Community Barrel-Aged Mocha Legion

While it's warming up, and my weekend daytime palate usually consists of lagers and IPAs, evenings at home (all of them these days) call for something a little more robust.  And i can think of nothing better to sip while watching Joe Bob Briggs on a Friday night or a 10-part Michael Jordan documentary on a Sunday than Community Beer Co's Barrel-Aged Mocha Legion, a tasty 12% ABV Russian Imperial Stout that totally rounds out my weekends.  The beer pours a dark black with a beige head and smells of chocolate, malt, oak, booze, and a hint of coffee.  The flavor is heavy on the chocolate and oak, but with the malt balancing it out, the booziness hitting on the back end, and subtle notes of coffee and toffee throughout.  Sip slow and enjoy.

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Community 3D IPA

I've been an a hazy and juicy IPA trip of late.  Well, really for the last couple of years, as has the craft brew industry at large, but over the weekend i went with something a little more intense.  The 3D IPA, a triple IPA from Community Beer, uses 6 different kind of hops to wallop the senses.  Pouring an amberish gold with a big white head, the beer smells sweet, notes of pineapple, melon, and some tropical fruits abounding, along with some hints of malt and a subtle dankness.  The flavor is similar to the nose, the pineapple notes hitting first, followed by a warm alcohol feel and some caramel notes.  It's an interesting, heavy brew, 12% ABV with a veritable explosion of sweet, bitter, and booze on the tongue.  Give it a shot, but tread carefully.  And enjoy the pair of 3D glasses that come with the 4-pack.

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Community Silly Gose

Gose style brews are pretty much a perfect kind of beverage for summertime...if you're into saltiness and tartness and all of that good stuff.  Over the weekend, i had some Silly Gose, a salty and tart wheat beer brewed with tangerines and apricots from Dallas's Community Beer Co.  Pouring gold with a white head, the 5% ABV brew smells of tropical fruit and bread with some hints of overall sourness.  The taste is tart, but never overly so, the fruit notes meshing well with the sour and salt, and with a light bodied and crisp finish.  It's a great backyard brew.

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Community Razzy Witbier

This last weekend brought chocolate, candy, eggs, and other assorted Easter goodies, a threat of rain that never materialized, a large family lunch cooked by yours truly, and a delicious, ultra-sessionable raspberry witbier to wet my whistle (on Saturday at least, as i upped my game into barrel aged stouts on Sunday).  Dallas' Community Beer Co's Razzy Wit is a 5.5% ABV day drinker that pours a gorgeous, reddish gold with a quickly dissipating white head.  The brew smells of wheat, spice, citrus, fruit, and raspberries, and the flavor is a wonderful blend of citrus, light tartness, hints of coriander, and raspberry notes that never get too sweet or overpower the rest of the beer.  Finishing crisp, dry, and light-bodied, i easily could have drunk this all weekend long.  Maybe next weekend.

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Community Snickerdoodle Ale

Christmas may be in our rear view now, but i had to get in just one more holiday ale before the oncoming later winter months and the beginning of spring bring us a slew of lagers, pales, and IPA's to whet our whistles.  And so, i present the Snickerdoodle Ale, a 5.2% sweet treat from Community Beer Company.  The brew pours a light crisp gold with a frothy white head and smells of sugar, cinnamon, and light bread notes.  Cinnamon and vanilla are most prevalent in the flavor, though the malt and bread notes keep everything surprisingly balanced.  I enjoyed this beer far more than i thought i would, and it made for delicious offering over the holiday break.  Find some while you can.

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Community Barrel-Aged Legion

It's been a busy 10 days.  I became a dad again, and combined with all the day to day bull one has to take care of and the joy and struggle (mostly joy) of raising a toddler, i haven't had a lot of time to drink any beer.  So, when i get to sneak one in, i've got to make it count.  And at 11.6% ABV, the Barrel-Aged Legion from Community Beer Co. certainly does just that.  A dark and tasty Russian Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels, the beer pours black with a brownish tan head, and smells of roasty malts and notes of coffee, cocoa, and vanilla.  Those aspects are also present in the taste, mixing deliciously with hints of dark fruit and bourbon.  This is a complex brew, a wonderful slow sipper that's smooth and finishes with just the right amount of bitterness.  Well done.

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