Spencer Trappist Holiday Ale

Christmas has come and gone again, and as per usual, i enjoyed a bevy of wonderful brews through all of the family and presents and food and chaos.  Enter the Trappist Holiday Ale from Spencer Brewery.  Everything that comes from Spencer is top quality and delicious, and their holiday ale is no different.  The 9% ABV brew pours a dark, reddish color with a foamy white head and smells of dark fruit, bread, and Christmas spices.  The flavor follows the nose with some notes of caramel and ginger in a medium body brew.  It's like somebody liquified a Christmas cookie, added some alcohol, and then mixed it to perfection.  Just a really solid beer all around and a wonderful libation for the holiday season.  Get on this one quick before you have to wait another year.

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Well gang, i think i may be putting this beer blog to rest here very soon.  Ten years on, i don't think there's anything left for me to say that i haven't already said a dozen times before.  It's been a fun decade though, and just by researching all these wonderful beers i've consumed each and every week, i've learned a lot about all of the different processes and ingredients and more that goes into these beverages i love so much.  I'm going to keep drinking them.  And i'm going to continue to visit every brewery i can get to.  Craft beer has never been an easy endeavor, these last two years in particular, but it will always have all the support i can give it.  I'll be back next week with one last entry to kick off a new year that is hopefully better than the ones that have preceded it.

Cheers!

Martin House Campfire Whiskey Barrel-Aged Imperial S'mores Stout

Martin House Brewing has a reputation for getting a little crazy and out of hand with their beer ideas every now and then, but when they hit it, they hit it out of the park.  And the 2021 edition of Campfire, their whiskey barrel-aged imperial s'mores stout does just that.  The 11.6% ABV brew pours black with a light brown/dark tan head and smells of chocolate, vanilla, and a little bit of booze.  The Flavor is a nice, thick, and sweet mix of said chocolate and vanilla, along with marshmallow, some graham cracker and roasted maltiness, and a nice bite of whiskey to tie it all together.  Enjoy this one outside on a moonlit night.

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Broken Bow Imperial Small Arms Dealer Pilsner

Earlier this year, my wife re-upped me into a Rare Beer Club, and as i am wont to do, i saved several bottles for consumption over the holidays.  One such brew was the Imperial Small Arms Dealer Pilsner from Broken Bow Brewery in Tuckahoe, New York.  The 8% pils pours gold with a foamy white head and smells of sweet fruit along with some malt and hoppy notes.  The flavor is a crisp and bitter mix of floral hops, bread, and maybe just a hint of honey with a dry finish.  Drink this one while grilling or watching a game.

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The Return of Imperial Stout

Generally when you think Texas brews, you think something sessionable...pales ales and pilsners and such.  It is hot here after all.  But the good folks over at San Antonio's Weathered Souls Brewing just consistently knock it out of the park with their stouts.  Maybe that should be our state brew instead.  Enter The Return of Imperial Stout.  The 12.3% brew pours black with a very minimal brown head and smells of chocolate, vanilla, coconut, and a little booze.  The flavor is a sweet mix of said chocolate, vanilla, and coconut along with some marshmallow (which the beer was brewed with), and those booze notes again.  It's a night time beer for sure, but a lovely way to end a weekend.

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3 Nations Banana Nut Bread Porter

I guess some days, you just need a beer that feels like breakfast.  And so we have the wonderful and strong Banana Nut Bread Porter from the good folks at 3 Nations Brewing.  It says it all on the can: vanilla, macadamia nut, coffee, and banana.  The 10% ABV brew pours black with a light tan head and smells like its ingredients, along with some notes of chocolate and toffee.  The flavor is a sweet and rich mix of vanilla, chocolate, banana, and nut with the coffee notes keeping things grounded and making for a perfect holiday beverage, something to sip and sit by the fire to.

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Hitachino Nest Saison du Japon

We've been kid free for the last couple of days due to a couple of groovy grandparents, and Paige and i decided to hit up the wonderful happy hour over at Uchiko for some food and drinks.  Said drink for me came in the form of the Hitachino Nest Saison du Japon from Kiuchi Brewery, a farmhouse ale brewed with local wheat and koji (malted rice).  The 5% ABV brew pours a nice gold with a white head with sweet aromas of lemon, fruit, grass, and some notes of yeast.  The flavor is sweet and citrusy with some notes of rice and sake, and maybe some hints of wheatgrass as well.  It's a perfect dinner beer.

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Angry Santa Spice London Ale

Starting to get myself into the holiday spirit with some holiday ales.  And if the can art of Rahr & Sons' Angry Santa Spiced London Ale doesn't do it for you, maybe the excellent beer will instead.  The 8% brew pours a dark brown with an off-white head and smells of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, toffee, and some notes of apple.  The flavor follows the nose with some additional hints of vanilla, all in a medium bodied brew that really hits the spot.  Let's get festive.

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Dank Hill Double IPA

I found it everybody, what just might be the greatest beer name of all time.  Certainly the best can art.  I give you the Dank Hill Double IPA from the good folks at 903 Brewers.  The 7.3% ABV brew pours a slightly fuzzy gold with a white head and smells of citrus and florals.  The flavor is a well rounded bitter mix of said floral notes and citrus along with some other notes of fruit and spice.  I don't know what that has to do with Hank Hill, but i'm sure glad it's a thing that exists.  Well played everyone.

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Põhjala Öö XO (Cellar Series)

I opened up a bottle of the good stuff over the Halloween weekend as one is wont to do.  Enter the Öö XO (Cellar Series) by Põhjala, a Cognac barrel aged Baltic porter brewed in Estonia.  The 11.5% ABV brew pours a dark black with a brown head and smells of chocolate, dark fruit, cherry, Cognac, and some hints of spice.  The flavor follows the nose, with some added notes of honey, liquorice, coffee, and molasses, everything jiving quite well together under the ever-present notes of Cognac.  A very tasty beverage to wile away the nighttime hours to.

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Live Oak Oaktoberfest

Much like the Halloween season, Oktoberfest season is coming to its gradual conclusion very soon as well.  And that bums me out.  So we're going to go down swinging around these parts, picking up as much of the dwindling supply of beer as possible.  Enter Oaktoberfest from Austin's Live Oak Brewing.  The 5.8% ABV Marzen pours a nice gold with a big and frothy white head.  Aromas of sweet breads and malts abounds with some hints of honey, while the flavor follows the nose along with some notes of caramel all in a light bodied brew.  It's a super easy beer to drink, perfect for any Fall activity.

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Stout Chocula

While i'm still primarily grooving on the standard Fall beers, i simply couldn't pass up a monster cereal themed brew from Ingenious Brewing in Humble, Texas.  Enter Stout Chocula.  The 10% ABV imperial stout was brewed with plenty of chocolate and marshmallows and pours a dark black with a foamy, off-white head.  Aromas of chocolate and sugar abound with some notes of vanilla and a hint of roasted malts.  The flavor is a very sweet mix of chocolate, marshmallow, and vanilla along with that same hint of roasted malts and an alcohol sting.  This one won't be for everyone, but it made for a nice dessert brew after dinner.

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Bell's Brewery Octoberfest

I've mentioned a hundred times on here how the Fall brings one of my favorite beer seasons, with pumpkin ales and Octoberfests abounding.  And this year, i was fortunate enough to get my grubby little hands on a pretty outstanding Octoberfest from Bell's Brewery.  The 5.5% ABV beer pours a crisp, coppery color with a white head and smells of bready malt with notes of caramel and some light hints of sweet fruit.  The flavor is a very balanced and delicious mix of roasted malts, caramel, toffee, and a touch of hops, just the right kind of libation to pair with a pretzel or bratwurst.  This one may be my new go-to come next Autumn.

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Jester King Phylactery Phactory Double Hazy IPA

It's still hot here, so we can't be drinking Fall brews all the time.  Enter the Phylactery Phactory Double Hazy IPA from the good folks at Jester King.  The 8.5% ABV brew pours a murky, hazy golden orange and smells of citrus, pineapple, and a ton of tropical fruit.  The flavor is similar, with lots of citrus and juice, lightly bitter, and maybe even just a touch sour.  It's definitely something good to drink in the sunshine.

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Fitzhugh Ethiopian Tella

I got to try a couple of styles of beer that i've never had before yesterday.  Here and there, when the weather has been nice and not too hot, i'll occasionally venture out to a brewery to sip their wares, though lately only if i can be outside and spaced away from others.  So, on Sunday, i hit up a new joint out in the hill country called Fitzhugh Brewery.  Picnic table secured, i gave their Ethiopian Tella a shot, and it's different and very good.  Here's what a Tella is:

Tella is a traditional beverage fermented with grains that are native to the Ethiopian region. This Tella is made of Ethiopian teff flour, sorghum flour, maize, millet, barley and honey. Traditionally this beer is bittered with an herb called Gesho which lends a subtle spiciness and earthiness to the beer that hops can't quite match.

The 6.8% ABV brew pours a slightly reddish brown with a white head and smells sweet and earthy with lots of grain notes and some hints of honey.  The flavor is that same mix of sweet and earthy, though not overly so, and pretty well balanced.  The lack of hops is certainly noticeable with the Gesho herb making for a very different kind of beer, and a wonderful brew to sip on outside on a warm Fall day.

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River Horse Gentle Giant

Going in a slightly different direction than i normally do during this time of year, taking a small break from Oktoberfests and pumpkin ales, i hit up a big ol' bottle of imperial witbier from New Jersey's River Horse Brewing.  The 8% ABV brew pours a hazy golden wheat with a white head and smells of orange peel and lemon grass along with some light notes of bread and a general, all around earthiness.  The flavor is a mix of said orange, citrus, and grass, followed by some notes of Belgian yeast and a hint of banana.  I don't know why, but this one made me feel like i should be watching baseball.

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Clown Shoes Pumpkin Sombrero

I am full on into pumpkin beer season these days, and my taste for the weekend came from Massachusetts' Clown Shoes Brewing.  The 7% ABV Mexican stout pours black with an off-white head and smells of pumpkin, spices, and roasted malts.  The flavor is an earthy mix of said roasted malts and pumpkin with notes of nutmeg and cinnamon.  It's a Fall brew, and Fall is here...kinda, so drink up while watching your team lose on Saturday, or watching your other team win on Sunday.

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Austin Beerworks Lechedor Horchata Stout

I just can't help myself when it comes to desert-y stouts, and i recently enjoyed the Lechedor Horchata Stout with rice, cinnamon, vanilla, and lactose from the good folks at Austin Beerworks.  The 8.5% ABV brew pours black with a dark tan head and smells of cinnamon, vanilla, and some roasted maltiness.  The flavor is a nice mix of said cinnamon, vanilla, and malt in a lighter bodied brew than your usual stout.  It's definitely a great brew for early fall when it's still pretty hot outside...which is the norm around these parts.

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Great Divide Pumpkin Spice Yeti

College football is officially back, so it's okay to start drinking pumpkin beer again.  I know the stuff actually dropped a few weeks earlier this year, but you gotta have standards.  Anyway, one pumpkin beer i had not enjoyed before is the Pumpkin Spice Yeti from Great Divide, the Fall-themed take on their classic imperial stout.  The 9.5% brew pours a thick, dark black with a light brown head and smells of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg along with notes of roasted coffee and some light hints of vanilla.  The flavor is an almost creamy mix of said spices and coffee with some caramel and some earthy pumpkin notes.  It's all very well balanced, with no taste overpowering anything else, so about as well rounded a pumpkin stout as you're likely to find.

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Founders Highball Drifter

The second release from Founders' Bottle Shop Series is here, and it's a whopper.  Highball Drifter basically serves as a beer version of the cocktail and it served as a delightful addition to my weekend evenings.  The 11% ABV brew pours a dark, kind of amber-ish brown with an off-white head and smells of orange peel, cherry, vanilla, caramel, and bourbon.  The taste follows the nose with some added notes of brown sugar and bitters.  While it's certainly prevalent, the booze can still sneak up on you with this one, so take your time, sip, and enjoy.

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Red Horn Cultivating Mass

Normally in the middle of August, i'm starting to get excited about the upcoming Oktoberfest/pumpkin ale onslaught of the fall...but as it turns out, that stuff is already on the shelves.  It feels too early for it.  I mean, i bought some and drank it already, but it still feels too early.  Anyway, it's never too early for a good stout, and the good folks at Red Horn in collaboration with Turning Point Beer have a whopper with Cultivating Mass, 14% ABV cookies n' cream imperial stout.  The brew pours black with a tan head smells of chocolate, vanilla, and a little bit of marshmallow.  The flavor follows suit and is amazingly smooth considering the alcohol content.  It will sneak up on you.  So sip it slow and enjoy.

Untitled Art Espresso Honey Imperial Milk Stout

Even in the heat of the summer, i can't help but dig on the strong and dark stuff.  In the evening at least.  And the Espresso Honey Imperial Milk Stout from Untitled Art hits in all the right places for the desert beer enthusiast.  The 12% ABV brew pours black with an light tan head and smells of honey, coffee, chocolate, and cinnamon.  The flavor follows suit but with some additional notes of roasted malt, vanilla, and maybe even a little tobacco.  I spend many a Friday or Saturday night sipping on imperial stouts and watching horror movies, and this one filled the bill perfectly.

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Camp Fires and Ghost Stories

First off, dig on that "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" can art.  I am eternally a fan of the dark and heavy stuff, even in the blistering months of summer, so a s'mores brew felt like the way to go.  Camp Fires and Ghost Stories from Ingenious Brewing in Humble, Texas is an imperial milk stout brewed with chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers.  The 10% ABV brew pours a dark, blackish brown with a tan head and smells of chocolate, malt, molasses, and graham cracker.  The flavor is a solid mix of said chocolate and graham cracker with some notes of vanilla and caramel.  No false advertising here, it's basically a s'more in stout form.

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Moody Tongue Bourbon Barrel Aged 12 Layer Cake Imperial Stout

The last year and a half has kept me mostly away from the places i love to go, but on occasion, i'll get masked up, grab a seat outside somewhere, and enjoy a kind of imitation of the old times.  Last week, i made it out to a local bottle shop and popped a tasty brew to close out the evening to.  From Chicago's Moody Tongue, a restaurant and brewer of provocative beverages, i downed their Bourbon Barrel Aged 12 Layer Cake Imperial Stout, probably the best decision i made that day.  The 13.9% brew pours a dark black with a minimal tan head and smells of chocolate, bourbon, and oak.  The flavor is heavy on said chocolate, bourbon, and oak, along with some notes of graham cracker and caramel, a veritable desert in a bottle.  A fantastic brew, and a new brewer, for me at least, to try and get to know better.

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The Stolen Mile

Summertime brews abound in this household of late, and over the weekend i enjoyed The Stolen Mile, a 5.7% ABV golden ale brewed with basil, lemongrass, and lemon peel from Wisconsin's The Brewing Projekt.  The beer pours a hazy gold with a white head and smells of lemon (of course), pepper, and some light spices.  The flavor is a crisp and slightly tarty mix of lemongrass and spice, a refreshing beer for a hot day.

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Batch Schinus Pilser

It's summertime, and while we've been unseasonably cool in Central Texas the last couple of weeks, all while the Northwest burns, i can only assume it's going to be hot as blazes here again soon.  It always does.  It's one of the reasons we drink a lot of sessionable, crushable beers around these parts.  And one such sessionable, crushable brew comes from the good folks at Batch Kolaches.  The Schinus Pilsner pours a slightly hazy straw color with a white head and smells of peppercorn, lemon, and a light spice.  The flavor is like a well balanced pilsner but with some peppercorn and light citrus in the mix.  I can't find any info on what the ABV is, but this one drinks crisp and easy, perfect for a hot summer.

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Lorelei Brewing Ephyra Double IPA

My vacation is coming to a close, reaching its sunset this evening with the real world waiting in the wings tomorrow morning.  Trying not to let that bring me down, while drinking the last of the beer we brought home with us from Corpus Christi.  And the Ephyra Double IPA from Lorelei Brewing is doing the best it can to ease the pain.  The 9% ABV brew pours a light caramel color with a white head and smells of tropical fruits and a little bit of pine.  The flavor is a mix of pineapple, grapefruit, pine, and a hint of alcohol, a real nice summertime brew.  Now i'm gonna go grab the last of them and enjoy the day.

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Prairie Artisan Cherry Bomb!

I think The Runaways always knew what they were talking about.  And the folks over at Prairie Artisan Ales in Tulsa, Oklahoma have followed suit with the Cherry Bomb!, a imperial stout aged on cherries, chili peppers, coffee, cacao nibs, and vanilla.  The 13% ABV brew pours black with a small tan head and smells of chocolate, coffee, cherry, vanilla, and some hints of cinnamon and spice.  The flavor is a mix of dark chocolate, cherry, and coffee along with those cinnamon and spice notes to finish things off.  This is a great desert beer.

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Saint Arnold Old Fashioned

A thing i've discovered about myself over the last year is that if a brewery makes a beer that's modeled after the Old Fashioned cocktail, i'm probably going to drink the hell out of it.  Back at Christmas time, it was the Old Fashioned Holiday from Bell's, and now it's Saint Arnold's Old Fashioned, a rye whiskey barrel aged barleywine with orange peel.  The 12.9% brew pours a nice amber hue with a white, quickly dissipating head and smells like an Old Fashioned, notes of molasses, dark fruit, oak, and whiskey.  The flavor is also very much like the cocktail, those same notes of molasses and dark fruit mingling nicely with the oak from the whiskey barrels, along with some other hints of toffee and spice.  Here's hoping this kicks off a new trend in craft beer.

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La Trappe Trappist Tripel

Nothing like diving straight into the beginning of the hot part of summer with a struggling air conditioner.  It's the house's original unit, which makes it almost 30 years old, so it's had a good run, but man...it's hot in here.  And it's only going to get hotter.  Beer might just get me through it all.  And so we have the La Trappe Trappist Tripel from The Netherlands' Koningshoeven Abbey, an 8% Belgian style Tripel from a place that's been churning out the goods since 1884.  The brew pours a beautiful gold with a white head and smells of grain and light notes of pepper, apple, pear, and spice.  The flavor is a pleasant mix of fruit, apple and pear in particular, along with some subtle notes of clove, pepper, honey, and a little bit of bread.  It's a really good example of the style and very drinkable.  It almost made me forget my AC is on the fritz.

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Austin Beerworks Peak Physique Triple IPA

I got to play the role of single dad this weekend with my two boys.  We went swimming.  We ordered pizza.  We watched "Predator."  Good times.  And i ended the evenings with one or two of these bad boys, the Peak Physique Triple IPA from Austin Beerworks.  The 11% ABV brew pours a nice golden color with a white head and smells of citrus, tropical fruit, pine, and hops.  The flavor is a good balance of pineapple, grapefruit and pine that lingers on the tongue well after the beer is finished.  Really a great brew all around.

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Equal Parts Three Seashells Summer Pale Ale

Just got back from a long holiday weekend in Houston full of museums, zoos, swimming, family, old friends, and of course...beer.  Three Seashells Summer Pale Ale from Equal Parts Brewing proved to be a great brew to kick off the summer with, a 6.3% ABV pale that pours gold with a white head and smells of hops, citrus, melon, and lemongrass.  The flavor is a crisp and refreshing mix of said citrus and lemongrass along with some spicy notes to keep things real.  May the summer bring me more beers like this one.

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903 Milkshake and Fries

My wife and my kids all do that thing where they stick their French fries into their shakes or Frosties or whatever from the drive thru.  It's not my thing, but i don't judge, especially when i'm buying beer that's essentially a take on that whole process.  And so we have the Milkshake and Fries stout from 903 Brewers, a milk stout brewed with chocolate soft serve and sea salt.  The 10.7% ABV brew pours black with an off-white head and smells of malts and chocolate.  The flavor is a sweet mix of said malt and chocolate with some mild hints of saltiness to balance it all out.  And it never really feels as strong as it is, so watch out.  But also enjoy.

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Odd Side Deleterious

Every now and then i stumble upon a beer that takes me the better part of an hour or more to drink.  It's just that heavy or complex or powerful.  Odd Side Ales' Deleterious, a bourbon barrel aged imperial stout, is one of those brews.  The 14.6% ABV beer pours a dark black with a tan head and has a general roasty aroma along with some notes of raisin, tobacco, chocolate, and oak.  The flavor is a nice and warming mix of roasted malt, oak, and bourbon with some subtle notes of vanilla, chocolate, and dark fruit.  It's a wonderful drink, a slow-sipper for sure, and a great beverage to close out a weekend to.

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Frontyard Brewing Rye IPA

The past couple of months have seen the wife and i attempt to venture out a little bit into the world.  We both got our second vaccination shot back in March, so we've felt a little more comfortable hitting a brewery, so long as there's plenty of outdoor space to enjoy.  So for Mother's Day, we drove out into the country to Spicewood, Texas to hit up Frontyard Brewing.  Their beer has been circulating around Austin for a couple of years now, but this was our first trip out to their very pretty facility and taproom.  Beers and beautiful views of the Texas Hill Country were enjoyed, and naturally i brought some to-go brews back home with us.  And so we have the Rye IPA, a 9.1% ABV brew that pours gold with a white head and smells of citrus, pine, and a hint of spice.  The flavor is a good balance of said citrus and pine notes and the whole thing goes down smoother than one might expect given the high alcohol content.  A perfect weekend beer.

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903 Java The Hutt Stout

Over the last year+ of COVID inactivity, i have watched a lot of movies.  And i've had my fair share of beer.  And for some reason, nothing hits quite like a double feature of horror flicks and some strong and heavy stouts on a Friday night.  It has become a regular thing.  And one of the more recent brews is an imperial rye stout aged on coffee beans from 903 Brewers called Java the Hutt Stout.  The 12.6% ABV beer pours black with a tan head and smells of chocolate and roasted coffee.  The flavor is a roasty, delicious mix of said chocolate and coffee along with some dark fruit notes and a subtle hint of booze.  It's the perfect libation for watching mutants and untold gore on the screen.  At least for me it is.

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The Lost Abbey King of Tyre

I'm back on the Rare Beer Club train, my wife having re-enrolled me for it for my birthday last month.  And one of the brews from my first duo was the King of Tyre, a blended, barrel-aged barleywine from The Lost Abbey.  The 12% ABV brew pours a dark, cola brown with a light tan head and smells of molasses, caramel, and a little bit of oak and booze.  The flavor is a slightly creamy and slightly roasty mix of berries, vanilla, caramel, and some notes of booze.  It was a wonderful dinner beer.

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Red Horn Liquid Bake Sale Imperial Stout

One thing i absolutely adore about the craft beer community is just how communal it really is, people with a common love of beer coming together in good times and bad.  And the last year has proved just how vital that communal spirit can be.  COVID hit the industry hard, like it did a lot of things, and now the Texas Craft Brewers Guild, a non-profit trade association that works to advance the brewing industry through advocacy and education, has put together a fundraiser dubbed Liquid Bake Sale where craft brewers from all over the state brew special, original recipes using Texas grown malt to raise money to support the guild's mission.  And i was able to try my first last week from Red Horn.  Their brew is a 10% ABV imperial stout brewed with chocolate and peanuts, and it's a delicious treat of a desert.  The beer pours black with a tan head and smells of chocolate, peanuts, and malt.  Dark chocolate and peanut notes hit heavy on the tongue with some general roastiness in the mix as well.  It's rich and sweet but well balanced and a smooth drinker.  Wonderful.  Here's to sampling some Liquid Bake Sale goods from all over the state in the near future.

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Batch Tapped Imperial Stout

Back on Good Friday, the wife and kids and i all had the day off and a hankering for some kolaches.  There's a place in Austin called Batch that makes great kolaches, and as i recently discovered, also brews craft beer.  So we went to Batch...or we eventually got to Batch.  Life with kids a lot of the time means you arrive late.  Anyway, we arrived late, and i guess in a mad holiday, increasingly post-vax world, they were sold out of kolaches.  They still had beer though.  And i drank some, one of which was the delicious, 12% ABV imperial stout called Tapped.  Brewed with maple syrup and fermented on maple wood, the beer pours dark and thick with a light tan head and smells of malts, chocolate, and maple syrup.  The flavor is a velvety mix of chocolate and maple with a little hint of booze.  Great stuff for drinking on a day off from work...and at home.

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Megalodon Imperial Coffee Porter

It's always fun to drink a beer with can or bottle art that my kids are fascinated by.  And i guess if you put a picture of shark on the can, you're gonna have their attention.  It's cool when the beer is great too.  The Megalodon Imperial Coffee Porter from Virginia's Champion Brewing does it right, the 10% ABV brew pouring a dark, blackish brown with a tan head.  Aromas of roasted coffee beans, chocolate, and some hints of cream or vanilla hit the nose quick, and the flavor is heavy on the coffee and chocolate with some notes of cream and dark fruit that finishes just a little bit boozy.  Yum.

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Good Grief Fruited Strong Ale

Great things can happen when great minds come together.  At least that's the case with Good Grief, a fruited strong ale made in collaboration with 5 different Texas breweries to benefit first responders.  Coming to us from the good folks at Roughhouse Brewing (San Marcos), Jester King (Austin), Lazarus (Austin), Oddwood Ales (Austin), and True Anomaly Brewing (Houston), the 11% ABV brew pours a dark burgundy brown and smells of molasses, dark fruit, and a hint of oak.  The flavor is a complex mix of dark and stone fruits, tart black currants, oak and booze, and some nice hints of chocolate that starts sweet and finishes dry.  Delicious, and a damn good collaboration i must say.

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Main Boss Imperial Stout

So on Friday, i did something i didn't think i would ever do.  I sat and watched all 4+ hours of the "Justice League" Snyder cut.  It was fine.  Way, way too long, but it was fine.  I guess.  Anyway, getting me through the whole ordeal was the delicious and vicious Main Boss Imperial Stout, a collaborative beer between Minnesota's Fair State Brewing Cooperative and Iowa's Pulpit Rock Brewing.  The 12% ABV brew pours black with a dark tan head and smells of vanilla, brown sugar, and malt with some hints of fruit.  The flavor is sweet and syrupy, a thick liquid dessert of molasses and vanilla along with some chocolate notes and plenty of alcohol.  This one won't be for everyone, but it sure did make for a good companion during a 4-hour movie.

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Austin Beerworks Malt Dämon

Bringing in the Spring with a wonderful new brew from Austin Beerworks and their 7% ABV Maibock, Malt Dämon.  The beer pours a nice coppery brown with a white head and smells of malt and hops along with some floral notes.  The flavor is a sweet mix of malt, grain, and caramel that goes down smooth and feels like it needs to be drunk in a big beerhall or garden with a bunch of fellow revelers.  Get your vaccines so we can do that kind of thing again.  Prost!

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The Dude Imperial Milk Stout w/ Hazelnut, Vanilla Beans, Cocoa Nibs & Sea Salt

For the last few years, one of my favorite beers to come out of Austin's craft brew scene is The Dude, a White Russian inspired imperial milk stout from the good folks over at Pinthouse.  And a week ago, they released a small batch of the beer along with some wonderful variations, my favorite of which was brewed with hazelnut, vanilla beans, cocoa nibs, and sea salt.  The 10.5% ABV brew pours black with a light brown head and smells of chocolate and creamy vanilla.  The flavor is an all too smooth mix of those same chocolate and vanilla notes along with some hints of salt that really complement the sweetness.  I would have drunk these all night long.

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Tornado Shark Apple Brandy Barrel Aged Strong Ale

I'll admit it.  Sometimes a goofy name or some cool label art are enough to get me to try a beer.  And sometimes it pays off.  The Tornado Shark Apple Brandy Barrel Aged Strong Ale from Lone Pint was brewed in conjunction with the brewery's 7th anniversary, and it's a tasty celebration.  Pouring an amber-ish brown, the 8.3% brew smells of apple, cinnamon, and a little bit of booze.  The flavor is a nice mix of said apples and cinnamon, along with more notes of dark fruits, booze, and oak.  It makes for an excellent dinnertime beer.

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Left Hand Bittersweet Nitro Imperial Coffee Milk Stout

It's been a spell since i've had anything from Colorado's Left Hand Brewing, so i picked up a 4-pack of their Bittersweet Nitro Imperial Coffee Milk Stout.  And i'm glad i did.  The 8.9% ABV brew pours black with a beautiful off white head that bubbles forever as nitros are wont to do.  Aromas of coffee, vanilla, cream, and roasted malt abound.  The flavor is heavy on coffee and cream with some notes of caramel in the mix as well, finishing smooth and very balanced between the bitter and the sweet.  This beer is wonderful.

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I Love You This Much Commitment Imperial Stout with Raspberries

So whatever Valentine's Day plans my wife and i may have pretended to have yesterday were pretty much eliminated by ice and snow and freezing temperature.  That's okay though.  Chili and hanging out with kids and watching Nicolas Cage battle animatronic robots in "Willy's Wonderland" was probably what we would have ended up doing anyway.  I did get a Valentine's Day beer though with the delicious I Love You This Much Commitment Imperial Stout with Raspberries from the good folks at Saint Arnold.  The 12.8% ABV brew pours a dark brownish black with a tan head and smells of chocolate and raspberries.  The flavor is similar, lots of chocolate notes on the front with the raspberry flavor getting stronger as the beer warms to room temperature.  It's a warming brew to end a cold day.  Lovely.

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Full Grown Beast

Wanna get nuts?  Let's get nuts.  And let's do it by sipping on this 16.3% ABV monster of a brew from Tupps Brewery.  The Full Grown Beast is a bourbon barrel aged imperial stout brewed with coffee and chocolate and pours a dark, brownish black with a tan head.  The beer smells of said chocolate and coffee, along with some notes of dark fruit and plenty of oak and booze.  The flavor is the same and gets a little smoother as the beer warms to room temperature, though it's obvious you've got to watch out with this one.  Outstanding.

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Whitestone Ancho Chile & Toasted Coconut Imperial Stout

It's blowing my mind these days with many a local brewery celebrating a new milestone anniversary, a constant reminder that i'm always older than i think i am.  When i moved out to the 'burbs in Cedar Park, Whitestone Brewery was the new kid on the block, and a salvation of sorts as they were one of the only taprooms out my way.  And now they're five years old.  And to celebrate, last week they released a few new brews, one of which is the outstanding Ancho Chile & Toasted Coconut Imperial Stout.  The 10.5% ABV beer pours a dark black with a quickly dissipating tan head and smells of coconut with notes of chocolate, vanilla, and spice.  The flavor is a mix of said toasted coconut with some notes of malt and vanilla and a very pleasant amount of spice from the peppers that finishes surprisingly smooth.  Here's to five more years.

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Lazarus Samuel

Still running through my Christmas beer lineup, and fondly remembering my dinner selection with Samuel, an American wild ale from Lazarus Brewing.  The 7.1% ABV beer was brewed with Texas Satsuma oranges, grains of paradise, and some Brettannomyces, and pours a wonderful gold color with a white head.  Aromas of orange abound with some added notes of funkiness.  The flavor is a slightly tart and funky mix of orange and other fruit notes that finishes crisp and dry, a great dinner beer.

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Martin House Puppy Chow

I never knew i needed a beer with Chex in it, but here we are.  And Puppy Chow, an 8% ABV pastry stout from the weird and wild folks over at Martin House Brewing, certainly provides.  The beer pours a dark, inky brown with a light tan head and smells of chocolate, peanut butter, and cereal milk.  Brewed with said chocolate and peanut butter along with powdered sugar and Chex, sweet flavors abound but never get too out of control.  Everything is amazingly well balanced together.  Well done.

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