Buffalo Bayou Raspberry Rotundone

With much of my state still underwater, and as post storm hardships begin in earnest, i figured i would leave the Pacific Northwest and come back to Texas this week, and Houston in particular.  As the city and the surrounding areas start to cope and rebuild, maybe imbibe one of the community's finer wares if they're accessible to you.  A great one to start with is the delicious Raspberry Rotundone Saison from Buffalo Bayou Brewing.  The beer pours a beautiful reddish hue with a foamy off-white head and smells of fruit, spice, a hint of earthiness, and lots and lots of raspberries (naturally).  The raspberries are at the forefront of the brew's flavor, meshing with a slight tartness and notes of spice.  As the beer warms, those spicy notes get stronger, leaving the whole affair with a much dryer finish than expected.  If you can, drink one of these 9% ABV wonders today, and then maybe donate some money to relief efforts.

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Figaro Figaro Figaro FIIIGAAARO Quad

When my wife and i moved into our home a year and a half ago, we noticed that we had a fruit-bearing tree in our back yard that yielded us plenty of...something.  It took a little research, but evidently we have a loquat tree, and until last year, i had never had a loquat before.  They are pretty tasty, a quick blast of sweet and tart that i am now contemplating harvesting and brewing into a homemade beer of sorts.  Unfortunately, i've still got over a case of my last home batch of Christmas Ale to get through before i can start brewing again (i need the bottles), so i may be freezing some fruit soon.

Anyway, that was a long and rambling introduction to get to talking about Buffalo Bayou's wonderful quadrupel ale brewed with figs, the aptly named Figaro Figaro Figaro FIIIGAAARO.  This 11% ABV treat pours a dark, reddish brown with a foamy white head and smells of dark fruits, malts, and notes of fig and yeast.  The flavor is full of fig and other dark fruit notes, as well as spicy yeast and bread notes like what you would get in an abbey ale.  All in all, a great post dinner brew that's way stronger than it tastes.

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Buffalo Bayou Black Raz

Every now and then, a beer can totally serve as a desert, something thick and sweet to end a meal or evening with.  The Black Raz, a delicious chocolate raspberry stout from Houston's Buffalo Bayou Brewing, has you covered.  The beer pours dark black with a nice tan head and smells of roasted malt, raspberry, and hints of vanilla, toffee, and other fruit.  The flavor is a lovely mix of malt, chocolate, raspberry, and cherry that's sweet, but with a roasty back end, and all in an 8% ABV package.  Nothing overpowers.  All in all, a wonderful stout.

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Buffalo Bayou Mud Turtle

Christmas has come and gone.  George Michael has left us.  2016's reign of terror continues.  What better time to drink the ills and toils away?  I drank all kinds of great stuff over the Christmas holiday, but the winner would have to be the Mud Turtle from Houston's Buffalo Bayou Brewing.  A Scotch ale weighing in at 9.2% ABV, the beer pours a dark, dark brown and smells wonderfully of caramel, dark fruits, molasses, and chocolate.  The chocolate is more prevalent in the flavor of the brew, dark and rich, meshing with the caramel notes and closing with a nutty, pecan finish.  This was a perfect beer to sip on while cooking Christmas dinner.  I need another.

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Sam's Daily American Cream Ale

It gets hot here in Central Texas, and sometimes you just need a beer to beat the heat.  Sam's Daily, an American Cream Ale from Houston's Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co. will do just that.  The brew pours gold with a frothy head and smells simply of hops and malt.  As far as flavor goes, the beer tastes like something you'd drink on a June day at the ball park, or resting on a lawn chair after a long afternoon of yard work.  Sam's Daily is a sessionable brew, but at 5.8% ABV, it will still let you know it's there.

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1836 Copper Ale

Houston's Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co. scores with their 1836 Copper Ale, a serendipitous blend of styles in a tasty penny-colored beer.  The beer smells of yeast and hops with some bread and spice notes hitting the nose instantly.  The crisp body highlights flavors of caramel and toffee, and orange and citrus that work together in harmony creating a brew that is easily drinkable, but also complex.  A total spring/summer beer, i look forward to drinking this at many an upcoming barbecue.

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