Fredericksburg Brewing Company

I've been here twice now, both times after hiking Enchanted Rock. It makes a great stop on the way home, or if you're camping in the area. The food is pretty good for what you should expect in the area, and the beers are decent. Not great, and not all good, but worth supporting. Hopefully they'll tweak them in the future to beef them up a little.

The beers are below, and are very briefly described. I took minimal notes because I was tired as hell. But, they all seem to fit what I remember.

Haupsttrasse Helles: This one pours a clear yellow with a fizzy white head. Grassy hops, unusual for a helles. I think of them as much more subdued, but this one has more kick to it than others of the style.

Harper Valley IPA: You know, this one is weak, more like a pale. Looks and smells on style in other ways, but it's just too weak.

Not So Dumb Blonde: It's weak, as expected, but has a harsh, cardboard bitterness that I never like in a beer.

Peacepipe Pale Ale: I like this. It's as bold as an IPA, which makes me wonder if the server didn't mix up the pale and the IPA. Grassy hops with a nice, smooth body.

Enchanted Rock Red Ale: This is a fairly sweet amber with a slight hint of the grassy hops that are used in the Peacepipe. Good beer, but slightly too sweet.

Pioneer Porter: Their best offering if you ask me. Slightly smoky, light tannins, and a smooth body. Nice.

Spoetzel Brewery's Shiner Smokehouse

Had no idea Shiner was brewing a Rauchbier, and damn if I've ever seen a Helles variant. I'm assured that it's normal, but it seems to be at odds with the style, to me.

Poured just like a Helles should, clear and crisp with a fizzy white head that fades fairly quickly.

Very slight malt smell, mostly smokey. That's just about it.

Tastes the same. Not the most egregious smoke flavor, but it's obvious and I guess what the brewer intended. Not really mesquite flavored, it just seems like more Liquid Smoke in a beer, which is what most smoked beers taste like. Seems like it would be better as a Starkbier, because these styles simply don't seem to match to me.

Weird.