Secret Santa Reviews 2022

[pmh]

My first SS review of the year is this lovely American pale ale.
The notes of citrus are there when delving the nose over the bottle and more so as I begin to pour.
The colour is a hazy golden/orange (lighter than shown on the picture).
The initial taste is that of the bitterness stated which took me back at first (probably as it's my first if the day) then the citrus hit came through, the more I drink the more moorish it is becoming, I even get slight hint of stoney fruits as the citrus flavour begins to disappear off the palette.
The carbonation is spot on for the style and is needed with the bitterness stated, it's is a very good beer which I am really enjoying to the last drop, thank you for sharing this skillfully brewed beer and Merry Xmas to all, two more beers to review which be later as they are darker but looking forward to it :-D

 

[RichardM]

This is a 4.9% Altbier and is very enjoyable.
I'm no good at describing flavours and aromas, but this a light body beer with low carbonation. Good clarity.
Thank you Santa

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Well, I had a walk in the cold air but there wasn't any freezing breath on the window pane; so I came home and had a beer :-)
A very attractive Vienna Lager (5.8%), with a custom label :-)
Lovely clarity, both visually and in terms of flavour - great head retention (sorry about the terrible pour) and perfect carb; mouth-feel (very important in this style) was spot on too.
I'd honestly be very happy if I got this in a bar in Austria: I've made this style and it's quite hard to get it this good
Thumbs up from me and a big thank you for sharing this. Yum.

 

[Oneflewover]

This was a bonus porter. Bloody gorgeous! Poured with a big foam that settled down into a tight tan head that lasted throughout with some lacing the glass. Pleasing moderate hop aroma and flavour that works beautifully with the toasty malt. Cleansing bitterness, clean fermentation, carbonation spot on. Nicely brewed Santa, and thank you for sharing

 

[samale]

My first secret Santa beer. A nice golden ale, pours with good carbonation,nice soft white head which lasts the full glass. Golden with good clarity.
Really nice aroma, I am getting citra but could be wrong.
Again really nice flavour of this beer, more body than you would expect. Really soft with a low bitterness.
Really enjoyed this and it didn't last to long, great lacing in the glass as well. Probably more body than expected pushing it towards a pale ale. Not that it matters because it's a gone.
Cheers and merry Christmas

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Earlier on I had the pleasure of this witbeir, it was lovely, golden hazey, nice head which lasted much of the glass. Aroma typically Belgian, some spicy esters and a bit of citrus perhaps. Tastewise, quite peppery initially but as it warmed it got sweeter and more palatable (not that I wasn't enjoying it before). Perfectly carbonated in my opinion. Overall it was lovely, refreshing and just what I though it would be. Thanks santa!

 

[phildo79]

Trying the only ss to arrive so far. A double IPA called Rudolph's Rocket Fuel. Pours dark amber with a tight white head. Aroma of candied fruit. Taste of candied fruit, slightly burnt caramel and sweet caramel. Much more of the sweet caramel coming through but the candied fruit is the overriding flavour. Nice warmth on the back end from the ABV. Carbonation and MF are spot on for the style.

I had a feeling this would be a good beer, given the effort put into the label, and I wasn't disappointed. Thanks very much, Santa!

 

[pilgrimhudd]

And then just after I had this super dry bitter. This is a more familiar style for me and I really enjoyed it. Poured a dark copper colour, pretty clear, nice creamy head. Well carbed, medium bodied, slightly grainy mouthfeel (which I like). I'm thinking fuggles but probably wrong, tastewise, malty, bitter with a sweet aftertaste. Overall I really enjoyed it, not sure about the super dry, whether that's just the name? It isn't dry but it's bleddy lovely. Thanks Santa!

 

[pmh]

My second SS is a Herfstbock style beer, this took a bit of googling from my part as it's not a style I've come across before. The style is a dark bock.
As you can see from the picture the head retention is very good and lasted throughout the drink.
The aroma is that of coffee and vanilla which straight away brings thoughts of a breakfast stout, very pleasant and inviting on the nose.
The taste straight away took me to a porter with a similar bittering, roasted malt flavour and even carbonation but it's a thinner beer like you'd expect with a bock so it's taking me on this wonderful journey.
The overall flavour and quality of this beer is really good and when I come to brew a dark beer next month if I can come anywhere near this standard I'd be chuffed, blind folded I'd have never guessed this was a homebrew it's of that good, it has made me want to find another Herfstbock as it's got me fascinated. The same brewer has also sent me a tropical stout which will be next and I can't wait!

 

[Moe]

I also drank the “Six States NEIPA” yesterday evening, this was a lovely beer. Sorry I ended up writing it this eve rather than last.

It opened with a hiss and I immediately smelled really fruity aroma.

I poured it, it had a good head and the carbonation was spot on.

Once it was in the glass the aroma was amazing and really fruity. I’d had it chilling in the fridge for best part of two weeks so it had settled well and haze was what you’d expect from a NEIPA, it wasn’t yeasty at all.

The colour was good, the pictures don’t do it justice, it was a bit lighter than that.

I had a taste- common wisdom is that you taste most with your nose- this was no disappointment- aroma was packed full of mango, orange etc etc, The flavour was fantastic and the mouthfeel was nice and thick and creamy.

The bitterness was exactly to my liking. IMO some commercial ones are too much like fruit juice or milkshake. This was bitter enough to let you know you’re drinking a beer, but not so much that it detracted from the flavour in any way.

Again, the acid test is “would I buy another?”, and the answer is definitely. I’ve got a few different Ipa, pale ales and NEIPAs in the garage for Christmas and I’d happily reach for another of these over anything I’ve bought.

Thank you to the sender, I really enjoyed drinking it and I can appreciate the time, effort and expertise put into brewing it.

Happy Christmas

 

[moto748]

Oatmeal stout is always a fave at Moto Towers, so thanks very much, Santa! A very nice smooth tasty pint.

 

[Oneflewover]

My second secret Santa beer was an American Brown Ale from the same brewer who sent a lovely bonus porter (thanks again). A very enjoyable beer, predominantly malty and sweet, quite low hop aroma and flavour, moderate bitterness, low to medium carbonation. Didn't really get the Columbus and Willamette coming through for some reason, but went down very nicely nonetheless. Cheers Santa.

 

[MickDundee]

I’ve finally opened the first of my 2 beers. A 4.2% golden ale. It’s lovely and clear. Didn’t have much head, but the retention and lacing is surprisingly good.

It’s nice and well balanced. There’s a little bitterness that just lingers on the back of the tongue and just a hint of citrus. Lightly carbonated but perfect for style.

Definitely enjoyed this one.

 

[moto748]

My second Secret Santa is this 7.2% Leffe Blonde. Well, this is a bit above my pay-grade! I don't even think I've ever drunk the Leffe you can buy in the supermarket. So, not a style I'm used to at all. But, even I can tell, this is a very good beer indeed. Carbonation spot-on, both aroma and flavour peppery, but not excessively so. And the malt, the body, it's all there. Top brewing skills, I'd say. Thanks a lot, Santa!

 

[MickDundee]

Time for my 2nd one, a smoked Doppelbock. Absolutely crystal clear out of the bottle, a beautiful copper colour with a thick off-white head

The smoke is in the aroma and is definitely present in the taste but doesn’t overpower the other malts. Doesn’t taste as strong as 7.2% so could be a dangerous one.

I’m a big fan of this one. Lovely.

 

[pmh]

My third and final SS, a 7.1% tropical stout, I am very glad I left this till this evening for my night cap as it is delivering on everything I hoped.
Upon opening a nice hiss followed by coffee aroma and subtle caramel, as can be seen a good head on pouring which laced the glass all the way to the end.
The body is exactly what I want from a stout with the carbonation combined giving a smooth tipple.
The flavour is a mild caramel sweetness with coffee and roasted malt flavour, you know you're drinking a high number but still find my self coming back for more as it is well balanced. This certainly has hit the spot and is a very well constructed beer.
Thank you so much to all my beers I have thoroughly enjoyed drinking all of them today and already looking forward to next year's SS and a big thank you to @Alastair70 for making it happen again

 

[Nottsbeer]

My final SS beer...the bonus bottle. An easy to drink Ernest IPA. This was hopped with hops I'm not familiar with. The bottle opened with a nice hiss and poured well.....a good level of carbonation. It maybe had a floural bouquet, but quite subtle. Initially I wasn't sure when I started to drink this, but that quickly passed. This was a lovely IPA which went well with my evening meal. I was gutted I didn't have another couple to keep me going, had to settle for one of my bitters. This also hilighted the gentle flavour of the IPA which I didn't initially appreciate. Thanks for sharing . Thanks both Santas for some great brews, and thx Alastair for organising this again

 

[DocAnna]

My reviews are going to be a bit delayed as I’m working in the hospital all day today and tomorrow so I’m unlikely to have the chance even once home to try them x

 

[Alastair70]

My reviews are going to be a bit delayed as I’m working in the hospital all day today and tomorrow so I’m unlikely to have the chance even once home to try them x

Hope it’s quiet. My memories of long Bank holiday weekends as a junior are very mixed. At least the level of service has improved significantly from the ‘don’t hesitate to cope’ era I started my training in.

 

[Jon1961]

Hope it’s quiet. My memories of long Bank holiday weekends as a junior are very mixed. At least the level of service has improved significantly from the ‘don’t hesitate to cope’ era I started my training in.

I remember those weekends, all too clearly. We could expect very little support from the consultants on-call in those days.