Acopon Old Pounder

Over the weekend, my wife and i celebrated 11 years of marriage by ditching the kids with their grandparents and venturing out into the Central Texas hill country to take in some breweries we'd not been to before.  Out of the bunch, my favorite was the relatively new (2 years old) Acopon Brewing in Dripping Springs.  Country meets goth in the best way possible.  I enjoyed everything i tried, but the brew that hit me in all the right spots was the Old Pounder, a 5.4% ABV old style ale and variation of an ESB.  Pouring a copperish brown with a white head, the beer smells of malts and notes of toffee and chocolate.  The flavor combines said malt with some biscuit notes and some subtle chocolate vibes.  Delicious.  I'm going to have make the drive back out there again and soon.

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Whistle Punk English Mild

In general, i'm a beer after noon kind of guy, though when vacation mode kicks in, sometimes that internal rule gets thrown to the wind, particularly when i come across something that just works for breakfast.  And that brings us to the English Mild from Spokane's Whistle Punk Brewing.  The 3.9% brew pours a lovely transparent and amber-ish brown with a white head and smells of lightly roasted malts, bread, and some very subtle hints of florals, herbs, and tea.  The flavor is earthy and  just slightly bitter, but with hints of caramel and plum, and the aforementioned herbal notes giving the brew an unsweetened tea feel, both in taste and the overall light mouthfeel, a wonderful accompaniment to any breakfast.

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Grain Shed Purple Egyptian

Whenever i travel, it's pretty much a given that i'm going to make it to a brewery or two or fifteen.  That's what i did in Spokane, Washington over the weekend, and out of all of the beer consumed, tried, and tasted, the Purple Egyptian from brewery/bakery called The Grain Shed left all other brews in the dust.  A 6% ABV old ale, the beer pours gold with a frothy, slightly off white head and smells of grain and notes of fruit and molasses.  The Purple Egyptian grains, harvested from the Nile River Valley in Egypt, bring out subtle dried fruit notes to the flavor, that along with the malts makes for an earthy, complex, yet very refreshing beer.  You could drink this one for breakfast...and we did.  I can't wait to get back there again.

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Renewal Tamarind Wheat Ale

While it doesn't fall into the normal seasonal dark brew fetish i usually employ this time of year, i simply could not pass up a new local brewer's wares, as this ongoing craft beer boom seems to be showing no signs of ending anytime in the immediate future.  And so we have 4th Tap Brewing Co-op and their Renewal Tamarind Wheat Ale.  The beer pours amber with minimal head and smells of bread, fruit, and spice.  The wheat is wholly evident in the beer's flavor with fruity sweet notes and an overall sourness that's quite pleasant.  Renewal is a late summer/early autumn brew, but seeing as i live in Texas, and it's supposed to be in the 70's this week, i'll take it anytime.

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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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Rapture Fusion Brown Ale

Last week, i was able to try a beer from a brewery i had not heard of yet, Rabbit Hole Brewing out of the Dallas/Fort Worth area.  Their Rapture Fusion Brown Ale is a delicious beer, a brown ale that's malty and roasty but with a citrus and hops bite.  Pouring a dark brown, the beer smells of malts and hops that are evident to the tongue as well.  Some bready notes are there as well.  What surprised me most was citrus and spice, giving the beer a way different character than your regular brown ale.  Nice stuff.

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Southern Tier 2XMAS Ale

So maybe this is a few days late, but it's still the holiday season, and i'm still enjoying all the Christmas beers i can get my grubby little hands on.  The 2XMAS Ale comes to us from New York's Southern Tier Brewery, and is a holiday treat indeed.  The beer pours a lovely amber with a bubbly, off-white head and smells of spices and fruits, almost like what you would get in a spiced cider.  The flavor consists of figs, orange, clover, and some back end hops to keep things from getting too terribly sweet.  This is a great brew to drink while sitting around the house with family, and at 8% ABV, you might as well get comfortable.

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Hale's Ales Kolsch

Still moving along on this Washington train of beers i dipped into last month, and one of my absolute favorites has to be the Hale's Ales Kolsch from Hale's Ales Brewery.  While imbibing a large number of different brews at the Bremerton Brewfest on an unseasonably hot day in the Pacific Northwest, the real standout of the afternoon was this wonderful German style ale.  It's refreshing and delicious and was a perfect concoction to drink on such a hot Saturday.  The beer looks of golden straw and smells sweet like honey.  The taste is predominantly sweet with hints of wheat and malt, and i easily could have spent all afternoon drinking this beer.  It's probably one of the best Kolsch style brews i've ever had the joy of drinking.  And, it has the notable distinction of being the only beer at the fest that i came back for seconds of.  Oh, how i wish i could get this in Texas.

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Odell 90 Shilling Ale

The 90 Shilling Ale from Colorado's Odell Brewing is not the best English/Scottish ale i've ever had in my life, but that doesn't mean it's not enjoyable.  The beer is a lovely amber with a white head that smells of grain and hints of caramel.  The taste is the same, but with some hints of bread and some medium bitterness from the hops.  Overall, a decent brew that was a great companion to making dinner last night.

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Uinta Hoodoo

German style Kolsch beer just makes me happy.  That's about all i need to say about it.  And the Hoodoo from Uinta Brewing in Utah does not disappoint.  A lovely, medium-bodied gold and cloudy brew with aromas of bread, yeast, and banana, the Hoodoo looks like a summer beer for the masses.  The taste is great mix of bread and malt with some high notes of fruity sweetness, some pear and banana.  It really hits the spot.  May my beer summer continue.

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Revolver Blood and Honey

image courtesy of dfw.com

As springtime makes way for summer, my beer palette opens wide for an array of delicious craft brews for a hot day.  Revolver Brewing out of Granbury, Texas (near Fort Worth) has just the thing...their Blood and Honey American Ale.  The beer is a hazy, foggy golden orange with a nice white head and smells of orange, citrus, and wheat.  The beer's taste is a fine mix of orange and citrus notes with some hints of honey and spice.  And it goes down smooth...almost too smooth, considering the 7% ABV alcohol content.  I could drink this beer all day long.  And you could too.

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King Street Brown Ale

And...i finally come to the last of my Pacific Northwest beers delivered to me by me friend and former roommate back in August.  It's been a fun run, and i end it all with a smooth and tasty brown ale from Schooner Exact Brewing Co.  The King Street Brown pours dark and amber with a light, quickly dissipating head.  The aroma is one of toffee, chocolate, malts, and syrup, all of which are represented in the flavor, but with an added hint of hazelnut and molasses.  It's sweet and tasty and only 5.5% ABV, so go nuts.  Hooray!

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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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Ninkasi Believer Double Red Ale

Oh Oregon.  You and your many, many, many breweries.  We love you.  And, i love that i was able to try the Believer Double Red Ale from Ninkasi Brewing Company.  This guy is tasty.  A mix of caramel, fig, other dark fruits, some chocolate, and hoppy, floral finish makes this beer a great post-meal treat.  A dark, coppery color and thick head add to the dessert-like feel.  I should warn you though, that even though the beer only comes in at 6.9% ABV, it feels like it could pack a wallop.  I wholeheartedly recommend this beer.  Get your ass to Eugene and try it.

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Quilter's Irish Death

Dark and smooth ales can be very dangerous if you don't tread lightly, thought they can also be awesome and delicious.  And so we have the Quilter's Irish Death from Iron Horse Brewery out of Ellensburg, Washington.  The brewers refer to this ale as "beer candy," and they're not that far off.  Aromas of oats and fruits give way to light carbonation, flavors of fig and cherry, and a rich alcohol flavor that packs a punch at first, but subsides as the brew settles in the glass.  It's got a 7.8% ABV and is a perfect post-meal/dessert beer.  Good stuff.

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The Sword Iron Swan Ale

The popularity of craft brews has really exploded recently all over the country, all over the state of Texas, all over Austin.  Hell, even our rock bands are getting in on it.  Austin stoner metal band The Sword have teamed with Blanco's Real Ale to give birth to a nice little concoction called The Sword Iron Swan Ale.  The beer is a dark amber, almost coppery color with a good head that dissipates quickly.  The aroma is of malts and earth, and the initial flavor is one of subtle sweetness (hints of fruit) and maltiness.  It finishes dry and bitter with just a little bit of spice.  This is a great medium-bodied beer that's way, way too easy to drink.  I give it my utmost stamp of approval.

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You may as well listen to the song that the beer gets its name from to really take it all in.

Pranqster Belgian Style Golden Ale

Like the Germans, the Belgians just know how to make good beer.  Rarely, if ever, have i found a Belgian ale that i didn't like.  Pranqster from North Coast Brewing is no different.  The blending of yeasts and hops and malts just work right.  This particular brew pours a lovely gold and carries hints of banana, wheat, and clove in its aroma.  The beer is sweetish (but not too sweet) with medium body and a slight aftertaste that makes you remember that you're drinking alcohol.  Top notch.

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Honker's Ale

The folks over at Chicago's Goose Island Brewing Co. have just recently moved their craft beverages into the Austin area, and after trying their Honker's Ale, i approve.  The beer is an English bitter that pours a golden caramel and gives off aromas and flavors of said caramel, some nuttiness, hints of citrus, and a light hop that finishes pretty dry.  It's a refreshing beer and easy to drink, and while it's not going to shock and awe you, it will definitely serve you in a pinch.

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Lagunitas WTF

I recently messed my finger up pretty good, and while wincing away through the pain, a good friend of my declared that the Wilco Tango Foxtrot (WTF) ale from Lagunitas Brewing would make me feel a thousand times better.  And it was just what the doctor ordered.  My finger is still a mess, and it still hurts, but i did manage to enjoy a tasty beer.  The WTF is a smooth ale, with plenty of malts to go around.  The initial aroma was one of hops, caramel, and hints of fruit (figs maybe?), while the taste was a good mix of the usual caramel you'd expect from a brown ale and the added oomph of citrus and orange.  This is a very tasty beer, and the hops never overwhelm, so it leaves a great aftertaste.  Definitely check this one out while you can.  (It's also relatively inexpensive!)

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Avery Samael's Oak Aged Ale

Now this is what i've been waiting for.  The good peeps and brew masters over at Avery Brewing Co. in Colorado have unleashed a series of "Demon Ales" upon an unsuspecting populace of beer drinkers.  And so we have Samael's Oak Aged Ale.  To start, this thing is over 15% ABV, so it packs a punch.  Taste wise, the first thing that hits the palette is a ton of caramel, followed by some hints of vanilla.  The malts take control of this beer, putting the hops in the backseat.  It's sweet, but not too sweet, as there seem to be some bittering agents in the mix to make the beer more complete.  All in all, it's a pretty tasty brew...and not to be trifled with.  The aroma is oak and pure alcohol.  It almost smells like caramel and scotch, and i wholeheartedly approve of that.

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