Magic Hat Vinyl Lager:
Greetings and salutations one and all.  Today lets spin some classics, shall we?  I love vinyl; their sound, art work, hell, just the way they feel makes you feel like you’re in the studio, watching the whole album come together.  It really is an awesome genre of recording that is, thankfully, finding it’s way back, albeit in a niche group.  Today’s brew is named after such wonderfulness, Magic Hat’s Vinyl Lager, a spring brew from the folks in Vermont and their vertigo inducing bottle caps.  Now I’ll be first to admit that the Magic Hat name doesn’t get my motor very revved up when I see it.  I think they have decent brews but they aren’t anything that unique nor are they anything to offend either; they are just there, to be drunk when their turn comes up.  The beer itself pours a dark amber with some initial caramel colored head that quickly dissipates into just a few bubbles on the sides of the cup and a nose of roasted malts and coffee.  The beer has a very clean taste with the roasted malts being predominate in the whole drinking process with an aftertaste that reminds me of burnt sugar and for a beer that has 5.1% ABV, there is not much of a noticeable alcohol content.  Nothing special beer wise, I know a lot of people swear by Magic Hat and I’m sure I’ll run across one of their beers that I really enjoy soon enough (just like I did with Rahr) but I’m happy to have this one off the list and ready to move on to the next beer. 
 

Real Ale Devil's Backbone:
Howdy folks and welcome to your source for Texas brew knowledge.  Well maybe not, but that be really cool if it was, right?  One can dream… Anywho, today we do jump back to the Great State of Texas and have a real frank conversation (as opposed to what, a fake Frank?) about Real Ale’s Summer Release- now available year around- Devil’s Backbone. Named after a ridge that runs between those two megalopolises in Texas,  Wimberly and Blanco, the beer is a triple Belgian style that is born of the styles made famous by those European dudes who make really good beer as well.  The beer pours well with a cream gold color with a thick white head that sticks around for most of the beer’s consumption and a nose of fruits, breads and a touch of spice. The initial taste is very fruit based, like overly ripe fruits that have been blended with a biscuit and booze, oh such delicious booze.  The middle tongue and back-end taste is very malty and have a nice spicy orange flavor to them that isn’t too over powering and it finishes with a touch of skunk as the after taste.  A very nice brew and, in my humble opinion, probably the best Real Ale I’ve had so far this year.  Totally worth a 6 pack purchase.  

Stella Artois:

Greetings and salutations to you all and welcome. Today we jump the pond to look at a beer that is more famous for it’s glassware than the beer itself. Stella Artois and it’s “chalice” are quite the pair, I think more effort and time was put into the glassware than make an unique Belgium beer. The beer pours well with a clear golden color, a small thin white head and a nose that is strong in ma

lts and a slight bread smell. The beer’s taste is very familiar and similar tasting like an American Pilsner that is heavier in the malt taste that it’s American cousin. The backend taste is very skunky with a dryness that persists through the aftertaste and leaves a sour feel on the back of the tongue. Not my favorite Belgium but for a mass market beer, it’s way better than the other green bottled "fancy beer" on the market (Hint: it begins with an “H”, is marketed as the hipster beer of choice). I do really like the chalice though, it’s heavy, well constructed and good attention to detail on it. This would make a great addition to anyone’s beer glass collection, even if you don’t like the beer.

Shock Top Wheat IPA:
Welcome back friends and neighbors! Today we look at yet another “summer” beer, this time from the Mohawk loving folks over at Shock Top.  Probably best known for their Belgium White and the punk orange that graces their labels.  Today we turn our attention to their spring offering, a wheat IPA which is an interesting blend for a beer because it combines two of the most polarizing elements of the beer world. The beer pours well with a nice hazy light caramel color with a touch of haze, a nose of honey, wheat and just a slight notice of hops.  The taste is very uniform for the most part which a very middle of the road IPA hop to the beer that has a very earthy/grass like flavor underneath it.  The back-end is very IPA like with lots of dry hops and skunk that finish the same in the after taste.  I’m not really sure what to think of this beer.  I think the guys and gals over at Shock Top are on to something good here but I’m not sure if they are proud of the beer; it seemed to come and go quite quickly this spring and was only available in a few stores.  Perhaps we won’t see this one again which is okay with me.  I don’t hate it, but my life won’t skip a beat with it’s possible disappearance.
 

Saint Arnolds Fancy Lawnmower:
Howdy y’all and welcome home to the Lone Star state and it’s native brews.  Today we once again grace the door step of Saint Arnolds’ brewery in Houston and look at their other summer brew and the second half of their lawn maintenance line: Fancy Lawnmower.  Now what makes a fancy lawnmower?  Rims?  Curb feelers? Dual spinning carbon fiber blades that are diamond tipped? …sorry, got carried away there… No, it’s a special Kolsh style German beer brewed with a since of ownership.  The beer pours nicely with a slightly hazy gold color , a head about half a finger in thickness and a nose of citrus and hops with a bit of, dare I say it, grass.  The initial taste is very bitter, almost like a pilsner gone bad but it quickly mellows out to a nice crisp clean hefeweizen taste of wheat, lemons and a touch of hops.  The back-end taste is a touch skunk and sour and finishes about the same.   Not bad for a summer beer, but between this and the Weedwacker, I’d taken the later.  It finishes better and is more palatable than this one for a summer beer.  Again this might be a good beer for you, but it just doesn’t do anything for me.   

Founders Cerise:
Greetings all and welcome back to the soon to be famous beer review website of the stars.  Today, let’s take a slight detour off the beer highway and move over to the malt beverage lane and review a cherry beer.  Yes, a cherry beer and no, not a sweet one.  I’ll wait while all y’all pick your jaws off the floor.  Done?  Good, let’s continue.  The brew, Founders Cerise is made with cheery puree and it has that nice tart natural cherry taste to it.  The brew pours well with a ruby red coloration and a minimal dull white head and no real mention of carbonation.  There is a nose of sour cherries and reminds me of a good cherry pie in it’s smell.  The taste is very uniform with a tart cherry flavor that has a nice subtle alcoholic quality to it and it all seems to vanish fairly quickly in a dry/bitter aftertaste.  A nice beer, er malt beverage and here’s to hoping to this gaining a wider distribution.  This would make a a great reduction sauce for vanilla ice cream or chocolate cake or anything else humans consume that is sweet. 

Dogfish Head Festina Peche:
Hello all and welcome back to the place for your beer information and culture (what little I can provide).  Today we venture down from the Empire State to the First State, Delaware and where do we go when we are in Delaware boys and girls?  That’s right, Dogfish Head!  No it’s not a town you silly newcomers, it’s a brewery- a great brewery at that- and today we look at this years summer offering: Festina Peche.  This “neo-Berliner Weisse” (a tart wheat beer) is fermented with peaches and sports a light 4.5% ABV.  The beer pours a white gold color with a nice head that is about half a finger’s in thickness and nice bit of carbonation that is mellow and not overpowering.  The nose is full of floral and yeast notes with a peach smell that is more remnant of a white peach then the traditional yellow peach.  The initial taste is very tart and sweet almost akin to a Riesling wine than a beer and the traces of peach start to show up in mid tongue and moves with the tartness into the after taste which is very dry and mellow.  Honestly, I didn’t think I was going to like this beer that much but once again, the Fish people have come through and made a beer that not only is more wine like then beer but is highly drinkable.  This can easily be consumed on a nice warm sticky Southern evening with friends, pets, and bugs.  There are always bugs. 

Brooklyn Summer Ale:
Hello fellow beer drinkers and welcome back to the summer of the beer (well at least this month).  Today we leave the comfy confines of the Lone Star State and head north to the Empire State and Jay-Z’s stomping grounds.  Now I’m pretty confident Mr. Z doesn’t drink Brooklyn Beer but really I doubt that beer is part of the heritage of hip-hop (at least anything outside a 40 oz) but shouldn’t it be?  It’s a good beer company that should get more press than it does and today’s beer is a good example of a brew that not many know about, Brooklyn Summer Ale.  The ale is a British Summer Ale which means it is a modern interpretation of “Light Dinner Ales” that were made from the 1800’s to the 1940’s and were favored because of there light nature and flavor profile.  The beer itself is brewed with English barley malts which gives this beer its main flavor backbone.  The beer pours well with a nice even head that is half a finger in thickness and sticks around for about half the consumption and there is a nose of dry citrus hops and bread notes.  The initial sip gives you a taste similar to the nose but that quickly gives into a biscuit flavor that remains throughout the rest of the sip of beer with hop notes that are just noticeable to give the beer a nice complex flavor.  Not too heavy for a summer beer (most beers that are heavy in the malt department tend to be heavy and not quiet as light as you’d want them to be) and at just 5% ABV, this is a beer that could be drunk without being to filling.  A good summer beer, another one that would easily find it’s way into a make a custom six-pack in the future. 

Leibinger Seeradler classik:
Greetings, salutations and general hellos to all of you and welcome to yet another summer beer review.  Today we jump the pond and look at this years new addition to the beer trade, the shandy (or Radler in German), a blend of beer and lemonade that seems to have about half of the major brewers in this country and is apparently a common staple in Europe.  Today’s brew,  Leibinger’s Seeradler is not only a beer that comes with it’s own pull tab but tastes like cheap beer combined with good lemonade.  The beer pours well giving up a decent looking white foamy head that dissipates very quickly and very little carbonation.  The nose is of a cheap lager smelling o sour malts and hops and no real hint of lemonade.  The first taste is almost immediately of really bad beers in tall cans that are bought in corner convenience stores by those with questionable beer tastes (and not those who did a month of these beers…who shall remain nameless).  The lemonade kicks in after this initial taste bud slap and it does salvage the beer to drinkable adding a very sweet lemonade flavor to the beer but really there is no variety of flavor after the initial two tastes are introduced and there is no after taste to speak of what so ever.  Not really enjoyable to me, there is no real variety in the flavor profile to speak of and it’s just a bit on the sweet side as well.  Next beer!
 

Real Ale Hans' Pils:
Hello all and welcome back to the great summer beer blitz.  Today we venture back to the Lone Star State and Real Ale, that little brewery that could in Blanco.  Today’s offering is their summer limited release, Hans’ Pils, a pilsner with Northern German origins is deceiving, being only a pilsner in name and drinks like a pale ale.  The beer itself pours like most of summer brews with little head to speak of and a nice golden semi-cloudy appearance that has a moderate amount of carbonation.  The nose is one of malts and hops with lemon notes which seem about standard for most European pilsners.  The taste starts off hop filled with a touch of bitter lemon and rolls to the mid-tongue as a biscuit/skunk flavor that most stronger pale ales exhibit.  The back-end and after taste are very dry and bitter, not typical of the clean finish a lot of American pilsners that most are used too and since this sports a heavier than it seems 5.3% ABV it’s a not really a beer to could fill a cooler with and drink a whole days worth.  Overall, a good beer that is another variation on the pilsner variety, probably worth getting a few singles in a build your own 6 pack and working on it over a summer time frame, I really don’t see a need for any more than that at a time. 

Boulevard Boss Tom's Golden Bock:
Greetings fellow beer drinkers and the mildly curious, welcome to the place where I place my taste buds, wit, and semi-skilled writing to the test for your edification.  Today we venture down the boulevard of beer, specifically Boulevard Brewery’s Boss Tom’s Golden Bock, a Spring maibock that evokes a good 6.1% ABV, 4 different types of malts and successfully straddles the line of being too heavy for warm weather and way to light for a real beer.  The beer itself pours well though only a thin white head is visible right after pouring but it quickly vanishes into the dark gold brew that sports a respectable amount of carbonation.  There is a nose of hops with traces of caramel and malts which translate into the majority of the taste of the beer though the after taste is very malt heavy with notable notes of biscuit and heavier bread.  A good miabock, one of the better ones I’ve had, though I had this as a stand alone beer, it would complement a meal of spicy Tex-Mex very well.

Southern Tier Eurotrash Pilz:
Hello friends, let’s talk trashy beer shall we?  Well, trashy beer is probably not the best term, it’s a decent beer, but it’s named after a suspect (at best) group from Bavaria.  The beer from Southern Tier, Eurotrash Pilz, is modeled after a European Pilsner as opposed to an American (think Budweiser) and brewed with two types of hops and two types of malts.  The beer pours like most pilsners that I’ve encountered so far with not much foam on the head but this one sports a hazy golden color that is very effervescent in it’s in glass appearance.  The nose is lemon with floral and bread notes and a notice of hops towards the end of the schnoz usage.  The taste is a mix of a mellow lemon flavor that is more sour than zest and hops are up front while the biscuit of the malts are predominate on the mid-tongue and a mild skunk on the back-end.  Not a bad beer but different, much more in the category of an pale ale than a pilsner in my mind.  Maybe instead of calling this Eurotrash it should of been Nihilist pilz instead.  

Saint Arnold Weedwacker:
Greetings all, and welcome back to your source for beer information.  Today, after a tour around the country, we come back home to Texas and to Saint Arnolds, a true Texas original that is starting to find it’s footing in the limited/seasonal brew market while their year round line is average to slightly memorable at best.  Today’s brew, Weedwacker, is part of their lawn maintenance line (?) and is a Bavarian hefeweizen  brewed with yeast of the same name.  The beer pours well with a hazy golden color and a fluffy bright white head that is lumpy and reduces down to a almost even layer of white on the top of the beer.  The nose is strong combo of grain and bananas and the carbonation on the beer is minimum but still noticeable.  The initial sip of beer brings a bitter banana flavor that moves into a wheat flavor that is just a hair above mild and the initial banana flavor- though not bitter this time- comes back on the back-end and after taste of the beer.  A nice summer beer, very refreshing and light, and would be a nice welcome addition to next summer’s beer rotation. 

Blue Moon Agave Blonde Ale:
Hello cats and kittens and welcome to a rare beer review.  No, no, the review itself isn’t rare (I do those every day- most of the time), it’s a review of a rare beer, something that supposedly, is coveted by Blue Moon fans around the world or at least the distribution area.  So after that build-up let‘s keep that tease going and talk agave, that stuff that tequila is made from as well as the new popular sweetener on the market, agave nectar and it’s agave that is in Blue Moon’s Agave Blonde Ale.  The beer is available only in Brewmaster Summer 12-packs and is reportedly a highly sought after beer.  The beer pours well with a nice decent looking head that did fizz out very quickly but the beer stays very carbonated with the normal blonde ascending spires of bubbles.  The nose is light with just subtle hints of hops, honey and grains while the initial taste is very similar to the mellow sweetness of agave nectar then it rolls into a breaded malt flavor that seems to grow in the mouth and making the beer seem heavier than one would expect.  Back-end and after taste is malt heavy and there is a recovering sweetness in the brew from the agave but not as strong as the initial sweetness.  A good beer, not something I’d see as a summer brew, maybe a spring but the heaviness of this doesn’t seem like a good hot weather beer.  So, if you can still run across a summer pack, this is a nice surprise and seeing what is coming up in the fall pack, we’ll be revisiting Blue Moon again. 

Dogfish Head Tweason'ale:
Greetings friends and welcome back to “What did he drink today?”  In today’s continuing saga we once again revisit the good folks up in Dogfish Head Brewery with their between season beer: Tweason’ale.  Brewed during those off months of seasonal beer (which is actually a nice idea) the beer is released in January, February, May, August and December.  The beer is actually a unique one, taking out the normal barley base and using sorghum.  So how does it taste?  Read on dear reader, read on.  The beer pours well with a nice red hued amber color and a light and fizzy head on the beer.  The nose is very sweet smelling with hints of strawberry and peaches and a hint ethereal alcohol.  The beer taste is very uniform, tasting more like a carbonated white zinfandel then a beer but is a bit drier on the back-end then what I remember a white zin tasting like in the past.  I was really concerned going into this beer that it was going to be very sweet and well, you know my feelings on sweet beer but surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad, just a mild sweetness and much of that is a natural sweetness then an overly sugared.   So, bottom line, another home run for Dogfish and- here’s the best part- it’s available here in Texas!  Huzzah!  This is a beer that would appeal to the fairer sex but it has it’s merits as summer beer as well so, guys, don’t outright dismiss it before trying it. 
 

Breckenridge SummerBright Ale:
Howdy all and welcome to another beer, another day.  Today I’m left scratching my head at the decisions that some breweries make after sampling Breckenridge Brewery’s summer beer: SummerBright.  SummerBright bills itself as a ideal summer beer to be enjoyed in various locales like poolside, sprinkler side or on the front porch and really, after tasting it, I can’t see myself enjoying this anywhere…anytime.  The description on the can should have given away what was to come; the very fist line of description called this a “malt beverage” (major question mark right there) followed by “brewed with orange and lemon peels”.  Yeah, that kind of salvaged it for me from my initial doubt but, as you’ll find out, it was a short lived revival.  The brew pours well with a thin but even bright white head that dissipates rather quickly and leaves remnants on the surface of the beer and a nose of breads and malts.  The taste is…well, the taste is basically what the whole month of April was about: malt beverages.  This beer tasted overwhelmingly like the vast majority of malt brews from that foolish month and the lemon and orange peel only really came through in small spurts that were hardly noticeable.  Yeah, I hate to say this but I’ve had this beer (malt) before and it wasn’t good then either (at least April was cheaper by the bottle).  Such a sad second stop on my dip into the Breck brews, but I know from experience they will get better from here, it has too.

Avery White Rascal:
Hello friends, and welcome to the hall of beer and today we get to look at Avery Brewery, yet another Colorado brewery (they breed them like rabbits don’t they?).  Today’s beer, White Rascal, is part of the year round line and is a Belgian White Ale.  The beer is very light in texture and mouth feel which is nice considering it has a 5.6% ABV, you’d think it would be a more medium bodied body beer, but nope, it’s light, ethereal and spicy.  The beer pours well with a light blonde color (almost like a watered down American pilsner) and a subtle nose of spices and yeast and dry (yes, it smells dry).  The taste is very mellow, almost like a carbonated dry white wine with lots of spices in the mid- and back-end taste that don’t make the beer spicy but does make it distinctive and refreshing.  A nice beer, very summer friendly and enjoyable.  Definitely will be a staple in fridge next summer. 
 

Goose Island Juliet:
‘Ello all, and welcome to a day of beer (just like the day before it and tomorrow and so on).  Today we venture back to the island of geese and try another one of their special Belgian brews: Juliet.  This beer, is a more sour beer than I’m used to and to be honest, a little too much for me, but that doesn’t stop me from reviewing it for you.  The beer pours a nice orange brown color with very little head to speak of though a nice amount of carbonation.   The nose is a little off putting, being very sour and funky with notes of cherries and a touch of malt.  The taste was big and sour up front but moves to a more blackberry/blueberry taste with notes of Belgian beers (hopes and malts in a nice balanced flavor) and a bit of banana and a subtle sour finish.  Not really up my alley as far as beers go, to sour for my taste but it’s still a Goose Island brew so it gets the benefit of the doubt for the sour taste (never had a true sour ale so I can’t really compare how close this really is to one) but this is will take the roll of adding a check mark to the completion list of Goose Island Belgiums and that’s about it. 

Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale:
Greetings one and all, and just so we get it out of the way- we are not worthy of this beer.  At least that’s what the bottle tells us, and who can argue with a bottle? Today’s beer, Stones Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale, is not only an arrogant beer, it’s rough.  The beer is usually and I would love to revisit this at home with a…well, you’ll see.  The beer pours well into a snifter style glass and comes with a nice thin yet dense head that sticks around for most of the consumption process and does leave a nice lacing on the sides of the glass.  The nose is of dark, ripe fruits and malts with just a hint of hops here and there and, of course, there is a very noticeable nose of oak.  The beer itself tastes very complex with an initial sweet taste that blends with a roasted malt taste, it then quickly moves to a caramel hop taste on the mid tongue and the back-end and after taste is a nice mellow vanilla that is common in most American whiskey brands (the whole aged in wooden barrels thing). Now, initially, I would be head over heels for the this beer but this beer does not warm well and let me explain what I mean.  It’s inevitable that in most parts of the world your beer will warm as you drink it, so unless you chug the beer in front of you, your beer will warm and the flavor profile will change.  This beer, did that and it wasn’t a very good development.  The beer takes on a overly cooked malts and a heavy skunk on the back-end and after taste.  So what was I talking about earlier for trying this again?  Two things: 1) drink this beer in a frosted glass, that should help keep the beer temperature low and the right flavors in play, and 2) drink this in a cooler season, which here in the home state is probably a week to 10 day time frame in late January.  A good beer, if your really wanting something to just blow you away and push your taste boundaries, this is one of those beers, otherwise, heed the bottles warnings and move on. 
 

Greetings all and welcome to one of those unique days of beer reviews.  Today, we look at not one, not two, not three but four beers! Wow!  Hold down your excitement boys and girls, we still have to review these bad boys.  The reason for this little adventurous night of drinking was celebrating birthdays, friends being in town, and the sun rising in the morning and then setting again.  So I’ll keep these short cause who wants to read that much, right?

Rahr and Son’s Gravel Road:
This German Altbier (that’s a really old style of beer for those who are curious) is Rahr’s summer brew and is designed as a porch drinking beer.  The beer was poured out of a tap onsite and it produced a thin white head and a nice amber color and a nose of hops and a touch roasted malts.  The taste is very middle of the road leaning not to far into the pale ale realm with the hops nor towards a malted amber, there is a back-end of hops but nothing worth noting.  Wasn’t impressed at all with this one. Next!

Rahr and Son’s Bucking Bock:
A Spring Bock, this is Rahr’s Spring Beer and, after the Gravel Road, this one was actually very welcome in it’s light mouth feel and just a hint of fruit.  Once again, poured from a tap at the brewery, the beer had a bit of a head though not much to speak of and it dissipates rather quickly.  The nose was very hop with a touch of grass and lemons while the taste is very mellow in the hop department but is still noticeable.  The back-end is where the fruit taste comes in (I couldn’t nail down which fruit I was tasting but it was sweet and non-citrus).  A good beer, I’d put it in the top 3 of Rahr beers I’ve had this year.  Worth drinking again.  Next!

Deep Ellum Brewery Wealth and Taste:
My second step into the world of Deep Ellum Brewery and it was a nice memorable one.  Wealth and Taste is a barrel aged Belgium brewed with Muscat grape juice,  Grapefruit peels, rose hips and chamomile flowers thrown into old Chardonnay barrels for a bit and once it’s brought to the bar, it’s a potent 9.5% ABV and delicious.  The color is hazy gold with a nose of grapes and malts with hints of vanilla while the taste is very similar to the Sophie from Goose Island with it being clean and crisp with the Muscat grapes with a touch of citrus and a backend taste of oak.  A really good beer, I’d take a growler home in a heart beat.  Next!

Duvel Moortgat Murderous 8:
Another Belgium, this one recommended to try and it was a good find.  The beer pours well from the tap with a thick head that is more akin to a Guinness.  There is a nose of maple and fruits with no notice of hops while the taste is very similar to the nose with touches of smoke and roasted malts.  Another great Belgium which is making me worry because I’m bound to hit a bad one soon, but for now, a good beer and one to use to show off to your friends just how great your beer knowledge really is.

Lucky Buddha:
Hello y’all and welcome to another day another dollar…wait, no, another beer!  Yea, that’s it.  Okay, back to task and today we get a beer that’s also a statue for luck! Love! Money! Happiness! Not necessarily in that order! You ask, what beer is that? I say Lucky Buddha, brewed from the finest waters of Lake Qiandao Lake - that’s Thousand Island Lake to us new comers- and is home to such exotic sounding islands like Bird Island, Monkey Island, and Snake Island (yeah, count me out on that one) and add in your usual beer ingredients as well as rice and you have this Asian lager.  The beer pours ok with a very clear pale gold color that has just a slight head on it and a subtly sweet nose that share space with malts.  The taste is very mild with a crisp malt flavor on the front end and develops a sweet taste on the mid tongue and finishes dry on the back-end and leaves a slight hop finish.  At 4.8% this is a good summer beer and, maybe, if you rub it’s belly, you get lucky. 
 

Stone Levitation:
Greetings friends and welcome back.  Today we once again bring ourselves in to the world of Stone Brewing and their arrogant brews.  Today's beer, Levitation, is a medal winner, winning a gold medal at the 2007 Great American Beer festival, which is cool but let us remember that Pabst won a blue ribbon once so just because a beer won an award doesn’t mean it’s for everyone.  The beer pours well with a nice hazy amber color and a slightly off white head that dissipates rather quickly but leaves some lacing on the glass.  The nose is interesting, smelling of roasted malts and caramel along with oranges and lemons with pine (yeah that is a first for me, it was rather odd but not that uninviting).  The taste profile is complex with the an light carbonated feel on the tongue while heavy notes of caramel and orange are strong up front.  The mid tongue and back-end move to blend of malts and hops with just a notice of sweetness and a very dry finish.  One thing about this beer that is noticeable is it’s light 4.2% ABV- that’s only .2% higher than Coors Light folks, so this is a heavy but not in the alcohol department.  It’s good, but it’s complex taste makes this a very beer for a more experienced drinkers. 
 

Yazoo Pale Ale:
Greetings ladies and germs, welcome to your one stop shop for beer reviews.  Today, lets look at a Nashville brewed beer, Yazoo Pale Ale, a beer born and brewed in the traditions of a American pale ale which isn’t really something I see worth hanging your hat on.  The beer pours well into a room temperature glass and produces a bit of head about half a finger thick and sticks around for a bit and leaves so-so lacing on the sides of the glass during consumption.  The nose is hop filled with traces of citrus and some floral notes and the color is hazy gold.  The taste is similar to all pale ales though this one does seem to contain a touch more hops than most pale ales and has a nice mid and back-end taste of floral hops and oranges.  Not bad, but like most pale ales, I’m not impressed.  The introduction to Yazoo has made me want to try more of their lines of beer on future visits to the Volunteer state. 

Goose Island Pepe Negro:
Bonjour once and all!  So what should we think about a Belgium beer with a French name?  Are you on the fence, excited, disgusted?  What about a beer that shares it’s Christian name with a cartoon skunk?  Well going into today’s beer, Pepe Negro, I was curious but cautious with this beer, being that it’s brewed with peppercorns.  Yeah, a peppercorn Belgium beer, cautious is a good way to approach this one.  The beer pours like a stout with a tan head and a dark brown color and a nose that is more malt than anything else, but there is a hint of pepper spice.  The beer itself tastes very smooth with a mix of a stout and a Belgian brew and not much spice to notice.  There is a bit of coffee taste in the brew that is expected in a stout but not in Belgians which makes it a surprising find.  Overall, very good, the spice isn’t nearly as noticeable as I thought or what I could have been (you want spicy beers?  Get a chili pepper beer and stock up on antacids before hand).  Definitely worth a revisit when supply provides it. 

Goose Island Fleur:
Hello all and welcome to a day of geese.  Yes, today we dip our toes into the waters off Goose Island and sample a delightful brew from there stable of beers (or is that a coop of beers?).  The beer, Fleur, is a part of the vintage line- from which Sophie and Matilda come from- and really, compared to those two, it’s not much in the line of taste and body.  While the aforementioned ladies are flavorful and unique, this beer is rather middle of the road and, dare I say it, forgettable.  The beer pours a nice golden color with a bit haze to it, not much head  and a nice nose of malts with a hint of floral notes.  The beer itself is steeped with hibiscus flowers which, in theory, should lend a unique flavor to the beer but in reality leaves it just an unfilled potential.  The beer tastes like a entry level Belgium with a bread and honey base flavor and a hint of floral. While nothing flavor wise is standout, one thing does distinguish itself with this brew: the weight of the beer.  Usually, Belgium’s aren’t heavy but their not usually ethereal isn’t what one thinks about but this beer turns near vaporous on the back-end with the floral notes sticking around.  So that being said, it’s not a bad beer, just way different then anyone would expect. 
 

Stone Pale Ale:
Greetings and salutations one and all.  Today we get to sample a very self-righteous beer and, like Usain Bolt, it backs up it’s own claims of awesomeness.  Stone brews are some of the better beers out there and they really don’t stray to far from the norm and that’s refreshing in some ways, not having to rely on gimmick beers to get their name out there.  Today’s beer is their pale ale and it drinks more like a mild IPA then a pale ale.  The beer pours well with a nice amber color, good carbonation and very thin head that sticks around for most of the beer consumption.  The nose is a nice grapefruit and malt scent that has a touch of skunk hops but noting serious or overwhelming.  The taste is initially sour like a traditional grapefruit but quickly adds the sour bite of hops that is usually found in a pale ale but not as strong as an IPA.  The beer has a very light mouth feel that isn’t dry but not heavy as some pale ales which makes it very drinkable in the summer time.  A great beer, but us unworthy ones knew this going in, didn’t we?

Leprechaun Strawberry Seasonal:
Greetings ladies and germs, and welcome to another beer review…okay, cider review, but it’s alcoholic and that’s all that matters. Today we saunter back to the pot of gold at the end of the proverbial rainbow with Leprechaun ciders and their summer seasonal: Strawberry.  It seems as I explore the world of ciders the mixtures and concoctions that they have out there are impressive (I really enjoy the Woodchuck blueberry as well as regular ole Strongbow) and seeing this bad boy on the shelf I said to myself “Why the hell not?” and, well, here we are.  The cider pours well with a white zinfandel color, tons of carbonation and a head of foam…wait, what?  Foam?  In the world of cider, foam is rare and well, unexpected.  The foam is medium bodied and sticks around  through the whole cider as well as the ascending columns of bubbles.  The nose is of apples and sweet berries, not specifically strawberries, but most of the berry family seems to be represented.  The taste is dry apple cider up front with a strong strawberry taste in the mid-tongue and moves back to the dry cider on the finish.  A good cider, a little sweet for my tastes but I’m not a big fan of sweet brews but the majority of y’all are so this may be right up your alley.   

More Brown Than Black IPA:
Good morrow all, and welcome to a beer day with traces of the magic number.  Wait, what?  Yes, three, that magical number (literally) is the number of brewers in this beer and makes an English major smile.  So why is 3 the magic number?  It occurs in tons of places in our everyday world: 3 parts to the atom, Earth is the third planet from the sun, triple deities or trinity in world religion (Holy Trinity, Three Jewels of Buddhism, Three Goddess of Wicca, Three Abrahamic religions),  3 witches in “Macbeth”, 3 Musketeers Bears, Blind Mice, Pigs and, lastly, the Divine Comedy is in three parts.  Okay, now that we have established what makes 3 so magical, lets look at the beer.  More Brown Than Black IPA is a collaborative beer between The Alchemist, Ninkasi and Stone breweries and is a strong IPA that is a blend of IPA and a dark beer.  The beer pours smoothly but puts out a thick creamy head that sticks around through the whole beer consumption and leaves lacing all around the inside of the glass.  The nose is very strong of hops and grapefruit which is normal for good IPAs that I’ve encountered so far this year.  The taste is high on the sourness and hops with a touch of mellow creaminess that one would associate with a stout and a mellow back-end of grapefruit and coffee (it works, trust me).  So this is one of the better collaborative brews I’ve had…okay it’s actually the best so far and it was a great find.  If you’re into IPA’s I strongly suggest giving this one a shot if you come across it, I  
 

Red Hook Tripel Belgium Ale:
Hello all, and greetings from the road and the joys of drinking in the hotel room (oh fun).  Today, we look at a limited release from the crew over at Red Hook, Triple Belgium Ale.  Red Hook had released a series of these beers sometime in 2009, meaning this beer has had a good three years to age, and probably up the bottles stated 10.2% ABV.  Well here is what I do know, it’s good, a bit too fruity for me but that’s not much of complaint.  It pours well, really well actually with about a half a fingers worth of head that is thick and creamy and sticks around through the whole beer consumption.  The nose is of overly ripened fruit and honey with a touch of malts.  The taste is creamy with honey and alcohol, lots of alcohol which is what makes this beer dangerous, if you like this beer’s flavor, you’ll drink it down fast (that whole sweet thing) and the high ABV will do a lot of damage to the uninitiated drinker.  Another good Belgium, especially those lovers of sweeter beers, just not me. 

Breckenridge Brewery Regal Double Pilsner:
You know, we shouldn’t meet like this, people will start to talk.   Not worried?  Okay, I’m cool with that.  Welcome one and all to another great day for a beer review. Today’s beer hails, once again, from the great state of Colorado, in particular, Breckenridge.  Breck is a fun little town; they have a cookie maker there that sells awesome cookies to be devoured, tons of unique and niche bars, a video game arcade, and, if you’re into it, the have that whole ski scene (personally, I’m not but to each their own).  Throw in Breck brewery and you have once hell of a cool town and their new line of small batch brews are very impressive.  I’ve already introduced y’all to the wonders of the 471 IPA (drool…) and now I get to introduce you to the next great beer, Regal Pilsner.  Now, to some of you, the idea of a pilsner is down right disgusting, vile, and worthy of a place next to week old doughnuts but hear me out.  The name of pilsner is only used in the strictest sense here with the color being golden but not crystal clear like most pilsners out there.  The beer pours well with a head about half a finger in thickness and produces a nose of malts, honey and hops.  The taste is the most surprising thing about this beer, tasting more like a good pale ale than a pilsner with strong hops on the front-end of the brew and a nice mellow malt taste on the back-end while in-between, it’s a blend of the two that give a mellow, but sour taste that is found in most good American pale ales.  A great surprise nothing like I expected (and coming in at 7.7% ABV, it should be a surprise).  It’s available in random areas here in Texas but not like the 471, which is sad because both are amazing brews and make me want to try and track down the remaining two of the small batch line. 
 

Leprechaun Pomegranate Seasonal Cider:
It’s an invasion from space!!!! Okay, cheesy I know but I couldn’t resist having some fun with this one.  Hello all, and welcome to another day another bottle and today’s bottle is another cider (stop groaning, the lot of ya!) but it’s a pomegranate cider which is another find from the beer festival.  Leprechaun Pomegranate Seasonal is a cider flavored with pomegranates and is a refreshing brew for these hot summer days.  The cider is made here in the great state of Texas and is a slowly gaining steam as being a staple at local bars.   The cider pouts like all ciders, no head but noticeable carbonation but nothing unusual.  There isn’t much of a nose outside the norm of most ciders with the dry apple smell with hints of cranberry.  The cider itself is heavy on the pomegranate flavor with some hints of apple cider and cranberries throughout the sip and a dry back end.  A nice refreshing cider, a bit out of the norm (that’s a good thing in this case) and it shows that there is some progressive thinking coming out of Leprechaun brewing and I’m looking forward to sampling their other ciders in the future. 

Rough XS McRouge Scotch Ale:
Hello friends. As I drank today’s beer (well, really sipped, but more on that later) I started to contemplate the end. No, not the end of the world, the end of this year and the culmination of this year in beer. What have I learned from this, what new styles have I fallen in love with? What styles will I never touch again? What did I discovered that I didn’t know about till now? Well, I think

today’s beer is one that falls into two of these categories- love and discover. What is it about Scotch ales that makes them so good to me? My personal theory is this: bourbon. Yes, the only uniquely made American spirit is my personal favorite spirit of choice and long story short, it’s complex flavor profile is amazing. I won’t drone on but the same complexity found in bourbon is found in Scotch ales and Rouge Ale’s XS McRouge Scotch Ale is a great example of the complex nature of this beer. First off, this beer is tiny, only 7 ounces and when it is poured, there is very little carbonation but a nice nose of roasted malts and cream is noticeable. A the beer’s color is dark and burgundy with no head to speak of to give it any contrasting color. The taste is complex with the front-end being a strong malt and smoke flavor that moves to a mellow caramel mid-tongue and a finish of burnt sugar and vanilla. Yeah, it’s good, and I really don’t think Rouge makes this anymore which is sad but there are just as good (and maybe better) Scotch ales out there. One little side note: Per the bottle instructions, this is best aged a year before serving and my bottle was bottled in 2010 so I think I was safe in the aging process.

Breckenridge Brewery Small Batch 471 IPA:
Greetings all, and welcome to part deux of National IPA day and do I have a beer to review for you.  Breckenridge brewery is a fun, yet confusing brewery, they have the ability to make some just mind blowing brews and while all their brews are good, nothing makes me rush out and try on of their brews.  Well, that being said, I’d like to introduce you to the beer that will get my attention from the Breck brewery, Small Batch 471 IPA, wow, what a frickin’ good beer.  What made Homefront an “oh hum” beer this beer full fills with gusto and then some, and with a nice 9.2% ABV makes this a nice heavy sipping beer..  The beer pours thick with only a paper thin head on it and a hazy deep golden color.  The nose is strong grapefruit and caramel smell (I know, weird right?) that works very well for the brew and a thick ethereal nose.  The taste is on par with the 120 with a strong citrus hop notes that start sweet and move to a sour taste that is found in some of your better IPAs.  The back-end is a mellow, just short of absent skunk that keeps this from achieving mythical status.  I am thinking about buying a 4-pack (the new thing on craft brews) and letting it age a year or two and then, wow, the possibilities on what those bottles will hold. 
 

Saint Arnolds Homefront IPA:
Warm regards comrades and welcome to National IPA day, part uno.  Yes, it’s the third greatest day on the beer calendar (first is St. Patrick’s Day secondly the after party of St. Patrick’s Day).   Let’s look at a very special IPA today, one made by Saint Arnolds and in cooperation with Operation Home Front and about a 15 other suppliers and distributors (which includes Rahr and Louisville Slugger).  The beer is a West Coast IPA which means it is dryer than a normal American IPA as well as less balanced in the hops (that will make sense in a minute) and, lastly, no caramel malts which does mean no sweet flavor to cut those unbalanced hops.  The beer itself pours very well with a double finger foamy white head that sticks around for a while and leaves a nice remnant on the top of the beer.  The nose is very citrus laden with notes of orange rather than grapefruit and a touch of hops as well.  The taste is very hop heavy on the front end while the mid and back-end fade quickly to the normal skunk like after taste with most average IPA’s have.  Not a stand out IPA but a good one, a step above those entry level so it will impress most average hop heads (and any wanna be hop-head) but as an unfortunate side effect of this challenge is the introduction to mind blowing IPAs that become the stander bearer for the whole style.  This is good, give it a try, but I have had better and will opt for the better stuff if I have the chance and if you do, you should know that all proceeds from the beer sales go to help Operation Home Front. 
 

New Belgium Somersault:
What is up one and all?  It’s summer and if you’re here is the Lone Star state, there is no mistaking that, especially the past few days with temps above 105 and it’s warm enough to affect the cooling of the beer cooler on the INSIDE of the house.  Yeah, that’s way too hot, so lets do a nice summer beer like Somersault from New Belgium and once again, the boys at New Belgium does a very good job.  The beer pours so-so with a very thin head on the beer but a color that is comparable to a dry cider in it’s clarity.  The nose is of citrus and a touch of hops that doesn’t really overpower that much and leaves one with a sweet note akin to the beers from Belgium.  The taste is crisp with a nice fruit overall tone with notes of grass on the front-end and a flowery citrus finish that is very carbonated and fizzes on the back of the tongue.  A great summer beer, especially for those who like pilsners, it’s color and flavor balance aren’t too offending to those with, ahem, delicate palates.  Give this one a try, I think you won’t be disappointed.  

Goose Island Mild Winter:
Greetings friends hope this review finds all of you well and, if you’re here in North Texas, staying out of the blast furnace.  I figured that since this was another hot day why not trick the mind into thinking it’s cool outside by drinking a winter beer.  Yeah, yeah, I know, it doesn’t work and really, a winter beer isn’t the best thing in the high temperature of the Texas summer but it was use or lose it so, I took one for the team and here is your review of Goose Island Mild Winter.  The beer is a typical American ale that is best enjoyed with 180 days (I think I’m right on that deadline) and carries a rather pedestrian 5.6% ABV which is low middle of the pack for a winter beer.  The beer pours okay with a thin white head that dissipates rather quickly and leaves a slight lacing on the glass; the nose is mildly sweet with notes of roasted malts and grapes. The taste is heavy on the roasted malt though notes of a sweet smoke does lace on the mid and back tongue but nothing overpowering.  It’s not a bad winter beer but a little too heavy on the malts for me, I like a more balanced malt or even a low malt flavor with fruit notes rather than a sweet or smoky flavor- yeah, I’m a sucker for Shiner Cheer and it’s flavor profile and all winter beers are compared to it.