I have a confession to make. I’ve never been to the Nebraska Brewing Co. I’ve haven’t been to many of the breweries who make the fine hoppy, fermented beverages I enjoy. With Nebraska Brewing though it certainly seems as if I have been there many times. Such is the fantastic atmosphere that they seem to exude through their contact with everyone in the beer world and beyond.
Continue reading ‘Nebraska Brewing Co and Black Betty, A Whisky Barrel Aged Imperial Stout’
The Fredericksburg Brewing Company is tucked away in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. This area of Texas is a somewhat well-known, yet also underrated and hidden as well. I got the chance to come back to a fantastic town on Christmas Eve with my kids. I’ve always loved coming to Fredericksburg and this time around was special. Dating all the way back to 1994 when the ‘great’ state of Texas finally allowed the operations of brewpubs within it’s borders.
Continue reading ‘Fredericksburg Brewing Co's Hoppy Holidaze Strong Ale’
Let me first say, that I love collaboration beers. They often take the best of each brewery and mix it all up into one fantastic beer. The latest is ‘Life and Limb’ the American Strong Ale brewed with maple and birch syrup by the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co of Chico, CA and Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales of Milton, DE.
Continue reading ‘Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head's Life and Limb’
Originally posted on UpTake.com Nov 23, 2009 10:06 – By: Jeremybanas
All we are is just another tap on the wall
Everyone knows The Bull and Finch Pub in Boston (known as ‘Cheers’ on T.V.) as the place ‘Where everybody knows your name’. To me, that is an essential ingredient in any place you frequent, visit once, or always hope to get to. For years living in San Antonio there was a drought for a place where you could get more than the average beer served at the ‘insert your name here’ bar on the corner. Sure, one or two places pop up here and there, but they do not have the overall atmosphere and selection that many craft beer bars on the west coast, east coast and Colorado have. Namely, an incredible selection of what many refer to as craft beer bars. Places that serve beer for those with a more refined taste of our favorite malted beverage. Continue reading ‘The Tap Exchange Alehouse and Grill – A True Beer Lovers Haven’
Ok. I’m officially going on record as saying that I am absolutely pissed at the changes to The Tap Exchange Alehouse and Grill here in San Antonio. Beer snob am I? Heck yeah! If you call having actual taste in something that has more variety than even wine, then yes, I am. What’s happening to ‘Jimmie’s’ place is a travesty. So much for craft beer in Texas. Without places like the ORIGINAL Tap Exchange, Freetail Brewing, Real Ale and the like, we’d have nothing here at all. Jimmie’s place was a slice of heaven in Texas for craft beer bars. If the new management keeps this new direction, then the Tap Exchange will be ust another bar you can see anywhere…
Continue reading ‘A few thoughts….’
Saint Bridget’s is an example of an American Porter which is based on the English Porter style. This style typically has a high hop flavor to it, lots of malt, often chocolate and coffee flavors as well. Introduced to the U.S. during colonial times, many American brewers used other flavorings such as molasses and gets it coloring from the use of brown malts. Continue reading ‘Great Divide Brewing Co's Saint Bridget's Porter’
Freetail Brewing Co is one unique brewpub, determined to change your perception of beer and of Texas craft brews (Yes, we have very good craft brews here in Texas)! Born out of inspiration in 2005 while at Chama River Brewing Co., in Albuquerque, NM, owner Scott Metzger and brewer Jason Davis have created a very unique brewpub that has paid homage to Texas and its inhabitants. Metzger and Davis got Freetail off the ground in the later part of 2008. Every beer at the place has Texas written all over it! Metzger says he has three goals with Freetail: To make the best beer in Texas; the best pizza in San Antonio; and have most knowledgeable and friendly wait staff. He also has this to those who say they don’t like beer: “You just haven’t met a beer that you like!”
This year I decided took what has become my annual mental break to the lovely San Diego, California. My sister lives out that way and I always love the weather, the beautiful scenery and the San Diego area has just flat out awesome people. I took a different spin on my trip this year, doing something I have always wanted to do. I drove all the way from San Antonio, Texas to San Diego and back. Quite a drive, but I was on a mission. The call of the open road, the chance to see more of this great country and the opportunity to truly contemplate life was just too much to resist. I knew that beer would be involved of course. I usually hit Stone Brewing out in Escondido, Ca, but this time around I wanted to get as much bang for my buck at see as many craft breweries and beer bars as I possibly could in a 5 day trip.
I arrived on A Sunday night and checked into my hotel in San Diego’s historic Gas Lamp district. Soon after I head over to meet some good friends, Shanna Trenholm and Sophia Daly, for some kick butt Moroccan food at Kous Kous, fantastic conversation and some fine red wine. I know, you’re wondering when the beer with rear its wonderful head? Wait no longer dear readers, for here it comes.
Day 1
The first full day out in sunny San Diego I wandered like a vagabond around downtown and San Diego harbor. It was a gorgeous morning and my meandering landed me at the U.S.S. Midway. After a 3 hour tour, literally, I had lunch at a place I had been to numerous times as a child, Anthony’s Fish Grotto on the bay. 
“One of the most beautiful abbeys in Belgium, the Abbey of Maredsous, was founded in 1872 by the Beuron Abbey in Germany under the guidance of Hildebrand de Hemptinne. He was a Belgian monk at Bueron, and later became abbot of Maredsous. The Maredsous Abbey is a member of the Annunciation Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation.
The overall abbey plan was modeled after the 13th century Cistercian Abbey of Villers at Villers-la-Ville in Walloon Brabant. The Neo-Gothic architecture, by Belgian master-architect Jean-Baptiste Béthune, is praised as a hallmark of the style.” The abbey appears not make the beer itself. Instead it licenses it’s name to Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat, who actually brew Maredsous. As with all true Abbey beers, this is brewed under the supervision of the Abbaye.
Brewed a dubbel, or double, beers of this type are similar to a brown ale in some ways. They typically have a higher alcohol content, hence the name. The origin of the style originates back to the Trappist monastery of Westmalle in the mid-1800’s. With this style, you will typically see some fruit and spice characteristics, as well as some mild to moderate hop bitterness. Notes of caramel are also often present and most dubbels are medium in body.
Poured into a goblet, the Maredsous 8 came out a very deep reddish brown. But don’t let that fool you. When held up to the sun, the dark brown subsides and a brilliant medium copper is present. As it poured the bubbles were abound and floated right to the top producing a nice amount of foam leaving a thin, but foamy sustainable head.
As soon as I began to smell this one, an aroma of deep roasted caramel malts came out. Almost overpowering, but in a wonderful, I need to have more kind of way. Definite aroma of fruit, banana is what I’m getting from this. Definite spice, a little sugary on the back end, but all this balances the alcohol aroma nicely.
Upon tasting the 8, the alcohol comes out more predominate than I expected it to, with the caramel malt nicely balancing it out. I get a definite chocolate taste that I didn’t catch in the aroma, but goes very well with the faint fruit present. Another sip and the caramel and chocolate flavor becomes more predominate and the alcohol just blends right in. What was a nice addition was the slightly bitter hops I get near the end. A subtle, but nice participate in this mixture.
It has a medium mouthfeel. Definitely crisp, but also very much a sticky, foamy feel with the carbonation not playing a big part, as it seems to mesh together giving it a very creamy finish.
Overall, a solid Dubbel that I could see having around the house on a regular basis. I’ve usually had this on tap, but out of the bottle it’s very nice as well. Almost keeps the carbonation consistent. Weighs in at 8% ABV, so you can enjoy the flavors and not kill yourself. Have 2 or 3, and you may want to pace yourself. I had this one with out food, but easily see this pairing nicely with an Apple Dumping a la mode.
Juxtaposition is the second collaboration Stone has done. This time with Cambridge Brewing of Cambridge, MA and BrewDog hailing all the way from Scotland. All three known for aggressive and adventurous brews. Stone we know about. Now in Escondido, CA, they continue to push the edge of the craft beer world. All in a matter of 13 years. Greg Koch and everyone at Stone have continued to not rest on their laurels. Cambridge began its trek toward beer greatness in 1989 and is Boston’s oldest brewery/restaurant. What’s unique about these guys is partly their take on common beer styles and partly that their brewmaster and head chef at the restaurant often collaborate on beer and food pairings, as well as ingredients for both. I’ve only had their Cambridge Amber and it was nice. BrewDog just blows my mind looking at their website. I’ve not had the pleasure have sampling their wears, but their attitude is unmistakable: Conformity is not their thing. Bucking the typical European take on beer, these guys seem to be the Stone Brewing of Scotland. But that’s not all. They’ve been in business for…2 years.
So, what style is this one? Pilsner/lager? Black IPA? American Strong Ale? Hard to truly say. It has characteristics of a black IPA. Very hoppy, bitter and an unmistakable piney flavor/aroma. It also blasts you with a strong alcohol content and strong malt flavor. But, then there’s that whole Pilsner thing. So, what is it? Matt Steele at Stone trys to put this debate to rest “just what the hell is a Black Pilsner, anyway? ‘It’s a Pilsner in the fact that we brewed it with Pilsner malt and fermented it with Pilsner yeast,’ said Mitch(The Brewmaster), ‘but it’s bigger, darker and hoppier, and it’s unlike any beer I’ve ever had.’ There you have it. Settled.” To me, its characteristics are more that of a Black IPA. Knowing that it has Pilsner Malt and Pilsner yeast, I just don;t any Pilsner feel to it. So Black IPA is is for me, however I ultimately defer to the folks at Stone/CBC and BrewDog.After all, who am I to second guess?
Appearance is that of a black almost dark brown ale. Poured well into my tulip glass with moderate carbonation that produced a thin, but very sustainable lacing.
What an aroma. An explosion of smell on the first whiff. The grapefruit is very dominating, but pleasant indeed. Roasted malt hits me next making me want another before I’ve even had a taste and it must be bringing out the chocolate I smell. Not dominating, but definite hops in this one, giving it a nice piney aroma to balance all the smells in this ‘pilsner’.
Taste is even better. I almost do not know what I’m tasting here, as all the flavors come at you at once. Not prominent in the aroma, as I think I missed it, but the roasted chocolaty malt is prominent more than it was in the aroma. The grapefruit comes in toward the end giving it a nice sweetness that really compliments the piney hop taste. The second taste brings out a little spice, almost anise in nature. What I am not getting here is the Pilsner taste. I expected that, but do not taste it at all. Not that I’m complaining, but no hint of the Pilsner yeast that was used to brew this one.
Mouthfeel is…wow..just fantastic. Crisp, refreshing and..wait, now I’m sounding like a damn Budweiser commercial. Ok, Crisp indeed. Medium bodied and goes down so easy, you miss the alcohol content in this one. What’s great, is that all those smells are hitting your nostrils while your tasting the same flavors.
Overall, this was just flat out fantastic. This was actually the third one I’ve tried and they keep getting better. Although this is definitely Pilsner in name only. All these ingredients cooked up by the mad scientists at Stone, Cambridge and brew Dog just overpower any chance a Pilsner taste here. ABV weighs in at 10% and as I said, this goes down so smooth, pace yourself. if you have more than one, you won’t know what hit you. This was enjoyed with a baked apple topped with cinnamon.
photo credit goes to the fine folks at Stone Brewing Co.
