CS7 - Summer ale

[vdog]

This was brewed as an easy summer quaffer - a bit late in the season but it's gone down well so far. I didn't have enough to get 16 bottles though (keg blew dry on number 15...) so if you get a bottle with a blue star instead of red, you've got the re-brew of the last case swap beer I did (an english/american hybrid pale ale) which I adjusted with less biscuit malt and more NZ Fuggles.

All bottled from the keg, so you shouldn't have any drama with needing to settle or worrying about sediment.

Summer Ale (70L batch)
12.50 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 89.3 %
1.25 kg Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 8.9 %
0.25 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 1.8 %
34.59 gm Nelson Sauvin [12.60%] (60 min) 15.2 IBU
34.59 gm Nelson Sauvin [12.60%] (20 min) 9.2 IBU
43.24 gm Nelson Sauvin [12.60%] (10 min) 6.9 IBU
43.33 gm Nelson Sauvin [12.60%] (0 min)
2 Pkgs US-05

OG 1.042, FG 1.008 - abv 4.4%

[Stu McKinlay]

Dry as fuck! Whoah!!

 

I couldn't work something out in this beer... there was a hint of vegetable in there that I just could't quite put my finger on.  It seemed more a mix of hop and malt than DMS or any other fault.

 

Otherwise it was a beauty... crystal clear, mango stone and pineapple on the nose, nicely balanced bitterness for a beer so dry.  I'd love to try this near flat and on the handpump. but it'd scare me from a cold tap.  Would love to try it again brewed with a more characterful and less attenuative yeast.

 

Nice work Dog!

[Tilt]

The red star appeared next in line out of the box for me.  The star made me think of Dr Seuss and a few of the current favourite bed time stories at our place.

This was golden in the glass and crystal clear (something I'm keen to learn how to do!) with not much of a head.  The smell was intially tangy fruit and an ever so slight maltiness.  Taste wise it was very crisp, with subtle and well balanced, harmonious malt and hop flavours coming through and a solid bitterness.  No lingering flavour to speak of really. 

This to me seems the perfect barbeque beer - dry enough to cut the grease of good quality pork sausages and lamb chops and leave your palate ready for the next plate full.  Thanks for sharing vDog!

[vdog]

Thanks for the comments guys, glad you liked it. I've enjoyed everything in the swap so far - only two to go!

[Bambule]

Blue Star!

I had this last night, damn it was nice.  Beautiful clear pour and great head retention.  I swear their was a hint of smoke to it actually. Is there any in there?  It seemed more english to me as well with a more noble hop note. Great sessionability. No suggestions apart from give me another!

 

Really enjoyed this cheers.

[vdog]

Cheers Bambule, glad you liked it - I definitely did, so it didn't last long... There's definitely no smoke in that beer, it's pretty much GP with a little Maris, about 8% crystal and 5% biscuit malt. Hops are a NZ Cascade and NZ Fuggles combo. The full recipe is in CS6 for the original - this just had more fuggles and less biscuit than that beer.

[Reviled]

Had this last night and now after looking at the recipe Im wondering where all that carapils ended up?? Ths beer was damn dry with very little malt character. Poured slightly hazy with a small head that sticks around. Sauvin on the nose, fruity as. Carb a bit too high for me, up front bitterness and a lingering fruity, almost wine gum flavour in the finish. Very drinkable, bottle was gone in no time! Cheers

[JackoNZ]

Just drinking this now, another beautifully clear beer, you guys have put my beer to serious shame in this swap. I needed an excuse to use my new camera I bought today so have attached a pic of how good it was! On the nose was a little feijoa, didn't get that usual Sauvin aroma, is this the latest season stuff? Looking at the recipe I expected more malt sweetness from the Carapils and crystal, I wonder if because of the FG it's hidden it a little with the dry finish? Doesn't take anything away from the beer, it's nicely carbed, bitterness comes through well and hangs around until the end. I get some gooseberry flavour. A great summers day beer whilst cooking on the bbq. I like Stu's idea of trying this on the handpump. Good work vdog, thanks for sharing.

[Adrian Tayler]

Perfectly carbonated for me.. aroma is nice, I get the Sauvin up front on the nose. Flavour was nice and hoppy which fades quickly and leaves the dryness lingering for ages...

Clear as all fuck.. nice..

I totally agree that this beer is perfect for a bbq session and I could certainly smash a few over..

 

Awesome work Vdog, I love it, a great beer indeed...

 

Thanks for the swap dude \m/

 

[vdog]

Thanks for the feedback guys, it's a beer that always seems to disappear quickly when I have it in the keg! It goes pretty well with a spot of backyard cricket as well as with a BBQ.

 

Jacko, the sauvin was from the 09 crop - I got a kg just before the new season (2010) crop hit the shelves.

[Martin Bridges]

I think I may have got a bottle infection on this one. Pours clear, beautiful & golden. Big fluffy white head which dies away pretty quickly. Aroma is of over-ripe passionfruit, with a hint of something in the background. That something resolves itself to BandAids on the palate. Dry as all hell, quite thin. A bit over-carbonated also.

 

Reading the other comments this seems way out of line, so I think I got unlucky - sorry mate.

[vdog]

Ah shit, sorry Martin! Infection's never a good thing (unless it's on purpose, which this wasn't) and more so when it's intended for someone else to drink. Arse.

[Andrew]

This was a nice drop, had the nice passionfruit/pineapple aroma of Nel Sav. My thought are similar to most of the other comments so won't go over old ground but I shared it with a mate who described the it as "smelling like weed". I can see what he meant. It was very slight but it had an undertone of Marijuana in there, you didn't mix your hops with some other "herbs" did you? ha ha