Brew Review

This section is for your reviews of members' brews and commercial beers/ales/whatever.
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ruminants

Brew Review

Post by ruminants » Sat Nov 22, 2014 3:34 pm

Here's some reviews of some of my recent brews, having tried them all last night.

Scottish 60/-

OG 1.033, ABV 3.1%
Malts: Pale, Crystal, Roast Barley (30 EBC)
Hops: Challenger (Bittering), Challenger (Late) (30 IBU)
Yeast: English Ale

Lacklustre. It's thin, and there is very little taste or aroma in there apart from a yeasty whiff. Don't think I will be brewing one like this again - life's too short. But then this always was just a cheap equipment testing brew. Next time I brew a Scottish style, it will be a Wee Heavy with some peated malt, and whisky barrel (shavings) aged!

Belgian Pale

OG 1.053, ABV 5.3%
Malts: Pale, Pilsner, Aromatic, CaraVienna, Demerara Sugar (20 EBC)
Hops: Celeia (Bittering), Celeia (Late) (45 IBU)
Yeast: Safbrew T-58 Belgian

Has a beautiful orange-amber glow. The aroma is promising, very Belgian! The taste of it would be more interesting if it were to develop more, instead of fading away. A bit of dry-hopping, and a higher ABV next time I brew a Belgian, I think, and maybe higher quantities of the specialty malts. Meanwhile, the rest of it has been Orval-ed. This Brettanomyces fermentation should add that extra layer of depth I'm after.

Steam IPA

OG 1.060, ABV 6.5%
Malts: Pale, Pilsner, CaraVienna (12 EBC)
Hops: Celeia (Bittering) Cascade (Dry-hop)
Yeast: Safbrew S-23 Lager

Drinking now. Carbonation hasn't really happened yet, so the priming sugar is just adding unpleasant sweetness. I was frustrated with myself on this one; I had only used bittering hops in the boil, getting it to about 50 BUs. So into the demijohn went some Cascade pellets - about 25 grams per litre! I immediately thought I had overdone it, but tasting it now, it isn't too much like eating hop pellets. But would've definitely benefited from a more nuanced hop schedule, as the hop character is just a bit one-dimensional. Next IPA brew will feature more late-hop additions and more different varieties. And I'll get me some of that Heady Topper Conan yeast.

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seymour
It's definitely Lock In Time
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Re: Brew Review

Post by seymour » Thu Dec 04, 2014 4:23 pm

Wow, great work all-around. Intelligent brews and intelligently laid-out critiques too. Keep up the good work.

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