The Brü Revü – Left Coast Voo Doo American Stout

I fondly remember the Left Coast Brewery from our trip to San Diego last summer and having a few of their beers at Oggi's Pizza our first night in town. Their beers have recently become available in Texas and it gives me a great opportunity to relive that great family vacation. The Voodoo Stout is touted as a unique "American" stout and it is definitely a different stout. This beer was big and robust that poured a deep black with a decent fluffy head. The taste was outstanding with loads of sweet malts and a big burnt chocolate, bitter dark chocolate flavor that sustained itself nicely. The full creamy mouthfeel kept this substantial brew thick and satisfying. The Voodoo Stout was a fantastic stout that truly delivered on its unique premise and is an experience everyone should enjoy.

Left Coast Voo Doo American Stout

The Brü Revü – Samuel Adams Boston Lager‏

It was the 4th of July and sitting in my beer fridge was a very patriotic bottle of Samuel Adams Boston Lager.  It was too perfect to pass up.  The Boston Lager is The flagship beer of one of the largest American owned breweries and one of the craft beer pioneers.  This was a good start to drinking only American brewed beer on our Independence Day.  The Boston Lager was a lot maltier than I remembered with a flavor that was heavy on the caramel malts with a bit of a nuttiness and a slight hops to keep it balanced.  A great, easy drinking lager and a good thirst quencher on a hot afternoon like this one. Definitely a great start to my patriotic filled day.

Samuel Adams Boston Lager

Beer Bums Meeting – July 2012 – 49 & 50 Beers

49 & 50 beers, or Beers from Hawaii and Alaska.  We ended up with beers from either Alaskan Brewing or Kona Brewing although there are a few others available from those two states.  The stand out for me was the Kona Koko Brown which is a brown ale brewed with toasted coconut.  Tasty.  Again, there were no stinkers in the bunch. 

Kona Koko Brown Ale
Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale
Alaskan Amber
Alaskan Summer Ale
Alaskan White Ale

Next Month, August– Dog Days of Summer

Jester King and Brewing in Texas

I don’t often like to post emails of what breweries send out, but I thought the recent blog post from Jester King was interesting in its presentation on the state of the beer industry in Texas.  It focuses on the outrageous fees (among other requirements) charged to brewers who want to do business in the state and how it inadvertently discourages small business/breweries.  Texas is definitely a big business state and this exemplifies the issue.  In the wave of support for small business in Texas and around the country, this area has been neglected to be addressed.  The good people at Open the Taps are doing their best to get these issues addressed and changed. This is not only good for all our local craft breweries, but for those outside of our state that want to take advantage of the large consumer base in Texas.  Here is the Jester King post with the aforementioned issues discussed towards the end.
Jester King Post

Pint Glass Nights - July 2012

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

Gingerman – Mondays, at 6 PM
July 02      Chimay
July 09      Houblon Chouffe
July 16      Blanche de Bruxelles
July 23      LaChouffe & McChouffe
July 30      Duvel Art Glass

The Tavern – Tuesdays
Check their facebook page for glass updates

Zax Pints and Plates – Wednesdays, at 6 PM
July 04      No glass night
July 11      Coney Island Mermaid Pilsner
July 18      9th Anniversary Customer Appreciation Party
July 25      Brooklyn Brewmaster’s Reserve

Flying Saucer  - Wednesdays, at 7 PM
July 04      Timmerman’s
July 11      Blanche de Bruxelles
July 16      Belgian Beer Week Kick off with Malheur 10 glass night
July 17      Bourgogne des Flanders
July 18      Maredsous
July 19      De Koninck
July 20      Ommegang Witte
July 21      Belgian Independence Glass & glass trader event.
July 25      Pot Luck Glass Sale

Draught House – Wednesdays
Check their twitter page for glass updates