Not-So-Secret-Santa Christmas Swap

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Beers sent to Gentlemans_Ale

First off, I'm impressed by the names people give their beers. I give my beers generic names, stout, lite, blonde etc.

Lite beer-on tap-triple hopped with all cascade: fwh, 20 min, dry. 57% base malt, 14% vienna, 29% corn.

Stout-on tap-55% base 20% oatmeal 6% choc (450) 5% 40L 5% pale choc (180) 1.2% black barley (500) 1oz EK Goldings FWH, 1 oz Liberty FWH

Pumpkin ale- bottled. My first go at a pumpkin beer. Recipe is Punkin' Ale thread exactly as posted with Denny's Fav 50 yeast.

JOAM- brewed? dec. of 2013. Exactly as posted on JAOM thread. I will eliminate some of the orange pilth from this years batch.

Mystery wine- A bottle hanging out in my basement; I believe from a Merlot wine kit made in 2010. Could also be a Cab from about the same era. My labeling system still hasn't improved and provides the occasional "mystery bottle" that, quite frankly, I enjoy.

And yes, my numbers don't add up to 100% as I frequently tweak my recipes.
 
sfgoat I've had some of your homebrews and they have all been really good. Any chance I can get the cherry wheat recipe? It was really tasty and the SWMBO would love it.
 
sfgoat said:
DC I am Mike Fryman. Sorry about that. But I love those styles so I can't wait.
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Awesome. Got the OP of the thread. Glad you like the style because that will limit what i send lol. Hope for some feed back on them. Bad or good. Any tips are welcomed. They will be on the way tomorrow.
 
sloanfamilydsm said:
Beers sent to Gentlemans_Ale

Lite beer-on tap-triple hopped with all cascade: fwh, 20 min, dry. 57% base malt, 14% vienna, 29% corn.

JOAM- brewed? dec. of 2013. Exactly as posted on JAOM thread. I will eliminate some of the orange pilth from this years batch.
Click to expand...


I'm so glad you sent a JAOM. I've been wanting to try one and even better, brew one. What yeast did you use in the lite?
 
For all the new to the swap guys, if you need ideas on how to go about reviewing the beers that you are sampling check out this thread:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f38/homebrew-swap-o-rama-3-lets-try-again-474428/

As you are enjoying the beers please try to post a picture and give a decent review/feedback.

Also be sure to give the user who shipped you the beer itrader feedback as well. It may be beneficial to them in future swaps.
 
abeasst said:
Can't wait to crack some open.View attachment 240716
Click to expand...

I think the pic here pretty well sums up what I shipped but to keep things proper, form left to right:
1.we have one of my SWMBO's favorites, the cherry wheat.
2. Next is a porter that I actually made based on the recipe given to me by @cmoewes I just used a different yeast
3. Next is my American wheat which was an attempt at cloning boulevard for a friend.
4. In the middle was a gift I sent for the SWMBO of my receiver, it is a blueberry pomegranate wine that I make pretty frequently for my SWMBO and her friends.
5. My Rye Braggot. clocked in at about 8-8.5% ABV and was enjoyed alot more than I expected.
6. Is a recipe that I got from the pilsner section of the forum, its a bitburger clone that is really good IMHO.
7. And last is the Maibock that I have won a few gold medals for. Made with liberty hops so it is a bit different.
 
finsfan said:
I decided I could slip away from the office for 30 minutes to unpack this beauty and I'm glad I did!! Matt, you are insane!! All of the home brews sound awesome and I was really hoping you included a gose to try. I hope you know this RU55 isnt going to last through the weekend. I cant believe you included that, thank you! I hear they have another batch fermenting away so hopefully I can land another to try next to my version when the time comes. I cant wait to crack into your beers and will be sure to give you honest feedback on them, thanks again!! :rockin:
View attachment 241189View attachment 241190View attachment 241191
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For the record, here's a rundown of the HB's I sent to Fins:
Sour Blackberry Cider - Last year's cider w/ blackberries added in secondary. Unintentional infection + sour dregs = tasty product a year later.

Leaping Goats Coffee Brown - 2nd brewing of NB's Bender recipe, with cold-brewed coffee added at bottling.

High Ground Gose - Sour-worted gose, soured using lacto starter from raw grain. This was soured in the bucket and not boiled after, so it's continued to sour in the bottle.

Dos Calderas Porter (Plain and Whiskey versions) - PM version of the Ed Fitz clone from this site, first brew using cold steeping of dark malts. For the whiskey version, the second half of the bottling bucket was spiked with some Bulleit bourbon. So far, I prefer the whiskey version.

Evolution of Funk, Vol. 1 - Rye saison with Brett B & C. First pull from a single vessel mini-solera I'm trying out.
 
I boxed this up yesterday, for inkman15:

I don't keep a lot of beer. I brew 2.5 g batches mostly, drink, and refill kegs...but I have a few bottles from when I sometimes drain a keg to free it up.

I pulled these off the taps:

Weezy's Winter Warmer - Pils, Vienna, pale, C40, orange blossom honey, Columbus & Glacier hops, Allspice & orange zest. First try with this recipe a bit hot and sweet, and someone ate a couple of my oranges so the rebrew will be tweaked and even better.

Weizenbock - Red wheat, White wheat, pils, Munich, caramunich, c40, c120, pinch of pale chocolate, hallertau hops, fermented low in a hefe yeast to soften the clove and banana esters. It came out nice and refreshing with a blend of sweet malts highlighted by the hefe yeast.

Simple Maris Otter IPA - MO, pinch carafoam and sugar, Columbus for bittering and HBC-342. This was a simple, dry, near SMASH brew to test the HBC-342 experimental hops. it's very sessionable.

bottles:

Keel Haul Baltic Porter - Munich, pils, dark Munich, brown malt, c90, caramunich, blackprintz, Smaragd hops. Lagered with 833. My last bottle :( I love this beer.

White Christmas Light Lager - Pils, Vienna, Carafoam, Polaris Hops, Juniper berries. Last bottle from this 2013 xmas brew. light and bright with the minty, earthy hops and juniper berries kick. hope its not too old.

A couple commercials thrown in too.
 
Weezy said:
Finsfan LIED! He said it would cone Friday.... it came THURSDAY!

wp_20141206_3877-64328.jpg



I went straight to the cinnamon apfelwein cuz I can't make a cider to save my life. Just excellent stuff man! The cinnamon builds up in your palate nicely. Nice and smooth overall. Really good.
Click to expand...

I guess I can give a rundown as well. Im not good with peer pressure :D

From left to right:

Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat: brewed following this recipe. Not quite as good as the original but I enjoy it. The original seems to have a hint of chocolate even though they do not use any. :confused:

Long Range Tripel: brewed following this recipe. This was an attempt at cloning Boulevards Long Strange Tripel which is one of my favorites. I ended up way below intended original gravity after adding too much sparge water, but it turned out alright. It will certainly be a rebrew and something I keep around for awhile.

Cinnamon Apfelwein: I follow Edwort's version petty closey. 5 gallons Motts apple juice, 2.5 lbs dextrose and Montrachet wine yeast. I added 3 vodka soaked cinnamon sticks after a month and left for another month. The cinnamon isnt strong and I will probably add more next time I make this.

Nut Brown Ale: This was lil sparky's nut brown ale recipe here on HBT. This was a little bit of a let down for myself. It is pretty bland and not much to it. Its drinkable, but not at all how I wanted it to turn out. This is one that I included to get honest feedback on as I am not sure what to think about it. It didnt help that it ended up at 1.006. :eek:

Pumpkin Buffalo Sweat: This is also brewed using the buffalo sweat link above. This years attempt was a lot better from last years and it is just starting to hit its stride. This will certainly be something I brew annually and try to recreate from the firkin I had.

Vanilla Face RIS: brewed using this recipe. I ended up adding Jamseon soaked oak beans (yes I meant to type oak beans, look it up) and 1 vanilla bean and let that age for 3 months before bottling. I enjoy this one but think it needs tweaking. I probably wont use oak beans again and may forgo the vanilla in the future as well.

And finally

Big XII Tripel: brewed following the final absolution clone here on HBT. It is still a bit green, but is starting to get really good. Last time I had one I was starting to get a bubblegum flavor that I have never had in a home brew before, but enjoy. This is also another one that I will probably brew up annually to keep in rotation. I recommend you wait a month or so on this one to let it develop some more.

As you can see, I enjoy making or modeling beer recipe after commercial beers that I enjoy. I hope you enjoy everything Weezy, cheers!
 
Was going to pack yesterday, but wife out of town and sick baby, will pack after work and send it.

Have PM'd recipient for permission/forgiveness. He should have it probably Thurs...
 
Here's my attempt at reviewing.

Beer: Cherry Wheat
Aroma: Sweet cherry smell.
Appearance: Slight red hue, very clear.
Flavor: Smooth cherry flavor, with light hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Very smooth easy drinking beer. Carbonation was perfect. Could be a session beer for the SWMBO.
Overall: Very good beer. Would brew and drink. I'm not usually a wheat fan, but this made me question that.

Beer: American Wheat
Aroma: Small hop aroma.
Appearance: Slightly cloudy
Flavor: Slight hoppy flavor.
Mouthfeel: Good hop characteristics. Slightly over-carbed
Overall: Good wheat beer.

Beer: Maibock
Appearance: Slightly cloudy
Flavor: Very good maibock flavor. Not an overpowering alchy flavor like a lot of Maibocks
Mouthfeel: Nice full mouthfeel.
Overall: One of the better Maibocks I've had. Would drink again.
 
finsfan said:
I

Nut Brown Ale: This was lil sparky's nut brown ale recipe here on HBT. This was a little bit of a let down for myself. It is pretty bland and not much to it. Its drinkable, but not at all how I wanted it to turn out. This is one that I included to get honest feedback on as I am not sure what to think about it. It didnt help that it ended up at 1.006. :eek:

As you can see, I enjoy making or modeling beer recipe after commercial beers that I enjoy. I hope you enjoy everything Weezy, cheers!
Click to expand...

Working on them slowly!

I had the nut brown last night and it was well brewed, just lacking. A little toast came through from the victory (tbh I thought victory and didn't think oats, the toastiness is probably from both), but not much else like you said. There's very little English yeast character, which just adds to the lack of complexity. Looking at the recipe, you HAVE to use a UK base malt. you're missing all those rich bready character. I'd definitely go with darker crystal, C90 if you can't get an 80-100L Simpsons. Definitely go with a less attenuative and more estery S04 or Mangrove Jacks M03 (assuming you want to stick to dry yeasts).

Tbh, you switch yeasts and it'll be a COMPLETELY different beer. Your processs is solid.
 
Weezy said:
Working on them slowly!

I had the nut brown last night and it was well brewed, just lacking. A little toast came through from the victory (tbh I thought victory and didn't think oats, the toastiness is probably from both), but not much else like you said. There's very little English yeast character, which just adds to the lack of complexity. Looking at the recipe, you HAVE to use a UK base malt. you're missing all those rich bready character. I'd definitely go with darker crystal, C90 if you can't get an 80-100L Simpsons. Definitely go with a less attenuative and more estery S04 or Mangrove Jacks M03 (assuming you want to stick to dry yeasts).

Tbh, you switch yeasts and it'll be a COMPLETELY different beer. Your processs is solid.
Click to expand...

I completely agree with you about taste and the recommendations sound perfect. A maris otter base might be nice with that recipe. I think I used 1098 and it seemed to suck the life, and sugar, right out of this beer. I think the only thing I enjoy about it is the color haha.
 
I've shipped off my box to bford and PM'd him tracking info and info on the home brews that I have sent. Enjoy! :)
 
Gentlemans_Ale said:
I'm so glad you sent a JAOM. I've been wanting to try one and even better, brew one. What yeast did you use in the lite?
Click to expand...

All three beers were made using Dennys Fav 50. I wash yeast and all three are from the 3rd generation.

Glad to hear you're interested in the JAOM also. I plan on zesting the orange and removing some of the pilth next time.

Lite beer is one I keep in the rotation pretty regularly. At 12 IBU it is a nice session beer as I do not enjoy overly hoppy beers.
 
Package is dropped off and tracking has been PM'd to JTD419.

Here's to it making a long journey safely up to Washington!

Bryan
 
Package dropped off and tracking number sent to nmfree. Below are the homebrews I'm sending and you can check-in my beers on Untappd under Dexterity Brewing Company.

240 Cream Ale: Not much to say other then it took a silver medal in its category. Hopefully it's held up in the bottle. OG:1.050 FG:1.003 IBU:18 ABV:6.2%

King Kölsch: Again, not much to say other then it took a bronze medal in its category. Hopefully it's held up in the bottle. OG:1.048 FG:1.009 IBU:25 ABV:5.1%

Like a Good Neighbor I Brewed You a Porter: A chocolate hazelnut porter that is really tasty. OG:1.066 FG:1.019 IBU:35.9 ABV:5.8%

Like a Good Neighbor I Brewed You an Oaked Porter: Same recipe as the one above expect without the hazelnut and this was aged on French oak, medium toast for four weeks. Quite proud of this one. OG:1.066 FG:1.019 IBU:35.9 ABV:5.8%

Stuck Pumpkin: Pumpkin ale brewed with pumpkin in the mash and also used cinnamon spice mix. I believe it has aged perfectly now, and seems to be a big hit with everyone. OG:1.054 FG:1.006 IBU:13 ABV:6.3%
 
Package went off this afternoon and due to arrive to BrewWho Wednesday...PMed tracking info.

Included are two homebrews, some other local favorites as well as some extras and some swag. Have two other homebrews, but they just weren't ready to bottle.

Package went off this afternoon and due to arrive to BrewWho Wednesday...PMed tracking info.

Included are two homebrews and some other local favorites as well as some odd swag. Have two other homebrews I was hoping to include, but they just weren't ready to bottle.

1. Imperial Pumpkin Ale - Brewed by suggestion from my daughter. Moderately spiced with sweetish cracker-like notes. Unfiltered and bottle conditioned. ABV: 7.4% IBU: 24

2. IIPA - Done for a local competition to create a knockoff of a local brewery's beer. Missed the entry deadline as I was out of town. Definitely a hop bomb and bottled from a keg. ABV: 8.9% IBU: 90

3. False Cape Ale - Local amber/red ale from Back Bay Brewing Co. ABV: 5.2% IBU: ??

4. Chesapeake Pale Ale - From Williamsburg Alewerks this is a cascade hopped APA. ABV: 5.7% IBU: ?? (Alewerks is really quirky about posting IBUs sometimes).

5. Red Nun - Named after the nautical bouy that serves as a channel marker, this is an Irish-style red ale from O'Connor Brewing. ABV: 5.5% IBU: 35

6. Alter Ego - Local favorite saison that's the cornerstone of Smartmouth Brewing. Note the handsome, aluminum packaging. aBV: 6.2% IBU: 33

7. Coffeehouse Stout - This is an amazing seasonal from Williamsburg Alewerks. A rich milk stout with cold-pressed espresso. ABV: 5.4% IBU: ??

8. Sweet Baby Jesus - Everyone should try this once! Recommend it be shared with three or four friends as this is a peanut butter cup in a bottle. From DuClaw Brewing in Baltimore, not sure how far west this goes. ABV: 6.5% IBU: 53
 
Last edited:
marckw said:
8. Sweet Baby Jesus - Everyone should try this once! Recommend it be shared with three or four friends as this is a peanut butter cup in a bottle. From DuClaw Brewing in Baltimore, not sure how far west this goes. ABV: 6.5% IBU: 53
Click to expand...


Had this 2 weeks ago...a Reese's cup in a bottle....amazing!
 
Here are the brews that are on their way to sfgoat

1) Jalapeno-Cucumber Saison, 8.3%, Bottled from keg. Gold metal winner. Sweet pepper flavor and refreshing cucumber goes really well with a strong saison base. Its an odd one but so damn good. No to very mild spice, was going for flavor of the jalapeno not spice.

2) 100% Brett Saison dry hopped with Motueka, 7.7%, Bottle conditioned. Fermented with 100% Brett. This slightly tart brett beer is big on funk and fruitiness of the brett. Motueka adds a slight citrus and just blends well with the beer.

3) Gose Straight to the Head, 7%, Bottled from keg. Sour Mashed Gose. Tart, salty absolutely hit the nail on the head with this one. Think of it as a more balanced Westbrook gose. I think it is up there with that one.

4) 100% Brett Rye (IPA), 8.5%, Bottle Conditioned. The IPA in parenthesis because this brew is about 8-9 months old so the hops probably faded a little. Same strain as #2. Slightly tart fruity/Funk saison

5) India Black Lager, 7.1%, Bottled from Keg. A little experimental brew. This is basically a highly hopped Baltic porter. Hops upfront gives way to chocolate roast. Next batch will be a little less roast but it is still tasty.

6) Morning Hangover Rx (Breakfast Stout), 7%, Bottled from Keg. Basically a dessert beer. This beer is sweet with massive coffee, chocolate and slight vanilla really makes this beer great. Fully body deliciousness

7) Pilsing in the Wind Pilsner, 5.9%, Bottled from Keg. Highly hopped Czech Pils. There is a slight Cream corn on the nose but very clean and easy drinking pils.

8) Yummy Sound Sour Stout, 8%, Bottled Conditioned. One of the best beers I made so far. This sour stout stands up to Funk Metal from Jester King. People comment that it is actually better. Puckering sour gives away to tart cherry, slight roastiness. Version 2.0 is planned

Hope you Enjoy all of them. All should be ready to go, the bottle conditioned can age if you feel like it. Drink the keg conditions first and quickly! Also there are a few other goodies in the box

All but 5 are on Untappd under Abbey Normal Bierworx. Might add it tonight
 

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