With Thanksgiving behind us we can now focus on the holiday season and all the wonderful seasonal beers the winter brings. We’ve got nearly 40 different holiday seasonals in stock for your drinking pleasure!
We have gift cards available for purchase this holiday season in which we custom print the text on the back. Bonus: we print them on paddle-style bottle openers, and whomever you’re buying the gift card for gets to keep the opener! See the example above.
Free Tastings 6-8pm
Tuesday, December 9th
We’re super excited to host Sara Cleary from Goose Island to the store for a free tasting event & Bourbon County Release. We’ll be tasting a whole mess of different Goose Island beers including various Bourbon County years and varieties. If you’re a fan of the Bourbon County series or just barrel aging in general, you’re not going to want to miss this tasting.
We’ll also be releasing the balance of the allocation of Bourbon County Brand Stout for purchase that evening, as well as a cellar release of the 2013 BCBS Barley Wine we’ve been cellaring for the past 6 months or so. We’ll most likely raffle off the right to purchase these bottles starting at 6:30, based on how many customers are in the store at that time.
Thursday, December 11th
Thirsty Austinites waited months and months for Revolver Brewing out of Granbury to finally send their bottled beers to our fair city. The Revolver prohibition was broken 2 weeks ago and now the Revolver beers flow freely.
Join Tom Reul, the Revolver Beer Dragon Slayer, will be in the store 6-8pm pouring free samples of Blood & Honey, the Revolver Bock & High Brass blonde ale. Join us!
New Beers This Week
Jester King Snorkel – A farmhouse ale brewed with alderwood smoked sea salt and oyster mushrooms grown by Jester King’s neighbor Logro Farms. Logro Farms is located just a few hundred yards from Jester King Brewery at Ceres Park Ranch. They use spent grain from our beer to sustainably grow delicious oyster mushrooms. Very unique brew! 4.2% ABV/Austin, TX/Beer Advocate 86
Jester King Commercial Suicide – English pub ale meets the French farmhouse tradition and American oak aging in this dry, drinkable farmhouse mild ale. Full-flavored, but brewed with enough restraint to be highly sessionable. Unfiltered, unpasteurized, and naturally conditioned. 3.5% ABV/Austin, TX/Beer Advocate 81
Austin Beerworks English IPA – The latest in the Heavy Machinery rotating IPA series from Austin Beerworks features their English IPA. Unlike the huge assault of citrus and pine flavors of a modern American IPA, East Kent Golding and Fuggle hops create a flavor and aroma profile that is floral, earthy and delicate. 5.9% ABV/Austin, TX/Beer Advocate 86
Boulevard/Odell Collaboration Silver – Here’s a great story: On November 17th, 1989, John McDonald loaded a keg of Boulevard Pale Ale into the back of his pickup and drove to a restaurant a few blocks down the street. Scarcely 24 hours later and 650 miles away, Doug Odell loaded a keg of Odell Golden Ale into the back of his pickup and… you get the idea. They were the first kegs of beer either of them ever sold, but they wouldn’t be the last. This deep amber ale celebrates 25 years of brewing with an ample body of caramel-toffee malt balanced by piney hop notes. 7.3% ABV/Kansas City & Fort Collins/Beer Advocate 84
St Stefanus Grand Cru – St Stefanus’ grand cru release is certainly their most complex beer. The shipment we received is the 2012 vintage, so it already has 2 years in the bottle. The beer has matured into a rich, dry flavor with a champagne-like character. Lively and complex, it has developed a buttery golden color and a touch of honey sweetness. 9% ABV/Ertvelde, Belgium/Beer Advocate 84
Prairie Christmas Bomb* – This beer will be arriving Friday and we’ll be getting a good quantity of it. The base beer is the Bomb we all know & love but with the addition of some Christmas spices. It also wins the faux award for funniest/creepiest label art we’ve seen in a while. 11.5% ABV/Krebs, OK/Ratebeer 97 *Arriving Friday
Naughty Kentucky Streetwalker – Naughty Brewing is the side project of James Vaello, Adelbert’s San Antonio rep. The base beer here is an imperial vanilla porter that was then aged in Four Roses Bourbon barrels for nearly a year. Rich, complex & delicious. 10.2% ABV/Austin, TX/No ratings yet
Bridgeport Ebenezer – A true Winter Warmer made in homage of the season: Full-bodied and rich, deep amber in color, crowned with a creamy head, and finished with a mild bitter flush. 6.4% ABV/Portland, OR/Beer Advocate 83
Shiner Holiday Cheer – Holiday Cheer is a dunkelweizen brewed with Texas peaches and roasted pecans. The malty flavors of this dark wheat ale are enhanced through the use of malted barley and wheat. 5.4% ABV/Shiner, TX/Beer Advocate 81
Karbach Yule Shoot Your Eye Out – Karbach’s holiday seasonal is a black ale spiced generously with cocoa nibs, orange peel, ginger, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Medium bodied, this brew delivers a surprising amount of dark chocolate bitterness while the spices dance on your tongue providing a complex array of winter flavors. 8% ABV/Houston, TX/Beer Advocate 86
Jolly Pumpkin La Parcela – The old joke was that the Jolly Pumpkin Brewery for years never made a pumpkin beer. Until this one. Packed with real pumpkins, hints of spice, and a gentle kiss of cocoa to liven the soul. 5.9% ABV/Dexter, MI/Ratebeer 97
Jolly Pumpkin Persimmon Ship – Combining Indiana persimmons and dragonfruit from Thailand, this is a collaboration between Jolly Pumpkin and Upland Brewing from Bloomington, Indiana. It’s a wonderful blended oak aged sour ale. 5% ABV/Dexter, MI/Beer Advocate 87
Jolly Pumpkin La Roja – La Roja is typically the most sought after Jolly Pumpkin annual release. It’s an artisan amber ale brewed in the Flanders tradition. Deep amber with earthy caramel, spice and sour fruit notes developed through natural barrel aging. Unfiltered, unpasteurized and blended from barrels ranging in age between two and ten months. 7.2% ABV/Dexter, MI/Ratebeer 99
Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca – An artisan white ale brewed in the classic biere blanche tradition. Spiced with orange peel and coriander, you’ll find it refreshingly tart, with a wonderful dry finish. 4.8% ABV/Dexter, MI/Ratebeer 96
Jolly Pumpkin Fuego del Otono – A brown ale brewed with chestnut and spices, it’s a perfect for a December evening in Austin. Amber malts lend smooth caramel notes which pair well with the spices. 6.1% ABV/Dexter, MI/Ratebeer 98
Hobbit Beers – In honor of the 3rd movie in the Hobbit series being released in 2 weeks, Fish Tale Brewing out of Olympia, WA released a series of three Hobbit-themed beers: the Gollum Precious Pils, Bolg Tripel & the Smaug Stout. Journey to Middle Earth!
Fish Tale Organic Wild Salmon Pale Ale – New to TX, Fish Tale Brewing is known for their hop-forward beers that use all organic ingredients. Remarkably bright with a crisp hop finish, Fish Tale Organic Pale Ale uses four organic malts that impart a mellow sweetness that’s amply matched by Yakima Cascade hops. 5.5% ABV/Olympia, WA/
Fish Tale Organic IPA – Fish Tale Organic India Pale Ale is a medium-bodied beer with a rich golden color. The organic pale and crystal malts lay down a firm malt body. This provides the backbone for an assertive hop profile featuring organic Pacific Gem. 6.7% ABV/Olympia, WA/Beer Advocate 81
Samuel Smith’s Organic Chocolate Stout – Brewed with well water, the gently roasted organic cocoa extract impart a delicious, smooth and creamy character, with inviting deep flavors and a delightful finish – this is a marriage of satisfying stout and luxurious chocolate. 5% ABV/Tadcaster, England/Ratebeer 97
Full Sail Wassail Winter – Brewed for the holiday season, Wassail is a delight with it’s warm flavors and festive holiday packaging. It’s a lush, garnet colored winter ale that has a malty full-body and a pleasant hoppy finish. Wassail is brewed with a 4 types of malts and is hopped with a special blend of imported hops. 7.2% ABV/Hood River, OR/Ratebeer 91
Full Sail Wreck the Halls – This annual favorite is a sublime hybrid of an American style IPA and a winter warmer. The result is a bold brew that celebrates the holidays with an intriguing blend of Centennial hops providing elegant citrus notes balanced by a backdrop of a rich caramel malt body. Dry hopped to amplify the aromas and flavor. 6.5% ABV/Hood River, OR/Ratebeer 93
Real Ale Brewers’ Cut Oyster Stout – The tradition of pairing a beer with oysters goes back centuries in English pubs, and the latest in the Brewers’ Cut series from Real Ale puts real gulf oysters right into the boil kettle. No ratings yet
Founders Big Luscious – Big Lushious is a deep, rich stout that’s packed with flavor: roasted malts, all-natural dark chocolate, a subtle suggestion of burnt coffee grounds and a kiss of tart raspberries. At 7.8% ABV, it’s big, sumptuous and extravagant, but also well balanced and delicious. 7.8% ABV/Grand Rapids, MI/Ratebeer 98
Stone Enjoy By 12/26/14 – The latest hop bomb in the Enjoy By series from Stone is dated 12/26, so drink it quick! Nuff said. 9.4% ABV/Escondido, CA/Ratebeer 100
Lagunitas Brown Shugga – The perfect marriage of malty sweetness and piney hops, brown sugar is added to the boil to raise the ABV and add a bit of caramel sweetness. A limited release and one of the staff’s favorites from Lagunitas. 9.8% ABV/Petaluma, CA/Ratebeer 97
Weekend Tastings, 6-8pm
Friday
Real Ale Brewers’ Cut Oyster Stout
Stone Enjoy By 12/26/14
Full Sail Wreck the Halls
Save the World Sol Hominus Golden Strong Ale
One other random thing we’ll open up
Saturday
Deschutes Hop Trip
Rahr Winter Warmer
Harpoon Chocolate Stout
One other random thing we’ll open up