Allagash Black Belgian Style Stout

Beer Log: Sunday night after the Texans whipped up on the Jaguars
State: Chilling out at home, the wife is frying up pork chops, going to put the baby down soon.

Allagash Black Belgian Style Stout
We actually had this in our cellar for what must be years, this one is Batch 14.  Anyway we had this with us at our friend's house for the game but did not open it up.  Anyway let's crack 'em.  Mixed in with the pork and cajun seasoning smells in the air, I get a chocolate and jolly rancher like nose on this one.  Maybe something akin to star annise.  This deep brown beer with tan head has a great malty flavor at first, I'll take some dark caramunich for $200 Alex.  Also it feels like cinnamon, a pinch of raisins, and sweet chocolate come all over the tongue after it warms up a touch.  This is one of those beers that makes you thirsty as the very dry nature of the beer and it's sheer effervescence get's it right off the tongue just as you are really ready to take it all in.  I love the slight banana ester as well.  A perfect marraige of a black stout and belgian styles. Shouts out to Tatiana Silva.  5 Stars!!!!

Beering in the Burbs: Cypress and Sugarland

As any good Cy-Fairian knows, the place with the coolest restaurants for beer in our neck of the woods are in straight up Cypress and dragging as down to Sugarland.  So we made it up to Rockwell Tavern to catch up on some specialty brews.  Always nice to have a good beer bar without having to pack a lunch to get to the bar.

Beer Log: May 4, 2012

Ranger Creek Strawberry Milk Stout
Deep black with a great lasting tan head. Taste has a nice chocolate stout flavor with a nice fruity aftertaste.  Very drinkable with low hops.  I'm going to assume that I'm getting that strawberry in there, however the flavor can be overpowered by the chocolate stoutiness, however Ranger Creek did not fall for it.  4 stars once again for the San Antone.

Karbach Hop Baron
Nose has a noticeable hops with feint chocolate notes.  This black beer is basically the stout version of the Rodeo Clown.  Awesome!  Clean hops with light roast and chocolate.  4 Stars.

No Label Jalapeno Ale
Oh boy.  I've never been a pepper beer guy, no matter how much I've tried.  I'll keep trying as I do not want any particular type of beer to be off limits to me (there used to be a time I didn't like hoppy beer).  Anyway we are in the burbs and so that means I'm drinking No Label.  Jalapeno nose comes through just barely.  Beer has strong flavor but no bite.  Some hops and malt in there but not overdone.  Aaaaaaaaaaand not long after that I start coughing and I'm getting that heat.  2 stars, but I'm not a pepper beer guy anyway.

A couple weeks later I make it back down to the Flying Saucer in Sugarland with the family.  We tried to kill some time with the baby by going to City Park but the mosquitoes jacked us up.  No wonder they call the baseball team the Sugarland Skeeters.  The Skeeters... HA!

Beer Log: May 19, 2012

New Belgium Prickly Passion
For a company where even the damn JR Crickets in Atlanta has Fat Tire on tap and in the neon sign, New Belgium is showing their naked ass with all these various beer styles.  These guys are hitting it at both ends apparently.  Congrats to the New Belgians.  So anyway the Prickly Passion has an orange amber color with light head.  The beer has nice banana, sour apple (I guess pear), nose.  Nice moderate sourness in the flavor with low carbonation.  Beer has something like a brett sour and cinnamon to it.  Maybe something akin to pine needles like thing for the hops.  Light sour aftertaste.  This beer is all over the place.  Just wish they took down the ABV to make it more session-able.  High 3 star - Low 4 star.

Great Divide 18th Anniversary
No nose but great malty oak, wood, vanilla and pine hops.  To put it simply, just amazing.  After that my daughter got my beer book and wrote all over it.  She did managed the words "Beer is Good".

Catching up: New Belgium, Indy, Lagunitas

Just going through the my beer notebook and wanted to clear some things out.  I've had some fantastic travel this summer mostly family related, lot's of time in DC which I've already chronicled, as well as some beering out on the Ohio River.  Lastly I finished up my most recent travels back in Midtown Atlanta once again, and that part of town is absolutely great for beer, with many spots within decent walking distance.

Beer Log: April 15, 2012
State: Hanging out with the family at Petrol Station, absolutely starving.

New Belgium Dig Pale Ale: 
For some reason we could not find this beer on Untappd, which is weird for a New Belgium beer.  Didn't feel like spending the time to add it in, so I figured I would just hang out and write my notes.  Amber color and clear with a decent finger or so of head.  The taste has a great hops and malt.  Beer is very clean with lemon like character which I'm attributing to the hops, yet it's balanced.  I love the slight sour aftertaste and nuttiness and caramel flavor of the malt just peaking through.  4 stars for the New Belgians.

Independence Easy Riser Stout
Now I've been hunting the durn Mandarin Saison between when I had this beer (April) and when I'm writing this up in the blog (September), I've not seen it.  Damn shame.  That beer was unreal!  ANyway the ERS is a deep brown with a tean head, great coffee ground and roasted malt nose.  Beer has a dry character with coffee and chocolate.  It's dry yet very poofy (if that makes sense).  How about I call this like Saint Arnold Santo but with more kick all the way around.  High 3 Stars.

And later on...

State: Just had some Lazy Magnolia beer at the house, and now going to split a bomber with the Misses while watching some Bill Maher.

Lagunitas Bavarian-Style Dunkelweizen
Nice cloudy orange color in the sunlight (I'm BLIND) with a thin white head.  The nose makes me think of Halloween candy and banana.  I actually wrote "mmm, sweet sugar wheat beer".  Nice softness and light bitterness.  Taste of sugar sweetness, lemon hops, and banana flavored bubblegum.  No hint of 9% alcohol content.  Loving life.  4 Stars.