Texas Ale Project to release The Caucasian 2017

Image courtesy of Texas Ale Project.

Next week, Texas Ale Project of Dallas will release the 2017 edition of its popular white Russian imperial stout, The Caucasian.

First arriving on the scene in 2015, The Caucasian (9.0% ABV, 75 IBU) is brewed with vanilla beans and cold brewed coffee, prior to being aged on toasted American oak. The vanilla beans used in the beer are sourced from the Bourbon Island of Madagascar, while the coffee is a selection chosen in collaboration with a Dallas-based roasting company.

“Once again, we partnered with Michael Wyatt at Full City Rooster to choose the perfect beans to enhance the flavors and bring the right acidity and sweetness to the malts of this year’s stout," says Brent Thompson, co-founder of Texas Ale Project. "After several tastings, we decided on a bean from the Palo Blanco Estate in the Huehuetenango region of Guatemala.”

This year's vintage of The Caucasian will debut during an event at Texas Ale Project's facility in the Design District on Tuesday, December 12 from 6-10 p.m. The evening will also feature tappings of The Caucasian 2016, The Caucasian 2015 and The Caucasian Bourbon Barrel-Aged 2016, not to mention a special food pairing and glassware presentation.

“To add a decadent tasting element to the release, we partnered with local chocolatier, Chocolate Secrets, to create a chocolate-infused truffle in the shape of a 'Dude' mustache for customers to pair with the beer,” reveals Kat Thompson, CEO of Texas Ale Project. “We also selected a unique and playful glass this year that reflects White Russian cocktail-style barware to commemorate this release.”

In addition, Texas Ale Project has obtained nine bourbon barrels from Knob Creek, one of Jim Beam's small-batch brands, for use in aging a portion of the 2017 release. As for when the finished beer will be available, The Caucasian is expected to age for around 10 months, so look for the barrel-aged version to appear in the fall of next year.

An historical foray for Stout Day

Copyright © 2016 The Beer Goddess.

Today, it's all about the stout. That's because it's International Stout Day, a celebration of dark, decadent brews that got its start in 2011. So, in the spirit of that, I offer up a short synopsis of stouts that have been available at different times in North Texas history. Hey, it's what I do...I read old books and newspapers to learn how our scene has evolved. Sometimes such explorations also involve the consumption of beer...and more often than not, what I'm drinking is exactly the kind of rich, roasty and/or chocolately brew that inspired the creation of the day.

Cheers!

Drinking stout in pre-Prohibition Dallas

North Texans were drinking stout, or at least a kind of beer that would evolve into what was called a stout (more on that in a moment) as early as 1873. "Brown Stout Porter" could be found for sale at area grocers alongside imported lagers and Scotch ales. Many early listings don't credit the brewer, but C.G. Hibbert of London was likely the bottler of the stout porter advertised, since regular shipments from the firm were arriving at the Port of Galveston during the same period of time.

Dallas Daily Herald (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 42, Ed. 1 Sunday, March 30, 1873, newspaper, Dallas, Texas. (texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth279736/: accessed November 2, 2016), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, texashistory.unt.edu.

With regards to that other famous stout, Guinness was being sold early on by locals as well (purportedly for medicinal purposes), though it doesn't appear in Dallas newspaper ads until around 1881. Shipments to Galveston show Guinness being sent to Texas by 1865, but it's not clear when it was first stocked in North Texas. Many times the beer was billed as Burke's Guinness Dublin Stout, due to the fact that Guinness didn't bottle its own products until well after Prohibition. Back then, they used a network of bottlers to package and ship their beer to America. Edward and John Burke, who were grandsons of Arthur Guinness, owned one such distribution company and the U.S. was their largest market.

The Dallas Daily Herald. (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. XXIVII, No. 132, Ed. 1 Saturday, April 30, 1881, newspaper, Dallas, Texas. (texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth286467/: accessed November 2, 2016), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, texashistory.unt.edu

"Imperial" is the new "stout"

It's true! Well, sort of. During the 1800s, stouts actually grew out of a stronger version of porter usually referred to as "stout porter." Nowadays, whenever a brewery releases a stronger version of a particular style, they add the imperial tag (imperial IPA, imperial saison, imperial brown ale, etc.). So, if you think about it, given the seemingly similar style guidelines between porters and stouts, in today's lingo a stout could also be called an imperial porter. Looking at things in those terms, you might say "imperial" is the new "stout."


Big beers were a part of the '90s boom

In the mid-to-late 1990s, when brewpubs dominated the local beer scene after being legalized in 1993, stouts were actually relatively common. Yegua Creek Brewing Co., the area's first brewpub, was probably the first local spot to brew a stout, but at least a half-dozen other brewpubs offered a stout at one time or another. A couple of them were even award winners:

• Copper Tank - Mocha Madness Coffee Stout, gold medal in the Herb/Spice Beers category at the 1998 Great American Beer Festival.
• Two Rows - Imperial Stout, bronze medal in the Imperial Stout category at the 2000 Great American Beer Festival.

Something worth noting about these two beers is that the brewers involved in their creation are still active in the brew scene today. Jon Sims, formerly of Four Corners, Oak Highlands and Texas Ale Project (but, now working at Wynkoop in Colorado), was an assistant brewer at Copper Tank in 1998, while Mike Kraft, currently the director of brewing operations at Wild Acre, was running the brewhouse at Two Rows in 2000.

The first locally-crafted stout beer and whiskey blend?

Speaking of Two Rows, that brewpub might have been considered ahead of its time based on one beer it produced. Years before barrel-aged beers would become commonplace, Two Rows whipped up a beer and bourbon blend called Wild Turkey Stout. If memory serves, it hit taps sometime around 2003, and much like the stronger beers of today, it was served in a smaller vessel due to its higher ABV.

Moving past the new Millennium

After the year 2000, Fort Worth's Healthy Brew included a stout in its organic lineup, while Great Grains of Dallas was brewing Wildcatter's Crude Stout, a recipe they licensed from the by-then defunct Yellow Rose Brewing Co. of San Antonio. The Covey in Fort Worth had one as well, called Smokestack Stout. That beer won a silver medal in the Smoke-Flavored Beer category at the 2009 Los Angeles International Beer Competition. Then, of course, came Snowmageddon, an imperial oatmeal stout that commemorates the great roof collapse that occurred at Rahr & Sons in 2010.

While still being brewed by Yellow Rose Brewing of San Antonio, Wildcatter's Crude Stout

was singled out as a Gold Medal winner by the Beverage Tasting Institute.

Left: Armadillo's Quakertown Stout won gold in the Imperial Stout category at GABF in 2014.

Right: Sasquatch from 903 Brewers won silver in the Aged Beer category at GABF in 2015.

As for the here and now, North Texas currently has a plethora of obsidian offerings. Most are familiar with names like Community Legion, The Temptress from Lakewood and others, but let's not forget about the two locally-brewed stouts that have brought home major awards during the current craft beer renaissance (see details in the caption above). One, that being Sasquatch from 903 Brewers , is likely stalking your local store shelves as we speak. And, the other? That would be Quakertown Stout, the product of Denton-based Armadillo Ale Works...a beer that will re-appear soon.

Taps & Caps teams with Cobra for coconut collab

Image credits: Cobra Brewing Co., Lone Star Taps & Caps.

Amongst the myriad of new beers coming out for North Texas Beer Week is one you might miss without a trip to the northern side of the Metroplex. On tap now at Lone Star Taps & Caps (T &C), All Eyez on Me is a collaborative effort between the shop and the neighboring Cobra Brewing Co. of Lewisville. It's a Russian imperial stout brewed with toasted coconut, which T&C co-founder Rick Ali says is inspired by the work of a hip-hop legend.

Tupac Shakur released the album All Eyez on Me in 1996, at a time when, Ali proclaims, the artist "was the best at what he did and a game-changer in his profession." The beer, he explains, "is an ode to that and how we (at T&C) are proud to be a part of the Texas craft beer scene after having been at the forefront of the movement for the last 10 years." And, like Tupac, Ali continues, "we are always trying to push beyond the norm." To get a sense of what he means, simply swap the themes of thug life and crime in the album's title track to craft beer and dedication to the industry.

Ali has wanted to collaborate with a brewery for some time. The partnership with Cobra was a no brainer, in his mind, because he believes they tend to brew the types of beers he and many of his customers like to drink. "Dawn of the Dank, Kitchen Sink, Spring Cleaning and Barrel Aged Klurichan are beers that have all that I want," says Ali. "Each is well-balanced with great aroma and a high ABV that is hidden well."

All Eyez on Me (© Brian Brown/Beer In Big D).

Brewing a Russian imperial stout was another easy decision, since it's one of Ali's favorite styles and one he drinks year-round. As for the added ingredient, coconut is a favorite food of his as well, so to him it was a must-have addition. Ali even arose at an early hour to help out on brew day, something that was naturally set to the soundtrack of Tupac's inspirational song.

In terms of tasting notes, my impressions are that the coconut is more of a subtle player in All Eyez on Me, though it does lend a little bit of lingering sweetness to the aftertaste. Otherwise the beer is rich and roasty, with a bitter finish reminiscent of a high-cacao chocolate bar. It's an all-too-easy drinker considering its strength, with a medium body and virtually no hint of the 9.92% ABV.

All Eyez on Me is a good beer, and one that furthers my belief that founders Neil MacCuish and Bill Shaw have found their groove at the brewery in Lewisville. In addition to the heftier beers Ali mentions above, lighter offerings like the hazelnut-infused Donut Dunker have proven to be solid efforts as well. Given that, if it's been a while since you've visited Cobra, it might be worth your time to give them a second look.

As for this batch of All Eyez on Me, enough was made to fill only five half-barrel kegs, so it will only be available for a limited time. Should the beer prove to be popular, Ali hopes he and MacCuish can continue to develop the recipe, perhaps offering different variants with other ingredients in the future.

Rahr & Sons to release 11th anniversary beer

Images courtesy of Rahr & Sons Brewing Co.

This October, Rahr & Sons Brewing Company of Fort Worth will celebrate its 11th anniversary with a series of events at the brewery and a special commemorative beer.

Rahr & Sons' 11th anniversary beer will be a Russian imperial stout brewed with toasted coconut. A description of the beer, as it appears on product packaging, promises that the "huge roasted, chocolate and caramelized malt flavors will knock you off your feet as hints of toasted coconut dance on your palate."

(click to enlarge)

According to a press release, the beer will debut on tap during 11th anniversary events going on October 23-24 at the brewery. After that, it will be available both on draft and at retail accounts in 22-ounce bottles.

As for the festivities, details are as follows:

Friday, October 23 (7-10 p.m.): VIP beer tasting featuring live music, food trucks and more than 40 different brews. Tickets are $25 and limited to 500, with attendees receiving a commemorative pint glass.

Saturday, October 24 (11 a.m. - 4 p.m.): Extended tasting featuring live music, food trucks and additional rarities including an oak barrel of 2011 Bourbon Barrel Aged Winter Warmer and a firkin of Angry Goat aged on chocolate covered banana chips. Tickets are $25 for VIP (500 total, with early access from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.) and $10 for general admission (1000 total, entry at 1 p.m.), with attendees receiving a commemorative pint glass.

Tickets for both events go on sale Tuesday, September 15 at the following link:

rahrandsons-brewing-company.ticketleap.com

Clown Shoes' Fistful is a punchy pour

It was late 2011 when Clown Shoes first stepped foot in Texas, a turn of phrase I used in the title of a piece I did on their arrival back in my Examiner.com days. Looking back on what I wrote, while I made a point to share some thoughts on other products in the brewery's portfolio, there's no denying I was most taken with one in particular - that being the mythical beast of a beer known as Blaecorn Unidragon. In fact, not long after that the beer became a staple in my personal imperial stout rotation.

Since then, the beer Clown Shoes says is brewed with a "monstrous amount of malt" has gone on to form the basis of a number of different offshoots. One of these, Porcine Unidragon, was a barrel-aged version of Blaecorn brewed with beechwood-smoked malt. Another, called The Good, The Bad and The Unidragon, was a Texas-only release using dark malts sourced from the state's Blacklands Malt Company.

The latest entry in the series is A Fistful of Unidragon, and while the name may or may not imply it, the beer is one that's seemingly been influenced by each of the above incarnations. Also a Texas exclusive, it's a barrel-aged version of The Good, The Bad and The Unidragon that adds Blacklands' mesquite-smoked malt to the baseline recipe.

Image the property of Tenemu.com/Brian Brown.

Taking stock of the result, the swarthy brew that is A Fistful of Unidragon emits ample aromas of dark chocolate, backed by moderate bourbon, light smoke and some lingering wood tones. The chocolate intensity maintains throughout the taste and into the bitter finish, met there by a stronger sense of both smoke and bourbon.

Regarding the first of those descriptors, A Fistful of Unidragon isn't exceedingly smoky, but the mesquite has a presence that contributes well to the beer's complexity. Considering the ingredient's origin, I suppose you might even say it has a taste of Texas terroir.

On the topic of the bourbon, though, one could certainly say that A Fistful of Unidragon has a bit of a boozy air about it. It doesn't quite drink like a shot of bourbon, but there's a lasting warmth that leaves little doubt that this beer is a stiff drink. The good thing is that the malt base is rather burly to begin with, so in that respect things never seem too far out of balance.

Despite the show of strength (and an ABV of 14%), A Fistful of Unidragon drinks remarkably well. A fair dose of carbonation helps to lighten the load of what is otherwise a full-bodied affair. It's not so much that the beer has a thick and heavy feel, but the palate is chewy and the flavors do tend to coat the tongue with what amounts to a dark chocolate, bourbon-laced blanket. Naturally, this works to create a lasting impression of the beer's flavor profile that stays with you long after each sip is spent.

All things considered, at least for me A Fistful of Unidragon stands out among the growing ubiquity of bourbon barrel-aged stouts. The reason likely has to do with how the smoked malt adder has been executed, as it seems to give the beer that little something extra. Then again, "extra" is a term that could be used to describe everything about this beer. A Fistful of Unidragon is big and bold, to be sure, but that just makes it a beer befitting its Texas roots.

*Originally published on Tenemu.com.

Community's Barrel Aged Legion better in the bottle

Image credit: Community Beer Company

Appearing in early December, Barrel-Aged Legion is not the first foray into barrel aging for the now two year-old Community Beer Company. In the past, the brewery has released limited barrel-aged versions of their spiced winter brew, Regalement, and their award-winning coffee porter, Ascension. This is in addition to Bourbon Barrel Aged Glenstemmons, a somewhat more widely available treatment of a Scotch ale.

The Legion release, however, represents the first time Community has put out a barrel-aged beer in bottles. It won't be the last either, as additional batches of the Russian imperial stout - aged in various barrels - are expected to be unveiled in the coming months as part of an ongoing Barrel Aged Series to be sold in four-packs.

As for this installment of Barrel-Aged Legion, it reportedly spent around four months in barrels obtained from the Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. When brought together with the beer, these barrels impart the expected elements of oak, vanilla and a hint of charred wood, all of which are somewhat subtle on the nose but certainly more forward in the taste.

In terms of flavor, the underlying malt complexity comes across as a bit subdued at first, but it's something that opens up considerably as the beer warms. A quick swirl helps as well, revealing notes of licorice, roasted malt, chocolate and dark fruit that seem to intensify with each passing sip. Even so, none of these ingredients take on a position of dominance, leading one to appreciate the overall balance of this slightly full-bodied brew. If anything, chocolate overtones fill the finish, which is otherwise warm and smooth with only faint tannins adding a touch of closing bitterness.

Now, as the title above suggests, had this been a review of a tap sample of Barrel Aged Legion, these comments would have been decidedly different. On draft in Community's taproom, the beer was intensely woody with vanilla and oak tannins more or less defining the brew. In the bottle, however, it's an entirely different experience. Blended and balanced are the two words that come to mind first, which falls right in line with what I look for when drinking a barrel-aged beer. Truth be told, I might like the malt to stand up a bit more, but I can also see how others might wish for a bolder boozy tone. Either way, for me the beer is good as it stands now, but it's definitely one worth cellaring to see how it develops over time.

*Originally published on Tenemu.com.

Community taps Lone Star for Barrel-Aged Legion bottle launch

Image credit: Community Beer Company, Lone Star Beverages

It all started back in July, when the Community Beer Company announced the pending release of a new, but as yet unnamed, Russian imperial stout. The brewery canvassed the public for help in naming the new brew, revealing a few weeks later that it had narrowed the choices down to a winning entry submitted by Ben Bascombe. As for the name of the new beer, it would simply be called Legion.

What they didn't tell us right away, was that in the time leading up to the beer's debut at the end of September, they had put a portion of the batch into spent bourbon casks in anticipation of a barrel-aged release to come later in the year. As you've probably already heard, that time is now.

Following two nights of sneak preview tastings at the Community taproom, bottles of Barrel-Aged Legion are set to go on sale next week. Lone Star Beverages in Carrollton has been chosen as the official launch point for the release, and co-owner Rick Ali tells me they'll be getting a significant allocation in the neighborhood of 40 cases.

Noting the established success the original Legion offering, Ali says he's "excited to be a part of this release" and for subsequent products Community will be putting out with their new Barrel-Aged Series. He also recognizes the synergy of partnering with the brewery for this event in saying, "Lone Star has long been a part of the growth of the craft beer scene here in North Texas, and being chosen as the first to offer BA Legion to the public only strengthens the drink local and shop local movement!"

Regarding the beer, which I'm told was aged in barrels from Heaven Hill, I can tell you that a first impression may have you nicknaming it "Woody." While Barrel-Aged Legion is bourbon-forward on the nose with additional elements lingering in the background, the wood and vanilla characteristics are much more predominant when it comes to the taste. The heavy influence of the wood also gives the beer a dry and tannic finish, something which lingers along with hints of underlying roast well into the aftertaste.

So, should you drink it now or drink it later? In answering that eternal question, let me just say that the barrel character is strong in this one. My personal preference would be to give it additional time in the cellar, but of course that choice is up to you.

Lone Star will sell four-packs of twelve-ounce bottles on Monday, December 8. Twenty cases will be released at 9:30 a.m., with an additional twenty going on sale at 4 p.m. (quantities will be limited to two four-packs per person). Visitors to the shop can also expect free tastings of Legion (note samples of Barrel-Aged Legion will not be available), as well as "deep discounts" on that beer and what is arguably Community's flagship, Mosaic IPA.