This week we’re really living up to the adage “to thine own self be true,” honestly. The wheels of fate are turning, and mommas taking your taste buds uptown. Kings, Congressmen, and Aristocrats alike can agree that’s a good thing. As I’m putting these words down, it looks like the guys are up to cleaning some draft lines… you that means something fresh and tasty is on its way. To boot, it looks like this nice weather is going to hold and the universe isn’t kicking the heat back on. That translates to mean come hang out with us in the beer garden!
On the beer front, it’s a knockout week. We have fresh drops from B-52 and Weathered Souls to keep you plenty busy. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention we scored a case each of Drie Fonteinen Framboos & Hommage. If you’re into lambics, you know. If you’re lambic curious, it’s a worthwhile investment in you’re new favorite category. I’m personally stoked for Symbol’s Hazy Red IPA, simply delish (***Chef’s Kisses***). Jester King has a new raspberry variant in its Mr. Mingo series. There is also some of the Forbidden Fruit barrel aged sour from Martin House in stock, your lucky day friend.
I’m very pleased with this week’s incoming wines. Let’s talk about the two selections from Wildmakers. Up to bat first is the Brias Cinsault. Just like its name, it’s a fresh breeze of a red wine. 100 year old vines, a vineyard 15km from the Pacific, and granite schist soil imbue the juice with salinity and earthiness. But that’s all backed up with bright notes of cranberry and cherries (very quaffable). Their other offering, Sabatico, will give you that much need respite from life. Clocking in a touch higher in the ABV & body category, this one is much more apt for the cooler night and richer meals headed our way. The bolder tannins meld well with the rounder body, think jammy prunes with an herbaceous back bone. Simply mesmerizing. The Embruns french white and Elisa Guerin Moulin à Vent are two big boys for something special, perhaps a Wednesday night pizza party with friends?
Get ready to pull out that day planner, we got events coming your way! Next Friday, the 1st, we’ve got Willard’s Brewing in for a pint night and they are the next month’s brewery of the month. The following week Lone Pint is in on the 7th with their El Cuero golden stout. Can you say YUM??? Lastly, I’m excited to announce our first ever WINE TASTING!!! I appreciate many of you hearing me talk about this program and its finally here. Our friends at Violette Wine Co. will be showcasing some wines from fantastic Chilean producer Escándalo. I hope you’ll make it out to all of them.
We’re excited to announce that Thirsty Planet’s Spot on Pils, Thirsty Goat Amber, and Buckethead IPA are all part of our Brewery of the Month for September. Coming in at $8.99 for a six pack, they’re quite the deal!
Later, y’all.
New and Returning Beers This Week
Back in Stock – Blue Owl Tiki Hop Totem, Untitled Art Raspberry Lime Seltzer, Untitled Art Blood Orange Pom Seltzer, Untitled Art Strawberry Rhubarb Sour, Bear King Foggy Eyes NEIPA, Celis Grand Cru,
Symbol Lammas Red Hazy IPA – Brewed with Vienna and Munich malts and dry hopped with Citra, Ekuanot, Amarillo, Simcoe and Mosaic hops 7.5%ABV
Symbol Wolf West Coast IPA – Dry-hopped with Chinook, Centennial, Cascade, Strata, and Columbus with added Simcoe, Mosaic, & Amarillo hop oils. 7.6%ABV Collab with False Idol Brewing
Symbol Italian DH Pilsner – Our first crispy boi is an homage to our brew master’s father. Brewed with Eraclea Organic Italian Pilsner Malt, and dry hopped with diamant, celeia and hallertau mittelfruh hops.One sip, and you’ll know this beer us money. 5.1% ABV
Ingenious Smarty PB&J – Tart Berliner conditioned on peanut butter, raspberries, boysenberries, and strawberries 6.8%ABV
Ingenious Snickerdoodle Cream Ale – Cream ale conditioned on vanilla beans and cold brew coffee. 5.2%ABV
No Coast To Peach Their Own – Peach fruited sour. 4.5%ABV
903 Coffee Cake Is For Closers – Close the deal (or just the day) with this stout inspired by scrupulous coffee cake. Our imperial stout is loaded with flavors of brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and coffee. The result is a rich but balanced beer with bold coffee roast, sweet supporting layers and intriguing spice. Put it down? Nah, pick it up. 8.2%ABV
Anderson Valley Barrel Aged Salted Caramel Porter – Aged for 6 months in Wild Turkey bourbon barrels, our Salted Caramel is woody and slightly sweet with notes of vanilla and coconut. It’s smooth with a medium-light body and mouthfeel and a light banana/fruit aroma. There’s some caramel and peanut brittle flavors but not cloying or overpowering. 9.5% ABV
Drake’s Best Coast IPA – Best Coast IPA is a harmonious fusion of resinous pine and orange peel cascading over a backdrop of lightly toasted caramel and brisk bitterness. Revel in the bright aromatics and let Drake’s Best Coast IPA show you why the West Coast is the Best Coast. 7% ABV
Drake’s Leisure Suit Hazy IPA – After a day at the beach, slip on your tropical threads and chill with this fruit-filled hazy IPA. Citra, Ekuanot, and Mosaic hops, combined with pineapple and mango puree, deliver a taste of the tropics for a remarkable nigh. 6.5% ABV
Drie Fonteinen Framboos – 3 Fonteinen Framboos is the result of macerating hand-picked whole raspberries on young lambic for at least four months, in a proportion of one kilogram of fruit per litre of lambic. The raspberry lambic is then blended again with more young lambic to obtain a minimum intensity of 35% fruit, and is bottled immediately afterwards. These bottles are then stored in our cellars for at least five months so that the raspberry lambic can develop into a beautiful, traditional, and vibrant Framboos. With a abundant forest fruit nose as it warms in the glass, 3 Fonteinen Framboos will age perfectly but may lose some of the vibrant colours and forest fruit aromas. 6% ABV
Drie Fonteinen Hommage – 3 Fonteinen Hommage is the result of macerating hand-picked whole sour cherries and raspberries on young lambic for at least four months, in a proportion of 760 to 800 grams of raspberries and 200 to 240 grams of sour cherries per litre of lambic. This fruit lambic is then blended again with more lambic to obtain a minimum intensity of 35% fruit. Hommage is a bodied raspberry lambic beer, with an intense deep red forest fruit bouquet. This unfiltered and unpasteurised lambic is all-natural with no artificial juices, syrups, or sugars added. 6%ABV
Jester King Raspberry Mr. Mingo – Our latest batch of Mr. Mingo Hibiscus Saison is out today! Continuing the Tiki-inspiration behind Mr. Mingo, we added Tahitian vanilla and raspberries from this year’s Atrial Rubicite. Brewed with well water, Texas barley, oats, milk sugar, raw wheat, hops, and roselle hibiscus. Fermented with JK mixed culture in stainless steel. We get notes of berries and cream and raspberry Greek yogurt. 6.6% abv.
Lone Pint Undead Head Ed – A Ghost Chile Robust Porter. It uses Maris Otter as the base malt, a crazy variety of specialty malts, and American hops. Ghost Chiles were added both in the kettle and post-fermentation. 6.9% ABV
Bear King Hazy Hills – Hazy Pale Ale Double Dry-Hopped. 5.8% ABV
Martin House The Forbidden Fruit – Whiskey Barrel-Aged Limoncello sour. 16% ABV
Martin House Tropical Salty Lady – Gose with Passion Fruit, Pineapple, Kiwi and Guava. 5.2%ABV
Weathered Souls Peanut Butter French Press – Imperial Stout with peanut butter, toasted cacao nibs, and “Dragon Juice” coffee by Longroad Coffee. 11.3%ABV
Weathered Souls Stevens Creation – Berliner style sour ale with pineapple, cherry, toasted coconut, and vanilla beans. 6%ABV
St. Arnold H-Town Pils – H-Town Pils is a classic Bohemian-style pilsner. This beer exemplifies what we as brewers look for in one of our favorite styles: malt and hop flavor working together in harmony and creating balance from beginning to end. 5.2% ABV
Roughtail Aura of Vitality – Imperial Gose with Mango, Guava, Pineapple, Cara Cara Orange and Lactose 7.8%ABV
903 Chupacabra – Oak aged stout on coconut, marshmallow, hazelnut and white chocolate. 12.8% ABV, single 16oz can. Batch No. 4
B-52 Tubular – Our Classic West Coast Style IPA that’s dry-hopped with boatloads of Chinook and Southern Cross hops which provide zesty citrus, herbal pine, and peppery characteristics with a crisp bitter finish. 6.5%ABV
B-52 Festbier – Classic Festbier Lager brewed in celebration of Oktoberfest with Pilsner, Munich, and Vienna Malts & Hallertau Hops which provides floral and herbal aroma. 5.8%ABV
B-52 Doppelbock – It’s that time of year! Our Doppelbock lager is big, bold, and boozy with rich undertones of chocolate and dark fruits. 10%ABV
B-52 Hope You Like Strata – Triple India Pale Ale Double Dry-Hopped with a copious amount of Strata Hops giving this beer layers of dank strawberry and passionfruit flavors. 10%ABV
B-52 Caramel Cheesecake Porter – A robust and decadent imperial porter brewed with barley oats and chocolate wheat then flavored with caramel and cheesecake. 11%ABV
New Wines This Week
(On-Premise Consumption or Off-Premise To Go)
Cono Sur Chilean Chardonnay – This Chardonnay, made from organically grown grapes, bears the spirit of the estate workers, pedaling their way to our vineyards each day. From the start this is an engaging wine, with its yellow color and golden hues and refreshing nose, very citric with fruity aromas and light mineral notes. The palate is seductively complex, very fresh, with a well-balanced acidity. This Chardonnay is undoubtedly young and friendly. 13.5%ABV
Zazou Picpoul de Pinet ’19 – The French know a thing or two about making wine. They’ve been doing it for centuries and sometimes they keep their vino knowledge a little too close to the vest, but we’ve got the lowdown for you on this v cool indigenous French grape. The coolest fact about this wine is that “Picpoul” literally translates to, “sting the lips,” (*enter several Anchorman jokes*).
The grape got its name because the wine is high in acidity, which means it’s refreshing and tart as you sip on it while hoping for a short winter. This bottle makes for a great aperitif but also goes particularly well with salty dishes, especially seafood or charcuterie. In France, it is most often served with oysters — so make like the French and get shucking. 12.5%
Elio Filippino Arneis ’18 – The bouquet is fruity with hints of chamomile and acacia. Full, fresh and elegant taste. Ideal serving temperature is 10°-12°C. Excellent paired with fish or white meat.
Wildmakers Brias de Guarilihue Cinsault – A fruit bomb in the nose, this energetic wine reminds us of fresh prunes and cherries combined with light touches of herbal spices such as mint and rosemary. A fresh, dangerously easy to drink wine with supple, soft tannins and a juicy finish.
The winemaking process focuses fully on fruit preservation and varietal character. Not too much skin contact, just enough to get that gorgeous purple coloring. Light pump overs and early pressing, never touching oak. Pure fruit juice for enjoying the simple moments in life. 12.5% ABV
Wildmakers Sabático – A Cariñena and Garnacha blend that is lively and complex, with aromas that evolve as it breathes. We often get whiffs of tobacco leaves, potpourri and jammy prunes ending with a hint of chocolate mint. The mouth shows great balance between thick, concentrated tannins and a soft, round body.
The winemaking process is straightforward: spontaneous fermentation with native yeast in a mix of concrete vats, clay amphorae and open barrels. No sulphur is added upon reception. Both varieties undergo regular punch-downs and a few light aerations. The Garnacha is pressed early in the last quarter of fermentation, while the Cariñena soaks with skin contact for around 40-50 days. The Garnacha is the nose and tension, Cariñena the body and length.
The wines then age in 600-liter French oak barrels for 18 months. At 8-12 years old, the barrels simply act as a live container in which the wines can build character. 14.5% ABV
Elisa Guerin Moulin à Vent Les Thorins – From up and coming winemaker, Elisa Guerin, come terroir driven gems from a classic appellation. She grows organically with 80yr old vines on Gorrha soil. Half whole bunches, half de-stemmed, and part carbonic maceration in concrete. A bright & fruitful red that has the structure to go that extra mile, you’d be hard pressed to better for an all-rounder with such life. 13% ABV
Le Quai à Raisins Embruns – GRAPE VARIETY & TERROIR: 100% Macabeu on Pyrenees fluvioglacial alluviums
THE VINES: Parcels located in Corneilla-la-Rivière (Pyrénées Orientales). Organically and biodynamically farmed (in conversion towards Biodyvin). Harvested by hand.
WINEMAKING: Direct press. After the must has settled, the wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts in French oak barrels and stay on lees for 12 months.
TASTING: Orange tree blossom and flintstone aromas. Dense mouthfeel with toasted brioche notes and a mineral finish.
WHEN TO DRINK: Gastronomical white wine with good ageing potential. Pairs well with poultry and fish. Make sure to keep some for the cheese platter!
13.5% ABV
New Draft Beers This Week
(On-Premise Consumption or Off-Premise Crowlers)
Fair State Art & Agriculture – A Hazy IPA collaboration with Pinthouse Pizza (Austin, TX) that celebrates Mosaic hops. We happened to select the same lot of Mosaic from the Yakima valley for our 2020 crop year Mosaics as our friends at Pinthouse, and we thought we’d celebrate by brewing a beer with them. Art & Agriculture celebrates the connection between farmer and brewer, and also the dankest hops out there. We brewed this beer with tons of oats, wheat, spelt, Mosaic, Mosaic Cryo, Simcoe, and Idaho 7. Bright, tropical, citrus pith, and a hint of dankness. 6.6% ABV
Zilker Fresh Hop Pilsner – After a long 3 year hiatus, Fresh Hop Pils is back. The second and final Fresh Hop beer of this season was originally brewed in 2018, and it quickly became one of our favorites. It’s a simple recipe consisting of Pilsner malt, Augustiner yeast, and 100% Amarillo hops. The combination of pellet and @crosbyhops fresh hop Amarillo produces an awesome orange, lemon, and tangerine flavor that beautifully compliments the yeast profile leaving you with a nice snappy finish. 5.3%ABV
St. Elmo Slater IPA – West Coast-style IPA! Bitter. Killer. Tight. ABV 7.4%
Parking at WhichCraft Mueller. The garage behind us on McBee is free to use.
