Austin Beerworks and Sun King Brewing Body Spray Brut Double IPA

I'm sick today, body aching and throat scratchy, and have spent most of my time in varying degrees of sleep.  Quite honestly, the last thing in the world i want right now is a beer.  That being said though, i did enjoy a few over the weekend.  And the Body Spray Brut Double IPA, a collaboration (collaberge) between the folks at Austin Beerworks and Sun King Brewing, was a wonderfully strong libation to enjoy before the plague found its way into my home.  The 10% ABV beer pours a nice golden straw color with a bubbly white head and smells of tropical fruit, floral hops, and resin.  The flavor is a dry mix of floral and citrus hops with some subtle notes of sweet and tart and some warming alcohol notes that hit hardest in the chest and stomach.  Someday i'll be well enough to drink again.

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Deschutes 2017 The Abyss Rum

Finally getting around to writing about the The Abyss Rum, Deschutes' rum-barrel aged imperial stout from 2017.  I think i bought the bottle either in December of '17 or January of '18, then kept it locked away until Christmas, where it, along with a dozen other bottles accumulated over the year, was drunk with gleeful merriment.  It was worth the wait too.  Pouring a dark black with a tan head, the 13.9% ABV brew smells of rum, oak, roasted malt, cocoa, molasses, vanilla, and licorice.  Flavors of chocolate, malt, dark fruit, and toffee mesh well with the subtle oak and rum notes in this medium bodied beer, creating a pretty decent version of the brewery's staple.  As usual, i will stand by any version or year of The Abyss.  Find one...or more.

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Strange Land Grand Cru MMXVII Belgian Quad

I am a big supporter of Belgian Quads, and i've got to admit that the style is probably my favorite kind of beer.  And so, i try as many as i can find.  Austin's Strange Land Brewery's Grand Cru MMXVII Belgian Quad was one of the more recent.  Clocking in at 8.7% ABV, the beer pours an almost rose-tinted, transparent black, or deep, dark amber with a white head and smells of cherries, dark fruit, molasses, and some hints of oak and cognac.  The flavor is sweet, the fruit notes up front and center with some secondary yeast and malt flavors behind.  Not a bad little brew.

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Martin House Erebus Scotch Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout with Coffee

I'll admit it.  There are times when i'll grab a new beer simply because the packaging and labels are so intriguing/amazing.  And so, here i am with the Erebus, a Scotch barrel-aged imperial stout with coffee from Martin House Brewing.  The 2-cans-in-a-box set up is pretty cool, especially with the creepy comic book artwork.  But none of that would matter if it wasn't good.  And it is!  Pouring a dark black with an off-white head, the 12.99% ABV brew smells of roasted malt, coffee, oak, and a little booze.  The flavor is the same, with some very subtle dark fruit notes and a dry finish.  Check it out.

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