Strange-steve's Homebrew Reviews

[stigman]

I received a package today, in a To Ol bottle with N on the cap, is that yours @stigman ?

Certainly is Steve hope you enjoy

 

[strange-steve]

Certainly is Steve hope you enjoy

Excellent, looking forward to it! Is it ready to go or does it need some conditioning time?

 

[stigman]

Get it drunk while those hops are still fresh mate.

 

[strange-steve]

Righty dokey skip :thumb:

 

[strange-steve]

Today's beer is by @stigman and another belter. I think it's a double NEIPA but correct me if I'm wrong...

Aroma
Absolutely fantastic, one of the best beer smells I've encountered, massively fruity, tropical, sweet and delicious.

Appearance
It's definitely got the murkiness, not a pretty beer but these never are. A dark orange/brown colour with a thin white head

Flavour
Tons of fruity hop flavour, with an initial sweetness and a long bitter finish. The bitterness, while high, isn't harsh. It's actually rather smooth which is very welcome. A little bit of alcohol, but not harsh.

Overall Impression
A really delicious IPA, reminds me a tad of a big American IPA like Sixpoint Resin, which I absolutely love. I think it's too bitter to be a standard NEIPA, but then afaik you were going for double NEIPA, and this really is a bit of a middle ground between a DIPA and a NEIPA, so I'd say mission accomplished. This is a cracker and I hope mine is as good, it went down a treat on a hot day like today. The aroma is really amazing, interested in seeing the recipe for this. I'm hosting a beer tasting with a few mates on Friday and I wish I'd kept this for then cos I know the guys would have loved it too. Great job mate :hat:

 

[stigman]

Hi Steve glad to hear you liked it so much, I'm rather proud of myself with this one. That Aroma is from the massive amount of Citra and mosaic I used, don't tell SWMBO how much they cost will you. Homebrew was supposed to save us money.
The bitterness you talk about is definitely there but I can't taste it as much as you describe, I only did a hop stand/whirlpool addition at 80° for about half an hour because my last effort was way too bitter for the style.
I'm sure yours will be a belter aswell mate
Here's the recipe I went with

 

[strange-steve]

Tonight, courtesy of @Leon103 I have an English IPA, one of my favourite styles.

Aroma
Earthy, slightly spicy hop aroma, with some toffee and caramel notes.

Appearance
This was a slight gusher when I opened the bottle which stirred up the sediment a bit making it rather hazy, but a nice rich golden colour with a great moussy head.

Flavour
Plenty of hop flavour, a decent malt background with some crystal malt flavours and yeasty esters. Good bitterness level, lingers into the finish.

Overall Impression
I think this is really well balanced, the individual elements of hop, malt and yeast flavours are all there without anything being too prominent. The bitterness is perfect for my taste, and the slight toffee flavour adds a nice depth. I love this style because it's so easy drinking, unlike some US style IPAs which get a bit samey after a while. Thanks mate for a very enjoyable brew :hat:

 

[Leon103]

Thanks for your kind words. Sorry it gushed. I don't think it was overly carbed, I will blame the Royal Mail.

Like you said I like this style as an alternative to the super hoppy American equivalents. I also give to lager drinkers as a step towards getting them off carling and the like

 

[Ajhutch]

A reciprocal review of Steve's Westvleteren XII clone. I've never had the original but I've had a few Belgian Dark Strongs.

Appearance (sorry I forgot to take a picture)
Really strong off white foam, very compact and lasted a few sips which is impressive for the alcohol level. Deep reddish-brown colour. A little hazy but I put that down to my impatience and wanting to drink it the same day I got it!

Aroma and Flavour
Rich red fruits, and to me a little subtle suggestion of liquorice. What I like is the way the flavour sensation isn't obviously ester and isn't obviously from caramelisation, it could be either and keeps you guessing. There's a low alcohol note but for the ABV it's very much in check.

Mouthfeel
Silky and smooth, you could be drinking a fine port until the bubbles remind you it's a beer! The carbonation lightens it up just nicely and the balance is great.

Quite honestly I can't give any useful feedback on improving this, it's delicious and thanks for sharing!


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[strange-steve]

Thanks for the kind review mate, much appreciated :thumb:

 

[Leon103]

Hi steve drinking your NEIPA tonight.

A reciprocal review of Steve's Westvleteren XII clone. I've never had the original but I've had a few Belgian Dark Strongs.

Appearance
Spot on for style. Really hazy and bright yellow with a slight orange tinge. I was careful to pour to save the yeast so expected little head but go a lovely fluffy white head.

Aroma and Flavour
Big tropical aroma. Flavour is lovely and nicest NEIPA I have tried. I was expecting more hop flavour based on the aroma but glad it's not. Slightly peachy and I get nectarine type flavour. Not sure how strong it is but there is no alcohol flavour which makes me want to drink it all in one go. Really well balanced with no bitterness

Mouthfeel
Silky and smooth. Like I said above it is so drinkable.

Lovely beer, thanks for the swap. Will be picking your brains when I do my next NEIPA

 

[strange-steve]

Thanks for the review mate. This was only 5.5% because I was sending it out to a few people to harvest the yeast, and so I wanted to go easy on it.

 

[strange-steve]

@tobiasbeecher has sent me a double NEIPA, looking forward to this one...

Appearance
Murky brown with no head, very light carbonation.

Aroma
Fantastic. Very delicious fruity, tropical hops. Resinous with a slight hint of bergamot which is interesting.

Flavour
Wow, really big flavours, this is definitely a double IPA! Really full bodied, almost chewy mouthfeel. The hop flavours are really powerful, though not as tropical as the aroma suggested, slightly more pine and citrus, almost Stone IPA like. A bit of an alcohol kick.

Overall Impression
Firstly the negatives. The colour is rather unappetising, but that isn't really a major problem for a NEIPA, it's an ugly style, however a little more orange than brown is usual. Secondly, it is under-carbonated. I actually prefer my beers lightly carbed, but a little more would definitely lift this.
Now despite those minor negatives, this is probably the best home-brewed NEIPA I've tasted, it's certainly better than my attempts. The hop flavours are delicious and you have managed to achieve that while keeping the bitterness down which is difficult. You asked for a comment on mouthfeel, well whatever you did it worked, it's great, full and juicy as it should be, actually reminds me of something like an American barleywine. I really like the little bit of alcohol in the background, gives it a nice lift.
I'd really like to see your recipe and method for this, and thanks for sending me a bottle, it's a cracking beer :hat:

 

[stigman]

Aah! That must be who sent me the beer with no name in the post the other day. thanks tobiasbeecher. I've got mine chilling now I'll probably crack it open tomorrow.

 

[tobiasbeecher]

I am glad you liked it Steve! I set off another, using the conan strain you sent me. I am hopeful for it.

That's right Stig, I sent you one unannounced and un-labelled :)

Stig was actually the influence for me creating that DNEIPA. I basically did it as an amplified version of the standard NEIPA I have been brewing.

I still have very basic brew kit... I am doing brew in a bag in very small scale (1 gallon) in the kitchen using an induction hob.

My recipe for the above DNEIPA is here:
https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=4491
(I additionally add 260g of oats)

To brew... start with exactly 7 litres of Tesco Ashbeck water, add 2g of chloride to get the mouth feel. Actually.. it was 2.7g in the double. I use 2g for the singles and thought I might amplify it slightly.

I have an induction pan which holds about 12L of water, with a false floor I added myself. Once at around 155 Fahrenheit, I add the grains and stir every 10 mins. between a 45 and 60 minute mash, all depending on how well I have held the temperature. The induction hob isn't great at maintaining a good brew temp. Then, remove the bag and strain, then boil for 45 mins. I add the hops at flame out (simcoe and mosaic as per the recipe). Then I crash cool in the sink, takes less than 30 mins with a brew of this scale. I am generally left with around 5 litres at this point, having lost 2 litres of water to grains and boiling.

For the double, I late dry hopped at 2 weeks in (the citra). Then the day before bottling, I added the bulk of the dry hops, being the el dorado.

I carbonate in the bottle and have previously always carbed too high, hence why this batch is under carbed. Still learning!

Currently brewing another single NEIPA with an even later first dry hop. I am testing how adding the dry hops really late, changes the taste. I am trying to steer more toward a Verdant brew.

My next test is going to be to use just 1 hop style, something new and exciting!

I started NEIPA over a year ago but failed miserably, my technique has not been very good. I am tentatively looking to get some better kit.. plus I have had major trouble maintaining fermentation temperature. Luckily at this time of year, my kitchen is a great brew temperature. I still have no fermentation temperature regulation. So it is fairly surprising that the double NEIPA I brewed was so well received! I am quite pleased! :)

 

[strange-steve]

Tonight I'm drinking a 6.0% NEIPA from @dan125 called "Day Down Margate" (love the label btw). Apologies for not getting round to this sooner but had a hectic couple of weeks with work, so really looking forward to a brew.

Appearance
Ugly murky brown as expected, poured with a lively head which dropped to a thin lingering layer. As cloudy as a day at the beach, just as the label promised

Aroma
Deliciously sweet and fruity, the typical tropical aromas of mango, passion fruit, pineapple which are really inviting. Despite being in the bottle a month which is enough to mute the hops (my fault so sorry again) it still smells very nice.

Flavour
Very refreshing with a decent fruity hop hit. A really nice resinous hop flavour in there also which makes me think of chinook. An initial sweetness which fades to a long, dry finish which really lingers on the palate. Very drinkable indeed. No noticeable alcohol hotness.

Overall Impression
It seems to be a difficult thing to keep these beers light in colour like some of the commercial varieties I've seen. I'm not sure why that is, if it's due to hop oxidation or something else, but it's something I've experienced in my attempts also, not that appearance is terribly important anyway.
I think the balance of flavours is very good, though it's really interesting how the sweetness and dryness seem to occur at different times on the palate. At first it seems to be a rather sweet beer as expected for the style, but as that fades there is a fairly robust dryness which isn't at all unpleasant, just a little unexpected maybe. It's not overbittered so I'm curious about the FG and if you did any water treatment on this.
Perfect carbonation, enough to enhance the hoppy nose while not being overly lively on the tongue.
It perhaps doesn't have the juicy quality of a NEIPA, but regardless this is a cracking IPA. The finish really lightens it and makes it very moreish and I could happily drink a few of these of an evening. I really like the hop combo so interested to see what you've used. Thanks for sending a great beer, it went down very quickly tonight and the more I drank the more I enjoyed it. I'd be really happy if I'd brewed this :hat:

 

[dan125]

Tonight I'm drinking a 6.0% NEIPA from @dan125 called "Day Down Margate" (love the label btw).

Thanks Steve -I'm glad you enjoyed it.

The colour difference between the keg & bottle is incredible - the darkest grain in there is the Maris Otter at 6 EBC! I'm gonna have to find a way to CO2 flush the bottles before filling as this must be down to oxidation of some sort???
I was also surprised how much the beer had cleared despite a good dose of oat malt & flaked barley and without using any kettle finings.

I used cascade, azacca & denali hops in equal measure (24L batch)
15g each @ 10mins
30g each - steep 40mins post boil @ 65C
30g each - 1st dry hop
40g each - 2nd dry hop

The FG was a few points lower than expected at 1.009 - I used some of the yeast cake from the previous brew, and the 2nd generation attenuated to 83%, where the 1st generation only managed 75%. The Wyeast London III seems alot less characterful than the Vermont yeast I've used in previous incarnations.

I diluted my tap water with ashbeck, then used some AMS & 8g of calc choride to leave me with alkalinity 15, and a s/c ratio of 52/144 (0.4)

It was a decent beer but like you say, missing the mark for the style. When I make V4 I think I'll;

• move the 10min hop addition to 5mins or flame out.
• use 1st gen yeast or a higher mash temp
• increase the amount of flaked barley/oats

Any other suggestions gratefully receieved :

 

[strange-steve]

Tonight's beer is an interesting one, a coconut IPA made by @clarkeuk
I've never had a coconut beer so intrigued to see how it works...

Aroma
Lovely aroma of tropical fruit and light coconut which is unusual but really delicious.

Appearance
Lightly hazy but a very nice deep copper colour, a small white head with very good retention.

Flavour
This is really damn good. The coconut comes through beautifully, almost a lightly toasted flavour, very well balanced with the other flavours. The fruity hops are noticeable but not overpowering and the bitterness is quite mellow but lingers on the tongue.

Overall Impression
I've had many "flavoured" beers over the years, and in general I find them pretty disappointing. Often the balance is off, either too much or too little of the flavouring/addition. This is how to do it properly. The coconut is perfectly balanced with the other flavours, and it really works. I love coconut, but I'll be honest, I was a little dubious about how it would work in an IPA. This recipe is bang on though, I really want to see how you used the coconut because I'm definitely adding this to my brew list. A very unusual beer but fantastic, great job mate and many thanks for sending this! :hat: I'll hopefully have something to send you soon, did I send you a Westvleteren clone yet?

 

[clarkeuk]

Tonight's beer is an interesting one, a coconut IPA made by @clarkeuk
I've never had a coconut beer so intrigued to see how it works...

Aroma
Lovely aroma of tropical fruit and light coconut which is unusual but really delicious.

Appearance
Lightly hazy but a very nice deep copper colour, a small white head with very good retention.

Flavour
This is really damn good. The coconut comes through beautifully, almost a lightly toasted flavour, very well balanced with the other flavours. The fruity hops are noticeable but not overpowering and the bitterness is quite mellow but lingers on the tongue.

Overall Impression
I've had many "flavoured" beers over the years, and in general I find them pretty disappointing. Often the balance is off, either too much or too little of the flavouring/addition. This is how to do it properly. The coconut is perfectly balanced with the other flavours, and it really works. I love coconut, but I'll be honest, I was a little dubious about how it would work in an IPA. This recipe is bang on though, I really want to see how you used the coconut because I'm definitely adding this to my brew list. A very unusual beer but fantastic, great job mate and many thanks for sending this! :hat: I'll hopefully have something to send you soon, did I send you a Westvleteren clone yet?

Cheers Steve really glad you enjoyed it
I think I mentioned before that the recipe is not my own ( unfortunately[emoji16]) only the execution of it is , although I made a few minor malt changes and higher abv
the recipe has been shared on YouTube by newtohomebrewtom of which he has a leader board of people who have brewed it up and sent one in for him to review , I am awaiting the review for my effort I hope it's as favourable as yours [emoji106]
I will be sending you a kveik pale next week and I will post it with the beersmith recipe and water adjustments i did for the coconut shy PA
Cheers Clarke

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[clarkeuk]

Oh and no have not had the pleasure of the clone [emoji106][emoji481]
Cheers Clarke

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