CS5 - Mackenzie's Windsor Ale

[Martin Bridges]

Based on a 19th century English recipe, via the American Homebrewers Association's Zymurgy magazine.

7.5kg Maris Otter

60g Manuka Honey (at flameout)

25g NZ Goldings @ 90 mins

25g NZ Goldings @ 30 mins

25g NZ Goldings @ 5 mins

Secret spice 1 @ 0 mins

Secret spice 2 @ 0 

Secret spice 3 @ 0

Secret spice 4 @ 0

Secret spice 5 @ 0

Fermented with Wyeast 1968 @ 19 degrees C

Secret spices 6 & 7 added prior to bottling

Bottle conditioned, so please take appropriate precautions.

OG = 1.074, IBUs = 31, ABV = 7.6%

Really looking forward to comments on this one, it's totally unlike anything I've brewed before.

[vdog]

Holy head, Batman! This fair leapt up the sides of the jug as it was decanted, had to be quick and crafty not to lose lots of it. Big pillowy head, with the beer itself a lovely hazy deep gold.

Very intriguing spicy aroma which is followed up nicely in the taste - I definitely get ginger, and I think allspice and clove? Honey too. Seemed pretty well balanced to me, neither too sweet nor too dry. BIG booze hit in the aftertaste which surprisingly didn't overwhelm, just nice and warming.

Based on the style this isn't one I'd have picked off the shelf, but I found it really enjoyable - well suited to the cooler weather especially. Nice job, Martin.

[Martin Bridges]

Thanks for all the feedback so far. Apologies about the over-carbonation - really not sure what happened there!

Ginger was one of the 2 spices added at bottling time, so that's fairly easy to spot.

Coriander seed was one of the spices added at the end of the boil, so well done to whoever spotted that.

As far as I have seen, no-one has spotted the other spices yet :)

I'm thinking I might try one of these myself tonight, to see how it's developing.

[JackoNZ]

This has been in the fridge for a couple of weeks so wasn't too violent on opening up. Let it sit for a minute for some foam to come out the bottle then poured into two glasses. Hazy weak tea colour. Girlfriend picked up the ginger aroma and eventually I started picking that up too. Really couldn't tell what the other spices were after what's been ruled out so far. Some warming alcohol notes coming through. Flavour wise, more ginger, orange peel, iced tea. Warming ginger spritzer like. I think the other spices have really been masked as neither of us can pick much else up. A lovely beer to warm you up on a cold evening. Yesterday was all hoppy beers and today has been more malt focused ones, great stuff all round. Cheers for sharing Martin.

[vdog]

I've been thinking about the carbonation level Martin, and remembering back to drinking it I don't recall it being overly spritzy on the palate, just a bit of a gusher in the bottle. Perhaps the spices giving the CO2 some extra nucleation points, so when it's opened or poured it goes a bit nuts?

[Martin Bridges]

Could be. I had one last night and vented it for a while before pouring it. Definitely didn't taste heavily-carbonated. It did for my head though - I should have bottled it in smaller bottles!

[studio1]

After trying this at the last conference I was really looking forward to this beer. I read some comments about over-carbing so I vented a few times several days prior. Alas when I opened it last night it gushed. And gushed and gushed - it was like a volcanic eruption that just wouldn't stop! I figured the only thing to do was get it into a glass. A lot of sediment flying around in the glass - though didn't look like yeast to me?
I think the beer was infected - quite dry in the finish as if something has been eating up all the residual sugar and hence the carbonation level - I couldn't drink much more than a few mouthfulls sorry mate :-(

[Martin Bridges]

Weird and worrying, sorry mate.

[studio1]

if you have many bottles left I would be keen to try another - as I really liked what I tried at the WBC!

[Martin Bridges]

I've got about half a dozen left. Should have some available at my birthday drinks if you're coming?

[JoKing]

I'm not in the case swap, but Tyler bought this over this weekend.

I'm pleased to report that mine WAS NOT a gusher - however the floaties in there were definately creating nucleation points in the glass. Had a malty nose with Ginger as well as a bit of yeast funk. Not bad - just confused maybe. No hot alcs at all. Malty and spicy - there was some hop interplay too.

The palate was hot - as in peppery... maybe from the Ginger. Definately not hot alc. Palate was reasonably full - not fruity at all. The biterness would appear to be more than 30IBU.

Spices?

I reckon Ginger, Citrus Zest, Corriander Seed for sure. I reckon some of the others spices might be caraway, aniseed and finally some spruce or perhaps tee tree.

All fun drinking anyhow - Cheers Martin.

[Martin Bridges]

Thanks mate. That's the best guess on the spices so far! You've got 4 right there.

[JoKing]

Which four mate?