Biere de Swenocha

[Kealia]

I received a number of beers from Swen during a recent exchange so I thought it would be easiest to keep them all in one thread/ I'll review the Yazoo beers separately since they are commercial.

Last night I had the Octoberfest that Swen made back in December with his MrB winnings. MrB Octoberfest + Munich + Tettnang hops = a good beer. We all know that you can either make really good OR crappy beer with any ingredients and this is an example of a really good beer with simple ingredients which made for a short brew day/time, I'm sure.

The beer was a beautiful ruby red color. I didn't think to grab a pic, sorry. I was actually in the mood for a few last night and this was the second beer I had so I wasn't thinking about the review at the time - just thinking about drinking it.

It smelled of malts, which it should by style anyway. The taste was clean and crisp, similar in mouthfeel and crispness to a Boston Lager. It finished with just a touch of sweetness, nothing cloying though. This made for a great second beer of the night (the first was a pale ale) and I could easily see it being a session beer where you could knock out a few without getting sick of it.

Many more to come - I'm not sure how long I will let them cold condition. When I get new beers in the pipeline I get excited and want to drink them all now.

[swenocha]

Thx... Kind of the same thoughts I had on this one. I initially wished it had been a bit less sweet, but I like it now that it has aged and it seems like that has settled down a bit. I didn't care for it much early in its life, but I dig it as a session beer now (though it is 5.25% abv, so it can sneak up on you). Not the best thing I've ever done, but it was indeed simple, and I like how clean it came out with the Bavarian Lager yeast (Wyeast Labs #2206, for those keeping score). If I had it to do over again, I likely would have upped the IBU just a bit (it was 16, but I would have likely done a boil with the Tettang at maybe 20 min).

[Kealia]

Last night after class I decided to take on the Common that was sent. Again, no picture - sorry!

It poured a bit lighter in color than I expected, but still a nice orange-hue (very much like the color of a Dead Guy Ale). The beer itself was nice and clear with a good carb level.
The aroma was actually a bit fruity. Almost like what you would expect WLP810 to throw off at higher temps or by using a belgian strain. In fact, my first thoughts was that it could be a belgian judging by the smell.

Taste was smooth with neither malt nor hops overpowering. Interestingly enough, I wouldn't have thought the IBUs on this were 40 - 44 when compared to the Octoberfest. They seemed very similar to me and the finish on this was actually a bit fruity, too.

Overall: It's a good beer, period. It just threw me off because I had an Anchor Steam in my mind as the baseline for comparison. Would I drink it again? Yep, for sure. Another solid brew from the little green guy.

[swenocha]

This one has been a bit of a mystery. I like it a bunch, but it's very different than Anchor Steam. I essentially used Jamil's common recipe, which he acknowledges is a bit heartier than Anchor (he offers a suggestion or two in tweaking his recipe to better mimic Anchor). The mint from the Northern Brewer really comes through for me, but I agree that it could be a bit more. I think maybe my hops were aged a bit more than I thought.

[Kealia]

I suppose it could have been some mint from the NB. I just don't get that same essence from Anchor Steam or when I brewed my common based on a well known recipe, too. Hey no complaints either way, it was a solid beer.

[swenocha]

Thanks again for all of the feedback. Very helpful and useful. One of the reasons I like to swap with people... Well, that and getting beer in the mail...

[Kealia]

Hoping to get another one or two tasted tonight

[Kealia]

Earlier today I tried Swen's smoked hef - good beer.
Poured a bit darker than a typical hef but by no means dark - think between a super light hef and a pale ale.
Good aroma, with a hint of smoky/clove to it. Taste, heavier on the clove than I've found that I prefer and a hint of smoke just to make you think a bit. I've been trying to make a perfect hef for a while now and I like mine to be banana-bombs.
The smoky was just enough that you notice something different to this beer. My wife, who has learned to really like hefs didn't care for it but she's only just getting into hefs/wits so they have to be really light for her to like them.

All in all - a good beer. Perfectly carbed up for a hef, too!
Thanks again!

[swenocha]

Glad to hear you liked it. If I do it again, I will definitely add more smoked malt. I went conservative, and I would have preferred a bit more smoke as well. See the Beacon for a properly smoked wheat (though that beer is all over the place on flavors, so the smoke is only a small component).