Hops & Grain River Beer

It sure does get hot here in Central Texas, as we've repeatedly breached 90 degrees a few times in the last couple of weeks, and it's not even June yet.  That being said, we certainly seem to enjoy spending our days off outside in the sun, in parks, backyards, local swimming holes, and tubing any and all nearby rivers.  And beer is usually in the equation.  But you need something easy to drink and something sessionable enough as to not knock you on your ass before the sun sets.  And as we're craft beer drinkers around here (though Lone Star will always have a special place in my heart), offerings from the "big three" will not do.  Fear not, as Austin's Hops & Grain now have a delicious take on the American Lager we all grew up drinking, the River Beer.  This 5.2% ABV brew pours a beautiful crystal clear light gold with a foamy and bubbly white head and smells of light notes of grain and citrus.  Crisp and light bodied, the beer is subtly sweet at first with a dab of bitterness on the back end.  It basically tastes like beer.  Good beer.  I wish this had been around when i was in high school.

Visit the brewer.

Live Oak Gold

Only a week into May, and it's already getting hot here in Central Texas, thick, humid air and all encompassing sun haze abounding.  So, naturally i spent a good portion of the day outside yesterday, my kids jumping and splashing around half naked in our recently rediscovered kiddie pools, blown up and filled in the backyard while i cooked steaks and portabella mushrooms on the grill, a veritable portrait of classic suburbia.  And the Live Oak Gold was flowing...probably too easily.  Gold, from Austin's Live Oak Brewery, is a German-style pilsner that pours a light gold (go figure) with a frothy white head.  Floral aromas and light notes of spice hit the nose, that classic beer smell.  The beer is light and crisp, slightly sweet with soft malts, floral notes, and a nice dry finish.  And at 4.8% ABV, it's the perfect brew for a day in the sunshine.

Visit the brewer.

Real Ale Phoenixx Double ESB

Real Ale never fails to impress and delight with pretty much every beer they put out on the market, be it their mainstays, seasonals, or more limited, experimental offerings.  As part of the brewery's rotating bomber series, the Phoenixx Double ESB is a fantastic English Style Bitter, and a perfect way to end a day.  I snagged this tasty guy at the grocery store yesterday for a post dinner libation, and it was wonderful.  The 7.6% ABV brew pours a dark amber with a foamy, white head and smells of malt and toffee with a general earthiness abounding.  The flavor is slightly sweet at first, the combo of toffee and caramel hitting the tongue before settling back and letting the hops finish it off with some spice and bitter notes.  It's delicious.  I may be going back to the store today.

Visit the brewer.

Red Horn Roggenbier

As i've been writing this blog for a number of years now, the need for new styles of beer to discover, try out, and write briefly about increases, but with the craft brewing community still chugging along strongly, i usually don't have to look too far.  Cedar Park, Texas' Red Horn Coffee House and Brewing Co, aside from being one of my favorite places in town to go to, has really been stepping up the game here in central Texas since first opening a couple of years ago.  Over the weekend, i tried their Roggenbier, a kind of Hefeweizen brewed with rye instead of wheat.  It was fantastic.  The beer pours a dark, malty brown with a foamy off-white head and smells of malt and spice with maybe some hints of banana.  The flavor consists of those same hints of banana swirled with a dry maltiness and some spice notes with a general earthiness to the whole affair.  And at 5.4% ABV, the Roggenbier is easily sessionable, and pairs with pretty much anything (i had a meat and cheese tray and salad to go along with it).  If you live in the area, take a growler home with you, and act quickly, as they may or may not brew it again.

Visit the brewer.

Community Razzy Witbier

This last weekend brought chocolate, candy, eggs, and other assorted Easter goodies, a threat of rain that never materialized, a large family lunch cooked by yours truly, and a delicious, ultra-sessionable raspberry witbier to wet my whistle (on Saturday at least, as i upped my game into barrel aged stouts on Sunday).  Dallas' Community Beer Co's Razzy Wit is a 5.5% ABV day drinker that pours a gorgeous, reddish gold with a quickly dissipating white head.  The brew smells of wheat, spice, citrus, fruit, and raspberries, and the flavor is a wonderful blend of citrus, light tartness, hints of coriander, and raspberry notes that never get too sweet or overpower the rest of the beer.  Finishing crisp, dry, and light-bodied, i easily could have drunk this all weekend long.  Maybe next weekend.

Visit the brewer.

Figaro Figaro Figaro FIIIGAAARO Quad

When my wife and i moved into our home a year and a half ago, we noticed that we had a fruit-bearing tree in our back yard that yielded us plenty of...something.  It took a little research, but evidently we have a loquat tree, and until last year, i had never had a loquat before.  They are pretty tasty, a quick blast of sweet and tart that i am now contemplating harvesting and brewing into a homemade beer of sorts.  Unfortunately, i've still got over a case of my last home batch of Christmas Ale to get through before i can start brewing again (i need the bottles), so i may be freezing some fruit soon.

Anyway, that was a long and rambling introduction to get to talking about Buffalo Bayou's wonderful quadrupel ale brewed with figs, the aptly named Figaro Figaro Figaro FIIIGAAARO.  This 11% ABV treat pours a dark, reddish brown with a foamy white head and smells of dark fruits, malts, and notes of fig and yeast.  The flavor is full of fig and other dark fruit notes, as well as spicy yeast and bread notes like what you would get in an abbey ale.  All in all, a great post dinner brew that's way stronger than it tastes.

Visit the brewer, and i'll keep you updated as to any loquat creations in the future.

The Illustrated Man Dark Sour with Berries

Over the last decade or so, as i've made and honed and tested my beer palette, i've discovered that for the most part, i love all of it.  Bitter, malty, hoppy, dry, fruity, sour...and on and on, every season seems to bring me a new favorite.  And never in a million years would i have figured myself for a sour beer fan, but i am what i am.  Austin's Independence Brewery recently released a dry and fruity dark sour called The Illustrated Man.  The beer pours a dark brown with hints of purple and a bubbly, off-white head.  Initial aromas of citrus, berries, and tartness abound, with some subtle notes of malt and roast.  The flavor is tart and fruity, a mix of citrus and berries at 6% ABV with an all around dry finish.  All in all, The Illustrated Man is a great backyard beer for a warm afternoon or cool evening.

Visit the brewer.