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

[jt]

Quite impressed with the SO4 with some age on it - surprisingly - shame I don't have any patience, it'd be very good to have a few of these in the cellar

Just bottled some of the Mk VI malt tonic mild, off to fill the keg and have another pint of Mk V

cheers' jt

[JR]

Emersons are doing Marris Gold again for a limited time. It's great (much better than I remember it being) If you live in Dunedin go and get some from the brewery. Even better is I just compared it to the Pale Ale I brewed a while ago and my beer is comparable (to me) and I'm just so stoked that I could make something that would even be remotely comparable to something Emersons would make. And its Friday. And I'm going to Ben Harper on Sunday. And I'm taking till next thursday off work. And its dinner time...

[jt]

And it's beer o'clock too - sounds like it's all good

[Mike Neilson]

Im not trying to jump on the 'Epic' band wagon but credit due where credit it is due and its for Mayhem!! now thats a beer I love!! Juicyfruit but not arrogant in the way of out of balance!! Old Kochy could learn alot!! maybee he needs a trip down here to learn about beer!! lol;)

[Matthew]

Tried Mayhem yesterday. This is going to sound oxymoronish but I was expecting more mayhem. I was expecting a big hop slap in the face followed by a bitter punch to the insides but what I got was an extremely well balanced beer that is far too easy to drink. Maybe too well balanced to be mayhem. Unless the mayhem comes later, after you've forgotten you've been drinking it all night...

Some other recent fav's:

Emerson's Hoppy 2 Porter - Yum
Firestone IPA
3 Boys IPA (can't get enough of this right now)

Failures:
Our Bloody Hefe - another DMS issue with this one. Can't drink it. Hopefully that's the last of the Big D. I also think the T-58 has contributed to some of the off flavours, I won't be using it again. I guess this is what happens when your palate starts to mature and find yourself picking out faults you previously had know idea were there.

[Mike Neilson]

Also found the Randerlizer last night (I forgot about it opps) chucked 200g of Cascade Flowers, 40g Simcoe and 40g of Columbus in there, It tastes the absolute bollocks!! Its amazing what a bit of fresh hopping can do to a beer apon serving it!! I drunk a Double IPA and a all Sauvin Golden through it. I took a vid of it last night will put it on again, my other ones the most viewed man people must love hops!!!!!!! Its pissing down with rain so I may just have to have a few in the arvo just to check its up to scratch!!

[Reviled]

Its my Port Stouts one year anniversary in the bottle, I havnt had a bottle in a good 4+ months so I think its timely that I have one now :o) (sorry Jo, ill drink your BW tomorrow)

Pours slightly overcarbed with a thick compact tan head, aroma is so complex, first I get whisky, then dark berries and fruits, a very port like aroma in there with some oxidisation which is actually IMO quite appropriate, the slightest hints of coffee and roast but oh so subtle... On the palate is a flavour explosion, porty grapes, prunes, blackberries, coffee, chocolate, I cant taste the oak but im assuming that it, combined with the extra fermentation over time, is responsible for this beer finishing immensely dry with roasted notes... Yuuuuuuuum!!!

Also - Was drinking maximus last night, IMO its much better than the first one this year, more malt balance but still that awesome hop aroma, double yum ;o)

[denimglen]

Couldn't be bothered starting a new thread for this so thought I would ask here.

Anyone know of a beer that comes in a brown bottle, has a crown cap, minimal (preferably none) hop aroma/flavour, and is relatively cheap?

I'm thinking Amstel but haven't had it in ages, or maybe Mac's Gold, but IIRC that has a little hop aroma/flavour in there.

Looking to do a little experiment here, some may have picked up on it already ;-)

[Reviled]

experiment you say? Tell me more glen!!

[denimglen]

Nothing too original or extraordinary.

Was just going to do a bunch of bottle hopped beers to see what different varieties can bring to the table.

There's so many varieties of hops in my freezer, at least 20, and I can honestly say the majority of them I have no true idea of what they add to a beer as I'm usually adding more than one variety.

I'd rather pay $20 for a dozen macros than to brew 20L myself and have to piss around with fermenting and bottling and all that.

I guess this is a half assed way of doing a bunch of single hopped beers :-P

[Reviled]

Sweet, sounds like a good idea, one thing ive read about bottle hopped beers is to be careful of the carbonation levels as the hop matter in the bottle can create a nucleas causing gushers.. Not sure how much truth there is to it tho...

[denimglen]

Yeah I was thinking that, hopefully when I add the pellets it will knock enough CO2 out of solution to be manageable on re-opening.