Secret Santa Review Thread 2021!

[Irishwizard]

A quick review of the two beers I received from someone in Kent
No1 was a Hazy Pale at 4.7%. This style is totally new to me so I opened it with some trepidation! The label said "Drink Fresh"
It poured all hazy and gave off an amazing fresh hop aroma. The taste was sensational. It was like a gob full of sherbert lemons
with a teaspoon of sherbert extra for good measure. I could see this being a hit on a hot sunny evening after a BBQ. The head
on the beer vanished after about 10 seconds which was a shame. Overall a brilliant beer...YUM

No2 was an Export Indian Porter. Poured all dark and mysterious and again the head vanished very quickly which was a shame.
Taste and aroma wise it was a complete coffee and chocolate bomb which hit all the right notes for me - just superb.
This man knows how to make beer so Ive been honoured to receive two superb examples. Many Thanks!!

 

[pilgrimhudd]

How very thoughtful of santa to send a staunch cornishman a tribute clone! This is a nice beer to start off with, a nice aroma of dank english hops (I hope!). Nice head which doesn't last long, could possibly do with a touch more bitterness, but a very nice beer to start chrimbo drinking with! Merry Christmas! P.S sorry for the terrible pic, doesnt do it justice!

 

[Moe]

I tried my second secret Santa beer last night.
Thanks to the sender, I really enjoyed drinking this.

Was called “Elysian Punkiccino” and is an American brown ale.

The only brown ale I have ever had was Newky Brown, so was unsure what to expect.

Was a light brown colour, with a nice aroma. The taste was really good, it was exceptionally smooth and drinkable. It hid the 5.5% very well.

Carbonation doesn’t look great in the photo but that was down to my pour, and the glass isn’t nucleated. It tasted spot on.

There was a hint of sweet malt flavour complemented well with the bitterness and hop aroma. This was a really nice balanced and sessionable drink.

Thanks again, I really enjoyed it, and happy Christmas

 

[Cowman]

Apologies for the poor photo.
My second beer is a Trappist single and a perfectly clear straw colour.
Very well balanced with pepper in the aroma and in flavour along with some bready tastes and a little hoppy notes in the background.
Maybe a bit undercarbed but a very good beer.
Cheers Santa

 

[Cowman]

My third beer is the orange gose
I've never had a gose before so I wasn't sure what to expect.
It was liked by the whole household with lots of orange not dissimilar to bucks fizz.
A very nice beer.
Cheers Santa

 

[Clint]

Thats mine! Glad you enjoyed it!

 

[pilgrimhudd]

American IPA, lovely aroma, can pick out the simcoe and amarillo. Medium bodied, nicely carbonated, lovely and clear, nice head which has lasted most of the glass. This is a lovely beer, dangerously drinkable at 7%, it hides it well, I could get into trouble with this one!

 

[Oneflewover]

First of my secret Santa beers, an IPA. Nice malt backbone, robust bitterness, clean fermentation, lots of pine and citrus aroma and flavour. Very much enjoyed this beer, thank you Santa!

 

[samale]

My second beer of the Belgian selection. A Saison

Lovely golden straw with excellent clarity. Nice aroma and flavour
Just lacking carbonation for the style.
Thank you again

 

[pmh]

My first SS beer a Weizenbock, this is the first time I've had one however I am a big fan of Weiss. The first thing I noticed was the slight hiss which pleasing upon opening. As soon as the cap was lifted I was drawn to put my nose to the bottle due to the strong smell of malt and banana (very pleasant and exciting). The pour was slow and as you can see a good head which was retained throughout most of the time drinking it.
The carbonation was perfect just how I'd expect a Weiss so I'm guessing a Weizenbock would be similar if not the same. The flavour is really moorish and keeps me coming back for more, it's like a banana bread that's been taken just to the perfect point of caramelise. There's a burst of banana with a constant under tone of malt, the bitterness is minimal again what I'd expect a Weiss to be. If I could brew something anywhere near as good as this I'd be chuffed. I'd love to know the recipe or at least the yeast used in this beer, stunning. Thank you Santa

 

[Mash Monster]

SS#1 4.7% Hazy IPA (drink fresh)
This is currently my favourite style of beer
I was really looking forward to drinking it and It certainly did not disappoint a great beer
Opened with a slight his and I was immediately bombarded with a strong hoppy aroma it poured well and had a lovely creamy head which disappeared very quickly , that said the taste was exceptional full of grapefruit and citrus flavours. The mouthfeel was full and rounded If I had tried this one blindfolded I would have sworn it was a NEIPA, in fact it reminded me very much of Huckaback NEIPA from the Salt Brewery. Well done the recipe would be most welcomed if it’s not a true secret Santa !

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Ahhh I'm sorry santa the plum porter wasnt for me, I felt that it was well made, not off or anything, clear well carbed, and I felt that underneath the plum was a nice porter/stout but the plum wasnt for me at all. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Alastair70]

My first SS beer, both are Impy Stouts so no pressure guys.
Big hiss on opening the bottle, but fear not, carbonation level is great. It’s a very big beer with a lot dark malt bitterness and benefits from the fizz carrying the rest flavours. Pours with a tan head that settles out quickly. Dark chocolate malty flavours predominate with a pleasing residual sweetness that offsets the background bitterness.
It’s a clever brew. The high ABV is well hidden and the dark malt bitterness has been perfectly balanced with a higher carbonation and lower attenuation (I’m guessing FG finished high).
It’s a very good beer now, and I reckon it’ll only keep getting better with age for many more months. Thank you Santa :hat:

 

[Broken Toe]

Might as well double up on this. Agree with @Alastair70 this is a deceptive little number. Does not present itself as 8%. Beautifully rich and decedent with a rich and full mouthfeel to it. Thank you very much indeed.

 

[Alastair70]

Might as well double up on this. Agree with @Alastair70 this is a deceptive little number. Does not present itself as 8%. Beautifully rich and decedent with a rich and full mouthfeel to it. Thank you very much indeed. View attachment 60146

If your stout ended up in that, where has your jam gone

 

[Broken Toe]

If your stout ended up in that, where has your jam gone

Zip lock bag! Got to get my priorities in order!

 

[Leon103]

A quick review of the two beers I received from someone in Kent
No1 was a Hazy Pale at 4.7%. This style is totally new to me so I opened it with some trepidation! The label said "Drink Fresh"
It poured all hazy and gave off an amazing fresh hop aroma. The taste was sensational. It was like a gob full of sherbert lemons
with a teaspoon of sherbert extra for good measure. I could see this being a hit on a hot sunny evening after a BBQ. The head
on the beer vanished after about 10 seconds which was a shame. Overall a brilliant beer...YUM

No2 was an Export Indian Porter. Poured all dark and mysterious and again the head vanished very quickly which was a shame.
Taste and aroma wise it was a complete coffee and chocolate bomb which hit all the right notes for me - just superb.
This man knows how to make beer so Ive been honoured to receive two superb examples. Many Thanks!!

SS#1 4.7% Hazy IPA (drink fresh)
This is currently my favourite style of beer
I was really looking forward to drinking it and It certainly did not disappoint a great beer
Opened with a slight his and I was immediately bombarded with a strong hoppy aroma it poured well and had a lovely creamy head which disappeared very quickly , that said the taste was exceptional full of grapefruit and citrus flavours. The mouthfeel was full and rounded If I had tried this one blindfolded I would have sworn it was a NEIPA, in fact it reminded me very much of Huckaback NEIPA from the Salt Brewery. Well done the recipe would be most welcomed if it’s not a true secret Santa ! View attachment 60136

Thanks gents. These beers were mine. Glad they were enjoyed.

For some reason I had some slight oxygen intake during bottling which knocked the colour slightly. Bright yellow/orange colour out of the keg.

MM - the recipe is in my brewday thread, if you can't find it let me know.

I was happy with the porter, it's the 1st version of this type but scored well by a BJCP judge. It is certainly conditioning well and I enjoyed the pint I had earlier.

 

[Irishwizard]

Thanks gents. These beers were mine. Glad they were enjoyed.

For some reason I had some slight oxygen intake during bottling which knocked the colour slightly. Bright yellow/orange colour out of the keg.

MM - the recipe is in my brewday thread, if you can't find it let me know.

I was happy with the porter, it's the 1st version of this type but scored well by a BJCP judge. It is certainly conditioning well and I enjoyed the pint I had earlier.

It wasn't very difficult tracking u down, since u left your address on an envelope used as padding in the box!! No **** Sherlock!.Thats not the point mate, because besides the carbonation issue they were for me, superb. Salute!

 

[Oneflewover]

My second secret Santa beer, a Belgian blonde ale. Lovely and clear, nice and fizzy, quite a clean fermentation for a Belgian beer, well attenuated. Very enjoyable and refreshing drink, thank you Santa

 

[Moe]

My third and final Secret Santa beer: Imperial Stout.

I was extremely lucky to receive three amazing beers.

I poured this and was immediately amazed by the colour! So dark and sheer black with a creamy head.

If my previous two SS bottles we’re deliciously sessionable, this was definitely one to savour!

it was really rich and delicious, absolutely jam packed with flavour. Had a really rich roasty aroma and then tons of coffee and chocolate flavours.

Again, another delicious beer. I really enjoyed drinking it. Thanks secret Santa!