Southern Heights Este Lager

As my summer brewery tour comes to its eventual close next weekend, i managed to knock off 3 more over the weekend, one of which was Austin's Southern Heights Brewing.  The place had a cool and relaxed vibe and some tasty brews.  One i enjoyed in particular, especially in this 100+ degree weather we've been struggling through of late, is the Este Lager, a 5.25% ABV Mexican style lager brewed with corn...or i guess maize if we're gonna be legit.  Light, refreshing, and summery, the beer pours a nice, clear straw color with a quickly dissipating white head.  A slightly sweet aroma of malt and grain prevails, with those same notes hitting the tongue.  Basically, it smells and tastes like a great beer, and it's a perfect brew for summertime.

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Cigar City Tampa-Style Lager

I'm not sure exactly what a Tamp-style lager is, but evidently i quite enjoy it.  Pumpkin ales and Oktoberfests have been hitting the shelves the last couple of weeks, but it's still soooooo hot.  And 100 degree days generally call for lighter, crisper, easier beers, so i've been drinking Tampa brewer Cigar City's Tampa-Style Lager all summer long.  The Helles-leaning beer pours a light, transparent gold with a full and frothy white head and smells of light floral and grain.  Hints of grass, lemon, and spice are evident in the flavor and the 4.5% ABV brew finishes off crisp and refreshing.  I have yet to ever have anything less than excellent from the folks at Cigar City, and this summertime beer is no exception.

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Stone & NOFX Punk in Drublic Hoppy Lager

At the grocery store the other day, strolling through the beer aisle, searching for something tasty for the weekend, and i was juggling a handful of different brews, all the while the inner '90s teenager within my brain screaming at me to get the NOFX beer.  So, i got the NOFX beer, and true to form from the longstanding Stone Brewing, it did not disappoint.  The Stone & NOFX Punk in Drublic Hoppy Lager, named for the punk band's 1994 album of the same name, pours a crystal clear gold with a foamy white head.  Aromas of grass and bread prevail with some herbal hints and maybe some pine notes in the mix as well, while the flavor of this 5.8% ABV brew is akin to something like a strong pilsner, a mesh of bready malt, spicy hops, and a hint of citrus all with a crisp and bitter finish.  This is an awesome spring brew, and i'm looking forward to cracking open a few more of these in the near future.

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And watch the old video for NOFX's "Leave it Alone" below.

Silver City Wonderland Winter Lager

I'm gonna sneak in a couple more winter/holiday brews while i still can.  It's warming up around here, so my window is closing.  Because i have amazing friends (Aleena, you're the best!), i got a little stockpile of Washington beers for Christmas that i've been enjoying immensely.  First at bat was the Wonderland Winter Lager from the always dependable Silver City Brewing.  This 7% ABV Vienna-stile lager brewed with 5 different German and domestic malts pours a lovely brown with a minimal white head.  Aromas of malt, spices, and chocolate abound.  The flavor is malty mix of chocolate notes, caramel, dark fruit, molasses, and spice, with just a hint of booze.  What a fantastic winter time brew!

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Hops & Grain River Beer

It sure does get hot here in Central Texas, as we've repeatedly breached 90 degrees a few times in the last couple of weeks, and it's not even June yet.  That being said, we certainly seem to enjoy spending our days off outside in the sun, in parks, backyards, local swimming holes, and tubing any and all nearby rivers.  And beer is usually in the equation.  But you need something easy to drink and something sessionable enough as to not knock you on your ass before the sun sets.  And as we're craft beer drinkers around here (though Lone Star will always have a special place in my heart), offerings from the "big three" will not do.  Fear not, as Austin's Hops & Grain now have a delicious take on the American Lager we all grew up drinking, the River Beer.  This 5.2% ABV brew pours a beautiful crystal clear light gold with a foamy and bubbly white head and smells of light notes of grain and citrus.  Crisp and light bodied, the beer is subtly sweet at first with a dab of bitterness on the back end.  It basically tastes like beer.  Good beer.  I wish this had been around when i was in high school.

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Phoenix Vienna Style Lager

One of the cool things about writing a beer blog (even if i don't have a vast readership) is that the friends and family that read it will sometimes send beer my way.  From Coachella Valley Brewing Co. comes the Phoenix Vienna Style Lager, a tasty and spicy 6.5% ABV beer that i may certainly have to drink again if ever i'm back in California.  The brew pours an amber hue with a very foamy white head and smells of spicy hops with hints of bread and fruit.  The flavor is full of spice with toffee and fruit notes.  Brewed with dates, the beer is a pretty refreshing libation, and would pair well with spicy food.  Much thanks to Gary and Noma.

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Austin Beerworks Con Beer

A couple of weeks ago, i made it out to Mondocon III, the third annual festival of pop culture art put on by the good folks from Mondo.  Aside from all of the wonderful and awesome prints and soundtrack LPs available from a plethora of great artists, the convention also garnered up a specially made brew from Austin Beerworks, the Con Beer.  This hoppy lager comes in at 5.5% ABV, and kicks it like a lighter, smoother version of an IPA.  Aromas and flavors of citrus and hops dominate, but in a sessionable kind of way, a great beverage for these endless central Texas summers.  Mondocon is over until next year, but the remaining kegs of beer have made their way to local Alamo Drafthouses here in the Austin area.  Get to it.

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Beer Thousand

I didn't even know this beer existed until a friend brought it over on Saturday night, Beer Thousand, a limited edition lager from Dogfish Head Brewing celebrating the 20th anniversary of of the 1994 Guided By Voices album, "Bee Thousand."  And it's a beast.  Though it smells and looks like Miller Lite, the brew is actually a double imperial American pilsner, using a multitude of different hops and spices and comes in at a powerful 10% ABV.  Hints of honey, citrus, fruit, and malt makes for a tasty beverage, and the alcohol is very evident.  Probably one of the best lagers i've ever had, and sadly, i will probably never get to have it again...unless you have some and want to send it to me.  Do you?

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Chang Beer

So i'm venturing outside of my normal local wares and craft brews to celebrate something from the far east.  Chang Beer comes to us from Thailand's Cosmos Brewery and i must say that it pairs wonderfully with Thai cuisine.  It's a light tasting gold lager with a quickly dissipating white head and tastes almost sweet with a champagne-like feel.  There are some subtle hints of rice in the mix too.  All in all, a very cold and refreshing beer and the perfect antidote to a searing spicy meal.  One could easily drink a ton of these, so make sure you pace yourself.

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