Hairy Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Nice one Phil. I pretty much read 90% of your post thinking "Erdinger is not Belgian". I went to the Rocks Brewery today at Alexandria (Sydney, not Egypt). I had a Convict Lager, India Red Ale and India Pale Ale over lunch. All very nice. Grabbed a growler of the India Session Ale to take home. At 4.2% ABV this doesn't knock me about as much. Edit: I forgot to mention that the brewery sells disposable PET growlers and squealers and they are pretty good. I will re-use the growler for yeast starters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antiphile Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 So what's your excuse to only going to Sydney, you lazy bugger? (For Hairy's eyes only: You know what ditzy blondes are like with geography. But after Lustful reckons I should toughen up, I'm going to have to go into my Truckie Princess persona now.) (antiphile spits on the ground and scratches his groin). I've just opened the Chimay, and I'm a little in two minds. What I absolutely love about it is it's really very malty, with lots of biscuity flavour and some fruitiness, and not a lot in the bitterness department while in the mouth. Beautiful aroma, but hard to describe. It doesn't taste like a high octane, but it's probably disguised by the all the malt. Reasonably good head retention and some lacing (but the glass shown in the pic was put through the dishwasher and the photo taken only about 60 seconds after pouring). About 2 mins after swallowing, there is a slow buildup of generalised bitterness on all of the top of the tongue which I haven't noticed in any other beers before, but perhaps that's a feature of galena hops, as described in the ingredient list on their website. All in all, I'd be very happy to drink it a lot more if my wallet was fatter. And even though I've only finished half a glass, I can report to His Lustiness, I can still see clearly out out each eye. Provided I close the other one first. Edit added 7:55 pm. OK, lusty, I've finished the bottle now (and even though I've decided to leave the Erdinger for another day when hopefully the feeling comes back into my face), I'm proud to report my vision is almost still 20/20; I can nearly count to 20 with each eye closed. It must be this new maths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Chimay Red/Rouge is a cracking beer but my favourite Chimay is the Blue. Do yourself a favour and check that one out. The Erdinger is a great wheat beer too, one of my favourites If you are looking for a great Belgian beer then try to get your hands on a Rodenbach Grand Cru Flanders Red. I love a good Flanders Red, I just don't like the price tag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Nice critique of the beer P2. It does look lovely in the picture. They are very malt driven & the higher ABV% allows a good level of bitterness to be masked somewhat like you said by the high malt content. It makes for a lovely malty beer to drink. If you are looking for a great Belgian beer then try to get your hands on a Rodenbach Grand Cru Flanders Red. I love a good Flanders Red' date=' I just don't like the price tag.[/quote']Why not make one? I reckon Wyeast released a specialized "Flanders" styled yeast last year as part of their limited seasonal runs. As a point of difference, I reckon this sort of beer would make for a nice alternative to a dark ale, Stout/Porter for drinking in the winter time. Cheers, Lusty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antiphile Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 I'll try to be thorough on the Erginger too. Picture taken 60 secs after opening and pouring (but it seems my boys like putting my beer glasses through the dishwasher, or they just don't give a damn). Poor head retention and no lacing on glass (maybe the dishwasher so this is just an observation). Still some carbonation obvious on the tongue though. Certainly not like a wheat I've had before though. Tastes malty and very "rich", but obviously very toasty and caramel flavours too, as you'd expect from the colour. Very little initial or residual bitterness, but quite of bit of fruit flavour (if I was forced to nominate them I'd plump for plum and other stone fruits). Certainly not much banana or clove that I have previously associated with wheats. Colour is a deep ruby colour (reminiscent of an aged tawny port). Maybe I should have upended the bottle first, but very little or no cloudiness - perfectly clear even though a very deep colour. To my mind, it's more of a sipping beer (even more so than yesterday's Chimay with both around the low 7% mark). I'm more than happy to buy it again, but I'd keep it for winter drinking, and have a glass of this first prior to enjoying a nice stout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 I thought you had the Erdinger Hefeweizen but now I see it is the Pikantus. I haven't tried that one before but I love a good Weizen Bock. They are not really session beers though. There seems to be a trend about me loving beer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 There seems to be a trend about me loving beer Fast approaching 6000 posts on a brewing forum' date=' how anyone could make that connection is beyond me! [img']surprised[/img] Cheers, Lusty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnaman Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 There seems to be a trend about me loving beer Fast approaching 6000 posts on a brewing forum' date=' how anyone could make that connection is beyond me! [img']surprised[/img] Cheers, Lusty. News flash, Hairy loves beer. He may not be the only one here that feels the same! Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porschemad911 Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Haven't had a Pikantus in a while Antiphile, you are making me want to go and buy a couple. They are fantastic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antiphile Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Hey PorscheMad. Long time yet still no trading of spouses I'll own up and say it was very nice. Actually, at some some time in the future it'd be great if you grabbed one and put up a review. It'd be really interesting to compare tasting notes with others here that may or may not have had some sort of "benchmark" training. I know I never have, but I suspect some others (probably including PB2) have. I believe it's one of the main components of BJCP certification and probably many other programs. If others were prepared to do it, it may be a good idea to start a new thread though, rather than hijack this one. Be goodish, and hope Canberra isn't too oppressive in the next few months Phil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenon Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Just kicking back on a Sunday afternoon with a sixer of Karl Strauss Pintail Pale Ale...what a mighty drop it is too! The thing that really blew me away (other than the awesome hop aroma and flavour) is how much it smells and tastes like my early SG samples of my "chubby cherub" that I bottled only yesterday...If my brew comes anywhere near this magnificent drop I will be super happy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 The Pintail is a great beer. Karl Strauss produces some great tasting brews. After a day hiking at Katoomba, I thought I deserved some beers from a bottle shop in Leura. Wow, the range was huge. Anyway, I picked up these. From such a glorious day, the night has turned sour The Rodenbach is great and a fairly good intro to sour beers. It isn't as good as the Rodenbach Vintage but still very nice and great value at $5 a bottle. The Geuze is a stronger Lambic, both in ABV and flavour. It doesn't have the darker malts of the Rodenbach to soften the sourness but it still isn't over the top. My wife thought it was the worst beer she had tasted but I thought it was lovely. Refreshingly tart. The Saison DuPont will be consumed later. Note: I still haven't mastered this rotation thing yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Hi Hairy. I'll be very interested in your thoughts on the Saison Dupont at some point after you have consumed it. I got hold of a reasonably reliable extract/partial recipe for this beer a little over a year ago, & will admit I must have screwed it up as I had to tip the end product. I blame PB2 for this failure as after sampling his delicious ROTM Saison at the time, I began researching the style to eventually have a crack at an extract/partial version of the Saison Dupont. Just kidding! Truth be known when PB2 listed the Coopers kit based Saison as a ROTM, I went in search of a commercial version Saison as I had never tried the style up until that point, & wasn't going to brew 23 litres of beer based on a lot of unknowns. I picked out a Wild Beer Co. "Epic Saison" for my first commercial sampling. I absolutely loved it! (They make some cracking beers BTW!) So on the back of that tasting, I then brewed PB2's ROTM Saison recipe & enjoyed that to an equal level. I will have another crack at that Saison Dupont recipe down the track. Cheers, Lusty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 I have only tried a few commercial saisons, some I have liked and a couple left me disappointed. The Saison DuPont is in the former category. It is quite crisp and dry as you would expect, and it is a little spicy and yeasty but it was more subdued than I expected. My HB version was much spicier and much more funky, but this seems more balanced than mine (if a little less adventurous). As the beer warmed up I have found that there is a slight peppery aftertaste after each sip. Despite the 6.5% ABV it is more sessionable than some other Saisons I have tried, including mine. I think my taste was affected by the sour beers I had earlier and it wasn't until halfway through this beer that it's flavours began to present themselves. Probably the best saison I have tried. Very enjoyable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porschemad911 Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Probably the best saison I have tried. Very enjoyable. Enjoy Hairy! I'm jealous' date=' really like this one. Simple, but very well balanced and very tasty. I will have another crack at that Saison Dupont recipe down the track. Lusty I have heard the recipe is reasonably simple. All pilsner malt so you could do a partial mash, hop with EKG and Styrian Goldings to about 30 IBUs, then use the White Labs WLP565 yeast. You've still got at least 6 weeks of hot enough weather to give it a crack out west in Adelaide Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Hi John. Lusty I have heard the recipe is reasonably simple. All pilsner malt so you could do a partial mash' date=' hop with EKG and Styrian Goldings to about 30 IBUs, then use the White Labs WLP565 yeast.[/quote']THIS was the source material I followed & subsequent recipe I brewed. I believe the recipe is sound. I just managed to find a way to screw it up! You've still got at least 6 weeks of hot enough weather to give it a crack out west in Adelaide I won't be brewing it anytime soon. It's the sort of recipe I'd like to brew in the Spring (under ambient conditions)' date=' so that it is aged sufficiently for drinking in the Summer. [img']smile[/img] It just sounds like too nice a beer not to at least try to brew. I'll likely have another crack later in the year. Cheers, Lusty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antiphile Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Sopporo Premium Golden Lager 24 X 355 ml ABV 5% $44 (1st Choice Bottlo) Saw this one today and thought I'd give it a go. (I'll add a pic a little later cos I think the first glass I picked was one of the boys "dishwasher specials".) The blurb says it's brewed in Japan by a native who learnt his trade in Germany. Glorious light golden colour. Probably the glass, but retained the head on pouring for about 30 seconds (and was not a dense head anyway), very low carbonation for the styles and no lacing. I'll change this later if it the glass causing the problem. A moderate to light bitterness (if I had to guess I'd place it somewhere around the 22 to 30 IBU). Moderate levels of malt sweetness, but what really stands out is nice dry crisp finish. It is reminiscent of one of the dry beers like Asahi or Hahn (?) Dry. Rather low in the hops flavour and aroma department, though. Overall impression is a refreshing crisp beer ideal for really hot days and at the current pricing, a good buy. If I had friends over, however, I'd be spending a little more and getting the Artisan Reserve or Pilsener 62. Edit: Nope, not the glass. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Come on Antphile Dude Get a real beer glass. If you drink your beer from a cordial glass then you must expect to get about as much head as a Cottees fruit punch. Cheers & Beers Scottie Valley Brew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antiphile Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Come on Antphile Dude Get a real beer glass. If you drink your beer from a cordial glass then you must expect to get about as much head as a Cottees fruit punch. Cheers & Beers Scottie Valley Brew It does look like that' date=' doesn't it?! I've actually hidden the solid handle behind the bottle to get them closer together, and it really is a very very nice solid beer mug (as I'll prove to you from one of my next reviews that's cooling in the fridge as we speak (from memory it's an Aus Brew 51 Lager, again at a not bad price). Of course, if you managed to get a haircut like I've been hinting at, it wouldn't be such a problem. [img']biggrin[/img]. I'll even try to show the engraving of the Indooroopilly Golf Club Logo and the words "Monthly Medal" on it. I'm incredibly proud of them (since I have 2).* Cheers from your nemesis Philomena * I'm on my knees praying that with his haircut, Scottie won't see this small type when I have to confess that while I have them, it was my dad who actually "won" the monthly medals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porschemad911 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 THIS was the source material I followed & subsequent recipe I brewed.I believe the recipe is sound. I just managed to find a way to screw it up! Better luck next time! I learned something interesting from that recipe link - you can reculture the yeast from Saison Dupont I am surprised at the mix of malts in the recipe though, I thought the grain bill for Saison Dupont was purely Belgian pils. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antiphile Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Arvo Brew 51 Australian Premium Lager 330 ml ABV 5% (1st Choice Bottlo ~ $20 per 6 pack) The blurb from the back of the bottle: ARVO is one of Australia's first crowd-brewed beers, which means thousands of Australian beer drinkers helped us make it. As part of The Perfect Lager Project, you told us what makes a lager taste perfect and we bottled it. With subtle hoppy characters and a crisp finish, this is a premium lager that will leave you wanting more. I take bottle comments with a pillar of salt. Until I tasted this one. In short, magnificent. Straw to very light golden colour. Medium to good carbonation for the style, but not marvellous head retention, though perhaps again that's the cordial jar effect (thanks Scottie ). Starts with a pleasant bitterness and then shows lovely flavour. Not sure of the hops (at first I was thinking Citra & Saaz, but the more I sip the more I doubt that). Definately some lemon and grapefruit flavours and really well proportioned. Beautiful dry and crisp finish, which does leave you wanting another. I know this is a big call, and it's all a personal thing, but as a lager I'd rate this right up there with Artisans Reserve as one I'd love to emulate. In summary, you could do a lot worse than to grab a 6pack of this for a Friday Night pleasant drink. 60 seconds after pouring: And just for Scottie to prove that this is the first time I wasn't fibbing: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattrox Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Sopporo Premium Golden Lager 24 X 355 ml ABV 5% $44 (1st Choice Bottlo) Saw this one today and thought I'd give it a go. (I'll add a pic a little later cos I think the first glass I picked was one of the boys "dishwasher specials".) The blurb says it's brewed in Japan by a native who learnt his trade in Germany. Glorious light golden colour. Probably the glass' date=' but retained the head on pouring for about 30 seconds (and was not a dense head anyway), very low carbonation for the styles and no lacing. I'll change this later if it the glass causing the problem. A moderate to light bitterness (if I had to guess I'd place it somewhere around the 22 to 30 IBU). Moderate levels of malt sweetness, but what really stands out is nice dry crisp finish. It is reminiscent of one of the dry beers like Asahi or Hahn (?) Dry. Rather low in the hops flavour and aroma department, though. Overall impression is a refreshing crisp beer ideal for really hot days and at the current pricing, a good buy. If I had friends over, however, I'd be spending a little more and getting the Artisan Reserve or Pilsener 62. Edit: Nope, not the glass. [img']http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e48/antiphile/20150120_145207_zpsqg8wq3s9.jpg[/img] Cheers Is that the imported version or the Coopers BUL version? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antiphile Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Hi Mattrox You're right. I just checked the label on the back. Beer brewed and bottled under supervision of Sapporo Breweries Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, by Coopers Brewery Ltd ... South Australia. www.sapporobeer.com.au Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnaman Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Yep here it is Our Beers section... Well spotted our video card friend (Mattrox). Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Hi P2. Unless Arvo lager has gone through a major revamp in the recipe department since its release back in 2012, taste preferences aside, I'm afraid I can't go near the stuff! I posted an information thread to warn others about it back then. Arvo Beer (The New Megaswill) Everyone's tastes are different, & this is just my 2 cents worth to the conversation. Coincidentally the exact amount of money I would consider a fair trade to part with for a carton of the stuff. Actually NO, I'd rather keep the 2 cents! Oooooowh, a bit rough putting it on the same mantle with the Artisan Reserve Pilsner! Lusty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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