Beerswap 2007 Brewsmith's Beers

I know I enclosed information in the package I sent you guys, but here's the info for everyone else that wants to read it. The two beers I sent out are the following:

IPA - Bottled in the 22 oz with red cap (#24 in my sig) - edit, I just drank the last one!
OG: 1.068
IBU: 70 or so
SRM: 9

The IPA is the my second attempt at making an IPA and is currently the oldest brew I have in stock (not counting the barleywines and such intentionally being aged), and you guys have the last three! For that reason I am curious to see if you can detect any defects that might be related to age and storage. My cellar is my garage and is subject to the temperature swings of Southern California. The last time I had one I didn't notice anything apparent, but see if you notice anything. The IBU's are probably a little less that when it was fresh, so don't expect it to punch you in the face with hops as much. Also, this beer ended up a little over-carbonated. I'm not sure where in the process but probably just due to carelessness on my part measuring the priming sugar at bottling.


Old Ale - Bottled in the 12 oz with silver cap (#27 in my sig)
OG: 1.069
IBU: 47
SRM: 15

You can check out this recipe here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=21223
Also copied from the recipe page: This recipe started out as an Amber Ale that went heywire. I went to the LHBS and asked for the following ingredients, 9 lbs. 2-Row, 1 lb. Munich, 0.5 lb. Crystal 75, 0.5 lb. Crystal 120. Instead of the 11 lbs. of grain that I asked for, I received them all in kilograms! That's 24.2 lbs. of grain! And way more than I can mash at one time. I decided to mix the grain up (it ended up in 2 bags) and weighed out 11 lbs. of grain to make my Amber and had 13.2 lbs. leftover. I decided to just find a style that fit the gravity and color that I had already and go with it. Old Ale seemed to fit nicely.

Tonight I enjoyed Brewsmith's Old Ale and I would like to give you my impressions.

Pour:
Nice carbonation which resulted in a thick creamy head that stayed with the beer throughout the entire glass.

Visual:
Beautiful dark copper color with quite a bit of haze. I would attribute most of this to the rough handling by the shipper. In no way did this detract from my enjoyment of the beer.

Aroma:
I was surprised after looking at the hopping schedule that I didn't get much hop aroma. I am congested tonight so maybe that is why. I did enjoy the malty tones however which is always good in my book.

Palate:
A very nice malty beer with a strong bitter back bone that make this a well balanced beer. There is a slight alcohol warming as it goes down which I don't find unpleasant at all. I don't get much hop flavor.

Proximity to Traditional Styles:
I'm by no means an expert on styles so take this for what it's worth. From my limited experience, I would say this beer is a good example of an ESB.

Overall:
A very nice, well made beer that balances maltiness with solid hop bitterness. Not much in the way of hop flavor or aroma but I think it's OK with this beer. I throughly enjoyed this beer and it went down way to fast. I think I'll have another one... Oh wait... There's no more. Darn!
Great job Brewsmith!

Thanks! As you can see from the recipe, it ended up being an Amber on steroids. The "style" was just what seemed to be close, at least for a beer almost 7% ABV. I was chating with the_bird, since I had sent him one a while back, that it probably fit well with the "Winter Warmer" catagory. Too strong for an Amber, not enough for a Barleywine, not hoppy enough to be an IPA, Old Ale/Strong ale it is.

RichBrewer said:

Aroma:
I was surprised after looking at the hopping schedule that I didn't get much hop aroma. I am congested tonight so maybe that is why. I did enjoy the malty tones however which is always good in my book.

Click to expand...

This beer was made in late August, so I'm sure some of the aroma has faded.

Tonight I'm having the IPA in the bomber. :rockin:

Pour:
As you said this one is very carbonated and has a light foamy head that lasts throughout leaving Brussels lace on the glass.

Visual:
Nice light copper color with very little haze. A very attractive beer.

Aroma:
It has a very nice hop aroma that isn't over powering but definitely lets itself be known. I can also detect the slightest malty aroma.

Palate:
As you have suggested, I would say the hop character has faded over time. The malt dominates this medium bodied beer with a mild bitterness and the slightest hop flavor.

Proximity to Traditional Styles:
I wouldn't know where to classify this beer. I would say that it doesn't fit the style guidelines for an IPA. It is too malty and not enough hop character.

Overall:
This is a wonderfully crafted beer and, although it may no longer be considered an IPA, I absolutely LOVE it. It has a delicious malty flavor that I REALLY like. I even like the high carbonation. This is easily one of the best home brews I've ever tasted. I'm glad you sent a 22 Ouncer of this one. It is gone and now I'm happy!