064.Fort Bend Brewing Co. Texas Farmhouse Ale

The doorbell rang last night to tell me that Halloween was gone and November was already here. Okay, it didn't ring all that much -- I was sitting by the door with the candy, handing out goodies to about 128 trick-or-treaters. But those details don't change a thing; I'm not even finished reviewing all the great Octoberfest beers in my fridge and already it's time to say hello to the great end-of-year seasonals coming out.

Well, dang it, I ain't ready to go, yet. So I'm going to hold on to the harvest season a little longer by reviewing a new Texas brewery and a new harvest beer: Texas Farmhouse Ale by the Fort Bend Brewing Co.

Now, this is the second Farmhouse Ale I've reviewed this year (the first being review number 061 back in June: Blue Moon Short Straw Farmhouse Red Ale ), and although they do compare favorably to one one another, I still prefer the smoothness of the Blue Moon ale. Nevertheless, this is definitely a worthy contender if ever the two were to duke it out in the barnyard to see who is cock of the walk.

But enough Green Acres homilies.


First (& Second) Pour

This ale has a very spicy nose. I detected a lot of spices and citrus. The label lists Pear and Banana, and I might be tempted to agree with the pear notes, but not the banana. The hops are pleasing on the nose and not as strong as I expected.

The pour was very disappointing. The first glass had almost no head at all from a conservative pour. A second bottle poured later yielded a decent 1-finger head from a very aggressive pour, but all but a flat beer will give you that. And that's the surprising thing: I was expecting low carbonation, but that's not what I found. It's actually got some tiny bubbles dancing around inside it. They actually helped make the sour aftertaste pleasing, but I'm ahead of myself.

When I took a sip of the hazy brownish/yellowish brew, I was delighted to find about what I expect in a farmhouse ale: a slightly sour seasonal that has aromatic hops with a hint of refreshing bitterness. A Flemish Sour definitely comes to mind when I drink this. And I admit that's a category I'm not all that familiar with, so more research -- and thus more bottles of beer -- will be required!

"Our Belgian-style Farmhouse is a full-flavored, golden ale with wonderful aromatic hints of fruit and spice. An initial scent of banana, pepper and herb are blended with flavors of crisp fruit and mild citrus with a sweet, lingering backbone. The full mouthfeel finishes pleasingly tart and ever-so slightly dry."
Unfiltered; Banana, Pepper, Citrus, Pear – all from Belgian Yeast
-- From the label

A few notes from their Website: www.fortbendbrewing.com/beers/ 
Malt: Pils, Munich, Wheat, Crystal 10
Hops: GR Perle, Hallertauer
Yeast: Belgian Yeast
ABV: 5.4%
IBUs: 24
SRM: 6


Closing Thoughts

This is a decent farmhouse ale. It has the right hints of citrus, pepper and other notes to make it a pleasant way to kill an evening as the harvest moon rises above in the starry, starry night. As it uses a what malt, I probably won't be buying this again (longtime readers will remember that wheat beer turns my face red, so I've stopped drinking it because I don't want it to contribute to me developing a wheat allergy). However, I'm not worried enough that I'm going to gift the remaining four bottles to family and friends.

Oh, and that brings up an odd thing about this beer. The packaging. As you'll see in the photo above, this beer does not come in a cardboard six-pack, but rather with a plastic holder that slips around the necks of the bottles. I don't care if this is "green" or cheaper. This is dangerous. Whenever I picked it up from the top, the bottles would clink together VERY LOUDLY. And I had to cradle the bottles by their bottoms because the whole thing felt so precarious. Even the checkout lady at Spec's agreed and said no one in the store likes bottles packaged that way.

Thoughts from the bottom of the glass:
Type: Farmhouse Ale
Color: Hazy Brownish Yellow
Aroma: Spices, pepper, hops
Hops: Nicely bitter and not as strong as expected
Malt: Provides a foundation of sweetness for the sour to play off of
Head: Depends on your pour: Aggressive pour gets a 1-finger head, a soft pour gets almost nothing
Lace: Surprisingly strong for such a weak head
Bitterness: Present, but plays well with the sour notes
Carbonation: Medium, tiny, tiny bubbles that contribute to the haziness
Mouthfeel:  Dry with sour finish
Temeprature Sweet Spot: 55-ish degrees
ABV: 5.4%
My Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Other Reviews Worth A Sip:
Beer Advocate and Rate Beer were not overly kind to this beer. Some didn't care for the aroma at all, even describing it as sulfur and rotten eggs. Since this is the most extreme negative review, I'm thinking it's him, not the beer. The aroma has some sour notes, but nothing like that.

063. Karbachtoberfest

The leaves have begun to turn -- well, as much as they do here in this part of Texas. Which is to say, not a lot. But still, the heat has broken for the most part (it only got up to the low 80s today). Which means I'm slowly getting ready to transition from the lighter beers of summer to the heartier fare of fall and winter.

But, of course, before I start chugging porters and stouts, it's time for the autumnal bacchanal that is OCTOBERFEST. Yup, that time of year when even the casual beer drinker sets aside his Bud Light and tries something with a German name.

And for me, it's high time to dive into the plethora of seasonal offerings that bridge the seasons.

The first offering of the year is a definite winner for me. And it's surprising in two ways:

• It's lighter than I usually prefer in an autumn beer (5.5% ABV)
• It's by the same people who made my summer favorite, Love Street

Yup, I'm talking about the great hometown brewers at Karbach Brewing Co., and the brew of the hour is their seasonal Marzen-style beer, Karbachtoberfest. Okay, they get me with the name right off the bat. Anyone who knows me in person has probably spent serious time developing the mental skills necessary to filter out the almost non-stop string of puns and word play that streams from my mouth while I'm drinking. I make no apologies for it -- I am who I am. And, who I am at the moment loves this beer.

I'm on my second six-pack. Yup. I'm enjoying it that much and this could well be my go-to beer for the season. Of course, I've only tried a handful of other beers lately (some of which don't warrant reviews, a few others that will (one of them being Sam Adams Octoberfest, which will make the list soon). 

Pour me another, please

I'm not gonna lie -- I'm on my second Karbachtoberfest tonight. It's light, it's late, and I don't have to get to work until after 10 am tomorrow. So I'm good to relax and enjoy the pleasant tart notes that play around with citrus and hops, but lets the sweet malt take center stage and belt out the high notes in a power ballad of flavor. In most ways, this is an atypical Marzen, which I must admit is a beer I like but am not an expert on.

Marzen is German for the month of March. Here's the lowdown from BeerAdvocate.com:

Before refrigeration, it was nearly impossible to brew beer in the summer due to the hot weather and bacterial infections. Brewing ended with the coming of spring, and began again in the fall. Most were brewed in March (Märzen). These brews were kept in cold storage over the spring and summer months, or brewed at a higher gravity, so they’d keep. Märzenbier is full-bodied, rich, toasty, typically dark copper in color with a medium to high alcohol content. 

The common Munich Oktoberfest beer served at Wies'n (the location at which Munich celebrates its Oktoberfest) contains roughly 5.0-6.0% alcohol by volume, is dark/copper in color, has a mild hop profile and is typically labeled as a Bavarian Märzenbier in style.

Now, this beer is not a standard Marzen. In fact, it reminds me much more of a summer beer -- and considering that it's still very warm here, its not surprising that I'm enjoying this so much. As I mentioned above, this is tart, but not bitter. This reminds me of citrus, but maybe it's spice. No, not that either. One guy at BeerAdvocate.com said this had pepper notes, but I'm not getting that. Nor do I see the color they describe: Copper. There is no read in any of the cans I've popped over the past week or so. In fact, the color is just a hazy sort of yellow that really doesn't impress me. It's not bad, but it's certainly no Moylan's Danny's Irish Style Red Ale. 

From the can:

Every year in Munich a little party is thrown.  If you've ever been, there are some things you may or may not remember: Lederhosen envy, oompah music, dirndls, and rolling down the hill.  One thing you surely haven't forgotten is the extremely quaffable beer.  While you may not be able to attend Oktoberfest this year, you can experience the world's biggest beer fest right here with Karbachtoberfest.  An authentic, Bavarian-style Marzen, decotion mashed with Vienna and Munich malts, cold fermented and aged for six weeks, this beer pairs well with pretzels and sausage, but it tastes mighty fine on its own.  Eins, Zwei, G'suffa!

Closing Thoughts

I don't think this is a remarkable Marzen for Oktoberfest. But I'm really enjoying it. I will review a few more beers to make sure I'm not passing up on something else that's awesome, but I predict that I'm going to go out and stock up on case of this to get me through to Thanksgiving.

Thoughts from the bottom of the glass:
Type: Marzen Lager
Color: Hazy Yellow
Aroma: Malt & faint hops
Hops: A bit strong for this type of beer, but not too strong
Malt: Key performer -- up front and sweet, but not dominating
Head: Thick, white, and temporary
Lace: Almost none
Bitterness: Faintly in the aftertaste
Carbonation: Light; vanishes quickly
Mouthfeel:  Crisp with dry finish
Temeprature Sweet Spot: 40-55 degrees (wide range: crisper when colder, more complex hopes when warmer)
ABV: 7%
My Rating: 8 out of 10

Other Reviews Worth A Sip:
The BeerAdvocate.com guys were all over the map with this one. Most thought it was a bit weak for an Oktoberfest, and I can't argue with that. But those who enjoyed it really sang its praises. www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26762/85078/ 

062. Abita SOS (Save Our Shores) Pilsner

This is probably the last wheat beer I'll review. I may have mentioned this before, but my face turns beet red when I drink wheat beers. I don't have any other symptoms from it (other than a pleasant buzz if I drink enough), so I don't think I have a wheat allergy. But why push my luck? Now, this is not specifically a WHEAT BEER. It has Wheat Malt, so we'll see if the results are the same.

SOS (Save Our Shores) was a limited edition beer designed to raise money and awareness. From the bottle (and their Website: abita.com/brews/our_brews/s.o.s

"Abita S.O.S.® (Save Our Shore) — a charitable pilsner is a message in a bottle...a distress signal for the troubled waters of our Gulf Coast. For every bottle sold Abita donates 75¢ to the rescue and restoration of the environment, industry and individuals fighting to survive the disastrous gulf oil spill. This unfiltered Weizen Pils is made with pilsner and wheat malts. It is hopped and dry hopped with Sterling and German Perle hops. It has a brilliant gold color, a sweet malt flavor, and a pleasant bitterness and aroma."

First Pour
So, let's start by admitting that I don't know how old this beer is. It's been in my refrigerator, chilled, for what seems like forever. It's one of those beers that I kept putting off -- I'll review it next week. Or the next. Or the next... It's a big bottle (1 pt 6 oz) and, since I probably paid about $5 - $10 for it, I feel obligated to give it a proper review. So, it's been sitting there forever, just waiting for me to grab it and add culmination to its existence.

Well, tonight -- on a whim -- I decided it was time. I grabbed it out of the door of the fridge and gave it a pour.

My first thought was that it smells like a pilsner. Kind of aromatic, nothing strong or off-putting. I detect hints of grass (reminds me of Saint Arnold's Lawnmower -- which, for me, is not a great thing). Definitely no citrus or spice notes.

The head was disappointing -- I had to practically slap it around to get a rise out of it. But, considering that it's probably 1-2 years old, that's not surprising and I won't hold that against it. Lace was respectable, once I got it to a head.


The flavor was okay on its own, although a bit grassy and bitter for my taste. Not bad, but not remarkable. There were elements of grassy mountain hops, a pleasant but-definitely-in-the-background presence of malt. As I let it warm from 40 to 55 degrees, the aromatics became stronger, but that didn't really affect my enjoyment one way or the other. However, as I drank more I also became more aware of its alcohol content (at 7%, it's not too shabby). This also revealed an alcohol taste that grew stronger the more I drank.

Then the pizza arrived.

I had a supreme with jalapenos -- and suddenly the beer came alive. Pared with this classic chow of Friday nights, the beer really stepped forward in my estimation. The bitterness played remarkably well off the spicy ingredients in my pizza, and I found myself enjoying it quite a bit.

Closing Thoughts
Okay but not remarkable pilsner. I suspect many people who like IPAs will really appreciate the bitterness in this bottle. It's not too strong, but it is there. Pared with pizza, though, it was a rare treat. I really enjoyed it.


Thoughts from the bottom of the glass:
Type: Pilsner
Color: Hazy Gold
Aroma: Grass and hay
Hops: Bitter and strong, but not IPA strong
Malt: Present, but definitely dancing in the background
Head: Not sure -- 2 fingers with aggressive pour, but that could be related to the age of the beer
Lace: Respectable at first, but fades as the glass goes dry
Bitterness: Bitter
Carbonation: Medium, but dissipates quickly (see note above)
Mouthfeel:  A little dry for my taste, but okay
Temeprature Sweet Spot: 45-55 degrees
ABV: 7%
My Rating: 6 out of 10
Paired with Pizza: 8 out of 10


Other Reviews Worth A Sip:
A lot of guys at RateBeer.com liked this, but they detected a hint of orange that was completely missing from my experience.

Quick Sip 009. Karbach Love Street

I feel like I should write a love letter to this beer. At first, I was not overly impressed with this beer. I drank it, enjoyed it, and thought I'd move on. But as the summer wore on, I became more like Archie Andrews (if he were old enough to drink that is -- unbelievably, the dude is pushing 73 and he's still in high school and can't buy a beer!); even though I was infatuated with darker, more exotic fare like Veronica Lodge, I kept being drawn back to good old reliable Love Street, which was as light and breezy as Betty Cooper, the girl next door.

Copyright 2014 Archie Comics
All rights reserved. Hey, I'm a subscriber, so please
don't make me delete this.

I can't say wonderful things about this beer. It's light. Pleasant color, pleasant aroma... nothing remarkable. But there's something relatable about it that kept drawing me back to it. Over and over again. Over the course of the entire summer, I bought (and consumed) two cases of this stuff. I think I was into my third six-pack before I realized that this was, at least for now, my "go-to" beer when I wanted to drink something light (ABV 4.9%) while chilling at night with my wife and dog,

So, here's my ode to Love Street, something local that I thought would be a passing fancy, but something that kept me coming back for more.

This is a light-colored, pleasant Kölsch-Style beer. It has a caramel aroma with hints of the sweet malt to come. It has a nice white head and a pleasing mouthfeel. This beer has more complexity than you first suspect, with citrus undertones and a dash of pleasing aromatic hops.

From www.karbach.com:

In the 1960's on Allen's Landing sat Love Street; a hot spot of music and social impact.  The venue hosted eclectic characters ranging from open mic'ers to the Lizard King himself.  Love Street was not only a place, but a state of mind.  A place to unwind and let the music refresh your soul.

Likewise, Love Street Summer Seasonal is a state of mind.  Brewed in the Kolsch-style and hopped delicately with floral German hops, this beer boasts a clean malt proile that refreshes to the core, without sacrificing character.  So crack one open and find your own Love Street.

My Rating: 7 out of 10
One of my favorites

Quick Sip 008. Unibroue La Terrible

When you look at the photo for this week's pour, you may wonder why I only went with half a glass. The answer is simple: La Terrible by Unibroue has an Alcohol By Volume (ABV) of 10.5%. Since I still have work to do tonight (for a peak of what I'm up to, take a look at the various projects over at my other blog, mikemitchellonline.blogspot.com), I didn't think it wise to consume more than half a glass.

I have heard of this beer before. And, truthfully, it's been sitting in the beer fridge for a long time. Since it's such a big bottle, I was reluctant to open it. But, I've recently decided I need to drink some of my back-shelf stock before it sours, so I'm going through things I normally would drink in the winter, not the summer. That is to say, heavier fare, like this midnight-black concoction. Honestly, when I poured this into the glass, I wondered if I shouldn't call NASA and tell them that I've isolated dark matter right here on earth.

Yup, it's black.

I mean really black. It is as dark as Guinness from the bottom of the keg. I've only seen one or two other beers this dark, and one of those would include Storm King, which might be darker than this. I would have to put them side-by-side to be sure.

Anyway, the aroma didn't thrill me.  It was malty and fruity... sweet notes dominated the nose. The head was a generous, but slow-to-rise tan that left decent lacing. I drank it at about 50-55 degrees F, and found it to be much more pleasant than I had expected. In the past, most beers of that strength kick like a mule and taste like mule hooves that have been prancing in the field. In other words, they taste like rotgut that someone has cut with beer.

This wasn't bad, though. I actually enjoyed the fruitiness and it came off lighter than I expected (of course, my expectations were just this side of molasses, based as they were on its appearance). Not sure of the fruit: Cherries or plums? Slight hint of chocolate, and more than an aftertaste of yeast. But not in an entirely bad way.

If I'd been drinking this in the winter, I would be curled up under a blanket and marathon re-watching the last season of Community. As it is, I've had half a glass tonight and put a wine stopper in it for another night. I know someone who I think would like this, so I'll save it for the next time I see Josh B. I'll let you know what he thinks of it.

La Terrible is a dark brown beer on lees and is part of a collection of exotic and refined Unibroue beers brewed using 100% natural raw materials. It may be drunk as an aperitif or as an after dinner digestive. It is equally a perfect accompaniment to the above-mentioned dishes or a pleasant alternative to coffee.
-- From their Website:  www.unibroue.com 

ABV: 10.5%
My Rating: 7 out of 10

Quick Sip 007. Goose Island Sofie - Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale

With this Quick Sip having the number 007, I was tempted to find something with a spy theme, or perhaps to try to force some heavy-handed metaphor about something hiding beneath the surface. But after taking one sip of Goose Island Sofie Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale, I decided that wasn't going to work. You see, this is a good, nicely spiced farmhouse ale, but I don't think it has a lot of lurking nuance to report back to the home office.

This bottle was actually made in 2013 and has been sitting in my beer fridge -- nice and cold, only occasionally agitated by the opening and closing of the door -- since I bought it some time last year. When that was, I cannot say. I do know this is a large bottle (750 ml) and I don't buy them often, but I seldom pay more than $15 for a bottle this size ($10 being far more common).

This is a good farmhouse ale -- appropriately light and spiced for the summer. Opening it, I actually had to do an emergency suck at the mouth to catch the ample head as it foamed over. I didn't really agitate it much carrying it to my desk, so perhaps it was the extra time spent aging? Unless I find another (more recent) bottle, then there's no way for me to no. But as i was sucking suds from the neck, I was greeted by pleasant citrus notes with hints of pepper and perhaps some coriander. Pleasing, to say the least.

The pour was a light yellow color with a huge head (as to be expected). lacing was lighter than expected from such a glorious 3-finger head. Carbonation was medium but persistent. It's still got bubble after 10 minutes. Again, as to be expected, it's very cloudy.

"80% Belgian Style Ale Blended with 20% Belgian Style Ale Aged in wine barrels with orange peel."
-- From the label

I think fans of farmhouse ales (also known as Saisons) will like this, but it was a little too sour for me. In fact, this borders on a shandy and the sour notes give me the impression of drinking a tart lemonade, but without the lemon flavor. I will say this, though, it has a relatively dry mouthfeel that I expected to increase the bitterness, but that didn't happen. It didn't get more sour the longer I drank it (and since it was such a big bottle, there was a lot to drink). Another thing I expected was a strong presence of hops, but they were nicely in balance with the understated malt and managed to play nicely with the spices and aromatics.

This is a good summer beer and I might actually like to try a more recent vintage so I can decide whether the faint yeast taste and persistent carbonation are intended, or just by-products of staying on the shelf too long. The next time I try it, I would like to try it with some pork barbeque and a good, vinegary cole slaw to see how it pairs. If I get the chance, I'll post an update.

ABV: 6.5%
My Rating: 6.5 out of 10
Summer fun in the sun rating: 8

061. Blue Moon Short Straw Farmhouse Red Ale

I first tried this beer about two weeks ago and very quickly drank 5 out of 6 bottles, saving the last one for my review. I also spent that time looking for another six pack -- and failed. For whatever reason (out of stock, out of season, just don't care enough brands), I couldn't find another six pack of Blue Moon Short Straw Farmhouse Red Ale.

Which is odd, considering their Website reports that this is available year round: http://www.bluemoonbrewingcompany.com/OurBeers/product/Short-Straw-Farmhouse-Red-Ale  I don't care what their site says, though, I'm pretty darned sure this is a summer seasonal.

Nevertheless, the reason I checked out about six stores for it was not because it's a super amazing beer, but it just a really solid red ale with a hint of citrus and just a few nice notes of hops to make it a very pleasing summer beer that won't weigh you down.

"Farmhouse Ales were brewed for the diligent farmhands who drew the short straw and had to work the arduous harvest. Our brewmaster’s expression blends the spiciness of a Farmhouse Ale with the tartness of a Flanders Red for a remarkably refreshing finish."
-- From the label (and their Website)

Pour & Nose
The pour was, honestly, unremarkable. Two fingers of white head that was washed away by a quick rise of bubbles. I thought this was going to be an aggressively carbonated beer, but that's not the case. The bubbles came and went quickly, leaving almost no trace of lace. The color was nice, though: a crisp, clear copper with just the right color for something daring to call itself a "red ale."

The nose was even better. Spices, citrus (I'd say pepper and hibiscus) with subtle hops notes. Pleasing, but not attention grabbing. Still, it has a nice, earthy honesty that I found refreshing.


Savor the Flavor
I'm not a big fan of Flemish sours, but this one has just enough bitterness from the hops and just a hint of sweet from the spices, citrus and malt to make this a very pleasing drink for these dragon's breath days of summer. I think what appeals to me is the crispness. There's something about it that reminds me of biting into a crisp, really bitter Granny Smith apple. Now, don't get me wrong. I am not suggesting that this has any sort of apple flavor or any underlying apple sweetness. It's just that this combo reminds me of the experience of biting into a really bitter apple.

And I like it.

Closing Thoughts
Not bad, not good. A bit above average, which is why I didn't give it a 5 rating. The color and light taste seem perfect for summer by the pool or chilling with friends. It's not something I can imagine taking up permanent residence in my beer fridge, but it wouldn't be unwelcome if I found it in a cooler at a barbecue. Of course, I would let it warm up significantly before drinking it.


Thoughts from the bottom of the glass:
Type: Red Ale
Color: Clearly Copper
Aroma: Citrus, hibiscus, pepper, hint of hops
Hops: Mild, but aromatic
Malt: Subtle, but it does its job in the chorus supporting the main performers
Head: White but leaves the party early
Lace: Almost none
Bitterness: Nicely sour
Carbonation: Heavy, but dissipates quickly
Mouthfeel:  Crisp, but with an odd bready quality as you near the bottom of the bottle
Temeprature Sweet Spot: N/A (I liked it cold and warmer, so 36-56 degrees)
ABV: 5.8%
My Rating: 7 out of 10
Summer fun in the sun rating: 9

Other Reviews Worth A Sip:
Most of the guys over at RateBeer.com hated this. They were really bitchy about the sourness and just seemed pissed that it wasn't a stronger version of some other type of beer. This is one of the only times I've found their reviews to be so out of synch with mine that they are utterly useless to me.

For more about Farmhouse Ales in general, check out this page over at BeerAdvocate.com.