march swap FSR402's beers

[FSR402]

I sent beer out last week to EvilTOJ, StankAle, and clemson55.

But being this was my first swap I did not know to make this tread so the reviews by Stankale are in another thread and a PM.
I will copy and paste them here for him so he does not have to do it again.

 

[FSR402]

This was sent thru a PM

Brass Balls Belgian:
Classic Belgian Aroma. I really enjoyed the nose on this. BIG alcohol taste on first few sips. After that I started to get used to it and noticed some distinct banana flavors that had to come from the yeast. What kind of yeast did you use? The banana flavors are true to the belgian wit style. I can really feel the ABV on this beer. My chest is actually warm.
All in all very sweet, VERY strong, and wonderful nose that blends nicely with the sweet banana flavors. Those Belgian brews take FOREVER to condition. I bet this was pretty rough a month after you bottled it!
All in all I really enjoy this one. A fine beer for a third attempt.
Considering the alcohol content (8.75%) it mellowed quite nicely.
I had to crack one of them open. I will try to wait a few more days before I drink anymore of them.

 

[FSR402]

FSR402's Red Dragon IPA

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Red Dragon IPA Review,
This beer REALLY shines in my book. This is one of the best IPA's I have ever had.
Crystal Clear, Great head with lacing all the way down to the last sip, and a beautiful light brown/pale amber color.
When I poured this I got a nice scent of malt. Upon sipping it I was hit with a nice malt flavor that was immediately followed with a load of hop flavor, which finishes nice and clean. The best part about this beer is that there are layers to it in every sip. The malt nose, the malty sweet flavor finished with a lovely hop hit. Man this is a finely crafted brew. Very hoppy but not too overpowering, a very well balanced IPA. Oh, and it was not at all dry which I prefer not to have in my IPA's.

I have never had an all Amarillo hopped IPA before, I can guarantee that I will try to make this one myself as soon as I can get my hands on some Amarillo hops.
Well done. I do not have any constructive criticism for this beer because I enjoyed every sip.


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[FSR402]

FSR402's Bagpiper Scotch Ale

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I poured this beer and the head was non-existent. There is a little bit of carbonation in the beer but i think it could use a little more.
The color is good, almost a burgundy color. It looks like a scotch ale.
Very sweet and smoky. Tons of mouthfeel. Personally I think its a bit overpowering with the smoky/sweet although it is a big beer.
I don't mean to knock the beer at all, I just don't think it is my style. I have never really been into smoky beers.
I will post again when I try the other brews.


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[FSR402]

FSR402's Just The Basics Mild

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This one I have to honest and say I didn't care for. It has a very prominent sour taste to it. That is all I am getting really. There is a very small amount of malt flavor but that is instantly overpowered by a fizzy sourness. It certainly is very light and drinkable. If the sourness was not in the brew I could see myself drinking a lot of these in the summer because it is so light.
I still think that your Red Dragon IPA is an amazing beer. I also liked the Brass Balls Belgium.
I certainly do not mean to offend I just critiqued the brews honestly as you requested. Please do the same when you drink mine.
I really appreciate you sending me your home brew, and I hope you are starting to feel better.
Dustin
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[clemson55]

Just the basics mild: First homebrew I have tried so far for this swap just had it with dinner (yeah I eat dinner at 11pm f-ed up schedule I know) I'm going to have to say I wasn't a fan. I thought it was sort of bland. Maybe I had high expectations based on my normal idea of what a brown ale is like. This just seemed a little dull and not very flavorful to me though. I would drink one as a little change up from hard beers but I wouldnt drink them regularly I don't think. Maybe if it just had a little more nuttiness or something like that. Looking forward to the other brews though.

 

[FSR402]

Just the basics mild: First homebrew I have tried so far for this swap just had it with dinner (yeah I eat dinner at 11pm f-ed up schedule I know) I'm going to have to say I wasn't a fan. I thought it was sort of bland. Maybe I had high expectations based on my normal idea of what a brown ale is like. This just seemed a little dull and not very flavorful to me though. I would drink one as a little change up from hard beers but I wouldnt drink them regularly I don't think. Maybe if it just had a little more nuttiness or something like that. Looking forward to the other brews though.

Did you pick up on the sour that Stankale was talking about? I have not found it in the kegs so I'm wondering if it was a bottle issue or if he can taste things that I can't.
What would you recommend that I could change in the beer to make it better?

 

[clemson55]

I didnt taste a sour note at all. I would say to pick it up it just needs a little more substance to it. Whether its more Alc, or flavoring, or body I dont really know. I will say it seemed maybe a little flat so that may have been a slight issue I am not sure. Makes me want another bottle now to drink and think about it more, LOL.

 

[clemson55]

Drinking the Red Dragon IPA right now, I think its quite tasty. I am a fan of huge IPA's so to me its actually kinda light sort of reminds me of a Longhammer IPA by Red Hook. It has good color, aroma, flavor just all around a very nice beer. SWMBO enjoyed it too.

 

[EvilTOJ]

JTB MILD

My first impression was fairly good. Very clear, and good color. It's really fizzy, even though browns are traditionally served a little flat. I drank it warm, because I always drink my beers warm at room temp. There's a strong malt flavor, and just a hint of sweetness. I can really taste the maltiness in it. I can kinda taste the victory and caramel, but then again I can't taste very well (damn these allergies) There's no head to speak of, it disappears fairly quickly in a clean glass. All in all, a very good beer.

I think StankAle got a bad bottle of this, because I don't detect any sourness at all.

 

[EvilTOJ]

Brass Balls Belgian Tripel.

The color is darker than I was expecting, but I've only had one tripel, and it was quite light. It was also hazy, and I'd let it sit for a few days to let any particulates drop out before drinking it too. Again, I drank it at room temperature.

Aroma is like banana, tiny bit of clove I think, but nothing to overpowering. There was a faint taste of astringency on the aftertaste, but it could simply be just bitterness.

 

[EvilTOJ]

Red Dragon IPA

This is a batch that I will definitely be making myself. I haven't had Amarillo in an IPA in a long time, and I've since been reminded how I've been missing out. I barely detected any malt flavor, because my thirst was mutilated by the Amarillo hops from start to finish. There was good lacing, and wasn't sweet, nor too dry either.

 

[clemson55]

I enjoyed the Bagpiper Ale tonight and I do mean enjoyed. It was a great beer. It has a slightly sweet yet smoky flavor I couldnt really place my hands on what the flavor was to me but it was excellent. i didnt even worry about color or head or anything else first sip and I was hooked. What style does that beer fall under? Whats the recipe? If its AG I need to convert it asap cause i want to make a batch of it for myself.

 

[FSR402]

I enjoyed the Bagpiper Ale tonight and I do mean enjoyed. It was a great beer. It has a slightly sweet yet smoky flavor I couldnt really place my hands on what the flavor was to me but it was excellent. i didnt even worry about color or head or anything else first sip and I was hooked. What style does that beer fall under? Whats the recipe? If its AG I need to convert it asap cause i want to make a batch of it for myself.

I'm happy you liked it. She is a Scottish style ale, a Wee-Heavy to be exact.
You should have got a printout in the box with the recipes for the Bagpipper, Red dragon and the JTB Mild.
If you can't find it I can PM you the recipe. It is an AG brew but should not be to hard to convert.

Stankale did not care for it and I was thinking about that the other night when I was drinking it. I can't remember if I purged the tap lines before filling the bottles. If not, he may have got a brew that had been sitting in the line.

 

[clemson55]

I didnt really pay any attention to what was in the box other than the beer. I have the papers sitting on the table so I'll check them. I don't know how to convert a recipe so I'll have to post that up. I thought it was damn good though.

 

[clemson55]

I drank the brass balls belgian tonight. It was pretty much exactly what I expected, color was spot on, aroma was good. The only thing I noticed was the alcohol taste was a little strong, its my experience that some belgians have that and some dont so it wasnt a big deal. If that were toned down just a little I think it would have been an excellent beer but as was still a very good beer and I would definitely drink a few more if I had them.