Saint Arnold Brewing Company's Divine Reserve No. 11

Hey--y'all wouldn't happen to know where there's a local beer store that has a few bottles of DR 11 squirreled away for sale, would you?

I do. Suck it.

I'm glad to buy a few singles of this, since the DR 6 was a complete disaster in my opinion. I know it wasn't in your opinion. Feel free to write your opinions down somewhere. And yes, I know 6 was a barley wine and 11 is an imperial IPA. But you'll be hard pressed to point out any substantive differences in the two styles.

This one, however, is sitting next to me in a glass smelling much better than DR 6. It seems to be malt-forward so far, with a bigger, sweeter malt profile in the smell than you could ever get through the pine sap in a glass that they called DR 6. Big body with a nice solid bitterness that doesn't drown out everything else. Great malt backbone in what I would call a malt-forward barleywine or IIPA.

Probably the best beer St. A's has ever made. Much better than their standards, and with increased capacity I look forward to bigger batches and maybe even bombers of their bigger beers like this.

/relieved

Sweet Water Brewing Company's IPA

Pours a nice amber, with a decent sized light tan head. Both good, grassy hops and a nice sweet malt. Well balanced and promising so far.

I don;t want to say it's light in the body. It's more that it's more crisp than many IPA's, and it's nice and drinkable. It has a nice bitterness to it that comes out more than the malt, which is surprising based on the smell. Still, if it was weaker in taste I would have hammered it for the lighter than usual feel. But instead, it's an all around nice, even if light, IPA.

Michigan Brewing Company's High Seas India Pale Ale

Holy crap. Been since October since I posted? I know y'all have all been sitting around wondering "OMG, where is BOTD?" Well, y'all can all just relax now.

This one pours a deep amber with a big, pillowy tan head. Smells great. Hoppy and slightly floral, but with a big bready backbone to it.

Funny though, it's more malty than hoppy in the taste. That's fine, just different. And it may be a bit old... If so, though, it aged very well. Bitterness comes out more in the aftertaste, and is actually pretty nice.

Very good beer. I can't recall having other beers from this brewery, but I'll be sure to try more.

Flying Dog Brewery's Snake Dog IPA

One of the most over-hyped over self-promoted breweries ever. Yes, I like the label art. The beer just never has matched it.

Pours a decent enough amber, with a pillowy tan head that is fairly large probably because the last pour out of the bottle was all foam. Smells nice enough, with a fair amount of grassy hops but a substantial amount of malt as well.

Eh. Kind of a dull, hollowness to it. The grassy hops smell is adulterated in the taste, and the bitterness flattens out to bland, followed by a weird bitter aftertaste.

About what I remembered this beer to be, when I tried it years ago. Won't try it for several more, if then.

Left Hand Brewing Company's 400 Pound Monkey English-Style India Pale Ale

Pours a yellowish amber with a decent enough light tan head. Slightly grassy, more malt than the last IPA I had, which is a good sign.

Tastes nice, I'm betting this has been laying around a while so I bet it would be better if it was newer. Grassy hops that are fairly moderate, with a lighter body than I would like.

All in all, there's nothing that stands out about this one. Not bad, but not great, just a middle of the road IPA. That's about par for this brewery, from my experience.

Twisted Pine Brewing Company's Hoppy Boy IPA

Damn. Foams out of the bottle, then again right out of the glass. Too bad, because it smells like it would be a good IPA.

Pours a nice amber with a tan head, and there must be some carbonation left because it's loosely filtered with particulates that rise to the top and then sink again. Smells nice. Very grassy, and slightly sweet.

Despite the apparent carbonation, it feels dead. It tastes nice because it's still pretty grassy and bitter and despite the slight sweetness there's no feel to it at all. I'm certain it's because of how it foamed out, but regardless of why it makes this a weak beer because it just feels wrong.

Dogfish Head's 60 Minute IPA

I was surprised to see that my Dogfish Head beers, except for the big ones, predate my posts here. Been a while and I've felt no real urge to go back and buy more of them, because I have always considered this brewery's IPAs a bit overrated.

Pours a hazy almost amber with a huge pillowy tan head. Throws off a ton of floral hops at first, but then kind of dies out in the smell. Slightly sweet, more from the hops than the malt, it seems.

This one tastes kind of like your regular old pale. Nice body to it with a decent amount of malt, but the hops take a back seat to the hops, which you wouldn't expect from an IPA, much less "The continually-hopped" one.

Pretty much like I remembered it--average.

Great Divide Brewing Company's 16th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA

This is one of the first breweries that I remember being different. And although I traditionally don't like wood aged beers because they're overdone with scotch, I'll try everything Great Divide makes.

Pours slow, with a ton of body. That's a good sign. Deep amber with a huge tan head and a great smell. Slight vanilla that comes from the oak, but mostly floral hops and a slightly sweet malt.

Tastes about the same. Solid body and a great bitterness that isn't affected by the oak, which isn't too scotchy like some brewers try to make it. Good stuff, and another reason this brewery has set itself apart from the start for me.

Independence Brewing Company's Stash IPA

Pours a deep amber, slightly hazy, with a huge tan head that stays forever. Smells great as it pours, too. Nice and grassy, with the malt present, but clearly secondary.

This is very similar to Great Divide's barleywine, just scaled back as an IPA should be. Big grassy bitterness with a nice, smooth body and with the malt providing more body than taste. Not sweet, it's slightly sharp.

Very nice beer. I'm glad to see that they're thinking through this and their stout more than their regular offerings. This is probably the best IPA in Texas, in fact.

Stevens Point Brewery's Whole Hog Six Hop IPA

Pours a cloudy deep amber with a light tan head that like many IPAs thins to a sheet, but stays.

I can smell it right as it starts to pour. Both grassy and floral, a bit sharp, and with an alcohol bite to it. Slightly sweet malt is back in there somewhere.

The alcohol stays prominently in the taste, followed by a grassy bitterness, which is finished off by a nutty brown taste, which is very unusual for an IPA. The 8.5% ABV is unusual for an IPA and explains the alcohol bite, but I wish they would have hidden it a bit better. Otherwise, it's a pretty decent beer that is a nice twist on an IPA.

Odell Brewing Company's India Pale Ale

Pours a hazy, deep amber with a nice tan head. Smells floral, with a sharp alcohol bite right at first. Both mellow to primarily malt. Not really sweet,and not really bready.

Ooof. Tastes like alcohol and sharp bitterness. Not in a good way, either. Thin body that makes it feel and taste week, except for the harshness of the alcohol and a bitterness that isn't really hoppy, just harsh.

Not a good beer, and I'm not drinking any more of it.

Grand Teton Brewing Company's Sweetgrass IPA

Nice. A bottle conditioned IPA from a random micro brewery? Should be good.

Pours a nice amber with a good tan head that sticks well. Hazy with quite a few larger particulates floating around on the carbonation. Looks great.

Pretty mils. Sweet malt and slight grassy hops are in there, but it's not as in your face as many IPAs try to be.

Very nice. Bitterness is right on, and it's got a nice body that many IPAs seem to skip. I think the yeast is contributing to the bitterness, but not in a negative way. It just feels bigger than a heavily filtered IPA.

Nice beer. I've had others from Grand Teton but I don't remember liking them this much.

Boulevard Brewing Company's Single-Wide IPA

To me Boulevard is another brewery that distributes beyond its means. Beyond its abilities, certainly, given that their beers generally seem off. Like a small Sam Adams.


This one pours more orange than amber, with a huge tan head that may be because there was some water in my glass, but then again it stuck pretty well so maybe it's legitimate.

Smells OK too. Moderately hoppy for the style, with floral hops that are a bit... soapy.

I like the taste, there's just not enough of it. It's has a slight punch and a good twang to the hops but in a good way. Loses the twang as it warms, and gets a bit harsh.

Not bad, just drink it fast.

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.

Pyramid Brewing Company's Thunderhead IPA

Pours a slightly hazy amber with an off-white head.

Great smell. Nice and hoppy, slightly sweet malt backbone.

Pretty good. The hops are a little muted, but still in good form. Nice body to it that is on the heavier end for the style, which I like.

Good beer. I never really go looking for Pyramid beers, but this is the best one of theirs that I can recall.

/in a hurry, for some reason

Dogfish Head's Squall IPA

I'm a sucker for the bombers that are new to Houston, and even though I'm hit and miss on Dogfish beers and I think they play fast and loose with the rules (Palo Santo is not a brown!), I picked this one up right before the 4th,

Pours a nice enough amber, but it pours fast. I was expecting to see more body, and if it's this obvious this early, I'm guessing that it'll be even more obvious in the feel.

Smells very nice. Big and grassy, but not too much malt behind it. I'm thinking I'm one step closer to being disappointed.

Yep, sure enough. The body is just not there, which is a real let down for a beer that is supposed to be this big. It's bitter enough, but there's no malt follow through. The lack of body makes it land flat, and it just feels and tastes fizzy.

I have a couple more DFH bombers sitting around. I'll mix them in with beers that I think will even out the good/bad ratio.

Tallgrass Brewing Company's IPA

This one's left over from a Kansas trip last Thanksgiving. I've had beers from this brewery in BOTM shipments, so I had to finish out their others when I saw them.

Pours a foamy and slightly hazy amber with huge carbonation and a huge pillowy tan head.

Great smell. Nice and grassy, slightly sweet malt.

Nice. Body is a little light, but it's spot on otherwise. This is the best Tallgrass beer I've had so far, and it's a very good IPA.

Avery Brewing Company's Dugana IPA

Avery has a ton of fanboys out there, and in general I don't get it. Avery reminds me a lot of Stone, because they always seem to be trying too hard and their labels remind me of some emo wiccan in a high school art class. But I always buy them, for some reason, because I like bigger beers and these guys seem to try to make a lot of them.

This one pours a nice, slow, deep amber with a big light tan head that stays very well.

Smells great. Grassy and a bit sweet, simple, like an IPA should.

Damn. It has the bitterness, but not the body, of a barley wine. Great grassy hops, at the high end of the style, with malt that's a bit lower. Not really unbalanced, just a hop-forward version of an IPA.

Very nice surprise, and one of the best Avery beers out there.

Breckenridge Brewery's Lucky U IPA

Another brewery I always want to like, Breckenridge has some fairly decent beers. From what I can remember, their best so far is their Agave Wheat.

This one pours a nice coppery amber with a light tan head that thins to a sheet quickly.

Smells nice. Grassy, with sweet malt.

Very nice. Good punch right up front, fades cleanly through sweet malt to a dry, bitter aftertaste.

Good beer. They stuck to the basics, and it turned out well.

Matt Brewing Company's Saranac India Pale Ale

Pours a light amber with a small-celled tan head that stays well with strong carbonation.

The head throws off a slightly grassy smell, and when it subsides the malt peeks through. Slightly sweet, it seems to be right on style.

Body is a little weak, but it's got a nice bitter punch to it that fades cleanly. Not a whole lot to describe about it, it's within type but not sexy. It's on the lighter side of bitter and body, but still clean enough to be drinkable. Pretty good beer, a definite improvement over their other one that I've had.