Beerswap 2007: landhoney's brews

Well the beers I sent are:

22oz Belgian Sour - Pretty standard Tripel Recipe toned down a bit and Wyeast Roeselare Blend added after WLP500 did its work.

22oz Brewpastor's Dark Night...Russian Imperial Stout - You can sit on this one for a while b/c its very young, but I sent it to see what you thought of its potential -my first RIS.

22oz Barleywine - My first all-grain, definitely dark for a barleywine, raisins were added to the secondary, pretty sweet.

12oz Pale/Amber Ale - Simple grain bill with some honey malt, hopped and dry-hopped with simcoe and amarillo all the way around.

Let the bloodbath commence ! :rockin: Review below in any manner you wish. "My name is George Costanza, I fear no reprisal. "

The SWMBO and I split 2 bombers so I got some help on this review.

Belgian Sour
The beer was a straw color with solid bubbles and no head. The first flavor we noticed was the tartness. I detected a hint of apple flavor, she said it was a slight cherry flavor. As the beer warmed a 'wet hay' aroma became more pungent. It was well carbonated and a very refreshing drink.

We both enjoyed it immensely. After trying yours I got out my attempt at a Belgian which I had bottled a couple of weeks ago. We both agreed that yours is much better. Mine is just downright bad. I may have to ditch my first attempt, but you've inspired me to try this style again.

Russian Imperial Stout
I'm not a big stout fan so don't take my opinions too seriously. Against your suggestion we went ahead and tried this one now. It was an opaque chocolate lab colored brown with a thick caramel colored head. The head lasted for a good 5 minutes then laced the glass well. The dominating taste was burnt wood with a slight hint of coffee. The flavor was quite strong and quite bitter. I could smell alcohol, but not much else. I'm guessing this was a high ABV brew. It took me good 30 minutes to get through my glass. With some aging I imagine that the flavor will mellow and this would be a great hearty winter drink.

Pale Ale
Poured with a thin whispy head that quickly subsided and left a white ring around the top of the beer. The color was a clear deep amber red. If this was bottle carbonated, then it's a remarkably clear beer. It had a fragrant hop aroma which smelled crisp and tart. There was a mild bitterness, but enough to qualify as a pale ale. The malt flavor was subdued with a hint of nutyness. The hop flavor was wonderful. Had a distinct citrus flavor which made it taste as crisp and refreshing as it smelled. I'm a big fan of cascade, but now I want to try these Simcoe hops out for myself.

All my beers are bottle conditioned. If you enjoyed it now, you would have loved it even more about 1 month ago when it was at it freshest, more of that really refreshing hop flavor and aroma - I still like the beer a lot but am disappointed at how seemingly quickly it faded. I have not had Pliny but I am beggining to understand why the don't bottle it, that fresh hop flavor and aroma fades very quickly. Glad you enjoyed it.

12-oz bottle, poured into pint glass at 55F

Nice pfft when bottle opened. Poured a cloudy* orange-copper color, 1/4" head dissipated within 1-2 minutes**. Citrusy aroma. First flavor is citrus hoppiness, then some sweetness, then a little more citrus bite on the finish. Feels heavy on the tongue, but nicely balanced with good carb level.

All in all, a good brew. I'd like a little more "interest" on the malt side -- the sweetness seemed kind of "simple" -- and a touch more hop bitterness in the finish.

*This was only a couple days after I received it, so the cloudiness may have been yeast that didn't re-settle after shipment.

** Probably my glass at fault here...grabbed the wrong one in my haste to taste

22-0z bottle, chilled to ~45F, poured into pint glass at 60F

Poured a clear golden color with 3/4" white head. I don't drink a lot of sour beers, so take this feedback with a grain of salt. The initial aroma had just a hint of something strange and mildly unpleasant, which seems to be described as "barnyard" in the BJCP guidelines. (Stylistically accurate, but maybe not my cup of tea?) But mostly a pleasant sour aroma. Good balance of sour, malt and hop with a bright effervescence at first taste. Things really came together in the middle and got me thinking "wow, this is a really good beer!"...then the finish also had the "barnyard" hint to it.

Mind you, these barnyard notes were very minor (and didn't stop me from drinking the whole bomber in what was probably less-than-recommended time ). They seem to be a natural part of the style. This beer was good; good enough that I'd like to try some more examples of the style.

Poured a deep, not quite opaque mahogany, quite clear (as near as I could tell). About 3/4" of light tan, rocky head, which slowly disspated to a thin layer of lacing. Roasty, oaky aroma (is this beer oaked?...checked the recipe; no). Big, syrupy mouthfeel nicely balanced with moderate carbonation and the bitterness of hops and roasted grains...result is smooth and pleasantly thick. First taste is malt sweetness, quickly overrun with hop bitterness and slightly astringent roasted grain flavor, and then a touch of alcohol warmth on the finish. Everything mentioned here seems totally appropriate for the style.

This is the kind of beer where the first taste seems a tad harsh, but every sip after that is awesome...probably means it will age pretty well. I like the aggressiveness of the bittering hops and roasted grains right now, but I could see this being a really awesome, smooth, well rounded RIS in 6-12 months. My favorite of your beers so far (still have to try the barleywine).

Poured a nearly clear medium-dark brown, with 1/4" of tan head that dissipated quickly. Aroma is alcohol with malt undertones, hints of wood and raisin. Alcohol flavor pronounced but not unpleasant up front, followed by malty sweetness, and then a complex mingling of raisins, plums, wood, smoke. Alcohol warmth and a little residual sugar on the finish. No evident hop aroma, flavor or bitterness, but the presence of all three is implied in the nice balance. I like this better than any commercial barleywine I've tried, (and a damn sight better than the one I sent you!). If I were picking nits (and isn't that the point of this whole exercise?) I'd like it a little drier on the finish. The residual sweetness is absolutely stylistically correct, but if it were a little drier I could probably down a second bomber

Note: After writing this, just noticed the "added raisins to the secondary" note in your OP. Thought I was going a little nuts, b/c I've never noticed anything raisin-y in a beer before.

Bike N Brew said:

I like this better than any commercial barleywine I've tried, (and a damn sight better than the one I sent you!)....if it were a little drier I could probably down a second bomber

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Tell me you didn't drink the whole bomber yourself! That's like 4 beers! Did you get drunk? Well that review is certainly higher praise than I was expecting, I would like it to be a bit drier as well.
I found your review of the RIS exactly the same way I feel - after the first intial shock to the palate, it becomes really good - its one of my beers I crave, but I force myself to wait longer to start drinking( I cheat every so often).
I'm really glad you liked my sour beer as well. Come over to the darkside, Brew Sour Beers! :rockin: You know you want to.....

landhoney said:

Tell me you didn't drink the whole bomber yourself!

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Well, I could tell you that. But I'd be lying.

I actually drank it in 4 different pours, over the course of about 3 hours. So nothing more than a little buzz. I was bummed when I went back looking for that 5th pour, though

Appearance - Brilliant Burnt Orange Color. Adequate carbonation with a a that disapated rather quickly to just a few bubbles lacing the glass.

Smell - This beer had a HUGE hop bouquet. The simcoe in this beer really stand old. The amaril provides a nice floral essence that lends well to the Simcoe buzsch bang. I get spicey,cCitrusy, floral....woah boy. Olfactory hop hues.

Taste - Clean, Crisp, and dry. This is an amazingly bitter beer, with a generous, yet subtle malt back bone to help carry the weight of the hops. This beer is very well balanced.

Mouthfeel - clean & dry. Full bodied taste that left me wanting more.

Drinkability - I really, really enjoyed this beer. You did a great job with this one. I could drink this beer all day


Don't underestimate your ability to brew great beer. If your others are anything like this one, then I'm in for a real treat.

I think I'll try the sour tonight, and then that's going to be it for now. I'm going to let your RIS, and Barleywine age for a few months.

I really enjoyed this beer. More to come.

Wow, my beer on youtube! I wasn't expecting that. I am curious why its doing that, maybe something on the inside bottom of the glass creating a nucleation site for the carbonation? I'll definitely have to open a bomber tomorrow to see if the same thing happens.... for research sake of course. Glad you enjoyed the beers despite the odd carbing -another sour beer convert?

Appearance - Nice Golden Color. Very clear, and clean beer Very the bubbly head disintegrated into very tiny bubbles around the fringe of the glass. Bubbles were seemingly coming out of one exclusive spot on the glass. I would later determine that it had something to do with the as the glass fleur de lis etching on the inside of the glass I was drinking form that instigatedall those bubbles.

Smell - Virtually no hop nose . CLean and dry scent to this beer.

Taste - Clean, Crisp, Dry and SOUR. Good on you Landhoney. This is a great tasting sour beer in the classic Belgian style, More horse blanket and cow bell are the only the only thing that this beer needs.:rockin:

Mouthfeel - clean ,dry and sour. Crisp dry Brett taste, that finished into thin air.

Drinkability -Nice beer my man. This beer would be best enjoyed in an intimate setting where those around you could really...no REALLY appreciate this beer. Well Done.

I'll celebrate your large and in-charged beers this fall and Winter.

Sorry the notes are about a month old.

Appearance - Dark like the night, poured a nice head which remained with the beer until the last drop

Smell - Raisins.

Taste -* my notes are illegible* sorry!

Mouthfeel -very smooth, full bodied stout

Drinkability -very quaffable.
Keep up the good work

Glibbidy said:

Sorry the notes are about a month old.

Appearance - Dark like the night, poured a nice head which remained with the beer until the last drop

Smell - Raisins.

Taste -* my notes are illegible* sorry!

Mouthfeel -very smooth, full bodied stout

Drinkability -very quaffable.
Keep up the good work

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I had one of these recently. It was really good, but weird too---I swore up and down that a sprig of sage had fallen into the fermenter...

Originally posted by landhoney
I am curious why its doing that, maybe something on the inside bottom of the glass creating a nucleation site for the carbonation?

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That's exactly right landhoney. The Chimay glass has an etching at the bottom for this specific purpose.

That sour sounds amazing by the way.

Wow, these new posts are a suprise!
Glad to hear the beers were enjoyed. I'd be curious to hear more about the taste(Evan! and Glibb), sage???? These(sour, RIS, barleywine) beers are on my 'rare' list, so I won't be drinking them for a while to ensure they last for a few years.