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.

Red Horn Liquid Bake Sale Imperial Stout

One thing i absolutely adore about the craft beer community is just how communal it really is, people with a common love of beer coming together in good times and bad.  And the last year has proved just how vital that communal spirit can be.  COVID hit the industry hard, like it did a lot of things, and now the Texas Craft Brewers Guild, a non-profit trade association that works to advance the brewing industry through advocacy and education, has put together a fundraiser dubbed Liquid Bake Sale where craft brewers from all over the state brew special, original recipes using Texas grown malt to raise money to support the guild's mission.  And i was able to try my first last week from Red Horn.  Their brew is a 10% ABV imperial stout brewed with chocolate and peanuts, and it's a delicious treat of a desert.  The beer pours black with a tan head and smells of chocolate, peanuts, and malt.  Dark chocolate and peanut notes hit heavy on the tongue with some general roastiness in the mix as well.  It's rich and sweet but well balanced and a smooth drinker.  Wonderful.  Here's to sampling some Liquid Bake Sale goods from all over the state in the near future.

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Good Grief Fruited Strong Ale

Great things can happen when great minds come together.  At least that's the case with Good Grief, a fruited strong ale made in collaboration with 5 different Texas breweries to benefit first responders.  Coming to us from the good folks at Roughhouse Brewing (San Marcos), Jester King (Austin), Lazarus (Austin), Oddwood Ales (Austin), and True Anomaly Brewing (Houston), the 11% ABV brew pours a dark burgundy brown and smells of molasses, dark fruit, and a hint of oak.  The flavor is a complex mix of dark and stone fruits, tart black currants, oak and booze, and some nice hints of chocolate that starts sweet and finishes dry.  Delicious, and a damn good collaboration i must say.

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Main Boss Imperial Stout

So on Friday, i did something i didn't think i would ever do.  I sat and watched all 4+ hours of the "Justice League" Snyder cut.  It was fine.  Way, way too long, but it was fine.  I guess.  Anyway, getting me through the whole ordeal was the delicious and vicious Main Boss Imperial Stout, a collaborative beer between Minnesota's Fair State Brewing Cooperative and Iowa's Pulpit Rock Brewing.  The 12% ABV brew pours black with a dark tan head and smells of vanilla, brown sugar, and malt with some hints of fruit.  The flavor is sweet and syrupy, a thick liquid dessert of molasses and vanilla along with some chocolate notes and plenty of alcohol.  This one won't be for everyone, but it sure did make for a good companion during a 4-hour movie.

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4th Tap Stay Gold Hoppy Pale Ale

Breweries teaming up with pop artists for collaborative beer efforts continues to be one of my favorite things.  The most recent comes from Austin's 4th Tap Brewing and local psychedelic soul group Black Pumas.  And the result is the Stay Gold Hoppy Pale Ale, a lovely 5.5% ABV brew.  Pouring a nice (wouldn't you know it) gold with a frothy white head, the beer's aroma consists of floral notes and some hints of spice.  The flavor is a crisp mix of said spices and florals with some additional notes of citrus and a mild dankness to the whole thing.  Good stuff.

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Austin Beerworks and Sun King Brewing Body Spray Brut Double IPA

I'm sick today, body aching and throat scratchy, and have spent most of my time in varying degrees of sleep.  Quite honestly, the last thing in the world i want right now is a beer.  That being said though, i did enjoy a few over the weekend.  And the Body Spray Brut Double IPA, a collaboration (collaberge) between the folks at Austin Beerworks and Sun King Brewing, was a wonderfully strong libation to enjoy before the plague found its way into my home.  The 10% ABV beer pours a nice golden straw color with a bubbly white head and smells of tropical fruit, floral hops, and resin.  The flavor is a dry mix of floral and citrus hops with some subtle notes of sweet and tart and some warming alcohol notes that hit hardest in the chest and stomach.  Someday i'll be well enough to drink again.

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Galaxy Grove

I just can't seem to help myself with brewery collaborations.  I find one, and i must try it.  And so i was rewarded with the excellent Galaxy Grove, a wild ale collaboration between Indiana's Upland Brewing and Florida's Cigar City (a perennial favorite).  The 7.3% ABV concoction pours a hazy gold with a foamy white head, aromas of tropical fruit, peach, and hops prevailing with some very subtle notes of oak and a little bit of funk.  The flavor is juicy fruits, peach, pineapple, and grapefruit with some bitter grass notes and a tart finish, a pretty complex brew overall.  It would be in our interest if these two collaborate together again.

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Untitled Art / Angry Chair Chocolate Vanilla Maple Imperial Stout

Collaborations between breweries often result in the most fantastic of beers, and i've got to say that the Chocolate Vanilla Maple Imperial Stout from Waunakee, Wisconsin's Untitled Art and Tampa Bay, Florida's Angry Chair ranks right up there with anything i've ever had.  This 12% ABV beast pours the blackest of blacks with a tan/brown head, the aromas of maple, chocolate, vanilla, brown sugar, dark fruits, and roasted barley hitting the nose instantly.  The flavor is a boozy mix of maple at the forefront followed by the notes of chocolate and vanilla and plenty of sugar, all in a velvety smooth stout.  If you're looking for dessert in a can, look no further.

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