Beer Tasting This Weekend

Friday, May 23rd from 6-8pm

• Deep Ellum Brewing Company – Dream Crusher
• Ranger Creek Brewing Company – Strawberry Milk Stout
• Brouwerij Martens – Witte

Saturday, May 24th from 6-8pm

• Saint Arnold Brewing Company – Homefront IPA
• Rogness Brewing Company – Hefeweizen
• Southern Tier Brewing Company – Goat Boy Imperial Weizenbock

Which Craft In-Store Tasting Events This Week

Tuesday, May 27th, 2014 from 6-8pm: Brooklyn Tasting Event

Thursday, May 29th, 2014 from 6-8pm: Sierra Nevada Tasting Event

New Beers Available:

1. Upslope Brewing Company Imperial IPA – This is a bright orange imperial IPA with a citrusy and floral nose. Clocking in at a whopping 10% ABV and 90 IBU, this beer is a huge winner. Boulder, CO

2. La Chouffe Belgian Golden Ale – From the Belgian countryside, La Chouffe is a beautifully crafted Belgian Blonde/Golden ale that is effervescent and delicious! 8% ABV Achouffe, Belgium

3. Brasserie Les 3 Forquets Lupulus – Lupulus is a blonde ale with an ABV of 5 %, refermented in champagne bottles and in casks. The choice not to filter the beer, as well as not to pasteurize it ensures its taste and aromatic quality. Courtil, Belgium

4. Brouwers Verzet Oud Bruin 2012 – This beer is a blend of some ‘old’ brown beer that has already matured in oak barrels for six months behind, and some “young” brown beer. Each barrel is sampled separately and is cut up into different concentrations with each other. Tart and delicious, this beer is a great sour! Anzegem, Belgium

5. Deschutes Mirror Mirror 2014 Barleywine Ale – The Reserve Series romance all began with their first release of this limited-edition brew. Mirror Mirror, born of a double batch of Mirror Pond Pale Ale, is an inspired barley wine ale layered with intriguing nuances. Explore this latest incarnation and enjoy its delicious complexity in every sip. Bend, OR

6. Prearis Quadrupel – Hearty, rich, mature and balanced quadrupel with all of the punch of a 10% ABV Belgian-Style. It’s maltiness is delicious while the yeast brings out a nice spicy and earthy flavor. Oedelem, Belgium

7. Saint Arnold Homefront IPA – Malty and sweet up front. Lighter bodied than might be expected. The hop bitter, orange peel and hop flavor seem to all kick in at the finish. Remarkably easy to drink for an IPA with the orange notes more of a secret ingredient than a dominant flavor. Quite thirst quenching making it perfect for enjoying during Memorial Day weekend as proceeds go to Operation Homefront an organization that provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded warriors. Houston, TX

8. Ranger Creek Strawberry Milk Stout – This beer uses 500 pounds of Poteet, Texas strawberries to create a delicious and completely unique beer. The result is a dark, rich, creamy stout with a slight roastiness and undertones of rich chocolate, complemented by fresh strawberry flavor and aroma. 5.3% ABV San Antonio, TX  

9. Clown Shoes Crunkle Sam American Barleywine – This beer is a huge barleywine dry hopped with Citra hops. Clocking in at 11% ABV, this is one for sharing! Ipswich, MA

10. Clown Shoes Space Cake Double IPA – This is a bodacious double IPA  utilizing citrusy Mosaic hops and an immaculate West Coast style malt backbone. Dude… Chill out. Enjoy some Space Cake.

11. Prairie Artisan Ales Funky Galaxy – Funky Galaxy is a black farmhouse ale brewed with 3lbs per barrel Galaxy hops. The beer is conditioned with 2 brett strains and wine yeast. 8% ABV Tulsa, OK

12. Triporteur From Hell – This is a strong dark ale that sits starkly juxtaposed in character and flavor.  Legend says that the malts here have been fire-roasted in the flames of the underworld just before steeping in the sweat of Lucifer himself. That’s assuming the devil sweats. The term “dark” can deter some beer drinkers from experiencing Hell. We’ll blame this one on the weather. Passing on this beer in the spring season cannot be justified! The Triporteur from Hell is stacked with fire-roasted malt and laced with a fair amount of natural occurring subtle spice, but yet it surprisingly remains on the lighter side of dark ales. Halen, Belgium

13. Triporteur From Heaven – Heaven holds its head high with a radiant, bright golden color and inviting aromas of springtime. A beautiful Belgian blonde with an assertive clutch on it’s well-integrated hop character, the Triporteur from Heaven has a wide range of palettes it can excite.  Perfectly titled, it’s shocking the name Heaven hasn’t been spoken for before now. Halen, Belgium

14. Rogness Hefeweizen – a traditional hefeweizen wheat beer to combat the hot Texas climate. Picture bananas, cloves, and citrus fruit jumping off the Barton Springs diving board into a giant mouth. Your mouth. You win. Ideally served at 50 – 55°F. Austin/Pflugerville, TX

15. New Belgium and Odell Brewing Company Collaboration American Pale Ale – New Belgium teamed up with their hometown hop heroes at Odell to brew a FOrt COllins collaboration. Uses Fawcett malt, an Odell standard, and favored Centennial, Cascade and Citra hops. 6.7% ABV Fort Collins, CO

16. Engelszell Gregorius – The only Trappist brewery in Austria makes this dark tripel that is 9.7% ABV and boasts a huge maltiness with a balanced spice. Engelhartszell, Austria

17. Engelszell Benno –  This beer is a bight Dubbel with incredible maltiness. It doesn’t take over completely, but balances out with a nice sweetness from their yeast. 6.9% ABV Engelhartszell, Austria

18. Brooklyn East India Pale Ale –  This beer is a deep golden beer brewed from British malt and a blend of hops featuring the choice East Kent Golding variety. It is traditionally dry-hopped for a bright aroma of hops, lemongrass, pine and citrus fruit, and has a robust bitterness, a warming malt palate and a clean hoppy finish. 6.9% ABV Brooklyn, NY

19. Widmer/Boneyard Collaboration Black Light Session IPA– Blacklight IPA is a hop-forward, sessionable 4.2% ABV black ale with a heavy dose of five different hop varieties and stained black with cold-steeped dark malts. The beer focuses on big hop flavor and aroma, without the harsh bitterness and heavy roast that the beer’s dark color suggests. Portland, OR

**Free* Tastings Friday & Saturday

Friday, May 16 – Buffalo Bayou Abrikoos, Southern Star Buried Hatchet Stout, Guadalupe Brewing Co. Scotch Ale, and Austin Eastciders Gold Top

Saturday, May 17– Aspall Imperial Cider, Cerveja Colorado Guanabara Imperial Stout, Save The World Saison Ale, Infamous IPA

Next Week’s Events

Thursday, May 22 – Lazy Magnolia will be in store giving out samples of their portfolio from 6-8pm

New Beers Available at WhichCraft Beer Store This Week

1. Corsendonk Pater Dubbel Ale – A dark, robust abbey beer brewed by master craftsmen in the classic Belgian “dubbel” style. Rich and malty, with notes of port, raisins, and black chocolate on the palate, and a yeasty, fruity and slightly smoky bouquet. 6.5% ABV/ Turnhout, Belgium

 

2. Corsendonk Agnus Tripel Ale – Dry and delicate, with a distinctive hop bouquet and palate character, this bottle-conditioned ale has the finesse of methode champenoise and will mature in bottle, becoming softer and smoother. 7.5%/ Turnhout, Belgium

2. Buffalo Bayou Brown Buffalo Rye’d – This is an American brown ale, emblazoned with cinnamon, raisins & rye, will whiplash even the deftest of palates, bucking in sweet & savory fits. 7.2% ABV/ Houston, TX

3. Buffalo Bayou Abrikoos Belgian-Style IPA – A cornucopia of flavors & fruit overflowing with sweetness then cut to the core with a little savory and hoppiness! Australian hops blasting tropical & mango notes against a wall of citrusy West Coast hops. Apricots, dried & caramelized in the Turkish sun, mellow out the mouthfeel. 6.6% ABV/ Houston, TX

4. Buffalo Bayou Buffalo Sunset – COFFEE & HOPS! COFFEE & HOPS! COFFEE & HOPS! If you don’t like coffee (Amaya Roasting Company), you may love this ale. Just kidding, you’ll hate it. Put it down and walk away. 9.2% ABV/ Houston, TX

5. Firestone Walker Double Jack Double IPA – A dangerously drinkable Double IPA.  Double Jack opens up with bright grapefruit and tangerine American hop aromas. Beautifully crafted undertones of stone fruit are revealed upon first sip, followed by the essence of blue basil and pine. A sturdy pale and crystal malt backbone brings balance to high hop intensity. Complex and aggressively hopped, and flawlessly balanced. 9.5% ABV/ Paso Robles, CA

6. Austin Eastciders Gold Top – Gold Top is cider made from real cider apples, a long-lost classic American drink. Made with vintage bittersweet and bittersharp apple varieties for a smoother, more complex flavor, Gold Top is medium dry, lightly carbonated and extremely refreshing! 5.6% ABV/ Austin, TX

7. Mikkeller Big Worse Barleywine – Big Worse is the long awaited big brother of the small test brew Big Bad Barley Wine. The idea behind Big Worse is still to make a simple yet heavy barley wine – just like it’s smaller brother. But this time both the alcohol and bitterness has been pumped up! Big Worse is both thick and sweet and is the perfect beer for desserts. Enjoy it now or keep it for many years. Best stored dark and at cellar temperature. 12.0% ABV/ Lochristi-Hijfte, Belgium

8. Kapuziner Bavarian Schwarz-Weizen – A well-crafted wheat beer, it has a sharp citrus tang, with a spicy complexity and a light, fruity sweetness. But then there’s more: a deep, roasted malt flavor, which makes it utterly unique! An impossible combination, this Black Wheat is light and refreshing, yet more full-bodied and warmly satisfying than any wheat beer has ever been. Unfiltered live yeast gives the beer in the glass a cloudy, unfathomable depth that is hopelessly seductive. 5.4% ABV/ Kulmbach, Germany

9. Kapuziner Bavarian Hefe-Weizen – malty and a little heavy – not light and fruity. This is more reminiscent of a light lager – medium body with sweet, caramel-ish notes. It finishes sweet on the tongue. 5.4% ABV/ Kulmbach, Germany

10. Kulmbacher Brauerei AG Mönchshof Kellerbier – This is the daily drink of Franconia, upper Bavaria – the greatest brewing region of Germany. Unfiltered by tradition, this beer used to be fermented down in the basement by farmer brewers, in oak casks and served hazy. Brewed according to the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516. 5.4% ABV/ Kulmbach, Germany

11. Lagunitas Nighttime Ale – the bigger, dark and scary sidekick of DayTime IPA. 73.4 IBUs, it’s more of an imperial CDA, but Lagunitas does not trouble itself with such titles. 8.2% ABV/ Petaluma, CA

12. Infamous Brewing Company IPA – This IPA is loaded with Tomahawk and Warrior hops while balancing it out with a medium maltiness. Now available in 6-pack cans! 7.0% ABV/ Austin, TX

13. Austin Beerworks Heavy Machinery Half IPA – This is actually an American Pale Ale with light hop additions during the boil and tons of dry hopping with Centennial and Citra mean the bitterness is low, but the hop flavor and aroma are high. Made specifically for summertime in Austin, it’s great for sitting poolside or dockside. 5.6% ABV/ Austin, TX

14. Save The World Brewing Co. Lux Mundi Patersbier Ale – This beer has an aroma of ripe fruits with hints of citrus, perfume like floral hops, and a faint biscuity malt. A light to medium bodied ale with bright fruity flavors up front; its impression of sweetness is balanced by a deliciously clean and dry finish. 5.8% ABV/ Marble Falls, TX

15. Save The World Brewing Co. Froctum Bonum Saison – A refreshing example of the traditional farmhouse ale. The distinctive aroma and flavors are of sweet malts, zesty citrus and peppery spices with a hint of earthiness. It has a medium body and a crisp dry finish. 7.2% ABV/ Marble Falls, TX

16. Save The World Brewing Co. Humilus Filius – Belgian Style pale ale which has subtle aromas of toasted malts and floral hops. It is a medium bodied ale that has a delicious balance of lightly toasted malt, a hint of fruity esters, and a slight spiciness arising from the yeast and hops with a clean, dry finish. 5.2% ABV/ Marble Falls, TX

17. Victory Brewing Co. DirtWolf Double IPA – This beer is loaded with US hop varieties, in their natural, whole flower form, as they bring a vital, pungent reality to the soul of a wild element in this dangerously satisfying double IPA. 8.7% ABV/ Downingtown, PA

18. Victory Brewing Co. Storm King Imperial Stout – This is an exquisite blend of imported malts and whole flower American hops merging harmoniously in a complex ale. Mellow subtelties of roasted malt, exhibiting an espresso like depth of character in its finish. 9.1% ABV/ Downingtown, PA

19. Uinta Brewing Co. Detour Double IPA – Detour blazes the trail for fresh and bold Double IPAs. Five varieties of hops, with a new Citra addition, combine to step up the flavor profile. A hoppy adventure that finishes dry. Big in alcohol and character. 9.5% ABV/ Salt Lake City, UT

20. Original Sin Cherry Tree Cider – Cherry Tree cider combines the finest American heirloom apples, which were popular in the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries, with tart cherries. The finished product has the clean, rich flavor of fresh cherries with the depth and elegance that comes from using freshly pressed U.S. heirloom cider apples. 6.7% ABV/ Cape Canaveral, FL

21. Ommegang Fleur De Houblon Summer Ale – Nothing is more evocative of Summer than flowers, and the favorite flowers of brewers are hops. Fleur De Houblon Ale is a rich gold color, with distinct floral hops in the aroma that follow through in the taste. The body and flavor are clean and dry, with pleasing complexity and spicy notes from the unique ommegang house yeast. 6.8%/ Cooperstown, NY

22. Southern Tier Farmer’s Tan Session IPA – One of Southern Tier’s lightest beer, with a smooth body and easy finish. They have carefully limited the ingredients to two types of hops and two types of malts for a perfectly balanced, “sessional” India Pale Ale. 4.6% ABV/ Lakewood, NY

23. Southern Tier Goat Boy Imperial Weizenbock – Deep ruby red color with low/moderate bitterness. This beer has some banana and sweet malt aroma followed by caramelized banana, bready with mild sweetness. Brewed with 2 varieties of hops and 5 types of malts. 7.5% ABV/ Lakewood, NY

24. Cerveja Colorado Vixnu Imperial IPA – One of the first commercially brewed double IPAs in Brazil, this beer has a load of sticky hops and a serious backbone of malt. Local Rapadura sugar, made from pure sugar cane juice, adds a layer of flavor and lightens the body a little, making for a more drinkable beer. 9.5% ABV/ Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

25. Cerveja Colarado Guanabara Imperial Stout – Brewed with quality malt and hops, it also uses a special dark version of the native rapadura sugar, made by boiling down sugar cane juice. The result is an explosion of flavors, layered and complex, with a lightened body for added drinkability. 10% ABV/ Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

26. Hitachino Nest Japanese Classic Ale – This beer is following the original IPA brought to Japan in the 19th Century. It is slowly matured in Japanese cedar casks which are commonly used in the brewing of traditional Japanese Sake. 7.0% ABV/ Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan

27. Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale – This ale was brewed with special red rice which had been cultured in ancient times in Japan. This is a complex taste with a beautiful natural color. 7.0% ABV/ Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan

28. Hitachino Nest Commemorative Ale – brewed in the tradition of a true ‘eisbock’ where the brew is concentrated by allowing the water to freeze (but not the alcohol). After the mashing of five different malts (Pale, Munich, Crystal, Chocolate , and wheat), four differing types of hops (Styrian Goldings, Hallertauer, Tettnang, and Saaz) are added in the brew kettle for bitterness & aroma. Five different spices complete the Commemorative Ale recipe: coriander, orange peel, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla beans. After a freezing period of three days at 24F (-4C) the frozen water & protein are removed. The bottle conditioning will then ring in a six month maturation time. 8.0% ABV/ Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan

29. Hitachino Nest Real Ginger Brew – This is a Spice / Herb / Vegetable style beer, medium amber in color, is slightly hoppy, includes real ginger to make a surprisingly refreshing ale! 8.0% ABV/ Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan

30. Southern Star Buried Hatchet Stout – Dark brown in color, this monster smells of coffee and chocolate. The taste is much of the same, with hints of creamy toffee and roasted malt. Smooth and delicious, this medium bodied ale is all about the malts, but has enough hop bitterness to be balanced. 8.25% ABV/ Conroe, TX