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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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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Hold Out Brewing Björn Again Texan

I mean, you nickname your beer Norwegian Party Juice, i'm going to have no choice but to drink it.  Despite COVID and lockdown and a surreal last few months, Austin actually managed to gain a new brewery with the long gestating Hold Out Brewing.  And they are a most welcome addition.  What will probably be their mainstay is the aforementioned party juice, the Björn Again Texan, a wonderfully sessionable Kviek Pale Ale.  Pouring a hazy gold with a white head, the brew smells of tropical fruit and just the lightest hint of funk.  The flavor is an easy drinking mix of fruit, pineapple and grapefruit mainly, with a balanced bitterness to keep things cool, all in a 4.9% ABV package.  Looks like i may have a new summertime go-to.

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Dogfish Head Dragons & YumYums Pale Ale

I love that over the last several years, more and more musicians and bands are teaming up with breweries to release collaborations of sorts.  I'm sure the artists are just lending their names or aesthetics, but it's produced some interesting brews.  Off of the top of my head, i've tried beers from Guided By Voices, NOFX, The Sword, and Iron Maiden, and i've been trying to locate some Run The Jewels libations here in Central Texas but to no avail.  Anyway, in conjunction with the band's 7" release for Record Store Day last month, The Flaming Lips have partnered with Delaware mainstay Dogfish Head Brewery to release Dragons & YumYums, and a quirky, fruity, and colorful pale ale.  Pouring a pinkish hue with a bubbly white head, the 6.5% ABV beer smells of fruit, sugar, citrus, malt, and bubblegum with some hints of hops.  The flavor is a mix of tropical fruit, citrus, and some balanced hoppy bitterness, all with a medium body and a dry finish.  All in all, a very enjoyable spring/summer brew.

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Tupps Northbound 75 Fire-Roasted Poblano Pale Ale

Last week i extolled on the virtues of brewing beer with added fruit...and there was much rejoicing.  This week we'll see what other kind of stuff you can throw in there, which brings us to the Northbound 75, a 6% ABV pale ale made with fire-roasted poblano peppers from Tupps Brewery out of McKinney, Texas.  Pepper beers are interesting to say the least, and it's really easy for things to go all kinds of wrong very quickly.  But i've got to hand it to the brewers, as they have crafted a well balanced pale ale and all that that style entails with just the right amount spicy and smoky notes.  The beer pours a dark gold, almost amber color with a white, frothy head.  The aroma of poblano peppers is immediately evident, mixed with notes of hops, biscuit-y malt, and maybe some slight herbal or floral hints.  As for the taste, those poblano peppers again are first and foremost, though never overpowering.  The spice is mild, letting the actual pepper flavor sink in, combined with pepper, smoke, and some hoppy bitterness on the end to round it all out.  I'm going to be honest, i was surprised i liked this as much as i did, and while it's certainly not for everyone, it's at least worth a shot from any of you more adventurous drinkers out there.

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Cigar City Guayabera Citra Pale Ale

Slowly but surely, more beer arrives to Central Texas from Tampa Bay's Cigar City Brewing, making me the happiest of Central Texas beer drinkers.  Most recently, i found the brewer's Guayabera Citra Pale Ale, an easy-drinking, sessionable, 5.5% ABV pale ale that pours clear and golden with a white and frothy head.  The beer smells of citrus, lime, and tangerine, with some notes of malt in the mix, and tastes of citrus and fruit with some slight breadiness, all in a crisp and very moderately bitter finish.  Yum.  Keep 'em coming my way Cigar City.

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Independence Shiny Diamonds Ale

Never one to let me down, Austin's Independence Brewing constantly releases new and delicious beers that grab a hold of me and never let go.  The latest is the brew, in a fantastically amazing can, is the Shiny Diamonds Ale, a light, crisp, and hoppy pale that just might be my go to beverage for the foreseeable future.  The 5.8% ABV beer pours light gold with a foamy white head, aromas of spice, herbs, and a little citrus hitting the nose.  The hops at the forefront in regards to the flavor, citrus and grapefruit notes being the most prevalent, and finishes dry, crisp, and refreshing.  I love this beer.

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Austin Beerworks ACTION! Anniversary Ale

It's kind of hard to believe it, but Austin Beerworks has been around for 6 years now.  In fact many of the local breweries here in Central Texas are starting to hit all kinds of milestones, and while it's kind of making me feel old, kudos to all the little guys and their tenacity.  Anyway, to celebrate, ABW just released their ACTION! Anniversary Ale, a hoppy little brew that, fittingly enough, weighs in at 6% ABV.  The beer pours gold with a foamy white head and smells of citrus, fruit, and light, spicy hops.  Notes of citrus, pine, and grapefruit abound, all with a slightly dank, but bitter crisp finish.  All in all, it's a pale ale pretending to be an IPA, and it's delicious.  As a bonus, the beer comes packaged in 6 different can designs, each playing like an old drive-in, B-movie poster.  Happy Anniversary!

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Red Horn Hippie Hollow Dry Hopped Sour Ale

Ever since moving out to the suburbs a year and a half ago, one of my favorite places to frequent is Red Horn Coffee House and Brewing Co.  They never cease to impress me with their bounty of tasty brews.  Earlier this year, as part of their 2nd anniversary celebration, the brewers released their first bottled beers, one of which i will get to eventually, as it's currently aging at home.  But the other, the very Austin-named Hippie Hollow, is a wonderful sour pale ale that hit all the right marks.  Pouring with a hazy golden hue and bubbly head, the beer smells of malt, fruit, citrus, and some bread notes.  Tart and hoppy, the 6.5% ABV beer drinks rather smooth, the sourness from the different yeast cultures playing quite well with all of the pale ale hops, that all gives way to a slightly bitter finish.  I'm looking forward to future releases.

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Saint Arnold Pub Crawl Pale Ale

Have i mentioned that we like sessionable beers here in Central Texas?  The coasts seem to give us big hops and big alcohol, but here in the heat and humidity of a the Texas hill country (and beyond), we tend to like our brews when we can drink them all day long.  The Pub Crawl Pale Ale from Saint Arnold Brewery in Houston is one such beer.  Pouring a light, hazy gold with a large and foamy white head, this 4.7% ABV brew has aromas of spicy hops and subtle malts.  It's crisp and carbonated with some slightly dank hoppiness abounding, and easy drinker for sure, but just hoppy enough to keep it interesting.  I think i'll have another.

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Austin Beerworks Con Beer

A couple of weeks ago, i made it out to Mondocon III, the third annual festival of pop culture art put on by the good folks from Mondo.  Aside from all of the wonderful and awesome prints and soundtrack LPs available from a plethora of great artists, the convention also garnered up a specially made brew from Austin Beerworks, the Con Beer.  This hoppy lager comes in at 5.5% ABV, and kicks it like a lighter, smoother version of an IPA.  Aromas and flavors of citrus and hops dominate, but in a sessionable kind of way, a great beverage for these endless central Texas summers.  Mondocon is over until next year, but the remaining kegs of beer have made their way to local Alamo Drafthouses here in the Austin area.  Get to it.

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Bourbon Street Rye Pale Ale

I'm pretty much going to be favorable towards anything aged in a bourbon barrel.  And for the longest time, breweries pretty much stuck to stouts and porters when choosing to age them in old liquor barrels.  Of late, i've noticed a upsurge in a wide variety of styles being aged this way...and i'm totally for it.  Abita Brewery out of Louisiana offers up their delicious Bourbon Street Rye Pale Ale, itself aged in small batch whiskey barrels to give it that extra oomph.  Pouring light brown, the brew smells kind of earthy, a mix of bread, dark sugars, and light alcohol.  The flavor is kind of nutty sweet with hints of vanilla and bourbon and just a smidge of citrus.  I really enjoyed this 9.5% ABV beer, and found myself somewhat disappointed when i had none left to drink.

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Last Stand BPA

Continuing in the recent tradition of Austin area breweries popping up all over the place, and my ignorance of said breweries until i happen upon their wares at the grocery store, over the weekend i tried the delicious BPA (Belgian Pale Ale) from Last Stand Brewing.  Pouring a beautiful gold with a bubbly white head, the beer smells lightly of fruit and spice, with hints of banana in particular.  The flavor is initially, subtly sweet, with a mild alcohol undercurrent on the back end, and a lovely mix of fruit and bitter hops to round the whole thing out.  And as far as an 8.9% ABV brew goes, this one is quite refreshing, a great summer evening beer to sip outside as the sun slowly sets.

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A Pale Mosaic

I'm not sure if you would call the latest from Hops and Grain a pale ale or an IPA.  It's kind of both.  It's kind of neither.  But either way, A Pale Mosaic sure is tasty.  Pouring a nice and cloudy gold, the beer smells of wheat, pine, and hints of fruit.  The oily mosaic hops give the brew a nice body with a light bitterness on the back end, and tastes of wheat, spice, grapefruit, and more citrus notes.  It's more bitter than your standard pale ale, but not quite into the realm of IPA's, and that's okay because it is easily drinkable and has secured a place in my fridge.

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Elysian Loser Pale Ale

I've got about three or four more Washington beers to move through before hitting up brewers' wares from the rest of the country and world.  I just had so many tasty ones while visiting there last month, that i have a veritable arsenal of brews to choose from.  Elysian Brewing Company puts out a celebratory pale ale called Loser that's dedicated to the area's legendary Sub Pop Records.  The beer is a murky gold with a white head that smells and tastes of pine, citrus, and grapefruit.  It's a dry and bitter 7% ABV pale, but balances out nicely with the sweet malts.  Enjoy one in the sunshine.

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Elysian Superfuzz Blood Orange Pale

Let the brews from my Washington adventure continue.  The Superfuzz Blood Orange Pale from the excellent Elysian Brewing was a great treat and a perfect beer for the unseasonably warm weather we had while on the Puget Sound.  The beer is a cloudy, golden orange with a good and bubbly head, floral and orange aromas on the heavy side, but a smooth drink with hints of the orange and florals, some malt, some slight pepper, and a bitter sweet finish.  Not bad.  Not bad at all.  I'd like another.

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Lucid Dyno Pale Ale

I'm not usually one to post beers from the same brewery in consecutive weeks, but the Dyno Pale Ale from Minnesota's Lucid Brewing is just too delicious an option to pass up.  The brew is a nice gold, with a medium body and carbonation, with plentiful aromas of bread, citrus, and florals.  The taste is heavy on the floral side, but with some good citrus and spicy hops to keep the thing pretty well balanced.  I had one of these at the end of a hot day, and it was just superb.  And once again, dig on that bottle label.

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Standing Wave Pale Ale

Earlier this year for Valentine's Day, my wife enrolled me in a beer of the month club because she is awesome, and now i receive a 12-pack with 4 different beers from all over the country at the end of every month.  A recent arrival was the Standing Wave Pale Ale from Kannah Creek Brewing Company out of Colorado.  And it's a nice one.  The beer pours gold with an off-white head, giving off some bread and pine aromas.  The taste is the same, but with some spicy hops and some hints of citrus and sweetness in the mix.  The medium body and crisp carbonation definitely make this a summer beer, a lovely elixir for these long, hot days ahead.  I recommend drinking this with a burger.

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Lakefire Rye Pale Ale

Today was gorgeous.  The sun was out and shining.  Not a cloud in the sky.  A brisk and breezy 75 degrees.  I could have stayed outside all day drinking Lakefire Rye Pale Ales from Grapevine Craft Brewery had parental responsibilities not demanded otherwise.  The Lakefire is a perfect beer for the upcoming summer, a nice amber with rye and fruit notes on the aroma and taste, and ridiculously easy to drink.  Take some on the river or to the lake or the beach.  You'll be sipping them all day long.

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Elliott's Phoned Home Pale Ale

As craft breweries continue to pop up all over Texas (and the country) like weeds, procuring new brews to imbibe becomes a much easier prospect week by week.  It's a good time to be a beer drinker.  Cedar Creek Brewery out in Seven Points, TX has offered up their take on an American pale ale.  Elliot's Phoned Home Pale pours a cloudy, orange and smells of citrus, fruit, and hops.  As far as flavor goes, there's a light breadiness to the beer, the prevailing citrus and fruit, and above all else, grapefruit.  And it comes in a tall boy can.  I'm not saying you should drink beer with breakfast...but if you were going to, this would probably be the direction to move in.  Easy to drink, refreshing, and coming in at 5.1% ABV, it's no slouch either.

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