What are you drinking ?

[jt]

Ok, so What Are You Brewing was a hotty, as topics go.

Now I'm 15 pints into a keg I only filled on Tuesday and wondering if anyone else has a favourite at the moment ?

It's my second brown with US-Oh05 and it's better than the forst, maybe Ikept the temps down a bit during the scorcher we had in januray

[Doublehoppy]

I'm finishing the last of the last batch of golden bitter from a rotokeg. It was my fav over the last 6 months or so and was more or less my stock ale. Marris Otter/Munich to an OG of about 1.050. Different combinations of hops: Mainly Styrian Goldings/Nelson Sauvin and Saaz to 30IBUs. All using Wyeast 1968. It's not so great unchilled when the garage temp is 25C +.

Was under prepared for summer but lately have belgian tripel (OG 1.076), belgian blonde (OG 1.062) and belgian pale ale (OG 1.050) all bottled and all thirst quenching. All with WLP500 (The chimay strain). I can't cool my fermenter easily which is a bit restricting, but I think the belgian yeast strains are more forgiving at the higher end of the temp range. Can anyone confirm that?

[denimglen]

Drinking a Serria Nevada Celebration Ale (USA-IPA) at the moment. My favourite beer I've brewed so far. Gotta plan another beer for this weekend, I don't see myself drinking this keg slowly.

[jt]

Next on deck is 608. Amber Ale with Vienna, Dark Crystal, Chocolate & Wheat and the last of my B Saaz
Kegged and carbonated as far as the temperature would allow at the time last Tuesday.
24 hours of chilling and gassing should reveal a different beer.

[jt]

Certainly different. The usual version of this was Munich and I think this one must have medium crystal, not the dark, it's very sweet & light coloured.

Doublehoppy - are you saying that the rotokeg of bitter lasted 6 months ?

[jt]

Finally on deck and gassing, 610 Pale Ale.
It's the MO from Stu, crystal and a mishmash of hops. Bittered with Super Alpha, big chunck (my last) of Styrians @ 15 and last of the Willamette right at the end. I must try this tonight

[Stu McKinlay]

Well last night - after a cracking Bob Hudson and before a smashing PJ Harvey gig - I managed a special treat: a big glass of Galbraith's Resurrection. Not any old Resurrection either, but a cask version that has been dry-hopped for 8 months. No sparkler. No beer engine. Straight from the cask on top of the bar. Get in tonight or tomorrow and there may be a little left. I'm tempted to look for a job in Grafton/ Mt Eden/Newmarket!!!

Tonight it's a blend of my Strong Dark Mild and Ordinary Bitter. A firmly bitter nut brown ale.

[Sparky]

Was in there on Thursday night and sadly the cask had a towel on top and never saw it being used.....Bugger!! Did enjoy the seasonal Vienna Lager however and a couple of Bellringer's Bitters.

[jt]

I'm still plodding through a disaponting America brown with US oh five (book 'im Danno)
It should've run out three pints ago judging by the tally on the scoresheet.

[Martin Bridges]

Over the weekend I had a couple of bottles of Bedford-brewed Young's Special London Ale, which were depressingly disappointing (see my blog for more details if you really want to hear about it).

I also picked up a 4-pack of Stanley Green Pale Ale from the Invercargill Brewery (purchased at Liquorland). Maybe I'm missing something, but there was a disturbing aftertaste. Highly astringent, really caught in the back of the throat. If I was being unkind I'd suggest hints of bile. Beyond grapefruit and out the other side. Not very appetising. Has anyone else sampled this one? Maybe it was a duff batch.

Cheers,

Martin

[jt]

Hmmm, sounds like one of my bad batches Martin !

Drinking and enjoying an ale with the last of my Styrian Goldings and the first of the new bag of Marris Otter.

I've got one KEA pale ale left in the fridge, sort of been hanging on to it as the last ...

[Stu McKinlay]

Emerson's JP - I didn't really like this when it was first relelased - it had a lot of apple esters and a slighty gluey character (though it was good enough with the pro judges to win it's class at BerwNZ). It's tasting bl**dy fantastic now, somewhere between a Tripel and a Strong Golden Ale. I'm really glad I kept a few bottles back, though I'm not sure they will last long.

[db]

I'm drinking 3 of my first home-brews.

The first ever was a lager made from a Brewtec kit, which sent me into a panic when there was no airlock activity for the first two days. Tastes sterling now, only a dozen bottles left.

The second was a Bock from a Black Rock kit, with some special better-than-dextrose stuff the home brew shop guy upsold me to. Fermentation stopped on this one at 1012, still a bit confused on this, but it tastes good. Fools ya, cos it's dark, but tastes quite light. Maybe a little hint too raspberry-and-coke-ish, but quite drinkable.

Third was a Cooper's dark ale I chucked in the fermenter before going on holiday. No attention to detail, cost $13 all up (not counting bottle caps). Came out great!! Still young and heady as, but smooth and satisfying.

What I'm not yet drinking is a Black Rock Mexican Lager, with a saffsomething lager yeast and brewtech lager enhancer. This one fermented according to the hydrometer, but there was never a hint of airlock activity. Again, fermentation stopped at 1012. Sample at bottling time tasted a bit sweet, so I'm worried. This was my most expensive one at just over $30. Why is it the Coopers works fine, and the expensive ones play up!!?