The Brü Revü – Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye Ale

After the Racer 5 IPA blew me away, I had to try another highly rated brew from Bear Republic. The Hop Rod Rye Ale is their version of a Double IPA brewed with 20% rye malt. I have really enjoyed other Rye brews in the past so this was a no brainer. First, let me start off with a small rant: I purchased this 4-pack and quickly got it home and put it in my beer fridge, where I discovered that I made it home with only 2 Hop Rods and 2 Racer 5s?!? Not a total disappointment since I really love Racer 5, but I do feel a bit screwed out of my other 2 Hop Rods. Let this be a lesson for all of you: check your 6-packs (or 4-packs) before purchase! To all of you scumbags who like to make your own mixed 6-packs to the detriment of the rest of us honest consumers, I hope the beer gods reward you with spoiled beers and head-splitting hangovers. Done, now on with the beer... As to be expected the Hop Rod was excellent. It poured a deep amber with plenty of hops and the sweet rye on the nose. A nicely balanced beer between the hop profile of the Racer 5 and the sweet rye malts. It was very delicately balanced and a nice drinking brew. If you are a fan of the Racer 5, be sure to check out the Hop Rod Rye Ale, just check your 4-packs!

Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye Ale

The Brü Revü – Guinness Foreign Extra Stout

The Guinness Foreign Extra Stout is everything a Guinness should be.  It poured a deep opaque black with a full tan head with great retention.  The aroma was surprisingly weaker than expected from such a foreboding brew but was reminiscent of a regular Guinness.  I have been a fan of Guinness and it has become quite the beer icon over the years.  The Foreign Extra Stout takes those signature Guinness flavors and turns them up to 11.  There are hints of chocolate, sweet malts, and a slight char that leaves a nice bitterness on the palate.  It has a smooth and creamy mouthfeel that is heavier than the regular Guinness, but still lighter than expected.  The Foreign Extra Stout is the epitome of Guinness and so good I don’t know if I can ever go back to its lesser sibling.

Guinness Foreign Extra Stout

The Brü Revü - Bangers

I just might have a new favorite beer bar in Austin.  Bangers is a new sausage house and beer garden off Rainey Street that boasts over 100 beers on tap.  It has a very beer hall atmosphere on the inside and classic beer garden vibe in its outdoor area.  There is also a fenced in dog friendly area which I know will be a popular attraction for those with furry four legged friends.  Boasting over 100 beers on tap is one thing, but I was thoroughly impressed with the selection.  They seem to focus on local Texas beers, having several offerings from each local brewery rather than one or two select beers.  The beers they offered from outside of Texas were all top notch.  I sat and studied the beer menu as it is quite extensive and there were multiple brews that caught my attention that I wanted to sample.  Another plus is they have an entire section dedicated to Gluten Free options which is always a plus in my book considering my lovely wife is Gluten Free.  Not only did they have Ciders and GF Beers, but a Mead on draft which was a first for us.  While having Gluten Free options is becoming more common in Austin restaurants, you are always left on your own when searching for a Gluten Free beverage at most local bars.  This was a nice touch that I would like to see implemented elsewhere.

I started my sampling with an Austin Beerworks Flying Headbutt. It's an Belgian Style Double IPA that was delicious. The Belgian Yeast was subtle yet delicately added to the dank hoppiness of the IIPA. This was another great beer from Austin Beerworks that continues to impress.

My second brew was the (512) TWO, their Double IPA. This is a seasonal release that I rarely catch on draft so I couldn't pass it up. I love their IPA and I may be in lust with their TWO. It is a phenomenal IIPA and brew in general that I really wish they would produce with more regularity. It has a great bitter hop profile with grapefruit and a bit of pine that mellows with the toffee like malt backbone. It's simply a great beer.

While I didn't sample much of their food I can thoroughly recommend the Chile Cheese Fries complete with in-house pickled Jalepenos! Excellent. The rest of their food menu looked really good and obviously heavy on the sausages that are made in house.

With several draft brews that I still wanted to try, I will definitely have to come back to Bangers. With a perfect beer atmosphere it will quickly become my favorite beer joint in town.

The Brü Revü – Oskar Blues Deviant Dale’s IPA

Oskar Blues is making craft beer in a can, cool again.  All of their usual lineup of beers are excellent, and I have been looking for, and was finally able to get their IPA, Deviant Dale’s.  I am surprised it is an IPA and not a Double IPA as it has a very smack you in the head Hop presence and fairly high abv for an IPA.  I will admit that the first time I tried Deviant Dale’s, I wasn’t sure I liked it. It had a very dank and earthy hopiness that was a bit overwhelming.  There was also a hint of blue cheese which could be why I was not getting into it.  Not to be discouraged I gave it another shot.  The second time I was really digging all the earthy hops and even a hint of pine resin mixed into the brew.  It was still a hop overload, but I was able to enjoy its assault on my palate.  For an IPA this is definitely a gigantic hop bomb and won’t be for everyone.  I was able to find my own personal love for Deviant Dale’s but can understand the love/hate relationship people have with it.

Oskar Blues Deviant Dale’s IPA

The Brü Revü – Stone Cali-Belgique IPA‏

I grabbed the Stone Cali-Belgique IPA as I have an affection for Stone Brewery and all of their brews. The Cali-Belgique IPA is the Stone IPA brewed with Belgian yeast. The Belgian IPA has become a popular style of late and Stone's version builds off the excellent base of the Stone IPA. The beer poured a golden color with a fluffy white head. The Belgian yeast made its presence known in the aroma with hints of clove and bubblegum. The taste was very dynamic. You could taste the Stone IPA base with its hoppy profile and bitterness. The Belgian Yeast gave it a subtle tang that boosted the flavor without being overwhelming. The Cali-Belgique was a nice twist on the Stone IPA and one of the best Belgian Style IPAs I have tried as the yeast was a nice compliment to the beer rather than overpowering it. This was another well crafted brew from the brewers at Stone.

Stone Cali-Belgique IPA‏

Beer Bums Meeting – August 2012 – Dog Days of Summer Beers

The Dog Days of Summer seemed appropriate for August as its the hottest month of the year.  It was a fairly open theme with several “dog” beers and so on.  All in all, a great group of brews.

Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale
Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager
Flying Dog Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale
Avery Ellie's Brown Ale
Rahr & Sons Ugly Pug

Next Month, September – Gateway beers

The Brü Revü – Ayinger Weizen-Bock

I picked up the Ayinger Weizen-Bock at our new Whole Foods. As it was our first visit I felt a beer purchase was required and a weizen-bock always gets my attention. I couldn't wait to try it so I chose a hot Sunday afternoon while attacking my grill. It was one of those muggy summer days where you never stop sweating and I needed a beer if I was going to be outside BBQing.  I opened the bottle and went about getting my grill ready and when I turned back it was foaming out the bottle.  Nice.  It poured an opaque straw color with plenty of head.  The bubble gum and clove nose was immediately apparent and the first taste was heavy on the signature hefeweisen flavors. It had a wonderfully smooth and creamy mouthfeel that quickly made me forget all about my constant sweating heat.  I love a good weizen-bock and the Ayinger version was heavy on those classic hefeweisen flavors and just plain excellent.

Ayinger Weizen-Bock

The Brü Revü – Bear Republic Racer 5

The Bear Republic Racer 5 was a flat out excellent IPA. Sometimes there is not much more you can say about a beer than it was damn good. I took a few of these with me to the beach on a recent family vacation and every time I had one I kept thinking “damn this is a good beer”. It was always the perfect end to a long day at the beach. It poured a great golden color with a nice white head and plenty of citrusy hops in the aroma. It was a perfectly balanced IPA with plenty of citrus hops and a slight hint of pine bitterness to keep it interesting. It has to be one of the top IPAs for me and with the added bonus that it is available in Texas. There is not much else to say about the Racer 5 other than it is Fantastic. Now I need to go and have another!

Bear Republic Racer 5

National IPA Day

Today is National IPA Day so get out to your favorite local establishment and enjoy a brew of hoppy goodness. May your taste buds be forever scarred with a hoppy assault! Enjoy!

A few brews to consider on your hoppy quest:
Brü Revü IPAs
Brü Revü Double IPAs
Brü Revü Belgian IPAs

Pint Glass Nights - August 2012

Misc. pint glass nights around Austin for August. Buy the beer, keep the glass.

Gingerman – Mondays, at 6 PM
August 06    Saint Arnold Summer Pils
August 13    Rahr & Sons Gravel Road
August 20    Independence Saison
August 27    Samuel Adams

The Tavern – Tuesdays
Check their facebook page for glass updates


Zax Pints and Plates – Wednesdays, at 6 PM
August 01    Coney Island Sword Swallower
August 08    Harp Lager
August 15    Staropramen Lager
August 22    Boulevard Brewing Saison-Brett
August 29    Franconia Brewing


Flying Saucer - Wednesdays, at 7 PM (I will update when they update their calendar)
August 01      Schneider & Son
August 08      Staropramen
August 15      Elvis
August 22      Konig 1L
August 29      Full Sail

Draught House – Wednesdays
Check their twitter page for glass updates


Red's Porch – Thursdays, at 5 PM
Check their events page for glass updates