November Competition - Lagers, Pseudo-lagers and Hybrid Beers

[MickDundee]

The other joint 3rd beer on 23.5/30 is @BeerCat with his Pale Lager

Appearance - crystal clear; head dissipated fairly quickly but stuck around long enough to be appreciated 4/5


Aroma - A little sulphur, perhaps a little fruitiness, I can also smell the smell that I always describe as “German” which I’ve always believed comes from Hersbrucker hops. 6.5/10


Taste - smooth, crisp, slight fruity esters, very little bitterness but in line with style. Esters are very nice. Carbonation a tad high for my taste. 13/15

I enjoyed this beer a lot. It’s very difficult to get a pale, low alcohol lager right and other than the slight sulfur smell I could find no obvious flaws with this one.

 

[MickDundee]

2nd place is @BeerCat again. It was a Czech Amber lager this time

Appearance - Lovely dark amber colour; Another crystal clear beer, head dissipated eventually but stayed around for long enough. 5/5


Aroma - honestly couldn’t smell a thing. From a lager fermentation perspective that’s great as it’s certainly not thrown out any off flavours. Would have preferred a little more “something”. 7/10


Taste - this seems to have the missing “je ne sais pas” on the front of the tongue that I’m missing from my steam beer so I’d be keen for the recipe. Obviously it’s a different style but it has the missing element I’ve been aiming for in 4 versions of the beer so this might help me crack it! Caramels roastiness at the back of the tongue. slightly lacking in hoppiness/bitterness and carbonation a little high for my taste. 13/15


Overall a very easy drinking beer for one so dark, and of course has that missing quality (almost tinny) on the front of the tongue that I’ve been trying to get.


25/30

 

[MickDundee]

The winner, with his Schwarzbier, is @MartinHaworth again with a score of 25.5/30

Appearance - head dissipated almost instantly. Very black, but I could see through it 3/5


Aroma - slightly roasty but clean 8.5/10


Flavour - smooth, crisp with a hint of roastiness that lingers at the back of the tongue. I don’t usually do dark beers, and I’ve never actually had a Schwarzbier before but this is beautiful. It has a very dry finish, which is probably why. Carbonation is fine, not spot on but pretty close. 14/15


The surprise of the bunch. I didn’t think I would enjoy this but it’s lovely. Definitely one I could drink a lot of despite it being dark.

 

[MickDundee]

Well done everyone, I’ve really enjoyed all of these so thank you to all of the entrants!

 

[MartinHaworth]

Thanks @MickDundee

The Munich Dunkel has been a disappointment to me - I've got 12 litres left to drink! It was my first decoction mash and I think I messed up the water treatment. There's just something not quite right about it - you named it a bit vinegary, could well be.

The Schwartzbier is a beer that I am enjoying - I offered it at BrewCon Club Night and it went down well. The condition is better from the keg...

Both of these beers are new styles to me (8a and 8b), and are the result of a group yeast buy 34/70 in our beer club.

Best wishes

Martin

 

[BeerCat]

Well done Martin and thanks for judging and the feedback Mick. Funnily enough i am drinking a black lager now. Would it surprise you to know the pale lager was a no boil. Cheers to you both and anyone else that entered.

 

[MickDundee]

Well done Martin and thanks for judging and the feedback Mick. Funnily enough i am drinking a black lager now. Would it surprise you to know the pale lager was a no boil. Cheers to you both and anyone else that entered.

That does surprise me, it’s very clean and crisp.

 

[BeerCat]

That does surprise me, it’s very clean and crisp.

What is really impressive is you can get a clear beer without kettle finings.

 

[samale]

Well done everyone

 

[mitchmalt]

Cheers Mick, it’s my first ever lager, so I’m not too upset! Well done everyone.