THBF Secret Santa - The Results Thread!

[RobWalker]

Welcome to the Secret Santa results thread!

Please use this topic only for posting your tasting notes on your received beer. Please upload a picture!

Thanks everybody for being involved in this. In due course, we'll reveal who had who!

Merry Christmas! :

 

[PD]

received my beer in last few days, will give it a day or two to get over its travels...... :thumb:

 

[stevie1556]

Received mine today. Going to leave it in the fridge to settle a bit, and post results in a couple of days.

 

[Asalpaws]

A gift to Asalpaws: Bavarian Weissbier

My beer arrived today, on opening the very secure package I was pleased to see a bottle labeled "Bavarian Weissbier". Excellent, one of our favorite beer styles (the Mrs is Austrian). As it was a wheat beer and it was already chilled from sitting in the post box we decided to crack it open, no need to let it settle we enjoy it "mit Hefe"!

Appearance: Cloudy amber, large creamy head. Well carbonated. Prominent "lacing" while being drunk.

Nose: Bananas , cloves and pumpkin hint of hops, possibly Hallertau

Taste: Smooth with good body (6 %) peppery and tart finish with some hop bitterness. Noticeable warming alcohol notes.

Overall: A very tasty beer, better than many we've had in Vienna and undoubtably superior to anything available here (I would say franziskaner is the closest). Would definatley buy and would like to brew! Recipes please.

Many thanks and Merry Christmas from Mr and Mrs Asalpaws

 

[calumscott]

Yay! First one!!!

I just love the fact that right now, loads of bottles of homebrew are in transit across the country and indeed the globe thanks to THBF.

Just brilliant in a geeky kind of way...

 

[PD]

Well this is the first time I've ever been involved in a Secret Santa and I've been wondering how to write my beer report. The remarks will be made, truthfully and honestly as I hope my sample is treated by its recipient.

Description...Beer-Pale Ale 7.3% with Heather,Yarrow,Honey and brown sugar...

Hmmmm I'm out of my comfort zone to start with.. my usual brews consist of malts and hops only...

I received the sample and without having a good look at it I put it in the cool garage to rest for 2 days. I did notice that it was cloudy.

After 2 days resting its still cloudy,very cloudy with a lot of sediment on the bottom. More sediment than I would wish to have in bottles of beer I make or I let my friends drink. It immediately gave me a feeling it had not been given long enough for the yeast to work out and deposit before it was bottled. The amount of yeast on the bottom of the bottle tended to support this view.There was a lot of it.

So to tasting,,,,, poured fizzy with large bubbles that soon went, head did not last and no lacing of the glass.

Aroma...Not surprising...very yeasty smell which slightly masked other background smells. Honey was present but not overtly.There were other aromas present but I can't say what... I would not know Yarrow if it stood up and smacked me in the nose. However apart from the Yeast it smelled pleasant and inviting.

Taste... I was pleasantly surprised... it was sweetish of course with honey and brown sugar added, slight toffee with a sort of creamy taste, but not cloying.The alcohol strength was evident after a few slurps.
I find trying to describe tastes very difficult, but over all it was a nice pleasant drink. Not one for drinking several of in an evening tho !
The beer was a whole lot better when left for 10 mins in the glass for all the bubbles to go.

So overall... It was a shame the beer had so much yeast deposit in the bottle and took the edge of its appearance and taste. But and I say this hand on heart I was pleased with the taste, heather yarrow honey and brown sugar came together in a nice tasting beer, and I look forward to seeing the recipe in due course... I might even have a dabble with it. I however will stick to my secondary fermentation bucket and make sure the deposits are virtually zero.

 

[cwiseman77]

Received my beer in the post a few days ago so let it settle to enjoy on a rare Saturday off. Being a Guinness drinker for many years I was very pleased to receive my Green Hop Stout. Came in the classic beer transporter of a whisky box, nice whisky too, brewer obviously has good taste :thumb:


Appearance: No noticeable sediment deposit, looks carefully brewed beer. Not a great deal of head(maybe I could have poured it better) but a lovely dark, rich colour. 3/5

Aroma: Well I'm full of the cold but still picked up nice notes of caramel and chocolate. (SWMBO verified this) 4/5

Tatse: I often find a lot of (non Guinness) stouts to be thinner than I would like but this had a lovely thick velvety consistency. It had a nice balanced bitterness, hints of espresso coffee and a slight burnt tobacco aftertaste you sometimes give in full bodies red wines. The mix of the coffee and tobacco notes transported me to my student days when I drank a lot of black coffee and smoked a lot of drum rolling tobaco. 5/5

Overall: Truly a delicious beer, in terms on taste I couldn't fault it, if I was served that in a pub I would happily drink 6 pints of it. Tasted better than almost all commercial stouts I've tried. Would have liked a little bit more head but I believe this can be quite difficult with a stout (I know Guinness do something complicated with CO2 and nitrogen).

Never brewed a stout so would love a look at the recipe. Well done to the brewer, you have yourself a winner there :hat: :hat: :hat:

 

[RokDok]

Very well packaged with loads of bubble and sponge at both ends enclosed in a sturdy box- very professional

This was clearly a stout so put it on the doorstep for a few hours to cool and settle. There was no visible sediment.

Poured it from a height initially to get a decent head.

Appearance : Intensely dark black beer with a deep mahogany head.

Aroma : Subtle aroma of chocolate malt.

Mouthfeel : Smooth progressing to mousse with a gentle tingle of carbonation- just right.

Taste : Wow, no-nonsense, straight in with intense, high toasted caramel, charred roast chestnut, bitter high quality dark chocolate, which remained long after the mouthful had been swallowed.

Overall : A big stout with huge character. For me this was a beer to sip and savour in small quantities in front of an open fire, as you might a decent malt.

Well done.

Thankyou,

Cheers.

RokDok

 

[RobWalker]

Hahah, great posts guys! Really makes this whole thing worthwhile. :)

 

[fbsf]

Boo.

Got mine today wrapped in a royal mail plastic bag that said something along the lines of "sorry, our baboons broke your brew". So no review I'm afraid as I don't fancy having to go down to A&E afterwards to get the bits of glass removed. Shame, as it smelled lovely!

Just a thought - maybe if we do one of these again (yes please!), we specify plastic bottles (like the 500ml cola bottles or similar) - it would save a load on postage and would remove the possibility of breakage.

I posted mine in glass, as I was worried that posting plastic might have been looked on less favourably, so am now really hoping that it gets there in one piece... if it were specified as plastic, I would have done so.

 

[calumscott]

Boo.

Got mine today wrapped in a royal mail plastic bag that said something along the lines of "sorry, our baboons broke your brew". So no review I'm afraid as I don't fancy having to go down to A&E afterwards to get the bits of glass removed. Shame, as it smelled lovely!

Rotten luck! May the beer gods condemn said baboons to a life of J**n S****s and Aldi l***r and hangovers from the fiery pits of beer hell.

Just a thought - maybe if we do one of these again (yes please!), we specify plastic bottles (like the 500ml cola bottles or similar) - it would save a load on postage and would remove the possibility of breakage.

I posted mine in glass, as I was worried that posting plastic might have been looked on less favourably, so am now really hoping that it gets there in one piece... if it were specified as plastic, I would have done so.

I think that's a fair point, there's no harm in just filling a placky bottle from each brew through the year on the off chance that it becomes a secret santa bottle. (I'm presuming we'll do this again next year, it's been so well received??).

I shall do just that, alongside my one clear glass bottle per brew for the local flower show homebrewed beer class!

 

[graysalchemy]

Well i have received mine today. A package appeared in the workshop this morning whilst i was not looking.

On opening I have found a very tatty looking bottle with an old label scrubed off so really in the spirit of Secret santa. :lol:

However I know this has obviously come from a discerning brewer as it was in a Laphroaig whisky carton, and anyone who knows me knows I am rather partial to an islay malt. :thumb: :thumb:

I will be drinking it on Friday night along with some bottles of elderberry stout for the Winter Solstice.

Thank you secret Santa. :thumb:

 

[fbsf]

Ahem...! Any more secret santas arrived yet?

 

[MartinC]

I had one delivered today, it is currently sitting in the brewery to settle before trying it. The label said Pale Ale 4.8% so sounds exactly like my kind of beer.

Santa obviously knew what to bring me

 

[PD]

what we need is more tasting sessions with pictures.....come on get tasting...

 

[fbsf]

Sniff, Sniff.

Smells lovely though, so apart from the slight plastic-baggy smell, so aroma = 9/10.

Not much head to speak of..

Mouthfeel, a little sharp... :lol:

 

[Muddydisco]

Mines gone, but not seen it yet. Not had one back yet?

 

[fairbrew]

Same here , sent early December, thinking there might be a problem. Not received anything either, santa needs a kick up the a**e! :sulk:

 

[Asalpaws]

I'm really interested in this, great to see what home brewers think of other home brews. Also cool to see what people felt was appropriate for general consumption! Drink up, more reviews please. P.S props to Rob for organizing

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

Not had anything yet, but I can't complain cos I've only just sent mine!!

BB :drink: