Last time I had Derailler, it was icy-cold outside, we were at Cycler's Brewing interviewing Clay, and we had it straight from the tank. It was cold and could've benefitted from warming up a bit, but with the temperature outside, that wasn't a luxury we could afford. Despite the cold temp, the beer was delicious. This time...
Black Masses poured thicker and blacker than any other stout I’ve had from Brash. They weren't lying about the darkness! I took it to a New Year’s Eve party and people used the old “looks like motor oil” comparison and that...
There’s no better way to start off a new year of craft beer reviews then with a dependable well-made IPA like Hop Gusher! This hoppy fruit inspired concoction is on the year round list of the young but hard charging brewers of Spindletap and their two ingenious brew masters. When I...
8th Wonder Brewery did the city justice with Hopston. It's a TX IPA that's light on the tongue, but not light on flavor. I really dig 8th Wonder for their creativity - not only in the beers themselves, but in their names and artwork. Hopston's no different. Hopston is bit stronger in flavor than other IPAs I've had, but it's...
Pine Belt Pale Ale is a bit aggressive for the style, but I still really enjoyed it. It's a year round beer and suitably so as it's refreshing enough to stand up to the Houston heat that fills 10 months of our calendars. APAs are typically a bit more gentle than IPAs when it comes to IBUs, ABV, and hop flavor, but this one...
Big Black Cowbell was very carbonated, but not overly so. It had a generous amount of tan head (really trying to stay away from puns here) and a black body. The smell was all...
Fast forward a few days, and I just got home from SpindleTap's tap takeover at Hughies, and a friend of ours had a Brash You've Got Red on You while we were there. As he drank it, I asked what he thought, knowing I had a few waiting for me at home. He said he was disappointed. Call me weird, but a bad endorsement often intrigues me more than a good one because I wanna try whatever it is, and be able to say you're wrong! So I...
Rye beers are often moderate in bitterness which allows the spicy and sour characters to flow through the beer, and Ryed Hard is no exception to that style. It’s initial aroma and fragrance gives hints of a mellow citrus that may confuse the drinker, but it in fact...
Murry Chrimmus by Sigma Brewing Company is a sleeper in every sense of the word. As I scanned the tap list on the back wall of Hop Stop Humble, I was seconds away from making a mistake. I nearly ordered something other than Murry Chrimmus. Nothing wrong with the other choices, it's just that damn good! It reminds me of a stronger Sailing Santa. Kind of sweet, not boozy like you might expect from a 12% beer. Very well balanced. Tastes like Christmas spirit in a bottle. Pours...
So, it's the day after Christmas and it's a frigid 73 degrees with 92% humidity, so it seems a bit silly to be writing about Southern Star Winter Warmer, but bear with me! I write about beer in my journal as I drink, and then I post them on here as I see fit, and I originally drank this one while I grilled on my back patio as we endured the first sunshine after the big cold front week before last. It starts off mild and sweet, and...
St. Nipplaus is hands-down the best Milk Stout I've ever had the pleasure of tasting, and it blew me completely away. If hot chocolate got cold but didn't suck, and you added alcohol, peppermint and tons of gifts beneath a fresh Christmas tree, that's St. Nipplaus....
Sailing Santa, as I was informed by my fellow authors, is a consumer inspired brew. The love child of Elissa IPA and Christmas Ale with its own festive spice twist. When poured, it creates a beautiful copper color that has slight hints of rouge or amber that allows...
So there I was, sitting at the bar scanning the chalk board with the list of beer on tap at Hop Stop Humble, and im trying to decide which to get my growler filled with. I'm trying to decide between a few IPA's when out of the corner of my eye I see one I had somehow missed, 7 Spanish Angels from our friends at Brazos Valley Brewing. I tasted it and quickly decided that was the clear choice. Described as Coffee Brown Ale, I expected more of...
Saint Arnold is one of my favorite breweries in town, and it's stuff like this Bishop's Barrel 16 that make it so. This BB16 doesn't remind me of anything I've had before, but for the sake of storytelling, I like it better than the BB15. BB15 was good, but this BB16 is great and really creative, so...
Down in Richmond, there’s a new brewery that started putting out cans of its fresh, new beer. That brewery is Running Walker. I happened upon their canned goods at Total Wine by my house and decided to take some of their Running Walker Stout home...
Honey Hole at first seems like nothing special, but you know what they say about looks (If you don’t know, then go look it up. I’ll wait). This beer when poured has an average glow of blonde with hints of citrus and floral that waft into your nostrils. A miniscule amount of head is formed and...
So I cant remember the first place I saw the idea for Driving Santa for sure but I know that one of our pint glass giveaway winners, @skatercraig on IG, shared a recipe with us where he poured half of a can of Saint Arnold's Art Car IPA and half of a bottle of Saint Arnold's Christmas Ale together. His idea was trying to create the next Saint Arnold Sailing Santa, which is a combo of Saint Arnold's Elissa IPA and Christmas Ale! While I love the ingenuity...
This No Label 5th Anniversary Barleywine marks their 6th anniversary. But wait, it's the 5th anniversary beer? It seems as though they say on it a while, but it was worth the wait. (I'm a little behind the curve, too.) This barleywine is pretty bold, and it starts off even bolder. It has a strong hoppy nose, with subtle fruity, woody notes, all wrapped up in the smell of pure alcohol. The tastes...
Saint Nipplaus has been stuck in my mind for the last three years as one of my favorite beers of all time. I called them that next year begging to know when it would be out again, but they said they weren’t sure if they were going to make it again...
The Bruery in Houston? For the unknowing, the Bruery is a boutique craft brewery located in Orange County, CA specializing in barrel aged and experimental...