La Bestia Aimable by Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling

When I started drinking beer, I knew off the bat that I would be avoiding the mass produced pilsners that my peers where drinking, but I didn’t really have American craft beers on my radar. For the most part, if I was going to invest in a 9-10 dollar six pack, I was going to get a beer from the Untied Kingdom Germany, with the few exceptions from a few select breweries such as Anchor Steam or New Belgium.  Not really until I moved to Atlanta, did I begin to understand the wonderful opportunities that are available from local breweries, thanks primarily to the Terrapin Brewing Company. Now that I have returned to Texas, not only do I bring a affinity for locally produced ale, but the state has exploded with a much broader selection available. When I left I knew of three breweries in the state, Spoetzl, Saint Arnolds, and a very young Rahr and Sons. Today I can’t count the number of emerging breweries on the total of my toes and fingers.

It excites me to begin a Texas craft beer appreciation on Intoxico.net with a beer that was gifted to me by Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling, a 750 ml bottle of their Belgian Strong Ale, La Bestia Aimable, which I shared with my brother and fellow home brewer.

This is the most my brother would allow of him to be seen on the internet.
Ladybird though, in the background had no such problem. 

Pouring the bottle conditioned brew (or in other words it was bottled with active yeast cultures, which adds additional aging and carbonation after bottling) into two pint glasses, no real head formed, and exhibited only a very slight carbonation. The ale itself was a deep brown and cloudy with sediment.

I love to see a born on date on my beer. 

The nose was malt forward with coffee undertones.

On the palate, the forward essence was that of toffee with a nice sharp bitterness and sweetness. Once mellowed, the flavor profile becomes very wine like with spice, fruit and woodnotes, exciting my taste buds with a variety of flavor.

Combined with a syrupy mouthfeel, the full bodied beverage perhaps would have been best when paired with some red meat or bold cheese to help cleanse the palate after each sip, but was very enjoyable on its own.

Prost!