Barrel Aged Black Metal

Way back in the long ago when i first started getting into craft beer, there were only a handful of places in the greater Austin area to get it.  There were a couple of bottle shops that were actually gas stations with impressive beer selections, a couple of pubs with the same, and a small smattering of breweries whose taprooms were makeshift affairs, picnic tables in parking lots and whatnot.  Jester King was out in the country, a farmhouse with picnic tables on ranchland instead of asphalt.  It was a meager operation back in the day, especially compared to their layout and spread now, and it's where i tried their Black Metal imperial stout for the first time some 10 or so years ago.  One of my all time favorites, even if the style is not quite in the brewer's wheelhouse anymore these days.  Recently, they teamed with Tulsa's American Solera for a barrel aged version of the brew, and i was fortunate enough to get a bottle over the holiday.  The 12% ABV brew pours black with very little head, a thin, brown fizz that dissipates almost as quickly as it appears.  Aromas of chocolate, vanilla, nuts, and alcohol are present, with the flavor following the nose, a kind of boozy mix of chocolate, hazelnut, and oak, something nice to sip on during the melee of Christmas.

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I never would have thought i'd still be writing this blog 10 years later when i started it back in the day.  It's been a lot of fun, and i hope that any of you that ever came across it were able to try some of these wonderful beers.  Signing off.

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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