Best of the fest: My Untapped tasting card

Image caption:  All images/logos property of their respective owners. 

It's always a bit of a struggle deciding how to bring attention to beers sampled at a festival. I believe you can't give a proper review based on a two-ounce pour, and Saturday's Untapped event presented even more of a challenge given the colder temperatures. That said, you'll notice a theme in many of my tasting notes, as frozen fingers weren't conducive to hand warming which might normally help to reveal additional character.

On the flip side, there's something to be said for first impressions, and more than one brewer has told me that hearing the words "I'd drink that beer again" are as welcome a compliment as any other. So, with that, here are the beers I'd drink again...provided I could do so in climate controlled surroundings.


Malt

Four Corners Notorious O.A.T: A beer that, for whatever reason, I had yet to track down in the market. I suppose it was better late than never, since they tell me supplies are just about gone. Simply put, a couple of sips of this one gave the impression of yet another quietly solid brew from the Trinity Groves brewer.

903 Sasquatch: Chocolate, chocolate...oh, and chocolate. I wasn't able to pick up on the milk sugar addition, but give me a pint of this in an environment where it can warm up another five or so degrees and let's see what develops.


Hops

Deep Ellum Tongue Punch: The brewery's IPA was dry-hopped with four different varieties, but due to an apparent brain freeze I forgot to write down the details. In any event, it was a beer that was true to its name.

Lagunitas Couch Trippin' Fusion: This beer is billed as a "brown-ish" ale dry-hopped with Nelson Sauvin and Mosaic hops. It's hop-forward (what Lagunitas brew isn't) and I'm not entirely sure what flavor profile they are going for from a malt perspective, but my two favorite hop varieties from one of my favorite breweries (and I'm not even a hophead).  Easy sell.


Smoke

Lakewood Antigoon's Revenge:  The "Goon thing" (which is how I chose to refer to this beer since I couldn't remember the name) is a Belgian golden ale brewed with cherry wood smoked malt. It's a big, warming brew with hints of fruit and spice to go along with a noticeably subtle smoke infusion.

Martin House Kafkaesque: So, let me see if I've got this straight. This beer is an Imperial smoked black rye oaked raspberry IPA. If that sounds bizarre or illogical, it's suppose to given the reference to Frank Kafka (Google it). My taste buds cropped the ingredient list down to a hoppy rye oaked raspberry IPA, and a tasty one at that. Basically, contributions from the smoke and dark grains eluded me, but again it's tough to pick up on certain flavors when you're drinking beer in the Arctic.


Sour

Jester King Cerveza de Tempranillo: A very wine-like, even-tempered wild ale brewed with Tempranillo grapes that would probably appeal to those not typically into sours. It's strong, with an ABV of 9.4%, but I would never have guessed that based on flavor and aroma.


One for the road

Oskar Blues Maker's Mark Barrel Aged Dale's Pale Ale: Maker's Mark bourbon is among the best to my taste when used for barrel aging. It has an appropriate amount of sweetness without being harsh, making it a perfect complement to many types of beer. In this case, the name of the brew is nine words long...just call it "good."


Cheers!

A companion guide to the 2014 Paste Untapped Festival in Fort Worth

Image credit:  Paste Untapped

Happening on Saturday, Paste Untapped returns this week to the Panther Island Pavilion in Fort Worth. If you haven't seen the complete list of all the beers that will be available, by all means check it out on the festival website.

As for a quick analysis, we can talk about obligatory stats like the over 250 beers from 62 breweries, or we can simply ask the one question that brings it all home: When is the last time you had a ticket to a festival in North Texas where you could sample over fifty beers rated 98 or above by your peers?

To help quell the certain madness of choosing which beers to drink, I've pared the list down a bit into what I call a beer geek breakdown. If you want the best of the best, or just a taste of something new, this is where to start. Really, you don't need recommendations with all the list has to offer. You'd do just as well if you drew random names out of a hat, or instituted a game of craft beer blind man's bluff.

Come to think of it, maybe "list" isn't even the right word anymore.  Really, it's more like a blinding neon beacon of beer light.

Buy a ticket, bask in its glow.

White whale watching: Brews from the Beer Advocate top 100

#19. Founders Breakfast Stout (VIP only)
#25. Firestone Walker Sucaba
#60. Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
#88. Founders Imperial Stout


Perfect pours: Top rated beers (100/100) on Ratebeer

Avery:  The Maharaja Imperial IPA, Tweak
Dogfish Head:  90 Minute IPA
Firestone Walker:  Double Jack, XVII Anniversary Ale
Founders:  Backwoods Bastard (VIP only), Porter
Great Divide:  Oak Aged Yeti
North Coast:  Old Rasputin
Uinta:  Labyrinth Black Ale
Unibroue:  Trois Pistoles
Victory:  Old Horizontal


Best of the rest: Close enough to perfect (Ratebeer scores out of 100))

Alaskan:  Barley Wine Ale (99), Smoked Porter (99)
Ballast Point:  Dorado Double IPA (99), Tongue Buckler (98)
Boulevard:  Double Wide IPA (99), Rye on Rye (99)
Brooklyn:  Sorachi Ace (98)
Deschutes:  Fresh Squeezed IPA (98), Hop Henge IPA (99)
Dogfish Head:  Burton Baton (99), Olde School Barleywine (98)
Duvel Moortgat:  Duvel (99)
Firestone Walker:  Union Jack IPA (99), Velvet Merlin (98)
Founders:  Centennial IPA (99)
Goose Island:  Lolita (99), Sofie (98)
Green Flash:  Hop Head Red (98), Palate Wrecker (99), Serrano Stout (98)
Harpoon:  Leviathan IPA (98)
Lagunitas:  A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' (99)
Odell:  IPA (98), Myrcenary Double IPA (99, VIP only)
Ommegang:  Three Philosophers (99)
Oskar Blues:  Deviant Dale's (99)
Sierra Nevada:  Bigfoot (99, VIP only), Narwhal (99, VIP only), Northern Hemisphere Harvest (99), Torpedo (98)
Southern Tier:  Crème Brulee Stout (98), Iniquity (98), Unearthly (99)
Uinta:  Dubhe (99)
Unibroue:  La Fin du Monde (99)
Victory:  HopDevil (99)


Rare breeds: Market debuts and limited editions

903:  I So Pale
Brooklyn:  Hammarby Syndrome
Deep Ellum:  Tongue Punch Cask
Grapevine Craft Brewery:  Raspberry Brown Ale, 10 Gauge Belgian IPA
Hops & Grain:  Funk Del Roble
Jester King:  Cerveza de Tempranillo, La Vie en Rose
Lagunitas:  Fusion XIX
Lakewood:  Antigoon, Bourbon Barrel Temptress
Martin House:  Kafkaesque
New Belgium:  Gruit
Rahr & Sons:  Midnight Cab, Snowmacocoageddon, Hatch Chile Blonde, Dry Hopped Stormcloud
Real Ale:  Double IPA Cask (VIP only), Codex Triplex (VIP only)
Saint Arnold:  Bishop's Barrel #6
Widmer:  Upheaval IPA


Oldies but goodies: Vintage brews

2012 Alaskan Smoked Porter (VIP only)
2011 North Coast Barrel Aged Old Stock
Saint Arnold Divine Reserve 10

Bridgeport produces first volume of new Trilogy

Image credit:  Bridgeport Brewing Company

Considering the day-to-day challenge of keeping up with all that's new in craft beer, it's easy to forget about those breweries that have been around since...well, before some of you were born.  It's generally accepted that the start of the revolution we're all enjoying actually happened almost forty years ago. Granted, there aren't a lot of breweries still in existence from those early days, but those that are have unquestionably stood the test of time.

Image credit:
Bridgeport Brewing Company

One such brewery is Portland's Bridgeport Brewing Company, makers of Hop Czar, Stumptown Tart and Old Knucklehead. They're also Oregon's oldest, and in 2014 they'll be celebrating their thirtieth year in the business with a line of anniversary brews called Trilogy.

First out of the kettle is Trilogy 1, a Crystal Dry-Hopped Pale Ale paying homage to the role hops have played in defining the craft beer culture of the Pacific Northwest. If that description has images of hop cones dancing in your head, understand that this beer focuses more on the flavor and aroma contributions of that ingredient than it does on bitterness. There's some nice complexity with notes of fresh citrus, resiny pine, florals and dried grass, but you shouldn't drink this beer expecting your tongue to curl up and go hide in a corner somewhere after every sip.

Naturally, this lends itself to a more balanced brew, with Munich and rye malts contributing a bready and spicy element to the backbone of the beer. Trilogy 1 is still hop-forward, as advertised, but it accomplishes that characterization by way of a smooth, clean pale ale that is nothing if not sessionable with an ABV of only 5.2%.

Future beers in the Trilogy series will include an IPA brewed in collaboration with Phil Sexton, a past company brewmaster who created Bridgeport's flagship beer of the same style, and a yet to-be-determined creation that "looks to the future of craft brewing."  The introduction of Trilogy 3 later this year will coincide with the re-release of the first two beers, with fans of the brewery being asked to vote on their favorite. The winner will return as a year-long offering in 2015.

Look for Trilogy 1 in 6-packs of 12-ounce bottles at a better beer store near you.

* Samples provided courtesy of R/West and the Bridgeport Brewing Company.

Hallertau to hold first public tasting, February 15

Image credit: Hallertau Brewing Company

Aspiring brewery owner Don Tedlock is a man with a plan. He's developed a brewing philosophy, talked to suppliers, chosen packaging and created mock-up designs for his labels and branding. Of course, this all probably sounds familiar, especially to current brewery owners or those thinking of opening one down the road. Where he intends to be different is in the beer.

Hallertau Brewing Company, should it come to be, will focus exclusively on "big" beers targeting the craft connoisseur. Every product, whether it be a year-round offering, seasonal or one-off will be barrel-aged and have an alcohol percentage in the area of 10% or more. Tedlock is eschewing the craft beer starter kit (a blonde, a brown and a red) in an effort to create his own niche in the ever-expanding North Texas marketplace.

Packaging will be in 750mL flip-top bottles, with labeling designed to be both classic and elegant. He's looking to tap into high-end establishments, with hopes that one day you'll be able to share a bottle of his beer in some of the area's more exclusive restaurants. Such places are generally known for their rich, culinary creations and he wants to provide options for pairing them with big, flavorful beers.

What Tedlock doesn't have yet is a location. He wants to end up in the northern part of town, preferably near Frisco. Thus far, he's scouted sites along FM 423 on the city's western border. As for the beer, when I met with him a few weeks back he served samples from a number of test batches. Each is still a work in progress in terms of recipe formulation and style definition, but the most refined was his Baltic Porter barrel-aged on American oak.

Needless to say, the brewery is still in the very early stages of development, but that's where you come in. Tedlock wants to know what you think. It's not just about whether or not you like the beer, it's also about whether or not you think he has a viable vision. Can a brewery focused solely on "big" beers make it in the Metroplex?

Let him know your thoughts on Saturday, February 15, at Jack Mac's Swill & Grill in Dallas. He'll be there from 1-3 p.m. sampling four beers, answering questions and collecting your feedback.

* UPDATE: As of January 2017, Hallertau has ceased development.*