Phoenix Vienna Style Lager

One of the cool things about writing a beer blog (even if i don't have a vast readership) is that the friends and family that read it will sometimes send beer my way.  From Coachella Valley Brewing Co. comes the Phoenix Vienna Style Lager, a tasty and spicy 6.5% ABV beer that i may certainly have to drink again if ever i'm back in California.  The brew pours an amber hue with a very foamy white head and smells of spicy hops with hints of bread and fruit.  The flavor is full of spice with toffee and fruit notes.  Brewed with dates, the beer is a pretty refreshing libation, and would pair well with spicy food.  Much thanks to Gary and Noma.

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(512) Wild Bear

I missed posting last week, but i'm back again with an absolutely wonderful beer from (512) Brewing here in Austin.  The Wild Bear is a double brown ale with Brettanomyces yeast and Pediococcus bacteria cultures added after primary fermentation and then aged in oak barrels for 10 months.  Pouring a nice, dark brown with a foamy, white head, this 8.5% ABV brew smells of oak, cherries, and hints of vanilla with an overall tartness prevailing.  The flavor is full of sour brett funkiness with a nice malty backbone and notes of vanilla.  This is a tasty brew wrapped together in a badass bear package.

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Community Snickerdoodle Ale

Christmas may be in our rear view now, but i had to get in just one more holiday ale before the oncoming later winter months and the beginning of spring bring us a slew of lagers, pales, and IPA's to whet our whistles.  And so, i present the Snickerdoodle Ale, a 5.2% sweet treat from Community Beer Company.  The brew pours a light crisp gold with a frothy white head and smells of sugar, cinnamon, and light bread notes.  Cinnamon and vanilla are most prevalent in the flavor, though the malt and bread notes keep everything surprisingly balanced.  I enjoyed this beer far more than i thought i would, and it made for delicious offering over the holiday break.  Find some while you can.

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(512) Whiskey Barrel Aged Double Pecan Porter

The Pecan Porter from (512) Brewing Company is easily one of my favorite year-round beers to drink here in Austin, so it should go without saying that i'm going to adore the barrel aged variety.  And so we have this year's Whiskey Barrel Aged Double Pecan Porter, a tasty and potent elixir for these long winter nights.  The beer pours dark and black, aromas of malt, sugar, and booze prevailing.  The flavor is very similar to the regular Pecan Porter, malts, pecans, and some subtle chocolate and coffee notes abounding, but with a heartier, boozier feel, a delicious beverage with 9.5% ABV to keep you all warm and fuzzy.

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Buffalo Bayou Mud Turtle

Christmas has come and gone.  George Michael has left us.  2016's reign of terror continues.  What better time to drink the ills and toils away?  I drank all kinds of great stuff over the Christmas holiday, but the winner would have to be the Mud Turtle from Houston's Buffalo Bayou Brewing.  A Scotch ale weighing in at 9.2% ABV, the beer pours a dark, dark brown and smells wonderfully of caramel, dark fruits, molasses, and chocolate.  The chocolate is more prevalent in the flavor of the brew, dark and rich, meshing with the caramel notes and closing with a nutty, pecan finish.  This was a perfect beer to sip on while cooking Christmas dinner.  I need another.

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Goose Island Festivity Ale

It's Christmas time, so let's all drink some Christmas ales.  Festivity Ale from Chicago's Goose Island Brewery is a nice place to start.  A 7.7% brown ale doused with not-your-regular holiday spices, the beer pours a dark brown with frosty, off-white head and smells of malts, molasses, and hints of dark fruit.  The flavor is sweet, but not overly so, the caramel and dark fruit flavors meshing well with just a hint of bitterness on the back end.  Tasty.

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Karbach Fifth Anniversary Quintuple IPA

First off, to address the elephant in the room, Karbach Brewing is no longer one of the good guys, as they were acquired by AB-InBev.  Coming from the ass end of Generation X, i have been preconditioned to abhor "selling out," either in art, craft, or morals.  But, i also understand that everyone just wants to get paid, so it's kind of hard to fault the guys over at Karbach.  That being said, the beer behemoth that is AB-InBev spends tons of money and lobbies hard every year to keep the smaller craft breweries around the country down, so fuck all of those guys.  Even Karbach.  I'm going to miss their brews, so i'm going out with their Fifth Anniversary Quintuple IPA.  The beer pours a dark gold with a foamy white head and smells of malt, spice, bread, and hints of molasses and citrus.  Brewed with five different malts, five varieties of hops, and five different yeasts, the beer is pretty complex, a sweet and bitter IPA that weighs in at 13% ABV.  Karbach, i'm going to miss you.

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