New Beer Weekend #174

I just happened to be going by the "old" Black Page Brewing location in Houston. They were only open for about 10 months before closing in August. Well, what do you know, it is now another brewery.

Looks like they just slapped another coat of paint on, and it is now H-Town Brewing. Different owners, but literally changed nothing except painting over the sign. Well, I guess there is no reason to change anything when it was barely used in the first place

Anyway, they had two beers on.

White Oak Wheat, American Pale Wheat Ale, 4.5% ABV.



Pours a clear pale yellow color. A small white head recedes to a ring that barely sticks around. No lace left behind.
Aroma is very simple. Of grains, and light fruity esters.
Taste wise, grains that become more like cooked corn as this lingers. Faint Fruity esters that might be considered banana.
A light and water body. Moderate carbonation, and just kind of there. Eh, not something I'm really looking to come back to again.

This is the bare minimum I would expect for any kind of brewer. That is to say, I'm not particularly impressed.

Score wise, I don't know, probably below a 3, which is a big old blah for me.

Juicebox Hazy IPA is next. At 5.7% ABV



Pours a hazy yellow/orange color. A one finger white head forms and recedes to leave some light lace behind.
Aroma is all juice as the name suggests. Orange, citrus, and pineapple.
Taste wise, again all juice. Orange and store bough Dole Pineapple juice to be exact. A candy like sweetness pops up, and then kind of fades off to nothing.
A medium body with moderate carbonation. Its OK to drink, if I imagine I'm picking up my nephews juice box instead of an IPA ha.

This style will never hit with me, and I'm not the biggest fan of this. Though saying that, it is actually a bit more enjoyable to me than some of the other more well known NEIPA's out there. Mostly because it doesn't have so much hop burn, astringency, and chalky characters.

Score would be around a B-

I added the brewery to the BA database. If I ever remember I might add the beers and reviews as well. Though, I'm probably not going to come back to this spot a lot. Unfortunately I really like Black Page, it just never found its footing. Don't know if these guys will have any better luck on that front, but I wasn't particularly impressed.

 

Getting ready to smoke a turkey. I have no reason to do it, we don’t have company but I’d like to hang outside a while more so why not.



Classed a fest by these folks. The haze I think is attributable to chill.

Sweet, clean malt, bitter hop throughout. Very clean, accessible on the nose.

Overall, tasty stuff. Sharp, punchy upfront, hop character sort of leads the way. A touch of buttery character, malt, maybe some Demerara. Brown bread.

Good balanced offering. I wouldn’t oppose a smidge more malt but we’ll see if that outs as it warms.

 

Sorry to hear all of that brother. Hopefully next week, things start to look up in one form or another. Until then, enjoy your beers. Cheers.

 

Thanks! I love how awesome natural light photos come out - so much I risk being viewed as the neighborhood odd guy that takes pictures of his beer

Good to see another person who has experienced the beer has similar thoughts on the style choice. And I guess I didn't actually mention it in my post, but simply as a beer, I quite liked what was in my glass. It actually had a little more malt presence after it got around what I'd estimate was cellar temperature, to my enjoyment.

 

Thank you @JackHorzempa for kicking off the weekend. Hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving gathering this weekend.

Will go with a beer as close to a pumpkin as you’ll see me get, one on the label and hopefully that’s that.

This is my most recent first state tick from a brewery we’ve had distributed for a few years now, but had to wait to get as close to a possible beer style I like from them. Have another IPA lined up for tomorrow, though from Chicago.

Drekker Make it Spooky



Can Notes: Purchased 10/30/23 at store temperature for $6.25 from Beer on the Wall, refrigerated at home until opening. No can date, delivered to BOTW week of 10/20/23. 16 oz can, Ale, 8% ABV Double IPA. Artwork by punchgut.com, brewed and packaged by Drekker Brewing Company, Fargo, North Dakota. This is my first beer from North Dakota.

Malt: Pale Two Row Spelt, Flaked Oats, Oats, Carafoam

Hops: Hallertau Blanc, Belma, Citra

Yeast: House IPA Yeast

Appearance: Poured the first half of the can into a shaker pint glass. Murky hazy yellow tan base, creamy bright white head leaves generous cover over the base and clumpy lacing in it's wake. 3.75

Aroma: Tropical medley, pineapple, citrus, tangerine, strong bold and enticing, mega juice box. 4.25

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, orange, pineapple juice blend, would say sweet on a 8+ of 10 factor, though works well. Pretty much a pineapple orange juice serving, faint pine trying to deliver bitterness if I squint. Enjoyable. 4.0

Mouthfeel: Very sweet blend, any attempt at bitterness and balance is muted here. Drinks light and easy at first, but definitely flexes its muscles shortly thereafter. Faintly dry, sweet with gentle to muted pillowy carbonation and a medium plus creamy watery mix body. Pineapple lingers on the finish. 4.25

Overall: This is as close to a NEIPA/IPA I will likely like from this brewery. Everything delivered as expected, perhaps a bit sweeter than my comfort zone. Overall its a nice representation of the style, the hops work well together, and I'm glad I picked this up despite the hefty price tag. Thank you Drekker and North Dakota! 4.0

Five more states to go, might hit two on an upcoming Winter/Early Spring Road trip. See you tomorrow!

 

Long Trail - Harvest, apparently a brown ale with Vermont maple syrup? Another beer from @jonphisher

12oz bottle served in a footed pilsner glass. Not sure, but I think the date stamped on the neck is 07/31/23.

Pours dark brown, almost coffee, with nearly an inch of creamy head. Smell is molasses, nuts, dark toast.

Taste is dark toasted nuts, light maple sweetness (but seems more like a maple woodiness), strong chicory coffee vibes. Interesting balance of bitter and sweet flavors.

Mouthfeel is on the heavy side of medium, smooth. Overall, it's an interesting beer, and pretty good.

 

I'm a little late to the party this weekend, but glad to be able to join in. Tonight's beer is one of the older beers in my cellar. 2016 Goose Island Madame Rose. Might need some Tums after finishing off this one, as it's very, very acidic.

3.53/5 rDev -15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Bottled in May of 2016.

Appearance is a reddish brown with a small amount of head that's unremarkable overall. Aroma is strongly acidic with clear wine barrels and cherries. I'm somewhat surprised that the aroma hasn't faded over the last seven years. Taste is heavily acidic. The cherry is less pronounced than on the nose, but still present, as is the wine barrel.

Overall, this beer is good, but not great. It's level of acidity reminds me of many Cascade beers I've had over the years, where it could use just a little more balance.

 

Double Barrel Temple of Minerva


13.5 % blend of stouts aged in bourbon barrels for 17 months then aged in rum barrels for 6 months by Jackie O's.

Poured from a 12.7 ounce bottle, the body is an opaque black. No head to speak about, but a small mocha colored ring formed at the glass edges. Occasional light lacing.

Aroma is a mix of barrel goodness from the bourbon and rum along with a background malt. The ABV is in the nose, and it's delightful. My fears of competing flavors were abated upon taking in the first waft.

Taste features the deep chocolate flavor found in the base stout blend. The chocolate flavor is sweet but not overly so as the malts carry the heavy lifting. Flavors of raisin and caramel arise as the beer warms. The barrels add their magic but the beer isn't too hot. Finish is boozy but things dry up quickly.

Mouthfeel is thick and chewy. Liquid brownie batter. Carbonation is light but present. A joy to sip.

Big stout blend double barreled somehow is easily imbibed. Super beer.

 

Had a lovely day today. The whole family spent 2.5 hours saucing 3 bushels of #2 mixed apples this morning. Lunch and a few hours outside throwing/kicking/shooting various balls followed by an unusually productive birdwatching session at a small patch of woods in our neighborhood. Saw our first nighthawk and spent 15 minutes watching a rough-legged hawk tear a mystery mammal apart in a tree. The wife took the kids out and now the house is mine!

Double Barrel Temple of Minerva from Jackie O's is calling me...

This is the same batch as the regular BA Minerva I tried (and loved) recently that was aged 2317 months and rested it for 6 months in rum barrels.



It seemed to me that 23 months in bourbon barrels was the exact right treatment for this batch of Minerva, it was pretty close to perfect. Well this is pretty damn good too. Lots of brown sugar, molasses, caramel, and brown liquor at work here in near perfect harmony. I also get hints of cocoa, coconut, raisin, and leather. The carbonation is light while the body full and lightly sticky. This is smooth and refined, an absolute gem.

 

It think the cartoon characters in the background think that beer looks sketchy as hell

 

I agree, mate. Have you experienced Bluey live? That is quite an endeavor.

 

I don't know who or what Bluey is but I'm guessing a live show is horrific?

 

Bluey is a great kids show if you ask me. One of this kids shows with plenty of hidden and all too real adult humor.

 

Today I have enjoyed Tiddly, an English-style Dark Mild on Nitro. I left the brewery about 35 minutes ago where I had it on draft, on nitro. Amazing. Now home with a can, also nitro, but I have to say the nitro effect pales. The beer is still good.

4.5/5 rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This review is a split between on draft, on nitro at the brewery and 45 minutes later, from a 16oz can dated 11/15/23 at home.
The body is dark, almost black, but a reddish glow appears in a small area where light can intervene. On draft the head is about a half inch of fine foam. The can version has a less impressive foam, maybe a quarter inch and fading fast.
The aroma is the same on both samples, chocolate malt and dark coffee come to mind.
The taste is bitter and dry and I love it. There is an ever so slight hint of sweetness half way through a mouth full, but the finish is like you swallowed one of those descant bags that say "do not eat".
Carbonation is appropriate and the overall viscosity is light.
Overall, I really really enjoyed this.

 

903 Brewers Caramel Donut. A cream ale. The look is creamy, thick, sunflower yellow. A slight bright white foam floats on top. The smell is caramel donut. Absolutely. The taste is the same. It tastes and smells like a caramel donut. The brewery accomplished their mission. I believe my experience with this brewery has been the same for similar beers. I never looked for a caramel donut beer before, and I would not purchase a case of caramel donut beers, but this is a good caramel donut beer. The mouthfeel is crisp, clean, sweet, and light, with medium carbonation. Overall, this beer is what it says it is. I am glad I experienced it, but I probably won't revisit it. Unless fate determines otherwise.

 

Thanks for kicking us off today @JackHorzempa ! I’m trying a really good Black Beer from Moonlight Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, CA. “Death & Taxes “!

Pours a beautiful nearly black color with a very “Rocky” head. The head lasts quite a while.

Subtle smoky aroma with a nice roasted malt note.

Great “smoked “ flavor. Some coffee hints and a faint “oaky “ flavor.

Very nice mouthfeel. Not quite as full bodied as a stout or porter. Not too thin, either.

Overall, this is a fantastic brew! A lot of character and body, but at 5.3%, you can have a few of these!

This was a present from @ronricorossi as part of his BIF Barleywine/Imperial Stout box!

 

I'm quite proud of you

 

good luck with all the shitty real-life stuff going on. Hopefully the good beers help you get through it all…

 

Crikey, it is bonzer!