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Amiaji 888 RIS

Apperance:
Very dark as it should be, amber highlights when held up to the light, little head, some retention, very appealing.

Aroma: Subdued aroma for a RIS, roasted notes coming through. More aromatic as it warms up.

Flavor: Wonderful, Roastyness, maltiness. Some good bitterness at the end.

Mouthfeel: Full body, carbonation is right on for the style. Some alcohol warmth which is good. Seems well attenuated, not syrupy.

Overall: Great beer, well aged as well. Thank you so much for sharing!
 
KingBrianI's Brambling Cross Special Bitter:
Aroma: Nice malty, caramel with a hint of fruit (currant from the hops maybe)

Apperance: Brown/Amber in color. Only a small head when I poured that quickly went away and never returned.

Flavor: Malty, yeasty, I'm almost getting a little smokey in there...maybe roast. Fruitiness of the hop choice comes out on the back of the tongue, but well balanced. Could use a little more bittering as was mentioned above.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied. A little light on the carbonation. I believe this was filled from a keg.

Overall Impression: Great beer, and I love the use of a single hop, but maybe a little more on your 60min addition. But I like the malt/current combination a lot. This would be a great fall, early winter beer, or better yet up the alc % up and you have a nice winter warmer!
 
TerapinChef

Thanks for your review! I went back to check the recipes to see if I could clarify some of your observations. The Pale Ale was cloudy because I was experimenting with water additions. I have really hard water so it is hard fo me to make a good pale ale or pilsner. I believe I added too much phosphoric and stripped almost all the calcium out of the water, this resulted in some cloudyness that didn't clear even when the beer was 4 months old. Also probably was the slight acidity you tasted. I really didn't add a lot, but apparently a little goes a long way. This keg is gone now, so far is is my best pale ale, but I think I can get better with other water additions. I've learned that phosphoric is not a good acid to use since you modify your mineral content with it. Hops are cascades all teh way. No dry hopping on this one. Fermented with notty. I don't know where any plum would come from, the biscuit/nutty is due to the 2 lb of vienna, also 1 lb of crystal 15 in there. OG = 1.052 FG = 1.010 so no attenuation issues, may be the relatively high amount of specialty malts that give you a sense it is not fully attenuated.

Oatmeal stout - this one is young for my oatmeal stouts, I like to age them 3-4 months before serving. Once conditioned this is the beer I start non-drinkers on, I've gotten a lot converts on this. It has a high FG at 1.026 and an OG of 1.062. BeerTools.com Recipe Library - Chocolate Breakfast Stout
 
Hey Terrapin Chef, it would be nice to be able to review some of your beers, oh wait, I haven't received them yet.:rolleyes:
 
KingBrianI

British Special Dark

Aroma is nice, hard to pinpoint anything though, some fruitiness perhaps
Appearance is very clear ruby
Taste - very drinkable, bitter finish. Some fruit esters perhaps? Except for the color this almost seems to be a mild
Light in body, not thick on the tongue or anything.
Overall Good beer to just sit down and drink a good amount of, not overpowering.

My tastes might be slightly muddled today, but overall a good beer. I may have detected some astringency at first, but not as I continued to drink.
 
Nealf's Stone Dragon IPA 38/50

Aroma 9/12
Strong hop aroma, notes of orange/tangerine. No malt aromas noted

Appearance 2/3
Golden color is cloudy (dry hopped?). Pours with a creamy white hea that settles quickly, to a fine thin ring. Leaves a nice lacing on the glass

Flavour 16/20
Strongly bitter, but pleasantly so. Very grapefruity tasting. Malt is mostly covered by the hoops but is present.

Mouthfeel 4/5
Good medium mouthfeel is smooth but no chewy. A little lightly carbonated.

Overall 7/10
Bitterness lasts quite a while, but is not sharp. Lots of grapefruit is bordering on overwhelming. Cloudiness is more than I'd like to see, but could be from dry hopping. A good IPA.

Terje
 
MMB's Kolsch 41/50

Aroma 10/12
Very little aroma, slight malt behind a bit of fruitiness (maybe pear?), no hop aroma noted.

Appearance 3/3
Crystal clear, golden with a very small head that did not persist. This is the clearest homebrew I've had to date. Great job!

Flavour 16/20
Lightly sweet up front with a definite pear flavour that comes through. Low bitterness that nicely balances the sweetness. Very little hop flavour. Perhaps a bit of graininess in the finish.

Mouthfeel 4/5
Light body with a nice crispness. Might be a little under carbonated to style.

Overall 8/10
A nice easy drinking beer. Light fruitiness is welcome. I've never had a kolsch before and I can say it's a style I could enjoy getting to know. The style guide says it should be medium to medium high carbonation, and this might be bordering on a bit low, but as I said I've never had one before to compare to.

Terje
 
Nealf's Porter 38/50

Aroma 10/12
Nice chocolaty, roastiness. No hop aroma noted

Apearance 3/3
Dark brown, slight reddish tones when held to the light. Compact tan head settles after a few minutes, but persists throughout.

Flavour 14/20
Fairly strong roast flavour with chocolate notes peeking through. Very little hop flavour at all but a nice bitter finish

Mouthfeel 4/5
Medium bodied but with a slightly sticky/thick feeling on the tongue (Not a bad thing). Low to medium carbonation.

Overall 7/10
A nice drinking beer. A little too strong on the roast character, more stout-like. Otherwise a good example.

Terje
 
Warrior's Pils

Aroma- Grainy pils malt aroma dominates. Floral hops notes. A slight fruity ripe-apple and strawberry scent. An faint aroma was tickling my memory and vexing me greatly until I finally pinpointed it. My great-grandmother's creamed corn. It's evident but faint and apparently from a small amount of DMS (to style).

Appearance- Pale Straw color. Fairly clear upon first pour. Slightly cloudy from yeast sediment on subsequent pours. Good head retention. Really pillowed up over the glass on the pour, and stuck around for a good time afterwards.

Flavor- Well-balanced malt sweetness and hop bitterness. Finishes smooth with a short lived bitterness on the tongue. I'm really enjoying the balance. Neither the malt nor the hops take over. I'm getting a very slight cider flavor in the middle of the tongue and a dry almost dusty (but not in a bad way) sensation in the finish. I'm also detecting very faint chlorophenols (at least I think that's what it is, it's what I taste in some of my beers that I attribute to it) that are most evident in burps after a sip.

Mouthfeel- Medium-bodied. Carbonation upon pour seemed very high and the abundance of bubbles rising from the bottom of the glass had me prepared for a crisper mouthfeel. The carbonation felt much lower on the tongue than expected.

Overall- Very nice pilsner. The carbonation was higher than I expected so I ended up pouring a glass of foam on my first attempt. The beer literally exploded into bubbles as it touched the glass. The beer was nearly clear at that point. Foolishly, I assumed it was bottled from a keg (which a quick glance at the bottom of the bottle would have disproved) so I went about pouring in several rounds, thinking there was no yeast cake to upset. Well, I had gotten most of the bottle in the glass when I noticed the yeast cake, at which point some had already poured into the glass and clouded the beer slightly. I really appreciated the balance of this beer. The malt and hops played together nicely with neither getting the upper hand at any point. The creamed corn character, once I realized what it was, was enjoyable, and became more and more pronounced as the beer warmed. I wouldn't have minded a bit more hops in the nose but otherwise it was a nice beer.

Below are some pics of the progression of the beer into the glass, the rising bubbles, and a sunny Carolina afternoon.

DSC_0719.jpg


DSC_0726.jpg


DSC_0736.jpg


DSC_0739.jpg
 
Back to tasting these guys...

CBBaron's Maple Bown

Aroma: malt, some caramel, some slight chocolate/light roast notes, alcohol is evident

Appearance: Nice dark amber/brown in color. Very clear.

Flavor: flavor initially follows the aroma: nice malt character, caramel and/or roast to give a nice, slight nutty, toasty flavor to the beer. The beer finishes very dry with significant warming alcohol. I don't really pick-up too much that I can identify as really maple.

Overall impression: A very well made brown ale. I read your comments above, I would agree about mashing higher. I think you could possible even add some more crystal, would add body and add to the perceived maple flavors.
 
Warrior's Canadian Helles

Aroma- The first thing to hit the nose is a moderately strong spicy hop aroma. It is quickly followed by a sweet pilsner malt character. Like your pils, I detect the DMS here too, though it is less creamed corn and more corn feed (reminds me of my grandfather's grain bins at the farm). Maybe a touc of lychee.

Appearance- Poured a nearly clear rich gold. Thick pillowy head that dissipates to a 2 mm coating. A constant stream of bubbles rise up through the glass.

Flavor- Upon hitting the tongue, the first thing you notice is the pilsner malt sweetness. A light bitterness is present but at a low enough level to allow the malt to dominate. Very little hop flavor. The bitterness does seem just a bit "dirty" or not quite smooth, like the hops used to bitter were a high cohumulone variety.

Mouthfeel- Moderately-high carbonation. Body is moderate.

Overall- I really enjoyed this one. It's malt forward profile and crisp bitterness makes it very easy to drink. The corn flavor (DMS) is to style, but I can't help to feel like it distracts a bit from the beer. How long was this one boiled? I'd be interested in tasting a version that was boiled another 30 minutes.
 
Warrior's German Helles

Aroma- Sweet malt aroma stands alone here. No hop spiciness, very very little DMS. Actually, I'm noticing that as the beer warms, the corn flavor is coming out, though at low levels.

Appearance- Poured a slightly darker gold than the canadaian malt helles. Not nearly as clear and has lots of floaties floating around. Each gives off its own little bubble stream. Big rocky head dissipated almost immediately to just a thin layer on top of the beer.

Flavor- Sweet malt aroma is defintely less prevalent here than in the canadian malt version. Bitterness is about at the same level as the canadian, but seems a bit smoother. The high carbonation gives the beer a bit of a metallic taste. It is also a bit drier than the canadian malt version (or maybe the higher carbonation is making it seem that way). The corn, though much reduced over the candian malt version, is still present in the taste, but at much lower levels.

Mouthfeel- High carbonation. Began overflowing from the bottle when the cap was removed. Very crisp mouthfeel with low body.

Overall- Great beer. I actually preferred this one over the canadian malt version, though it had less aroma, flavor and character. It was a drier, crisper, smoother beer. Even easier than the candian malt version to drink. I'd be all over this one at the beach or the pool or after coming inside on a hot day. It wasn't as pretty as the candian malt version (cloudy, bits of "stuff" floating around, no head) but I still enjoyed it more. It's interesting the hop character is different between the two. Thanks for the chance to compare the two!

PS. For those who are confused at this point, Warrior sent two versions of the same helles recipe, one brewed with canadian malt, and one brewed with german malt.
 
When I first poured this beer I left the yeast in the bottle. After sampling it that way then I added the yeast. It definitely makes a difference in the beer. More clovey without the yeast, more banana with it.

Aroma - Some clove and banana with more clove at first. Then the banana comes through more. Maybe a hint of bubblegum.

Appearance - Was crystal clear at first, light amber color. Then cloudy after I added the yeast and somewhat darker. Head about 1/4", long lasting. Not much lacing.

Flavor. I tasted it first without swirling the yeast. Had more of the clove coming through. After swirling the yeast in the banana seemed to be more prominent. Slight tartness. I usually dont like wheat beers much this one is quite good.

Mouthfeel - Medium to medium light body. Good carbonation.

Overall - Good beer. This one has been in the fridge a while so most of the esters have probably dissipated somewhat(which may be why I like it). Too bad I only have one bottle.
 
Aroma - Malty aroma. Caramel.

Appearance - Dark brown in color. Low tan head. Some lacing.

Flavor - Mild malty sweetness with some caramel flavors. Medium dry finish. Not much bitterness. Something there my limited palette cant Identify.

Mouthfeel - medium body. Medium carbonation.

Overall - A good beer. Not much more I can tell you about it. I wish my palette could identify more. There is something there I have smelled/tasted before but I cant put it into words.
 
Warrior's German Helles

Aroma- Sweet malt aroma stands alone here. No hop spiciness, very very little DMS. Actually, I'm noticing that as the beer warms, the corn flavor is coming out, though at low levels.

Appearance- Poured a slightly darker gold than the canadaian malt helles. Not nearly as clear and has lots of floaties floating around. Each gives off its own little bubble stream. Big rocky head dissipated almost immediately to just a thin layer on top of the beer.

Flavor- Sweet malt aroma is defintely less prevalent here than in the canadian malt version. Bitterness is about at the same level as the canadian, but seems a bit smoother. The high carbonation gives the beer a bit of a metallic taste. It is also a bit drier than the canadian malt version (or maybe the higher carbonation is making it seem that way). The corn, though much reduced over the candian malt version, is still present in the taste, but at much lower levels.

Mouthfeel- High carbonation. Began overflowing from the bottle when the cap was removed. Very crisp mouthfeel with low body.

Overall- Great beer. I actually preferred this one over the canadian malt version, though it had less aroma, flavor and character. It was a drier, crisper, smoother beer. Even easier than the candian malt version to drink. I'd be all over this one at the beach or the pool or after coming inside on a hot day. It wasn't as pretty as the candian malt version (cloudy, bits of "stuff" floating around, no head) but I still enjoyed it more. It's interesting the hop character is different between the two. Thanks for the chance to compare the two!

PS. For those who are confused at this point, Warrior sent two versions of the same helles recipe, one brewed with canadian malt, and one brewed with german malt.
Thanks for the feedback. I have had two different results with that german malt beer. Some are way overcarbonated and some are normal. The less carbonated ones have a better malt grain flavor, Sorry you got the over carbonated one.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I have had two different results with that german malt beer. Some are way overcarbonated and some are normal. The less carbonated ones have a better malt grain flavor, Sorry you got the over carbonated one.

No problem man, it was still great. Send me your overcarbonated beers anytime!:D
 
First I want to say that this was an excellent example of a Steam Beer, I enjoyed it very much and would like more sent my way:)

Bella's Steamin Brew

Aroma 10/12
Good woody type hop aroma mixed with a good toasted caramel malt aromas.

App 3/3
Clear med copper color with a good full head that clings to the glass

Flavor 17/20
Good toasted malt flavors followed by the hop bitterness. Nice balance between the malt and hop bitterness. A pleasant crisp dry and clean finish.

Mouthfeel 4/5
Good medium body and dry finish

Overall Imp 9/10
Excellent example of the style. I would not change a thing except I do need more!

Total 43/50
 
TexLaw’s Indian Summer American Hybrid

Aroma: The first thing you notice is a big american (cascade) hop aroma. Blending perfectly with it is a sweet malt aroma tending towards caramel/toffee. I almost get a hint of a little chocolate and coffee notes.

Appearance: Poured a deep deep ruby, almost opaque but very clear. A big off-white to tan head stuck around for a while. Awesome lacing.

Flavor: Very dry, with a background of rich caramel and hops. Hop flavor is pretty strong but bitterness is smooth and balances well with the malt. There is a bit of tartness from the hops that conflicts somewhat with the sweet caramel aromas but not to the great detriment of the flavor. The coffee or chocolate aromas come through in the aroma very slightly.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with great mouthfeel. Moderate carbonation is smooth upon hitting the tongue, but then explodes into bubbles that thin the mouthfeel somewhat.

Overall: A very enjoyable beer, though I’m somewhat befuddled by the combination of flavors and aromas. I agree with you that it almost defies classification. The closest category would be american brown ale, though hop flavors are somewhat stronger than typical. The sweet caramel and chocolate aromas and flavors are great but I feel they would integrate with the overall whole better if the beer was slightly less dry. I think a bit more sweetness would also counteract the slight tartness I’m getting from the hops in a positive way as well. That’s not to say the beer isn’t extremely enjoyable as is, though. I highly enjoyed it. Thanks for the chance to review it!

DSC_0802.jpg
 
Hey Warrior...thanks for the kind words. Not sure how I missed this one. That was one of my fav brews and it went fast. Guess I'll need to do another.
 
Thanks for the reviews, KingBrian! I apologize for not being around here, until now, to read them. You are a very good reviewer, and I have enjoyed reading all your comments on everyone's beers.

To answer your question about the Argentine Gold, that batch was made with U.S. Hallertau and does lack a bit of lemongrass that the Argentine Cascades have. I also screwed up my protein rest, which explains why the head retention is not as good as the head formation. Mea culpa!

I agree that the Indian Summer needs more sweetness, too. I dried this batch out a bit, just to play around, and I used the Pacific Ale yeast. I'm going back to the California V yeast, which emphasizes malt a bit more.

Again, thanks!


TL (eagerly awaiting 9/9 to crack open some barleywine)
 
StratoTankard's Holiday Red:

Nice aroma of sugar, plums, and spice. Deep toffee backbone with vanilla, spice, and ginger flavors. Smooth finish which, despite the sweetness, seemed to be well balanced and clean. Gorgeous deep red color, this beer could be a poster model. ;)

Spiced beers aren't my favorite, but this one beats the pants off of 90%+ of the ones I have tried. Overall I think this is a great holiday ale.
 
TerapinChef's Pure Soul Porter


Aroma
Malty, roasty aroma. A hint of caramel, toffee. No hops.

Appearance
Very dark with some ruby highlights. Full tan head dissipated quickly.

Flavor
Malty, roasty. Some fruitiness. Nice bitterness bite. The alcohol is well hidden. Some other flavors I cant quite identify.

Mouthfeel
Medium bodied. Fairly high carbonation.

Overall
Great beer. I loves me some porters and stouts. I will have to steal your recipe and compare it to mine. It has none of the overwhelming properties of some of the porters I have tasted. Well balanced and well made. Thanks for sharing.
 
TerapinChef's Munich Helles

I should have tried this one before the porter but here goes.

Aroma
Malty sweet. Maybe some DMS. Not really picking up any hops.

Appearance
Light amber color. Low white head that dissipated quickly. Very clear.

Flavor
Sweet, malty flavor. Grainy. Low bitterness. A little spicy. No fruitiness or diacetyl.

Mouthfeel
Medium body, medium carbonation.

Overall
Nice beer. Maybe a bit high on the DMS and a little low on bitterness. Boil longer and maybe add a bit more hops? I dont have much experience with this style so dont put too much weight on my review.
 
If anyone wants to try of your own a little early(or if you received one from me, then one of mine), on August 15th my best friend(40+years) and I will be celebrating our 50th birthdays

We will be raising a toast with the barleywine at 8pm eastern if you would like to virtually join us
 
If anyone wants to try of your own a little early(or if you received one from me, then one of mine), on August 15th my best friend(40+years) and I will be celebrating our 50th birthdays

We will be raising a toast with the barleywine at 8pm eastern if you would like to virtually join us
I tried one of mine last night. The flavor is starting to come together well. Not as harsh as the last one I tried about a month and a half ago. I have one chilled and will toast your birthday on Sat. I'll be 50 in a year and a half also, damn a half century old:)
 
Oh man...I think I made a big mistake and opened a bomber of one of my 999's. It's so good...so good I wished I never opened...And I've already had 2 beers before this....
 
Doog_Si_Reeb was kind enough to provide 2 of his red ryes in the swap package. I'm enjoying the second of them right now and decided to take a picture since my original review didn't include one. I'll also add this to the original review. Doog, I'd really like to see the recipe, the chocolate milk mix/chocolate whey protein powder flavor is again jumping out and I'd like to see what it's coming from. I'm quite enjoying it right now, and interested to see if your other recipients note the chocolate flavor in their reviews!

Admittedly, I've been a slacker and just stumbled on this thread. Thanks for the reviews KingBrian!

When I made that brew, I boiled off more water than I intended so it came out with a much higher OG than intended. That kind of offset the intended BU:OG ratio. Was supposed to be 1.048 but came out at 1.064. :eek:

I ended up really liking the final product, but I agree that it could use some more hop bitterness to make it tastier.

The beer contained 8.5 lbs American 2 row, 2 lbs Flaked Rye, .5 lbs Crystal 90, and 3 oz. Roasted Barley. .45 oz Magnum at 60, .25 oz Hallertau at 5 and .25 oz. Hallertau at 0. Calculated IBU was a low 21.

I can do a more formal write up in the Recipe thread section if you're interested.
 
That's interesting, it must be a combo of the rye, crystal and roasted barley that were giving me that chocolate milk impression. Did you notice the flavor as well? I never did see anyone else review it. Thanks again for sending them.
 
Hey BM.. My membership expired so I can't send any PM's due to too many messages, and I can't delete them yet either so here it is...

"Beer will ship tomorrow. I apologize for the delay and getting everyone worried, but it's all boxed and in the fridge, gonna go priority mail so it should be there pretty quick. From the samples, I think it's pretty good, although I'm not a BW fan.

Brad"

Please let HarvInStl, Deathweed, and MMB know that I've not boned out and left them hanging. :tank:

I do have 1 I've not recieved from yet tho...
I"ll PM you after I clean my messages out and you can decide to drag them out in public or not..
 
That's interesting, it must be a combo of the rye, crystal and roasted barley that were giving me that chocolate milk impression. Did you notice the flavor as well? I never did see anyone else review it. Thanks again for sending them.

It must be that combination of grains, combined with the low bitterness, that gives it that chocolaty flavor. I haven't had one in quite a while, but I have two more in my fridge and I'll have to see if I pick up the same flavors.
 
Guys,
I am not going to be able to sample your 999's tomorrow. I have to pick up my wife and daughter at the airport at 9pm and probably shouldn't do so hammered.....

I will commense on Thursday night (BTW, I don't have to work Friday, so it works out better anyways).

Sorry and Cheers:mug:,

-C
 
Thanks Tex!

I am excited to hit yours up......

BTW,
Has anyone started sampling the 9's early? I know there has to be at least one of us that couldn't wait.
:rockin:
 
Thanks Tex!

I am excited to hit yours up......

BTW,
Has anyone started sampling the 9's early? I know there has to be at least one of us that couldn't wait.
:rockin:
I sampled my own several times over the year. Have not sampled any that were sent to me. Will be trying two of the ones I got tonight side by side with mine to see how they all compare.
 
I did have to try mine last night, as well, just to see where it was. I do not want to bias any reviews, but I did get quite a reminder that these bad-boy-barleywines need a good chance to warm up.:tank:

I hope I get a chance to grab, at least, a couple of them tonight.


TL
 
Happy 999 guys! Maybe when I get home from work, I'll sanitize a ladle and take a big ol' draw out of my year-old primary fermenter of barleywine! :D
 
I thought mine was to sweet.:( But then again im a hophead.
I have to work tonight, but will be hitting them hard this weekend.:mug:
 
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