2012 Southern Spring Lotto Draw

[Oliver]

Well bugger me. I never win anything, so this is quite something!

I'll PM my details to the unlucky entrants.

Thanks in advance and anticipation.

And given my slackness in brewing and the number of beers I owe previous winners there will be no complaints about a little tardiness!

Thanks guys,

Oliver

[earle]

Congrats Oliver.Something in the post soon.

[Tipsy]

Congratulations Oliver. Good to see you get something back for running the site.

I've put a bottle in the post. I'll dig out the recipe when I get home and send it in a pm.

[barrelboy]

well done Oliver, and bad luck again to fellow South Aussie - doc.
will post off something next week for you to hopefully enjoy.
cheers BB

[Oliver]

Thanks fellas. Doc, it hasn't been a good couple of weeks for you, huh, first or Crows go down the the hawks then you don't win lotto!

Oliver

[big dave]

Good win Oliver

I dont have a heap to offer presently, but more than I could offer last lotto. I have....

1. A few Dirty Scrumpet long-necks left, inspired by the good Doc's JSGA clone, BIAB AG, Amarillo hops, US-05. Has been pretty well received.
2. Or a more recent lager that I am not entirely happy with (and reluctant to offer), very pale, even pinkish to my jaundiced eye, Saaz hops for flavour and aroma, WY 2112 Californian Lager.
3. Just bottled last week, an attempt at a doppelbock, which boiled off less than I anticipated on a freezing windy day. So it will be less malty and more hoppy than I intended. Will be around 7.5%, with Perle bittering and flavour, pitched onto the WY 2112 yeastcake. Tasted nothing like a doppel out of the fermenter, and was not as clear as I had hoped, but I liked it.... Should be ready in a couple of weeks.

Your choice mate

[big dave]

Executive decision. Dirty Scrumpet. I am off to the post office.

[earle]

Posted on Friday

genuine Earle's Stone and Wod
Hoppy Hefe clone
TTL clone

I know it only needs to be two, but postage is the same for three and this way you get more beer and I get more feedback.

Cheers
Earle

[barls]

hand delivered last week. was good to catch up with you for a beer mate.enjoy that tripple

[Oliver]

Thanks fellas. I have received packages from big dave, Tipsy and earle (thanks for the THREE bottles!). And I've also received the triple from barls, delivered over a beer and parma at Mrs Parma's last week.

I haven't tasted any yet though. Perhaps this weekend may mark the start. I'll report back.

The post office seems to be sending me only final notices to pick up packages, so I hope they haven't stuffed up completely and returned anyone's packages.

Cheers,

Oliver

[SaazGorilla]

Hi Oliver,

Would you like a brand new (currently 1 week in the bottle) Honey Wheat beer, or an Earle's Stone and Wood (1 month in the bottle)?

[Oliver]

Hi Saaz,

I think I'll go Earle's S&W.

Cheers,

Oliver

[Oliver]

'Er indoors and I decided it was a good day to taste a few of the brews supplied by you fellow brewers.

Here are some thoughts:

Earle's Stone & Wood
A bit more malty than the "real thing", but that's not a bad thing because I think the genuine article lacks a bit of body. A nice, easy-drinking beer with good hop aroma and flavour. The little lady said "it's not bad, it's not bad at all", which you should take as a great compliment. Before I told her it was a homebrew she said she thought it was a Mornington Pale Ale.

Earle's Hoppy Hefe
A lively beer with a foamy head. Presents very nicely. Fruity and spicy. And hoppy.

And now, a few days later, Geoff and I are tasting the remainder of the contributions so far:

Big Dave's Dirty Scrumpet (inspired by DrSmurto's Golden Ale recipe)
A bloody delicious beer with a fantastic head. We are visiting Geoff and his Ale Wife, Lisa, to oversee his first BIAB tomorrow. Coincidentally, he's making the good Doc's Golden Ale! (And, he has just informed me, it will be his first AG in 25 years of brewing, which he's sad about because he looks on it as 25 wasted years. Boy how times have changed since he brewed his fourth beer, Sundowner Victorian Bitter in February 1998 with 1.5kg of sugar, which according to his brewing diary was "undrinkable, except in desperate situations".)

Earle's Timothy Taylor Landlord
Malty and nice. Another beer with a good head. Possibly on the sweeter side of the commercial equivalent but a beautiful beer nonetheless.

Tipsy's Mystery Beer
Fine looking. Dark with a good head. Sweet and nutty and a little honey-ey. It's getting late in the night and the adjectives aren't flowing.

Barls's Belgian Tripple
Looks just like a bought one. Magnificent colour and a creamy head. And tastes good, too. Warmth from the alcohol comes through and it's beautifully balanced. A great way to finish off the night.

As Frankie Vallie once sang, "Oh, what a night!"

Cheers,

Oliver

[Guru]

Must have been quite a night... double post.

[Oliver]

It was. Double post removed

Oliver

[barls]

glad you enjoyed it. looking forward to seeing how the honey primed version drinks.

[earle]

Glad you liked them Oliver. It feels like I'm starting from scratch with ag but I'm sure the quality will soon be back up there.

[Oliver]

We're just drinking the bottle of SaazGorilla's Earle's Stone & Wood, dropped off by Saaz into our conveniently beer-bottle-shaped letterbox last night. There were initial concerns from the little lady due to the fact that it was in a Rekorderling cider bottle. However, the proof is in the pudding.

Perhaps not surprisingly I'd say the same about SaazGorilla's Earle's Stone & Wood as I'd say about Earle's Stone & Wood: "A bit more malty than the 'real thing', but that's not a bad thing because I think the genuine article lacks a bit of body. A nice, easy-drinking beer with good hop aroma and flavour. The little lady said 'it's not bad, it's not bad at all', which you should take as a great compliment. Before I told her it was a homebrew she said she thought it was a Mornington Pale Ale."

I found the non-Earle's/SaazGorilla's version to be a little more malty, with a little less hop character than Earle's original, but SaazGorilla's had been in the bottle longer so perhaps this is explicable.

Excellent work.

Oliver

[SaazGorilla]

Thanks, Oliver. I'm chuffed to hear that mine stacks up with the original (i.e. Earle's).

Mine had some minor variations to Earle's recipe (Can of Canadian Blonde + 1.4 kg Dried Wheat Malt Extract), but I'd still call it 'Earle's'. I'm definitely adding it to the Brew again (and again and again) list.

Any suggestions out there for hop variations? The recipe asks for Galaxy and I think some 'passionfruit' flavours would work really well.

[Guru]

I actually made Earle's SW recipe but used Amarillo as my LHBS didn't have Galaxy. I can't tell what the difference is as I haven't had the Galaxy one, but the one with Amarillo is pretty good IMO.