Despite receiving several inches of snow overnight, my flight from Boston to Austin on Saturday December 20th was only delayed 45 minutes. My mom and sister picked me up from the airport, and a quick drive into downtown Austin landed us at Stubb's Bar-B-Q for lunch. I had my first Shiner of the trip, which admittedly isn't a great beer, but for me it's a nice Texas "comfort beer."
I arrived in Waco, ate dinner with my family and then joined Win for beer at The Dancing Bear. I was disappointed to see that they still haven't gotten their permit for brewing, and according to Win's sources they may have given up, at least for now. When I'm in Texas I try to stick to Texas beers that I can't get in the Boston area, this mostly means beer from Real Ale, Liveoak, and Spoetzl, though it does include the occasional beer from New Belgium or other breweries whose distribution range doesn't extend to Massachusetts.
927. Live Oak Primus Weizenbock
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Live Oak Brewery
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Weizenbock, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.5 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.05
Live Oak consistently produces solid beers, though none are as transcendent as their Hefeweizen. This beer was no exception.
This beer pours a very cloudy brow, and is topped by a thick, beige head that fades to a film leaving sheets of lace. Classic notes of clove and banana in the aroma with undertones of sugary malts, dark fruit, and a hint of acidity.
Sweet, dark malts quickly give way to banana fruitiness and clove spiciness. The sweetness and spice are nicely offset by a mildly roasty backbone with a light alcoholic spice in the finish. Smooth, creamy and medium bodied.
An extremely solid beer. I thought the mild roasty characters added a lot.
928. Dunkel Roggenbier
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Real Ale Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: Roggenbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.9
Real Ale Brewing is another good, Texas, craft brewery. I hadn't seen their Dunkel Roggenbier before, which is one of their fall seasonal beers.
Pours a hazy copper. The bright, white head fades to a patchy film. Citrus and apricot fruitiness are most evident, with a bready, pale maltiness underneath.
Bready and toasty malts lend a light sweetness. Apricot and citrus notes become evident in the center. There's a mild, resiny, hop bite and a light bitterness in the finish. Light-bodied, enough carbonation to keep things from feeling watery. There's a nice dry character in the finish.
Tasty, balanced with a good variety of flavors.
929. Snowbound Winter Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Left Hand Brewing Company
Alcohol: 8.60%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: Winter Warmer, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell:3.5 | Taste: 2.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 1.5
Overall: 2.7
This beer is a clear, amber-garnet brown. Topped by a half-inch, beige head that fades to a film leaving pin-prick spots of lace. Malty and spicy on the nose: ginger, honey, caramel and dark fruit.
Honey sweetness upfront, moving quickly into a very spicy center. Cinnamon, clove and ginger are very strong, and overpower everything else. There's a light bitterness in the finish. Full-bodied, highly carbonated.
The use of spices in this beer is really heavy handed. They're overpowering and too strong to be pleasant.
I arrived in Waco, ate dinner with my family and then joined Win for beer at The Dancing Bear. I was disappointed to see that they still haven't gotten their permit for brewing, and according to Win's sources they may have given up, at least for now. When I'm in Texas I try to stick to Texas beers that I can't get in the Boston area, this mostly means beer from Real Ale, Liveoak, and Spoetzl, though it does include the occasional beer from New Belgium or other breweries whose distribution range doesn't extend to Massachusetts.
927. Live Oak Primus Weizenbock
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Live Oak Brewery
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Weizenbock, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.5 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.05
Live Oak consistently produces solid beers, though none are as transcendent as their Hefeweizen. This beer was no exception.
This beer pours a very cloudy brow, and is topped by a thick, beige head that fades to a film leaving sheets of lace. Classic notes of clove and banana in the aroma with undertones of sugary malts, dark fruit, and a hint of acidity.
Sweet, dark malts quickly give way to banana fruitiness and clove spiciness. The sweetness and spice are nicely offset by a mildly roasty backbone with a light alcoholic spice in the finish. Smooth, creamy and medium bodied.
An extremely solid beer. I thought the mild roasty characters added a lot.
928. Dunkel Roggenbier
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Real Ale Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: Roggenbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.9
Real Ale Brewing is another good, Texas, craft brewery. I hadn't seen their Dunkel Roggenbier before, which is one of their fall seasonal beers.
Pours a hazy copper. The bright, white head fades to a patchy film. Citrus and apricot fruitiness are most evident, with a bready, pale maltiness underneath.
Bready and toasty malts lend a light sweetness. Apricot and citrus notes become evident in the center. There's a mild, resiny, hop bite and a light bitterness in the finish. Light-bodied, enough carbonation to keep things from feeling watery. There's a nice dry character in the finish.
Tasty, balanced with a good variety of flavors.
929. Snowbound Winter Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Left Hand Brewing Company
Alcohol: 8.60%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: Winter Warmer, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell:3.5 | Taste: 2.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 1.5
Overall: 2.7
This beer is a clear, amber-garnet brown. Topped by a half-inch, beige head that fades to a film leaving pin-prick spots of lace. Malty and spicy on the nose: ginger, honey, caramel and dark fruit.
Honey sweetness upfront, moving quickly into a very spicy center. Cinnamon, clove and ginger are very strong, and overpower everything else. There's a light bitterness in the finish. Full-bodied, highly carbonated.
The use of spices in this beer is really heavy handed. They're overpowering and too strong to be pleasant.
Labels: Live Oak Brewery, Real Ale Brewing Company, Weizenbock
Needing to get out of the black hole of entertainment that is my grandparents' house, I headed to Cricket's for some beer on Monday the 18th. When I arrived I called Win and Jordan. Jordan arrived first and we played darts for an hour or so. Win arrived later, after we had moved to a table on the balcony.
I started off with the always tasty Live Oak Hefe before moving on to new beers.
588. New Belgium Saison Harvest Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: New Belgium Brewing
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear copper with a thick off-white head that fades to a film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.5): There's a light Belgian yeast fruitiness, bananas are particularly evident. There are some hints of grain as well as some peppery spice.
Taste (3.5): Some toasty malts and sweet fruitiness. The finish is peppery with some citric tartness and a low but lasting bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, high carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Tasty, but I was hoping for a bit more.
Overall (3.7)
589. 60 Minute IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear, copper color with a thick off-white head that thins to a patchy film.
Smell (4.5): Some light, toasty malts and some floral and grassy hops.
Taste (4.5): Toasty malts upfront followed by some sweet caramel. The finish is a strong grassy hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation with a touch of oiliness.
Drinkability (5.0): Sessionable as hell.
Overall (4.4)
590. Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest-Märzen
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hacker-Pschorr Bräu GmbH
Alcohol: 5.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: Märzen / Oktoberfest, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear amber with an off-white head that thins to a film.
Smell (4.5): Rich and malty with lots of caramel and toffee and a little bit of a tart fruitiness.
Taste (4.0): Some light toasty malts that meld with sweet caramel and toffee flavors. There's a very light bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium to full-bodied and creamy with low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Nice, but a little rich.
Overall (4.1)
288. Live Oak Liberation
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Live Oak Brewery
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Very lightly hazy copper with an off-white head that thins to a patchy film.
Smell (5.0): A bit of toasty malts, but the aroma is dominated by a wonderful citrusy and grapefruity hop aroma.
Taste (4.0): Toasty upfront with some light citric sweetness and tartness, followed by a bit of peppery spice. The finish is a nice grapefruit and grassy hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation with a smooth oiliness.
Drinkability (4.5): Nicely balanced with a great grapefruit character.
Overall (4.25)
591. Münchner Kindl Weissbier
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Staatliches Hofbräuhaus
Alcohol: 5.10%
Serving: Tap
Style: Hefe Weizen, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a cloudy, straw golden with a white head that fades to a patchy layer.
Smell (4.5): Bananas, citrus, bubble-gum, cloves and a light graininess.
Taste (4.0): The taste is much like the smell. There are strong bananas, light bubblegum, cloves and a light graininess in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Medium-bodied, low carbonation
Drinkability (5.0): Tasty and very easy to drink.
Overall (4.35)
I started off with the always tasty Live Oak Hefe before moving on to new beers.
588. New Belgium Saison Harvest Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: New Belgium Brewing
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear copper with a thick off-white head that fades to a film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.5): There's a light Belgian yeast fruitiness, bananas are particularly evident. There are some hints of grain as well as some peppery spice.
Taste (3.5): Some toasty malts and sweet fruitiness. The finish is peppery with some citric tartness and a low but lasting bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, high carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Tasty, but I was hoping for a bit more.
Overall (3.7)
589. 60 Minute IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear, copper color with a thick off-white head that thins to a patchy film.
Smell (4.5): Some light, toasty malts and some floral and grassy hops.
Taste (4.5): Toasty malts upfront followed by some sweet caramel. The finish is a strong grassy hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation with a touch of oiliness.
Drinkability (5.0): Sessionable as hell.
Overall (4.4)
590. Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest-Märzen
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hacker-Pschorr Bräu GmbH
Alcohol: 5.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: Märzen / Oktoberfest, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear amber with an off-white head that thins to a film.
Smell (4.5): Rich and malty with lots of caramel and toffee and a little bit of a tart fruitiness.
Taste (4.0): Some light toasty malts that meld with sweet caramel and toffee flavors. There's a very light bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium to full-bodied and creamy with low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Nice, but a little rich.
Overall (4.1)
288. Live Oak Liberation
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Live Oak Brewery
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Very lightly hazy copper with an off-white head that thins to a patchy film.
Smell (5.0): A bit of toasty malts, but the aroma is dominated by a wonderful citrusy and grapefruity hop aroma.
Taste (4.0): Toasty upfront with some light citric sweetness and tartness, followed by a bit of peppery spice. The finish is a nice grapefruit and grassy hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation with a smooth oiliness.
Drinkability (4.5): Nicely balanced with a great grapefruit character.
Overall (4.25)
591. Münchner Kindl Weissbier
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Staatliches Hofbräuhaus
Alcohol: 5.10%
Serving: Tap
Style: Hefe Weizen, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a cloudy, straw golden with a white head that fades to a patchy layer.
Smell (4.5): Bananas, citrus, bubble-gum, cloves and a light graininess.
Taste (4.0): The taste is much like the smell. There are strong bananas, light bubblegum, cloves and a light graininess in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Medium-bodied, low carbonation
Drinkability (5.0): Tasty and very easy to drink.
Overall (4.35)
Labels: American IPA, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Hacker-Pschorr Bräu, Hefe Weizen, Live Oak Brewery, Märzen / Oktoberfest, New Belgium Brewing, Saison, Staatliches Hofbräuhaus
