Ok so I have an interesting update that doesn't solve anything, but raises more questions.
I had a beer at a leagues club (Aussie thing, lets just call it a pub) that I know well. It was from a local brewery.
I took a sip and sniff and couldn't believe it, it had the exact same profile that I'm banging on about.
My wife was also shocked and said "Yep, tastes exactly like your beer". I looked it up online for a recipe or flavour description and they talked about using 8 different hops to achieve the flavour in their XPA (Ridiculous, I can get that from one single hop currently /sarcasm).
I struggled through it, and ordered a different beer. A Philter XPA (Sydney based brewery, and a well known beer) off tap.
Almost exactly the same. Slightly different profile, but overwhelming caramel/toffee smell and taste.
I took it back and had a chat to the bar guy who didn't agree with me, and said they smell different to him. Fair enough. I swapped it for another local brewery that's right next door... another beer I know well.
Same thing again. It was slightly orange coloured when it should be straw, very hazy when it should be almost clear. I ended up pouring it into a glass bottle and going to the brewery over the road and asked them to pour a sample of the beer from their taps. The guy was fine about it, but really didn't offer much as he wasn't the brewer. He said it could be the end of the keg, etc etc. They looked and smelled completely different.
A few days later I went to the brewery of the first beer i tried, and chatted to the brewer. He was pretty upset about my description and said he'd go and try it. He offered up maybe it was Diacetyl or dirty lines, or maybe mishandled kegs (Sitting warm). I bought a four pack of the said beer, and tried one. It was light, crisp, mildly bitter, and hoppy. Exactly how it wasn't at the pub.
Now I'm starting to question is it some sort of oxidation that's happening prior to pitching, like someone suggested. Sitting in the cube with O2 ingress affecting the hops. Either that or we happen to have the same strain of bacteria/yeast ruining the beer.
Anwyay. I've got a NEIPA on now that was brewed, cubed, and pitched the following day. Also a Belgian Dubbel.
I have an XPA that it in my fridge in the cube (As a control, it will go on in a week or two). It was sanitized and cleaned as much as I could bare.
I'll keep you posted on the results.
I had a beer at a leagues club (Aussie thing, lets just call it a pub) that I know well. It was from a local brewery.
I took a sip and sniff and couldn't believe it, it had the exact same profile that I'm banging on about.
My wife was also shocked and said "Yep, tastes exactly like your beer". I looked it up online for a recipe or flavour description and they talked about using 8 different hops to achieve the flavour in their XPA (Ridiculous, I can get that from one single hop currently /sarcasm).
I struggled through it, and ordered a different beer. A Philter XPA (Sydney based brewery, and a well known beer) off tap.
Almost exactly the same. Slightly different profile, but overwhelming caramel/toffee smell and taste.
I took it back and had a chat to the bar guy who didn't agree with me, and said they smell different to him. Fair enough. I swapped it for another local brewery that's right next door... another beer I know well.
Same thing again. It was slightly orange coloured when it should be straw, very hazy when it should be almost clear. I ended up pouring it into a glass bottle and going to the brewery over the road and asked them to pour a sample of the beer from their taps. The guy was fine about it, but really didn't offer much as he wasn't the brewer. He said it could be the end of the keg, etc etc. They looked and smelled completely different.
A few days later I went to the brewery of the first beer i tried, and chatted to the brewer. He was pretty upset about my description and said he'd go and try it. He offered up maybe it was Diacetyl or dirty lines, or maybe mishandled kegs (Sitting warm). I bought a four pack of the said beer, and tried one. It was light, crisp, mildly bitter, and hoppy. Exactly how it wasn't at the pub.
Now I'm starting to question is it some sort of oxidation that's happening prior to pitching, like someone suggested. Sitting in the cube with O2 ingress affecting the hops. Either that or we happen to have the same strain of bacteria/yeast ruining the beer.
Anwyay. I've got a NEIPA on now that was brewed, cubed, and pitched the following day. Also a Belgian Dubbel.
I have an XPA that it in my fridge in the cube (As a control, it will go on in a week or two). It was sanitized and cleaned as much as I could bare.
I'll keep you posted on the results.