THE BRÜ

June 17, 2014

The Brü Revü – Lagunitas NightTime

The latest beer from Lagunitas is their NightTime Black IPA. I love everything from Lagunitas so picking up this new confection in a 22 oz bomber for less than $5 is a no brainer. The beer poured a deep brown to black with slight ruby highlights and loads of fluffy tan head. The nose is very hop forward with grapefruit rind being the predominant aroma with slight hints of pine and mango. There was very little roast on the nose and it only revealed itself as it warmed. If I wasn’t looking at this dark as night brew I would swear it was an IPA on aroma alone. The taste followed with strong grapefruit rind and a little more of the pine and mango notes than the aroma. As it warmed the dark roasted malts came through at the end and mingled with the hops to create a beautiful bitterness on my palate. This was an outstanding Black IPA and Lagunitas handled the hops expertly. I expect nothing less from a Lagunitas brew.

Lagunitas NightTime

June 12, 2014

The Brü Revü – Infamous IPA

I have had the Infamous Brewing IPA on draft several times in the past and always enjoyed it. When I finally saw a sixer of 3 day old cans I had to grab one. The can states that its Tomahawk and Warrior hops battling it out on a base of malted barley. While I am not as familiar with those particular hops (I have since discovered that Tomahawk and Columbus hops are one in the same) I do appreciate the results. The beer poured a golden amber with a huge fluffy white head that left significant lacing. The nose was herbal and dank with a slight tropical fruit sweetness. The initial taste was bracingly bitter that continued to infiltrate all corners of my tongue with its sharp bitter herbal pine that finished dry and bitter.. As it warmed the additional hop characteristics shone through with the deep dank and bits of tropical fruit peaking their head out of the blanket of malt. It was great to finally have this in the can and to have another excellent local IPA option. I will look forward to trying the other Infamous beers in the near future.

Infamous IPA

June 10, 2014

Beer Bums Meeting – June 2014 – Ciders

Ciders have been on our list of themes for a while, especially with the influx of new ciders on the market. With the heat of June we thought ciders would be perfect. Definitely an excellent and varied group of ciders. The Original Sin Cherry tree was a nice treat and the locals Austin Eastciders impressed.

Austin Eastciders Original Dry Ciders

Square Mile Spur & Vine Hopped Apple Cider

Crispin Browns Lane Imported English Cider

Harpoon Craft Cider

Original Sin Cherry Tree Cider

Next Month, July – Live Oak Brewing Tour

June 3, 2014

The Brü Revü – Hops and Grain Greenhouse IPA, May

Wakatu, Wakatu, Wakatu. This New Zealand hop variety is the focus of the May version of Hops and Grain’s Greenhouse IPA. According to the Greenhouse IPA site this hop has notes of orange, lime zest and some floral goodness. As usual the beer pours and looks almost identical each month with a deep golden amber and fluffy white head. The aroma was full of sweet orange and lime citrus notes with only a slight tinge of floral aromas. The taste had the sweet orange citrus and lime rind flavors dominant on the forefront. The floral hops held off until the finish where they peeked through the citrus veil to leave a lasting impression on my palate. As with all the Greenhouse IPAs so far this brew was a pleasure to drink. I look forward to this every month and it has been the local beer highlight of the year.

Hops and Grain Greenhouse IPA