Dankosaurus IPA

It's springtime, so i guess that means it's IPA season...or so i've been led to believe in the past.  Kicking it off with one of my new favorites is the Dankosaurus IPA from Cedar Creek Brewing.  The brew, which i was first able to give a whirl last October at Flying Saucer's Beerfeast, is a 6.8% IPA, pouring a hazy gold with plenty of head and aromas of citrus, pine, hops, and spices prevailing.  The beer is hop-forward like the west coast IPA's that inspired it, but dialed back just a bit to make it super drinkable.  Flavors of grapefruit, pine, and citrus are at the forefront, with just enough bitterness to give the beer a crisp finish.  It's a smooth brew for an IPA and a great beer to enjoy in the Texas heat.

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Bourbon Barrel Suburban Ninja

I closed out my Spring Break, my vacation, my SXSW week of music with a relatively quiet (i have a two-year old, so quiet is always relative) afternoon visit to Cedar Park's Red Horn Coffee House and Brewing Co.  Since moving to the suburbs last year, one of the things that made it bearable was the influx of craft beer related businesses opening in the area, Red Horn being my favorite.  The atmosphere is awesome, they let you bring kids, the staff are all incredible nice, and their beer is fantastic.  To end my vacation yesterday on a pleasant note, i enjoyed a pour of the Bourbon Barrel Suburban Ninja, an imperial stout aged bourbon barrels, and a tasty 12% ABV brew.  The beer pours black and smells of chocolate, coffee, toffee, and alcohol.  The flavor is amazingly smooth, a warming brew with hints of cocoa, coffee, malts, vanilla, and some subtle spices.  Being that yesterday was windy and chilly, it was a great beer to drink outside, the warmness of the brew moving down my throat and into my chest.  I will have to get back soon for another.

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Hop Brownie Brown Ale

Dig on that pacifier in the background.

Beer brewers certainly do get creative when concocting their wares, with a seemingly endless array of hybrid and specialty brews at the ready for your taste buds.  Austin's Independence Brewing offered up an interesting and tasty beer back over the holidays that i'm just now getting around to writing about.  The Hop Brownie Brown Ale is essentially what happens when stoner meets brewer, a brown ale brewed with chocolate malts, cocoa powder, and some dank hops to create what is basically a beer version of a pot brownie.  It is surprisingly delicious, the chocolates and hops playing off each other, vying for your attention and dorm room memories.  Pouring a nice brown (go figure) with off white head, the beer smells of cocoa, malt, and spice, with the aforementioned chocolate and dank hops at the forefront as far as flavor goes, though there are some subtle hints of citrus and toffee in the mix too.  At 6.13% ABV (i guess making it 4.20% would have been too on the nose), the brew is great for a late afternoon wind down.

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903 Land of Milk and Honey Stout

One would never know it was a stout if not for it being labeled on the can, but The Land of Milk and Honey Stout from 903 Brewers out of Sherman, Texas is an interesting and tasty little beer.  Copper colored and medium bodied, the brew looks and feels more like an ale, with lighter malts making for a more subdued flavor.  The beer smells of honey and malts, those same notes hitting the tongue with additional hints of caramel.  It's sweet, but not overly sweet, with a crisp finish, a very strange, but delicious stout.

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