Thought I'd share this with you folks too
I brewed a train wreck I was calling James' Brown. The darn thing seemed pretty clear when I racked it, and the FG sample tasted good. A bit dry and nutty.
I grabbed a Samuel Smith NBA at the store the other day. I thought I'd try a side by side. Visually they were identical but for the massive turbidity that mine has. Aroma was identical but for the odd yeasty, musty, phenolic funk mine had. Flavor wise, the Samuel Smith was a malt/ester forward party in my mouth, with that wonderful dark fruity jam and almost amaretto like nuttiness, supported by a low earthy floral hop bite at the end. Just a slight touch of oxydized ddark malt soy in the after taste, but the bottle looks like its been rolling around in a Westfalia for a few years. My brew? Tastes.... nothing like that. Its way way infected and heinous. Ugly baby! Bad, ugly baby!
You want even better feedback than a bjcp sheet? Crack a classic comercial example and try it side by side with yours.
So, where is Sam Smith getting that fermented almond thing from? I mean, yeast duh... but what special grain? Special B? Melenoidin? English brown malt as opposed to our peanutty american version?