Secret Santa Reviews 2022

[Hazelwood Brewery]

My second Secret Santa beer, a 4.3% Brown Ale.

It’s definitely brown and is nice and clear. Soft to medium carbonation produced a light tan coloured foam that receded to a ring around the glass and hung around.

The aroma is chiefly caramel and toffee malt with fresh fruity notes and maybe a hint of something smoky.

The flavour follows the aroma with slightly sweet caramel malt. There are earthy hops in here and there are floral and fruity tones. I’m not picking up any smoke in the flavour so maybe that’s my nose playing tricks on me although there is just a touch of roastiness - maybe a little roast barley was used for colour adjustment? Bitterness is quite assertive I think for a brown ale but isn’t harsh and it didn’t spoil my drinking pleasure.

Thanks very much Secret Santa for another nice beer.

 

[moto748]

@Hazelwood Brewery

That is my Centennial Brown Ale. Pleased to see yours travelled OK, all mine of that batch were a lovely colour and nice and clear. I was pleased enough to brew a second batch, but unfortunately that was nowhere near as successful! Hops were all Centennial, and no roasted barley, just a small amount of choc malt.

 

[moto748]

And having had my reviews both ways, time for me to add my thanks to Alastair for making all this happen.

 

[Alastair70]

My second beer is a bit of a mystery. This Santa was particularly generous and sent two bottles, unfortunately RM took out one in transport and the survivor lost its label. The only thing I can discern is that it’s a type ‘-tout’ and one of its attributes comes in at 7.5.

Pours well, a decent tan head lasted tge whole pint. It’s inky black, but when held to the light has good clarity with a dark amber hue.
Aroma is quite light for what is possibly a big beer, mild coffee and dark fruit notes predominate.
Roast malt flavours are also very much in the background with plum, raisin and dark cherry flavours standing out.
It’s silky smooth, light on the palate and dry without any astringency.
So, big on dark fruits, low on roast, clean fermentation with a long dry finish. I’m guessing tropical stout.
Whatever it is, it’s been well planned, brilliantly excecuted and I savoured every drop. Thank you Santa!

 

[Begbie]

At last, I got time to drink my secret santa beer - an American Amber Ale at 5.5% ABV.

Opened with a nice pssst and poured with an off-white fluffy head that dissapated after a few minutes. Carbonation was perfect for me. I noticed, when topping up the glass after my first swig, that there is no sediment - must be bottled from the keg?

Colour was an amazing copper brown and was crystal clear. Aroma was an immediate citrus, pithy orange and piney hit, which changed to a light malty and caramel smell when the beer warmed up more.

Flavour was also very citrus/pithy orange bitterness which lingered for a while in the aftertaste. I wouldn't say it had much sweetness but there is a little - the taste is balanced more in favour of the bitterness, in a good way!

I really enjoyed the beer - I'm not sure if I've had an American Amber Ale before, but this cracking effort has made me want to make a batch. Looking forward to seeing the sender's recipe. As I type this sentence, I'm just finishing the glass and wish I had another bottle. Well done to the brewer and thank you for a lovely beer.

 

[samale]

At last, I got time to drink my secret santa beer - an American Amber Ale at 5.5% ABV.

Opened with a nice pssst and poured with an off-white fluffy head that dissapated after a few minutes. Carbonation was perfect for me. I noticed, when topping up the glass after my first swig, that there is no sediment - must be bottled from the keg?

Colour was an amazing copper brown and was crystal clear. Aroma was an immediate citrus, pithy orange and piney hit, which changed to a light malty and caramel smell when the beer warmed up more.

Flavour was also very citrus/pithy orange bitterness which lingered for a while in the aftertaste. I wouldn't say it had much sweetness but there is a little - the taste is balanced more in favour of the bitterness, in a good way!

I really enjoyed the beer - I'm not sure if I've had an American Amber Ale before, but this cracking effort has made me want to make a batch. Looking forward to seeing the sender's recipe. As I type this sentence, I'm just finishing the glass and wish I had another bottle. Well done to the brewer and thank you for a lovely beer.

View attachment 80106

That's my American amber, really enjoyed it myself. The keg got a hammering leading up to Christmas. Sadly it's all gone now
I will dig out the recipe. It's hopped with cascade, Amarillo and Columbus. Yeast bry-97 which leaves a very bright beer.

 

[Begbie]

That's my American amber, really enjoyed it myself. The keg got a hammering leading up to Christmas. Sadly it's all gone now
I will dig out the recipe. It's hopped with cascade, Amarillo and Columbus. Yeast bry-97 which leaves a very bright beer.

No wonder the keg got a hammering - it was delicious! Thanks for sharing

 

[phildo79]

My second ss beer. A 4.9% Altbier. Been a long time since I had one of these. Easily a decade, when I was in Munich.

Aroma is a little spicy, peppery and clean. Taste is of mild floral, clean malt and a little bready. It Is a crisp, clean beer with spot on carb and MF. I am no expert when it comes to this style but it definitely seems on the money. A very well exicuted brew from someone that knows what they're doing. Thanks for sharing and reintroducing me to this style. Because I doubt it would even have crossed my mind to buy one, if they are even available where I live.

 

[brewhaha]

@brewhaha

The 'unconventional' stout was in fact my legendary parsnip stout!

Here's the thing : last year, I thought it was a bit of a cheek to include this in the SS, what with it not being a 'proper' beer and all, but this year I thought, what the hell, why not? I make small batches of it all the time, and it's one of my staples. Recipe is in the appropriate folder. It does contain a small amount of malt extract, so I reckon that just about qualifies it as a beer!

Well parsnip would not have been the first thing I guessed! Just checked out the recipe and that is amazing to get something so beery from such a low % of malt! Kudos & thanks for sharing!

 

[brewhaha]

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
View attachment 79818

My second ss beer. A 4.9% Altbier. Been a long time since I had one of these. Easily a decade, when I was in Munich.

Aroma is a little spicy, peppery and clean. Taste is of mild floral, clean malt and a little bready. It Is a crisp, clean beer with spot on carb and MF. I am no expert when it comes to this style but it definitely seems on the money. A very well exicuted brew from someone that knows what they're doing. Thanks for sharing and reintroducing me to this style. Because I doubt it would even have crossed my mind to buy one, if they are even available where I live.

View attachment 80108

This one is mine. Thanks for the kind comments both. It's a style I'm unfamiliar with so not completely sure it's true to it but I like it. Glad the carbonation held up as I bottled straight from the keg & posted on the 8th!

Recipe is attached if anyone is interested. The hop selection would probably make this a modern interpretation of the style.

 

[Justin Dean]

My first secret Santa beer is a 4.6% "Unconventional" stout.

Lovely carbonation & a head that lasted from first to last sip. Quite restrained on roast character for a stout. I was getting a Guinness vibe from this one as it had a good bitterness & a bit of that "tang" you get from Guinness. I'm intrigued by what is "unconventional" about this but thinking it's linked to the tang? Enjoyable beer overall.

My second secret Santa beer is a 10.7% "Dreamer" imperial stout.

Again great carbonation which is impressive for a high ABV beer. Those yeasties must be tough! Dark fruits & coffee in the aroma followed by some booziness. This followed through into the flavour & I definitely felt all that ABV but I like that. Be boozy if it's meant to be boozy! Nicely balanced bittersweetness meant I could have happily drank more.

Thanks Santas!
P.S. sorry for lack of photos!

The dreamer is mine. Thank you. I used sugar to carbonate. Closed transfer over sufar in keg the bottled from keg with boel tap. It worked beautifully. Not pressure brewed. RO from spoless water adjusted.

Recipe below. Note also it is 140 days old today.

I would not drink 2, you would fall over!

https://share.brewfather.app/XKghpAtRoKRgVe

 

[Justin Dean]

That is my reviews done. Thank you @Alastair70 for organising such ar succesful swap ss. Brilliant

 

[The drunken cyclist]

Here's my first secret Santa
11.2% chocolate and fudge pastry stout
A slight hiss on opening and poured with a short lasting thin tan head with a clear black body
First sip was Whow a big hit of boozy alcohol followed by a slight fudge after taste which seemed to stay on the lips, much like eating sticky toffee
Mouth feel was very thick
I feel this will be a very good beer if given time, to allow the alcohol hit to mellow and allow the fudge to come through
Thanks for sharing

 

[Begbie]

My replacement 2nd ss arrived this morning. Thanks very much to the sender for posting another bottle - much appreciated.

I probably won't get a chance to sample for a couple of days due to hogmanay and new year's day festivities. Very looking forward to it though!

 

[Nottsbeer]

@pmh and @Alastair70 - thank you both for your very generous reviews. I sent a Tropical Stout (the only survivor of RM for you Alistair) and a Herfsbock style brew. I had planned to send an IPA (Double Prancing Buck from a kit) but a few days before sending I realised I had made 20 bottles which are excessively lively. Not wanting to ruin your ceilings I subbed them at the last minute for the Stout. I was a bit nervous with this late sub as I had entered the stout into a recent comp which had not scored greatly. I'm glad you both enjoyed this (I think it has improved with age) and I'm a bit sorry I withdrew from the recent Tropical Stout swap.

The herfsbock is my first attempt at this style. Thanks for your kind words pmh. This not bad at a first go, but as I missed my OG by quite a bit the beer is a little thin. I'm planning to do this one again in the new year and hopefully I'll get better results by tweaking the mash.

If anyone is interested in my recipies let me know and I'll post them (they are in my brew day thread). Bets wishes all for 2023...and thanks again Alastair for organising this.

 

[starseeker]

Well here is my last secret Santa review,
This is for a citrus pale ale, opened with a nice hiss ,poured a nice hazy pale in colour ,with a creamy head, which faded fairly quickly apart from a ring of foam which lasted to the bottom of the glass.
Carbonation was spot on for this style
This was a pale ale with low bitterness on the finish which i really like with this style
The citrus notes i picked up was of bitter orange but was very subtle and delicious
Another fantastic beer ,thank you

 

[Stu's Brews]

With the Venison Ragu bubbling away on the stove for tonight's dinner I figured it was time to tuck into the last of my Secret Santa beers...

First up, the Pilsner:

A golden straw coloured, perfectly clear beer with a fluffy white head that is initially well retained but did fade away by the final third of drinking. The aroma is quite floral with some faint honey and spice notes. The honey and spice come through a bit more in the flavour. Bitterness is spot on and the finish is slightly sweet but also quite crisp. A really well brewed example of the style.

Next up, the mystery bonus beer:

Now this is a very interesting beer. On pouring it looks like an IPA. Orange/amber colour, perfectly clear with a dense white head. But it's on the aroma where things get interesting. Initially I thought freshly cut grass and then mint but after a while it dawned on me that what it actually smelt like was spruce. The flavour is interesting too, it's Christmas spices (or I've had too many mince pies) with some ginger thrown in for good measure. Carbonation is fairly soft, mouthfeel is medium and the finish is crisp which makes it devilishly drinkable. Santa, thank you, it's a great beer that has got me very intrigued to know more!

 

[Braumeister]

A replacement 2nd Secret Santa beer has arrived! Thankyou so much to the sender for sharing another beer and taking so much care to make sure it arrived safely, I really appreciate it.

This time it’s a British Pale Ale. I love the flag bottle top! It poured with perfect carbonation for my taste. Looks like it was bottle conditioned. Happy to say it tasted pretty much like a good cask beer served in a pub, perhaps a hint of TT Landlord to me. A good level of bitterness, nice malty flavour and pleasing amber colour.

Really a very nice beer. Thankyou very much to the Secret Santa for sharing it!

 

[samale]

This is my second secret Santa beer.
Poured jet black, very little carbonation, aroma is very strong. Big hits of chocolate plus booze. Very thick mouth feel, taste's of chocolate and dark fruit. Roast is minimal. Warming alcohol in the finish, not harsh but it lets you know what it's packing.
This is a big beer to attempt and very difficult to pull of. The carbonation is letting the beer down. Its needed to cut the sweetness.
Hat's off to the brewer, some great flavours.
Merry Christmas

 

[Jon1961]

I enjoyed this American Pale Ale. Nicely carbonated with a decent head. Bitter hops predominated and it was clean and crisp.
Thank you!