Martin House Plum Pudding

Lately, i have been a total sucker for dessert beers.  I just can't help myself.  And so we have Plum Pudding, a sour plum ale with lactose and fig from the always interesting Martin House Brewing.  The 5.3% ABV beer pours a murky brown with an off white head and smells of plum and fig and sugar.  The flavor is a tart, but not overly tart, mix of fruit and malts with some subtle vanilla notes and a tangy finish.  It's a total holiday brew, and i am here for it.

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Hitmaker Accidental Trappist Belgian Tripel

Managed to get out into the hill country again yesterday to give one of the new brewers on the block a good try, and found the lovely Accidental Trappist Belgian Tripel from Hitmaker Brewing.  The 8.8% ABV brew pours gold with a white head and smells of molasses, spice, and a hint of caramel.  The flavor is a mix of molasses, spice, and yeast, with some notes of banana and alcohol in a lacy mouthfeel.  Good, good stuff.

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Acopon Homunculus

We spent some of yesterday afternoon out in the Texas hill country for a friend's housewarming party.  So naturally on the drive back i dipped into the pride of Dripping Springs, Acopon Brewing, for a crowler or two.  Homunculus is a British dark mild, and pours a brownish black with a minimal white head.  The easy drinking 3.5% ABV brew smells of malts and molasses, those same notes hitting the tongue along with some hints of chocolate and mild tea.  What a lovely way to close out the weekend.

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Martin House Half Baked

Fort Worth's Martin House Brewing probably makes some of the best and most complex beer here in Texas, and i've got to tip my hat to them as their Half Baked Whiskey Barrel Aged Imperial Pumpkin Pie Ale (that's a mouthful) was an excellent dessert beverage post Thanksgiving dinner a couple weeks back.  The 12% ABV beer pours a dark black with an off white head and smells of oak, whiskey, and pumpkin spices.  The flavor is a heavy mix of said whiskey and pumpkin spices, along with some actual pumpkin notes and some hints of vanilla.  Wonderful stuff.

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8th Wonder BrewGK Apple Kolsch

Every Thanksgiving, i pretty much pick out three different beers to accompany my day, something sessionable for the bulk of the day while i cook, a dinner brew, and then something a little heavier for dessert.  This year's pregame drinker was the BrewGK Apple Kolsch, a 5.7% brew collaboration from Houston's 8th Wonder Brewery and rapper Bun B.  Pouring a nice gold with a bubbly white head, the beer almost smells like a cider, the apples heavy on the nose.  The flavor is a tasty mix of said apples with some spices and hints of caramel, a wonderful brew that paired well with all the different food coming out of my kitchen.  Thanks Bun B!

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