Beer in New Orleans, Again

In March a few of us went to New Orleans to party for a weekend. Just some old Texas fun, in New Orleans. I've been meaning to make it to some of the bigger beer bars, but once again I blew it. How can you stumble all the way to Frenchmen street when you have to pass Bourbon.

I've beered it up in the NO before and didn't think I'd find too many new things. I did want to hit Crescent city one more time, as well as try to find some NOLA. NOLA is a new brewery and their beer isn't all over the city just yet. But I did find...

March 20, 2009
Abita Strawberry Harvest
I'll make this simple, if you've ever had Frankenberry Cereal, that's what this tastes like with a skim milk. I always found Frankenberry lagging (Booberry MuthaF8cka!!!). 2 Star.



March 21, 2009
Red Stallion
This Crescent city brewhouse beer is their main attraction beer. At this point I'm feeling the beer a bit, as we've been drinking it up all day and the day before. But this redish amber beer has a bready sugar/cinnamon/caramel smell. Medium body on the moth and kind of boring after that. Nice moderate hops but not balanced. I'm thinking Noble hops. Low 3 Star.

Later on I got a bottle of some stuff from Mississippi

Lazy Magnolia Indian Summer Spiced Ale
Now that's one heck of a name. Nose is a little malty and vegetaly, with some cinnamon in there. Strong head. Frankly, the taste is kinda crappy, harsh unpleasant hop bite, a little grainy, and goes down watery. Low 2 Star if not a 1 Star. Come on Lazy Mag!

Now that I look at my beer book a month later, I could have sworn I drank more than that. I know there was a Gordon Biersch beer in there somewhere. Otherwise, nothing all that new. But I would recommend your wading through Bourbon street's swill and overpriced mixed drinks to hit Beerfest. A great beer bar that is oddball enough to not be totally filled, so you may be able to get a seat.

We did lush it up pretty bad in New Orleans. I managed not to expose myself to anyone this time, but it was an adventure. New Orleans is trying to get better, but it can be hard with all that crime going down. If you make it to the NO, just keep it cool.

Angelos...CHALLENGE!

I've mentioned the Flying Saucer a lot on this blog, to the point I may want to get a little change from them, or at least 1 free pint a visit. Anyway, we were doing our normal walk up to the Sauce when we saw a beer bar that has opened up next door with 75 beers on tap, as opposed to the 80 at the Saucer. (in a French accent) CHALLENGE!!!

Angelos opened up just a few months ago and feature Italian food and lots of beer choices. A quick peak at the bar at Angelos and you'll see a lot of craft beer on tap, but more of the popular ones. The Saucer seems to forgo having all the Konas and will whip out a keg of IPA Tripel from Belgium. Anyway, hold up...

Beer Log: Right now, just cracked it open
State: Hoping the baby stays asleep

Sam Adams Cream Stout
Smells of rich velvety chocolate with a hint of brown sugar sweetness. Color is a deep brown that if you can see through it, you're a bad MF. Head has some sustainability, but mostly fizzles down. Ooh that's a different kind of chocolate than normal. Almost a smoke flavor it. Sadly the hops kinda screw this one up with an icky bite that doesn't go well with the citrus sourness. It's like someone squeezed in a touch of grapefruit. About 2/3 of the way back on the tongue, I get a touch of wateriness as well. Don't know why the wife was chilling this one, maybe just figured she'd drink it later. Oh well there's more. Low 3 Star.

...so I am driving back from offshore one day and I'm feeling kind of down, b/c I went back early though I could have volunteered to stay the whole time. The rain and fog were horrible, and by the time I made it to Houston it was rush hour. I figured I would just detour into downtown for a couple of pints and leave a couple hours later. I go to Angelos b/c if nothing else they have all kinds of Houston Dynamo 'nalia abound.

The place is relatively quiet with some folks enjoying some pizza and whatnot. I order a basic cheese pizza and about the only beer on the list I hadn't had before and eventually strike up conversation with a British gent next to me. Turns out he owns a beer bar in Leeds. Cool sh*t. He's regaling me with beer tails and stories of fish guts to clear up a beer (awesome, I love sushi), and then the music starts. Turns out the Houston Dynamo Cheerleaders are having a party at Angelos that night and they are doing a little dance rehearsal before it gets fired up. Oh BEHAVE! Their twirling around and bopping in sport bras and booty shorts and whatnot, and suddenly I forgot about my review...

Beer Log: March 12, 2009
State: May need to go to the bathroom

Franzis Kaner Weissbier
Gold-orange color and cloud. Nice white head. Good pure ester, yeast and banana nose. Hells yeah. I first notice it has a great smoothness for all that high carbonation. Makes me want to keep slugging it down. Not much of an orange peel taste like it's Belgian cousin, but a good banana flavor with a light funky hop, good medium body. It's very fresh unlike a lot of the store-bought German beers I've had in the past. High 3 Stars.

...so the Brit and I discuss the differences in American Soccer and British Football (he's a Sheffield United guy), and order a few more wheat beers. The bartender seems to know what he's talking about. And might I say it is refreshing to be able to hold a good beer conversation with the bartender. The Sauce (for all its glory) is always packed to the rafters. The only way I can have a pleasant conversation with the bartender at the Sauce is to either pull a gun on him or just come on a Sunday afternoon. I did end up leaving before the party got started. One more brew (or dance number) and I probably would have had to stay the night downtown, not cool.

We've made it Angelos once more since then and tried more of the food. Their cheese breadsticks are KILLER, and the waitstaff is very nice. Angelos seems to keep up with some later releases, though not as diverse or off the wall like the Saucer. But with the food, I can see myself going here first, and then hitting the Sauce for my IPA on Cask. How many times can you have the Big Dipper.

We're not Hitchhiking anymore... We're RIDING!

All this travel. It doens't even feel like I've been moving around that much until I write it all down on this blog. Oh well.

Beer Log: February 28, 2009
State: At the House

Abita Andygator
Oh the beer travels. I got this 22 ouncer the last time I was in Louisiana. I'm really rooting for Abita to up the game. Their seasonals have been pretty bland in my opinion. This one is actually a doppelbock. I could retype how they came up with the name of this beer, but I think they could do it better than me. Light straw colored doppelbock, oh behave. Kinda sour and fruity nose coming from a strong offwhite head. It kinda has that light oktoberfest Munich malt caramel nose, and it's kinda lager veggie nose. Maybe not exactly true to style with that caramel, but whatever. Head is taking its SWEET time going down. After waiting it out, I get a nice robust sweetness on my tongue. I was expecting a little sourness in the flavor but it didn't show up. This thing feel great on the tongue. It tastes very German, like a Spaten, not the Optimator but their other brews. It has just enough strength to be a DB but could pass for an Oktoberfest in a different bottle. How about you take the Shiner 99 (a great Helles Lager) and up the caramel a few notches. And since I love Shiner 99, the Gator gets 4 Stars.

Troeg's Amber Ale
Barrelling through our beers picked up from travelling, I got this Troegs when last in Maryland. Smell has a floral hops with some alcohol. Copper color with a weak white head. Upon tasting, I get a flash of hops in a velvety body that reminds me of French bread. The aftertaste is a biting hop (maybe Cascade-ish) but doesn't last very long. 3 Stars. The hop aftertaste lasts longer the more you drink it.





I wonder how you pronounce "troeg" anyway. The "O" in the name has the two dots over it. I wonder if it's like my favorite cartoon character Ren Hoek. Either way, who couldn't use a little SPACE MADNESS!







While we're here, let me slide in one more Troegs I had on March 3.

Troegs Nugget Nectar
State: Eating spicy spaghetti.
This is a slightly red amber color. And OH smell those hops. Flowery and citrusy nose with a great caramel malt backbone. Tasting it and OH WOW! Nice hops strength but no bite. Awesome. Nice plum and caramel on the back end of the tongue. It finishes uber-clean. Slight aftertaste of hops, 4 Star. There is some beady, and it is just plain super hoppy. It reminds me of the Sam Adams Imperial Pilsner.

To Getting Naked to Count to 21

You ever have one of those beers that the title coupled with the beer just has that appeal. For some, the downtown Specs had this huge display of "Drifter" in the corner near the freezer. A pale ale from Widmer should not disappoint. I just love that name "Drifter". Anyway...

Beer Log: February 26, 2009
State: At the house

Widmer Drifter Pale Ale
The Brothas give me a very orange citrus and piney hop nose. Strong tinged orange head with Baylor Gold clear color. The first thing you notice is the medium body followed by the rush of bread and citrus hops. (Ok, I must have been off b/c I get a lot more maltiness when I drink Drifter now...). Good tailgating beer. Funny how smells prepare you for a harsh hop and the taste doesn't deliver. It has a pretty quick finish as well. 3 Star.

Jomo Lager from Starr Hill
A Karrin Stefans amount of head with an orangish chill haze appearance. I get that caramel maltiness sweet smell that's kinda gentle. I think it soured and skunked up on me a bit. We got this one from a trade with a dude in Virginia and forgot about it. We've since put our low ABV stuff in one cabinet and the high ABV in another cabinet so we remember which ones to get to first. Back to the beer, I get some caramel and bready pilsner on the flavor. It has some bitterness but not biting. It's aiight. 2 Stars.

Terrapin Rye Pale Ale
Copped this one in Hotlanta on a trip to Georgia Tech. Terrapin is brewed by the dudes in Athens, Georgia (or Jawhja if you went to U(sic)GA). Copper color with white basic head. Nose is a little crisper with malt and bread. (then again I have a stuffy nose). High carbonation with some bite from the spice and the hops. Very tingly but not all that inspirational. Low 3 Star.

To Brew or Not to Brew (To Style)

I was listening to an archived episode of the Brewing Network's The Session featuring the brewers from De Struise, the 2008 Best Brewers in the World according to Rate Beer. The brewers stated that they brew to taste and that they were against the whole idea of having styles.

(In case you don't know, the beer styles are defined by the American Homebrewer's Association. Each style has a defined range for color and gravity, along with a desired flavor profile.)

There's definitely strong arguments for both sides of the debate: brewing to style can restrict creativity, but it's the only way to win a medal at a large, nationally known competition like the GABF. Breweries like Magic Hat who don't brew to style are unlikely to medal at those competitions, no matter how good their beer tastes. However, styles provide guidelines and allow us to categorize and compare great beers. Jamil Zanischeff has remarked that when you think you are brewing your own style, you're really just brewing another style.

What do you think? Do you brew to style or taste (or both)? Why?

Rasberry Brown beer

Beer Log: Right now
State: Still a little flooded out after the rains

Otter Creek Winter Ale Rasberry Brown
Will I EVER get through these Winter beers?
Smells like strong rasberry with a hint of malt. Brown deep color with a light tan head. Nice brown ale like caramel and roasty malt, pretty high carbo, and a moderate taste of rasberry. Not overwhelming but the presence is certainly there. The more I drink it I can get a hint of tartness. The carbonation leaves a hefty tingle on my tongue as well. Pretty good beer man. Could work for a lot of things, even though I usually don't feel the fruit beers that much. 3 Stars.

Bohemia

Beer Log: February 20, 2009

One thing about working at the company’s main office, is the tex-mex joint we go to for lunch a lot. Great stuff. Lupe’s has the best Shrimp like fajita like thing, called a “shrimp lupe”. While we try to sneak in the margarita or two during lunch (usually a lunch where somebody is quitting), they do have all the Mexican beers there. And one I hadn’t tried yet

Bohemia
Gee, I wonder which ethnic group influenced this beer? (Damn this Heineken Dark is pretty tastey, maybe a good summer workhorse beer) They put a lime on the bottle and the snob in me was subdued as I just gently put the lime to the side and asked for a glass. Light straw color. There’s some sort of German noble hop in there. Mod instant quick finish. I’m getting nice bread biscuit malt. It’s good, even if it’s bone chilling cold. Blanaces out the spicy chips and salsa, and the carbonation is not too high. 3 Stars.

This one has a lot going on with it, and I’ll probably mix it up with the Negra Modelo.