What are you brewing?

[nzbrewer]

Since this is the most popular thread on the RealBeer.co.nz forum I thought I would start it here just to see what happens

[jt]

It was a batch to batch comparison Stu, nothing too scientifuic here.
The original brown was distinctly bitter with W1968. It was a standard recipe that I'd brewed many times with the same repeatable (bad) practices
The same hop & grain bill with Gervin was distinctly mild and hopless to my taste and I drank the keg quickly to get rid of it.

... but it placed second in the Brown Ale category last year .. I have no sense of style or taste ... evident in more than just my brewing lol !

[Stu McKinlay]

I may well be the same. Someone just said to me this morning, in reference to a shirt I'm wearing, "If we didn't know better, we might question your sexuality". I took it as a compliment (and didn't menion my enjoyment of fruit beers).

My taste/sniff was from the fermenter leftovers. I'll be able to tell you more tonight.

[Edward Siddle]

i had an excellent ferment with wyeast 1338 recently where i pitched really good large amounts of yeast - fermented in 4 days rather than 8.

i must come round and give you a try of my altbier which i did with k97 stu. i reckon it ain't too bad. i did have to use a smidge of gelatin finings to clear it up and clean it up but it seemed to work. still - not as good as the 1338 which is much richer.

[Stu McKinlay]

Brnig some up to Kieran's - like me, you are probably overdue a visit too.

[Edward Siddle]

tomorrow, you mean? i can probably make it....

[Stu McKinlay]

affirmative

[Edward Siddle]

well i stuck an Alt in the fridge before i left for work, so i reckon once the girl is in bed and the wife safely installed on the couch with a mug of mulled wine and some chocolate i should be good to go!

[Stu McKinlay]

Certainly preferred the 1338 (as I think everyone did) with its nice rich malt character and superbly bitter. A very good example of the Dusseldorf BJCP style - http://www.bjcp.org/styles04/Category7.html#style7C. The k97 wasn't too bad though - drier, less bitter, more druity (it was a bit older too, wasn't it?).

[Edward Siddle]

certainly appreciated the feedback. it'll be interesting to see how the 1338 alt develops once i take it out of the cold storage it is in now. another month and it should be peaking. i think your summary below of your beers is accurate from what i recall - and both will improve with a bit more time, of course.

[Stu McKinlay]

S04 - a lot clearer, more malty, grainy, nutty, a little mealy and a little banana. fairly malty in the mouth - more mealy, grainy notes - with a little chalk and tidy bitterness.
Gervin - cloudier but 'cleaner' on the nose and in the mouth. hop aroma and chalkiness on the nose, slight. more slender, more chalkiness, slightly more perceivable bitterness.

Ed or Kieran may have picked up other stuff.

It's only been in the keg a few days so I'll report back in a couple of weeks.

Interestingly Kieran proclaimed "I've brewed this beer!"

[Bambule]

Brrr, Time for something dark.
As follows:

Bambule Brown Porter
5.5 kg pilsner
0.5kg Brown malt
0.25 kg Crystal
0.1 kg Black Patent
Pacific Gem @ 60min
Fuggle @20 mins
1968 ESB yeast

Cheers

[Edward Siddle]

i did something dark on the weekend too (friday night).

German Porter
OG 1052
4kg Munich type II
600g Pils
300g Carafa I
100g Caramunich II
Northern brewers to 50IBU
Wyeast 1338. As i reused washed yeast from a previous batch it began bubbling pretty quick - with 6 or 7 hours. And as Stu said, the southerly came through just at the right time to stop it getting above 20C.