Sound Brewery Triple Entendre

Last weekend i was lucky enough to get to spend some time with an old friend of mine who shares my love of beer.  He had the forethought to smuggle a bunch of Washington state brews into Texas, and for that he is truly an American hero.  Let's begin with his personal favorite, the Triple Entendre from Sound Brewery, a tasty Belgian-style triple ale.  The aroma is fruity and grainy, matching the taste of the beer with some additional bitterness here and there, but i found the fruitiness to be most prevalent.  This is a perfect after-dinner beer, but packs a punch at 9.9% ABV.  So far, the folks at Sound have me most impressed.  Look for more on them in the near future.

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Saint Arnold Winter Stout

It's starting to get a little warmer around here, so this will probably be my last winter tinged brew until later in the year, but it's always good to go out strong.  Houston's Saint Arnold Brewing Co. consistently puts out one great beer after another all season long, and the Winter Stout is no different.  The subtle chocolate and coffee flavors abound in this dark and creamy brew, mixing damn near perfectly with the spicy hops that give it its kick and underlying bitterness.  The aroma the beer gives off is wonderful too, a malty mix of sweet and spice.  It smells like Christmas.  Great stuff.

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Here's an interesting beer-related article for your enjoyment...

Here's a link to an interesting article about age verification on brewery websites, and the pointlessness of it all, courtesy Jim Hughes and Badass Digest.

Go here to read.  Hooray!

Chang Beer

So i'm venturing outside of my normal local wares and craft brews to celebrate something from the far east.  Chang Beer comes to us from Thailand's Cosmos Brewery and i must say that it pairs wonderfully with Thai cuisine.  It's a light tasting gold lager with a quickly dissipating white head and tastes almost sweet with a champagne-like feel.  There are some subtle hints of rice in the mix too.  All in all, a very cold and refreshing beer and the perfect antidote to a searing spicy meal.  One could easily drink a ton of these, so make sure you pace yourself.

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Alaskan Black IPA

It's been so wonderful the last year to have the fine beers from Alaskan Brewing Company available here in Austin.  They're really top notch, and something i'd been missing since i visited the northwest a couple of years ago.  Which brings us to their Black IPA.  It's dark and malty, looking more like a porter than anything else, but then the citrus and floral aromas and flavors hit your senses, and it's evident that you're in IPA country.  The hops work nicely with the light coffee and dark fruit flavors in the beer, and it's never too overpowering.  Strangely enough, the brew feels like a combination of a good winter ale and a hoppy, springtime IPA...and it works.  Kudos to the boys and girls in Alaska.

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Snow Day Winter Ale

So this goes out to all my friends in the northeast who may be under a foot or more of snow right now.  I hope you are adequately stocked with water and food and propane and batteries and whatnot.  I also hope you have some libations to keep you warm through the storm.  Might i suggest New Belgium's Snow Day Winter Ale.  With hints of chocolate, caramel, and some subtle walnut undertones combined with the spicy hops, the beer comes together remarkably well and is just the remedy for a cold night.  Add to that the creamy head and roasty finish, and you've got a winner.  Keep warm and be safe my friends.

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Real Ale Brewer's Cut Imperial Red

Having been stricken with cold and flu like symptoms for the past couple of days, my beer drinking has been non-existent this week.  That being said, i did try the lovely fourth beer in Real Ale's Brewer's Cut series, a delicious Imperial Red.  The beer pours a dark, reddish amber with a light head, and gives off an immediate citrus aroma with a slight floral hint here and there.  The taste is a little sour, with a pretty good combination of brown sugar and citrus (from the cascade hops).  It almost has a wine-like feel to it, so i'd suggest using it as a dinner beer, or with an array of meats and cheeses.  As far as alcohol content goes, the brew gets a solid 8.8% ABV, so it will pack a punch, even if it doesn't taste like it will.  All in all, an excellent beer, and one i intend to drink again...whenever this damn bug goes away.

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