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.
914. John Harvard's Centennial Common Ale
Published by Unknown on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 at 9:30 AM.
914. John Harvard's Centennial Common Ale
Jadyn and I went to John Harvard's for drinks on November 7th. The place was packed with what looked to be Harvard parents, but we were lucky enough to get seats at the bar. I started with their new California Common style beer, which I hadn't had before. I also had a pint of their Bitter on cask.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: John Harvard's Brew House
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: California Common / Steam Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.5
Pours a clear, pale, straw color. Topped by a bright, white head that fades to a film leaving sheets of lace. The aroma is light overall. There's a crisp grassiness, and a hint of citrus on the swirl.
Bready malts upfront, citric notes in the center, and an herbal bitterness in the finish. Light-bodied, but the carbonation gives it a nice crisp character.
Definitely drinkable, a bit lacking in well rounded flavor though.
Jadyn and I went to John Harvard's for drinks on November 7th. The place was packed with what looked to be Harvard parents, but we were lucky enough to get seats at the bar. I started with their new California Common style beer, which I hadn't had before. I also had a pint of their Bitter on cask.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: John Harvard's Brew House
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: California Common / Steam Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 3.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.5
Pours a clear, pale, straw color. Topped by a bright, white head that fades to a film leaving sheets of lace. The aroma is light overall. There's a crisp grassiness, and a hint of citrus on the swirl.
Bready malts upfront, citric notes in the center, and an herbal bitterness in the finish. Light-bodied, but the carbonation gives it a nice crisp character.
Definitely drinkable, a bit lacking in well rounded flavor though.
