After the Sculpin, if anyone out there wants to send me other Ballast Point beers to sample I would gladly accept!
September 29, 2011
The Brü Revü – Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
The Ballast Point Sculpin IPA is one of the many beers I smuggled back from our recent vacation to San Diego, and another one you cannot get in Texas, for now. What a spectacular beer! I have read that many consider this the best IPA in the world and I can easily see why. The Sculpin lets you know you are drinking a damn good IPA without hitting you over the head with a one note hop bomb that wears out your palate. It starts with a nice dry hoppy bitterness that gives way to a good citrusy bite with a bit of apricot fruitiness. The strong citrusy aroma and full medium body really round out this top notch beer. At times the Sculpin begins to delve into double IPA territory which only speaks to its excellence. It’s unfortunate I was only able to bring back a 6-pack as at this rate they will be gone quickly and desperately missed.
September 28, 2011
The Brü Revü – Lagunitas IPA
Lagunitas is a great California brewery that is widely available in Austin and most of their 22oz bombers are about 5 bucks so it’s easy to give them a try. The IPA came from as recent Bums meeting that featured Lagunitas beers and this was my return to the beer after that tasting. This was a really good, if not great, west coast IPA that poured a nice amber color with a thin white head. The aroma was fruity and floral with a good citrusy hop flavor followed by a bit of the caramel malt to balance. While not an overpowering IPA, the tastes are more subtle but easily drinkable and refreshing. I am a big fan of the Lagunitas beers and their IPA would be a good one to keep on hand.
September 27, 2011
The Brü Revü – Texas Craft Brewers Festival
I had many excellent beers and missed many more. It was insanely hot and dusty, but the beer more than made up for it. Here’s a run-down of what I tried and my quick thoughts:
Ranger Creek Gulf Coast Imperial IPA – first beer of the day and a great start, excellent local imperial IPA
Real Ale XV Anniversary – very good
Real Ale Morgul – tasted like scotch, which makes sense. Excellent
Real Ale WT3F – Brett fermentation of Devil’s Backbone – I may like the regular Devil’s Backbone better, but this was a nice change.
(512) TWO – double IPA – cask-conditioned firkin - special tapping - Loved it
(512) Pale – dry hopped with Apollo in cask condition firkin - special tapping – served hot, but still smooth and tasty.
Twisted X Senor Viejo – Schwarzbier aged in Tequila barrels. Bit of a disappointment, flat, and not as good as it sounds, the long line didn’t help.
Southern Star Pro-Am The link is for the smoked porter, but that’s not how I remember it. Whatever it was it was good.
New Republic Skylight Dunkelweiss – last beer of the day, and an excellent ending. Kind of sweet with a hint of cloves. Very good Dunkelweiss from College Station?!?
Last Note: I confirmed at the (512) tent that their Third Anniversary Party will be on Saturday October 8th. Yay! See you there!
Just me and 5,000 of my closest friends....
The (512) tent. This has to be my favorite local brewery. If you haven't tried a (512) beer yet, you are missing out. Their IPA is fantastic.
No, really, it's only 4 oz. This is the New Republic Dunkleweiss
September 21, 2011
The Brü Revü – Austin Beerworks Fire Eagle IPA
Austin Beerworks is a relatively new local Brewery that offers several beers in a can and on draft. A buddy of mine does their graphic design work, and he is always eagerly promoting their beers, so I had to try their Fire Eagle IPA on draft while at Frank’s here in Austin. It had a nice clear amber pour with a good hop aroma and light body. It was a very smooth IPA that doesn’t overwhelm you with hops but still leaves you with a nice lingering bitterness. While not overly complex it is still a very refreshing and satisfying IPA. I am always looking for a good local beer and it’s great to have another very drinkable local IPA option.
September 17, 2011
Upcoming Beer Related Events in Austin
Texas Craft Brewers Festival
Saturday, September 24, 2-8 PM, at Fiesta Gardens
$8 General Admission, $58 for VIP admission (which includes VIP air-conditioned restrooms, ha!)
Looks like you will also have to purchase sampling tokens, $12 for 8 tokens?
Looks like fun!
(512) 3rd Anniversary Party
Saturday, October 8th (tentatively),
407 Radam Lane
This is tentative as I have not seen anything formally announced.
I went to their 2nd Anniversary Party and have been to several of their Open Houses, all of which were a great time and good opportunity to try the (512) beers. They will be introducing their THREE, a tripel…. I can’t miss that!
Hopefully I will see everyone at both of these!
September 15, 2011
The Brü Revü – AleSmith X
On our trip to San Diego I was on a quest to try any and all AleSmith beers as I read they were a highly respected brewery in the area. All of their beers get great reviews so I was excited when I saw the AleSmith X on draft at one of the first bars we visited. The X is their Pale Ale which I do not usually choose, but this was AleSmith so I had to. With all of the anticipation and excitement I was NOT disappointed. The X had a gold body with a nice fizzy head with a good hop and slight malty aroma. It had a balanced taste between the citrusy hops and doughy malt that I was instantly enamored with. The X went down smooth and before I knew it, it was gone. It was one of the best Pale Ales I had ever had, and with this introduction to AleSmith I was definitely looking forward to trying the rest of their beers.
Sorry this is a terrible pic taken from my phone, but it's all I have!
September 11, 2011
The Brü Revü – Port Brewing Wipeout IPA
The Wipeout IPA is another beer I smuggled back from our recent vacation to San Diego, and another one you cannot get in Texas, yet. They love their IPA’s on the West Coast, and San Diego specifically. It’s hard to find a bad one out there, and The Wipeout IPA maintains the good reputation. I picked this up on our stay at Mission Beach from a small convenience store with a surprisingly great beer selection. This was a fresh and clean IPA with a thick creamy head and good citrus hop aroma. The taste followed suit with some tropical fruit notes. The Wipeout was a really nicely balanced IPA that was not too aggressive, but not too timid either. It was easily drinkable and highly recommended for any IPA fan. If I had only brought back more than one!
September 9, 2011
Beer Bums Meeting – September 2011 – Belgian Style Beers Brewed in America
Two from North Coast and Two from New Belgium. This was a good batch of beers and I will be looking forward to sampling them all again. A good theme for the month, thanks Rich!
Next Month, October - Oktoberfest Beers (of course)
September 7, 2011
Pint Glass Nights - September
Misc. pint glass nights around Austin for September. Buy the beer, keep the glass.
Gingerman – Mondays, at 6 PM
Sept. 5 New Belgium
Sept. 12 Bourgogne de Flanders
Sept. 19 Duvel Single
Sept. 26 Spaten Oktoberfest mugs (whew!)
Draft Pick – Tuesdays, at 6:30 PM
The Tavern – Tuesdays
Zax Pints and Plates – Wednesdays, at 6 PM
Sept. 7 Left Hand Sawtooth ESB
Sept. 14 Pinkus Brewery
Sept. 21 Independence Brewery Tap Take Over
Sept. 28 Dogfish Head
Flying Saucer - Wednesdays, at 7 PM
Sept. 7 Avery Kaiser Imperial Oktoberfest
Sept. 14 Spaten Oktoberfest 1L Stein
Sept. 21 Flying Saucer Oktoberfest Stein
Sept. 28 Warsteiner Oktoberfest 1L Stein
Draught House – Wednesdays
Send me a link to any other places in town with Pint Glass Nights and I will gladly add them to the list.
The Brü Revü – Rahr & Sons Gravel Road
I had the Rahr & Sons Gravel Road on a recent Gingerman Pint Glass night which meant the beer came with a cool mason jar glass. Rahr & Sons is a Texas brewery from Fort Worth that I unfortunately do not have a lot of experience with. The Gravel Road is a German style Altbier that I found very enjoyable. It’s a deep reddish amber color that’s not too heavy despite its 7% alcohol content. I tasted a malty sweetness and slight caramel as well. It went down fast and easy and was a good introduction to Rahr & Sons. I will be sure to look for more of their beers in the future.
Not my photos, but look at that cool mason jar glass!
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