Cream Ale Review thread

[pilgrimhudd]

So this is @Alastair70 cream ale! Pours with a hiss and a nice thick head. Very light floral aroma. Nice and clear, perfectly carbonated. Floral taste, lightly bittered, again, quite sweet aftertaste, very nice. Hides the 5.4% well. Slightly lighter bodied than the last one but still has enough malty backbone in there for me.

All in all a very nice beer again!

 

[RichardM]

@Nottsbeer.

Very similar to my own attempt, a few shades darker but very very similar, in all fairness it's the same yeast and hops...

It's great. Has a touch of the caramel that stays with you and that lovely twang you get from the Kentucky yeast. The hops meld really nicely into the base of this beer. I do enjoy the mystery of alcohol in this which adds to those Saturday afternoon drinking vibes. A bit of the who knows where this afternoon could lead kinda feeling.

Of the three I've had this one feels most familiar in flavour.

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@Nottsbeer as @Broken Toe says close to his for flavour and aroma, which are good, but lacks the carbonation and head expected for the style.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

This ones @Stu's Brews cream ale!

Slight hiss on opening, pours with a thin head which goes pretty quickly. Slightly herby aroma, nice. Undercarbed for the style I'd say, but pale and beautifully clear! Tastewise, herby, less floral than the others this evening. A little thinner than the others but is a lovely refreshing beer.

Amazing how different all 3 I've had (4 including mine) are but I've really enjoyed them all! Thanks all!

 

[Nottsbeer]

Beer 2 for me is by @Alastair70. This opened with a satisfying hiss and poured very well. A good level of carbonation. It had a good head which retained very well. This is slightly darker than my beer and nicely clear. It has a nice crisp taste, a bit sweeter than mine or that by @Lodinisr. The hop choice is very nice (for my tastes). This is an easy beer to drink, thanks very much. The MIL also gives this a .

 

[Nottsbeer]

@Nottsbeer as @Broken Toe says close to his for flavour and aroma, which are good, but lacks the carbonation and head expected for the style.
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Thx for your feedback. My last few beers struggle to maintain a head. Could be my water (not something I'm looking at currently), but I may think about adding some extra grain (toffified wheat/flaked maize...have to look into this) to try and address this.

 

[Alastair70]

I’ve just cut the lawn, so what better than a bottle of cream ale. This time it’s by @Broken Toe and it’s really hitting the spot.
High carbonation. It’s light in colour, with a crisp and clean flavour and a refreshing dry finish.
I’ll definitely be brewing more of these for the spring and summer but with a few changes informed by the swap. I’ll go 50:50 pilsner:pale malt and ferment with either a lager or kölsch yeast to lighten the end result a little.
Thanks for sharing this one @Broken Toe and thank you to everyone who joined in.

 

[Nottsbeer]

So, my third and final Cream Ale. Tonight was kindly provided by @pilgrimhudd. There was a slight hiss on opening, and a nice head when poured. I think this was slightly under carbed for the style, but easy for me to drink. I need to check which hops you used. Initially I wasn't too keen, but the taste mellowed after drinking a few mouthfuls. This was another nice pint. My MIL also gave this . The bonus beer was great, I'd be interested in seeing the recipe for that one.

My thoughts for this style of beer: I'm very much an ale drinker and welcomed the challenge of making my first larger. I was initially keen on this style, tho unsure about my hop choice. After having more of mine and comparing it to the others, I'm not going to make it again. I'd maybe drink a few during the summer but think i would prefer a light summer ale. Really happy I did this and looking forward to the next brewup

 

[pilgrimhudd]

So, my third and final Cream Ale. Tonight was kindly provided by @pilgrimhudd. There was a slight hiss on opening, and a nice head when poured. I think this was slightly under carbed for the style, but easy for me to drink. I need to check which hops you used. Initially I wasn't too keen, but the taste mellowed after drinking a few mouthfuls. This was another nice pint. My MIL also gave this . The bonus beer was great, I'd be interested in seeing the recipe for that one.

My thoughts for this style of beer: I'm very much an ale drinker and welcomed the challenge of making my first larger. I was initially keen on this style, tho unsure about my hop choice. After having more of mine and comparing it to the others, I'm not going to make it again. I'd maybe drink a few during the summer but think i would prefer a light summer ale. Really happy I did this and looking forward to the next brewup

Glad you enjoyed it, unfortunately they were well undercarbed, not entirely sure the reason why. If I'm honest its not the best brew I've ever done. I'd like to try it again, possibly using some centennial hops, I used crystal and I thought it was a bit grassy. I'll get both recipes up later.

 

[Alastair70]

Quarantini time. It’s the perfect pre-blocker tipple, a fizzy red berry delight. Cheers for the bonus booze @Broken Toe, it’s a gem.

Next order of business is the next brew. It’s going to be something Belgian. A blonde ale had been proposed, but given we’re going to swap in May, a Saison or a Tripel could work too.
Post your preference if you plan to join in, and do pick one. ‘Happy with any’ isn’t going to help!

 

[pilgrimhudd]

First up! @matt76 mustang ale v2!

A lovely beer to start the afternoon, gentle malty sweet cascade aroma. Flavour wise was going to say the cascade takes over a bit, but actually as you get down the glass you View attachment 64575get that spiciness from the first gold. Medium bodied and perfectly carved, I prefer this one to v1, and think this is right up there with the best you've done.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Aaaargh wrong thread!

 

[Broken Toe]

Quarantini time. It’s the perfect pre-blocker tipple, a fizzy red berry delight. Cheers for the bonus booze @Broken Toe, it’s a gem.
View attachment 64570

Next order of business is the next brew. It’s going to be something Belgian. A blonde ale had been proposed, but given we’re going to swap in May, a Saison or a Tripel could work too.
Post your preference if you plan to join in, and do pick one. ‘Happy with any’ isn’t going to help!

Glad you enjoyed it. Thought I'd true them in as it's not something people would choose to have.

In terms of the next one up. I would vote for saison as I have a gose coming up and with some clever planning I could make a split batch of it. I don't think I'd be getting a Belgian on until early summer.

But please don't change plans on my account

 

[pilgrimhudd]

As I was going to do a Saison next anyway i'd vote for that!

 

[Alastair70]

I was thinking saison as I’m confident that this year the summer is going to be a scorcher.

 

[Oneflewover]

Have enjoyed reading this. When's the next swap due?

 

[Broken Toe]

Have enjoyed reading this. When's the next swap due?

I think around may time. I would guess towards the end of it.

 

[Oneflewover]

I think around may time. I would guess towards the end of it.

Splendid, I've got a saison planned, might be able to squeeze it in before then

 

[Alastair70]

OK. Looks like it’s Saison. Brew to post out 20th May ahead of reviewing weekend of 27th. I’m still on the p155, will start a new thread when the hangover has cleared.

 

[Nottsbeer]

Like the cream ale, a saison beer is not something I've ever (knowingly) had, nor ever contemplated brewing. Having read up a bit about its history I'm quite excited by this one.

What's people's thoughts on the best time to brew this one to ensure its ready for the swap date? I had planned to brew a (CML kit) Moari Mingle next (probably in 2-3 weeks), thus probably not going to brew this until mid April. Should that be fine? Cheers.

 

[samale]

I am all in for a saison, it's a beer that I plan to enter into the LAB competition. I have V1 in the bottle's (only 1 week). I will make some adjustments if needed. Are we going standard strength