Founders Highball Drifter

The second release from Founders' Bottle Shop Series is here, and it's a whopper.  Highball Drifter basically serves as a beer version of the cocktail and it served as a delightful addition to my weekend evenings.  The 11% ABV brew pours a dark, kind of amber-ish brown with an off-white head and smells of orange peel, cherry, vanilla, caramel, and bourbon.  The taste follows the nose with some added notes of brown sugar and bitters.  While it's certainly prevalent, the booze can still sneak up on you with this one, so take your time, sip, and enjoy.

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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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Tornado Shark Apple Brandy Barrel Aged Strong Ale

I'll admit it.  Sometimes a goofy name or some cool label art are enough to get me to try a beer.  And sometimes it pays off.  The Tornado Shark Apple Brandy Barrel Aged Strong Ale from Lone Pint was brewed in conjunction with the brewery's 7th anniversary, and it's a tasty celebration.  Pouring an amber-ish brown, the 8.3% brew smells of apple, cinnamon, and a little bit of booze.  The flavor is a nice mix of said apples and cinnamon, along with more notes of dark fruits, booze, and oak.  It makes for an excellent dinnertime beer.

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