The liquid is dark as black coffee which gives you an idea of how many hazelnut coffee beans were added to the batch, and the pour is fine with a thin head of foam that seem to get thicker as the beer is drizzled from the bottle. That first taste immediately has you...
Hop Option Mosaic IPA is a very dank, fruity, citrusy, and smells and taste. This beer is listed at 7% ABV, which feels like a creeper beer, you've been warned. This is a very flavorful beer that is very smooth and light feeling. You could say drink this all summer long, and in a place where it feels like summer 80% of the year, that is very important! The only beer I would compare this to is...
Hop Gusher's got the sort of balance that's a bit rare in IPAs - I feel like the malt backbone and sweetness counteract the hop flavor and hop bitterness that typically turns off macro drinkers, although both are still there and very enjoyable. It starts off light on the palette, despite an aggressive...
I waited until Elda M warmed up some so that I knew I would get the full effect of this 10 malt stout. The flavor profile was heavy on roasted coffee and milky sweetness with hints of...
The pour into my 20oz beer glass revealed a dark liquid that had a heavy aroma of coffee and chocolate with a large amount of head forming at the brim. I being the simpleton I was, before the craft scene, immediately envisioned...
Citra Mellow IPA is my first beer from Galveston Island Brewing. Very mild, would be a killer beer for the beach! Very mellow to start, hop bitterness to finish. Slight floral notes along with a sneaky high ABV. A very good intro to IPAs as it not very hoppy/bitter at all. An easy drinking, all day type of beer. ...
Honey Hole ESB is a terrific beer from SpindleTap Brewery, and it's one of my favorites from them. I think I enjoy it so much because it's a bit unusual to see an ESB, and Honey Hole really hits the spot for the style (pun wholly intended). ESB stands for Extra Special Bitter, and Honey Hole's extra special, alright! It starts off clean and...
Despite my skepticism from last year, I went out to 11 Below’s 11-11 Celebration for the release of Negative Space. It ended up being...
I popped the cap and poured Black Wit-O into my favorite “We Love Houston Beer” pint glass and observed the carbonation create a thin layer of head settle at the top. This brew is as black as ink and immediately made me think of Guinness or a strong coffee stout. I had slight whiffs of licorice followed by...
From the immediate pour to the lift of the glass, I was swarmed with caramel hints and what seemed like coffee undertones. The beer’s physical appearance was a copper with murkiness that allowed very little light to shine through, it seemed almost thick but allowed a thin lace of head to rest on top. My first taste was...
Sailing Santa is actually a consumer inspired brew! The great minds at Saint Arnold's Brewing listened when we asked for a seasonal blend of Elisaa IPA and Christmas Ale with a touch of Christmas spice! It isn't a true IPA, more malt characteristics than anything. It sure is smooth sailing though! it has a sneaky high ABV which is always good around this time of year. Most places are releasing stouts this time of year because cold weather is perfect for that style of beer. However, in Houston,...
We asked a bit about the philosophy behind the beer and who they're trying to reach. Bobby explained to us that Back Pew Brewing isn't really interested in brewing beer to transition people from macro to craft. He believes there are plenty of other breweries that'll do that just fine. "We brew beer that we believe in, simple as that." That's why they put so much effort into brewing a...
Citra Mellow is a special beer. The team and I have been on a hunt for the last few weeks to gather a handful of certain "special" beers from around the Greater Houston area, and Citra Mellow was on that list. (More info on why it's special soon.) We got word that Galveston Island Brewing had started canning Citra Mellow, and the day the cans were available, we made a drive down to Galveston for a couple 6 packs....
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...
Every single time (and I mean every time) I pop the top of that 12oz aluminum can the memories of my days in Germany come flooding back. The aroma is crisp and clean, reminding me of the abundant wheat beers and taps that flowed like honey during festivals. Its Vienna malt...
Garden State Hefeweizen by Southern Star brewing is the perfect hefeweizen for my taste. I'm of the opinion that Southern Star is hit or miss sometimes. I really like Conspiracy Theory, but I don't care for the Bombshell Blonde. I hesitated picking up Garden State Hefeweizen for that very reason. Man did I have some egg on my face for that, Garden State has a...
The Ranga is my first beer from Platypus Brewing, and it tastes great! I've never had an Australian beer, so I didn't know what to expect, but something told me Platypus would be churning out great beer. It starts off clean and sweet and the sweetness continues all the way through until...
Our friends Marcus and Kinga over at Baa Baa Brewhouse are hosting the 12 Beers of Christmas, a Houston Homebrew Competition. The competition will happen in 2 stages beginning in December, and the winner will be invited to brew their beer on a commercial scale at Baa Baa Brewhouse along with bragging rights, a trophy, and the opportunity to share their beer with thirsty Houstonians (and Brookshire-ans?) More info and registration...
Buffalo Sunset is a black IPA that mixes two of my favorite drinks, IPAs and coffee. The coffee comes from the Houston based coffee company, Amaya Roasting CO. The name, Buffalo Sunset, comes from the old Sunset Coffee building that was built on the Buffalo Bayou in 1910. Buffalo Bayou described this series as "aggressive and boundary pushing" and it...
I looked at Copperhead Breweries website and was delighted to see that this was a small craft brewery based out of Conroe that distributed only in Texas; making it a true Texan made beer for Texans. The reason for my cheerfulness was that...