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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Werewolves of Austin

It's Fall which means i'm still very much grooving on the darker brews most of the time, but it's also Central Texas which means it's still warm, so i'm also still very much grooving on citrusy IPA's.  And so we have the Werewolves of Austin Hazy IPA from Austin's Oddwood Ales, a 6.4% ABV brew that utilizes New Zealand hops to create one tasty libation.  The beer pours a hazy, goldish orange with a frothy white head and smells of pineapple, mango, berries, and citrus.  The flavor is a burst of those same notes with some maltiness on the backend to ground things, making for a real smooth and easy drinker.

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Pinthouse Emilio Triple IPA

I'm glad i got to drink a couple of these as they sold out from the brewer within minutes.  Aside from pizza, Pinthouse Pizza also knows how to brew a damn fine beer, and their IPA's consistently knock it out of the proverbial park.  Emilio is a 10.5% Triple IPA that's hazy and juicy and makes waste of lesser IPA's.  Pouring a hazy gold with a white head, the beer smells of tropical fruit, pineapple and grapefruit and mango abounding.  The flavor hits those same tropical fruit notes with some added citrus and a little bit of dank to keep you firmly in IPA country.  It's a fantastic brew that i hope to see again sometime soon this summer.

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Zilker Late-Night Lookout Hazy Double IPA

It's a gray and rains holiday Monday here in Central Texas, so i'll try to brighten it up with a delicious and tropical noted brew.  Along with some other breweries in the greater Austin area, Zilker Brewing has been pumping out a slew of new beers during our time in lockdown.  The Late-Night Lookout Hazy Double IPA, an 8.2% ABV dream, pours a murky golden wheat with a white head and smells of tropical fruit and funk.  The flavor is heavy on the fruit, pineapple and grapefruit predominantly, but perfectly balanced with just the right amount of dankness.  Let's get more of this please.

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Austin Beerworks Incognito Cowgirl

Over the weekend, a bunch of breweries and Texas beer people put together an event called The Great Texas Beer Run, the idea being to pick up as much beer to go from your favorite local brewers as possible.  I've pretty much been doing this every weekend since the lockdown began, but it was nice to participate in more of an official capacity this time around, hitting up 5 breweries over the last couple days.  I wish i could have done more...but i'll be back.  My favorite score of the weekend was the brand new Incognito Cowgirl from Austin Beerworks, a delicious, 8.2% ABV double IPA.  The beer pours a murky straw color and smells of pineapple and tropical fruit.  The flavor is that same mix of tropical fruit, the pineapple up front and center, with some dankness on the back end and a juicy mouthfeel.  A really wonderful beer for the Spring.  Hopefully someday we'll all be able to share one together.

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Odd Side Passion Dank Juice

What a long, strange day it's been.  Driving to work this morning with next to no traffic, the combined result of people having left town for Spring Break, the lack of influx of out-of-towners for a cancelled SXSW, and a coronavirus pandemic that just gets scarier and scarier with each passing hour.  I drove through a deserted downtown to get to the office, and then noticed the closed stores and restaurants during my lunch break.  The school district my kids attend called and emailed with the word that a return to school is now postponed until April.  And then my boss made the decision to have as many staff members as possible work remotely from home.  It's weird out there people.  And i'm trying not to panic.  And the Passion Dank Juice from Odd Side Ales is doing everything it can to help with that.  Pouring a hazy straw gold, the 6.75% New England IPA is, as its name would suggest, and dank and juicy treat.  Aromas of tropical fruit and passion fruit abound with some hints of spice and hops, and the flavor is a crisp mouthful of said tropical and passion fruits along with some grapefruit bitterness and lacey dankness.  Wonderful stuff.  I'll have to brave the virus and depleted grocery stores to obtain some more.

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Family Business El Verano Single-Hop Juicy IPA

Yesterday was Father's Day and somehow i convinced my family to go with me to not one, but two breweries out in the Central Texas Hill Country.  My boys even seemed to enjoy themselves at both Jester King (there were goats!) and Family Business (there were naps!), and i had a healthy sampling of brews from both locations.  One of the (many) highlights was the El Verano from Family Business, a single-hop Juicy IPA that pours a hazy, wheaty gold with a white head and smells of orange, citrus, apricot, tropical fruits, and summer.  The flavor is a wonderful mix of said fruit notes with some melon and a slight hint of bitterness.  And even at 6.6% ABV, it was thirst quenching easy drinker for a warm day.  Happy Father's Day to me.

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Real Ale Skullberry Strawberry Milkshake IPA

It was hot as hell here yesterday, a bad omen for the rest of the summer, but at least i had the wonderful and delicious Skullberry, a strawberry milkshake IPA from Real Ale, to cool things off.  The 6.2% ABV brew pours a hazy, unfiltered gold with a solid white head and smells of berries, fruit, mildly dank hops, and maybe just a hint of cream.  The flavor is a sweet mix of berries and hops with a touch of lactose to soften the mouthfeel and a hint of vanilla.  What a fantastic summertime beer.  I imagine i'll be drinking throughout the season.

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Martin House Bubble Haze Bubblegum Milkshake IPA

Fort Worth's Martin House Brewing has a pretty great track record with the quality of the beer, and they're never afraid to attempt new things.  And that brings us to their Bubble Haze, a 7.3% ABV hazy bubblegum milkshake IPA that tastes so much better than it probably has any right to.  Pouring a hazy gold with a bubbly white head, the beer smells of candy and bubblegum with some hints of fruit and subtle dankness.  It has a lacy mouthfeel that clings to the tongue, flavors of bubblegum, light citrus, sugar, and that dankness again rounding things out nicely, all with a slightly bitter finish.  Bravo.

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Pinthouse Pizza Electric Jellyfish IPA

Local brewpub/pizza eatery Pinthouse Pizza opened in Austin about six and a half years ago, and quickly cemented themselves as a go to place for beer lovers.  Now, they've got two additional locations and their Electric Jellyfish IPA (now finally being canned) has fast become THE local fave of the greater Austin area.  And why not?  It's damn good.  Pouring a hazy golden wheat color, the 6.5% ABV New England style IPA smells of fruit and citrus along with some floral and hop notes.  The flavor is a mix of grapefruit, pineapple, and other citrusy fruits with a medium to thick mouthfeel and some slight dank and hoppy notes on the back end.  I can drink this everywhere.

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Spindletap Houston Haze IPA

I do love me some hazy IPAs, and i love how prevalent the style has become, popping up in each and every brewery across the country.  Not to be left out, Houston's Spindletap Brewery offers up their excellent Houston Haze IPA, a 6.5% ABV brew that pours a hazy (naturally), orange and gold with a white head.  The beer smells tropical, notes of orange, mango, pineapple, and more hitting the nose along with some light floral hints.  The flavor is sweet and fruity, said tropical notes hitting the tongue first before giving way to some bitter hop notes and a slight bite on the back end.  It's a great addition to the style.

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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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