like Hoegaarden/Blanche's etc. I can taste the wheat in there (I think) but the wit flavour (banana/clove) is very low and subdued - what yeast did you use?

If pushed, I would say it's half way between an English bitter and a witbier. Moderate malt flavours and a dry finish with low bittering make this very refreshing and a lot more digestible (as the Belgians would say) than I get from other wits in that I keep going back for it but it doesn't leave me burpy and feeling a bit overwhelmed by the wheatiness. The aftertaste has a lovely softness that lingers on the palette for about 30s as it gradually fades away with hints of orange and thyme. The beer burps are much more pleasant than Hoegaarden etc and a pleasant aftertaste of the beer, rather than the "someone farted beans up my gillet that I get from most witbiers"

Not quite what I was expecting from a wit, but in many ways I prefer this to what I was expecting - it's not as "in your face wheat" as a lot of wits are and it is fantastic because of that because you can just keep going back for the next sip. It's just a shame that I can't go back to the bar and ask for another pint, because that's exactly what I want!

Excellent work, well done
View attachment 88103

Cheers mate, glad you enjoyed it!
It’s 50:50 wheat malt:pale malt. That was the last of 50kg pale malt @Donegal john gave me a good while back, and it’s got a bit more oomph in the colour department which has come across in this brew. I got a single hop addition, 16IBU of Saaz Lupomax at 60m.
The yeast was Lallmand Belgian Wit. I step mashed and fermented to get a balance of phenols and esters, and I think I hit the balance I was looking for. I’ll be brewing thIs again as a quaffer for next summer

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Starting my Saturday with @SMP Brewery wit.

Pours nicely with a lovely fluffy head, aroma bready and slightly citrusy. A really nice lively golden colour, I'm unsure how well carbonated these are supposed to be but it fits this beer. Flavour is unmistakably wheaty, nice and sweet with a bit of tart lemony sweetness in the finish. Definitely some clove in there too. I've not had a wit before, but I'd definitely have one again if they all taste like this! Nice one!

 

[Agentgonzo]

Final witbier swap from @SMP Brewery .

Light fluffy head that dissipated to a thin raft that lasted till the end of the beer.

Nice wheat flavour and classic wit flavours, paired with a nice lemony zing. Very similar to drinking a glass with a slice of lemon, which is my preferred style.

I think this is my favourite of the 4 I've had (including like mine!)

Very nice with cheese and a great way to finish the day after I accidently flooded the kitchen floor a bit over dinner when the chiller hose made an escape from the sink.

Very well done indeed!

 

[SMP Brewery]

This is my recipe

German Pilsner 2.5kg
Wheat malt 1kg
Rolled wheat 1kg
Flaked oats 300g
Flaked barley 300g
15g Saaz @60min
25g Saaz @15 min
5g coriander seeds
3g of allspice
500g of chopped apricots

I couldn’t find any oranges on brew day so put apricots in instead, they where very prominent at first, but by the time of the swop had virtually disappeared.

 

[Agentgonzo]

This is my recipe

German Pilsner 2.5kg
Wheat malt 1kg
Rolled wheat 1kg
Flaked oats 300g
Flaked barley 300g
15g Saaz @60min
25g Saaz @15 min
5g coriander seeds
3g of allspice
500g of chopped apricots

I couldn’t find any oranges on brew day so put apricots in instead, they where very prominent at first, but by the time of the swop had virtually disappeared.

Wow. I can't say I tasted apricots, but I do find identifying and naming flavours hard. I definitely got a lemon zing in it though.

 

[SMP Brewery]

So I did a swap with @pilgrimhudd his bitter for my Wit, I’m ashamed to say I didn’t let this warm up enough when pouring it so it only had a small head and as soon as I took a sniff and there wasn’t much there realised my mistake so had to leave it for a while.

It was a lovely light chestnut colour with a slight I would say toffee smell but also a hint of what I can only describe as spicy, might be the wrong description, still getting to grips with descriptions. This went down a treat just the right amount of bitterness for me and wasn’t too dry. It reminded me of my yoof drinking Sam Smiths but a bit lighter.

Thanks for sharing really enjoyed this and could quite happly have had a few more.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

So I did a swap with @pilgrimhudd his bitter for my Wit, I’m ashamed to say I didn’t let this warm up enough when pouring it so it only had a small head and as soon as I took a sniff and there wasn’t much there realised my mistake so had to leave it for a while.

View attachment 88512

It was a lovely light chestnut colour with a slight I would say toffee smell but also a hint of what I can only describe as spicy, might be the wrong description, still getting to grips with descriptions. This went down a treat just the right amount of bitterness for me and wasn’t too dry. It reminded me of my yoof drinking Sam Smiths but a bit lighter.

Thanks for sharing really enjoyed this and could quite happly have had a few more.

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

The second of my two bitters. This one is from @pilgrimhudd and weighs in at 5%.

Good well behaved pour, nice carbonation, and light chestnut brown in colour. Clarity is almost there with just a little haze. The off-white head collapsed to a nice foamy raft on the beer and then persisted for a while.

The aroma is of toffee, a little chocolate, and a hint of spice.

The flavour is actually a lot more spicy than the aroma suggests - almost giving the impression of a rye beer. The malt is lightly toffee flavoured as suggested by the aroma and there is a touch of chocolate. Hops are earthy and spicy. I’m not getting much in the way of fruity esters so I’m unsure if this is perhaps not an English ale yeast or is just a very clean fermentation. The bitterness is quite assertive and actually quite nice if you like bitterness (I do ).

The beer has good body and as I drink it I’m getting some nice bands of lacing down the glass.

Nice beer Pilgrim, thank you!

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Nice one, glad you liked it, I can't remember the yeast, think I used cml Midland. Hops are all fuggles with a pinch of challenger.

 

[Stu's Brews]

A little belatedly I'm getting stuck into the bitters that I was sent.

First up, a Fuggles bitter from @pilgrimhudd.

The beer pours a dark amber to brown colour, with a red hue in the light. Thin white head but it retains well. Aroma is caramel/toffee from the malts with a little hop earthiness too. Flavour is much the same, perhaps with a touch of spice also coming through. Bitterness is moderate, but balances the malt character well. Body is medium with a cask-esque level of carbonation that makes it very easy drinking.
A great example of the style, cheers!

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it, i've really liked it and will definitely be brewing it again.

 

[Stu's Brews]

Tonight's beer is @Hazelwood Brewery's bitter.

This beer is quite a bit lighter in colour than mine and pilgrimhudd's. More of an orangey amber. Crystal clear though with a fluffy white head that retains well.

Aroma is quite spicy, almost a bit Belgian style clove in character. Beneath that there is some orangey citrus and caramel notes. Less spice on the palate, more of the citrus and caramel.

It's definitely a less malt-forward version in comparison to mine but that combines well with the moderate bitterness and medium to light body to make a very easy drinking summer beer.

Thanks for sharing, another great beer!