Saint Arnold Sailing Santa

The holidays are upon us, and with them a wonderful assortment of special holiday brews.  This year, Houston's Saint Arnold Brewing gives us Sailing Santa, a blend of their Christmas Ale and Elissa IPA with some added spices for extra oomph.  The two styles of beer compliment each other quite well, making for a delicious holiday treat.  The beer pours copper with a nice frothy head and smells of nutmeg, cinnamon, and hops, and the flavor is fantastic.  The Christmas spices mix pleasantly with the slightly botanical hops of the IPA, creating a beer that's warming, refreshing, complex, and different.  I loved it.  Get it while you can.

Visit the brewer.

Renewal Tamarind Wheat Ale

While it doesn't fall into the normal seasonal dark brew fetish i usually employ this time of year, i simply could not pass up a new local brewer's wares, as this ongoing craft beer boom seems to be showing no signs of ending anytime in the immediate future.  And so we have 4th Tap Brewing Co-op and their Renewal Tamarind Wheat Ale.  The beer pours amber with minimal head and smells of bread, fruit, and spice.  The wheat is wholly evident in the beer's flavor with fruity sweet notes and an overall sourness that's quite pleasant.  Renewal is a late summer/early autumn brew, but seeing as i live in Texas, and it's supposed to be in the 70's this week, i'll take it anytime.

Visit the brewer.

Mother's Little Fracker

The days are getting shorter and cooler (kind of), and my beer preferences are getting darker.  It's porter and stout season here in the Williams household, and Mother's Little Fracker American Stout from Revolver Brewing in Granbury, Texas is a delicious way to start the season.  Dark, malty, and roasty, the brew pours black with dark brown and foamy head and smells of roasted malts and hints of chocolate and coffee.  The taste is dry and bitter with some subtle dark chocolate notes and finishes with just a hint of sweetness.  Coming in at 7.5% ABV, this isn't the strongest stout you'll get your hands on, but it will do just right as a nice, little winter warmer.

Visit the brewer.

Off Label Boomstick Double Black Rye Coffee IPA

No Label Brewing out of Katy, Texas periodically releases one-off batches of interesting brew concoctions on their Off Label series.  Their Boomstick Double Black Rye Coffee IPA is a mouthful, both in name and flavor.  Pouring a dark, blackish brown with a light head, the aroma of coffee and hops are immediately detectable...and they smell good.  Flavors of bread, malt, coffee, and spicy hops are abundant with some slight caramel and floral notes.  This is an interesting brew, taking bits and pieces from a whole slew of other styles to craft a veritable Frankenstein's Monster of a beer.  Somehow, all these different things work together though, and the brew is an excellent beverage to start or end an evening with.

Visit the brewer.

Black Star Co-op's Agent Cooper

One of the local purveyors of beer and food that i like to visit here in Austin is the Black Star Co-op.  The food is great.  We can take the kiddo there.  And i love their brews.  Yesterday, in honor of a "Twin Peaks" marathon they decided to screen in the pub, the brewers took their excellent porter, the Recalcitrant Dockhand, and added some coffee and cherry juice to create Agent Cooper.  The beer is dark and medium bodied and smells of chocolate, malts, and the aforementioned coffee and cherry.  A swirl of chocolate and caramel notes mix swimmingly with the hints of coffee and cherry, and an all-around roastiness prevails.  This beer is awesome, and i believe just a one-off batch.  So, if you live in the Austin area, get over there and try it before it's too late.

Visit the brewer.