Hill Country Beer Club
Homebrew Conference Spoils
July 11, 2014
Carl's House
16:00:00
Beer will be provided by Wes and KJ from their Home Brewers Conference trip. The rest of us will pay dues ($8) to offset their cost. The pool will be open so dress appropriately if you want to cool off.
| Brewer | Beer | Vintage | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two Brothers Brewing Company | Side Kick | 2014 | 87 |
| Surly Brewing Company | Bender | 2014 | 86 |
| Surly Brewing Company | Furious | 2014 | 90 |
| Revolution Brewing | Dos Osos IPA | 2014 | 90 |
| Blackrocks Brewery | 51K IPA | 2014 | 90 |
| Against the Grain Brewery | Kentucky Ryed Chiquen | 2014 | 89 |
| Hoppin Frog Brewery | Gangsta Frog IPA | 2014 | 91 |
| 5 Rabbit Cerveceria | Yodo Con Leche | 2014 | 86 |
| Spiteful Brewing | Messenger IPA | 2014 | 91 |
| Pipeworks Brewing Company | Abduction | 2014 | 87 |
| DuClaw Brewing Company | Devine Retribution No 3 | 2013 | 90 |
| Revolution Brewing Company | Straight Jacket | 2014 | 90 |
Who Offered: KAY JAY, WESTEXANS
Who Drank: BEAR DOG, BIGWILLIE, CHEETO, DAVO, FATBOY, KAY JAY, LARA, MOJO, NOSS, PAGMAN, PRIMETIME, SANTA, STEPH, WESTEXANS
Summary
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87
|
Two Brothers Brewing CompanySide KickAmerican-Style Pale Ale | 5.1% ABV | 36.1 IBUOffered By: KAY JAY |
Buddy, pal, mate, brother (or sister) from another mother, compadre…Sidekick. All of these are ways to describe someone or something that is always at your side. Sidekick extra pale ale is one of those things. This golden colored ale is loaded with juicy citrus and passion fruit hop aroma yet balanced with malty and hop character. A true companion.
Member Notes:
"Bright yellow in color, pretty clear, very airy and spritsy, with practically no head, this beer looks every part light and refreshing. It could easily play the part of a tropical beach refreshment. The nose continues the tropical experience, and introduces some sweet, grainy, earthen notes with some citrus. It’s really light, refreshing, and fruity, and the flavor is just as delightful. It’s smooth, wet, and clean – a great palate cleanser! What a great hop profile (and maltiness) for such a light beer! " - noss
|
86
|
Surly Brewing CompanyBenderEnglish-Style Brown Ale | 5.5% ABV | 45 IBUOffered By: KAY JAY |
Here's what happens when substance meets smooth. This oatmeal brown ale defies traditional categories. Bender begins crisp and lightly hoppy, complemented by the velvety sleekness oats deliver. Belgian and British malts usher in cascades of cocoa, coffee, caramel and hints of vanilla and cream. An easy-drinking ale with many layers of satisfaction.
Member Notes:
"Medium-brown in color with orange hues, this looks like a light-bodied, wet brown ale. The nose is powerful, fruity, slightly sour, malty, and distinctive. As clean and wet as it looks it’s soft and almost chewy in the mouth and it reminds me a little of an oatmeal cookie. It’s very English, but refreshing and makes for a nice English-style summer session ale. A dry character finishes the beer, but it’s still clean and delicious." - noss
|
90
|
Surly Brewing CompanyFuriousAmerican-Style India Pale Ale (IPA) | 6.2% ABV | 99 IBUOffered By: KAY JAY |
A tempest on the tongue, or a moment of pure hop bliss? Brewed with a dazzling blend of American hops and Scottish malt, this crimson-hued ale delivers waves of citrus, pine and caramel-toffee. For those who favor flavor, Furious has the hop-fire your taste buds have been screaming for.
Member Notes:
"Bright, bold orange in color, this had a thin, spotty head that reminds me of new mexico storm clouds (the kind that look like someone spilled a bag of cotton balls). The nose is just as bold, citrusy, sweet, and divine. There’s some greenness to this beer, and the mouthfeel allows for a beautiful absorption of the tasty character. Citrusy, with a delectable cleanness and sweetness offered by Golden Promise malted barley, this is a full-flavored, refreshing, easy, clean, and spritey IPA that’s hard to put down." - noss
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90
|
Revolution BrewingDos Osos IPAAmerican-Style India Pale Ale (IPA) | 6.8% ABV | 75 IBUOffered By: KAY JAY |
A collaboration brew from Revolution and Firestone Walker Brewing Company. The collaborative name Dos Osos, meaning “two bears,” represents both the bear on the California state flag and the Chicago Bears. 2-row, Munich, and a touch of cara-pils lend a subtle malt base to which the layers of hop character are built upon. An array of hops including Warrior, Chinook, Centennial, Cascade and Citra infuse this ale with aromas and flavors of fresh flowers, citrus and passion fruit. The finished product is a clean refreshing IPA with a crisp bitterness and wonderful hop bouquet.
Member Notes:
"Super bright golden orange in color with a bubbly white head, this is pretty clear, almost glassy in appearance. The nose is neat – malty, sweet, and citrusy. More of that neat malty character comes through in the mouth, accompanied by an almost doughy flavor. What a great malt bill! It’s clean, soft, and refreshing. The hops are bright and perfectly balanced, offering a great combination of oily and acidic flavors. It ends with an addictive, slightly bitter, tropical finish that hangs at the top of the tongue." - noss
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90
|
Blackrocks Brewery51K IPAAmerican-Style India Pale Ale (IPA) | 7% ABV | 51 IBUOffered By: WESTEXANS |
A true to form India Pale Ale, a crisp hoppy ale.
Member Notes:
"Why “51K?” From the stick figures on the can it’s apparent this has something to do with cross-country… something. A winter triathlon, maybe? Trails… trails…This yellow/orange-colored beer is foggy with a white head and a nose of pine, soap, and somewhat fruity malts. It smells light and invigorating with a nice hop presence. It’s oily in the mouth, and the flavor is a great combination of hops and lightly caramelized malts. It has balls on it… cottony, but they’re balls. Cotton balls. A flavorful, bitter character owns the finish. It’s refreshing, but strongly flavored, satisfies hop cravings and hydrates beautifully." - noss
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89
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Against the Grain BreweryKentucky Ryed ChiquenSpecialty Grain | 7.1% ABV | 27 IBUOffered By: WESTEXANS |
Our first barrel aged beer here at Against the Grain is the Kentucky Ryed Chiquen. Named so because: 1. It was made in Kentucky. 2. It has a lot of Rye in it and was aged in rye barrels. and 3. It is not Chicken, and as we all know (or should know) Chiquen refers to anything that is not chicken. Brewed with Maris Otter, rye malt and caramel rye, imparting a spicy, fruity and dry flavor. Then hopped with enough English Nugget and Kent Goldings just to balance and fermented with our house ale yeast. After fermentation we moved the entire batch into the AtG private dining room and into used Redemption Rye barrels from our good friends at Strong's Spirits. There it aged for 5 weeks until we felt it had picked up the right amount of residual bourbon character and oak flavors. We then transferred it to our serving tank, carbonated it and the end result is on tap now, a balanced drinkable and complex barrel aged beer.
Member Notes:
"This is a really murky beer, muddy brown in color with a light brown head. Yeah, it looks muddy. It has a murky, muddy, malty thickness and a little sourness in the nose that reminds me of sourdough. The flavor introduces you a little deeper, with caramel, yeast, rye, and a touch of bourbon. It’s dense and chewy, and a sour, rye quality rounds out the finish. There’s some nice fruit notes in this with a big mouthful and a tarty sourness in the finish. My cheeks are puckering. It’s a powerful beer. I expected the body to be the hardest thing to stomach, but it’s more the flavor. Still, this is a pretty impressive beer. And I do like the feathers." - noss
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91
|
Hoppin Frog BreweryGangsta Frog IPAAmerican-Style India Pale Ale (IPA) | 7.5% ABV | 55 IBUOffered By: WESTEXANS |
Crisp & satisfying American IPA with an assertive, refreshing hop aroma & flavor. Bright, spicy citrus hop character is up front, with a distinct orange & tropical fruit hop bouquet to add a welcome complexity & strike the perfect balance. Its all about the hops with Gangster Frog IPA!
Member Notes:
"I love me a Hoppin' Frog, and this IPA keeps my faith. Cloudy, bright thick yellow colored ale with golden hues, this looks serious. Seriously serious. The head is bubbly and mostly bright white, and the nose is simple. Piney and slightly resinous with a touch of sweet malts, there's just enough malt to support the hops (and entertainingly enough to make the malts fun without being heavy or pilsey). It’s soft in the mouth, and the hops totally own this. The finish is great. I love the hops in this. It’s mellow and mature, but delicious in hop presence. The finish issues great bitterness and flavor without requiring total submission. As serious as this is, this is so mellow that it's sessionable. It's a deadly combination." - noss
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86
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5 Rabbit CerveceriaYodo Con LecheImperial/Strong Porter | 8.2% ABV | 38 IBUOffered By: WESTEXANS |
Yodo, in Andrés's home country of Costa Rica, is a slang term for coffee, as in something strong and dark. We start with an Imperial porter at about 8.5%, made with two kinds of caramel malts, oats for creaminess and three different dark malts, including rye and a special one from Patagonia Malting in Chile. To this we add a solid helping of dulce de leche, a creamy milk caramel from Argentina. Only when the beer is fermented, do we add the coffee. With the help of Gaslight Coffee Roasters, local Chicago specialists, we sorted through several Costa Rican estates' beans looking for a coffee with great flavor and true Costa Rican character. We found it in Finca Agrícola Cafetal, from Lourdes de Cirrí de Naranjo. We airfreighted fresh beans from the new harvest, had Gaslight custom roast them to bring out their best and did a room-temperature steeping in beer, then strained and added the liquid back to the entire batch. The result is a mocha-like strong porter with a luscious creaminess and a lovely, fresh-roasted coffee nose. The finish is a lot like a Latin cup of coffee: intense, delicious and satisfyingly long.
Member Notes:
"What a dirty-looking darkish-brown colored ale. With a medium-brown colored head and a sugary-looking brownish malty appearance it looks so sticky that if I stuck my finger in it it would likely get stuck, or if I was able to remove it my finger would be covered in caramel. It looks almost chalky-thick, with an equally chalky nose. It reminds me of protein powder. Very much of protein powder. The flavor offers some chocolate, thick caramel, and oddly enough some bourbon-like notes. Surely not, but still... possible? It’s so soft and silky in the mouth that I'm going to ignore the fact that I'm lactose intolerant for just tonight. Chocolate and caramel with a touch of leche pretty much sums up this beer. It's really nice, and much better than I expected! My wife thinks it tastes like an iced coffee, but I didn't get much coffee from it. Mostly chocolate and milk." - noss
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91
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Spiteful BrewingMessenger IPAImperial or Double India Pale Ale (IPA) | 10.4% ABV | Unknown IBUOffered By: WESTEXANS |
Don't fight it, Spite It! To all the bike messengers out there who dedicate their lives to not giving in to the man. This Imperial IPA was brewed for your with Citra hops to help take your minds of grimy Lower Wacker, aimless pedestrians, a**hole security guards and of course, answering the infamous question: "what's the weather like?" There may be slow days, but you gotta admit, it's better than wasting your life away at a desk! Can't Stop, Won't Stop.
Member Notes:
"Although this is labeled an, "IPA," it's very much a double IPA. Very hazy, goldish yellow in color, with a light-colored head, it has a caramelized, light grain nose that’s really, really inviting. It's a little piney, a little resinous, but also malty. And light - more of that light grain character in the flavor as well as the nose. It’s hoppy and alcoholic, but mellowed out. It's very complex and there’s so something intriguing in the finish that it’s driving me nuts. It’s soooo… soft. I love the complex, serious, piney, resinous hops… alcohol… oils… everything is perfect here. " - noss
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87
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Pipeworks Brewing CompanyAbductionAmerican-Style Imperial Stout | 10.5% ABV | Unknown IBUOffered By: KAY JAY |
Abduction in the dead of night, an eerie silence consumes the blackened sky. In an instant, BOOM, a single beam engulfs you. Panic stricken, you flee in no particular direction. It's of little use, as you're lifed effortlessly from the safety and comfort of the earth intoa darkness unknown. Resistance is futile. They have you now. Abduction has you now.
Member Notes:
"Looking very much the part of an imperial stout, Abduction is supremely dark brown in color with a medium brown head. You can practically see the roasted, stained liquid malt runoff. It's an oil slick. The head is almost orange - it’s beautiful. The nose is sweet and malty and there’s a thick sweetness in the aroma that reminds me of a caramelized... caramel, with only a touch of dark chocolate/cocoa butter. It’s really great, heavily roasted and super sweet. There’s something thin, but condensed, about this. Some possible coffee character appears occasionally in the flavor, with some caramel and chocolate, much like a tootsie roll. Yes, very much like a tootsie roll. That about sums up this delicious, and very unique, imperial stout. " - noss
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90
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DuClaw Brewing CompanyDevine Retribution No 3American-Style Imperial Stout | 10.8% ABV | Unknown IBUOffered By: WESTEXANS |
What happens when a 60/40 blend of RETRIBUTION Imperial Stout and MISERY Wheat Wine-Style Ale ages for 6 months inside a charred Kentucky white oak bourbon barrel? The third coming of divinity. This full bodied blended stout balances a citrus aroma and tropical, fruity esters with righteous notes of dark fruit, vanilla, charred oak, and espresso for a union of suffering and justice that will leave you thankful that... Misery Finally Has Company.
Member Notes:
"Super murky dark brown color with a light brown hues and a light brown head, this wheatwine/imperial stout blend has a nose of bourbon and chocolate. To single out roasted malts as a part of this complex menagerie of flavors is insufficient to describe the characteristics of this beer. The nose is sticky, thick, and murky, and the mouthfeel is so much lighter than you would expect from the beer's thick nose. It’s actually somewhat thin in the mouth, like an imperial brown ale dosed with bourbon. The alcohol presence is high enough to make this very respectable, but tame enough to allow you to really soak up the complexities of the thin, delicious, mature delight without fear. " - noss
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90
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Revolution Brewing CompanyStraight JacketAmerican-Style Barley Wine Ale | 13% ABV | 55 IBUOffered By: WESTEXANS |
A strong ale to warm your insides in the dead of winter. Deep aromas and flavors of dark stone fruits, bourbon, molasses, toasted coconut and vanilla come in waves.
Member Notes:
"Medium-dark brown in color, this true treat looks murky, but mostly just dense. It looks like a simple, thin barleywine, but the nose quickly makes up for that. It smells supremely supreme, mostly alcoholic, soft and slick, with a sticky but soft mouthfeel and candy-like stickiness. It’s unusual in that, well... I just don’t know how to describe this. I love it. It's like licking a cough drop coated in malted barley. A stickiness reminds me of the crystallized alcoholic sugars that collect around the mouth of a flask of Chartreuse. I've reviewed alot of beers today, and I think this may be the best of the afternoon. It's complex, sweet, a little hoppy, and really neither American nor English - a perfect hybrid of the best of both styles." - noss