Secret Santa 2013

[morethanworts]

Merry Christmas everyone! Great effort on the reports already. :clap:

My feedback on BG7 Hercule's Hammer, a Belgian inspired Golden Ale, from my 'not so secret Santa', as the sender pointed out. (One of the downsides to organising part of the swap is that I'm not really that anonymous! I'm sort of looking forward to being anonymous again at some point...)

I was a good boy this year, and kept that up well enough not to open the envelope before the tasting.

This poured a deep gold, bordering amber colour, with a small head that settled quickly down to a light foam over the top. The aroma was clean, rather than funky, with a little zing from the hops.

Tasting revealed a rounded sort of malt bill, which was balanced excellently by the hopping. I could get both the bitterness and further flavouring from the hops, though I was not sure what they were - too early in my own AG pursuits for that! Carbonation was pleasant, with lots of small bubbles filling out the mouth feel. The hops lingered around nicely in the aftertaste and the alcohol (5.7%) was suitably warming, but without undue prominence.

This was a very enjoyable ale, with no off tastes and I could have supped this happily all day. Even more yeast funk and carbonation would have suited my own taste in the style. The envelope revealed it to be Brewlab's Belgian Lager strain, which I've never tried and perhaps explains the clean profile, though it sounds like this was fermented warm, from the enclosed details. (?)

The package included a nice letter, which mentioned the possible slight under-priming, and the grain bill and hopping schedule. Saaz and Aramis had been used at each stage of the boil, with some late and dry. I didn't get a big aroma, which I'm actually very happy with in the style, but the flavours were definitely there from all the additions.

There were 5 different malts involved, mainly Dingemans Belgian Pale, with a bit of lager and a little darker grains

Well done Mr BG7 and thanks very much for a great Christmas day sup! My dad liked it too :

BG8 later...

 

[Kinleycat]

Review of X11; skinny wee heavy.
A well matured 7% strong scotch ale.
First thing first, whoever comes forward to claim this as their brew, you are a legend. This was absolutely sensational!!
Flavour wise it's packing loads of Munich malt, Maris otter, pale crystal, caramalt, dark crystal and chocolate malt.
Determining an overall flavour was difficult as every mouthful you noticed something different, firstly malty then a sweet coffee flavour took over
Unsurprisingly it had loads of body and kept a head through dinner and well passed the Christmas pud.
Reading through the brew notes, it was clear a lot of time and effort went into this brew and showed through in spades.
If I could come close to brewing something like this in time I would be delighted.
I'll hazard a guess our brewer has plenty of experience!!
Well done, that is a first class brew!!!

 

[Duncs]

Next beer I received is USA5

brewed with coriander seeds. I've never had a beer brewed with corriander so I wasn't sure what to expect. As you can see, it pouted with a large head and there was a fair bit of sediment at the bottom of the bottle and a little made it into the glass. I'm about half way through the pint and there is a nice lacing on the glass.

The taste of coriander seeds is there in the background but it is balanced nicely with the hops and there is a very slight taste of melon, overall it is a very nice pint and I would definitely order another if I were served this in a pub. :hat:

:

 

[RobWalker]

Bobsbeer - i know it's largely against the rules here but you got my bottle! I realised I forgot to include the info after, it's an Irish Red Ale with lots of Topaz hops. You can find the brewday in my sig if you want. Glad you enjoyed it.

I'm yet to open mine, couldn't fit it in yesterday and I'm working the next two nights so it'll be more of a new year secret santa :lol:

 

[Duxuk]

X8 opened with a reassuring hiss to reveal a perfectly carbonated, crystal clear, light tan coloured bitter. The nose was slightly hoppy. The mouthfeel was quite thin with a malty edge balanced with a little sweetness,well balanced with fruity hop notes. There was a taste of honey on the finish which lead to a suprisingly yeasty aftertaste which clung to the palate. All in all a pleasant, light bitter.
The accompanying note revealed it to be a Wilko's Hoppy Copper kit with added fermentables, dry hopped with Goldings, having an ABV of 4.1%

It was a pleasure to drink :drink: Thanks Stuart.

 

[bobsbeer]

i know it's largely against the rules here but you got my bottle! I realised I forgot to include the info after, it's an Irish Red Ale with lots of Topaz hops.

It was very nice. I shared it with my son who also liked it. Very lively though. :lol: Merry Christmas :

 

[Paddy]

#BG1

Apologies for the belated reply. I cracked open the "Strong Belgian Saison" 10% but only getting the chance to post now.

In the bottle it was crystal clear but was a little lively on opening so I got some sediment in the glass.

Appearance: Packaging was the same as the BG2 (first feedback on page 10) which put my own to shame. It poured like liquid gold. Lovely colour and a nice thick head. Lots of carbonation which is how I would expect a Saison.

Aroma: Thought I would get a lot of heat up the nose with the high ABV%. The alcohol was there but it was offset by fruity and citrusy hop aromas (Czech Sazz?) which made for a really pleasant combination. A very subtle tinge of banana on the tail end of the aroma too.

Mouthfeel: I have to hand it to whoever brewed this beer as it had the nicest mouthfeel of any home brew I've ever had. The creamy head was also consistent and it was well laced to the very end (something I struggle to achieve).

Flavour: Not a lot of spice from the yeast (one would associate with a Saison) initially but I could detect more pepper the further I got down the glass.

On the notes it mentioned honey as an ingredient. Being a mead brewer definitely I definitely noticed a slight earthy bittersweet honey flavour on the back of the tongue. What I really liked was that the flavors came in stages.

It started with slightly harsh heat (alcohol) on the front and sides of the tongue that quickly mellowed into mild spice and pepper (phenol) like an unexpected gift before transitioning nicely to citrusy fruits (hops) and gradually finishing by rolling into drawn out and very pleasant earthy bitter-sweetness (hops/hint of honey) with the sweetness decapitating to leave a slight bitter twinge on its own.

Overview: More balanced than anything I could ever brew. Overall a delicious beer I would order regularly were it available at my local. If I could one day brew a Saison of this caliber I would die a happy man.

Would be interested in finding out what hops were used...

Well done and many thanks! :hat:

 

[rpt]

This is my review of Z4 ESB/Best Bitter 5.3%. I drank this on Christmas Eve but wasn't sure I was meant to post a review then. Family visitors then got in the way so I've only just found time to post. No pictures as I was too thirsty and no silly Christmas clothes as I didn't get them until Christmas Day - perhaps next year.

The beer came with the recipe and some notes - it's based on Wez's Big Kenny Bitter from the forum recipe section but with modifications to match the brewer's stock.

On opening the bottle and pouring into the glass it was very well carbonated and had a very nice head. This lasted all the way down the glass - something I never seem to be able to achieve. The beer was a fairly dark caramel colour which seems to perfectly match the style. The recipe includes both chocolate malt and roasted barley so that obviously gives it the colour. The wheat malt helps the head but that doesn't seem to help my beers much. At least I now know it's not my glasses.

The flavour was quite bitter but it's a nicely rounded bitterness complemented by the maltiness and hops. A very nicely balanced flavour. Delicious in fact.

So it was an excellent pint that I would have been proud to have brewed. I think it's going to be my next brew as I think I have all the ingredients in stock, although the crystal and chocolate malts might be different colours. It will be interesting to see if my attempt is anything like as good.

 

[nobyipa]

USA1
Tasting live now just opened and Turkish delight floral bomb smell coming out of the bottle
Updates and photos to come
Live
:drink:

 

[Dizzle]

This is my review of LW5 Pilsner 4%. I was pleased to receive a Pilsner as i had just brewed one myself so thought it would be great to compare. I was even more pleased when reading the letter attached to find out it was an AG brew as mine was just an adapted kit!

The beer poured quite well with a decent head which lasted for most of the glass. The beer had an interesting choice of hops for a Pilsner which were surprisingly complimentary to it and definitely gave it a unique taste, it was almost like a clean refreshing Pale Ale. The hop flavour was strong but didn't overpower the clean taste expected from a Pilsner. It was interesting to know that an ale yeast (safale-05) was used but still produced such a clean flavour.

Top marks from me! Thanks Santa! Quality beer :thumb:

 

[nobyipa]

nice grapefruit flavour coming through perfect carbonation leaving a pleasant linering taste and nice dryness the way i like and thanks to the secret santa brewer perfect 10 out of 10
:hat: :hat: :hat: :drink: :drink: :drink:

 

[abeyptfc]

at least we'll know how to spot you at TST noby haha!

 

[nobyipa]

well i certainly know what amerillo tastes like now just read the notes wow
15 amerilllo additions at different times through boil and dry hop madness but fantastic affect very unique the bitterness is very uniform great balance
and i taste the slight sweetness maybe from the 67C mash ?
Great beer
:drink: :drink: :hat: :hat: :

 

[Jimmy321]

BG4 KriekyDeeky Cherry Beer 6% Vol,



Poured with a bigger head than in the pic as my camera phone crashed.

Darkish gold with a slight rose tint and cloudy as I poured some yeast in, tastes slightly bitter with a sour cherry bite drying with malty notes. I would guess this is a wheat type beer as the malty notes hint towards.

OK on opening the note that came with it it's a Brewferm Kriek Kit with golden syrup and 150g of cane sugar (for priming?) so i have no idea if it contains wheat but whatever it is it's good. I have not made a kit for years but if I did not have time for an all grain I may very well make this.

Thanks for the share.

Jim.

:

 

[Asalpaws]

Hi Paddy,

thanks for the comments! Very perceptive, the hops are Saaz. I used the Lallemand - Belle Saison yeast, a bit underwhelming from a Saison funky point of view but a good fermenter. T

 

[tubti01]

My Review of Z5.

First off, may I say some of the reviews on here are frighteningly professional, but I'll give it my best shot.

All I had to go on was 'Pale Ale, ICA 5%'
Opened with a nice little 'Pssst', poured well with a small head, which dissipated quickly, no lacing on the glass. No aroma that I could detect, but a couple of nasal polyp operations have left my sense of smell in tatters, so that's not surprising.

The first gulp produced a nice, silky mouth feel, nice bitter taste, not too much alcohol. At first there was a short, bitter finish that left you feeling slightly disappointed, but then it got a second wind and returned with a long, malty, lingering finish.

Sadly I am not experienced enough to talk of hop varieties, etc, but overall a nice clear beer with good carbonation, not too gassy, and a nice finish that keeps you coming back for more. I haven't opened the secret envelope yet, but I suspect this is an all grain brew that has been made this way more than once.

My congratulations to the brewer, very well done, I would be more than happy to pay for a beer of this quality.

OK, I have now opened the tasting notes, and I wasn't too far away. ICA stands for 'Intense Citrus Ale'. The botched polyp operations robbed me of the 'strong citrus fruit aromas', but I think I got the rest pretty much as described.
I can only aspire to brew a beer of this quality one day!

PS
I did take some photo's, but I'll be buggered if I can work out how to post them!

 

[scott-ayling]

drank z2 Damn Scoundrel on Christmas day. Wish I never drunk in when I was already drunk as would be able to give a better review. From I member it was a rather nice IPA with lots of fizz and citrus notes. I gave the father in law a taste and he normally just drinks lager and he gave it the seal of approval that he could drink it. I don't even know what I done with the letter with it but I remember reading it and it was an adapted kit which was dry hopped. I never made any kit which tasted as good .

 

[DirtyCaner]

Hi Everyone,

I hope you've all had a good Christmas. It has been good here, but very busy. I've finally got down to sampling my Secret Santa brew.

It arrived in plenty time and I left it to settle out in the cold for a couple of weeks. The festively colourful label doesn't give much away but the nice note included says it was a kit brew.



I poured it out and was rewarded with a decently carbonated pint, nice and clear (until I let a little sediment slip over), medium brown in colour.



The first taste was pleasant and malty with a light hoppiness on the aftertaste. IT went down easy and I did enjoy it. Overall, the beer was well balanced and had a pleasant flavour. A good honest pint without that harsh background flavour you sometimes get from some kit brews. Santa said in the note, that they were relatively new to brewing, but I am sure they are happy with how this brew turned out.

I would be interested to find out which kit this was. If I were to guess, it did remind me a little of Coopers IPA, although it has been a long time since I had one of these. With the nice malty flavour, I wonder if spraymalt was perhaps used?

So go on, Santa, reveal yourself?

Cheers Everybody,

DirtyCaner

 

[morethanworts]

My Review of Z5.

PS
I did take some photo's, but I'll be buggered if I can work out how to post them!

You've got to have posted a minimum number of times to post pictures. I think it's 10. :hmm:

Ah... here we go. Click here to learn how to post pics.

 

[Neilster]

Cheers Duncs, I brewed USA5 - glad you liked it! :thumb:

My review of USA3 - a great, copper coloured, strong beer. Excellent use of cascade, Columbus, simcoe and Amarillo hops. I've only used cascade out of those four - will defo buy the others in the future. Good head retention throughout, good body and mouthfeel. Hopefully I can brew beer to that standard next year! Thanks secret santa!!! :clap: