Xmas Swap 2018 Review Thread

[dan125]

View attachment 17066
Cracked it open to the smell of hops oozing out of the bottle.
OMG the flavours of citrus were very noticeable which i prefer in a beer nowadays, it was well carbonated and the aftertaste of the hops were amazing.
I have made one like this before but definitely not as good.
Thanks Santa for a lovely beer

Cheers big yogi - glad you liked it. The BBC cascade & chinook pellets I used for dry hopping weren't as potent as I'd hoped they'd be, but today is just exactly 4 weeks from brewday so they still pack a decent fresh punch.

 

[big yogi]

[QUOTE="# cascade & chinook pellets I used for dry hopping weren't as potent as I'd hoped they'd be, but today is just exactly 4 weeks from brewday so they still pack a decent fresh punch.
[/QUOTE]
How much did you use and how long for?

 

[dan125]

How much did you use and how long for?

It was 200g (100g of each) in 27L - in for 3 days at warmer temps before cold crashing, so about 6 days in total before packaging.

 

[big yogi]

It was 200g (100g of each) in 27L - in for 3 days at warmer temps before cold crashing, so about 6 days in total before packaging.

Thanks, I will try that in my next brew.

 

[yikkerman]

View attachment 17007 Malted Vic, which I assume is a name rather than a style.

A very malty aroma, with more than a hint of pine.

Hazy with a very good head which doesn’t easily dissipate. A bit paler than the picture makes out.
Fruity with medium bitterness which linger in the mouth (med/low initially but got more as I drank it).

Overall I was very pleased with this beer, very nice and refreshing - probably the type of beer I would make and drink.

Thanks for the kind comments.
This was a modified Coopers kit. I like playing around with these kits and have had some good beers ( a couple not so good either !! ). Its not a massive expense though if it goes wrong and is all a lesson learned. This was a Canadian Blonde kit - I used dextrose/LME/Wheat malt and a malt mash too. Then dry hopped with Motueka and Vic Secret.

 

[MickDundee]

Thanks for the kind comments.
This was a modified Coopers kit. I like playing around with these kits and have had some good beers ( a couple not so good either !! ). Its not a massive expense though if it goes wrong and is all a lesson learned. This was a Canadian Blonde kit - I used dextrose/LME/Wheat malt and a malt mash too. Then dry hopped with Motueka and Vic Secret.

That’s a surprise, I definitely didn’t spot that it was a kit beer! Probably because you used LME and dry hopped.

 

[Ciaran12s]

Sorry for being so late with this one. I left it til late on Christmas day and it's been hectic since.

Oighear a Rugadh - Irish for ice born. A very nice name!

At 11.3% I expected this to have a strong alcohol flavour maybe a slight burn but it was actually very smooth. I thought it had quite a bit of sweetness at the back. Is this due to yeast tolerance/high fg? Or maybe my imagination. The strongest I've brewed yet is 7.5 so I've no experience with big beers.

Overall a very tasty and malty brew which looked good in the glass as well!

Thanks Steve very nice. And thanks for your efforts!

I can't get the picture attached I'm afraid! File too large it says. It worked fine the other day. I'll try again later.

 

[Zephyr259]

Almost forgot to write these up, amusing pair as neither are something I'd brew normally. I'm starting to get used to writing tasting notes but I'm not a fan of hoppy styles so I'm not practised at putting them into words.

Raspberry Pale Ale (4.8%) - Poured a nice clear, red tinged copper, if you didn't know you could mistake it for a bitter. No head at all despite a good level of carbonation. Raspberry and fruity hops on the nose, flavour starts slightly tart due to the acid from the fruit and proceeds to a nice blend of hops and raspberry. The dry raspberry flavour lingers on the finish but then the hop bitterness sweeps it away. I wasn't sure how this would work as I wouldn't normally fruit a hoppy beer but it did work, this was split half and half with my wife.

Hazy IPA (6%) - Hazy yellow with a loose head which didn't hang about long. Citrus hops on the nose and more in the flavour. Bitter but not overpowering and a nice fizzy carbonation. I avoid IPAs as the bitterness normally makes me give up within half a pint and hand it to my wife. I drank all this one as she didn't want another beer that evening, just as well as she wasn't keen. I was surprised at that as she likes IPAs but this one was a bit too much for her, maybe just a bad evening as she drinks IPAs which I can't stand due to the bitterness, but maybe she's more sensitive to the flavour, on the bright side it means I no longer feel the urge to brew one for her as she prefers my bitters and stouts.

One of my beers has been discussed but the other recipient hasn't posted yet so I'll keep quite currently as they got the same beer.

 

[pvt_ak]

Raspberry Pale Ale (4.8%) - Poured a nice clear, red tinged copper, if you didn't know you could mistake it for a bitter. No head at all despite a good level of carbonation. Raspberry and fruity hops on the nose, flavour starts slightly tart due to the acid from the fruit and proceeds to a nice blend of hops and raspberry. The dry raspberry flavour lingers on the finish but then the hop bitterness sweeps it away. I wasn't sure how this would work as I wouldn't normally fruit a hoppy beer but it did work, this was split half and half with my wife.

That’ll be mine - Agree with the dissapointing head, I’ve added some oats to current batch to hopefully improve retention.

Thanks for the review !

 

[Zephyr259]

That’ll be mine - Agree with the dissapointing head, I’ve added some oats to current batch to hopefully improve retention.

Thanks for the review !

Ah cool, it was pretty strange, might be to do with the fruit. Out of interest, how much raspberries did you use and what were the hops?

 

[DavidHatton]

Glad you enjoyed it mate :hat:
I think it's a little past its best at this point but my recent brews have been a bit hit and miss and I didn't have anything better to send

Had a feeling it came from your lab, Coincidence as I sent you my black ipa last year. Been a bit carried away with brewing hoppy pale ales this year, next yeat venture back into the dark side of ales. Just a side question, do you brew with the Grainfather! All the best D

 

[Ajhutch]

Here’s my last swap beer, a smoked porter from Santa @Hoddy

A real fizz on opening and poured with a lovely thick foam as you can see. It stuck around very well.

The aroma is a nice balance between the dark malts and the smoke. I actually sensed chocolate and a bit of roast first and smoke came afterwards. In the flavour the smoke really enhances the roast character rather than being overtly smokey in its own right. Mouthfeel is full bodied with lovely carbonation. It’s got a little bit of that softness that NEIPAs with the London Ale yeast have too which is interesting to me.

I read that you’ve worked on this recipe over time and it’s brilliantly designed. I would probably never have either ordered or brewed a beer like this so a real pleasure to get one in this swap and see what it can be like. Cheers!

 

[DavidHatton]

My first beer was Must Die IPA - Really nice pale ale. Assertive bitterness balanced with a malty aftertaste. Very complex flavour with something new coming through at every sip, from citrus to earthy flavours. Really enjoyed it. I gave some to my dad as well who agreed.

Cheers and I am glad you found it fit to drink, name of beer is 6 must die pa, a story thread from the Carpenter film the Fog, and my version of Ghostship. Cheers again :hat:

 

[pvt_ak]

Ah cool, it was pretty strange, might be to do with the fruit. Out of interest, how much raspberries did you use and what were the hops?

Apollo and Citra - 2kg raspberries for last 7 days .

 

[strange-steve]

Just a side question, do you brew with the Grainfather

Yep I'm a GF brewer.

 

[Martybhoy]

Yep I'm a GF brewer.

Steve, would you recommend the GF? What are the pros and cons?

 

[-Bezza-]

You really don't have to send me another bottle, but I'm not going to argue! Despite the stout being flat the flavour and colour were spot on

Well it's in the post. I've given up trying to define what it is in terms of style. 7% and plenty of fizz though.

 

[Hoddy]

Rea

Here’s my last swap beer, a smoked porter from Santa @Hoddy

A real fizz on opening and poured with a lovely thick foam as you can see. It stuck around very well.

The aroma is a nice balance between the dark malts and the smoke. I actually sensed chocolate and a bit of roast first and smoke came afterwards. In the flavour the smoke really enhances the roast character rather than being overtly smokey in its own right. Mouthfeel is full bodied with lovely carbonation. It’s got a little bit of that softness that NEIPAs with the London Ale yeast have too which is interesting to me.

I read that you’ve worked on this recipe over time and it’s brilliantly designed. I would probably never have either ordered or brewed a beer like this so a real pleasure to get one in this swap and see what it can be like. Cheers!

Really pleased that you like it. Like you said, it’s been a labour of love this recipe. And now I still don’t think it’s as good as it could be. But it’s a real favourite here with visitors over the winter as it’s a real crowd please as a porter. It’s a bit unfortunate that it’s been a bit over carbonated, but it doesn’t really affect the beer overall.

 

[yikkerman]

The 2 I received were an "ABBEY ALE and an "OATMEAL STOUT"

As per the note on the bottle, the Abbey Ale was indeed very lively - poured with a good head which it held well. Lovely aroma and a very pleasant drink. I'd certainly drink this one again.

I dont drink stouts usually but was still up for the Oatmeal Stout which I shared with my son-in-law who is a Guiness drinker. Dark brew which poured with a decent head initially although this soon disappeared. Taste of liqourice came through and hints of toffee. As I say, not my usual tipple but nice.
The Guiness drinker loved it !!!

Sorry no pics - hectic day and all that !!
Cant wait for the next swaps.....

 

[Chippy_Tea]

You can swap anytime just post what you have to swap and members will offer what they have, check out the bottle swap forum.