Off Label Boomstick Double Black Rye Coffee IPA

No Label Brewing out of Katy, Texas periodically releases one-off batches of interesting brew concoctions on their Off Label series.  Their Boomstick Double Black Rye Coffee IPA is a mouthful, both in name and flavor.  Pouring a dark, blackish brown with a light head, the aroma of coffee and hops are immediately detectable...and they smell good.  Flavors of bread, malt, coffee, and spicy hops are abundant with some slight caramel and floral notes.  This is an interesting brew, taking bits and pieces from a whole slew of other styles to craft a veritable Frankenstein's Monster of a beer.  Somehow, all these different things work together though, and the brew is an excellent beverage to start or end an evening with.

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Off Label Nightmare on 1st Street Imperial Pumpkin Ale

There are a lot of beer snobs out there that turn their noses up at pumpkin ales.  I am not one of those beer snobs.  I love pumpkin ales...of all kind...of any kind.  And over the last few years, they have begun to sprout up in the fall like weeds, brewery after brewery creating their own pumpkin concoctions.  Magnificent.  No Label Brewing out of Katy, Texas just released one of my new favorites on their small batch, Off Label series, an imperial pumpkin ale called Nightmare on 1st Street.  The brew pours a dark amber and smells malts, molasses, spices, and...you guessed it...pumpkin.  Flavors of malt, cinnamon and clove, caramel, and...you guessed it again...pumpkin spices compliment each other swimmingly in this 9.27% ABV brew.  Get it while you can.  Yum.

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Forbidden Lavender

I like breweries that really put themselves out there by taking chances with odd or tweaked ideas.  Katy, Texas's No Label Brewing's seasonal offering this summer is a Belgian-style witbier brewed with lavender instead of coriander, and it's a slightly off-kilter, subtle, and wonderful beer for this time of year.  Pouring a nice, clear gold with a white, bubbly head, the beer smells of wheat with hints of honey and vanilla...and of course lavender.  The flavor is similar.  The lavender never overpowers, but it certainly lets you know it's there.  All in all, this is a great summer beer to sip on the porch while the sun goes down.

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Black Wit-O

No Label Brewing Company continue to support my belief that they are the only good thing to ever come out of the city of Katy, Texas (for any of you non-Texans out there, Katy is a suburb of Houston).  The latest concoction of theirs that i've been lucky enough to enjoy is the Black Wit-O, a dark wheat ale.  The beer is very dark with a light, quickly dissipating head.  The aroma is light, malty, and vaguely toffee-ish.  As for the taste, the beer is a smooth mix of the aforementioned toffee, caramel, coffee, chocolate, and malts, with a slight hoppy kick to remind you that you're drinking a beer after all.  It would go great with steak, and porter fans will enjoy.

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El Hefeweizen

And my summer beer binge continues...i know it's April, but it gets hot here early.  I've been doing this beer blog for over a year now, and looking back, i don't think i've ever posted about a Hefeweizen before, and that's a damn shame.  They're great for hot weather, sweet and refreshing, and Katy, Texas' No Label Brewing has the best named one i've ever come across...El Hefeweizen.  Aside from its fantastic name, the beer tastes good too.  Overtones of citrus and banana mix well with the malts and the ever slight sour flavor from the yeast.  And like last week's Summer Shandy, this is a great starting beer for people who don't usually drink it.  Sitting on a covered patio, you'll knock a slew of these things out easy.  Who would have thought something good would come out of Katy?

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