THE BRÜ: October 2013

October 29, 2013

The Brü Revü – (512) Brewing Company 5th Anniversary Party

I try to never miss the (512) Anniversary Party and I always have a great time. This year was no exception. It was a great way to kick of Austin Beer Week and turned into a really well done and organized event. You could easily get a core beer at any one of their numerous tents, and while the line for the “special beers” got long it moved quickly and efficiently. I really enjoyed the selection at the “Special Beer” tent with the highlights being the Whiskey Barrel Aged Double Pecan Porter 2012 and 2013 on tap and the Stingo.

(512) FIVE - Their Anniversary beer was an Imperial Stout and it was tasty. It was full of heavy roasted malts and a bit of chocolaty goodness and dark fruits to boot. Underneath it all I kept thinking I tasted some similarities to the Pecan Porter, but definitely bigger and bolder. Well done!

(512) Whiskey Barrel Aged Double Pecan Porter - They had the 2012 and 2013 versions and I opted for the 2012. So good. Just a perfect beer that highlights their Pecan Porter. Nutty, chocolate, vanilla and whiskey barrel goodness.

(512) FOUR - On Firken with something added, but I didn’t catch what it was. I really liked their FOUR from last year, but this was just OK for me. It could have been because it had to follow the Barrel Aged Pecan Porter.

(512) Pecan Porter on Nitro - The only way to drink the Pecan Porter. Thick, creamy and delicious.

(512) Stingo - I was looking forward to the Stingo. It’s their FOUR barrel aged for a year on American Oak and dry hopped. Wow! It was good. Lot’s of woody barrel character with a dry finish. Tart and tangy with wine like flavors and some vanilla smoothness. Unique and complex.

(512) THREE - I am a sucker for a good trippel and this one was great. I little different than most of their offerings but just as good nonetheless. I wish it was available more often so I could drink it again and again.

(512) Pecan Porter with pumpkin spices through a pumpkin keg. It was surprisingly good as I didn’t think I would like the pumpkin spices. They caramelized the inside of the pumpkin then added cranberries and spices. Very good way to finish the day.

October 23, 2013

Austin Beer Week 2013

Austin Beer Week

Saturday, October 25th thru Sunday, November 3rd

See the calendar of events here: Austin Beer Week Calendar

I’m personally looking forward to the (512) Brewing 5th Anniversary party on Oct. 25th as I missed out on a ticket to Jester King’s Funk and Sour Fest. There are great events to choose from all week long, so it will be easy to stay craft beer happy!

October 16, 2013

The Brü Revü – Breckenridge 471 Small Batch IPA

The Breckenridge 471 Small Batch IPA came from a recent Bums Meeting and it was instantly impressive. I knew I would have to give it a proper review and it continued to impress on my second taste. The beer poured a golden amber with a substantial white creamy head. The aroma held tropical fruits and those dank hops I love. The initial taste hit with a solid hop bitterness with piney and dank hops and some tropical fruit for good measure. It had a very nice hop profile that was bitter and flavorful with the dank hoppiness that always pulls me in. The Small Batch IPA had a slightly sweet finish but left a nice lingering bitterness. The 471 was a really well crafted beer and a taste profile I liked a lot. I wish I would have tried it sooner.

Breckenridge 471 Small Batch IPA

October 9, 2013

The Brü Revü – Austin Beerworks Heavy Machinery Wet Hop IPA

Austin Beerworks has been absolutely killing it with their Heavy Machinery IPA series. I had the Black IPA at the brewery and the Double and Half IPA’s in the can and they have all been phenomenal. Now we have the Wet Hop IPA that is loaded with Centennial hops and is super tasty. The beer poured a deep gold with a full white head. There was a great hoppy aroma that was full of citrusy goodness. The taste followed those citrus notes with a great citrus flavor full of grapefruit that finished a bit dry but leaving a nice bitterness on my tongue. It was light, refreshing and thoroughly yummy. So far these Heavy Machinery IPA’s have all been excellent and I can’t wait for the next iteration. Keep up the great work and I'll keep drinking it!

Austin Beerworks Heavy Machinery Wet Hop IPA

October 7, 2013

Beer Bums Meeting – October 2013 – Oktoberfest Beers

Ahh October and the return of fall, or soon I suppose. This was our typical October/Oktoberfest theme and it never gets old, at least since it’s been a year. I have yet to have the Ayinger and it was really good. The Spaten Oktoberfest is one of my gateway beers, and it was great to revisit it.

Samuel Adams Octoberfest

Ayinger Oktoberfest Marzen

Spaten Oktoberfest

Widmer Brothers Okto Festival Ale

Leinenkugels Oktoberfest

Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest

Next Month, November – Red Ales

October 3, 2013

The Brü Revü – Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA

I kept hearing great things about the Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA, while I kept waiting and waiting for it to arrive in Texas. Sometimes I never understand why it takes so long for certain beers to make it to this market and it’s especially frustrating when it’s an IPA or something that needs to be consumed fresh. Thus by the time it made it to me its was a not so Fresh Squeezed IPA, but I figured it was still worth a taste. The brew poured a deep golden amber with a substantial head with very good lacing. The aroma was extremely bright and citrusy with lemons and grapefruit along with passionfruit and tropical fruit notes. All in all it was a great smelling IPA. The taste had an obvious citrus punch with some pine followed by the fruitiness. The hop profile was substantially bright and fresh, but I could imagine it would have been even stronger fresh. The slight hop fade allowed the strong bready caramel malt character to show through and it held all the hops together. Even so my palate was left with a nice bitter hop coating. The Fresh Squeezed IPA was a easy and smooth and a really wonderful IPA.

Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA