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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
Fresh Nugs has a cleeeeean flavor - man it's so good. The flavor starts off bright and crisp. Since the news of the Karbach sellout, this beer is going to be a bit harder to find. Many local bars that specialize in local beers are saddened by the news and have all but dumped their Karbach kegs. Despite all the bad press, I wrote about these beers before they sold out, and people that don't know much about craft, might not know if we don't tell them....
Is it too early to talk about Christmas Ale? Halloween JUST passed and The Great Pumpkinator won’t rise out of my sincere beer cellar (errr… beer fridge) until next year. Either way, Christmas Ale has been out for a few weeks and good beer doesn’t “show up too early” to me....
I believed that because it was an APA, the consistency would not rival most other international IPA and wow was I dead wrong. It’s ominous and intimidating design should have warned me that this was the ale you could not mess with. The after taste of hops still lingered strong after one gulp, and...
Karbach Quintuple IPA is is more complex than an angry woman. It's brewed with 5 different hop varieties, 5 different types of grains, and 5 different fermentables. It's a beer they brewed to honor their fifth anniversary, and it's completely ridiculous. The flavor changes drastically as it warms up, and everything intensifies. As you take a sip, it starts off somewhat boozy, then it gets...
Saint Arnold Oktoberfest is a freaking fantastic fall beer!! It starts off crisp and it develops a sort of sweet, malty flavor as it goes down. It's bolder and more full-bodied than the Karbach Oktoberfest, and it feels a bit heavier, too. Saint Arnold Oktoberfest has more flavor than...
BB15 is definitely a winter beer. Since it's special and only comes in limited releases, some folks are even stealing it out of the back of the store. I cracked one open, so I could write this review while it was still fresh, and I wish I woulda waited a bit. BB15 starts off mild, all things considered. The second it hit my tongue...
Brash Brewing's EZ-7 is listed as an American Pale Ale, however it tastes more like an I.P.A. Once again the guys over at Brash have delivered again! They named this beer after the legendary...
Krunkin Pumpkin took me by surprise. I've read all the pumpkin beer hate, and I gotta admit, it was hard going into this with an open mind. But for the sake of an unbiased review, I went for it. That's said, Krunkin Pumpkin's pretty good. It starts off with the...
Icon Honey Saison blew away my expectations in one way and was spot on in others. I always look forward to the Icon series and the nice folks down at Saint Arnold put lots of care into the craft, so I knew it was gonna be a great beer - spot on. However, I was a bit unsure about the honey. I thought it might be...
Karbachtoberfest reminds me of a stronger version of Shiner's Oktoberfest. They share some of the same malty sweetness. Albeit a bit mild, Shiner's is milder. I'd recommend this to someone wanting to try something with a little more flavor than the macro brewed stuff, but not yet ready for an...
This is an English Style Pale Ale and my first run at an ESB. I was pleasantly surprised! The taste reminded me of an American Pale Ale, without being hopped up like an American Pale Ale...
Great White Buffalo is very crisp and very light. Refreshing on the tongue, refreshing finish, just refreshing all the way around. I like that it's welcoming and mild, but it might be a bit too mild for my preference, albeit...