[Frankenbrew]

JIMMYkx260,

Beer is on the way! A kolsch, an IPA, and a barrel-aged Belgian golden strong. I also sent a surprise from Hill Farmstead. The kolsch and IPA were bottled off the tap, but you'll need to let the golden strong settle out. Enjoy!

[braufessor]

Mine is all boxed up and will ship to SecondRow_Sean tomorrow. Some experimental APA's, a second-runnings Black Lager and some local commercial brews.

[Wort-H.O.G.]

Brewer: Mark Harding
Beer: Cascade Pale Ale 1
Style: APA (10A)

Bottle Inspection:  proper fill with layer of sediment on bottom.   

Aroma:  moderate to strong citrus aroma when opened that continues to dominate into the glass. Light caramel notes with fruity character. Very slight grassy notes from dry hops, although not a significant detraction.  No other fermentation defaults detected. 9/12

Appearance: large thick off white head that persists. Color is light golden amber color. Moderate-high yeast sediment- could benefit from cold crash before bottling. 2/3

Flavor:  Clean hoppiness that dominates up front with caramel and bready notes in the background that seems sweet at first but finishes moderately dry. Hop bitterness is smooth and has slight grassy finish – dry hop driven. Hop flavor is fruity and citrus dominate and balance well with malt. 16/20

Mouthfeel: medium body with moderately high carbonation. Smooth hop bitterness with moderate-high crisp dry finish. 4/5

Overall Impression:  very nice example of style. Caramel malt may be a touch too much (personal preference), and may consider dialing it back in conjunction with the grist profile that has munich and Vienna. I noted the yeast sediment as moderately high-while I did let the bottle set after receiving, it seemed a touch to cloudy and the high yeast sediment could be detracting from the beer. If not cold crashing might be an opportunity to reduce this. Doesn’t need to be clear IMO, just a little less sediment. Very nice thick head and very good retention. Carbonation is possibly just a touch high, but not to the point it significantly detracts. The late hop schedule and level of gypsum is evident- smooth bitterness, dry finish with strong hop flavor and aroma that doesn’t fade. I did detect a slight grassy note in the smell and finish – not necessarily a fault just personal preference to make note of and evaluate the dry hop schedule. Very nice beer single-hop APA that was easy and pleasant to drink Mark! 8/10


Total Score: 39/50

[jimmykx250]

JIMMYkx260,

Beer is on the way! A kolsch, an IPA, and a barrel-aged Belgian golden strong. I also sent a surprise from Hill Farmstead. The kolsch and IPA were bottled off the tap, but you'll need to let the golden strong settle out. Enjoy!

Looking forward to them all!! Thanks and will review promptly.

[klickitat jim]

Good review WortHog

[mchrispen]

Stealing Wort's nice formatting

Brewer: Jim Leininger
Beer: Munich Dunkel
Style: Munich Dunkel (4B)

Bottle Inspection:  Brown Bomber, high fill, black crown

Aroma:  Malt sweetness, toast, light caramel. No DMS or Diacetyl. No hop aroma. Slight dark fruit or cut plum aroma, caramel and toffee as it warms up. 9/12

Appearance: Clear coppery brown with red highlights. Tan head, creamy with some large bubbles. Some lacing - medium high carbonation. 3/3

Flavor:  Medium sweetness. Rich malt. Good balance toward malt. Slight toast finish. Some chocolate and toast support complexity, but not muddled. Flavors open as it warms up. 14/20

Mouthfeel: Medium to light body. Tingly carbonation. No astringency, soft, slightly warming without apparent alcohol. Easy to drink. 5/5

Overall Impression:  Excellent example to style. What I would expect from a fresh and well executed beer in Munich! Wish I had a sausage platter and some great mustard to pair! Great Job! 8/10


Total Score: 39/50

My sinuses seem mostly recovered. I sampled this slowly out of a goblet (rather than the proper glassware) to ensure I could pickup aroma. Take my aroma comments with a grain of salt - but really enjoyed this... and the chance to practice judging. Plan to scan the score sheets and email them to you when done. I think I agree with your comments on malt choice - but this was very well done and should score high. The slight ester (could be my recovering sinuses) prevented this from being a 40 on my sheet. You might have someone else see if they pick that up.

[SecondRow_Sean]

Mine is all boxed up and will ship to SecondRow_Sean tomorrow. Some experimental APA's, a second-runnings Black Lager and some local commercial brews.

I'm currently eyeballing every UPS/FedEx truck that goes by my house.

[klickitat jim]

Stealing Wort's nice formatting

Brewer: Jim Leininger
Beer: Munich Dunkel
Style: Munich Dunkel (4B)

Bottle Inspection:  Brown Bomber, high fill, black crown

Aroma:  Malt sweetness, toast, light caramel. No DMS or Diacetyl. No hop aroma. Slight dark fruit or cut plum aroma, caramel and toffee as it warms up. 9/12

Appearance: Clear coppery brown with red highlights. Tan head, creamy with some large bubbles. Some lacing - medium high carbonation. 3/3

Flavor:  Medium sweetness. Rich malt. Good balance toward malt. Slight toast finish. Some chocolate and toast support complexity, but not muddled. Flavors open as it warms up. 14/20

Mouthfeel: Medium to light body. Tingly carbonation. No astringency, soft, slightly warming without apparent alcohol. Easy to drink. 5/5

Overall Impression:  Excellent example to style. What I would expect from a fresh and well executed beer in Munich! Wish I had a sausage platter and some great mustard to pair! Great Job! 8/10


Total Score: 39/50

My sinuses seem mostly recovered. I sampled this slowly out of a goblet (rather than the proper glassware) to ensure I could pickup aroma. Take my aroma comments with a grain of salt - but really enjoyed this... and the chance to practice judging. Plan to scan the score sheets and email them to you when done. I think I agree with your comments on malt choice - but this was very well done and should score high. The slight ester (could be my recovering sinuses) prevented this from being a 40 on my sheet. You might have someone else see if they pick that up.

Hey thats good news Matt. Thanks for the great write up. I'm really looking forward to my next batch that's all Best Malz.  You gave me some encouragement, I might have to enter this beer and see how it does in a comp. Thanks!

Edit: The ester... you're talking about the fruitiness on the nose? I wonder if that could be from the great western dark munich? If I detect it in the batch thats all best malz, I think I will change the way I cold crash next time. Slow drop rather than immediate. Maybe its being expressed by the yeast from the rapid drop? But I'll know pretty soon if its malt bill.

[mharding73]

Brewer: Mark Harding
Beer: Cascade Pale Ale 1
Style: APA (10A)

Bottle Inspection:  proper fill with layer of sediment on bottom.   

Aroma:  moderate to strong citrus aroma when opened that continues to dominate into the glass. Light caramel notes with fruity character. Very slight grassy notes from dry hops, although not a significant detraction.  No other fermentation defaults detected. 9/12

Appearance: large thick off white head that persists. Color is light golden amber color. Moderate-high yeast sediment- could benefit from cold crash before bottling. 2/3

Flavor:  Clean hoppiness that dominates up front with caramel and bready notes in the background that seems sweet at first but finishes moderately dry. Hop bitterness is smooth and has slight grassy finish – dry hop driven. Hop flavor is fruity and citrus dominate and balance well with malt. 16/20

Mouthfeel: medium body with moderately high carbonation. Smooth hop bitterness with moderate-high crisp dry finish. 4/5

Overall Impression:  very nice example of style. Caramel malt may be a touch too much (personal preference), and may consider dialing it back in conjunction with the grist profile that has munich and Vienna. I noted the yeast sediment as moderately high-while I did let the bottle set after receiving, it seemed a touch to cloudy and the high yeast sediment could be detracting from the beer. If not cold crashing might be an opportunity to reduce this. Doesn’t need to be clear IMO, just a little less sediment. Very nice thick head and very good retention. Carbonation is possibly just a touch high, but not to the point it significantly detracts. The late hop schedule and level of gypsum is evident- smooth bitterness, dry finish with strong hop flavor and aroma that doesn’t fade. I did detect a slight grassy note in the smell and finish – not necessarily a fault just personal preference to make note of and evaluate the dry hop schedule. Very nice beer single-hop APA that was easy and pleasant to drink Mark! 8/10


Total Score: 39/50

Thanks for the good review Wort Hog.  It was nice to hear a detailed review like this.
I plan to cold crash more often but sometimes hard with only a water cooler. I could just add ice huh? I was able to pretty easy in the winter just in the garage. Maybe a freezer upgrade in the future.  Looking forward to your review on the IPA soon.

[Wort-H.O.G.]

Brewer: Mark Harding
Beer: Cascade Pale Ale 1
Style: APA (10A)

Bottle Inspection:  proper fill with layer of sediment on bottom.   

Aroma:  moderate to strong citrus aroma when opened that continues to dominate into the glass. Light caramel notes with fruity character. Very slight grassy notes from dry hops, although not a significant detraction.  No other fermentation defaults detected. 9/12

Appearance: large thick off white head that persists. Color is light golden amber color. Moderate-high yeast sediment- could benefit from cold crash before bottling. 2/3

Flavor:  Clean hoppiness that dominates up front with caramel and bready notes in the background that seems sweet at first but finishes moderately dry. Hop bitterness is smooth and has slight grassy finish – dry hop driven. Hop flavor is fruity and citrus dominate and balance well with malt. 16/20

Mouthfeel: medium body with moderately high carbonation. Smooth hop bitterness with moderate-high crisp dry finish. 4/5

Overall Impression:  very nice example of style. Caramel malt may be a touch too much (personal preference), and may consider dialing it back in conjunction with the grist profile that has munich and Vienna. I noted the yeast sediment as moderately high-while I did let the bottle set after receiving, it seemed a touch to cloudy and the high yeast sediment could be detracting from the beer. If not cold crashing might be an opportunity to reduce this. Doesn’t need to be clear IMO, just a little less sediment. Very nice thick head and very good retention. Carbonation is possibly just a touch high, but not to the point it significantly detracts. The late hop schedule and level of gypsum is evident- smooth bitterness, dry finish with strong hop flavor and aroma that doesn’t fade. I did detect a slight grassy note in the smell and finish – not necessarily a fault just personal preference to make note of and evaluate the dry hop schedule. Very nice beer single-hop APA that was easy and pleasant to drink Mark! 8/10


Total Score: 39/50

Thanks for the good review Wort Hog.  It was nice to hear a detailed review like this.
I plan to cold crash more often but sometimes hard with only a water cooler. I could just add ice huh? I was able to pretty easy in the winter just in the garage. Maybe a freezer upgrade in the future.  Looking forward to your review on the IPA soon.

My pleasure. Keep in mind I am not a judge, and  have no qualifications in that field. I just tried to take my observations and apply the language of a judge. I've read a bunch of material on evaluating , so I did my best. At the end of the day, I just applied my own experience with what's good about a beer to me, and made a point to identify personal preferences vs. detractors or flaws.
 Edit: yes ice bath for few days could certainly help. Always a way to get there, even without a fridge or keezer.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[klickitat jim]

And you did a great job! That was above and beyond what im hoping for.

For others who don't feel like expert beer judges or writers, dont sweat it. Do your best, write what you perceive, be honest but polite. Its all good. No one is going to be beat up for not being bjcp master quality.

The format being used so far is great, but not required. Looking forward to all the stuff yet to come.

By the way, if you end up getting commercial goodies, feel free to comment on those. Probably dont have to worry about technique tips LOL. But it would be fun to read people's thoughts, especially if its something new to you.

[HoosierBrew]

Yeah, nice job Ken. I wasn't planning to use that format but I think I will now. I'm not a BJCP but I think I can ballpark it fairly accurately.


EDIT - At least enough not to embarrass myself.   

[Wort-H.O.G.]

And you did a great job! That was above and beyond what im hoping for.

For others who don't feel like expert beer judges or writers, dont sweat it. Do your best, write what you perceive, be honest but polite. Its all good. No one is going to be beat up for not being bjcp master quality.

The format being used so far is great, but not required. Looking forward to all the stuff yet to come.

By the way, if you end up getting commercial goodies, feel free to comment on those. Probably dont have to worry about technique tips LOL. But it would be fun to read people's thoughts, especially if its something new to you.

Well thanks Jim. I was a little intimidated doing it that way, and just wanted to do my best to offer mark my perspective while being clear I'm not a judge.

I agree, anyone wanting to try that level and format of write up should. Good opportunity to learn and to become more aware of the process.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[mchrispen]

The ester... you're talking about the fruitiness on the nose? I wonder if that could be from the great western dark munich? If I detect it in the batch thats all best malz, I think I will change the way I cold crash next time. Slow drop rather than immediate. Maybe its being expressed by the yeast from the rapid drop? But I'll know pretty soon if its malt bill.

Jim, that is certainly possible, but I still don't totally trust my nose. It came across as a cut plum, maybe a grilled plum (but no smokiness). If it is the yeast, it's very subtle, but came out as it warmed up a bit, say close to 55F or so. It is something I get quite a bit in my dubbel and like - but attribute it to some Special B and chocolate and the yeast character. There were no other esters I detected. I tend to cold crash pretty hard - never had an issue from the yeast throwing weird esters from that - but others may have different experience.

[klickitat jim]

The ester... you're talking about the fruitiness on the nose? I wonder if that could be from the great western dark munich? If I detect it in the batch thats all best malz, I think I will change the way I cold crash next time. Slow drop rather than immediate. Maybe its being expressed by the yeast from the rapid drop? But I'll know pretty soon if its malt bill.

Jim, that is certainly possible, but I still don't totally trust my nose. It came across as a cut plum, maybe a grilled plum (but no smokiness). If it is the yeast, it's very subtle, but came out as it warmed up a bit, say close to 55F or so. It is something I get quite a bit in my dubbel and like - but attribute it to some Special B and chocolate and the yeast character. There were no other esters I detected. I tend to cold crash pretty hard - never had an issue from the yeast throwing weird esters from that - but others may have different experience.

Well I think I trust your plugged nose more than my decrepit one. I think I know what you're talking about and I'm thinking its the GW 20L munich. I'll get to the bottom of it.