Beerswap III: dsean's brews

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DSean

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Hey there, sorry for the delays, but I expect that everyone should have their beer now.

You each received 2 bombers, both partial masses. One is an amber ale modelled on Fat Tire. The problem, however, is that I've never actually had Fat Tire, so this is based on their reported grain bill.

The second is an apricot ale. I was trying to recreate Magic Hat #9, but I got too much of the apricot flavor in it. I like the beer, but it's not quite what I intended.

Both beers were cold crashed after secondary, then racked to a keg and forced carbed. I bottled using the method described here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=24678

First time I'd ever used it, and I think it turned out well. Hope you guys enjoy.
-Sean-

Oh, and my girlfriend did the labels, so let me know what you guys think.
 
Got them today - love the labels!!!

I will try the Fat Tire tomorrow. How old is the apricot ale? If it is only a month or two, I can let it sit another two months before drinking and see if that mellows the fruit flavor a bit.

I will also comment on the carbonation for you. It will probably whoop mine and make me more pissed that I dropped some $$$ on the Beer Gun. From just looking, it appears to be underfilled - about 2 inches of head space (room for your CO2 to escape to). The wand displaces beer as you remove it to leave a proper headspace, but with the extra height of the bomber compared to a normal 12 ouncer, the headspace increased as well. As long as they were carbed good to start with, it shouldn't be a problem.
 
Bearcat Brewmeister said:
Got them today - love the labels!!!

I will try the Fat Tire tomorrow. How old is the apricot ale? If it is only a month or two, I can let it sit another two months before drinking and see if that mellows the fruit flavor a bit.

I will also comment on the carbonation for you. It will probably whoop mine and make me more pissed that I dropped some $$$ on the Beer Gun. From just looking, it appears to be underfilled - about 2 inches of head space (room for your CO2 to escape to). The wand displaces beer as you remove it to leave a proper headspace, but with the extra height of the bomber compared to a normal 12 ouncer, the headspace increased as well. As long as they were carbed good to start with, it shouldn't be a problem.

Hey, glad you loved the labels.

The apricot is about 2 months old now, and I'm starting to like it more. The first sip or two off of the keg still takes me by surprise a bit, but once I get past the head, it isn't a problem.

I was having a bit of a problem getting them all the way full, so I'm not surprised that they weren't completely full. [Sorry about that though]. Basically, I couldn't control the foam from the beer gun replacement (this was the first time I'd ever tried to bottle off of a keg), and I kept having to walk away while the beer overflowed the bottles into a bucket [the bottles were frozen, btw]. I eventually just tried to fill the bottles to the point where the foam stopped coming out of the top and clear beer came out instead. I then quickly removed the bottle filler and capped them. I didn't actually pay attention to how much they settled out before I sent them off, so my bad.

I may eventually spend the money on a beer gun, but I figured I'd give this system a try first to see if I could get the hang of it. I guess I haven't quite gotten the knack yet.

Hope you enjoy the fat tire.
 
I think the BM filler (the unofficial name from what I understand) has gotten rave reviews, so I wouldn't waste the money on the Beer Gun. I think one way to get a better fill on bombers is to pull the tube through the stopper a few inches after the bottle is part way full. That way you have less tube to displace when you pull it out to cap it.
 
Fat Tire Clone:

I have not had it myself, so I cannot comment on comparisons to the original.

Appearance - Dark amber, almost clear (slight haze), light carbonation, head disappated very quickly.

Aroma - strong malty, bready, sweet aroma, dark fruit, rummy. Picking up a some hops, but the sweetness may be masking a slight floral aroma. There is a spiciness here that is hard to describe (spiced rum with some pepper?).

Flavor - Great malt taste, a bit sweet, bready, some alcohol perceived, spicy (but same with the aroma - I can't place the spice). There is another flavor at the finish that I can't put my finger on, some type of twang (not in a bad way) - I would call it a slight sourness. Definitely more balanced towards malt - very little perception of hops, perhaps due to the spiciness. This is pretty good and only really lacks the flavors that more carbonation may bring out.

Mouthfeel - With the low carbonation, it gets close to bordering on being syrupy (it coats a bit), but it is still good.

Overall - Fine job. It is kind of an intriguing mix of flavors - definitely unique. I could drink another. I am going to be in Vegas for CES, so I may track down the original for comparison. Thanks!
 
Fat Tire

Appearance - Dark amber, burnt orange color. Small head that dissappeared quickly

Aroma - Just a faint hop aroma, faintly fruity citrus, and a little malt

Taste - Bitterness upfront, followed by malt and a little sweetness. Flavor is a little mild, probably related to carbonation and mouthfeel.

Mouthfeel - Carbonation is very light and mouthfeel is a little thin.

Overall - I think this is mainly lacking frm the carbonation level. If this were a British Mild or Bitter, the level would be perfect, but I would prefer more in this beer. The malt falvors are good and the bittering level seems about right. Without the carbonation, there's nothing to bring the aromas out. I have to practically put my nose right in it. I saw your bottling procedure. You might want to experiment with different keg pressures and test a few bottles to get the carbonation just right. Not counting the carb levels, the beer balance is great and the flavors from the malt and hops are right on.
 
Brewsmith said:
Fat Tire

Appearance - Dark amber, burnt orange color. Small head that dissappeared quickly

Aroma - Just a faint hop aroma, faintly fruity citrus, and a little malt

Taste - Bitterness upfront, followed by malt and a little sweetness. Flavor is a little mild, probably related to carbonation and mouthfeel.

Mouthfeel - Carbonation is very light and mouthfeel is a little thin.

Overall - I think this is mainly lacking frm the carbonation level. If this were a British Mild or Bitter, the level would be perfect, but I would prefer more in this beer. The malt falvors are good and the bittering level seems about right. Without the carbonation, there's nothing to bring the aromas out. I have to practically put my nose right in it. I saw your bottling procedure. You might want to experiment with different keg pressures and test a few bottles to get the carbonation just right. Not counting the carb levels, the beer balance is great and the flavors from the malt and hops are right on.

Thanks for the feeback!
 
I had the Apricot Ale last night. I think your base beer was fine, but the addition of apricot didn't marry too well. There was not much body or residual sweetness, and much of the apricot fermented completely out, leaving some tart acidity from the fruit and very little aroma. If I was to make this beer again I'd maybe use a little more crystal grain in it and mash higher so that there's more body and sweetness to compliment the fruit. I don't know what form of fruit you used, but you might want to experiment with that a little.
 
I had the Apricot Ale tonight and agree with Brewsmith that it was a bit thin and could use some crystal. But on the other hand, I like the tart acidity from the apricot. The beer isn't overly hoppy and the tartness lends a bit of an edge that I enjoyed.
 
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