Secret Santa 2019 Reviews

[Oneflewover]

Sampled the first of my two beers this evening, a Mandarina Witbier.

Lovely refreshing citrussy aroma and flavour. Very enjoyable. A tad under-carbonated, a bit more CO2 would have really taken this to another level.

Thanks Santa!

 

[dave_77]

First of my beers tasted today, a Galaxy and Citra AIPA.

Pours with a nice haze and light, thin head that stays with the beer. Pleasant hoppy aroma and great body.

Really enjoyed this, nice easy drinking beer that incould happily sit and have 3 or 4 of. Thanks!!

Will be having my second beer tomorrow, coconut porter, which I am really looking forward to.

That was one of mine. Glad you enjoyed, happy Christmas & New year

 

[SamBrewster]

review 2; EM3....

little did i expect what i was getting into with this one... em i thought, perhaps its some variation on an english mild i thought, opening the cap... Blam, i was accosted by a swift punch in the nose with a juicyfruit bubblegum fist, shaken, i poured the beer, nice and clear looked good, gingerly took a sip and immediately i was tied up in a sack of lavender and cloves and was pushed into a meadow of flowers and herbs and dragged this was and that with no respite, eventually i was left in a sweet malty pool and regained enough composure to take another gulp at which moment the procedure started back up, and this happened again and again until with a mixture of sadness and relief i finished the bottle.

looking back on the experience from the safety of an english brown ale i remember it with fondness and am glad to have lived it if only for an hour, although this may be some form of Stockholm syndrome or another form of madness brought on by the beer...

(apologies i wrote this last night while quite ******, but i suppose it gets across my feelings as well as a proper review)

cheers!

thank you, I love this review. My attempt at a Belgian tripel. It's somewhere over 8% with a little coriander, cardamon and clem(actually satsuma ). I recognise the review and only ever drink one in an evening. Glad you experienced and merry Christmas

 

[DavidHatton]

View attachment 22096 2nd & final beer & what a fantastic example of an ESB. Poured nice & dark with a small tight tan head that laced until the last sip , perfect carbonation. Caramel malt on the nose & a wonderful malty biscuit taste with a mellow bitterness on the finish . I could drink 4 or 5 of these quite easily .... bravo Santa you brew a cracking

Cheers, that be one of mine! thank you for the positive review, been drinking these steadily over the xmas break.
Really pleased someone else got to share this batch other than me and the wife.

 

[Winterbournebrewery]

Cheers, that be one of mine! thank you for the positive review, been drinking these steadily over the xmas break.
Really pleased someone else got to share this batch other than me and the wife.

Lovely pint David. Well brewed hope I can achieve an ESB like this in 2020. If I do you will be 1st on the list.

 

[big yogi]

Maple & Pecan stout

WOW!!!!! This beer is right up my street.
Amazing rich chocolate comes through without being too sickening, also can taste vodka?
It is also very smooth to taste, it's an amazing beer that is easy to drink and perfectly balanced.
My favourite stout is a Brewdog Jet Black, this is up there with that Santa.

Would it be possible to send me your recipe
Thanks again Santa

 

[SamBrewster]

Finally, after much anticipation, I have opened my first secret santa present.

Green Hop Pale Ale at 4.1%
A nice refreshing beer that would suit an afternoon in the sunshine. Love the colour and the sweetness, slips down a treat, thanks Santa

 

[SamBrewster]

And for number 2:

Strawberry Fantasia
Strawberry Raspberry Wheat Beer at 5.2%
Immediate smell of strawberry when opening the bottle. Red and hazy in the glass, aroma of red fruit continues. Taste is sweet yet dry, lots of berries. Really good fruit wheat beer and the label is great, thanks Santa.

 

[Winterbournebrewery]

And for number 2:
View attachment 22115
Strawberry Fantasia
Strawberry Raspberry Wheat Beer at 5.2%
Immediate smell of strawberry when opening the bottle. Red and hazy in the glass, aroma of red fruit continues. Taste is sweet yet dry, lots of berries. Really good fruit wheat beer and the label is great, thanks Santa.

glad you enjoyed it.

 

[samale]

Steve how long are you keeping the tread open I see that you have the 1st. I am still waiting on my second beer to arrive. Hopefully I get it Monday or Tuesday which doesn't give much time to get it settled and chilled. And to review it

 

[strange-steve]

Steve how long are you keeping the tread open I see that you have the 1st. I am still waiting on my second beer to arrive. Hopefully I get it Monday or Tuesday which doesn't give much time to get it settled and chilled. And to review it

There are still a few reviews to come in so don't worry I'm not in a hurry to close it.

 

[Ajhutch]

Beer number 2: Export Stout coming in at 6.7%

A nice hiss on opening and just a beautiful beer when poured, a thick creamy head of small bubbles. This persisted ok and faded to a collar around the glass after a few minutes. Jet black and opaque, no surprises there!

Lots of burnt coffee on the aroma and a little touch of chocolate. In the flavour I got a little hint of sweetness from either the alcohol level or possibly just a little bit of oxidation (I recognise it from strong dark beers of my own, but not sure what is causing it). The mouthfeel is pleasantly light for the alcohol level, every so slightly slick. And the finish isn’t sweet, so it ticks a lot of my boxes. A well made and really enjoyable beer, thanks Santa!

 

[MackemBrew]

Second beer, a coconut porter. Really enjoyed this!
Poured jet black with a lovely golden head which disappeared shortly after. Light roasted coffee and coconut aromas. Body and mouthfeel is excellent and the coconut comes through perfectly! Beautiful beer, really enjoyed it and if Santa would like to drop the recipe off to it would be greatly appreciated

Thanks to both my secret santas and to @strange-steve for organising.

 

[uDicko]

View attachment 22110 Maple & Pecan stout

WOW!!!!! This beer is right up my street.
Amazing rich chocolate comes through without being too sickening, also can taste vodka?
It is also very smooth to taste, it's an amazing beer that is easy to drink and perfectly balanced.
My favourite stout is a Brewdog Jet Black, this is up there with that Santa.

Would it be possible to send me your recipe
Thanks again Santa

+1 this was an incredible stout.

 

[Jakeyboi]

I was away for Xmas and annoyingly forgot to take my secret Santa beers with me. However it was nice to sit down this eve and enjoy them.

1st was a mandarina Bavaria wheat beer it was a nice Clean crisp refreshing beer, Perfectly carbonated, and looked great a slight Hazeyness from wheat (which I like) Nice orange hints coming through from the hops, a flavour I would like to enhance. I have bought a 200g of these hops and would be interested to know how much went into this recipe, so I have a gauge for my own recipe. Thanks Santa

2nd beer was a Spiced bitter
Beautiful golden brown colour In the glass. Getting cinnamon hints, and something a bit hotter coming through, maybe ginger? Possibly cloves, that maybe from the yeast. It went really well with the malt flavours shining through.
The malt and spices combine well the give a deep warmth flavour in the mouth. Not a style I would usually drink, but was pleasantly impressed. Thanks Santa

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

My second secret Santa is a strong ale. Poured dark amber colour with a good head which lasted to the bottom of the glass. As I said in my first review I’m not the best person for describing flavours in a beer but this had a unique flavour. Not like anything I’ve had before but pretty enjoyable. At the risk of sounding really stupid I would say toffee, but it was by no means sweet. Half way through it hit that it was a strong ale! I’ve been used to session pale ales recently but this made a welcome change. Would love to see the recipe. Thanks Santa.

 

[dan125]

Finally, after much anticipation, I have opened my first secret santa present. View attachment 22113
Green Hop Pale Ale at 4.1%
A nice refreshing beer that would suit an afternoon in the sunshine. Love the colour and the sweetness, slips down a treat, thanks Santa

That one was mine, thanks :hat:

 

[SteveH]

Beer number 2: Export Stout coming in at 6.7%

That was mine, glad you enjoyed it!

 

[andyb13]

My 2nd review
Brett Quad 9%

I've not had a quad before, but having read the description I believe it was on style, a fruity Belgian taste and it was fruity and Belgian with a deep chestnut colour and clear.

The carbonation levels were a little low for my taste and had a little head, I don't know if the amount of head space in the bottle has a part to play in that as it was full to the brim ( it my be worth looking into).

Thanks for the beers Santa (and Steve for organising, I will take part next year as it is more interesting than the works Secret Santa).

 

[divrack]

My 2nd review
Brett Quad 9%

I've not had a quad before, but having read the description I believe it was on style, a fruity Belgian taste and it was fruity and Belgian with a deep chestnut colour and clear.

The carbonation levels were a little low for my taste and had a little head, I don't know if the amount of head space in the bottle has a part to play in that as it was full to the brim ( it my be worth looking into).

Thanks for the beers Santa (and Steve for organising, I will take part next year as it is more interesting than the works Secret Santa).

Ha ha no nothing to do with headspace, more to do with realising I the keg had a leak when I was chilling it in the freezer to get a decent pour, so it was half flat and I was going on holiday so couldn't do much about it sorry..

Traditionally quads don't have as much funk from the brett, I'd recommend trying a westvleteren 12 if you can get hold of one,or la Trappe, cracking beers as long as you take it easy.