4th Tap Stay Gold Hoppy Pale Ale

Breweries teaming up with pop artists for collaborative beer efforts continues to be one of my favorite things.  The most recent comes from Austin's 4th Tap Brewing and local psychedelic soul group Black Pumas.  And the result is the Stay Gold Hoppy Pale Ale, a lovely 5.5% ABV brew.  Pouring a nice (wouldn't you know it) gold with a frothy white head, the beer's aroma consists of floral notes and some hints of spice.  The flavor is a crisp mix of said spices and florals with some additional notes of citrus and a mild dankness to the whole thing.  Good stuff.

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Austin Beerworks Please Scream Inside Your Heart

It's still a scary year.  And small businesses are still in trouble.  Texas brewers have projected that up to two thirds of independent craft brewers in the state could shutter before year's end.  And that's going to be heartbreaking.  The only bit of light i've really noticed is that all the local beer nerds seem to be trying to do all they can to keep folks afloat.  The breweries are still dropping new releases, and those new releases seem to be selling out.  So that's good.  One of the more recent releases i was lucky enough to snag a 4-pack of was a tasty imperial stout from Austin Beerworks.  Donned with 2020's unintentional motto, the 10% ABV Please Scream Inside Your Heart pours a brownish black with a light tan head and smells of chocolate and orange.  The flavor is a swirling mix of said chocolate and orange along with notes of coconut, vanilla, and malt.  A wonderful nightcap, my wife wanted me to go and get more...but it was already gone.

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Red Horn Saf's London Fog Ale

Every so often i come across a brew that's just as good a night cap as it would be a breakfast beer.  Saf's London Fog Ale from Red Horn Brewing is one of those beers.  The 4.2% English style ale pours a murky, amber-ish, golden brown and smells of tea and honey.  The flavor is sweet, but not overpoweringly so, a mix of Earl grey tea, honey, caramel, and some hints of vanilla and cream.  It's the perfect companion for an English muffin with some butter, and one of my new favorites.

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Alaskan Fireweed Blonde

As it gets hotter and hotter here, i'm always finding myself reaching for something more refreshing and easy to drink.  And so i've got the Fireweed Blonde from Alaskan Brewing.  The beer pours a nice clear gold with a frothy white head and smells of flowers, honey, and spice.  Light sweet notes of honey abound, and at 4.5% ABV, it's an easy backyard drinker.

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Hopsquad Matador Watermelon Mint Summer Ale

Things are beginning to look dire for the craft beer industry in Texas thanks to COVID-19 and a completely bungled response by our state government.  It's projected that 2 out of 3 won't make it to the end of the year.  And there's only so much that the beer-heads like me can do.  I make the rounds on a weekly basis, getting as much beer to go in and around the city as possible.  And i know there are a lot of others doing the same.  Lately, i've been hitting some of the newer breweries, those that had not had a chance to really establish themselves before all of this shit started.  And one of my most recent visits was to Hopsquad Brewing.  Things got a little weird.  I brought home their Matador Watermelon Mint Summer Ale to confuse my taste buds.  The 6.6% beer pours gold with a quickly dissipating head and smells of watermelon, mint, and spice.  The flavor is a mix of watermelon, cucumber, mild spice, and mint in a light bodied brew.  In a lot of ways, it almost felt and tasted like a fresca or something.  It's not going to be for everyone, but if you're game to give it a try, it's different and pretty refreshing on a hot summer day.

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