Beerswap II: Dude's brews...

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Dude

Supporting Member
HBT Supporter
Joined
Jan 15, 2005
Messages
8,768
Reaction score
143
Location
Ramstein-Miesenbach
Quick explanation of the cap labels:

RER: Red Eye Rye. A dumbed down Hop Rod Rye type beer. Not as big in gravity, not as hoppy. I thought this turned out pretty decent. For those at the shindig at Jeff's, this was in the travel kegerator.

MB: Maple Blonde. It was a base blonde ale that I added maple syrup to after initial fermentation, then put some crushed fenugreek seeds in secondary. Not very impressed with this one--turned out too sweet for me.

DB: DewBrew. This is the same blonde ale recipe as the Maple Blonde (brewed that in the same batch) but without the maple syrup and fenugreek. Essentially I took 2.5 gallons of wort and 6 2 liter bottles of Mt. Dew and fermented it together. This recipe was in BYO a few years back. IMHO, it isn't too good. It was brewed as kind of a joke for our yearly picnic in my homebrew club, where we had to use a weird adjunct.

HPA: Honey Pale Ale. Some of you have already had this--it isn't as good because it is now showing its age. I used 2 lbs. of honey in the recipe, and the bittering hop is Phoenix, something I've nevere used before. This got a second in the Dominion Cup, FWIW.

I wouldn't mind you guys critiquing the Pliny either--if you can remember it after all the beer we had Saturday. :D
 
Dude said:
I wouldn't mind you guys critiquing the Pliny either--if you can remember it after all the beer we had Saturday. :D

As a representative of The GRABASS Saturday Sober Society (GRABASSSSS?), I can clearly remember the beer. (FYI: I took a small sample of all HBs on tap at BB's and a couple from bottles, but refrained from pouring a pint of anything until I got home at the end of the night.)

Pliny was damn good. It cut right through the heavy taste I had in my mouth from the Hop Rod Rye we had just sampled, but the bitterness was clean and strong.

I honestly don't remember the mouthfeel, but I believe it was a pretty dry beer, was it not?

It was pretty clear (I was the one that cracked open the growler and got the first taste) and had a nice warm gold color. I had a half pint of it before we crashed that was cloudy and yeasty, and it was still pretty good.

I preferred your Rye on tap more, but the Pliny was very good.
 
Dude said:
DB: DewBrew. This is the same blonde ale recipe as the Maple Blonde (brewed that in the same batch) but without the maple syrup and fenugreek. Essentially I took 2.5 gallons of wort and 6 2 liter bottles of Mt. Dew and fermented it together. This recipe was in BYO a few years back. IMHO, it isn't too good. It was brewed as kind of a joke for our yearly picnic in my homebrew club, where we had to use a weird adjunct.

This beer defies a standard review with fancy beer-snob type terminology. SO, let me just quickly summarize....

This beer sucks. :D

Now, I don't believe it is the fault of the brewing process. This is just a seriously handicapped recipe. I HATE Mountain Dew to begin with, so polluting a beer with it is not going to make me like it any more.

Sorry to review this one first, Dude, but I thought I better just get the questionable one out of the way as soon as possible.
 
Dde said:
MB: Maple Blonde. It was a base blonde ale that I added maple syrup to after initial fermentation, then put some crushed fenugreek seeds in secondary. Not very impressed with this one--turned out too sweet for me.

Damn, man... I'm sorry to say that this one is flat flat flat. Not a single bubble to be found.

I'm not a huge fain of maple unless it's on bread of some type, but I think the maple flavor is subtle enough in this beer that I would actually enjoy it.

The beer is very clean tasting (I detect no off-flavors) and seems relatively low in IBUs. (I tried to look at your recipe link, but the server is not responding.) Color is appealing and looks "maple-y", and the beer is very clear. I had hardley any sediment in my bottle, too.

I think I would like it with some carbonation, but due to it being flat I can't really drink it. :(


-walker
 
the_bird said:
You sampled the Dew beer before mine? :confused: :(

My wife took yours back out of the fridge yesterday b/c she couldn't find a place for her white wine bottle. :)

I've got it back in now, and since you're so amped up for a review, I'll make sure to post it immediately after sampling rather than run it by you in private like you asked.
 
Dude said:
RER: Red Eye Rye. A dumbed down Hop Rod Rye type beer. Not as big in gravity, not as hoppy. I thought this turned out pretty decent. For those at the shindig at Jeff's, this was in the travel kegerator.

I did not sample this tonight, but I sampled it a few times at Jeff's after the brewfest. Awesome dark amber color and nice head.

I thought this beer was excellent. I have not had too many rye beers before, but this is seriously the best one I've ever had. I like it MORE than Hop Rod Rye, in all honesty. I'm finding lately that I am not digging uber heavy and highly hopped ales. I thought yours had the same flavor of HRR, but was a little more under control. HRR seems over-the-top everwhere. Not that this is BAD, but it's something I'm not into right now.

I would drink your RER any day of the week.

On a side note: you also sent a bottle of it home with me and Julie opened it up the other day. It was also VERY flat, like the maple blond I just had a minute ago.
 
the_bird said:
You know, I'm starting to not like your SWMBO... when's my beer going to be here again? :D

I dropped it off today (saturday was a down day due to being out too late with Truble). I don't know how long it will take to get there.
 
Dude said:
HPA: Honey Pale Ale. Some of you have already had this--it isn't as good because it is now showing its age. I used 2 lbs. of honey in the recipe, and the bittering hop is Phoenix, something I've nevere used before. This got a second in the Dominion Cup, FWIW.
I don't doubt that for a second.

I had this beer in April after the Raleigh beer festival, and I'll just quote myself from the original review here:

Walker-san said:
Honey Pale Ale

Walker: F*@KING EXCELLENT. Glad we opened this one last. God DAMN this is a great beer.


The bottle you sent with me this time was fully enjoyed by SWMBO while watching Ohio State on Saturday.
 
This is the 2nd honey beer I believe that I have had, the other being Honey Brown. I also don't know that I have ever knowingly had Phoenix hops before. That said, I really like this beer. The bitterness is there but it isn't overpowering like alot of the beers I've been drinking lately. Good carbonation. There is something else in the aftertaste that I just can't place, it's not a bad taste, it's just something I can't place. Good job, Dude.
 
Walker-san said:
Damn, man... I'm sorry to say that this one is flat flat flat. Not a single bubble to be found.

I'm not a huge fain of maple unless it's on bread of some type, but I think the maple flavor is subtle enough in this beer that I would actually enjoy it.

The beer is very clean tasting (I detect no off-flavors) and seems relatively low in IBUs. (I tried to look at your recipe link, but the server is not responding.) Color is appealing and looks "maple-y", and the beer is very clear. I had hardley any sediment in my bottle, too.

I think I would like it with some carbonation, but due to it being flat I can't really drink it. :(


-walker

Walker-san said:
On a side note: you also sent a bottle of it home with me and Julie opened it up the other day. It was also VERY flat, like the maple blond I just had a minute ago.

I can't figure out that stupid beer gun for the life of me. I'm gonna sell it.

BTW, You didn't miss much, it ain't a good beer.
 
One more comment regarding this item in my review of RER:

Walker-san said:
On a side note: you also sent a bottle of it home with me and Julie opened it up the other day. It was also VERY flat, like the maple blond I just had a minute ago.

I was talking to her about Rye beers last night and she told me that she loved your Rye. I made the comment that it was flat, but she said, "It didn't matter to me.... I drank the whole thing anyway."

SO... this beer is good enough that my wife will drink 22 oz of it even though there is no carbonation in it. That should say SOMETHING about the outstanding flavor of your RER, Dude.
 
Walker-san said:
SO... this beer is good enough that my wife will drink 22 oz of it even though there is no carbonation in it. That should say SOMETHING about the outstanding flavor of your RER, Dude.


I think that says a fair bit about your ability to find a good woman as well!
 
Walker-san said:
Damn, man... I'm sorry to say that this one is flat flat flat. Not a single bubble to be found.

I'm not a huge fain of maple unless it's on bread of some type, but I think the maple flavor is subtle enough in this beer that I would actually enjoy it.

The beer is very clean tasting (I detect no off-flavors) and seems relatively low in IBUs. (I tried to look at your recipe link, but the server is not responding.) Color is appealing and looks "maple-y", and the beer is very clear. I had hardley any sediment in my bottle, too.

I think I would like it with some carbonation, but due to it being flat I can't really drink it. :(


-walker

I tried my bottle and it was flat too. Not even the slightest Pffft when I opened it. No bubbles when I poured it.
 
Chairman Cheyco said:
I think that says a fair bit about your ability to find a good woman as well!

She was sligning pints at a microbrew pub in Cincinnati (The Barrel House, now defunct) and kept bringing me free porters all night long. I had no choice but to marry her.

-walker
 
Back
Top