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

[Nolen Smith]

I had Racer 5 for the first time back in June when I was in San Fran... loved it so much, I was struggling to order anything else.

[john henderson]

Schofferhofer Grapefruit.

WOW. Yes it will probably be hammered by beer geeks, but very pleasnt and refreshing. Not sure if bottle conditioned (suspect not because of high sugar level) but you definatley get the grapefruit and as this disapates a real wheaty/grainy charcter.

Great low alternative low alcohol drink

[Christian]

I really like Schofferhofer and these Grapefruit mixes were quite refreshing but ended up being too sweet and didn't really seem like beer to me.

I'll be sticking to the regular beer but I agree - they are a good alternative to some nasty low-alcohol beer.

[Steve Baker]

My boss bought some for Friday drinks as a joke - made us drink the lot before he brought out the real beer.

Shame it doesn't have radler on the label.

[Reviled]

Drinking my Unspeakable Mk IV - Its probably my favourite version so far, I used cara-red instead of medium crystal so the colour is alot lighter and it has less mouthfeel, but its super refreshing!! I also subbed the Williamette addition for Columbus and allthough I didnt like the flavour at first, its mellowed out nicely!!

Also liking the dry hops, 20gms Amarillo and 5g Sauvin, smells awesome!!! I dont think its going to last long!!

[Steph]

Just had the Green Lakes Organic ale. Very, very nice. Could drink a few of them. It is an Amber Ale, with "salmon-safe" sterling hops...Anyone tell me if that is a joke or something serious or I am missing something? Had a Wig and Pen Pale Ale and IPA off the hand pump during the time I was in ACT. Met the brewer, Richard, owner, Lachlan and Jeffery Scharer of Scharer's large fame. I believe he'll be here for Beervana which is pretty cool.

Just cracked the Alaskan Amber Ale - very different to the Green Lakes. Green Lakes was fresh n fruity and had a nice hop finish. The Alaskan seems a bit more spritizy, and doesn't have the same hop character with a bit more malt coming through. Seems slightly more travelled.

Had an awesome delivery from Moa. More to come about that...

[Mike Neilson]

Tonights my lucky night

Duchess De Bourgogne allways tastes the business no how offen I drink it!!
Gulden Draak
Stones Smoked Porter.

[Stu McKinlay]

"Duchess De Bourgogne"

Yeh!!!
Up there with Orval and Orkeny Dark Island as one of my "desert island case" beers.

[Greig McGill]

Thirded! It's really hard to find in Belgium, but it was on tap at the White Horse in London. Like a pig in muck I was, even though we'd just arrived and Alex was in danger of being thrown out for falling asleep in the corner!

[Stu McKinlay]

Eastie 'Definitive' NZPA (reminds me of Bob Hudson - heaps of pale cara/crystal with a big CaSO4 kick and a shed load of fruity hop... probably a shade more bitterness down here at almost 1:1 in the OG:BU stakes... makes me wonder if the Galbraith's strain is related to WLP051).

JT's Puke 3 (good, but no Puke 2)

No commercial beer... I'm holding beck for a week. BrewNZ has got 350 commercial beers written all over it.

[jt]

JT's Puke 3 (good, but no Puke 2)

The difference is the fermentation temps Stu, 2 was cooler, 3 was warmer (in the coldest snap of the year, go figure) and age. 2 would have been 4 or 5 weeks older in comparison. 4's in planning now, brewing a fortnight away. Taking the crystal slightly darker - do you really reckon the torrified wheat ?

cheers, jt

[Stu McKinlay]

Yeh, some good points - esppcially the age - I'd left it in a warm spot for a few weeks but it still didn't quite have the carbonation it required to give it some vitality. Handpump may have helped but all of mine are out on loan!
I'd probably drop the chocolate back a little.

It made a nice blend with my NZ pale ale... think Galbraith's Bob Hudson with a few splashes of Grafton Porter.