CS3 - Eastie Boys "Red Rackham's Treasure"

[Stu McKinlay]

Belgian Pale Ale

Baird's UK Pale
Weyermann Premium Pilsner (because i ran out of pale)
Weyermann Caramunich II
Weyermann Caraaroma
Weyermann Carafa II Special

Motueka @ 60min
0.5g/L Motueka 7.5%aa @ 15 and 0min.

1.043, 20ibu, WLP550 18c... rising to 22c.

Probably a bit undercarbonated (and certainly underconditioned) due to my unique way carbonating.
I've now got the second keg in the fridge.

It's my second crack at a similar Belgian pale ale. Formulating another recipe this week and it'll head back closer to where the first one was... stronger, paler, a touch hoppier and less toasty.

[Martin Bridges]

Half a gram of Motueka?? Or is that Half a gram per litre?

[Stu McKinlay]

yep, per litre. Fixed that. Good testing Martin.

[JoKing]

I was suprised to learn the OG of this beer once I had my 1st glass from the bottle. The aroma was bursting with tropical fruit and bubblegum. I was expecting a 6%abv beer.

Once I tasted it, some of the more darker malt characteristics made themselves know with figgy fruit, prunes and peaches. The spicyness was subdued, probably more obvious as a hop flavour than a yeast contrubution, this was balanced. The overall mouthfeel of the beer was spot on for a Spring Season quaffer - my 750ml bottle lasted 5mins in total.

It was like a Dark Saison. It was light, spritzy, complex, quaffable... I wish there was enough for me to get drunk on.

What a great beer - I'm getting worried at the standard of this swap now... my beer is no where as complex as some of the stuff I've been drinking.

Cheers Stu - I'm in the mood for brewing Belgians now!

[Stu McKinlay]

No tweaks? Cheers, it is growing on me a bit. It's rough and ready but it's fun to drink.

I love the yeast. It's in a dubbel/bruin right now that is sitting at around 6.5% and I'm hoping will keep going to 7.5%. I'm not sure if I should kick the fermenter or sing to it.

There is a secret ingredient in this beer but I'll reveal that later. Don't bother guessing, or searching for it, nobody will pick it.

[JoKing]

Tweak that? Doubt it mate. I don't know what bjcp style it fits into - but who gives a shit about that when it's tasting that good. If anything, I'd drop out the UK Pale and up the OG to 1.048 - 1.050 with Pils malt to compensate. I think doing this would help to exaggerate those subtle fig, prune, peach flavours you have going on in it. The Pale malt (although not even noticable in this brew) might be detracting something really special in this.

I would hardly consider that a tweak though, as this beer is all about the fermentaition character, the specialty malt and the attenuation. I thought it was really nice.

[Stu McKinlay]

Interestingly I'm going with GP as the base malt... cutting back the specialties a shade.
Definitely bumping up the OG.

[MrC]

First beer from the case for me. I had a hankering for a Belgian or Hefe so my options were one, Red Rackhams Treasure.

Poured a slightly hazy deep copper color with an off white head. The size and durability of the head far exceeded what I was execting for a Belgain ale.
Aroma was full of sweetness and Belgian phenols, a hint of malt coming through also. Very inviting. I still don't understand the bubblegum aroma that people talk about but I'm wondering if this is what they're refferring to, although it doesn't smell like HubbaBubba to me.
From the first sip this beer has a nice bitter/sweet balance (for me anyway) and was overall nicely balanced, I could taste the bitterness, sweetness & malts. Didn't pick up a lot of late hops although there was a little spiciness in there at times and the sweetness seemed like a hop sweetness? I was looking forward to tasting the Motueka hops (we have some unfinished business) but didn't get them. There was a slight slickness with a light buttery finish, not in a bad way.
The mouthfeel on this beer was a lot softer & creamier than I was expecting, reminded me of the taste & feel of the malolactic fermentation characteristics that some wines have.
Started cold, finished warm, seemed fairly consistent all the way.
A hint of oranges, fruit, caramel & pears coming through on the last sip (room temp).

Overall this is my kind of Belgain. I don't buy a lot of Belgian ales but this one I would buy (hint, hint).
The only Belgian ales that have inspired me are Tuatara Ardenes and Stu's Belgians (that's my third). I tried to brew one earlier on in the year and this beer is what I was aiming for but not what I produced.

Cheers Stu

[Dale Cooper]

I liked this, first taste I thought was a little watery but the taste grew pretty quickly. An interesting beer, the yeast imparts quite a bit of character. Nice.

[Stu McKinlay]

Cheers fellas. I'm not all that happy with it but it is reasonably sessionable and it has acheived the goal I had set out for it. I have a near full keg, which I think will improve a little with time, and since I'm drinking the case swap beers for the next two weeks it will have time to settle in the fridge.

Andrew - hops are pretty well hidden... nice analysis, you may have picked up on the secret ingredient without thinking about it. More on that revealed later.

[James P]

Sweaty socks Stu... that was my initial thought with the bottle sniff. Into the glass it was then hydrangeas.... and Caffienes coffee house from 15 years ago, full of herbs and spices.... just about had a trip from the smell.... flashbacks can be a killer... nothing bad though... nice....

Pours a deep red copper with good half finger slightly off white head. The carbonation is pretty lively in my glass with bubbles so fine and feeds the head which provides a blanket of lacing. Sweet burnt candy taste, a little phenolic with light / medium body. A little liquorice. A little spicyness in the after taste.

I guess I'm not much of a belgian drinker, and can't give you any tips on this one!

Thanks for the experience though, I found it nicer than Emerson's JP which is the only other Belgian type beer I have tried.

[denimglen]

Fruity, slightly spicy with a little of that Belgian ale yeast funkiness. Some toasty caramel notes coming through on the aroma as well.

Again, yeasty spicyness up front in the flavour, with some thick malt characters coming through, sort of a dark fruit maltiness. Tart and spicy finish that lingers. Quite tasty.

I'm not a big fan of these types of Belgian ales (well of the few that I've tried), but I'm quite enjoying this one, not too in your face but still nicely different.

Actually every sip I have of this it's getting better for my tastes.

Brew strong!

[Ally Mcg]

Since I'm brewing a la Belgique tomorrow thought I should try this.

Pours a nice red glass with a clingy white head

On the aroma i get spicy caraway, cornflakes, coffee, something light and citrusy (presumably the mot) with hints of dark chocolate. Mad nose that I really like.
Flavourwise its a slice of malt (toast and biscuit) backed up with a typically belgian sweetness from the yeast. I'd pick it a lot stronger than it is in terms of malt weight that fades to a lemony bitterness that makes me think of fish n chips.

Really good beer Stu, big ups for this 'un. Capt Haddock would sink a few of these