Adelbert's Darkness Comes Alive Porter

Though they're generally way more known for their Belgian-inspired wares, the good folks at Adelbert's Brewery in Austin have concocted a damn, fine coffee milk porter called Darkness Comes Alive.  And aside from the excellent name, the beer is great too.  Pouring a dark brownish black with a light tan head, the 6% ABV brew smells of roasted malt, coffee, and notes of cocoa, vanilla, and cream.  The flavor is a smooth, medium mouthfeel mix of said roasted malt, coffee, and cocoa notes with some hints of spice and an overall creamy finish.  I very much enjoyed this beer and intend to drink more of it.  You should too.

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Spindletap Houston Haze IPA

I do love me some hazy IPAs, and i love how prevalent the style has become, popping up in each and every brewery across the country.  Not to be left out, Houston's Spindletap Brewery offers up their excellent Houston Haze IPA, a 6.5% ABV brew that pours a hazy (naturally), orange and gold with a white head.  The beer smells tropical, notes of orange, mango, pineapple, and more hitting the nose along with some light floral hints.  The flavor is sweet and fruity, said tropical notes hitting the tongue first before giving way to some bitter hop notes and a slight bite on the back end.  It's a great addition to the style.

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Oddwood Ales Green Hill Zone IPA

I started my vacation officially at 5PM on Saturday, and the first thing i did was make my way over to Austin's Oddwood Ales for the first time to meet some friends from out of town and enjoy a beer.  The place was pretty cool, and the beer was great.  The 6% ABV Green Hill Zone IPA really hit the spot too.  Pouring a hazy gold with decent white head, the beer smelled of citrus, orange, and pineapple, with those same notes at the forefront on the tongue with just a hint of bitterness.  A smooth, easy drinking IPA i'm sure i will want to enjoy once it starts getting hot around here.

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Hamburg Hoppenstance Double IPA

My wife sometimes does this cool thing where she signs me up for a beer-of-the-month kind of thing, usually as a gift for Valentine's Day or Father's Day or something, and then i reap the rewards.  From my latest delivery, i got the Hoppenstance Double IPA from New York's Hamburg Brewing.  The 8% ABV brew pours a light gold with a white head and smells of tropical fruit, grass, and some light dank notes.  The flavor is a smooth (especially for a double IPA) mix of citrus, grass, lemon peel, and some peppery spice.  This is a great brew to start the springtime with, even if it is abnormally cold in Austin today.

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