Monthly Archive for March, 2009

Freetail Brewing Co's 3Tail Belgian Golden Strong

Published on March 29, 2009 in 2009 and Beer Reviews. 0 Comments

Another gem from Freetail Brewing in San Antonio. As the winter is waning, brewer Jason Davis has replaced seasonals such as La Muerta with something for the spring and summer. Enter their 3Tail Belgian Golden Strong.

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This one is an example of a Belgian Strong Ale. This style is similar to a regular Belgian pale, but better. They tend to be golden in color, straw colored sometimes.  They have a  higher alcohol content that is not often noticed, but sometimes almost too present!

Freetail’s 3Tailpours a beautiful deep golden color, that is slightly cloudy as well. Medium had that dissipates to a very nice thin sustainable head. Lacing sticks well to the glass throughout this experience.

Aroma is of spiced orange or coriander. Strong yeast smell, balanced out by a modest amount malt.

To taste is just wonderful! The yeast realm comes out, but the surprises the alcohol kick that gets you, but gets you over the course of enjoying the brew. Predominant, by subtle as well.

The longer the one lingers the more the alcohol comes out. Very crisp and medium in it’s consistency.

Overall this was a great example of the style. Something special and something to enjoy daily as well. This weighs in at 8.9% ABV and would go well with a turkey and gouda sandwich.

Freetail Brewing Co's La Muerta

Published on March 22, 2009 in 2009 and Beer Reviews. 0 Comments

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 of the ground in the later part of 2008. Every beer at the place has Texas brewed 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!”

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La Muerta is an Imperial Stout. Beers of this style tend to be higher in alcohol and malts than you average stout. Not a lot of carbonation, but include roasted malt and chocolate flavors. Moderate to high ABV’s fruit flavors and some spice can be tasted.

This one pours smooth into a pint glass and has a very deep mahogany color to it. Once it settles, it produces a nice one finger lacing that dissipates into a wonderfully thin one. Moving it around a little while getting a whiff, you can see the nice thick lacing that it leaves.

Now that I get a chance to really take in the aroma of this one, you immediately smell the smokey flavor and chocolate that define this one. Roasted malts and coffee come soon after that, making my mouth water for a sip!

Many try to brew a Stout and some succeed, many do not however. Upon tasting this one, Freetail succeeded. A good balance of roasted malts, chocolate flavor and smokie goodness. What I like was that the longer this one lingered, the more the chocolate and smokiness came out. Thick the longer it lingered, but very crisp to the taste.

Overall, a nice Stout. This one definately stands up to other heavyweights out there. With it weighing in at around 8% ABV, you can enjoy a great Stout and not take a hit on your sobrierty! Although I enjoyed this one in the mid afternoon during a warm Texas spring, it went well with the Gouda cheese and crackers I had.

Independence Brewing Company's Oatmeal Stout

Published on March 17, 2009 in 2009 and Beer Reviews. 0 Comments

This one is an Oatmeal Stout. Typically, these generally have a nice roasted malt mash feel to them. Oats are usually common (obviously!) and many are sweet and have an extra something that a regular  stout doesn’t have, a  little sweetness. Hints of hops are often present, but not overpowering.

This one is brewed by the Independence Brewing Company out of Austin, Texas. Independence began its run at brewing craft brews in 2004. Rob and Amy Cartwright, their dog Jasper, now Indy as well, take a true love for beer and turn into great beer that we can all enjoy.

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This pours into a tulip glass a very nice deep brown, almost black in fact. It’s so thick, Superman couldn’t see through this one! Guinness beware! I nice thick head to start that settles into a pleasurable thin head which leaves a  lacing that makes the glass all giddy!

To smell this one, is to experience great pleasure. If the pugnant chocolate aroma doesn’t get you, the actual oatmeal smell from the oats will. I took a sip as quickly as I could, but then had to sniff this one again. Wow, unusual to have a local craft brew come out with a stout this nice.

To taste this one is to experience an Oatmeal Stout that truly speaks for this style. The chocolate comes out immediately hits you and then the oats. Kind of like having a bowl of chocolate oatmeal! The taste of hops does not seem that prevalent.

The longer this one lingers, the more the oats come out. What surprised me, was that I seemed to get more of the hops as well. Very thick, but not so thick that it becomes a meal all its own.

Over all, I was more than impressed (if you couldn’t tell!).  I am a huge lover of Stouts and Porters, Stone’s Imperial Russian and Oatmeal Stouts in particular, but this impressed me. Hidden away in the heart of Texas’ capital, a gem of a brewery awaits those that are willing to seek it out. Not sure what the ABV is, but seems around 7-8%. Paired nicely with the chicken wrap, chips and queso I had for lunch.

Bellhaven's Wee Heavy

Published on March 16, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

This one is brewed as a Scotch Ale. Also known as a Wee Heavy, this style goes through a long boil in the brew kettle.  Brewing this method tends to give Scottish Ales a deep copper color. Almost identical in taste to most Scottish Ales, these tend to be a little more on the sweet side and a higher alcohol content. Flavors of malt and caramel are usually present.

This Scotch Ale comes to us from the Belhaven Brewing Co in Scotland (How appropriate!). Belhaven’s site tells us that the brewery began in the 1719, although there are indications that brewing may have occurred on the site prior to this year. Although the brewery has changed hands many times over the years, it remains the oldest surviving independent brewery in Scotland. It began with John Johnston’s purchase of the site in 1719 which saw the first commercial brewing at the site. Currently, the brewery is owned by Greene King who purchased it in 2005.

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Although traditionally poured in a “thistle” glass, I poured this one into the pilsner glass I had handy. It poured a very dark copper color almost brown in fact. A nice medium head that dissipated a little to quickly, but did stay at a nice thin sustainable thickness. This left a decent lacing on the glass.

Aromas were of malt, chocolate and, believe it or not, bread. A second whiff brought out the faint smell of alcohol and spices.

This Wee Heavy tasted much as it smelled, with the chocolate and spices be the most prevalent, but definitely not overpowering. Their was the heavy taste of malt, but this was balanced out nicely by the subtle taste of hops.

As this one lingers, the malt really comes out, giving this a medium consistency. Nothing to heavy or light.

Overall, a very nice Wee Heavy that weighed in at 6.7% ABV. Went very nicely with the dessert I had of Banana Pudding Ice Cream.

Brooklyn Bewery's Local 1

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

This one is an example of a Belgian Strong Ale. Ales of this type are a stronger versions English Pale Ale and still golden in color.They have a much  a much higher alcohol content by nature that is not always evident, but usually sneaks up on you. They can have a nice spice to them. This is a powerful ale, yet mild in in flavor and usually has nice head to it.. Hop and malt are usually present, as well as hops and some fruit.

Brooklyn Brewery has a solid rep on the east coast, but I have found a few of their brews, the IPA and Pale Ale, lacking. The Brewery has a noble mission and a great heart though. They continue the grand tradition of breweries in New York City with their opening in 1987. Until then the last successful commercial brewery in New York was Schaefer and Rheingold who closed in 1987. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani even cut the ribbon at their opening. Brooklyn Brewing’s history.

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The appearance of this one is what you would expect in a strong ale. Definitely golden in color, this poured well into a pilsner glass producing quite a lot of bubbles with a moderate cloudiness to it. Great head to it, stays a nice one finger for a while, thus producing very nice lacing.

Aroma was that of yeast (almost of fresh baked bread), hops and citrus. Although, there is a definite hint of alcohol on the nose of this one that brings the citrus out.

The taste was refreshing to me and not quite what I expected. The alcohol had a definite presence, but not overpowering. The hops and yeast definite balance this one out, allowing you to enjoying the lighter aspects, namely the flavors of coriander or orange.

The had a nice crispness to it, and the longer this one lingered in your mouth, the more the alcohol came out.

Overall, this was very pleasant. I was not aware that Brooklyn re-fermented this one, which is not all that common these days. They ferment it with a belgian Yeast strain for a few weeks, then filter it out and add new yeast in with sugar. The re-fermentation process often creating natural carbonation. I had this one over the course of a couple of hours, allowing me to really enjoy it. It weighs in at 9% ABV and went very nice with the Grilled Chicken with sauteed onions and cesar sald I had for dinner.

Ayinger Brau-Weisse

Published on March 6, 2009 in 2009 and Beer Reviews. 0 Comments

This one is an example of a German Heffe-Weizen.  These are of south Germany in origin and have a higher amount of wheat. ‘Hefe’ itself means ‘Of Wheat’ and this style does bring it. As a result, they often have a pale yellow cloudy look to them. The extra wheat often lends this style to be more flavorful than most wheat with the exception of a Belgian Wit.

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I tend to favor the more solid and thicker Belgian Wit’s, however  Ayinger has begun to convince me that they are just plain solid all around.What’s great, is that their new more advanced brewery features a restaurant with a what they refer to as the ‘Beer Experience’. This amounts to what we in the states would call a beer dinner. They serve several brews, each paired with dishes  such as a pork belly roast with dark beer sauce.

As with the Dunkel, I poured this one into a Weizen glass. This was nice medium golden straw color, very cloudy with a nice set of bubble floating to the top even after the pour. It has a nice one finger head in the beginning that settles into a thin layer after a few minutes, leaving a decent lacing on the glass.

Aromas of heavy yeast, bread and citrus, orange perhaps, are prevalent. A very subtle spice and hops smell round this out.

As this one goes down, the yeast and bread hit you immediately. As it lingers, a nice crispness from the hops and spice round it out. A definite Heffe flavor to it, but also reminiscent of a pilsner a little. Some malt perhaps?

This went well with the the Mexican chicken and rice for dinner and at 5.1% ABV, you can have more than one.

Ayinger UR-WEISSE

Published on March 2, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

This one is an example of a German Dunkel Weizen. Dunkel means ‘Dark’ and these southern German wheat beers tend to be almost brown most of the time (due to the yeast used). Banana, yeast and spice are usually prominent, as well as the the spice often present in wheat beers.

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Founded in 1878, Ayinger is now one of the more advanced breweries in Europe. Ayinger’s brewer has this to say “Welcome to the privately owned Ayinger Brewery, where Bavarian beer culture has been alive and well and has had a solid home since 1878, and where we know how to brew the very best beers using old beer traditions and the latest ecological know-how. Do come and visit us and experience real Bavarian beer enjoyment! Most Sincerely, Franz Inselkammer, Brewer of Aying”

Poured into a Weizen glass. this was a medium copper color that is very cloudy. Be careful though, you can over pour this one! It has  has a very thick 2 finger head that dissipates into a one finger head which leaves great lacing. A beautiful set up bubbles float to the top to make the carbonation just perfect in this Dunkel.

Whoa, watch out! The wheat is is very dominant in the aroma, along with a very subtle hops, fruit? and definitely some spice; clove perhaps? Hope it’s as good going down as it smells.

Once this one hits the pallet, it does not disappoint. The bread and clove aroma I smelled earlier are very dominant and the wheat gives it a very nice thickness I did not expect. The hops are very subtle to taste, but seem to accent the wonderful orange flavor in this one and the yeast is..wow.

If you let this linger for a while the orange and yeast come out more and just as it goes down the ol’ gullet, the hops come out.

Overall, I was amazed. I had heard very good things about Ayinger, but I admit I loved this one.