12-12-12 Wee Heavy Swap and Critique Thread

[bottlebomber]

My first beer, one of the Wee Heavy's from Stephan! Here we go.
Tasting notes -
Stephanovich
WH -
A - dark and murky, and thankfully even less head retention than mine Really though, I am sincerely relieved that mine aren't the only ones that aren't standing proud.

S - Caramel and spice, anise, cinnamon? A little funk as well, subtle but there. A little oxidized note, not unpleasant, certainly not cardboardy but maybe vanilla, hard to sort it out from the oak. Definitely oaky.

T - oak, Cabernet, dried fruits particularly cherries, caramel, spice, there is that light hint of oxidation. Not a bad thing in a beer like this at all. A slight tartness and cider quality, though very subdued. The tartness contributes to the cherry suggestion. Very little booze for the strength, and a touch of fruity esters. Rather like a fruitcake now that I think of it. Updated to add that a half hour later my mouth is still just packed with flavor from this. I want to say I'm getting clove and a little smoke.

M - thick and viscous, chewy, maybe a little slipperiness but hard to tell with such a full bodied beer. A real stand your spoon up number. Just enough fizz to lighten the body somewhat. Very much like my own in that regard.

OA - a fine example and delicious beer. There was a definite oxidation note but I don't consider this a negative thing in a beer like this given the strength and age. I've been smelling and tasting a I write and I think I should have had a snack before I drank because now I'm tipsy packs a wallop. The only criticism I would have is that the bottle what somewhat sludgy, but then it only sat in the fridge for a couple days after traveling. I promise I'll give the others more time! I would definitely be proud to share this beer with friends, and I'm excited to try the others. More than anything this made me want to try another one of mine, because it's really hard to evaluate your own beer, and I don't know why. This definitely shared a lot of the same elements. Cheers!

 

[Stephonovich]

More than anything this made me want to try another one of mine, because it's really hard to evaluate your own beer, and I don't know why. This definitely shared a lot of the same elements. Cheers!

I know this feeling exactly. I haven't tried any other of the swap, as I left for home before two of the packages had arrived (I have someone bringing them, and the rest of my mail, inside - fear not!), so I just brought some of mine with me.

Your critique, aside from being the first I've had of one of my beers, showed me a few things I hadn't detected before. I never picked up on cherries or red wine, but they are there. I also get some kind of sweet, airy acidity in the aftertaste that I can't place, but it helps balance the cloying nature of the beer.

The idea that 20 something pounds of a single grain (plus 4 oz, I think, of RB) can create such a complex flavor profile still astounds me. Caramel is definitely the overriding factor for me, but it's all great stuff.

Oh, as to the sludgy, I attribute that to the yeast. The stuff flocs like crazy, and doesn't like to stick to glass. No matter how carefully I pour it, I get clumps dropping into the glass. I just let it sit for a minute before I drink it. Anyone else have better luck?

Finally (last edit, I swear), I think it's funny you got oak. No wood of any type was involved with the production or storage of this beer. I get the smoothness associated with oaked wines, but no oaky flavor. Different tastes, different people, I suppose.

Also, in the same edit so it's cool, this stuff goes great with dark chocolate. Doing so now.

 

[bottlebomber]

Finally (last edit, I swear), I think it's funny you got oak. No wood of any type was involved with the production or storage of this beer. I get the smoothness associated with oaked wines, but no oaky flavor. Different tastes, different people, I suppose.

Also, in the same edit so it's cool, this stuff goes great with dark chocolate. Doing so now.

No oak?? Man you just blew my mind. I will definitely take the chocolate advice. And agreed, it is amazing all the flavors that came from the MO. It's all process. And as far as different people picking out different flavors, I gave my wife a taste and she picked out walnuts of all things. I thought she was nuts (hehe) but sure enough, I tasted again and they were there.

 

[smokinghole]

I just need to update to say that I received Xeerohour's package early last week. I wanted to let them sit and settle for at least a week before cracking any of them. I will get to reviewing yours soon.

 

[bottlebomber]

I've gotten everyone's package in good condition.

 

[Cromwell]

I opened one of bottlebomber's wee heavies last night. I am by no means a qualified critic and haven't a clue about BJCP guidelines, so I can't give the detailed and comprehensive notes that you did for Stephan. Here's my observations, though.

Almost no carbonation. I'd expect there to be little in a wee heavy, but there was no foam and no head whatsoever.
Beautifully dark and clear, even after only 3 days in the fridge I could almost see through it, dark as it is.

Aroma - I detected caramel, and that something that says "wee heavy" to me that I cannot identify. It might be that the caramel and spice notes were so well melded that they weren't identifiable separately for me. Perhaps because of the lack of head there wasn't a lot of aroma.

Taste - Very little hop presence with just a hint in the background. Bitterness and malty sweetness were well balanced for a wee heavy. I did not detect smokiness, but rather something that made me think there might be smoke until I actually looked for it. Kind of a subliminal suggestion, maybe. Somewhat hot, though, with a definite taste of fusels making the finish more about the alcohol than the caramel flavors.

I liked it, but the hot alcohol was a bit strong. (It gave me a headache afterward.) Needs better carbonation, but I understand why this is difficult. Otherwise the flavors were very well balanced and beautifully melded.

 

[MDVDuber]

Just got my care package from bottlebomber tonight!

As an aside I stopped by my local store tonight for a Fin Du Monde tasting and noticed a Sierra Nevada On The Rocks Wee Heavy tap behind the tasting bar. Turns out one of the guys at the store attended Beer Camp this year and it was his beer. I managed to finagle a taste and once the holidays die down I'll try to get the recipe from him. It was definitely drier than mine but quite good.

Anyhow, excited to get my first package!

 

[bottlebomber]

I liked it, but the hot alcohol was a bit strong. (It gave me a headache afterward.) Needs better carbonation, but I understand why this is difficult. Otherwise the flavors were very well balanced and beautifully melded.

Huh, I didn't find it to be hot at all. Definitely a little boozy, but it is wine strength. As far as the headache, I really can't account for that. I've never gotten a headache from homebrew, and I had an entire bomber of that beer a couple weeks ago. The carbonation is VERY light, I wish I had carbonated a little more but it is basically what I wanted, a cask ale in a bottle. Better luck next bottle?

 

[xeerohour]

I just now cracked open a bottle of CrystallineEntity's batch. Poured into a snifter. My thoughts:

Appearance - Beautiful beer. Dark and heavy, but very clear. Nice tan head on the initial pour that fades quickly. Light carbonation, which I think is appropriate.

Smell- There's something just a bit off on the initial aroma. It's a smell I used to get on some of my early batches that I never quite pegged. A "homebrew" smell. After that, I get good smells - molasses, alcohol.

Taste - There's a lot going on here. There's an initial burn from the carbonation and alcohol, which smooths into a pleasant drink, full of flavor, and then fades into a smooth burn down my throat. No hiding the alcohol here, but it's still very pleasant. How a big beer should taste. I'm terrible at picking out individual notes, but I definitely get some caramel, some light roastiness (almost like a porter, but milder), and I'm not sure what else. I may come back and update this later, because I feel like I'm not doing this justice. There's a lot going on here - almost like a barleywine. It reminds me a bit of Great Divide's Old Ruffian barleywine.

Mouthfeel - It's thinner than mine, and I think that's a good thing. It makes this a much easier drinker than mine is, while still being very complex. No obvious issues - not oily, acidic, or unpleasant in any way. Wait -that sounds negative, and it's not meant to be. Just a very smooth, pleasant feel, with a burn at the end.

Overall - I'm thrilled I got to try this beer. It's so cool seeing how these "similar" beers can be so varied. It's a very well done beer that was obviously made with care. Big, full of flavor, yet very quaffable. Thanks for sharing with me, sir!

I'm going to go finish this bottle off while catching up on some Justified episodes before the new season starts.

 

[bottlebomber]

This beer could easily use another year in my opinion.. I think I am going to take what I have left of it and stick it in my parents basement till next winter.

 

[Stephonovich]

This beer could easily use another year in my opinion.. I think I am going to take what I have left of it and stick it in my parents basement till next winter.

That's what my neighbor told me (also a home brewer). I still have about a case left, I think, so I'll try letting them sit. I'll make sure to take detailed tasting notes so I can see how much it changes, too.

 

[MDVDuber]

Got my second Care Package today from Xeerohour. Very nice and all bottles survived the journey. Thank you!

 

[bottlebomber]

I drank the "Curiosity" IPA last night. It was awesome! Almost filtered clarity, low alcohol, with a big fat hoppy punch. If it was mine I would have called it Mighty Midget IPA. Anyone else who got one of these consider yourself lucky.

 

[bottlebomber]

Who gave me this Tröegs Impending Descent? Good gods man, but that's an RIS. I wish I had known what I had and I would have saved it for a later day. It is definitely in my top 3 RIS's, and maybe in my top ten overall. I've only had Mad Elf from Tröegs and I don't care for it. This is remarkable. Unfortunately I see it's a one off.

 

[CrystallineEntity]

Alrighty then! Here we go.

I'm sampling xeerohour's 12-12-12. Please excuse my lack of critiquing skill.

A: Poured into a snifter with a little bit of beige head forming. It quickly dissipated, but hung around the edge of the glass until I was about half way done. The color was opaque with ruby highlights around the edges.

S: Aroma was sweet, malty and I could detect a little hint of the oak barrel. I could also smell the alcohol a bit.

T: The first thing I noticed was a malty/raisiny sweetness, but it is more complex than that. The sweetness is like a combo of raisin, apple and berries in a fruit roll up. Oak is also present and I could taste the alcohol a little. There may be some oxidation and smokiness as well, but I'm not sure if I'm describing them properly.

M: The beer is medium/ full in body. The low carbonation was perfect. I wouldn't call it chewy, but I found myself smacking my lips trying to enjoy the taste it left after swallowing. I could feel the alcohol a bit on the back of my throat

O: I thought it was deee-licious and liked yours better than my version. I liked yours better than some commercial offerings I've had. Great job and thanks for swapping with me.

 

[smokinghole]

Who gave me this Tröegs Impending Descent? Good gods man, but that's an RIS. I wish I had known what I had and I would have saved it for a later day. It is definitely in my top 3 RIS's, and maybe in my top ten overall. I've only had Mad Elf from Tröegs and I don't care for it. This is remarkable. Unfortunately I see it's a one off.

I sent that. Sorry I didn't think to warn you it was a RIS. I really liked the bottle I drank.

 

[bottlebomber]

I sent that. Sorry I didn't think to warn you it was a RIS. I really liked the bottle I drank.

It didn't give much information on the bottle, but it was obvious what it was when poured. That's a damn fine beer. Better than WWS, but similar in some ways too. I had planned on having some beers after that, but it was so intense it became the only beer I drank last night.

 

[Stephonovich]

Wanted to let CrystallineEntity know that your package arrived.

I feel badly because I haven't tried anyone else's 12-12-12; every time I've been home and able to consume a 10%+ ABV beer I didn't feel like chewing it

That being said, I just cracked open AleSmith's Horny Devil which was also in the box. Mein gott, this stuff is good. Like, amazing. I hope they sell it somewhere around SC/NC (moving shortly).

 

[CA-LT1]

Many apologies to Stephonovich, JuanKenobi, and Smokinghole. It's been a crazy month at work, and I haven't gotten your packages shipped. Just today I boxed everything up, printed off shipping labels, and will take them to the UPS store if they're open tomorrow, or Wednesday if not.

In the box you will receive:
2xWee Heavy. M.O. with 4 oz Black. 1.094 OG 9.7%
1x 20 month old barleywine. 12%
1x pumpkin ale 7%

And one other, but I think you'll know what it is when you see it. I hope it's something rare/special for you, it's hard enough for me to find it, and I live in Nor-Cal!

Again, I'm sorry it's so late

 

[smokinghole]

Alright I got bottlebomber's package on Monday. I think you sent me two IRAs and an ESB and one 12-12-12 but that's fine, no problem, and no need to spend more on shipping.

Okay here's my first review. Xeerohour's 12-12-12

Appearance: It poured very thick and with a murky sort of haze (as expected with a beer of this malt content). The beer had no foam/head to speak of just like mine, it doesn't matter how vigorous you pour.

Aroma: It has a nose of raisins, brown sugar, very malty and has a nose of alcohol.

Taste: Extremely malty with a strong raisin and dark sugar flavor. The alcohol level makes it almost winey like a port minus the tannin presence. There's a slight smokiness that reminds me from using small amounts of smoked malt in a beer. Just enough to not be obvious but the level leaves a hint of smoke for you to taste if you're paying attention. As it warmed up the flavors developed into caramelized stone fruits like grilled plums or something. The malt is so intense in these beers that it might make someone think there is a diacetyl issue, but it's just intense malt flavor. The only fault I could pick out was a slight astringency or bitterness (which could have been hop bitterness shining through) while I was drinking it. That could have been my issue because I had been drinking a low gravity dry stout all day that was made with just base malt, black malt, and brown malt. So I could have already screwed myself up a little bit for tasting this beer.

Overall: I think this beer tastes very similar to my rendition. I think a long time at cold temps would have helped to remove any haze that this beer ended up having. Very good and thick fortifying beer. I can't wait to get into the others.

 

[Stephonovich]

Just popped one of JuanKenobi's 12-12-12 beers (I don't have to work this week - every day is a weekend!). I poured it into an, um, mug. Large, thick-walled glass with a handle. My apologies if I should have used a tulip, or something else.

My non BJCP-certified amateur opinions are as follows:

Appearance: Pours with a slight nut-brown head which very quickly dissipates, although it leaves a faint ring around the edge of the glass. Small amount of carbonation is seen bubbling up. It's more heavily carbonated than mine was, and I like it. Color is very rich and dark.

Aroma: Quite heavy fusty smell, rather like a mix between wet cardboard and very old dried fruit. I don't consider this to be bad or surprising, given the amount of aging.

Taste: The initial in-your-face wallop is black currants and raisins, with prunes following closely after. Hugely strong on the raisins. The backbone is all malt, strong and with good staying power. The heavier carbonation helps mask the cloying nature of the beer better than mine did. I detected no alcohol burn.

Overall: I quite like it. Very well balanced for the style, or at least as much as my limited tastes of Wee Heavies goes. I'll mention again, the higher carbonation level really helps it out. How many CO2 volumes did you aim for, Juan?

 

[bottlebomber]

Smokinghole, is this your Naner? It's really delicous! What is the recipe?

 

[smokinghole]

Banana Stout
Foreign Extra Stout
Type: All Grain Date: 2/15/2012
Batch Size (fermenter): 7.50 gal Brewer: Adam Cole
Boil Size: 8.97 gal Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 90 min Equipment: Penrose Kettle and 13gal Igloo Cooler
End of Boil Volume 8.22 gal Brewhouse Efficiency: 82.00 %
Final Bottling Volume: 7.20 gal Est Mash Efficiency 86.4 %
Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage Taste Rating(out of 50): 30.0
Taste Notes:
Ingredients


Ingredients
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
12 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (1.8 SRM) Grain 1 70.6 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 2 8.8 %
1 lbs Brown Malt (65.0 SRM) Grain 3 5.9 %
1 lbs CaraBrown (55.0 SRM) Grain 4 5.9 %
12.0 oz De-Bittered Black Malt (Dingemans) (550.0 SRM) Grain 5 4.4 %
8.0 oz Dark Crystal (165.0 SRM) Grain 6 2.9 %
4.0 oz Chocolate (Briess) (350.0 SRM) Grain 7 1.5 %
2.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] - First Wort 60.0 min Hop 8 24.4 IBUs
1.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 9 12.8 IBUs
1.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 10 6.0 IBUs
7.50 lb Banana (weight with peels on) peeled and blended to pulp with black seal rum then added to secondary
2.0 pkg SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) [23.66 ml] Yeast 13 -

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.066 SG Measured Original Gravity: 1.070 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.016 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.008 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.7 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 8.2 %
Bitterness: 43.2 IBUs Calories: 234.1 kcal/12oz
Est Color: 33.1 SRM
Mash Profile

Mash Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body Total Grain Weight: 17 lbs
Sparge Water: 2.72 gal Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F Tun Temperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE Mash PH: 5.20

Mash Steps
Name Description Step Temperature Step Time
Mash In Add 5.31 gal of water at 163.7 F 152.0 F 60 min
Mash Out Add 2.98 gal of water at 200.7 F 168.0 F 10 min

Sparge Step: Fly sparge with 2.72 gal water at 168.0 F

If I were to do it again I'd up the mash temp a bit and maybe add some more body building oats because of the bananas and rum.

 

[Stephonovich]

Trying out CrystallineEntity's 12-12-12 brew...

Appearance - Pours dark amber, with a decent head that stays around for a bit. The head was thicker overall than mine and JuanKenobi's, but it didn't maintain a ring around the edge of the glass like Juan's did. Lower carb level, I suppose.

Aroma - Raisins and dark currants (I see a trend...), with strawberries and maybe mango as it fades. Something pleasantly sweet, mild, and somewhat exotic, anyway.

Taste - Very boozy. Not sure if the 4 months difference in aging makes this much of a difference, but anyway, it's quite present. That's not a horrible thing, I think, just different. Other than that, raisins and molasses. There's a sharpness in the aftertaste that's different than carbonation, too. It hangs out at the back of your throat; not burning, but sharp, almost metallic.

Overall - Pretty hot overall, but alright flavor. I'm going to keep the other one for at least 4 months before I try it. I'm looking forward to seeing how other flavors come out when the alcohol isn't so overpowering.

 

[JuanKenobi]

Just popped one of JuanKenobi's 12-12-12 beers (I don't have to work this week - every day is a weekend!). I poured it into an, um, mug. Large, thick-walled glass with a handle. My apologies if I should have used a tulip, or something else.

My non BJCP-certified amateur opinions are as follows:

Appearance: Pours with a slight nut-brown head which very quickly dissipates, although it leaves a faint ring around the edge of the glass. Small amount of carbonation is seen bubbling up. It's more heavily carbonated than mine was, and I like it. Color is very rich and dark.

Aroma: Quite heavy fusty smell, rather like a mix between wet cardboard and very old dried fruit. I don't consider this to be bad or surprising, given the amount of aging.

Taste: The initial in-your-face wallop is black currants and raisins, with prunes following closely after. Hugely strong on the raisins. The backbone is all malt, strong and with good staying power. The heavier carbonation helps mask the cloying nature of the beer better than mine did. I detected no alcohol burn.

Overall: I quite like it. Very well balanced for the style, or at least as much as my limited tastes of Wee Heavies goes. I'll mention again, the higher carbonation level really helps it out. How many CO2 volumes did you aim for, Juan?

I just checked my notes, and apparently I didn't do so well with note taking on bottling day. I'm pretty sure I targeted 2 volumes. I'm quite happy with the carbonation in this beer. I was afraid that I'd killed he EC-1118 I used for conditioning and it was going to stay flat, but it actually carbed up pretty fast. How did you find the cake? The bottles I've poured so far have had really compact cakes that didn't budge a bit which really surprised me.

Interesting to see the "well balanced" comment. I haven't tried anyone else's yet, but it seems like most of the recipes I've seen posted have been bittered more heavily than mine (EKG, 26 IBU, Tinseth).

 

[bottlebomber]

I also conditioned with EC-1118 and got a nice compact cake in my bottles.

 

[Stephonovich]

I just checked my notes, and apparently I didn't do so well with note taking on bottling day. I'm pretty sure I targeted 2 volumes. I'm quite happy with the carbonation in this beer. I was afraid that I'd killed he EC-1118 I used for conditioning and it was going to stay flat, but it actually carbed up pretty fast. How did you find the cake? The bottles I've poured so far have had really compact cakes that didn't budge a bit which really surprised me.

Interesting to see the "well balanced" comment. I haven't tried anyone else's yet, but it seems like most of the recipes I've seen posted have been bittered more heavily than mine (EKG, 26 IBU, Tinseth).

The cake was fine. I too used EC-1118, although in retrospect, not enough of it. I was deathly afraid of having bottle bombs of this beer with so much effort put into it.

Beersmith puts my IBUs at 24 (Tinseth), FYI. *shrug* I'm sure there's actual differences in the brewing process that the program can't pick up on, and carb level definitely has a huge effect on perceived taste. I have never had a Wee Heavy of any kind that was overly bitter, just saying. It's not proper for the style at all.

 

[Cromwell]

So, apparently one of my packages got lost, since it hasn't been delivered and it's been 3 weeks. I didn't save the receipt (dumb, I know that now). Can UPS track a shipment just based on my name and/or email address? Should I go to the store and ask them where it is, or is it a lost cause?

 

[bottlebomber]

So, apparently one of my packages got lost, since it hasn't been delivered and it's been 3 weeks. I didn't save the receipt (dumb, I know that now). Can UPS track a shipment just based on my name and/or email address? Should I go to the store and ask them where it is, or is it a lost cause?

Yeah just go to the store and they will have you on record. So do you have the tracking number? You can usually find the status based on that. But either way the store will have you.

 

[xeerohour]

Cromwell, hopefully you aren't referring to me. I'm not sure I ever told you I got yours, but I did. Just haven't had a chance to try the 12-12-12 yet.

FWIW, I did really enjoy the T.B.A. Do you know how old that was, btw?