2012 Christmas in July Lotto

[emnpaul]

Received a threee pack from Earl's brewery today. Thanks.

Drinking Tipsies APA right now. Strong Cascade on the nose. Pours a light copper with restrained, perhaps even refrained carbonation and just a suggestion of head. The taste a delicious hop flavour, with Cascade dominant, that's well supported by malt and a spritzy, effervescent, tingle that belies the apparent low carbonation. A fuller, hoppier APA than Saaz Gorilla's and a fine representation of the fatter end of the style. This is a beer I would be glad to have in my fridge and I will surely get around to brewing it in due course, though the list be long and getting longer.

[Tipsy]

Glad you liked it Paul and thanks for the comments.

This lotto's worth playing just for the feedback alone.

[Sonny]

Glad you liked it Paul and thanks for the comments.

This lotto's worth playing just for the feedback alone.

I don't know if I want to win again, the feedback bar has been lifted a very long way.


I really don't understand a most of the adjectives, but I get the gist if it's a good'on.
A most enjoyable Lotto thread!

[bullfrog]

Glad you liked it Paul and thanks for the comments.

This lotto's worth playing just for the feedback alone.

I don't know if I want to win again, the feedback bar has been lifted a very long way.


I really don't understand a most of the adjectives, but I get the gist if it's a good'on.
A most enjoyable Lotto thread!

I think most of your problem was having a few too many of your own before breaking out your winnings to sample. I know; I was there

[emnpaul]

Glad you liked it Paul and thanks for the comments.

This lotto's worth playing just for the feedback alone.

No worries.

Beer reviews are as much fun to write as they (hopefully) are to read.

Sadly "refrained carbonation" seems to have flown under the radar. I'll have to try harder.

P.S. Your pale ale had a lingering cascade flavour that endured long after I'd tipped the glass upside down in an attempt to extract that last golden drop. Great beer, great hop combo.

[Sonny]

Drinking Sonny's American Amber.

Thin head that comes and goes pretty quickly. Dark Amber to light brown colour that belies a sprightly, citral aroma. Excellent clarity with an equally clean, malty taste that is seriously threatened by an assertive, North Western hop flavour and cleansing bitterness. If Little Creatures Pale Ale had a swarthy, ethnic cousin, this would be it.
Hard to say how this could be improved and the woozy, hanging gates 'till my back says no photo fails to do it justice.

Cracked one of these last night Paul.

I say, much nicer than before. The bitterness that I wasn't so impressed upon was gone. I loved it.
I cracked a glass bottle, and the lacing was at its finest. I'd buy this kit again just to store.
I really enjoyed this one.

[drsmurto]

Apologies to emnpaul as i am yet to send a bottle.

I have no beer on tap at present and haven't for weeks, red wine has been keeping me well lubricated.

But.... tonight, hopefully, if not tomorrow night, I will be kegging the double decocted bo pils. It's been lagering for ~3 months (I think). Once gassed up I will send you a bottle.

It needs to be kegged as i now need the conditioning/lagering fridge for the next pilsner which i racked on Monday night. I need the fermenting fridge it is currently sitting in to ferment the next lager (munich dunkel) as the other fermenting fridge is set up for ales for the boys camping trip in 6 weeks time (golden ales). I will have a full production queue by the end of the weekend! (for the first time this year).

[hyjak]

2nd beer bottled late last week, so will be sending shortly Emnpaul

[rotten]

I finally sent mine today emnpaul. It would have been cheaper to send you the keg through a freight company than send 1 bottle through aus post rip off merchants.

I look forward to your tasting notes, enjoy

[emnpaul]

Don't worry Dr and Hyjak, good beer takes time and I'm a patient dude.

Yeah, Rotten Auspost is a bit pricey. In future I'll be sending only plastics in the hope to trim a dollar or two's worth of weight.

I look forward to tasting all of them.

[emnpaul]

Drinking Barrelboy's Braveheart Scotch Ale.





A fraction over carbonated on pouring but settles down quickly, possibly due to the alcohol content. Copper to bronze in colour with slight yeast haze. Aroma a bit like hay that's been sitting in the sun. Some alcohol in the taste along with a bit of sucrose and something I can't quite place maybe a hint of Coopers kit yeast? Fairly malty in the finish with reasonable body. A good beer which could be very good with a bit more crystal and some toasty English Ale malt flavour.

Cheers

[hyjak]

Geez don't know if I want to send my beers now, let alone enter in the next Lotto. If I won my notes would pale vastly in comparisons to Pauls

[Tipsy]

If I won my notes would pale vastly in comparisons to Pauls

Yeah, mine would be like mmm, fizzy, mmm, tasty, mmm, good.

[barrelboy]

Sorry to hear the ale wasn't to your liking but that's how it is. I though I provided an ingredients list etc however the yeast used was safale so4. As this drop was bottled on 2 Aug last year and spent nearly 2 weeks "floating" around Aust post perhaps the sediment had not settled out enough. In any event appreciate your honesty.
Cheers BB

[emnpaul]

I liked it. I think I just expected a bit more malt is all, but it could well be my mistake.

I'd forgotten about the recipe notes and yes, it does indeed say S-04. I was a Coopers drinker long before I took up home brewing as a hobby so a bit of sediment doesn't bother me and yeast haze wasn't a criticism. I'd say the yeast flavour's faded somewhat in the last 12 months and what I was tasting wasn't yeast flavour at all. Still can't quite put my finger on it so I guess I'll never know.

Hope I didn't offend you with my review, just trying to give an honest appraisal. Anyway cheers and thanks for sending your brew.

[emnpaul]

Earle's English Bitter: Dark copper to brown. Lively carbonation with good clarity. Faint floral English hops and yeast in the aroma. Taste is mixture of hops, malt and yeast with a possible slight mineral contribution. Medium bodied, becoming more hoppy as it warms, with an assertive, bitter finish. Dry hop with Goldings or maybe Styrian Goldings? I don't have alot of experience with English Bitter but seems a good example of style.

[earle]

Thanks for the comments emnpaul. Flame out addition was Sticklebract which is supposed to have a pinelike aroma with a hint of citrus. I think the finish is a bit too bitter to be in style.

[emnpaul]

Your brew turned up the other day Rotten. Thanks very much.

Drinking Earle's APA now. Good carbonation. Thin but persistent head. Good malt profile with some residual sweetness that balances the hops nicely. The hops or perhaps hop is where this one gets really interesting. Not the citrussy US flavour I was expecting (although I do enjoy that) but a spicy, aniseed like flavour that goes really well. I've no idea what it is, but would love to find out.

A real eye opener. I can see it not being everyone's cup of beer but I think it's fantastic.








I also had Big Dave's APA the other day. Another of the really great APA's you guys brew that I have been so lucky to enjoy.

Beer poured a nice golden yellow with slight yeast haze which is neither good nor bad, just expected with an APA. Spot on for carbonation in my opinion with excellent head retention and possibly the best lacing I've ever seen on a beer glass. In fact so impressed was I with the lacing I felt compelled to photograph the beer after I'd drunk it. This coincided with a really smooth, creamy mouth feel that seems to accompany a finely laced glass for some reason.

Another thing that struck me about this beer was the grainy malt undertone noticeable despite the significant hop finish, almost like a fresh baked nine grain loaf was thrown into the mash for good measure. The hops themselves? Wowee, that's a lot of hops. Citrus, a touch of spice and a decent bit of grapefruit that I don't think I've ever tasted in a beer, yet find so much more enjoyable as an alcoholic beverage than as a breakfast drink.

Although I mostly brew German Lagers and Alts at the moment this beer has made me seriously consider if I was an APA lover and just didn't know it, then it hit me, the mainstream commercial examples are just so fence-sittingly under hopped as to do the style no justice what so ever. Definitely going to give this one a crack once the weather warms up a bit.

Despite some seriously stiff competition I'm going to have to call this as the best Lotto beer so far. Muchos kudos Big Dave.

[Tipsy]

After a review like that, would Big Dave and Earle care to share their recipes?

[drsmurto]

Bottled and packaged 2 beers for this. Hopefully the quality makes up for the tardiness

Will be in the hands of aus post on monday.