Zilker Late-Night Lookout Hazy Double IPA

It's a gray and rains holiday Monday here in Central Texas, so i'll try to brighten it up with a delicious and tropical noted brew.  Along with some other breweries in the greater Austin area, Zilker Brewing has been pumping out a slew of new beers during our time in lockdown.  The Late-Night Lookout Hazy Double IPA, an 8.2% ABV dream, pours a murky golden wheat with a white head and smells of tropical fruit and funk.  The flavor is heavy on the fruit, pineapple and grapefruit predominantly, but perfectly balanced with just the right amount of dankness.  Let's get more of this please.

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West Sixth Snake Eyes Imperial Stout

Some days it feels like i drink a lot of crazy concocted beers, ales and lagers brewed with all manner of extra matter thrown in.  And while i love those, it's also nice to get straight take on a style that just knocks it out of the park.  There's nothing flashy about the Snake Eyes Imperial Stout from Lexington, Kentucky's West Sixth Brewing, but the 11% ABV brew drinks like a perfect beer.  Pouring a dark, chocolaty black with a tan head, the beer smells of chocolate, coffee, toffee, and some hints of dark berries.  The flavor is a malty mix of said chocolate and coffee notes with some added hints of vanilla and light char.  Wonderful.

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Community Barrel-Aged Mocha Legion

While it's warming up, and my weekend daytime palate usually consists of lagers and IPAs, evenings at home (all of them these days) call for something a little more robust.  And i can think of nothing better to sip while watching Joe Bob Briggs on a Friday night or a 10-part Michael Jordan documentary on a Sunday than Community Beer Co's Barrel-Aged Mocha Legion, a tasty 12% ABV Russian Imperial Stout that totally rounds out my weekends.  The beer pours a dark black with a beige head and smells of chocolate, malt, oak, booze, and a hint of coffee.  The flavor is heavy on the chocolate and oak, but with the malt balancing it out, the booziness hitting on the back end, and subtle notes of coffee and toffee throughout.  Sip slow and enjoy.

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TUPPS Imperial Pastry Sour Ale

When we start talking Texas brewers, McKinney's TUPPS Brewery probably doesn't get near the notice it should be getting, with a whole slew of interesting and tasty brews in their lineup.  Recently i took on their Imperial Pastry Sour Ale, an 8.9% ABV sour ale brewed with graham cracker, blackberry, and red currant.  The beer pours a hazy cranberry color with a light pink head and smells of tart fruits and biscuits.  The flavor is a sweet and lightly sour mix of fruit and malt with some notes of the currant on the back end, like drinking a piece of pie.

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