I went to Texas in early July for Brent's wedding. I had some new, mostly Texas, beers in Waco and Houston.
The night I arrived in Waco I went to Cricket's for a few beers with Dave and Win. I had a couple of new Rahr beers as well as some old Liveoak and Real Ale favorites. I was surprised to see a few copies of the Beer Advocate magazine at Cricket's.
685. Rahr Stormcloud IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy copper. Topped by a foamy, beige head that thins to a film.
Smell (3.5): Herbal and grassy hops, with undertones of toasty malts.
Taste (4.0): Toasty, lightly sweet malts upfront, moving into a citric, herbal and grassy hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Moderate carbonation, medium-bodied, a little oily.
Drinkability (4.0): Nicely balanced, not too sweet.
Overall (3.85): A nice IPA.
686. Rahr Buffalo Butt
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: American Amber/Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a hazy amber. The beige head thins to a ring.
Smell: Buttery diacetyl dominates. There's an underlying fruitiness that's hard to pin down.
Taste: Sweet and tart upfront that quickly moves into a strong, smooth, buttery flavor.
Mouthfeel: Low to moderate carbonation. Light to bedium-bodied. Smooth.
Drinkability: Too buttery.
Overall: I've refrained from rating this one because it seems spoiled.
Dave and I stayed at Ward's place in Houston for Brent's wedding. We got there on Friday night and had a beer or two at Ward's place before going out for dinner at Goode Company BBQ.
687. San Miguel Dark Lager
Beer Stats:
Brewery: San Miguel Corporation
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Euro Dark Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a clear brown-red. The fluffy, beige head retains well leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Very malty: caramel, dark fruit, with a light neutral graininess.
Taste (3.0): Sweet, bready maltiness upfront. Center is some date-like dark fruit notes with a hint of spiciness. The finish is mildly roasty with a faint bitterness. Flavorful, but too sweet. There's also a metallic character.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Low carbonation, medium-bodied, smooth.
Drinkability (3.5): Flavorful, but a bit too sweet.
Overall (3.6)
After excellent BBQ, we went to Hans Bierhaus and had a few drinks. The bartender was also mixing a tasty combination of Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA and Blackberry Mead.
688. Saint Arnold Summer Pils
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.90%
Serving: Tap
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear golden. Topped by a fluffy, white head that fades to a thin film, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.0): Very clean, some light tart aromas with light grassiness.
Taste (3.5): Bready, sweet malts upfront. Moves through a lightly tart center to a grassy bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied, crisp, low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Refreshing and light. This was perfect for the humid Houston evening.
Overall (3.6)
689. Saint Arnold Elissa IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.60%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a clear, dark copper. A thickish, beige head thins to a film, leaving sheets of lace.
Smell (3.0): Sweet caramel, toasty malts, light resiny hops.
Taste (3.5): Toasty malts, caramel sweetness. Moves into a grassy, resiny bitterness, which remains to the finish. There's an odd residual sweetness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Thick and full-bodied with low carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Not bad, but not that great.
Overall (3.4)
The night I arrived in Waco I went to Cricket's for a few beers with Dave and Win. I had a couple of new Rahr beers as well as some old Liveoak and Real Ale favorites. I was surprised to see a few copies of the Beer Advocate magazine at Cricket's.
685. Rahr Stormcloud IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy copper. Topped by a foamy, beige head that thins to a film.
Smell (3.5): Herbal and grassy hops, with undertones of toasty malts.
Taste (4.0): Toasty, lightly sweet malts upfront, moving into a citric, herbal and grassy hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Moderate carbonation, medium-bodied, a little oily.
Drinkability (4.0): Nicely balanced, not too sweet.
Overall (3.85): A nice IPA.
686. Rahr Buffalo Butt
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: American Amber/Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a hazy amber. The beige head thins to a ring.
Smell: Buttery diacetyl dominates. There's an underlying fruitiness that's hard to pin down.
Taste: Sweet and tart upfront that quickly moves into a strong, smooth, buttery flavor.
Mouthfeel: Low to moderate carbonation. Light to bedium-bodied. Smooth.
Drinkability: Too buttery.
Overall: I've refrained from rating this one because it seems spoiled.
Dave and I stayed at Ward's place in Houston for Brent's wedding. We got there on Friday night and had a beer or two at Ward's place before going out for dinner at Goode Company BBQ.
687. San Miguel Dark Lager
Beer Stats:
Brewery: San Miguel Corporation
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Euro Dark Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a clear brown-red. The fluffy, beige head retains well leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Very malty: caramel, dark fruit, with a light neutral graininess.
Taste (3.0): Sweet, bready maltiness upfront. Center is some date-like dark fruit notes with a hint of spiciness. The finish is mildly roasty with a faint bitterness. Flavorful, but too sweet. There's also a metallic character.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Low carbonation, medium-bodied, smooth.
Drinkability (3.5): Flavorful, but a bit too sweet.
Overall (3.6)
After excellent BBQ, we went to Hans Bierhaus and had a few drinks. The bartender was also mixing a tasty combination of Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA and Blackberry Mead.
688. Saint Arnold Summer Pils
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.90%
Serving: Tap
Style: German Pilsener, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear golden. Topped by a fluffy, white head that fades to a thin film, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.0): Very clean, some light tart aromas with light grassiness.
Taste (3.5): Bready, sweet malts upfront. Moves through a lightly tart center to a grassy bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied, crisp, low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Refreshing and light. This was perfect for the humid Houston evening.
Overall (3.6)
689. Saint Arnold Elissa IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.60%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a clear, dark copper. A thickish, beige head thins to a film, leaving sheets of lace.
Smell (3.0): Sweet caramel, toasty malts, light resiny hops.
Taste (3.5): Toasty malts, caramel sweetness. Moves into a grassy, resiny bitterness, which remains to the finish. There's an odd residual sweetness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Thick and full-bodied with low carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Not bad, but not that great.
Overall (3.4)
Labels: American Amber/Red Ale, American IPA, Euro Dark Lager, German Pilsener, Rahr and Sons Brewing Company, Saint Arnold, San Miguel
683. Rahr's Winter Warmer
This is from another six-pack of Rahr & Sons beer that I got in a trade with Bryan. I know this is out of season, but it's been refrigerated and seems to have held up pretty well. I have a couple more winter beers that hopefully haven't gone bad. I'll be blogging about them soon should they be in good condition. I served this chilled in one of my NERAX pint glasses.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.95%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Winter Warmer, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy, ruby-tinted brown with a thick, fluffy, beige head that fades to a thin film leaving sheets of lace on the side of the glass.
Smell (3.5): The smell is predominantly malty: toasty malts, raisins, and maybe a hint of holiday spices.
Taste (3.5): Toasty and bready malts upfront. Moves into rasiny dark fruit flavors in the center, which are maintained through to the finish where they're cut by a clean graininess and a faint bitterness. There's a nice alcoholic spice in the swallow.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Medium-bodied, light carbonation, but still fells a little bit thin.
Drinkability (3.5): Flavorful, but not overly strong.
Overall (3.65)
This is from another six-pack of Rahr & Sons beer that I got in a trade with Bryan. I know this is out of season, but it's been refrigerated and seems to have held up pretty well. I have a couple more winter beers that hopefully haven't gone bad. I'll be blogging about them soon should they be in good condition. I served this chilled in one of my NERAX pint glasses.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.95%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Winter Warmer, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy, ruby-tinted brown with a thick, fluffy, beige head that fades to a thin film leaving sheets of lace on the side of the glass.
Smell (3.5): The smell is predominantly malty: toasty malts, raisins, and maybe a hint of holiday spices.
Taste (3.5): Toasty and bready malts upfront. Moves into rasiny dark fruit flavors in the center, which are maintained through to the finish where they're cut by a clean graininess and a faint bitterness. There's a nice alcoholic spice in the swallow.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Medium-bodied, light carbonation, but still fells a little bit thin.
Drinkability (3.5): Flavorful, but not overly strong.
Overall (3.65)
672. Ugly Pug Black Lager
This came from another Rahr six-pack that Bryan sent me in a trade. I let this warm to 45ยบ F or so and served it in one of my NERAX pint glasses.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Schwarzbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear, dark, ruby-brown with a thick, beige head that retains well, leaving patches of lace.
Smell (4.0): Malty with roasty notes and a light fruitiness.
Taste (3.5): Malty upfront with a light toasty element, which quickly becomes roastier. Sweet through the center with hints of fruit before being met by more roasted, bitter flavors in the finish. There's also a light graininess in the aftertaste.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Light-bodied, high-carbonation, but a tad watery.
Drinkability (4.0): Flavorful and balanced.
Overall (3.7)
This came from another Rahr six-pack that Bryan sent me in a trade. I let this warm to 45ยบ F or so and served it in one of my NERAX pint glasses.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Schwarzbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear, dark, ruby-brown with a thick, beige head that retains well, leaving patches of lace.
Smell (4.0): Malty with roasty notes and a light fruitiness.
Taste (3.5): Malty upfront with a light toasty element, which quickly becomes roastier. Sweet through the center with hints of fruit before being met by more roasted, bitter flavors in the finish. There's also a light graininess in the aftertaste.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Light-bodied, high-carbonation, but a tad watery.
Drinkability (4.0): Flavorful and balanced.
Overall (3.7)
Labels: Rahr and Sons Brewing Company, Schwarzbier
659. Bucking Bock
I got three Rahr & Sons six-packs in a trade with Bryan. After my trip to Belgium he wanted to try Gueuze, but wasn't having much luck finding any in his area. I put together a shipment of 5 or 6 bottles and sent it his way. I'd asked for some Rahr beers in return since I haven't tried any before. I originally tried this one a few weeks ago, but only got around to trying it again to review it tonight. I let it warm a bit and served it in my NERAX pint glass.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Maibock/Helles Bock, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden with a thin, sudsy, white head that persists for a while as a thin film.
Smell (2.5): Light aromas of grains with a bit of grassy hops.
Taste (3.5): Light breadiness, some sweet malts, citric tartness with a hint of spiciness going down. The finish is a light, grassy, hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied, high carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Light in flavor, but pretty drinkable. The alcohol is well hidden.
Overall (3.3): This seems like a decent shot at the style. It really suffers because of the lack of a significant aroma.
I got three Rahr & Sons six-packs in a trade with Bryan. After my trip to Belgium he wanted to try Gueuze, but wasn't having much luck finding any in his area. I put together a shipment of 5 or 6 bottles and sent it his way. I'd asked for some Rahr beers in return since I haven't tried any before. I originally tried this one a few weeks ago, but only got around to trying it again to review it tonight. I let it warm a bit and served it in my NERAX pint glass.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Maibock/Helles Bock, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden with a thin, sudsy, white head that persists for a while as a thin film.
Smell (2.5): Light aromas of grains with a bit of grassy hops.
Taste (3.5): Light breadiness, some sweet malts, citric tartness with a hint of spiciness going down. The finish is a light, grassy, hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied, high carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Light in flavor, but pretty drinkable. The alcohol is well hidden.
Overall (3.3): This seems like a decent shot at the style. It really suffers because of the lack of a significant aroma.
