Welcome to Texas: Hanssens Artisanal Sours & JW Lees Barleywine!

We’re very excited to launch two excellent new imports into the Texas market: JW Lees from the UK and Hanssens Artisanal from Belgium. We’re getting multiple varieties from each producer, and both are arriving sometime on Friday. We’re getting a larger assortment and more varieties than anywhere else in the city, so don’t miss out on these awesome special releases.

JW Lees’ history as a brewery dates back to the early 1800s in rural England. The brewery has been making their historic Harvest Ale once annually for decades. They use freshly harvested ingredients in each batch, so there are subtle differences year to year based on these changes. The beer is essentially a British barleywine, which develops ever richer flavors over time. We’ll be selling vintages going back to the early 2000s. Yes, you read that right! We’ll also have multiple vintages aged in various casks – Lagavulin (scotch), Sherry, Port and Calvados casks. All in all, we’ll have over 15 different versions of this incredibly rich & historic barleywine.

Hanssens Artisanal is the last true independent Gueuze blender in the world. Gueuze is essentially lambic that has been spontaneously fermented, then aged in oak barrels, then blended with other vintages to create funky, tart and complex beers. They also referment on various fruits, similar to Jester King, for a fruity kick. There are only a few true gueuzes we get in Texas, and this stuff is just fantastic. Multiple different versions will be available, including the kriek, raspberry, strawberry, and gueuze.

Free In-Store Tastings – All 6-8pm

Thursday, January 28th – TONIGHT!

Daniel from Goliad will be back again sampling out the Goliad Stout and Golden ale.

Friday, January 29th

Audacity from Denton will be here sampling out their three new beers recently released in Austin: Sunset Vienna Lager, Bulletproof pale ale and Cream Soda ale.

Saturday, January 30th

Founders’ Myk O’Connor has shaved his beard for 2016, which means he can now see his chest without looking in the mirror for the first time in 7 years. What does this have to do with our Founders tasting? Nothing! But we will be sampling the newly released Imperial Stout along with the brand new Azacca IPA that just landed. We’ll also sample Dirty Bastard (now in cans!) and release 12 bottles for sale of 2015 KBS (limit 1 per household). First come first serve starting at 6pm.

Tuesday, February 2nd

Taylor Ziebarth, former head brewer at Adelbert’s, left the brewery a number of months ago to formally launch Oddwood Ales, the side project he pioneered while still at Adelbert’s. They’ll be releasing their very popular brett Saison again next week, as well as the brand new Taming the Savage Beast barrel aged sour. Try these brand new beers for free and meet Taylor!

New Beers This Week

Back in stock: De Ranke XX Bitter, Jester King Figlet, Jester King Commercial Suicide, Jester King Wytchmaker, Southern Star Black Crack, Deep Ellum Play Date, Prairie Coffee Okie, Guadalupe Apple Pie TX Honey ale, Guadalupe Scotch ale, Founders Dirty Bastard (now in cans!).

Oasis Lake Monster Double IPA – Lake Monster is a rotating series from Oasis put out once every few months, and the third batch in the series is a double IPA. I’m not able to find much info on it online, but it is 9% ABV and has a strong malt backbone to stand up to the citrus & tropical hop bill. 9% ABV/Austin, TX/No ratings yet/Availability: extremely limited

Knee Deep Simtra Triple IPA – Simtra Triple IPA delivers a punch in the face with its very danky hop aroma derived from Simcoe and Citra hops. 11.25% ABV/Auburn, CA/Ratebeer 99/Availability: decent

Karbach Three Legged Stout – This inky Imperial Stout pours black into the glass with a brown head. Aroma of roasted grain with a slight hint of licorice. Full bodied with plenty of dark chocolate flavor leads into a long, smooth finish. 9.2% ABV/Houston, TX/Ratebeer 95/Availability: plenty

New Belgium Blackberry Barley Wine – Blackberry Barley Wine channels the elegant spirit of a classic English barley wine, but with a kiss of blackberry to elevate the sip beyond convention. A deep wash of caramelized sugar and toasted bread, courtesy of Caramel Munich malts, adopts subtle laces of floral fruit. 10% ABV/Fort Collins, CO/Beer Advocate 81/Availability: decent

Dogfish Head Immort Ale – First brewed at Dogfish’s brewpub in 1995, Immort is fermented with a blend of English and Belgian yeasts, then aged in the big oak tanks at the brewery. Maple syrup from Red Brook Farm (Sam’s family farm in Western Massachusetts), peat-smoked barley and vanilla are added, and the sweet and earthy flavors meld magnificently in the Immort Ale. 11% ABV/Milton, DE/Ratebeer 98/Availability: plenty

Founders Azacca IPA – Founders’ first seasonal release of 2016, Azacca hops are a new hop blend out of Yakima Valley, Washington. Named for the Haitian god of agriculture, this hop boasts intense, tropical fruit notes. Azacca IPA includes a touch of caramel malt to provide a sweet backbone to the citrus, mango and orchard fruit flavors. 7% ABV/Grand Rapids, MI/Ratebeer 97/Availability: plenty

Rogness/Schoppe Collaboration Doppelsticke – Schoppe Private Stock Doppelsticke is a “double secret” version of the classic Altbier style. Brewed to a higher gravity than regular Altbier, it has a rich, malty flavor with a pronounced German hop flavor and bitterness. This is a collaboration with local homebrewer extraordinaire Mark Schoppe, a highly decorated homebrewer who has won numerous medals for his beers. 10% ABV/Austin, TX/No ratings yet/Availability: very limited

Free Weekend Tastings: 6-8pm

Friday

Free Audacity tasting! Details above.

Saturday

Free Founders tasting! Details above including a KBS release.

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