Monthly Archive for January, 2009

Remember the Alamo!?

Published on January 31, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Billed as being brewed by the Alamo Beer Company, Alamo Golden Ale is actually brewed by the fine folks at the Real Ale Brewing Co, in Blanco, Texas. It is brewed in the style of an American Pale Ale. Beers of this style tend to be heavy on the malt with a slight hoppiness to them, a moderate ABV and a slight scent of Belgian yeast. Typically similar to an American lager, these usually have a little more flavor and character.

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This one poured a light straw yellow, with a small amount of cloudiness, into a pint glass. Minimal head that leaves you far too quickly. Lacing is o.k., however it does not stick around.

What hits me right away was the strong malt aroma. Almost reminiscent of a Budweiser. What balanced this out was the yeast undertones.

Upon first taste, this was almost exactly like a Budweiser. Although Bud is a lager, The heavy malt reminds you of it. The longer it lingers in your mouth the more the attempt to make prominant the Belgian yeast strain becomes. A very minimal hop flavor rounds this out with a hint of citrus.

Overall, this was more than I expected, but less than I hoped for. the yeast definately gave it more character than a typical mass produced American lager, but I will not be anxious to repaet. This one weighs in at around 5% ABV and will not knock you over.

The Weekend of Porters…and Stout's?

Published on January 28, 2009 in 2009 and Beer Reviews. 0 Comments

This past weekend I felt like something with some character and a nice deep, dark porter sounded just right.

Stone Brewing Co’s Smoked Porter:

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Stone Brewing Co out of Escondido, CA is quickly becoming one of the most respected craft breweries. With the likes of Arrogant bastard and Ruination IPA, they have virtually cemented their reputation.

This one has a deep, deep dark brown coloring. You can not begin to see through this one. A very nice one finger head that dissipates a little but sticks around for quite a while. Very thick for lacing and sticks wonderfully to the glass.

It has a subtle but distinct smoky aroma to it , assuming  they used smoky malts (I should hope so considering the name!) and modest amount of malt and hops to balance it out.  I sense some sweetness to it, as if carmalized malt was also used.

Upon landing in my mouth, I instantly tasted the smoky malt that I sensed earlier. The longer it moved around my mouth, the more a coffee undertone came out. Definite taste of hops, although moderate and more balances out the malts, although it does lend a mild amount of bitterness to it.

Overall, this is exactly what I would expect from the geniuses at Stone. I imagine sitting outside on a cool evening with this one, while nursing a nice Cohiba. This one is moderate in ABV, weighing in at around 5.9%. It definitely pairs well with a good pot roast, as well as a creamy desert such as a cheesecake.

Freetail Brewing Co’s 4 Shadow

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This one is also a Smoked Porter, brewed by the fine folks at Freetail Brewing Co. Freetail is quickly gaining a reputation locally in San Antonio and in Texas. Now an interesting note, is that the folks at Freetail bill this as a Belgian Smoked Stout. The conundrum is that while at Freetail several patrons referred to this as a Porter. So where’s the confusion? Porters and Stout’s have been intertwined and confused with each other for a while. Both are strong beers and Porters have been thought to be a type of stout.

Freetail owner Scott Meztger marveled at the idea of a Smoked Stout when brewmaster Jason Davis brought it to him “When Jason came to me saying he wanted to brew a smoke beer, I was game. When he said it would be a smoked stout, I was excited. When he said he’d be using our Belgian yeast strain, I was just confused – apparently he had overloaded my ability to process information.”

Scott Googled Belgian Smoked Stouts and came up with nothing. I came up empty as well. This is truly a one-of-a-kind treat.

It pours a very dark brown, with a moderate amount of carbonation providing a decent head that dissipates after a few minutes. Leaving a nice lacing on the glass that sticks around.

Instantly hitting you is a strong smoked scent that instantly soothes, along with very nice and alluring coffee aroma. Hint of spices?

As soon as this one hits your mouth you instantly taste the smokiness that you earlier smelled. Coffee flavoring is abound and a hint chocolate perhaps?  Mild hops round out the flavor and the Belgian yeast strain definately comes out, as this has a moderate creaminess to it.

The longer it lingers, the stronger that smokie flavor becomes. Overall, this was a very nice surprise.It weighs in at around 6% ABV and it definitely holds its own against more well know Stouts. I enjoyed this with a well cooked steak and cheesecake for desert. In fact, I’ll be add some of it to the pot roast tomorrow. Hmmmm, 4 Shadow pot roast.. I think we may have something here.

There was one Porter I did not get to, Sierra Nevada’s  Porter. I may have to ammend this review later…

Whoa! Would You Look At The Size Of This Belgian!

Published on January 24, 2009 in 2009 and Beer Reviews. 0 Comments

We’ve all had a one of those weeks at work where nothing seemed to go right at all.  I had one this week. In trying to decide how best to relax from the week, I settled on dropping by The Flying Saucer.

So what do you get if you just want to stop by for one enjoyable beer before heading home? Tonight I decided on something Belgian, preferably a wheat. It took me only a few minutes to settle on Brasserie des Rocs Blanche Double.

Brasserie des Rocs brews this one in the classic Belgian Witbier style. Beer of this style tend to have a good amount of Belgian yeast with oats that add a nice balance  and is usually unfiltered and very lite in color. Balanced at times with hops, depending on the brewery, they also tend to have some sort of citrus or coriander as well. Brasserie des Rocs began brewing in 1979 in the small village of Montignies-sur-Roc, Belgium. Though young for a  brewery, they seem to value quality basic ingredients. As stated on their website, “All the beers are made with water from a well in the rocky subsoil, with malt, hops and spices. They are natural without added sugars and guaranteed to be without chemical additives”.

Awaiting what I thought was the 12oz bottle I had ordered, I was surprised when my server Kimberly brought me a 1 pint 9.4 oz bottle! (She tried convincing me to have it the last visit, but I would have none of it!). Apparently this monster wasn’t available in a 12 oz bottle here. Tonight  though I thought I would give it a go.

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Although this style can be used with a pint or pilsner glass, this was poured in a snifter with an orange slice and produced a rather nice cloudy amber color with a small head that dissipated all to quickly with not much lacing on the glass.

It has a wonderful aroma of fresh baked bread (that smells of a bakery in San Francisco), malt, some spice and a definite smell of coriander.

Holding the glass carefully by the stem (yes, this actually makes a difference!) I was surprised by what I got. I was greeted with a pleasant but sharp feel to it. I defiantly got the presence of malt and the bread, but there were some hot peppery notes to it as well. All balanced out by a mild but nice hop undertone. What’s nice with this one, is that the flavor from the orange peel and the coriander linger after each swallow.

Overall, this was a nice one to relax with while unwinding from the work week. Although not a creamy as some Belgians, I haven’t had as many that were as all around enjoyable as this one! Weighing in at 6% this one is enjoyable and went very nicely with the Cheddar, Monteray Jack fries I had.

Steam Is Not The Only Beer in San Francisco

Published on January 21, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Anchor Brewing Brewing Co’s Summer Beer

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Anchor brews this one int the American Pale Wheat Ale style. Often thought of as an American version of the classic Hefe’-Weizen, these beers are usually heavy on the malt, wheat malt in particular. Light in color, healthy head and lots of carbonation. Typical Hefe’ feel to to the American version with usually some kind of citrus added.

Anchor’s Summer beer pours smooth into a pint glass, with a small amount of foam. The foam quickly dissipates though, but does leave a nice lacing on the glass.  A light straw color, with minimal carbonation and slightly cloudy.

It smells of malt. Too much almost. Not sure where to place the malt, almost a caramelized malt aroma. Although Anchor says they use 50% malted wheat, it tastes more than that.

It has a very light malted wheat flavor. Accents of grain and a slight orange undertone. Leaves a kind of aftertaste if you let it linger to long.

Overall, this was not at all what I expected from Anchor. Not drinkable any more than a bud light. It does not go down smooth, and I had to make myself finish this one. Weak flavor, almost watered down.

Blue Star Brewing Co. A San Antonio Original

Published on January 18, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

San Antonio and the surrounding area has had an interesting history of craft brews over the years, with the likes of the Pearl Brewery, Shiner, Real Ale, The Covey Restaurant Brewery, The Laboratory Brewing Co. and recently The Freetail Brewing Co.  With Freetail’s opening, Blue Star and Freetail are the only brewpubs currently open in San Antonio.

Blue Star Brewing is the brain child of entrepreneur Joey Villarreal. Villarreal started out with Joey’s Bar on St.Mary’s and opened Blue Star in 1996. Since then it has blossomed. Now a long time local favorite, the brewery has several of its brews always on tap, with seasonals and limited releases cropping up to delight you. I did not get a chance to speak with owner Joey Villarreal, but did get a chance to speak with brewmaster Dustin Davies. Davies is one of the youngest brewmasters you’ll meet. Having learning the basics from Freetail’s Jason Davis, he became brewmaster in his own right upon Davis’ departure from Blue Star. Davies started out home brewing and has been brewing for four years now, the most recent year at Blue Star. Using recipes already on hand, Dustin does get to put his own spin on the seasonals and the cask brews. After having lunch with my two suns and enjoying a couple of their brews, Dustin was kind enough to show us around the brewery and explain the brewing process they use to the boys.

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Blue Star boasts quite the menu while enjoying their brews. While my oldest enjoyed a Blue Star burger (which he described as the best he’d had), my younger son enjoyed an excellent pepperoni pizza, while I had their Bratwurst sandwich served with Sauerkraut & Spicy Mustard with fries on the side. In addition, their menu boasts such unique as the Nachos Borrachos their black bean nachos with Monterrey Jack and cheddar cheese. While I was enjoying their Wheathead White, the boys were enjoying their homemade hot chocolate and handcrafted orange soda.

Once we were ready to go, and I had grabbed a growler of the Wheathead White to go, we headed upstairs to their bike shop for a look around. Although small, they have Electra ‘Townie’ bikes for both sale and rent and are also branching out into custom making Townie and road bikes.

All in all a great place, solid beers and a good time to be had by all.

Freetail Brewing Co's Old Bat Rastard

Published on January 17, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

The guys down at Freetail have just released their Barleywine, Old Bat Rastard, much to the delight of those here in the San Antonio area.

Now to give you a background, Barleywines originated in England. They are fruity, hoppy and very alcoholic by nature, although less hoppy than the American Barley Wine. Typically one of the strongest beer styles, I have only encountered one other more strong (a double dry hopped IPA). English Barley Wines usually balance out the malt and hops more evenly than their American cousins.

Freetail brews Old Bat Rastard in the American Barleywine tradition, with a Texas twist that I just can’t place, brought on by brewmaster Jason Davis. American Barley Wines like their English cousins can be stored for years, much like a fine wine. But don’t wait for this one, the cool winter weather won’t last much longer in Texas!

Poured into a pint glass at the brewery, Old bat Rastard pours a very deep mahogany, with a nice 1-2 finger head and lacing that sticks to the glass very nice.

It has a strong hops aroma, again common in American Barley Wines, citrus undertones and nice alcohol presence. The foam hits your nose while sniffing this one!

Ready to dive into this one, I awaited what I expected to be an overpowering alcohol taste. What I got was a very nice balance of the hops with a nice caramelized malt presence. What I couldn’t place was whether I tasted citrus or not. I have a feeling Jason snuck something in.

Overall, this was a nice Barleywine. A slightly more alcohol presence would have been nice, but weighing in at 9.1% ABV, it does sneak up on you. It is enough to deter one from bringing a growler home! What’s great about this one, is that it makes you warm on what has been cool evenings for South Texas. It begins to warm immediately as it goes.

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Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Pale Ale

Published on January 14, 2009 in 2008 and Beer Reviews. 0 Comments

This is an excellent beer in the traditional of the English Pale Ale, brought to you by the folks at Samuel Smith’s. English Pale Ale’s tend to be reddish in color, with hop undertones and citrus aromas with a little bitterness. They became known as Bitter beers in England int he 1800’s due to the hops, and also thought also to be a way to differentiate them form other hopped beers, such as a Porter. Bitters range in ABV from 4% to 5%.

Sam Smith’s Old Brewery Pale Ale is what is known as a strong bitter. It has a deep, cloudy copper color to it and pours nicely into a pint glass with a medium head. The moderate carbonation is perfect, allowing the head dissipate only a little and leaving a nice lacing on the glass.

It has a subtle alcohol aroma, and smells of caramel malts. What struck me was the bread or biscuit like accents that creep out as you put it to your nose. Slight toffe undertones as well.

It tastes much like it smells. Strong malt flavorings balance out the hops with a sweetness to it that almost reminds me of orange. The biscuit notes make this a little heavier than some and make it a refreshing change from other European Pale Ales.

Overall, this was a great beer. I get lost sometimes in the wonderfully hopped IPA’s brewed in the U.S. that it is nice to have a brew this well balanced. Sam Smith’s Old Brewery Pale Ale is what is known as a strong bitter and weighs in at about 5% ABV. The slightly heavier feel to this one make it a great pairing with steak, roast chicken and spicier cuisine such as Manadarine Chinese or Indian. If you are having one in the late evening, this would go well with a rich desert like a nice slice of new Your Style Cheesecake.

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Winter Is Not Over Yet

Published on January 12, 2009 in 2009 and Beer Reviews. 0 Comments

The holiday’s maybe over, however we have winter for another tqo or three months, so why stop with the winter warmers?  Here’s a few to try if you just can’t let the season go.

Rahr and Sons Winter Warmer: I’m one for tradition and history, both in beer and in all of life. Rahr and Sons Brewing in Fort Worth definitely has history. Although the latest incarnation of this brewery began in 2004, the family has been brewing for 164 years.
Begun by Willhelm Rahr in 1847 as the Eagle ‘Rahr’ Brewery abd Malt House. His great-great-grandson Frederick Rahr continues the tradition today.

Winter warmers are meant to do just that, warm you up in the winter time. Typically heavy on the malt and spices, they are usually dark brown to black with a good alcohol feel. So how does Rahr’s measure up?

It has a very deep brown appearance. It pours smooth and leaves a nice one finger head. The head quickly dissipates however leaving almost nothing to trace, flat almost. Lacing is nice and sticks to the glass well.

It has a very nice malt aroma, with a surprisingly hoppy scent. Chocolate and winter spice notes as well.

The taste follows suit, very hoppy for a winter warmer, malt is prevailant with a subtle caramel flavor. What lacks in this one is the alchohol warmth usually present in a warmer. It’s there, but but doesn’t give the kick you would expect and after a few minutes has a flat taste to it.

Overall, this is a good warmer by a local Texas brewery and one I could buy a six pack of. Although this one weighs in at around 9% ABV, if your looking for a warmetr that is not as strong as others, this will work for you. Pairs very nicely with red meats and lighter cheeses, like a Wisconsin Brick.

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Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome Ale:  Another winter warmer from a brewery with a history as well. Although Sam Smith has been around a little longer. Originally started in Yorkshire, England in 1758, this brewery has changed hands several times. Started by the Hartley family, it was purchased by Samuel Smith for his son John in 1847 who then took it over in 1852 and eventually ended up in his grandson Samuel’s hands. The brewery still uses the Yorkshire Square fermenting system and even utilizing the same yeast strain.

This is a slightly more established warmer that Samuel Smith has put out for almost 20 years, so they have had some practice and have almost become a staple of winter beers.

It pours a deep brown almost black coloring. It also pours smooth with a thick head, but this one sticks around longer, and the lacing is very nice.

Its aroma is that of chocolate and caramel malts with an almost sweet, fruit like scent.

It tastes much as it smells, but has a definite bread or biscuit notes. The chocolate and caramel come out nicely and are balanced by hoppy undertones. What’s nice about this one is that the alcohol warmth you would expect is ever present.

Overall, this is just what you would expect from a warmer. It weighs in at 6% ABV and pairs nicely with most meats, or as a compliment to a nice dessert. Thoughts of warm fires on cold winter nights come out once you have a taste of this old English stand bye.

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Freetail, Not Just The Official Mammal of Texas

Published on January 11, 2009 in 2009 and Beer Reviews. 0 Comments

A few weeks in the making, here are the reviews of some new Texas brews. Brought to you from San Antonio’s newest brewery: Freetail Brewing Co. You may have read the 2-part review I posted recently regarding Freetail. What I did not have the chance to do, was post reviews of their brews. So, here goes.

La Rubia:  This is Freetail’s signature brew and brewed loosely in the American Blonde Ale tradition. I say loosely, as it doesn’t quite fit that mold. As this style is not really seen out of the U.S., it does resemble the Kölsch style, likely due to the use of Kölsch yeast. It is some what a staple of many craft breweries in the U.S. and often is a starter brew for those developing their palet for craft beer.

Freetail calls La Rubia “Our ubiquitous blonde mistress – a temptress from the tap to the glass”.  It pours smooth into the glass, leaving a light, but nice lacing that sticks around with a small head.  It has a cloudy light yellow coloring and the aroma is of malts and light hops. A little citrus maybe? It tastes malt and hops, although the hops are very subtle and the flavore definately is more in the malt direction. It weighs in at around 4.9 ABV. Pairs well I’d think with something spicey, like Italian sausage and peppers.

Rye Wit:  The Belgian Style witbier is usually cloudy due to suspended yeast used and almost always with has corriander and orange peel added in. Some recipies call for the use of oates in the mash which can also lend to the  cloudy coloring.

Freetail takes deviates from the traditional Belgian witbier and adds a little rye to it (about 15% malted rye). The aroma is of citrus and spice, with a slight hoppines to it as well. When poured, it leaves a small head that quikly dicipates, but leaves a nice lacing on the glass. Coloring is a very light straw yellow, almost white (imagine that!). Taste is definately that of a wheat beer, however the malted rye ads a nice balance and character to this classic receipie that give it a level of sophistication. Brewmaster Jason Davis advised he used grapefruit rind versus orange in this one.

What would have been nice is a little cardamon tossed in for good measure. It weighs in  around 5% ABV and would pair nicely with chicken, fish and cheeses such as brie. This one would really hit the spot after spending the day in the weltering Texas heat.

Torpor Porter: This one is brewed in the American Porter which is based on the English Porter style. This style typically has a high hop flavor to it, lots of malt, oftern cholcolate 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.

Freetails websit tells us the  Torpor is the Freetail Bat’s hibernation period. This one will definately make you feel like hiding away for the winter. It ours nice into a pint glass with a medium head and average lacing. That does not deter you as you notive the dark brown coloring. It smells of chocolate andcoffee as you would expect, but it also seems to have an almost licorish or anise aroma as well. It tastes malt, caramel and chcolate hit the taste buds well on a chilly evening. Overall, a very nice warmer. One that will get better over time. Weighing in at around 5.8% ABV, this pairs nicely with with deserts, as well as most red meats and light cheeses.

A Tour of Belgium

Published on January 9, 2009 in 2009 and Beer Reviews. 0 Comments

Hoegaarden White (Hoegaarden witbier-biere blanche)

A very traditional Belgian Witbier is what you get with Hoegaarden White. Bews of this type tend to have a good amount of Belgian yeast with oats that add a nice balance  and is usually unfiltered and very lite in color.

This one was no exception. Served in a sniffer with a slice of orange, it pours a very nice light golden yellow. It has minimal bubbles and a very minimal head that dissipates quickly with a lacing that does not stick much to the glass. This does not deter one though! It smells of orange peels, spice and definitely wheat. It goes down smooth and you can almost taste a hint of barley.

This one is a very good example of a Belgian Wit beer and weighs in at around 4.9 ABV. It is great summer beer or for any region with great sunny and cool weather. Usually pairs very nice with many European cheeses such as brie and with fish or chicken.

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Brasserie Dupont’s Saison Dupont

This one is a medium yellow and pours a minimal head as well, but the lacing sticks to the glass better than the Hoegaarden. Saison bills it as a ‘Farmhouse Ale’ whatever that means. What is interesting is that they brew it during the winter and release it for consumption in the winter!

It smells of citrus, herbs and a slight hoppiness to it, perfect for the summer, even those here in Texas! It definitely has a typical Belgian yeast taste to it with definite spice, hops and a wonderful orange/lemon taste.

Very nice on the pallet and weighs in at around 6.5% ABV. Pairs well with poultry, cheeses, or the lite fare of your choosing. Makes you feel like running down the slopes of the Alps!

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