On the road again!

Hello, sorry again for the gap between submissions. Life as always has taken me to yet another new place with new beverages to try. This time I am going to be in the great state of Texas. Although not widely known for their craft beer scene, perhaps more so for BBQ and rodeos, Texas has had a few brews which I have enjoyed.

First I will start with Real Ale Brewing Company from Blanco Texas their Devil’s Backbone which is a Belgian style tripel was pretty solid. Although wheaty (for those following along know I’m not much of a fan of wheat beer) it had some good slightly fruity undertones and sat at a solid 8.1% ABV. 

Next is Saint Arnold Brewing Company, they are based in Houston and claim to be the oldest craft brewery in Texas. I tried their Spring Bock. I liked it, darkish amber color with a slightly malty taste and a hint of hops at the end. That said, I’m thinking I still prefer the Namahage Bock from Akita’s Aqulia Brauhaus.

While at a local restaurant here in Denton it was suggested to me to try Rahr & Sons Iron Thistle from Fort Worth Texas, which is a strong scotch ale style, similar in flavor to Founder’s Dirty Bastard. It has 8% ABV and a fairly sweet malty taste. Overall I really enjoyed it.

Following that we have Lakewood Lager from Lakewood Brewing Company in Garland Texas. I wasn't blown away by this one, I liked it, it had reasonable flavor. A decent blend of hops and malts, I’d say leaning towards bitter hops. Not bad, but I’ll definitely be trying something new before I revisit this one.

Another from Rahr & Sons is the Ugly Pug black lager. I really was drawn to this one because of the dog on the bottle, I really like the artwork. It is overall a good beer though, similar in taste to Guinness if I had to compare it to something, but in my opinion, much better.

Next I’ll mention two at once, the Revolver Brewing’s Sidewinder and Blood & Honey. Now, these two drinks tasted pretty damn similar. The sidewinder was a bit more of a pale ale taste, slightly more hops, but the Blood & Honey was almost the same. Lots of spices, they tasted almost like a seasonal pumpkin beer without the pumpkin. They were ok, just not what I was expecting. I’d be interested in checking out other stuff from this company, but likely not these again.

Now we have two IPAs from different parts of the country. First from Colorado there is Odell Brewing Company’s IPA which was quite good. As an IPA drinker I really enjoyed this one. It had a slightly piney scent and wasn't too bitter, very drinkable. Next is Boulevard Brewing Company’s Pop-up Session IPA, lower ABV for an IPA at 4.2, it was ok. I don’t think I’d get it again. The hoppy flavor was not too strong, it was very drinkable, but overall I feel when compared to other IPAs there are better options out there. The only thing I can say for it was that it came in an interesting 6 pack box. I hadn’t seen anything like that before.

Lastly we have Sierra Nevada’s Nooner pilsner and Dogfish Head’s 60 Minute IPA. The Nooner pils wasn't bad. I could easily see myself drinking that on a weekend just hanging out with friends. It would be a perfect summer beer to have at a BBQ or party. I’ll definitely be looking for this again in the future. The 60 Minute is a great go to IPA, hoppy with a slight lemon taste, a noble beer overall. 

Thank you readers for taking the time to check out my most recent discoveries, hopefully there will be more to come before too long, Cheers!

The latest beverages in my journey

Hello readers, thanks for tuning in. Again sorry for the lull in updates, beer is expensive and money has been tight. That said, I have taken advantage of a local super market providing mixed six packs for 10 dollars. While I do have the option of choosing bottom of the barrel beverages, I try to stick with something a bit tastier.

      First on my list we have Wilhelm Scream from Magic Hat Brewing Company. Overall not too bad, one of the few pumpkin brews I tried this season (pumpkin beer is unheard of in Japan [ edit apparently they do! Thanks Tom!]). I liked it well enough, a definite hint of spices, a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg. A good change from the IPAs I usually drink. I enjoyed it well enough, but I wouldn’t drink it year round.

          Next we have El Rojo Red Ale from Griffin Claw Brewing Company, located in Birmingham Michigan. I had not seen this one before and when a friend of mine bought a six pack I had to try it. Coming in a can is a bit different, I almost exclusively buy bottles (I’m not bias, generally the beer I like comes that way) I liked the artwork on it though. The color was reddish brown, not unlike other red ales I’ve had in the past, that aside though there was a dominant malty taste as well as some chocolate, an interesting combo. Not too sweet either. Overall it is good red ale, which I would drink again.

            Now we have Green Flash’s West Coast IPA. Having had many IPAs in my time, some good, some not so great, I really liked it. I would like to try it again sometime to get a better feel for it. The color was a burnt orange. Scent was a bit sharp with some floral bits. Super hoppy, which I generally tend to enjoy, overall not bad!  

            The next beer to mention is Best Brown Ale from Bell’s Brewing Company. Another Michigan favorite of mine, I have always enjoyed Bell’s products they brew fantastic (in my opinion) beer. The Brown is no exception, dark in color, but not opaque. Great malty flavor with a hint of caramel, medium body gives it a very high drinkability. I would easily recommend this one.

            The following beer is Samuel Adams Rebel IPA. Overall I felt like it was a bit lack luster. I was not super impressed, not bad by any means, but there are much better IPAs available for a comparable price. Hoppy and a 6.5% ABV which is nothing to shake a stick at, however I don’t imagine I will go out of my way to find this brew. That said, Samuel Adams makes some other fine beers.

       The last beer on my list is one I had not tasted in a long time. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale. This is one fantastic beer. It is hoppy, but not overly done, with malty undertones. The 7%ABV is not overbearing surprisingly enough. Even some people who do not like IPAs may enjoy this beer. This beer has lots of flavor, a nice somewhat piney aroma, a great beer which I would recommend for IPA lovers.

That's all for now. Cheers!

Some beverages not so abroad...

Hello dear readers. Again sorry for the delay, I have some great drinks in store for you today.

 I recently moved to Pacific Grove California where I have had the chance to try a few of the somewhat local craft beers.  

I say somewhat, only because I’m not too knowledgeable about the geography of California but, what I have had so far isn’t too far from here.

First off I had a few beers from Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing Company.  One of their big selling points is Organic Beer. Which, I’m not entirely sure I taste the difference to be honest.  It’s good, and the bottles are quite large. I got a mixed six pack of 1pint 8ounce bottles for around 12 dollars. Not too bad of a deal really.

The pack I had contained an Amber Ale, which was a good standalone beer, not too strong, very mild hoppy flavor with 5% ABV, A good very drinkable beverage. It was probably my favorite of the three.

The second was an Organic IPA, another which wasn’t bad. Quite hoppy, as to be expected, good finish fairly bitter, 7% ABV.  

The last was called The Peoples Porter. Apparently it is brewed with coffee and vanilla, both of which had very subtle hints. I was drinking it cold, though I’m under the impression it might have been better at room temperature. 5% ABV a hearty reasonably full bodied drink.

A few of the others I’ve had recently include a selection from the Speakeasy Ales and Lagers from San Francisco: The Prohibition Ale, Big Daddy IPA, and Tallulah IPA.

Prohibition Ale was pretty good. I had “Prohibition Style” ale before and I was not impressed. I believe the one I did not like was Batch 19 (a sneaky Coors beer in disguise).  This one however was much better. Fairly bold taste, slight caramel flavoring, a nice rich color. Not bad overall, very tasty. 

Big Daddy IPA was pretty standard as IPA’s go. Not amazing, drinkable, but I preferred the Prohibition Ale instead.

The last of the ones I tried from them was Tallulah Extra Pale Ale, an interesting drink, starts with a slightly fruity note then leaves off with the hoppy slightly dry finish, very flavorful, a pretty interesting drink if you like pale ales.

From English Ales Brewing Company I had Dragon Slayer IPA and 1066 Pale Ale. Both of which were good.

The Dragon Slayer was very dark; not such a high ABV only 5.2% but it had a lot of flavor. I had it with dinner one night; it was amazing with a roast beef sandwich.

The 1066 pale ale was definitely what it said, a standard pale ale, light taste, reasonably hoppy 6% ABV. I’m looking forward to trying more of their brews soon.

The last drink of this update is Alley Cat amber ale from Lost Coast Brewing Company.  At 5.5% ABV it is quite drinkable. Lots of flavor, good color and a reasonable price for a six pack, something like 8 dollars. It has a slight caramel taste to it with a mild hops aftertaste.  Another company I look forward to sampling more beverages from.

As a whole it has been fairly eventful. I recently met another beer enthusiast locally, we plan on making a trip soon to get to a few of these breweries.  I’m very excited for the new beverages to try on the west coast. Thanks for reading.

Cheers!