Shiner Hefeweizen by the Spoetzl Brewing Company

Today has been a wonderful day in North Texas. With temps running in the mid 80s it is downright pleasant compared to the 105ish we have seen for the past three to four months. If anything deserves a beer, this is definitely it.

As it feels summer is on the way out, it is time to start weeding out the lighter lagers and ales to make room for the dark, malty beers of fall and winter. After a bit of deliberation, from the back of the fridge came a couple bottles of Shiner’s Hefeweizen from the Spoetzl Brewing Company.

Pouring out into a 20oz imperial pint glass, the 12 ounces of beer formed a thick head that threatened to exceed the volume of the glass, but stopped just short of making a mess on my desk.  As impressive as it formed, sadly the head did not last but only about twice as long as it took to form on top of the pale tangerine beer.  True to the style, the beer was rich with cloudy yeast sediment and active carbonation.

The nose had a mild, bready, yeast forward aroma with very slight citrus aspects.

Taking a drink, my mouth was filled with a nice wet mouthfeel and a generic flavor of citrus with a light spice, giving the beverage a clean, refreshing and slightly tart finish.

The body and flavor, being tart and crisp, reminded me more of one of my homemade apple ciders than any home brewed or commercial hefe or wit beer that I can recall drinking recently, and I suspect it’s due to the use of a lager yeast as opposed to an ale stain.

It is a good, decent beer, but not one I see myself drinking often due to a desire to have a stronger banana presence, and more balance in the citrus aspects of the style.

Prost!

Buffalo Butt by Rahr and Sons

Happy Labor Day weekend,

Today, as my wife and mother hit the craft store sales, I am enjoying the quiet of a Sunday afternoon with a beer. To kick off the month of September, and the beginning of a Texas beer-centric month for this blog, I have the amber lager Buffalo Butt from Fort Worth’s own Rahr and Sons Brewing Company.

Pouring the contents of the “longhorn” (as opposed to longneck) bottle into a pint glass, the reddish nut-brown beverage does not form any real head to mention, but the surface does slightly boil with bubbles of CO2.

An aroma of bread and yeast is prominent with slight malt undertones as I gear up for the first taste.

Taking the first sip of the lager there is a light to medium, dry body with warm caramel maltiness. On the backend of the mouthful an unpleasant sourness develops reminiscent of acrid lemon zest.

Combining the beverage’s mild and somewhat monotone flavor with the distasteful after flavor I am disappointed that this beer did not have more to offer, as my expectations were high based on the beers enjoyed at the Rahr and Sons brewery tour last week. I can only hope that this is the exception and not the rule.

Prost!

Monte Pascoal Cigars' Corona

When it comes to non-Cuban tobacco, I find that I overwhelmingly prefer cigars with blends of tobacco from Brazil.  I was quite excited when I fumbled upon Monte Pascoal Cigars, which produces Brazilian Puros.

After acquiring a few of the coronas, which measure 5 5/8 inches with a 42-ring gauge, I allowed them to rest a few days before clipping the first stick.

Appearing to be one of the best rolled cigars I’ve had in a while, the cap of the dark stogie came of easily and clean. Taking a pre-light draw, there was a nice light earthy essence that was sweet and had hints of cedar and cinnamon.

Putting flame to the foot, an initial flavor of sweet leather is prominent. Drawing through the nose a wonderful pepper flavor develops, and is somewhat reminiscent of Cuban tobacco.

An inch into the smoking experience the leather notes subside and wood notes begin to take hold. The spice notes start to turn as well at this point, bringing out a nice subtle sweetness.

Fischer sleeps as I enjoy
this cigar and hunt for a job.

By the midway point of the smoking experience a slight metallic undertone begins to develop as the woodiness drives on, and a resurgence of spiciness begins.

With the metallic taste abated, the final third of this wonderful puro ends with the same wood and leather notes that made the whole cigar a sublime treat, and will become a regular part of my cigar rotation.

Happy Smoking!

Sorry For The Typos #3

Hey readers,

Hope all is well with you all. Today marks the one-month mark since I uprooted my life from Atlanta and moved back to my childhood home in the Fort Worth/Dallas Metroplex. It has been a bit of a challenge regarding some personal matters that needed to be addressed, as well as dealing with the boredom and frustration that comes from being unemployed. Luckily, I have few wants that are not being met by the grace of God, my wife Haley, and my family. 

At most I could only wish for the privacy of being in my own residence, having my own stuff and a kitchen available for home brewing, and a little bit more cash to spend on beer and tobacco. Oh, and I could wish for the summer to end. This summer will be the hottest on record ever for North Texas, and it looks like we will have at least another month of 90-degree highs before signs of fall begin to show.

For the website, expect to see a larger focus on the craft beers of the Lone Star State. While I will likely continue to switch things up with reviews of beer from local and national breweries, the month of September will be heavy in the review of Texas brewed goodness. Currently I have 3 beers from the Real Ale Brewing Company, 4 or 5 Shiner varieties from the Spoetzl Brewery, and a seasonal bomber from Rahr and Sons chilling out in my fridge, ready to be reviewed, and that promises to be just the start.

Currently I am trying to generate enough revenue from the website to garnish a day trip to Austin at the end of September for the Texas Craft Beer Fest for a DD and myself. If you’re interested in hearing content from the festival, please donate a buck or two to the PayPal account linked in the sidebar, or buy something via the advertisers on the site.

Cigar reviews and other cigar content will likely begin to taper off in October, and be replaced by content about pipe tobacco, and likely result in more videos being uploaded on my YouTube channel.

As always please feel free to share your comments here, on twitter, or on the Facebook page for this blog. I want to know what does and does not work from your perspective.   

Thank you for continuing to read and respond to my thoughts on intoxicants and intoxication.

Whataburger's Green Chili Double

Good morning readers.

When I left for Atlanta in 2005, one thing I missed most from my home state was the fast food chain Whataburger, native to Texas, and available in only 6 other states. To make a long story short, since moving back to the Lone Star State I have had an abundance of this restaurant’s fare, and I am far from having my fill.

This morning, after reading a press release for their new menu option of the Green Chili Double, I decided I was not in the mood for typical breakfast fare, and in fact was craving a hamburger from this fine establishment. Furthermore, I would opt not to get my normal Double Double with jalapenos and bacon (which is also a wonderful breakfast item if the mood hits you) in lieu of the “limited time” offering.

When I got the burger home, it seemed less impressive and somewhat diminutive from what I was expecting. My wife pointed out that this burger was not adorned with toppings, and contained no other additions than the beef, cheese, and a pepper mélange as advertised.

Still a tad off put, I took my first bite into the burger, and was greeted with more flavor than the sandwich’s exterior would suggest.  The combination of the Monterey Jack cheese and roasted chilies added a wonderful creaminess to the base Whataburger flavor that I am used to and expect. The peppers also add a nice brightness and sharpness to the eating experience.

My only real criticism of the flavor is that it wasn’t quite spicy enough for me, but I was expecting that even before ordering the combo meal. I tend to like food that will bring me to tears, but this was a wonderfully full flavored burger without excessive heat. I am sure that if Whataburger were to add this to their regular menu, people like my wife would be ordering it regularly as it offers a great pepper flavor without the obtrusive heat signature.

On a final note, the perfect beverage pairing for this meal is not a rare wine selection or craft brewed beer, but Dr. Pepper. I can’t tell you why, but despite the fact I rarely drink it at any other time, this beverage and food pairing are not to be bested.

 When done please dispose of this blog post properly.