Xmas Swap Review Thread

[DavidHatton]

Dom Bar 5%

Lovely golden coloured english ale, smooth on the taste and great malt tones, light floral hop flavour.
very drinkable and lovely Ale, Went down great this early eve.

 

[sdt7618]

Drunken monk. 10.2% quadruple.

Opened with a small hiss, the smell initially was treacle like or dark sugar,but malty. Dark in colour with a thin head, though this could be due to being fridge cold and the glass I am using.

First sip gives big malt flavours with just a tiny hint of the alcohol that is obviously there.

At first the beer was very cold but as it's warming there is a change away from treacle to more liquorice. The beer is very smooth with just hints of the warming alcohol.

I am probably not giving this beer the descriptive prowess that it deserves.

This is my first quad, but the more I am trying Belgium style beers the more I am enjoying.

Really enjoyed this beer sipping in front of the fire , and looking forward to sampling more beers from this style.


Well that's the first beer of 2018, going to be good if the are all anywhere near this brew. :thumb:

 

[strange-steve]

Drunken monk. 10.2% quadruple.

That'd be my attempt at a Westy 12 clone, thanks for the review :hat:

 

[DavidHatton]

Well the Mrs is at work and there's peace in the house so time for the second of my swaps. This is Black IPA mark II at 5.4% brewed with some of my favourite hops, so let's go...

Aroma
Fruity, citrusy hops, orange and grapefruit with a slight hint of coffee, very inviting.

Appearance
A truly beautiful looking beer. My shoddy photo doesn't do it justice, black with a lovely reddish hint when held to the light, crystal clear and a creamy white head with fantastic retention.

Flavour
Excellent full bodied mouthfeel. Citrusy hops initially, predominantly grapefruit, well balanced with the malt flavours, with a very slight roastiness and a dry finish.

Overall Impression
This is a cracking BIPA. I was curious how the chocolate malt would work, but it's light enough that it blends very well with the hop bitterness in the finish, leaving just an impression of black coffee. The dark malts are very well judged. The oats add a beautiful silkiness which make it very smooth, but it's not heavy. The dry finish balances it out nicely. A great beer, very well brewed so thank you for sending this :hat:

Edit to add: look at the head retention on this, outstanding!

Hi Steve, thank you for the review and glad you enjoyed it! was only my 4th all grain brew! it went down a storm over xmas, alas now i have to brew mark 3.
D

:hat:

 

[sdt7618]

That'd be my attempt at a Westy 12 clone, thanks for the review :hat:

Thanks for sending, quite sure that there are more eloquent and indeed sensitive tastebuds out there. But really has opened my eyes to a new beer style which I am enjoying. :thumb::grin:

 

[dad_of_jon]

I cracked open this little beauty a few days ago, apologies for the late review. I didn't have a cable to transfer the pics from my phone! A 79p lead from home bargains sorted that out!.

On opening a satisfying hiss, there was a thin head with low carbonation. The eisbock had the body of a wine, and also reminded me of a barley wine. It had a lovely ruby hue to it.

Aroma: Rich lightly fruity aroma.
Tasting: I had fruit in brandy with even a splash of advocaat thrown in. A crisp clean finish with a smooth warming alcohol kick at the end.

I more than enjoyed it at the age it was even those Steve said it takes a couple more months to reach its peak. I've drunk Ayinger celebrator and Aventinus eisbock and preferred Steves beer to both of them.
Hats off to steve :hat: I know making it is beyond my abilities I'll add eisbock back into my list of beers to look out for! :thumb:

 

[strange-steve]

Thanks DoJ, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm planning on entering it in the Irish National competition this year though I've never actually tasted a commercial eisbock so I have no idea if it hits the right notes stylistically.