Give me Two on That

Beer Log: February 13, 2007
State: Chillin Hard, eating Ribs

It's me and my coworker and fellow Yellow Jacket out here in the Bar scene of Rice Village, and I'm finally making it to Two Rows. They make much of their own beer in Dallas and I think Houston as well. I think I can count on one hand how many microbreweries and brewpubs are in Houston. Sad, very sad.

But since I live here, this a chance to evaluate a brewpub in a nice and easy way. No need to try 15 beers in two hours. The food was great, which is essential for a good brewpub. Not so much for the beermen like myself, but so that they can keep the bills paid to supply craft beer, HD TV, and cute co-eds. The waiter seemed like he knew what he was talking about, and could even explain a bit about some of the other beers not on the menu. We nailed it, as we got to the restaurant on $1 Beer night. Hellz yeah. Only problem is, they give it to us in a regular size plastic cup. So I'll have to tell the true story of these beers and their others later. Oh it's real. Let's get it started.

Old Town Hefe weizen

And we're off. In this plastic cup, I see a cloudy orangish beer with a white head as is typical of a hefe. It's a bit on the cold side, but I get the taste of bananas and oragne peel. It's kind of like a Hoegaarden. It's smooth with medium carbonation. As it warms up, I'm getting a litte more banana and now some apple. The head is kind of lacy on the ribbed plastic cup. Not a Wow Beer, but pretty nice for starters.

We are being stereotypical tonight, so we're eating bar-b-que ribs, so Old Town may not be the best pairing. Onto an Amber Ale...

Route 66 Amber Ale

Dark Brown color with a light tan head. It has a light malt smell that comes about after I swirl it up a bit. Tastes of biscuits and fruitiness in the first draughts. It's low carbonation and light bodied. It's just too damn cold to get the flavor. Pretty low dryness. As my hand's 98.6 degrees manages to penetrate the Great Wall of China-like barrier wall of my plastic cup, I'm getting some bread flavoring and some light chocolate notes. Going back to the originals, it's not malty or hoppy, just kind of there. It goes alright with the ribs.

Dark Star Lager

Ooh scary. At this time, the waiter filled us in to all the extra beer not on tap. This seasonal is HARD to find on the net, but it seems to be considered a Fall/Halloween type beer. I think I'm smelling butterscotch scent, but there's no head any way. Dark brown color of the beer. Finally a little roasted malt, not hoppy and medium carbonation. It's very drinkable, with a slight sourness. I didn't know it a the time, but it seems lagerish to me. When it warms up, you get a smokey flavor.

Not a bad experience overall, and I look forward to going back to try the rest. I reaaly appreciate places like Two Rows for keeping craft beer alive in the Houston and Dallas, TX. Good show.