Xmas Swap 2018 Review Thread

[RichardM]

Just cracked open the bottle of stout that I received. I must admit first impressions weren't good. Almost no hiss as I opened the bottle and no head at all when poured. However, it's the taste that matters and this is delicious. The vanilla, coffee and chocolate flavours are there, but only as hints, nothing is over powering. Again, there isn't too much lactose, it's not overly sweet, just not a dry stout.

IMG_20181226_183004840

• RichardM
• Dec 26, 2018

If the brewer wants to share the recipe it's one that I'd brew

 

[brewhaha]

Got an evening at home so an opportunity to check out my Secret Santa beer.

Poured with a fluffy white head & great carbonation. Aroma was peppery, wafts of banana & the unmistakable smell of Citra. This beer screamed "Citra Saison"!

Fantastically drinkable for 6%. I love this yeast flavour profile. What is it? More pepper but it has a background wheat beer vibe, particularly banana that really worked. There is a deft touch with the Citra as well. It's such a powerful hop & I can definitely taste it but it's, rightly, playing second fiddle to the yeast.

Overall, beautiful beer that I would gladly have sunk another of. Recipe would be much appreciated as it's a style I brew regularly.

Merry Boxing Day & thank you to my Secret Santa!

 

[Oneflewover]

Got an evening at home so an opportunity to check out my Secret Santa beer.

Poured with a fluffy white head & great carbonation. Aroma was peppery, wafts of banana & the unmistakable smell of Citra. This beer screamed "Citra Saison"!

Fantastically drinkable for 6%. I love this yeast flavour profile. What is it? More pepper but it has a background wheat beer vibe, particularly banana that really worked. There is a deft touch with the Citra as well. It's such a powerful hop & I can definitely taste it but it's, rightly, playing second fiddle to the yeast.

Overall, beautiful beer that I would gladly have sunk another of. Recipe would be much appreciated as it's a style I brew regularly.

Merry Boxing Day & thank you to my Secret Santa!

Really pleased that you enjoyed it, and thanks for the feedback, much appreciated.

The yeast is wyeast 3711. Whilst the recipe does have some wheat malt, I'd say the 'wheat beer vibe' may be due in part to a coriander seed addition.

The recipe is a tweak of BBN Citra Saison from Euan Ferguson's book. I'll pm you the recipe. Thanks again :hat:

 

[Oneflewover]

Enjoying my second beer this evening. A Patersbier, a style that I have not sampled, let alone brewed, before.

Very lively carbonation gave way to an inviting white head on top of a clear golden-coloured beer.

A bit of Belgian yeast flavour, but it is overall very clean with low bitterness. I'd say this is an all pilsner malt bill with possibly only a single hop added early in the boil.

Consequently there's no hiding place for any faults. Not that I found any, this is an easy drinking and refreshing beer. I'd happily have several. Thanks for sending!

 

[mitchmalt]

Hi Mitch, can I ask which Maltmiller recipe it was, and what you changed.

It’s an old perculier clone

https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/product/robs-recipes-paul-wicksteed-peculiar-one-recipe/

I followed it as closely as I could but added 40g dry hops ( just leftovers in the freezer-northern brewer, not really a dry hopping hop, but needed using!), also I used a ‘house yeast’ I originally harvested from a Moorlands hens tooth bottle. It’s 5 th generation now, great yeast for sticking to bottle bottom.

 

[Tim Hunt]

Just got in from driving back from southampton up to Leeds and definitely needed a beer. I’ve just opened the oatmeal stout I received sat by the fire. Poored brown with a slight reddish tint, carbonation was spot on. Taste is steady away malt, not bitter like I expected, a bit like old peculiar as opposed to a stout but very nice none the less.

 

[Tim Hunt]

Just drinking the second beer, black bourbon stout - 7.5%. Not overly carbonated but actually that adds to the smoothness. Very rich, sweet edge but just right, bitterness is just perfect and the bourbon, which I couldn’t taste initially turns up at the end. No alcoholic bite but from the mouth feel and how rich it is you know it’s a strong one. Fantastic beer!

 

[AleofWight]

Enjoying my second beer this evening. A Patersbier, a style that I have not sampled, let alone brewed, before.

Very lively carbonation gave way to an inviting white head on top of a clear golden-coloured beer.

A bit of Belgian yeast flavour, but it is overall very clean with low bitterness. I'd say this is an all pilsner malt bill with possibly only a single hop added early in the boil.

Consequently there's no hiding place for any faults. Not that I found any, this is an easy drinking and refreshing beer. I'd happily have several. Thanks for sending!
View attachment 17046

Glad you enjoyed it, right on regarding Malt and it was Single hop Saaz. Was lighter(in flavour) than I expected but would make a nice summer beer. Have a great remainder of the holiday.
Thanks for the review as it's hard rating one's own brew.

 

[dan125]

My 2nd beer was a Beeramisu milk stout.
A really nice stout with a smooth mild roastiness, balanced bitterness and a little fruitiness.
I'm not picking up a strong coffee character that I thought it might have from the name but there's a lovely silky mouthfeel.
Another cracking beer. Thanks santa!

 

[jceg316]

View attachment 17052 My 2nd beer was a Beeramisu milk stout.
A really nice stout with a smooth mild roastiness, balanced bitterness and a little fruitiness.
I'm not picking up a strong coffee character that I thought it might have from the name but there's a lovely silky mouthfeel.
Another cracking beer. Thanks santa!

You're welcome! Whilst this beer didn't end up with a strong tiramisu flavour, for me it had a large roasted coffee flavour so it's really interesting to hear it doesn't come through so well for you.

 

[divrack]

The first of my 2 beers is 'chrimbo juice', a 6% DDH (whatever that is!?) Pale.

Low level of carbonation, guessing it's been bottled from keg? Lots of citrus on the nose, then pine and tropical fruit. Guessing citra and Simcoe, posssibly Amarillo too?

Lingering bitterness that clears the pallete and makes you want to go back for another swig.

Very enjoyable, congratulations and thanks to the brewer/ Santa :hat:

Cheers. Ddh is double dry hop.
Glad you liked it.
To be honest the second dry hop took a lot longer for the burn to subside, and there was still more than I'd have liked when i bottled it and consequently less carbonation too, although i prefer this style on the low side of fizzy.
You guessed pretty close, citra in the boil with eukanot in the whirlpool and both in active bio dry hop, followed by mainly Simcoe in the second dry hop and a spot of motueka.
I'ts only now starting to lose the astringency from the second dry after three weeks.
Was going to send you a kettle sour fruit thing but couldn't see any evidence of you liking sour beer in your history...

 

[-Bezza-]

Just cracked open the bottle of stout that I received. I must admit first impressions weren't good. Almost no hiss as I opened the bottle and no head at all when poured. However, it's the taste that matters and this is delicious. The vanilla, coffee and chocolate flavours are there, but only as hints, nothing is over powering. Again, there isn't too much lactose, it's not overly sweet, just not a dry stout.

IMG_20181226_183004840

• RichardM
• Dec 26, 2018

If the brewer wants to share the recipe it's one that I'd brew

I'm afraid I have to hold my hands up and admit to that being mine.

I was a bit worried about this one when I brewed it as I didn't get the mash efficiency I wanted. However, I tasted it after fermentation and thought it had a really good flavour so popped it into a pressure barrel and added the priming sugar. When it came to posting a bottle of secret santa beer out, I poured a glass from the keg and it looked great - fantastic head and really surprised me at how much it had been rescued. I was so pleased with it, I scrapped the idea of sending an alternative beer and plumped for the stout, drawing a few bottles from the keg. I popped one in the post to you and took a few others to a friends house where the bottles were, sadly, as flat as you have seen and generally just a bit thin. Tested from the keg and it was pouring flat too. So no idea how the first pint or two from the keg were so good and then the rest so awful.

I still think the flavour is there, it's just not up to scratch on the carbonation/mouthfeel, so I've resolved to do two things:

1) Send you a different bottle of beer (something bottle conditioned and acting a bit more consistently!) as I really do think what I sent you was a massive let down. Will try and get in the post tomorrow if I can.
2) Buy some cornies

 

[Oneflewover]

Cheers. Ddh is double dry hop.
Glad you liked it.
To be honest the second dry hop took a lot longer for the burn to subside, and there was still more than I'd have liked when i bottled it and consequently less carbonation too, although i prefer this style on the low side of fizzy.
You guessed pretty close, citra in the boil with eukanot in the whirlpool and both in active bio dry hop, followed by mainly Simcoe in the second dry hop and a spot of motueka.
I'ts only now starting to lose the astringency from the second dry after three weeks.
Was going to send you a kettle sour fruit thing but couldn't see any evidence of you liking sour beer in your history...

Twas very enjoyable indeed. There's no history of me liking sour beer because I've never tried one! Since I started home brewing my horizons have expanded considerably - one of the reasons I love the hobby - but haven't gotten around to a sour yet......

 

[DavidHatton]

Oighear a Rugadh, Ice Born Eisbock 11.3%.
A Heavyweight offering at that percentage, bottle is poured and firstly I notice a lovely deep red tone to the beer,
on the taste there is a clear cherry flavour with what I consider to be a rye taste, beautifully clear in the glass and with a powerful boozey after taste, this was not light hearted beverage, so I left it til last on xmas day certainly helped with the lay in the next day. Superb beer! And it was goodnight Vienna.

 

[divrack]

Twas very enjoyable indeed. There's no history of me liking sour beer because I've never tried one! Since I started home brewing my horizons have expanded considerably - one of the reasons I love the hobby - but haven't gotten around to a sour yet......

maybe ill send you one if i dont finish them all over the festive tide. next batches are still probably about six months from their prime

 

[RichardM]

I'm afraid I have to hold my hands up and admit to that being mine.

I was a bit worried about this one when I brewed it as I didn't get the mash efficiency I wanted. However, I tasted it after fermentation and thought it had a really good flavour so popped it into a pressure barrel and added the priming sugar. When it came to posting a bottle of secret santa beer out, I poured a glass from the keg and it looked great - fantastic head and really surprised me at how much it had been rescued. I was so pleased with it, I scrapped the idea of sending an alternative beer and plumped for the stout, drawing a few bottles from the keg. I popped one in the post to you and took a few others to a friends house where the bottles were, sadly, as flat as you have seen and generally just a bit thin. Tested from the keg and it was pouring flat too. So no idea how the first pint or two from the keg were so good and then the rest so awful.

I still think the flavour is there, it's just not up to scratch on the carbonation/mouthfeel, so I've resolved to do two things:

1) Send you a different bottle of beer (something bottle conditioned and acting a bit more consistently!) as I really do think what I sent you was a massive let down. Will try and get in the post tomorrow if I can.
2) Buy some cornies

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

 

[Oneflewover]

maybe ill send you one if i dont finish them all over the festive tide. next batches are still probably about six months from their prime

Was hoping you might say that. I've got a 6% Citra Saison or an 8% coconut, choc, rum stout I can send in return?

 

[divrack]

might well be into a citra saison, but probably will wait to check i dont drink it while my heathen friends are over.

 

[strange-steve]

Oighear a Rugadh, Ice Born Eisbock 11.3%.
A Heavyweight offering at that percentage, bottle is poured and firstly I notice a lovely deep red tone to the beer,
on the taste there is a clear cherry flavour with what I consider to be a rye taste, beautifully clear in the glass and with a powerful boozey after taste, this was not light hearted beverage, so I left it til last on xmas day certainly helped with the lay in the next day. Superb beer! And it was goodnight Vienna.

View attachment 17055

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

 

[big yogi]

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