NXNW Zombie Dragon East Coast IPA

It seems everybody's getting in on the canning thing these days, and i think it's delightful, my grocery store's beer isle filled with all kinds of tasty brews that were formerly only available in taprooms, restaurants, and bars across the city.  One of the latest comes from North By Northwest, the longstanding restaurant and brewery in northwest Austin.  Zombie Dragon, an East Coast IPA originally brewed last year to celebrate the joint's 18 year anniversary, now appears to be a mainstay, and i happily procured myself of six pack to drink at home.  The 7.4% ABV brew pours a hazy gold with nice, white head and smells of fruit, citrus, spice, and bread, with just a little hint of funk on the nose.  The flavor is a mix of pine,citrus, and juice that stays pretty balanced with some not overly bitter hop notes.  The sweet and the bitter play very well together creating a great IPA, and further cementing my growing adulation of East Coast haziness.  Get some now.

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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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Shannon Blackberry Crystal Wheat

Spring is here.  Summer's on the way.  And i guess that means that i'm going to start sampling more beer with fruit in it.  I've never been much of a traditionalist as far as beer goes, having actually brewed a loquat wheat ale myself using the fruit from the tree in my backyard, so i'm all for this.  Shannon Brewing, up in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, seems to be all for it too, the seasonal offering for the upcoming hot days of summer being their Blackberry Crystal Wheat, a 6.2% ABV wheat beer brewed with...you guessed it...blackberries.  The beer pours pinkish gold, with a light purple tint to the frothy head and smells of wheat and fruit with some bread notes in the mix.  Dry and crisp, the brew has light notes of wheat, malt, banana, citrus, and yeast...with plenty of blackberry too.  All in all, it's a pretty easy drinking beer that pairs its sweet and bitter sides evenly.  Bring on the summer.

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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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Sierra Nevada Otra Vez

I just finished up a week of music and beer drinking at SXSW, and i've got to say that ending it on Saturday in the heat at a parking lot show with Sierra Nevada's Otra Vez, a gose style ale with lime and agave was a good move on my part.  It beat the heat.  Straw colored and smelling of grass, lime, and maybe a little fruit, the light bodied brew tastes of malt, spice, lime, citrus, salt, and a grassy wheat all with a slightly sour and fizzy finish.  And at 4.5% ABV, i could have drank these all day.

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Flying Man Weedhopper Honey Wheat

On vacation...relaxing just as soon as the kids are dropped off at school/day care...and prepping for some daytime adventures in the city for SXSW.  So naturally, some easy-drinking, sessionable beers are on the agenda for the week.  And our slew of local brewers do not disappoint.  Pflugerville's Flying Man Brewing Co. is relatively new to the pack, but have caught my attention with their Weedhopper Honey Wheat, a 5.5% ABV German ale that pours a light, brownish gold with a white head.  Aromas of oats, honey, and florals hit the nose, while notes of honey, molasses, and hops hit the tongue, smooth and light-bodied for these spring days.  Nice.

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Red Horn You Be Funky Grand Cru

I'm very often impressed and excited with the products coming out of our local, suburban breweries here in Central Texas, and that excitement never seems to waver.  Last March, in honor of their 2nd anniversary, the good people at Red Horn Coffee House and Brewing released a limited bottled edition of the very first batch of beer they ever made.  You Be Funky is (was) a Grand Cru aged in red wine barrels for over a year with added Brettanomyces yeast as well as Lactobacillus and Pediococcus bacteria.  Naturally i had to have a bottle, and with much restraint that i wasn't aware i was capable of, i then aged the beer an additional year in my pantry, only to be imbibed now...just in time for brewery's 3rd anniversary.  This 8.5% delight pours hazy, coppery brown with an off-white and quickly dissipating head.  Aromas of oak, fruit, and funk abound, while notes of dark fruit, yeast, and even more funk swirl in this sour, medium-bodied brew.  It was wonderful while it lasted...but rumor has it that Red Horn may be busting out some cellar aged beverages this weekend for their anniversary.  Fingers crossed.

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