Dankosaurus IPA

It's springtime, so i guess that means it's IPA season...or so i've been led to believe in the past.  Kicking it off with one of my new favorites is the Dankosaurus IPA from Cedar Creek Brewing.  The brew, which i was first able to give a whirl last October at Flying Saucer's Beerfeast, is a 6.8% IPA, pouring a hazy gold with plenty of head and aromas of citrus, pine, hops, and spices prevailing.  The beer is hop-forward like the west coast IPA's that inspired it, but dialed back just a bit to make it super drinkable.  Flavors of grapefruit, pine, and citrus are at the forefront, with just enough bitterness to give the beer a crisp finish.  It's a smooth brew for an IPA and a great beer to enjoy in the Texas heat.

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Bourbon Barrel Suburban Ninja

I closed out my Spring Break, my vacation, my SXSW week of music with a relatively quiet (i have a two-year old, so quiet is always relative) afternoon visit to Cedar Park's Red Horn Coffee House and Brewing Co.  Since moving to the suburbs last year, one of the things that made it bearable was the influx of craft beer related businesses opening in the area, Red Horn being my favorite.  The atmosphere is awesome, they let you bring kids, the staff are all incredible nice, and their beer is fantastic.  To end my vacation yesterday on a pleasant note, i enjoyed a pour of the Bourbon Barrel Suburban Ninja, an imperial stout aged bourbon barrels, and a tasty 12% ABV brew.  The beer pours black and smells of chocolate, coffee, toffee, and alcohol.  The flavor is amazingly smooth, a warming brew with hints of cocoa, coffee, malts, vanilla, and some subtle spices.  Being that yesterday was windy and chilly, it was a great beer to drink outside, the warmness of the brew moving down my throat and into my chest.  I will have to get back soon for another.

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Hop Brownie Brown Ale

Dig on that pacifier in the background.

Beer brewers certainly do get creative when concocting their wares, with a seemingly endless array of hybrid and specialty brews at the ready for your taste buds.  Austin's Independence Brewing offered up an interesting and tasty beer back over the holidays that i'm just now getting around to writing about.  The Hop Brownie Brown Ale is essentially what happens when stoner meets brewer, a brown ale brewed with chocolate malts, cocoa powder, and some dank hops to create what is basically a beer version of a pot brownie.  It is surprisingly delicious, the chocolates and hops playing off each other, vying for your attention and dorm room memories.  Pouring a nice brown (go figure) with off white head, the beer smells of cocoa, malt, and spice, with the aforementioned chocolate and dank hops at the forefront as far as flavor goes, though there are some subtle hints of citrus and toffee in the mix too.  At 6.13% ABV (i guess making it 4.20% would have been too on the nose), the brew is great for a late afternoon wind down.

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903 Land of Milk and Honey Stout

One would never know it was a stout if not for it being labeled on the can, but The Land of Milk and Honey Stout from 903 Brewers out of Sherman, Texas is an interesting and tasty little beer.  Copper colored and medium bodied, the brew looks and feels more like an ale, with lighter malts making for a more subdued flavor.  The beer smells of honey and malts, those same notes hitting the tongue with additional hints of caramel.  It's sweet, but not overly sweet, with a crisp finish, a very strange, but delicious stout.

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Epic Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout

I grew up in west Texas, a place where there certainly seemed to be a lot of Baptists, some them big and bad even, but i can assure you that none of them were as delicious as Epic Brewing's Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout.  The bourbon barrel-aged brew pours thick and black with a minimal tan head, but some nice lacing.  Aromas and flavors of cocoa, coffee, toffee, malt, and bourbon abound, and at 11.9% ABV, it is not to be trifled with.  This beer is a definite day-ender, meant to be sipped and enjoyed while winding it all down for the night.  Yum.

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Ghost Eye Oatmeal Stout

A couple of years ago, the folks over at Real Ale brewed a collaborative beer with the guys from the Austin metal band The Sword.  It was tasty.  And now it looks like they're at it again, this time around with an oatmeal stout.  The Ghost Eye Oatmeal Stout derives its name from a track on the band's latest album, "High Country."  The beer pours a dark blackish brown with a minimal head, and is light bodied than what you might expect.  Aromas of grain and chocolate with hints of coffee are present, and the flavor is similar and very smooth.  This is an easy drinker for sure, with a 6.5% ABV content, and probably pairs well with almost anything you can throw at it.  Listen to the song the beer is named for below.

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Community Barrel-Aged Legion

It's been a busy 10 days.  I became a dad again, and combined with all the day to day bull one has to take care of and the joy and struggle (mostly joy) of raising a toddler, i haven't had a lot of time to drink any beer.  So, when i get to sneak one in, i've got to make it count.  And at 11.6% ABV, the Barrel-Aged Legion from Community Beer Co. certainly does just that.  A dark and tasty Russian Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels, the beer pours black with a brownish tan head, and smells of roasty malts and notes of coffee, cocoa, and vanilla.  Those aspects are also present in the taste, mixing deliciously with hints of dark fruit and bourbon.  This is a complex brew, a wonderful slow sipper that's smooth and finishes with just the right amount of bitterness.  Well done.

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