Hill Country Beer Club

Member's Choice
September 16, 2016

Lara's House
17:00:00

Brewer	Beer	Vintage	Score
Firestone Walker Brewing Company	Easy Jack IPA	2016	86
Boston Beer Company	Rebel ipa	2016	86
Branchline Brewing Company	Dark Territory	2016	85
Belhaven Brewery	90/~ Wee Heavy	2016	87
Real Ale Brewing Company	Three Lions	2016	89
Kirin	Strong 9%	2016
Jester King Craft Brewery	Black Metal Imperial Stout (2011)	2011	94
Stone Brewing Company	RuinTen	2016	92
Stone Brewing Company	Old Guardian Oak Smoked Barley Wine (2013)	2013	91

Who Offered: CHEETO, DAVO, FATBOY, LARA, LEO, NOSS, SANTA

Who Drank: CHEETO, DAVO, FATBOY, LARA, NOSS, SANTA

Summary

86	Firestone Walker Brewing Company Easy Jack IPA Session Beer \| 4.5% ABV \| 50 IBU Offered By: FATBOY

Club/Brewer Notes:
Easy Jack came about when Brewmaster Matt Brynildson went to the mountain top and returned with a vision for a diﬀerent kind of Session IPA, one that would be brewed and dry hopped with a globetrotting selection of newer hop varieties from Germany, New Zealand and North America. He foresaw a beer that would deliver massive hop aromas, surprising dimension, a signature malt balance and an empty glass before you knew what hit you. And so the newest member of our Jack IPA family was born.

Member Notes:
"Nice clean drinking IPA, Great for the lake or floating down the river" - fatboy

86	Boston Beer Company Rebel ipa American-Style India Pale Ale (IPA) \| 6.5% ABV \| Unknown IBU Offered By: CHEETO

Member Notes:
"Great value" - Davo
"Light caramel malts and resinous hops are mild, but distinct in the nose. A light citrus flavor comes through in the flavor, which remains mostly comprised of caramel malts. It's light, but still strong of fermented grains. I'm not a big Boston Beer fan, and this doesn't redeem." - noss

85	Branchline Brewing Company Dark Territory Oatmeal Stout \| 7% ABV \| Unknown IBU Offered By: LEO

Member Notes:
"Stout-like in appearance with an almost hot cocoa froth-like head. The aroma is strong of chocolate and highly caramelized malts. There's a little of a doughey touch to the nose as well. It's very soft on the palate, but with a strong, nearly sour flavor that's hard to ignore. " - noss

87	Belhaven Brewery 90/~ Wee Heavy Scoth Ale \| 7.4% ABV \| Unknown IBU Offered By: LARA

Club/Brewer Notes:
A classic Scotch Alex, showcasing the wonderful malted barley native to East Lothian. A rich dense, complex beer, with notes of dried fruits, it's like Christmas cake in a glass.

Member Notes:
"Hard to believe I've never had this. Dark brown/amber in color with a pleasantly sweet aroma. The flavor is deliciously sweet - lots of residual sugars. Not quite "Christmas cake"y, but that's a good thing." - noss

89	Real Ale Brewing Company Three Lions Imperial or Double India Pale Ale (IPA) \| 8% ABV \| 95 IBU Offered By: SANTA

Member Notes:
"Zest of lemon drops" - Davo
"Bright golden, almost orange in color, it's clear-bodied with a frothy, bright white head. The nose is fresh and light with strong, herbal hops that actually smell a little oily. It's as smooth on the tongue as it smells oily, and its flavor profile is delectable, light, a little citrusy. It's bright, super-enjoyable, and very refreshing. " - noss

nr	Kirin Strong 9% Fruit Beer \| 9% ABV \| Unknown IBU Offered By: FATBOY

94	Jester King Craft Brewery Black Metal Imperial Stout (2011) American-Style Imperial Stout \| 10.4% ABV \| 60 IBU Offered By: NOSS

Club/Brewer Notes:
This was the last vintage of Black Metal before the beer was turned into a farmhouse ale.

92	Stone Brewing Company RuinTen Triple IPA \| 10.8% ABV \| 110 IBU Offered By: DAVO

Club/Brewer Notes:
We first released this decidedly indelicate beer in 2012 as Stone Ruination Tenth Anniversary IPA to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our beloved bitter Stone Ruination IPA. Stone RuinTen Triple IPA uses the same recklessly hoppy recipe as the 2012 release; only the name has been changed to include “Triple,” which helps describe the over-the-top hop profile and elevated alcohol by volume. We packed a whopping five pounds of hops into each barrel, and cranked up the ABV to stand up to the hop onslaught. The results are glorious, and we know you’ll rejoice in tasting this audacious gem of hoppy splendor. You’re welcome. Again.

91	Stone Brewing Company Old Guardian Oak Smoked Barley Wine (2013) American-Style Barley Wine Ale \| 11.4% ABV \| Unknown IBU Offered By: NOSS

Club/Brewer Notes:
The odd year Stone Old Guardian OAK-SMOKED Barley Wine is the Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine recipe tweaked to include oak-smoked wheat malt. The beer pours a deep amber, darker than the original version, and exhibits a faint smokiness in the nose. As with the original, the flavor is rich and malty, but laced with subtle smokiness due to the addition of the oak-smoked wheat malt, which accounts for 20 percent of the grain bill. The flavors blend well together, and the smoky tones complement the beer's larger-than-life character.

Member Notes:
"Still a little foggy with quite a bit of floaties in suspension. The aroma is sweet, with a flavor that's light-bodied after three years. I'm not experiencing much smoke at all after three years. I which I remembered to have had this fresh. It's a little thick-bodied, almost slippery. It's pretty unentertaining. I don't know why this is so drastically different from the regular Old Guardian. Perhaps it was mis-aged. " - noss