CS5 - Hobs of Hell

[vdog]

I thought this was a porter, but have been told (after the labels were printed) that it's more of a stout. I can't tell the difference anyway, so what they hey.

Maris Otter 76%
Munich 15%
Pale Chocolate 4%
Chocolate malt 4%
Black Patent 4%
Medium Crystal 4%
41 IBU NZ Cascade @ 60min
18 IBU NZ Goldings @ 30min
5 IBU NZ Goldings @ 10min
Fermented with Nottingham this time (usually S-04).

Think it was OG 1.066, FG 1.016 - finished a little sweeter than planned anyway, but the hops help hold it up (and since it's bottle conditioned the white sugar has dried it a tiny bit too). Being bottle conditioned, it'll need a day in the fridge before you drink it...

Brewed in the middle of March, so it's got a good bit of condition on it now.

Look forward to everyone's thoughts.

[studio1]

Looks good - though I thought a Stout had to contain Roast Barley.

[Reviled]

So did I, looks like a Porter recipe to me!

[vdog]

The stout feedback was what I got from Mike at Brewers Coop, who took a bottle of it to a brewer's guild meeting to get tasted. Possibly all that black patent and chocolate fooled them?

[Reviled]

Well first of all, I still reckon this is a Porter and not a stout ;o)

Pours thick black with a tan head, aroma of chocolate with hints of dark fruits, a bit too fizzy for my liking which IMO ruins the beer and washes away alot of the flavour, so I left it to go flat for about an hour before touching it again which fixed the problem, nice dry bitter finish with subtle hints of roast!

Cheers mate

[James P]

F**k. I wrote up my review and whilst trying to get some information from another site Firefox decided to crash.....

Anyway the abridged version now sorry...

Huge head, lost half a pint. Subdues to a thin frosting of tan on a BLACK liquid gold (no not Texas tea as Jed Clampett would want). Aroma is of dark chocolate, or maybe I am confusing the with coffee?? Mouth is full, and seemingly full or carbonates leaving a drying effect in my mouth, huge roast kick. Still a bit of fizz in glass after 20 minutes.

It's probably a little dark for my likes, but up against the other dark beer I have had tonight I believe it would hold itself against the commercials. Maybe figure out how to reduce the carbonation (not the carbonates) to reduce the "wind" I'm getting from it? I could tell you to reduce the roast flavour, but if that if what you like don't, as we brew for ourselves first!

Cheers vdog, you got game.
J.

[vdog]

Cheers James - from what you and Rev have said it seems I buggered up the priming and left it a bit on the high side... I don't generally like it very bubbly either! It's a different beast off the keg...

Thanks for the feedback though, it's all good!

[Simon David kelly]

Gives more head than a ...[insert non-PC person here] ... :o)

Half head half beer on the pour, but setted down to a nice black and tan. Definite coffee tang, but not over powering. A little chocolate there too. Definetly more porter than stout. Good drinking beer.

It could be improved, like all beers, but not sure where. There's a little taste that's lingering still half an hour after finishing but I can't quite put my finger on what it is. Maybe knock the black down 1% and up the crystal? Maybe only use one hop and just at 60min to get the IBUs as I couldn't detect any destinctive hop flavours in there.

Good beer allround .... two thimbs up, would have another.

[Barry]

Been waiting to try this one since I saw the label.
Pours dark opaque black, but I can tell beyond the colour it's actually quite bright and clear. Beautiful black as coal colour with a puffy tan head.
Toasty roasty notes on the nose, some toffee and a little bit of stone fruit.
Beer is medium to full bodied, intoxicatingly chewy malty roasty bittersweet wickedness. Seemingly no rough edges, the roasty plays well with the sweet maltiness, the IBUs adding a new dimension rather than stripping any other character away.
This is an awesome robust porter, really drinkable and utterly satisfying.
This case swap just gets better and better!
Cheers!

[vdog]

Thanks Barry, that feedback just made my day.

[Martin Bridges]

As usual, not read any other notes, decanted into a jug then poured into a pint glass.

This was my beer to accompany the first half of the All Blacks game tonight. Pours black as night, slight brownish hints. Aroma is slightly hoppy espresso. All good so far.

Espresso continues into the palate, with hints of liquorice and black treacle. Hops very definitely present also. Mouthfeel is silky, almost creamy.

I really really like this beer. Couldn't drink shedloads of it in a session but very well put together. Many thanks mate.

[MrC]

Had this last night after couple of pale ales.

Decanted into a jug and then gently poured into a glass. Poured black with a tan head. I had previously purge some CO2 from the bottle (a week prior) and the carbonation was good for the style. Aroma was intriguing with a yeast, malt & hop character that reminded me of Green Man Stout. Taste of chocolate, caramel & ash with a dry, bitter finish.

Although it reminded me of Green man Stout I'd class this beer as a dark end porter and not a stout.

Nice beer, I really liked it. Could easily have drank another couple. Good solid recipe & very well brewed.

Cheers

[JackoNZ]

Just finished the first glass after about an hour or more of opening. Bit too much carbonation initially and too cold, that's my fault. As it warms and settles this is turning into a superb beer. Rich coffee on the nose, big full mouth feel, nice firm balanced bitterness. I don't get the sweetness that you mention, finishes really nice and dry to me.

Not really picking up any of that late hop addition, how many grams was it at 10? I've heard Nottingham yeast can eat the hops up like S-04, I wonder if it's a case of just increasing the amount of hop to get around that or if it's unavoidable with Nott. Looks like it's about 6.5%, very drinkable for that strength, not cloying, no hot alcohol, just a really lovely warming sensation as it goes down!

Who cares if it's a porter or a stout, tastes great! Cheers vdog.