Bellwether Second Breakfast

Still remembering and pining for all of the excellent beer imbibed in Spokane a couple of weeks ago, and beginning to notice a definite beer for breakfast theme among many of the brews that made their way into my open hands, open mouth, and open heart.  And so we have the Second Breakfast, a non-traditional Hefeweizen from Bellwether Brewing.  Pouring a nice straw-tinted gold, the 5.7% ABV brew has aromas of banana, bread, and some slight lemon zest.  The flavor has notes of said banana and bread along with some hints of honey, and the aforementioned lemon to keep things crisper.  All in all, it's an easy drinker and a perfect beer for summertime, breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

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Whistle Punk English Mild

In general, i'm a beer after noon kind of guy, though when vacation mode kicks in, sometimes that internal rule gets thrown to the wind, particularly when i come across something that just works for breakfast.  And that brings us to the English Mild from Spokane's Whistle Punk Brewing.  The 3.9% brew pours a lovely transparent and amber-ish brown with a white head and smells of lightly roasted malts, bread, and some very subtle hints of florals, herbs, and tea.  The flavor is earthy and  just slightly bitter, but with hints of caramel and plum, and the aforementioned herbal notes giving the brew an unsweetened tea feel, both in taste and the overall light mouthfeel, a wonderful accompaniment to any breakfast.

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Grain Shed Purple Egyptian

Whenever i travel, it's pretty much a given that i'm going to make it to a brewery or two or fifteen.  That's what i did in Spokane, Washington over the weekend, and out of all of the beer consumed, tried, and tasted, the Purple Egyptian from brewery/bakery called The Grain Shed left all other brews in the dust.  A 6% ABV old ale, the beer pours gold with a frothy, slightly off white head and smells of grain and notes of fruit and molasses.  The Purple Egyptian grains, harvested from the Nile River Valley in Egypt, bring out subtle dried fruit notes to the flavor, that along with the malts makes for an earthy, complex, yet very refreshing beer.  You could drink this one for breakfast...and we did.  I can't wait to get back there again.

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Oddwood Ales Vermillionaire

Seriously, i am all about the pink beers this summer.  I can't control it.  I can't help myself.  Anyway, in my ongoing quest to visit 40-50 breweries this summer, i managed to get my wife and kids to join me at Oddwood Ales in Austin for some beer, some pizza, and some free video games.  The kids particularly enjoyed the video games.  I enjoyed the beer.  And my favorite was the Vermillionaire, a 6.6% ABV sour brew barrel fermented with raspberries.  Pouring a solid pink with an off white, pinkish, and quickly dissipating head, the beer smells of raspberries, cherries, and a slight tart funk.  The flavor is a crisp and sour mix of said raspberries and cherries that never goes overboard in any particular direction, making it a perfect after-dinner drink.  I even brought a bottle home.

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Celis Waller Kriek

I've been on a fruity and sour beer kick of late, so much so that i actually had to decide which one to write up today.  I settled on the Waller Kriek, a Belgian Kriek Lambic from Celis here in Austin due to the brewery's recent financial struggles.  The 5% ABV beer pours a pink hue with a white and quickly dissipating head, and smells of tart cherries and a slight funky spice.  The flavor is sweet and tart, the cherries up front with a sour finish, a great Saturday afternoon kind of brew.  Get it while you can.

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