Whitestone Ancho Chile & Toasted Coconut Imperial Stout

It's blowing my mind these days with many a local brewery celebrating a new milestone anniversary, a constant reminder that i'm always older than i think i am.  When i moved out to the 'burbs in Cedar Park, Whitestone Brewery was the new kid on the block, and a salvation of sorts as they were one of the only taprooms out my way.  And now they're five years old.  And to celebrate, last week they released a few new brews, one of which is the outstanding Ancho Chile & Toasted Coconut Imperial Stout.  The 10.5% ABV beer pours a dark black with a quickly dissipating tan head and smells of coconut with notes of chocolate, vanilla, and spice.  The flavor is a mix of said toasted coconut with some notes of malt and vanilla and a very pleasant amount of spice from the peppers that finishes surprisingly smooth.  Here's to five more years.

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Whitestone Rated R

There's a lot going on right now.  A lot.  I found myself fighting an oncoming panic attack every other day.  At least i'm drinking more.  Anyhoo, Cedar Park's Whitestone Brewing recently released an insane blended brew called Rated R (the R stands for Ridiculous).  The beer is concocted from 6 different barrel aged brews, as follows:

1. Melted Snowman (winter warmer) aged in Treaty Oak rum barrel for 5 months.
2. Slappin' Da Base Russian Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrel for 12 months.
3. Lovely Day IPA aged in Treaty Oak rum barrel for 27 months.
4. 1431 Amber Ale aged in Madeira wine barrel for 27 months.
5. Boondoggle Brown Ale aged in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrel for 29 months.
6. A different batch of Boondoggle Brown Ale aged in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrel for 29 months.

The 10% beer pours brownish black with an off white head and smells of rum, oak, and vanilla.  The flavor is a complex and boozy mix of rum, bourbon, and oak along with notes of dark fruit, malt, and maybe a hundred other things.  The dark ale is probably not for everyone, but i found it to be delicious and unique.

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Moondog Imperial Stout

Earlier this week i turned 41, and what better way to celebrate getting one year closer to leaving this mortal coil than by ending the evening with a delicious brew.  The brew in question this year comes from Whitestone Brewing here in Cedar Park and their Moondog Imperial Stout, a milk stout brewed with fig and coconut.  The 11.5% ABV beer pours black with a tan head and smells of figs and molasses with some hints of vanilla and booze.  The flavor is sweet, heavy on the fig, with a boozy finish.  Wonderful.

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Whitestone Keyboard Gangsta West Coast Hazy IPA

Taking a short break from pumpkin ales and Oktoberfests to enjoy a hazy dream from Whitestone Brewery.  A fusion of styles (West Coast and hazy/juicy), the Keyboard Gangsta West Coast Hazy IPA pours a fuzzy, hazy (naturally) gold and smells of citrus, tropical fruit, hops, and florals.  The full-bodied, 6.5% ABV brew mixes those same citrus, fruit, hop, and floral notes into a wonderful and tasty beverage that ends with a lingering bitterness.  Good, good stuff, and a nice switch off from my usual Autumnal beer choices.

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Whitestone Quadrivium Series #4

With all of the ups and downs that 2018 has provided us so far, a veritable roller coaster of awfulness, one constant good note (in Central Texas anyway) has been the Quadrivium Series, a string of barrel-aged Belgian Quads released by Whitestone Brewery over the last few months.  The Quad is one of my favorite styles of beer, and these bottles have been delightful, aged in bourbon barrels, rum barrels, or a combination of the two for three months.  The fourth and final bottle in this series was aged for six months in Madeira wine barrels, and is a wonderful way to finish things off.  Pouring a dark, dark brown with an off white head, this 10% ABV darling has an aroma of oak, brown sugar, and hints of fruit and wine.  The flavor is a strong mix of the aforementioned oak and sugar with some dark fruit notes and an underlying sweetness that never overwhelms.  I need more of these, and i'll be making sure to procure them for as long as they last.

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Whitestone Quadrivium Series #1

I've been meaning to write about this brew for a while now, but for some reason kept getting sidetracked or distracted the last few weeks.  So today's the day...and it's probably not even available anymore.  Anyway, back at the start of the new year, i was fortunate enough to score a bottle of Whitestone Brewery's Quadrivium Series #1 (of 4) from the taproom in Cedar Park.  The beer is a 10% ABV Belgian Quad aged in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels...and it's fantastic.  Pouring a dark brown color with some amber hints and a white head, the brew smells of malt, molasses, oak, and bourbon.  The flavor is a lovely mix of brown sugar, caramel, malt, and some notes of booze, but much smoother than anticipated.  A perfect beer for the end of winter.  I wish i had bought more.  In the meantime, i should probably get myself back there to get bottle #2.  Great job Whitestone.

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Whitestone Melted Snowman Winter Warmer

Generally speaking, having kids means New Year's Eve is spent at home...on the sofa...often struggling to stay awake before midnight.  And i'm okay with that.  I am perfectly content to sit and watch a movie with my wife, winter brew in hand, fire burning, and then call it a night.  BUT, it's still nice to get out every now and then...sans kids.  Yesterday while my older son was being entertained with some of his aunts and my younger one was napping at home with a grandmother, the wife and i made it out of the house for a couple of hours to ring in the new year at around 4PM.  It was great, the crowds super manageable, football still on the TV, ice and snow not yet on the ground, and the wonderful and delicious Melted Snowman Winter Warmer from Whitestone Brewery in Cedar Park, Texas.  The beer pours a dark brown with subtle hints of amber and a nice, frothy white head.  Aromas of roasted malt, nutmeg, and cinnamon abound, while subtle caramel and coffee notes combine with the aforementioned spices in a smooth, 7.4% ABV brew.  Sweet and roasty, this is one i'm going to want to revisit before the heat returns.  Happy New Year!

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Whitestone Peach Tart Saison

It was a lovely day in central Texas yesterday, sunny and warm with a windy breeze that made for perfect patio drinking weather.  I was fortunate enough to make it out to Cedar Park's Whitestone Brewery with the wife and kids for a crawfish boil, courtesy of Jimmy Vega, and some delicious brews to pair with all the mud bugs and sausage.  I found the brewery's seasonal Peach Tart Saison, a sweet and sour 7% ABV libation, to be a wonderful post boil beverage.  Pouring a cloudy gold with a slight bubbly head, the beer smells of peaches with hints of spice and a little yeast and bread.  The flavor start sweet, the peaches up front, but the sours up with some swirls of citrus and some champagne-like kicks.  I certainly need to get back there soon.  Hooray for beer in the suburbs!

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