James Lao Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 Just spent 3.5 weeks in Thailand, visiting the in laws .. Thai beer is pretty much 3 macro lagers, so after brewing for over a year and devoloping a taste for hoppy ales etc., the bland Macro lager was a it hard to stomach ( Did my best though)! Seems like all the bigger breweries had watered down the recipes from when I was there last. However did manage to find a Thai craft beer in a tiny bar in Bangkok, Chalawan Pale Ale , by Full Moon Brew House, this was like an Oasis in the desert for me, Lychees and Citrus with decent bitterness, similar to SNPA. Bought six of them to take home.. If your ever in that part of the world and are struggling with the flavourless watered down beer would definitely try to get hold of some of them. Apparently an Aussie brewer has got something to do with them..? And of course Beer Lao Dark if you can find it is pretty good as well - Swarzbier 6.5%ABV Cheers James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Australia Day Ten Pack Cricketers Arms Spearhead. This is a favourite of mine, IMHO it is head and shoulders above LCPA. This 10pack came in 330ml cans, the new yuppie beer packaging, for $25. Drank 1/2 a dozen today straight from the can Cheers & Beers Scottie Valley Brrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koo wee brew Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 Lusty won't drink it though because it is bittered with Magnum' date=' too boring [img']whistling[/img] http://brulosophy.com/2017/02/02/the-hop-chronicles-magnum/#more-81720 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 Lusty won't drink it though because it is bittered with Magnum' date=' too boring [img']whistling[/img] http://brulosophy.com/2017/02/02/the-hop-chronicles-magnum/#more-81720 I am going to order some of those tee-shirts for sure. As for the ongoing discussion re boring bittering hops, I've used Saaz in my latest brew and to be honest you wouldn't have a clue as the Cascade at this point is the only noticeable hop addition. I have used Chinook early in the kettle, and in support of Lusty it does smell fabulous during the boil, once again though it is lost when compared to the latter additions. I will admit though, unlike Lusty, I am psychologically locked into 60 minute boils and shouldn't really be expecting anything but bitterness from my first hop. Cheers & Beers Scottie Valley Brew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joolbag Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 Pretty chuffed to get my hands on a 4-pack of Modus Operandi limited release Lost Key XPA. The other 4-pack is for my brewing mate. I only splurge every now and then, and if I do, it will be on good beer like this. $38.99 for a 4-pack! Will crack one later this afternoon and report back. If Modus' other brews are anything to go by, this will be a hop-forward sensational brew. Oh yeah, packaging date on bottom of can is printed 6/2/17. Doesn't get much fresher than that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 A Pirate Life assortment. Just ripped the top of the IIPA, Wow - I haven't even tasted it yet the hops just burst out of that can like something I've never experienced before. Cheers & Beers Scottie Valley Brew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 Just had the PL IPA from the Blue Can. Very similar beer to the Grey canned IIPA, to me apart from 2% and an extra 154ml I don't know what extra the IIPA brings to the table. Both winners but the Blue one would be my choice. Cheers & Beers Scottie Valley Brew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beefy1525229962 Posted April 18, 2017 Share Posted April 18, 2017 Not quite a 6-pack session, just a sampling of 3 American-produced IPA's I could get locally. Lagunitas IPA - didn't like this at all. Had a really strong burnt honey smell, and the hop profile didn't do it for me. Kona Castaway IPA - really great fruity hop profile of Galaxy, Simcoe and Citra. Not all that well balanced against a very light/thin malt profile. Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA - beautiful dark/rich maltiness, really well balanced against strong late/dry Citra and Mosaic hops. Easily the best of the three, but I think I missed the in-your-face passionfruit of the Galaxy. I think I might plan a brew using malt from a Deschutes clone recipe, but with the hops of the Kona....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joolbag Posted April 18, 2017 Share Posted April 18, 2017 Hi Beefy I’ve been burnt a few times buying American-made beers. Mostly from Dan’s but once from my local bottle store (I think they were trying to move old stock by recommending a particular IPA). Beers which were old, not stored properly and did not have that hop-freshness I expected from such renowned beers. Now I look very closely at the packaging date, or the best before date. I assume most they print a year from bottling/canning as the best before date? I scored a Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA that was bottled at the end of March. Pretty quick trip from USA to AUS! Chilled down and I will crack it open tonight. Looking particularly forward to it after your review. Loving the local stuff from Sydney breweries “Modus Operandi” and “Wayward Brewing”. The stuff on my local bottleshop shelves is fresh – at times less than a week or two old! Fresh, exactly as the brewer intended it to be drank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beefy1525229962 Posted April 19, 2017 Share Posted April 19, 2017 Now I look very closely at the packaging date' date=' or the best before date. I assume most they print a year from bottling/canning as the best before date?[/quote'] Yeah, I've never bought a beer up here (Canada) that didn't have the bottling date printed on it - I think it must be a legal requirement. And generally very fresh given proximity to the USA. My Fresh Squeezed was a mid January bottle date so you should have no problems with freshness! I put together an extract recipe for the Fresh Squeezed based on combobulating several clone recipes together, perhaps someone will find it useful...... 7.0lb (3.2kg) pale liquid extract 2.5lb (1.1kg) Munich liquid extract 0.75lb Crystal 80°L 10L boil with 2.5lb of extract 0.5oz Nugget @ 60 min (26.6 IBU) 1oz Citra @ 15 min (11.5 IBU) 1oz Mosaic @ 15 min (11.7 IBU) 1oz Citra @ 0 min, 15 min steep (5.0 IBU) 1oz Mosaic @ 0 min, 15 min steep (5.1 IBU) 21L, WY1968 or similar 1oz Citra dry @ 4 days 1oz Mosaic dry @ 4 days Beersmith predicts 1.062 SG, 1.019 FG, 5.6% ABV, 59.9 IBU, 13.7 SRM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben 10 Posted May 14, 2017 Share Posted May 14, 2017 Pirate Life Pale Ale - one can of, very nice, great hop combo. Pirate Life IPA - wow, pineapple or what? Pirate Life IIPA - drank a half litre on tap. Good stuff... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Lao Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 Treated myself to some Feral War Hog the other night - mmm yumm Pineapple / passionfruit deliciousness. Bit similar to Sierra Nevada Torpedo but a bit sweeter I think. Think it said it was 70IBUs but it didn't seem that bitter to me, 7.5%ABV. Probably the fruit aromas taking over my perception of bitterness.. Very light in colour, which was surprising. Would like to make an extract version with the same IBUs, but as light in colour. My higher hopped brews always seem to be copper golden, opposed to a light straw colour. Things we do for research eh! Cheers James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 Pirate Life Pale Ale - one can of' date=' very nice, great hop combo.Pirate Life IPA - wow, pineapple or what? Pirate Life IIPA - drank a half litre on tap. Good stuff... [/quote'] I loved the IPA but was a bit disappointed with the IIPA. Perhaps I need to give it another go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 I got a carton of that new Little Creatures Fire Falcon a couple of weeks ago, bloody nice brew actually. It's a red ale hopped with Falconers Flight, and it tasted similar to my own red ale but hoppier. I prefer mine as it is but this beer was equally nice and I'd buy it again for sure. Planning on trying the Endeavor one next if Dan's still has it there next time I visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 I was up at Katoomba yesterday and took a little detour into Leura Cellars; they have a decent range there. I picked up a squealer of Akasha Lupilin Fog. Awesome beer with an aroma you can smell from metres away. The only problem was I had to share it with my wife. I am in some trouble now that she likes IIPAs. I also bought a can of Pirate Life Mosaic IPA (which I also had to share). It had a weird aroma but tasted pretty good. The only other beer I bought was a Modus Operandi Former Tenant Red IPA. I am looking forward to this one so I may have to crack it open when my wife is out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted August 11, 2017 Share Posted August 11, 2017 I happened to be at Mona Vale a couple of weeks ago and convinced my wife to call into Modus Operandi Brewery. I picked up: Session IPA Sonic Prayer IPA Pale Ale Former Tenant Red IPA Yeast Coast NEIPA Black Lab Milk Stout They were all superb beers but the milk stout was awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joolbag Posted August 12, 2017 Share Posted August 12, 2017 Hairy, modus is one of my favourite breweries. Don't think I've had a bad one from them! Their limited releases are worth seeking out too. I actually went to a brew off on Wed night in Newtown. modus, nomad and 4 pines brewed three beers each and the crowd had to rate their favourites and scores were rallied. No surprise, but Modus took it out! Some BIG beers that night. Was great to taste their experimental offwrings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porschemad911 Posted August 12, 2017 Share Posted August 12, 2017 Monteith's Black - Rich, smooth, dark and malty, with enough bitterness to balance. This was a gift froma friend, and I have come to have pretty low expectations of Monteith's beers, so this was a nice surprise. Pirate Life single hop Mosaic - 7% ABV, pale malt, carapils, lots of Mosaic. Really nice, but the aroma reminds me very strongly of sweaty basketball gear. The malt doesn't get in the way and lets the hops really shine. A good beer. Pirate Life & Hopco colab - I appreciated this more since I just listened to the Radio Brews News podcast interviewing a bloke from Hopco. The can says 4.8% ABV, pale malt, munich malt, pacifica, motueka and NZ cascade. I have brewed with all of these and can see where they fit into this beer. It is lighter and better balanced than the single hop Mosaic, a very nice beer. Pirate Life IIPA - now you're talking. 8.8% ABV, but (for a double IIPA) a strange grain bill of maris otter, carapils and wheat malt. A fairly tasty result that supports the hops well enough though. It is well hopped with centennial, colombus, mosiac, and simcoe. I think for a double IPA it does need more hops though - I prefer the aroma and flavour of the imperial amber I made with a ton of centennial. This is a better balanced beer though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Lao Posted August 12, 2017 Share Posted August 12, 2017 I had a can of Liberty Citra the other night. 99IBUs and 9%ABV, I think.. Bloody amazing. Would like to do a clone but I think I would a couple of kg's of hops. Cheers James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh1525230125 Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 last night i tried a mixed six pack of beer from a local brewery http://www.wilsonbrewing.com.au/ the pale ale was probably my favourite,also tried a dark ale and a bitter. the bitter was australian style maybe a bit too malty for my taste, the dark ale was good very smooth but prefering my roasty stout a.t.m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porschemad911 Posted August 20, 2017 Share Posted August 20, 2017 I tried a few of the Prancing Pony beers last week. The Summer ale, Pale ale and Amber ale were pretty average. The Dark ale and Red IPA were great though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 I tried a few of the Prancing Pony beers last week. From Bree? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porschemad911 Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 From Bree? Yep, that's the one! Can't go past a few pints of Barliman's Best ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porschemad911 Posted September 24, 2017 Share Posted September 24, 2017 On Friday night I grabbed a 6-pack of the 2017 Coopers ESVA. I'm sampling one now after an afternoon of mowing / planting / odd jobs in the garden. It is very enjoyable, not as hoppy as the last couple of years and with a slightly different malt flavour. It almosts tastes like it has a little more age on it than it does. Cheers, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB44 Posted October 27, 2017 Share Posted October 27, 2017 An excellent mostly home brew FN6P evening shared with Joolbag. I've deliberately excluded a 0 US Amber Ale (DB) in order to qualify for this thread. 1 IPL (JB) 2 Scottish Mild (DB) 3 Pilsner (JB) 4 UK Old (DB) 5 Imperial Pilsner/IPA(DB) 6 Non-home brew Belgian dark (Some random Belgian place) Straffe Henfdricks Quadrupel. All yum. - JB be free to elaborate - I can't remember the details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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