Secret Santa Reviews 2022

[Stu's Brews]

The first of my Secret Santa beers is this 'Rebel' IPA.

Decent hiss on opening but fortunately this wasn't one of the bottles that Santa's helpers got carried away with!

Pours a perfectly clear, golden orange beer with a fluffy white head that is retained well.

Aroma is quite restrained but there are some citrus notes coming through. Flavour is very fruity with some dominant orange character that I guess is from the Amarillo. There's a slight nutty malt character and a good whack of caramel to balance the bitterness.

Finishes nice and crisp which encourages you back for another sip. A really well brewed beer - thanks Santa, thoroughly enjoying it.

P.S. Apologies to Santa number 2 - I was out when yours was delivered so it's currently imprisoned at the local delivery depot. Delivery is re-arranged for the 29th so I'll be sampling around then.

 

[RichardM]

My second beer from Santa.
A 6% porter. There was a small hiss opening the bottle. The creamy head has lasted the whole pint. It has the roasted malt aroma and flavours that would expect in a porter. Carbonation is low (good).
A very enjoyable pint, thank you Santa

 

[phildo79]

Both my beers have been reviewed. Thanks to both @pmh and @nickjdavis for your kind words and honest reviews, because that's how I would also review this beer. Bitterness hits you up the face and then you get used to it and the flavours come through. This is actually a clone of Omnipollo 'Maz' pale ale. Which, if you have been fortunate to try, is an outstanding APA. I would put it up there with SNPA, it really is that good. Obviously my attempt isn't as good but I am pleased with the result. A very quaffable pale ale.

And I get what you mean, Nick, about the boardering on the IPA scale. But for me, it has that little bit of 'tang' that keeps it in the APA range.

Glad you both enjoyed.
Cheers

 

[UKSkydiver]

Both of my brews have been reviewed and so I can reveal myself.

I am the brewer of @Griff097 and @moto748 's Secret Santas :- Leffe Blonde clone which I brewed in September. Credit also to @Cheshire Cat for the recipe.

I've done a few Belgian brews and I think this is the best so far. I still have yet to try side x side with a real one though.

Thank you both for your reviews and kind words and of course thanks to @Alastair70 for the amazing organisational skills.

 

[Justin Dean]

Plenty of reviews to come yet. Will do my second this evening

 

[pmh]

Both my beers have been reviewed. Thanks to both @pmh and @nickjdavis for your kind words and honest reviews, because that's how I would also review this beer. Bitterness hits you up the face and then you get used to it and the flavours come through. This is actually a clone of Omnipollo 'Maz' pale ale. Which, if you have been fortunate to try, is an outstanding APA. I would put it up there with SNPA, it really is that good. Obviously my attempt isn't as good but I am pleased with the result. A very quaffable pale ale.

And I get what you mean, Nick, about the boardering on the IPA scale. But for me, it has that little bit of 'tang' that keeps it in the APA range.

Glad you both enjoyed.
Cheers

I'll have to buy myself a Maz pale ale to see how it compared but yeah really enjoyed it so thank you for brewing a good beer and sharing it

 

[samale]

My second beer from Santa.
A 6% porter. There was a small hiss opening the bottle. The creamy head has lasted the whole pint. It has the roasted malt aroma and flavours that would expect in a porter. Carbonation is low (good).
A very enjoyable pint, thank you Santa

View attachment 79902

That's my porter, glad you enjoyed it .I thought it was a decent pint. Sadly it's all gone

 

[Mash Monster]

@HopMonster & @Stu's Brews
The Rebel IPA was my offering for this years Secret Santa .Thank you both for your kind words I take no credit for the recipe it was The Dog House Rebel IPA from The Homebrew Outlet. It is a little more bitter than I would have liked and I feel it is lacking a little on the aroma front That said it seems to be improving so maybe a little longer conditioning is in order.
Also big thanks to @Alastair70 for sorting it out again. There seems to be some great beers out there. With still plenty of reviews to come

 

[Tanglefoot]

Drank this my bottle yesterday, a Bretted Mango Pale ale
Luscious mango flavour and aroma, also some melon and tropical fruit.
Poured hazey orange, decent carbonation with foamy head and lacing down the glass.
Pleasant bitterness, slightly astringent
( from the Brett ? ) which worked well with funky fruitiness.
Deceptively easy drinking at 7%, my compliments to the brewer.

 

[Oneflewover]

I'll break cover then, one of my deliveries didn't make it but I will send another and I'll send something different.

@Oneflewover got my Porter and American Brown Ale, glad you liked the Porter, I think it's pretty good. The ABA, I thought you were generous, not sure about it...as you say not much hoppiness, I'd like to blame the williamette, but I think it's my brewing.

The porter really was excellent. The brown ale was not was I was expecting (it drank more like an English brown ale) but was very enjoyable nonetheless. Thanks again for sending

 

[Oneflewover]

Drank this my bottle yesterday, a Bretted Mango Pale ale
Luscious mango flavour and aroma, also some melon and tropical fruit.
Poured hazey orange, decent carbonation with foamy head and lacing down the glass.
Pleasant bitterness, slightly astringent
( from the Brett ? ) which worked well with funky fruitiness.
Deceptively easy drinking at 7%, my compliments to the brewer.

View attachment 79917

This was mine. First attempt at a fruited beer, and very experimental. Glad it wasn't too bad, I wasn't too sure what to think about it

 

[Justin Dean]

Drank this my bottle yesterday, a Bretted Mango Pale ale
Luscious mango flavour and aroma, also some melon and tropical fruit.
Poured hazey orange, decent carbonation with foamy head and lacing down the glass.
Pleasant bitterness, slightly astringent
( from the Brett ? ) which worked well with funky fruitiness.
Deceptively easy drinking at 7%, my compliments to the brewer.

View attachment 79917

That sounds delicious

 

[Broken Toe]

Drinking in reverse order of arrival. Dunkelweizen.

Holds a truly wonderful head that just gets thicker and more compact. Huge carbonation, but that was expecting with the cap seapage in transit. Just a pinch of ester and sweet chocolate.

Wonderful start to the new year, sort of.

 

[Oneflewover]

My second Secret Santa - a 9% Belgian Quad. Having it with a slice of my new-made Christmas cake and a bit of cheddar.
I've never had a Quad before so I've no idea if this is 'true to style'. It's very dark, big fizzy head to start with which died down quite quickly to a thin layer but never went completely.
Can't think of anything else to say. A bit too strong for me and I couldn't detect any of those Belgian yeast flavours I expected, but perhaps this is normal.
Enjoyed it very much. Went with the fruit parkin and cheese very nicely. Many thanks to Santa.

View attachment 79771

Thanks mate, this was mine. It's about 16 months old now, and you are right the Belgian yeast driven flavours have largely gone. It's changed a lot since I first sampled it.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

After a busy couple of days it’s time to tuck into my first Secret Santa. I’m starting with the beer that arrived first, this interesting Biere De Garde.

The beer is a dark chestnut brown with a red tinge and is nice and clear. Medium to high carbonation produced a good off-white head that fell after a while to a foam over the surface and eventually to a ring around the glass.

The aroma is malty and rich with fruity esters. A sweet warming alcohol note suggests this beer has a good strength and the label confirms the beer is 8.5%.

The flavour is complex and warming. The first thing that hit me was a plummy/pruny fruitiness quickly followed by zingy carbonation fizzing on my tongue and maybe even a hint of cherry. The malt in this beer is toasty with dark caramel and biscuity highlights. Warming alcohol builds and fades to a soft bitterness and then to a peppery finish on the sides of the tongue. There is also a hint of spicy wood that makes me wonder if cinnamon might have touched the beer at some point.

This wasn’t an easy beer to describe but it is an easy beer to drink. Luckily I only have the one because I’m already feeling the effect!

Thanks to Santa for a really nice beer and a great start to my Secret Santa swaps!

 

[SMP Brewery]

My 1st SS is a Best Bitter, 4.9% ABV, Maris Otter, Flaked Barley, Crystal, Wheat and Roast Barley. Hopped with Fuggles.

It opened with a slight hiss, perhaps I didn’t let this quite warm up enough or my glass was the issue but there wasn’t much head, it had dissipated by the time the photo was taken. Looked just like a bitter and was lightly carbonated and crystal clear. I found it a tad too sweet for me could have done with some more bittering for my taste, still a nice easy drinking pint though.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[SMP Brewery]

My 2nd was a Jaipur Clone.

This opened with a nice hiss and poured with a nice white head, I don’t think I’ve had a pint of Jaipur so gave no reference point for its look or taste. This was hazy with a fruity smell for some reason I expected it to be quite bitter and but no not at all, think they are hops I’ve not used so would be interested to see what was used. I enjoyed this thanks.

Also sent with it was a bonus beer Ace Of Spades Porter.

Again a miss hiss on opening and poured with a lovely head that kept to the end of the glass. It had a nice toasty/coffee smell to it. Had a very nice mouthfeel with good carbonation and a large hit of coffee roast that felt like it was too much but just stopped short leaving you wanting more. Really enjoyed this, very nice beer. Thanks for sending them.

 

[Justin Dean]

NZ pilsner.

Very Clean clarity. Orangy golden

Carbonation is excellent.

Aroma. Powerful and full malty orangly lemon. Slight spiciness. Very good and inviting.

Straight into the hops then dry bitterness then hops dominate. Bitterness in aftertaste is firm and strong with light pepper spice.

I keep thinking ipa but is dry enough to be pilsner. Orangy dry marmalade in late aftertaste . Complex flavour profile. Superb hoppy pilsner. Strong hops.

Thank you for sharing such a good powerful NZ pilsner. My only opinion for improvement is little less aroma. No idea if you dry hopped but maybe?. Well done Santa. A triumph. Hats off to you.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

NZ pilsner.

Very Clean clarity. Orangy golden

Carbonation is excellent.

Aroma. Powerful and full malty orangly lemon. Slight spiciness. Very good and inviting.

Straight into the hops then dry bitterness then hops dominate. Bitterness in aftertaste is firm and strong with light pepper spice.

I keep thinking ipa but is dry enough to be pilsner. Orangy dry marmalade in late aftertaste . Complex flavour profile. Superb hoppy pilsner. Strong hops.

Thank you for sharing such a good powerful NZ pilsner. My only opinion for improvement is little less aroma. No idea if you dry hopped but maybe?. Well done Santa. A triumph. Hats off to you.

View attachment 79929

Ahh that was mine, didn't think you'd received it! Glad you did and glad you liked it! Not sure if I dry hopped... I don't think so, but probably a big whirlpool.

 

[Leon103]

The goonies is on TV so a good excuse for my first secret santa beer.

A Christmas dubbel. Red/brown with a nice off white head. No Xmas spice detected which is a good thing. Sherry like flavour with a good hint of alcohol.

Thanks for sharing santa.