Real Ale Brewing Company's Oktoberfest

I'm glad to see the various new beers from Real Ale. I've liked them for years, even back when people were complaining about carbonation issues, or distribution problems, or whatever it was cool to complain about at the time. All that seems to be behind them now, and I haven't heard a complaint about them, legitimate or otherwise, for some time. What they need now is a good stout--but that's not a complaint. I just want someone to give Southern Star and Independence Brewing a run for their money. And I love Saint Arnold's, but their stout is flat-out inferior to the others.

This one pours a nice, clear orangish-amber with a great small celled tan head that stays well. Smells very mildly spicy, and zippy.

Light taste with low bitterness and malt, with a good spiciness for the style. I don't really know Bavarian Style from Marzen, but they taste pretty close to me. Which makes this an excellent beer for an Oktoberfest.

Real Ale Brewing Company's Devil's Backbone Belgian Style Tripel

I must have been in a hole somewhere, because I had no idea that Real Ale was even coming out with this beer. And of course I'm no Belgian fan, but I have to get everything they put out. Plus, I bought it as a single, so there was little risk.

Pours a nice, clear orange-tinted yellow with a very nice pillowy white head. Nic ecarbonation too.

Smells right for a tripel. Solid and malty, it still has the plastic smell that I'm not liking.

Wow, this one hits you in the face. A bit hoppier than most tripels, it has the standard Belgian yeast taste and although I can't find the ABV, it has a definite and sharp alcohol bite.

It's right on type, but I won't be finishing it.

Real Ale Brewing Company's Phoenix Double ESB

ESB's, or even their "double" variants, are generally not terribly exciting. But Real Ale has become a solid brewery (I heard rumblings of quality control and distribution issues two or three years ago), so I'm looking forward to trying just about anything they put out.

Pours a nice deep copper that's about 50% opaque, with a small light tan head that fades to a sheet.

Smells mild and malty. Almost no hops, and not terribly malty, it just smells like a mild beer.

Much bigger punch than I thought it would have based on the smell. The solid bitterness grabs you, and at first it's indistinct but it gets grassy in the aftertaste. The malt holds up as well, but it's not heavy.

Good beer. Still not sexy, but solid and drinkable.

Real Ale Brewing Company's Coffee Porter

I'm always up for a porter, or something with coffee in it, or a Texas beer, so this one stopped me in my tracks. I've also often wished Real Ale made a few more than their standard beers, and I'm glad to see it's a big one.

Pours a viscous brownish black with a good tan head. Excellent pour for the type.

Great smell. Heavily vinous and obvious coffee flavors hit you. Solid roasted malt smell as well. So far, it's looking great.

Good initial feel to it, and the vinous taste follows the smell and is good for a porter. But the carbonation is a little too fast, I think, and it lightens the body too much. I like porters with a long, slow feel, and the carbonation makes this one too zippy. The coffee taste is subdued, but the roasted malt is still there.

All in all a very good beer, I just wish the body was a bit more consistent. The carbonation is the only thing that seems just a tad off to me. I don't know, I think I'll have to try a couple more to make sure.

Real Ale Brewing Company's Brewhouse Brown Ale

Alright, time to finish off this Real Ale sixer and resume cleaning out the spring and summer beers I've hoarded in my cellar. Well, my cabinet where I have to hide my beer so the wife's buddies don't think I'm an alcoholic.

Pours decently enough. I don't ever think I'll find an honest brown with a good head on it though. This one is almost non-existent, although the color is right on.

Bready, a little grainy, and a hint of nutty. All good qualities in a brown, as long as they're balanced, and so far they seem to be. No hops of note, also a good thing.

Well, I thik the body would be right on but it seems a little over carbonated. That makes it a little zippier than it should be. And makes me wonder why the head disappeared so fast if there's this much carbonation. Slight hops, but just a hint. Still nutty and grainy, all of which are appropriate. As it warms the body gets hollow, and the carbonation makes it feel almost like a Perrier, with that carbonated bite that an overly-carbonated drink has.

Smacks of their past carbonation issues, but is decent enough. Not the best of their beers by far.

Real Ale Brewing Company's Rio Blanco Pale Ale

Nice. Pours a light amber with a very light, almost white, head. Pours nicely, looks right. No more consistency/distribution issues? Let's hope.

Grassy hops backed by a bready, slightly sweet malt. Still on track.

A little light in the body, but the hops have the right amount of punch. Well within the type, and a good beer. Not their best, but enough to keep me coming back to a Texas brewery.

Real Ale Brewing Company's Full Moon Pale Rye Ale

I'm always looking for an excuse to buy Texas beers, and the only regularly offered mixed sixer in the state gives me just that. More bang for the buck, and it's been a while since I bought this one. I'm hoping their past infection/carbonation issues (or whatever it was that was causing them to foam or be funky) are handled.

So far so good. Pours a hazy amber with a light tan head that fades faster than I'd like, but that's something else that Real Ale beer have always done.

Smells crisp and grassy. All the good characteristics that a pale and a rye should have. Decent bready malt backbone as well.

Nice. Solid bitterness grabs you up front, with a smooth body. It's light bodied, which is OK for a pale but expected in a rye. The bitterness has a particular twang that's good for a rye as well. Bitterness lingers in the aftertaste for just a bit before finishing clean.

Very good beer. Hope the consistency and QC is improved, and I'll come back to it more often.