The Brü Revü – Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #13

I normally don’t succumb to the beer phenomena that is the Saint Arnold Divine Reserve Series as it is usually gone before I get any.  With #13 Saint Arnold took on a Belgian Quad and with my fondness for Belgian Brews I decided to try a little harder.  I was lucky enough to walk into my local HEB and there it was, Divine.  The beer poured a very dark ruby brown with a slight tan head.  The aroma was a perfect Belgian quad with deep dark fruits and a bit of sweet Belgian yeast.  The taste was an excellent with Belgian yeast, sweet dark fruits, a bit of the chocolate malt and a slight warming from the alcohol.  All in all a great take on a Belgian quad and a great beer in general. It’s a shame it will be gone before I can get more and before more people get a chance to enjoy it, but the Divine Series is just that:  A Divine take on a single batch of beer. I can only hope Saint Arnold's will make beautiful brew available again similar to the Pumpkinator and Endeavour that got their start as a Divine Reserve.

Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #13

The Brü Revü – Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout

Lagunitas continually produces great beers and I have been really diggin the coffee stouts this season so the Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout was an easy decision.  Lagunitas has made their name on their hoppy beers, but I have enjoyed pretty much every beer of theirs I have tried and now that includes the Cappuccino Stout. It poured a deep brown almost black with creamy tan head.  The aroma held sweet malts and the punch of coffee that was a good sign of things to come.  The taste had everything I was looking for in a coffee stout.  It was big and bold with a good coffee flavor and a deep bittersweet chocolate malt on a full creamy body that was full and satisfying.  Lagunitas made another great beer and exactly what I wanted in a satisfying coffee stout.

Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout

The Brü Revü – Sixpoint 3Beans

The Sixpoint 3Beans is an imperial porter that uses Romano, Cacao and Coffee beans to form a triumvirate of fantastic flavors.  This beer is simply great.  The Romano beans gave the beer a wonderful texture to allow the coffee and cacao beans to meld and mutate into something that wasn’t your typical coffee stout/porter.  3Beans poured a deep brown almost black with a substantial khaki head. The aroma was a perfect buttery chocolate with a hint of coffee to round it out.  Let this brew warm because it holds a tang when it’s too cold, but releases into a roasted dark chocolate coffee wonderland when it warms.  One of the best Imperial porters I have had and definitely a tantalizing trinity of tastes!

Sixpoint 3Beans

The Brü Revü – Santa Fe Imperial Java Stout

I always love a good coffee stout and I have heard nothing but great things about the Imperial Java Stout by Santa Fe Brewing Company.  There is something about the coffee flavors melded with a rich and roasty stout that makes me happy.  The Sante Fe Java Stout poured pitch black with a thick tan head and the heavy coffee aroma wafted from the glass and perked my senses.  The rich coffee aroma lead into an enormous coffee flavor that enhanced the sweet malty stout with a hint of burnt roasty nuttiness on the follow through.  The Java Stout had a rich and creamy mouthfeel that made for a fantastic brew that was deceptively drinkable considering its high alcohol content.  A perfect breakfast beer!

Santa Fe Imperial Java Stout

Beer Bums Meeting – March 2013 – Pisces Beers

Pisces Beers had the potential to be interesting, beers with a Fish theme. Heavy on the IPA’s and represented by the world class Ballast Point Sculpin. The rest of the beers held their own too.  No beer for you Dog!

Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
Ballast Point Big Eye IPA
Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale
Harpoon IPA
Big Sky Montana Trout Slayer Ale

Next Month, April – Spring Seasonal Beers

The Brü Revü – Green Flash Palate Wrecker

I was prepared for the Green Flash Palate Wrecker to do just that: wreck my palate, sucking all the life out of my mouth and bringing tears to my eyes.  This famed Double IPA is a whopping 149 IBUs and waiting to wreak havoc on unsuspecting palates.  I was ready and willing for the palate punishment and happily submitted to the whims of the Wrecker.  The beautiful deep amber brew gave off a gorgeous aroma of sweet grapefruit and floral hops and was a wonderful smelling IPA.  The taste was aggressively hoppy with a great blend of citrus, dank and piney hop flavors to make it a perfect Hop Bomb.  While it covered my palate with a hoppy resinous residue it was surprisingly drinkable and an enormously enjoyable Double IPA.  Palate Wrecked?  No, more like Palate Perfection!

Green Flash Palate Wrecker

Pint Glass Nights - March 2013

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

Gingerman – Mondays, at 6 PM
Mar 04   McChouffe
Mar 11 *Break for SXSW*
Mar 18 Harpoon
Mar 25 Saint Arnold Spring Bock

The Tavern – Tuesdays
Check their facebook page for glass updates

Zax Pints and Plates – Wednesdays, at 6 PM (I will update once Zax updates their calendar)
Mar 06 Boulevard 80 Acre Hoppy Wheat
Mar 13 Lagunitas Fusion (Made exclusively for Austin)
Mar 20 Real Ale Fireman’s #4
Mar 27 Omer Belgian Blonde

Flying Saucer  - Wednesdays, at 7 PM
Mar 06   Rahr & Son’s Iron Thistle
Mar 13 Flying Saucer St. Patty’s Glass
Mar 20 Duvel Art Glass
Mar 27 Stone Old Guardian

Draught House – Wednesdays
Check their twitter page for glass updates

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