Sound Brewery Ursus Spelaeus Imperial Stout

All hail the Ursus Spelaeus, otherwise known as the "Cave Bear."  This absolutely wonderful Belgian-style imperial stout comes from the always outstanding Sound Brewery in Poulsbo, Washington.  The beer pours dark with a mocha-colored and foamy head and has a medium to full body.  Aromas of toffee, chocolate, dark fruit, and some spices are dominant, with the taste including all of the above, but with some hints of licorice in the mix.  This is a beer that you will want to let sit for a few minutes, as the alcohol notes became much more prevalent as the brew got closer to room temperature.  And, at 10% ABV, those alcohol notes know what they're doing.  All in all, this is probably my favorite offering from my favorite Washington brewer.  I wish i was drinking one right now.

Visit the brewer.

Elysian Superfuzz Blood Orange Pale

Let the brews from my Washington adventure continue.  The Superfuzz Blood Orange Pale from the excellent Elysian Brewing was a great treat and a perfect beer for the unseasonably warm weather we had while on the Puget Sound.  The beer is a cloudy, golden orange with a good and bubbly head, floral and orange aromas on the heavy side, but a smooth drink with hints of the orange and florals, some malt, some slight pepper, and a bitter sweet finish.  Not bad.  Not bad at all.  I'd like another.

Visit the brewer.

Odin Freya's Gold

Last week, i was fortunate enough to travel up to the Pacific Northwest to visit friends, attend the Bremerton Brewfest (more on that in a later post), and drink lots and lots of delicious beer.  We'll be writing about many of those brews over the next few weeks.  Seeing as we brought the Texas heat with us to the Puget Sound, i thought i would begin with my first beer of the week, an excellent summer style brew...Freya's Gold Kolsch-style beer from Odin Brewing Company.  The beer pours a beautiful, carbonated golden hue with foamy white head and crisp, clean aroma.  Smells of light fruit, malt, spice, and earth linger, and the taste is slightly sweet and refreshing.  This is a perfect beverage for a 90 degree day outside on a patio.

Visit the brewer.

Uncle Billy's Humbucker Helles

 The craft brew craze currently sweeping through the city, the state, the nation has provided me with a wealth of different beers to choose from on a normal weekly basis, the reason i just keep on going with this blog.  Whether it be a new brewery, an older classic, or restaurant/brewpub that makes and sells its own wares, i seem to have an endless supply of tasty beverages to choose from.  Last week, i made it out to Uncle Billy's Brewery and Smokehouse in Austin for some beer and BBQ.  The food was great, but that's a discussion for another forum somewhere else.  Let's get to the beer.  The Humbucker Helles is fine example of a German-style Helles beer, a straw-blonde and frothy lager with hints of citrus, grass, and fruit.  It's remarkably easy to drink and was a great accompaniment to our food.  I could drink these all summer long...so it's nice that you can purchase a 4-pack of tall boys as you leave the joint.

Visit the brewer.

Lake Placid Ubu Ale

Months ago, my wife got me a enrolled us in a "beer of the month" kind of club, and we've been receiving 12-packs of random craft brews from around the country ever since.  My wife rules.  One of our recent arrivals is the Ubu Ale, an English-style strong ale from Lake Placid Craft Brewing in New York state, and it's delicious.  The brown ale is nice and dark, with a decent tan head and smells sweet with hints of dark fruit, malt, and maybe some brown sugar.  As for the flavor, the sweetness from the dark fruits and brown sugar shine through, but with some added hints of chocolate or toffee, some light, subtle hops to add some bitterness to the mix, and some roasted notes to balance the whole thing out.  The carbonation gives the brew a little bit of pop, and the 7% ABV lets you know it means business.  I love this beer.  If you live in the northeast, please send some of this to me ASAP.  Thanks.

Visit the brewer.