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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Werewolves of Austin

It's Fall which means i'm still very much grooving on the darker brews most of the time, but it's also Central Texas which means it's still warm, so i'm also still very much grooving on citrusy IPA's.  And so we have the Werewolves of Austin Hazy IPA from Austin's Oddwood Ales, a 6.4% ABV brew that utilizes New Zealand hops to create one tasty libation.  The beer pours a hazy, goldish orange with a frothy white head and smells of pineapple, mango, berries, and citrus.  The flavor is a burst of those same notes with some maltiness on the backend to ground things, making for a real smooth and easy drinker.

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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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Oddwood Ales Green Hill Zone IPA

I started my vacation officially at 5PM on Saturday, and the first thing i did was make my way over to Austin's Oddwood Ales for the first time to meet some friends from out of town and enjoy a beer.  The place was pretty cool, and the beer was great.  The 6% ABV Green Hill Zone IPA really hit the spot too.  Pouring a hazy gold with decent white head, the beer smelled of citrus, orange, and pineapple, with those same notes at the forefront on the tongue with just a hint of bitterness.  A smooth, easy drinking IPA i'm sure i will want to enjoy once it starts getting hot around here.

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