David was heavily pushing French food for dinner, but was over-ruled; however, the Mexican restaurant that we'd picked out had a two-hour wait. So we ended up having French food for dinner at Chez Nous. We each had the prix fixe option. I had the duck liver mousse as an appetizer, a sirloin steak cooked in a Burgundy-wine sauce topped with herbed butter as an entree, and a crêpe stuffed with apples stewed in Calvados and topped with a caramel sauce and crème fraîche. Dinner was very good.
After dinner we headed to Lovejoy's Taproom, I wouldn't be surprised if we were the only ones that evening who went from Chez Nous to Lovejoy's. Lovejoy's has a wonderfully divey atmosphere: murals on the wall, smokey, beat up tables and chairs, and heavily tatooed employees.
They had a pretty decent beer selection. There were a lot of Texas craft breweries represented: Live Oak, Real Ale, Independence, 512 and St. Arnold's. There were also a other scattered craft beers including Old Rasputin and Magic Hat #9. More notably they had three of their own beers on tap, something I couldn't pass up.
1003. Demon Steam
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Lovejoy's Taproom
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: California Common / Steam Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.5
Pours a hazed copper-golden with no head. Bready and grainy malts appear on the nose, along with a nice bit of fruitiness and slight, peppery spice.
Bready and sweet malts are evident upfront with a mild banana(?) fruitiness in the center. There's a good, leafy hop-bitterness in the flavor, but only a mild bitterness. Light-bodied and thin. It could have used a bit more carbonation.
Tasty, but could have used a bit more body.
1004. Sparky's Special Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Lovejoy's Taproom
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.0 | Taste: 3.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.3
Pours a lightly cloudy copper color. Topped by a sudsy head that faded to a wispy film. Bready malts and a light diacetyl were present in the aroma.
Reminiscent of a mild. There are light caramel malts upfront and a hint of diacetyl. The finish has a light hop bitterness. Medium-bodied with a nice bite in the carbonation.
A bit light on flavor, but it grows on you. Malty and mild with a nice hop finish.
1005. The Chronic
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Lovejoy's Taproom
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.9
Comes a cloudy copper topped by a thin head. The aroma is toasty and malty with a bit of resiny hops.
A toasty maltiness upfront lends a light sweetness to the beer. The finish has a good amount of leafy hop bitterness. Light-bodied, high carbonation and a tad leafy.
Tasty, a really good sessioner.
After dinner we headed to Lovejoy's Taproom, I wouldn't be surprised if we were the only ones that evening who went from Chez Nous to Lovejoy's. Lovejoy's has a wonderfully divey atmosphere: murals on the wall, smokey, beat up tables and chairs, and heavily tatooed employees.They had a pretty decent beer selection. There were a lot of Texas craft breweries represented: Live Oak, Real Ale, Independence, 512 and St. Arnold's. There were also a other scattered craft beers including Old Rasputin and Magic Hat #9. More notably they had three of their own beers on tap, something I couldn't pass up.
1003. Demon Steam
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Lovejoy's Taproom
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: California Common / Steam Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.5
Pours a hazed copper-golden with no head. Bready and grainy malts appear on the nose, along with a nice bit of fruitiness and slight, peppery spice.
Bready and sweet malts are evident upfront with a mild banana(?) fruitiness in the center. There's a good, leafy hop-bitterness in the flavor, but only a mild bitterness. Light-bodied and thin. It could have used a bit more carbonation.
Tasty, but could have used a bit more body.
1004. Sparky's Special Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Lovejoy's Taproom
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.0 | Taste: 3.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.3
Pours a lightly cloudy copper color. Topped by a sudsy head that faded to a wispy film. Bready malts and a light diacetyl were present in the aroma.
Reminiscent of a mild. There are light caramel malts upfront and a hint of diacetyl. The finish has a light hop bitterness. Medium-bodied with a nice bite in the carbonation.
A bit light on flavor, but it grows on you. Malty and mild with a nice hop finish.
1005. The Chronic
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Lovejoy's Taproom
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.9
Comes a cloudy copper topped by a thin head. The aroma is toasty and malty with a bit of resiny hops.
A toasty maltiness upfront lends a light sweetness to the beer. The finish has a good amount of leafy hop bitterness. Light-bodied, high carbonation and a tad leafy.
Tasty, a really good sessioner.
