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.

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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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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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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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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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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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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Red Horn Cultivating Mass

Normally in the middle of August, i'm starting to get excited about the upcoming Oktoberfest/pumpkin ale onslaught of the fall...but as it turns out, that stuff is already on the shelves.  It feels too early for it.  I mean, i bought some and drank it already, but it still feels too early.  Anyway, it's never too early for a good stout, and the good folks at Red Horn in collaboration with Turning Point Beer have a whopper with Cultivating Mass, 14% ABV cookies n' cream imperial stout.  The brew pours black with a tan head smells of chocolate, vanilla, and a little bit of marshmallow.  The flavor follows suit and is amazingly smooth considering the alcohol content.  It will sneak up on you.  So sip it slow and enjoy.

Camp Fires and Ghost Stories

First off, dig on that "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" can art.  I am eternally a fan of the dark and heavy stuff, even in the blistering months of summer, so a s'mores brew felt like the way to go.  Camp Fires and Ghost Stories from Ingenious Brewing in Humble, Texas is an imperial milk stout brewed with chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers.  The 10% ABV brew pours a dark, blackish brown with a tan head and smells of chocolate, malt, molasses, and graham cracker.  The flavor is a solid mix of said chocolate and graham cracker with some notes of vanilla and caramel.  No false advertising here, it's basically a s'more in stout form.

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Batch Schinus Pilser

It's summertime, and while we've been unseasonably cool in Central Texas the last couple of weeks, all while the Northwest burns, i can only assume it's going to be hot as blazes here again soon.  It always does.  It's one of the reasons we drink a lot of sessionable, crushable beers around these parts.  And one such sessionable, crushable brew comes from the good folks at Batch Kolaches.  The Schinus Pilsner pours a slightly hazy straw color with a white head and smells of peppercorn, lemon, and a light spice.  The flavor is like a well balanced pilsner but with some peppercorn and light citrus in the mix.  I can't find any info on what the ABV is, but this one drinks crisp and easy, perfect for a hot summer.

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Lorelei Brewing Ephyra Double IPA

My vacation is coming to a close, reaching its sunset this evening with the real world waiting in the wings tomorrow morning.  Trying not to let that bring me down, while drinking the last of the beer we brought home with us from Corpus Christi.  And the Ephyra Double IPA from Lorelei Brewing is doing the best it can to ease the pain.  The 9% ABV brew pours a light caramel color with a white head and smells of tropical fruits and a little bit of pine.  The flavor is a mix of pineapple, grapefruit, pine, and a hint of alcohol, a real nice summertime brew.  Now i'm gonna go grab the last of them and enjoy the day.

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Saint Arnold Old Fashioned

A thing i've discovered about myself over the last year is that if a brewery makes a beer that's modeled after the Old Fashioned cocktail, i'm probably going to drink the hell out of it.  Back at Christmas time, it was the Old Fashioned Holiday from Bell's, and now it's Saint Arnold's Old Fashioned, a rye whiskey barrel aged barleywine with orange peel.  The 12.9% brew pours a nice amber hue with a white, quickly dissipating head and smells like an Old Fashioned, notes of molasses, dark fruit, oak, and whiskey.  The flavor is also very much like the cocktail, those same notes of molasses and dark fruit mingling nicely with the oak from the whiskey barrels, along with some other hints of toffee and spice.  Here's hoping this kicks off a new trend in craft beer.

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Austin Beerworks Peak Physique Triple IPA

I got to play the role of single dad this weekend with my two boys.  We went swimming.  We ordered pizza.  We watched "Predator."  Good times.  And i ended the evenings with one or two of these bad boys, the Peak Physique Triple IPA from Austin Beerworks.  The 11% ABV brew pours a nice golden color with a white head and smells of citrus, tropical fruit, pine, and hops.  The flavor is a good balance of pineapple, grapefruit and pine that lingers on the tongue well after the beer is finished.  Really a great brew all around.

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Equal Parts Three Seashells Summer Pale Ale

Just got back from a long holiday weekend in Houston full of museums, zoos, swimming, family, old friends, and of course...beer.  Three Seashells Summer Pale Ale from Equal Parts Brewing proved to be a great brew to kick off the summer with, a 6.3% ABV pale that pours gold with a white head and smells of hops, citrus, melon, and lemongrass.  The flavor is a crisp and refreshing mix of said citrus and lemongrass along with some spicy notes to keep things real.  May the summer bring me more beers like this one.

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903 Milkshake and Fries

My wife and my kids all do that thing where they stick their French fries into their shakes or Frosties or whatever from the drive thru.  It's not my thing, but i don't judge, especially when i'm buying beer that's essentially a take on that whole process.  And so we have the Milkshake and Fries stout from 903 Brewers, a milk stout brewed with chocolate soft serve and sea salt.  The 10.7% ABV brew pours black with an off-white head and smells of malts and chocolate.  The flavor is a sweet mix of said malt and chocolate with some mild hints of saltiness to balance it all out.  And it never really feels as strong as it is, so watch out.  But also enjoy.

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Frontyard Brewing Rye IPA

The past couple of months have seen the wife and i attempt to venture out a little bit into the world.  We both got our second vaccination shot back in March, so we've felt a little more comfortable hitting a brewery, so long as there's plenty of outdoor space to enjoy.  So for Mother's Day, we drove out into the country to Spicewood, Texas to hit up Frontyard Brewing.  Their beer has been circulating around Austin for a couple of years now, but this was our first trip out to their very pretty facility and taproom.  Beers and beautiful views of the Texas Hill Country were enjoyed, and naturally i brought some to-go brews back home with us.  And so we have the Rye IPA, a 9.1% ABV brew that pours gold with a white head and smells of citrus, pine, and a hint of spice.  The flavor is a good balance of said citrus and pine notes and the whole thing goes down smoother than one might expect given the high alcohol content.  A perfect weekend beer.

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