Todays tastings

[Back Brewing]

15 minutes ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

I have been saving this one for a moment while I was alone, every time I have attempted to open it someone is at the door.

It is a powerful brew; the rum is a nice addition & having a malty backbone it complements the spicy notes, this is definitely not a session beer. I quite like it & wouldn't mind getting the recipe. You can really smell & taste the rum. 

Has anyone had anything similar?

 

His beers are good I was getting my kegs from him for a long time before I started brewing again

[Classic Brewing Co]

1 minute ago, Back Brewing said:

His beers are good I was getting my kegs from him for a long time before I started brewing again

Yes, they are, I have a couple of mates with kegerators whom go there for the keg beer, I have done it a couple of times in between re- organising my AG set-up, the cans are nice & good value, good fridge fillers.

[Kegory]

A Hazy Pale Ale at Gales Brewery in East Brunswick

The brewery was setup by a former home brewer, commencing pre-planning about 5 years ago, with no formal brewing training and it was very interesting hearing about their story to this stage and their plans for the future.

I tried five of their brews, my favourite being the West Coast IPA, and sampled many home brews, too.

[Back Brewing]

1 minute ago, Kegory said:

A Hazy Pale Ale at Gales Brewery in East Brunswick

The brewery was setup by a former home brewer, commencing pre-planning about 5 years ago, with no formal brewing training and it was very interesting hearing about their story to this stage and their plans for the future.

I tried five of their brews, my favourite being the West Coast IPA, and sampled many home brews, too.

Would hate the cleaning job

[jennyss]

7 hours ago, Back Brewing said:

Would hate the cleaning job

I spoke to the brewer at Dubbo's Devil's Hollow Brewery a while back. He said the biggest part of his job is cleaning!

[Kegory]

14 minutes ago, jennyss said:

I spoke to the brewer at Dubbo's Devil's Hollow Brewery a while back. He said the biggest part of his job is cleaning!

I bet it is. At Gales they said they had an infection early on and had to throw away three (500L) batches and were going close to running out of beer. They'd cleaned the fermenter after the first one, of course, but it wasn't in the fermenter. Turned out it was in the cooling or filtering system (or somewhere in the tranfer) and it wasn't until they found the rust, that part of the system wasn't stainless it was just plated, that they were able to get rid of it (replacing the parts with stainless steel).

[NBillett09]

I read on a Reddit home brewing community someone said:

“home brewing is actually a cleaning hobby with beer being a by-product”

that’s accurate!

[NBillett09]

19 hours ago, Kegory said:

I bet it is. At Gales they said they had an infection early on and had to throw away three (500L) batches and were going close to running out of beer. They'd cleaned the fermenter after the first one, of course, but it wasn't in the fermenter. Turned out it was in the cooling or filtering system (or somewhere in the tranfer) and it wasn't until they found the rust, that part of the system wasn't stainless it was just plated, that they were able to get rid of it (replacing the parts with stainless steel).

That’s a commercial nightmare for a startup brewery! 

[Kegory]

5 hours ago, NBillett09 said:

I read on a Reddit home brewing community someone said:

“home brewing is actually a cleaning hobby with beer being a by-product”

that’s accurate!

So very true.

A cleaning AND sanitizing hobby. I haven't looked at my kitchen in the same way since I started homebrewing 

[NBillett09]

9 hours ago, Kegory said:

So very true.

A cleaning AND sanitizing hobby. I haven't looked at my kitchen in the same way since I started homebrewing 

I would say that they are degrees on the same spectrum. In that something can be cleaned but not sanitized, but something cannot be sanitized without being cleaned. 
 

Not to ignite a philosophical debate

[Kegory]

6 minutes ago, NBillett09 said:

I would say that they are degrees on the same spectrum. In that something can be cleaned but not sanitized, but something cannot be sanitized without being cleaned. 
 

Not to ignite a philosophical debate

But I like philosophical debates 

I guess the definition of the words is important, it always in in philosophy. If something was given a dose of radiation sufficient enough to kill any microbes would that be "sanitized?" You could do that without removing the dirt.

[NBillett09]

@Kegory given that the Britannia dictionary says the definition is sanitize is: to make (something) free from dirt, infection, disease, etc., by cleaning it : to make (something) sanitary

then I would say that even though microbes were gone it still wouldn’t be “sanitary”. Because if that were so, you’d never need to clean the FV/brewing equipment, you’d just soak it in sanitizer and be done

[Kegory]

25 minutes ago, NBillett09 said:

@Kegory given that the Britannia dictionary says the definition is sanitize is: to make (something) free from dirt, infection, disease, etc., by cleaning it : to make (something) sanitary

then I would say that even though microbes were gone it still wouldn’t be “sanitary”. Because if that were so, you’d never need to clean the FV/brewing equipment, you’d just soak it in sanitizer and be done

So possibly sterilized but not sanitized.

[Kegory]

Mountain Culture Old Friend Schwarzbeir at Carwyn Cellars

They're giving away German beer crates so I had to pop in and I couldn't go without trying at least one of the beers they have on tap. The electricity is out but thankfully there was enough light to read the blackboard.

[Classic Brewing Co]

5 minutes ago, Kegory said:

So possibly sterilized but not sanitized.

Jeez, just clean it & sanitise everything, you will be fine. 

[Kegory]

44 minutes ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

Jeez, just clean it & sanitise everything, you will be fine. 

Just having a friendly discussion with @NBillett09, Phil. Keep your pants on.

[kmar92]

Sterilizing as a home brewer is impossible. Cleanliness and effective sanitation is the aim.

[Kegory]

It was a philosophical discussion, not a practical one. Banter, one may call it.

[kmar92]

16 minutes ago, Kegory said:

It was a philosophical discussion, not a practical one. Banter, one may call it.

Possibly just BS I would say.

[Kegory]

25 minutes ago, kmar92 said:

Possibly just BS I would say.

Fair call

[Kegory]

Cage Roads Single Fin Summer Ale

So I tracked this down wanting to experience the "fish guts" aroma. When I opened it I was a little disappointed to get a waft of a familiar hop aroma. I checked their website: Galaxy, Cascade, and Enigma, yeah, those are familiar names.

What happened? Did @Red devil 44 get a bad batch, an old bottle? Had it been left in the sun or some other hot environment?

So I came back and checked this thread. Wrong beer, d'oh. The fish guts aroma was the Burleigh Big Head Lager (maybe that should be "burley").

Now, IIRC, I've had Big Head before. Isn't that the no carb beer? I didn't like that at all. I won't go tracking that one down. Once was enough.

[Kegory]

Orion The Dark Japanese Dark Lager

A mate sent me a picture of these this morning for some reason or other. Probably something to do with making him drink my Schwarzbeir (I also sent him that picture of the Mountain Culture Old Friend yesterday). Naturally I googled where to get 'em.

Japanese Dark Lagers are supposedly based on Schwarzbeirs. So, as the foremost expert on Schwarzbeirs in my house I took it upon myself to try it out.

As luck would have it I'd already arranged to visit my brother to make him drink my Schwarzbeirs today so I picked some up at First Choice on the way past.

It's not bad and I can sort of see that Schwarzbeir heritage. More so than, say, a Czech or Mexican dark lager.

[Red devil 44]

30 minutes ago, Kegory said:

Cage Roads Single Fin Summer Ale

So I tracked this down wanting to experience the "fish guts" aroma. When I opened it I was a little disappointed to get a waft of a familiar hop aroma. I checked their website: Galaxy, Cascade, and Enigma, yeah, those are familiar names.

What happened? Did @Red devil 44 get a bad batch, an old bottle? Had it been left in the sun or some other hot environment?

So I came back and checked this thread. Wrong beer, d'oh. The fish guts aroma was the Burleigh Big Head Lager (maybe that should be "burley").

Now, IIRC, I've had Big Head before. Isn't that the no carb beer? I didn't like that at all. I won't go tracking that one down. Once was enough.

Yeah @Kegory, it was the Burleigh Big Head Lager aka- fish gut lager. 
Single Fin was a very thin tasteless (no hop taste) beer. 
 

Both disappointing IMHO

[Hilltop hops]

Haven't seen these around for a while. Serious IPA. 

[Hilltop hops]

New PL IPA. Poured a bit flat, tastes grassy compared to the Sierra. Prefer their original IPA.