The Regulator Doppelbock by Rahr and Sons' Brewery

Hello good friends and readers, hope all has been moving along for your fine selves.

I have been plugging away with my usual routine of hunting the elusive job opportunity, doing general chores around the house, and praying at the alter of the Stanley Cup as the playoffs for the National Hockey League begin the second round. Its only a shame that no team I have any vested interest in made it into the playoffs to begin with in the first place.

Tonight, as my wife prepares dinner, I am enjoying a bottle of Rahr and Sons’ “The Regulator,” a dopplebock released as part of their “To Thee Series.”

Pouring the beer, it weighs in on the darker side of the style, with a more traditional dark brown shade, highlighted with ruby red edges. The beer’s crest topped with a light tan head, the beer is opaque in every sense of the word outside of carbonation climbing the inside of the pint glass.

As expected by the style, the nose is sweet and malty, complemented by light dough like accent.

Finally ready to enjoy, the feast of flavors augmented by a wonderful visual aspect and aroma, the first brush of malt on my palate brought elation to my tongue.  On the front-end lots of wonderful chocolate and honey notes define the beer’s malt offering, being sweet and full bodied. While no hop characteristics present themselves in the flavor of the beer, a nice balanced bitterness contrasts the opening volley of flavor on the backend, but the beverage still manages to leave a very warm, sweet finish. 

I am always impressed with the Rahr seasonal and limited time offerings, as they show the skills of the brewmaster’s craft in producing high quality beer. This is a must try for any drinker that craves a malt forward offering.  

Bucking Bock by Rahr and Sons

Hello fellow craft beer drinkers, I hope life has been treating you well this early Spring.

With Spring, Texans have the coming of blue bonnets, the state flower, Texas Rangers and Houston Astros baseball to cover for the lack of post season hockey from the Dallas Stars, and thanks to the continuing tradition from the German settlers that populated the Republic of Texas in this nations infancy, seasonal bock beer offerings are hitting the store shelves. Already on Intoxico I have reviewed the Saint Arnold Brewery’s offering, and today I have the offering from Fort Worth’s own Rahr and Sons in their Bucking Bock.

Tipping a bottle of the brew into one of the many pint glasses I’ve collected going to their brewery tours, the lager shows its light golden hue, which while in the acceptable range for modern bocks, is lighter than traditional interpretation.  Fully poured, the beverage exhibits a decent half finger of head, clear body, and moderate carbonation.

There are not any other breweries that I can recognize by the nose of their brews, but the boys and girls must do something to every batch of their regular production line that gives the beer a “Rahr smell.” This “Rahr smell” is full of bread and yeast notes that, in this beer underscore a malty, light caramel forward nose, with almost no detectible hop presence.

A deluge of very sweet, light caramel syrup flavor opens on the palate on the initial quaff, with a nice bitter backend that subsides to nil by the third sip. Once the tongue acclimates to an almost cloying beginning, the beer’s sugariness pulls back, and acts as a compliment to a very unique “grain” like flavor profile.

Along with a slight sourness that helps quiet the malt forwardness of the beer, a nice grassy aftertaste adds a dry and refreshing complexity to Bucking Bock.

Not being the biggest maltose head, this beer took me about four servings (not all at once) to really develop an enjoyment of the beverage’s offerings. As long as you can hold on to the reigns without being thrown off, any drinker should be able to tame this malt bomb.

Prosit!

Iron Thistle Scottish Ale by Rahr and Sons Brewing Co.

Well, today is March 2^nd, and on this day in 1836, the state of Texas officially broke it ties with Mexico, and in 2012, I broke my ties with my employer. Sparing all the boring details, I am glad to not have to walk back into that office, and now I just need to find a job that offers a decent salary, and a daily routine that saves me from dread and regret.

To celebrate these acts of liberation I have popped a couple caps off bottles of Rahr and Sons' Iron Thistle, a Scottish Style Ale in the tradition of a “wee heavy.”

Pouring out a nice mahogany hue, the beer forms a nice, light tan head that needs an aggressive pour to form a substantial head, and leaves a decent, yet somewhat unimpressive lacing on the pint glass.

Aromas mingling sweet, roasted, caramel essence greet the drinker with a nice, developed opening and is balanced by an underlying bitterness of coffee and hops. This essence is echoed in the flavors of this beer, adding slight chocolate and floral notes, filling out any holes in the profile of the beverage. As the beverage is consumed a nice warmth follows down the esophagus into the gullet.

As my wife articulated with wonderful brevity, “It's yummy!”

Happy drinking! Prost!

Ugly Pug by Rahr and Sons Brewing Co

 Right now, as I write this beer review, I am trying to decide whether I should continue to toil at my current job with, well, lets just say the bank of the northern hemisphere.

I work in their mortgage department, so my day consists of me telling people useful bits of information, teaching them about the documents they signed, answering questions they should have asked at closing, and taking their abuse. The job isn’t hard, once you get past the stupidity and verbal abuse, and I guess for some people can be happy in this type of life. Personally, I feel trapped in a routine that offers me no out regardless of how hard I run on my hamster wheel. Do I waste more time trying to find a place in this large, bureaucratic fish bowl? Do I toss the dice on finding a new place to take abuse from faceless customers and ineffective management? Or, do I try to find something outside of my area of expertise, my area of experience in this down economy?

This is why I used to drink to excess. I am now better about managing my alcohol intake, but that numbing alcohol helped me put blinders on, and drudge through my last customer service job for the better part of six years.

Well, enough with my therapy, it's time for tonight’s medication. The doctor has prescribed another bottle of craft beer, this time another selection from Rahr and Sons, their black lager, Ugly Pug.

This beer pours out a pretty, rich and dark, almost black, brown ale. The light tan head forms strong and fast, starting at a thick finger, but dissipates to a still impressive half finger's thickness. Lacing of the beer was nice, but not quite as impressive as the crown atop my beverage.

The aroma of the beverage is light, and has a breadiness that is familiar from my experience with the lagers from this brewery. Coupling the familiar nose, there is a malty sweetness and mild bitter fragrance.

With both a medium bodied flavor profile and mouth-feel, the beer exhibits a nice, toasted caramel and coffee flavor with a tasty, light floral hop essence on the backend.

The drinkability of this beer is wonderful, and a well suited alternative to macro pilsners and Shiner Bock that Texans serviced by this Fort Worth brewery might otherwise reach for when temperature starts heading north.

Prost!

Snowmageddon (2012) by Rahr and Sons' Brewery

Welcome back to Pope Crisco's Intoxico,

Today was a wonderful, uncomplicated day for myself as it was a day off from work without that awkward call to the boss to feign illness to cover a need for release from the hoards of the ignorant masses that failed to read the numerous documents outlined in their mortgage agreements.

This morning, in the comfort of my own home and pajamas, I submitted a few resumes, and then worked on modifying a few aspects of my blog that I thought would be for the better.

To top off what has so far been a very pleasurable day, I am enjoying a midday craft beer, Rahr and Sons' seasonal offering Snowmaggedon. This beer, part of the brewery's “to thee series,” is an American /double imperial stout that was brewed by the Ft. Worth institution in tribute to the collapse of their roof after an unusual snowstorm in February of 2010, and the people who helped in the recovery.

Pouring the beer into a fashionable Rahr and Sons' pint glass (you can get your own and a sampling of their fine beers at their brewery tours) a chocolate colored head forms atop a dark, black ale that lacks any translucence what-so-ever. The head starts off strong, but dissipates to a dimes width quickly. Despite the minimal head, lots of pretty, sticky lacing mark the glass as the brew is consumed.

Aromas of toffee with a slight, floral hoppiness come off the freshly poured beer.

The initial sip of beer is full of toffee and dark chocolate notes that develop into a warm, toasted coffee like flavor. On the back end of the palate a raspberry sensation mingles with a slight alcohol hotness, that is not altogether unexpected due to the ale's 10% ABV.

Snowmageddon is a good, decent beer, but does not excite this drinker as much as the other big beers offered by this brewery.

Before leaving, please look at the new outlay of this blog, and let me know if it’s an improvement or not, and why. I appreciate your time, and input.

Prost!

Ass Kisser Double IPA by Ass Kisser Ale

Well, after a busy week at work, Friday is finally here. Looking forward to a weekend full of Rahr and Sons’ beer, tomorrow being the anniversary of their roof collapse during a freak snowstorm in 2010. They will be having festivities, including a run for people without the common sense to drive cars, and their brewery tour, which is one of the best ways to spend a weekend afternoon in Cowtown with the missus. 

Partly to celebrate the coming of the weekend, and partly to get this done before I am ravaged by a cold that is knocking at my door, I am popping the top off of an Ass Kisser Double IPA by Ass Kisser Ales (although brewed under contract by Rahr And Sons’ of Fort Worth, TX.)

Pouring the bomber into an imperial pint glass, the beer settles and reveals a dark orange hued beverage that is as cloudy as it is full of agitated, tiny bubbles of carbonation.    A wonderfully frothy, off-white head is formed, and as the beer goes down my gullet, stays true, and creates a well-defined striation of lacing on the sides of its vessel.

The nose of this libation is full of spicy hop notes, backed up by a warm, yeast, or biscuit like aroma.

As the first sip of this fermentable mingles with my taste buds and my moustache, nice, pointed floral hop bitterness is enjoyed. As the tartness subsides, a nice caramel malt backend gives the beer a pleasant grapefruit and tangerine body. This flavor is wrapped in a velvet mouthfeel that dries out as it’s consumed.

Tomorrow, barring a freak internet outage I should be uploading a review of Rahr and Sons’ 2012 Snowmageddon. Until then, keep drinking!

Prost!

Four Fantastic Things #5: Four wonderful Texas beers (2011)

Hello,

I hope that 2011 was a good year for everyone. For myself, it brought a lot of changes, including some for the better, and others not so much.

In celebration of change, and of my home state, I felt it would be interesting to look back at the new and unique beers that my relocation offered over the past year, and list some of my favorite Lone Star brews (which ironically does not include any beer from Lone Star Brewery).

For those unfamiliar with this series of posts, this is not a “best of,” but just a list of recommended consumables, and is not arranged in a particular order relative to my opinion of quality.

#1 Sailing Santa by Saint Arnold’s Brewery (Houston, TX)

This seasonal bomber from the “first Texas craft brewer” is probably a bit difficult, if not all together impossible, to obtain as I write this review in early February. Combining their also delicious Elisa IPA with their regular Christmas seasonal offering, St. Arnold has created a wonderful example of a complex hoppy beer without overpowering the beverage with hop bitterness.

I thought that I had previously reviewed this beer formally, but it appears I was mistaken. Perhaps, with a little luck, I will be able to get another bomber as 2012 comes to a close.

#2 (512) India Pale Ale (Austin, TX)

This was one of the first beers, upon my return to Texas, to really get me excited about the Texas Craft and Micro beer scene. First sampled at the Ft. Worth Gingerman, the beer is a wonder mélange of citrus hops with a nice, warm malt backend. Exhibiting a strong grapefruit body, it was love at first sip, and depressing to know I can’t find this in bottles as of yet.

#3 Pecker Wrecker by Rahr and Sons Brewery (Ft Worth, TX)

Although I feel that Rahr and Sons’ normal production line, while still quality beer, is not the most impressive to come out of the state, their big beers have been nothing but absolutely wonderful. Usually I bemoan spending 9 bucks on 22 ounces of beer, however Rahr’s offerings have always been worth the extra cost, and are examples of what joy and wonder can be created with excellent know how and quality ingredients.  Pecker Wrecker, an imperial pilsner, has been my favorite of these commitments to fine brewing.

You can read the full review of this hop forward beer here. 

#4 Real Ale Brewing Company’s Coffee Porter (Blanco, TX)

Diverging from the hop-forward beers of the previous three recommendations in this list, Real Ale Brewing Company’s collaborative effort with Katz Coffee Roasters produces a wonderfully complex and full bodied explosion of chocolate malts, coffee, and slight floral hop flavors on the palate.

This is another beer which, while I loved the hell out of it like the above-mentioned Sailing Santa, was consumed during a time that I was neck deep in a wading pool of my own self-doubt and loathing. Expect to see this beer reviewed in greater depth later in 2012. 

Bourbon Barrel Aged Winter Warmer by Rahr and Sons Brewing

Among the things I’ve asked Santa for, there is a tin Rahr and Sons sign that I've had my eye on, but alas, my wife will not let me spend money on making her space look like a bar. The only good thing that this restriction has created is offering more money to spend on the wonderful beers this company produces. While I have not always been so kind to some of their normal production line, this company produces some of the most exceptional one offs and seasonal brews this drinker has experienced.

The newest, and perhaps my favorite of these beers I’ve experienced and loved from first sip is their recently released Bourbon Barrel Aged Winter Warmer Dark Winter Ale.

While I liked the chocolate notes that predominated the non-aged varietal, the addition of the bourbon flavors from the aging process has given the beer a range of complexity that eclipses the regular production Winter Warmer. The richness and spiciness of the bourbon accentuates the sweet cocoa aspect of the beer, making consumption a very decadent experience.

I am a bit frugal, so it takes a fair amount of internal debate for me to drop 8-9 bucks on a bomber, but the consistency and quality of Rahr and Sons special brews make it easy for me to outlay the cash.

If there was a beer that saved Christmas, this would be my contender to one up the Snow Miser.

Prost!

Winter Warmer by Rahr and Sons Brewing Co

Howdy folks, I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season thus far. Christmas day is a week away, presents have been bought and wrapped, and now it’s time for the part of the holidays that I enjoy the most: inebriation. 

To begin the much needed greasing of the holiday spirit, I made a trip to Central Market, a kind of epicurean grocery market that offers some of the best variety of craft beers in the Texas market. There I picked out a few tasty beverages, including a six-pack of Rahr and Sons’ Winter Warmer, and a bomber of the same brew that has been aged in bourbon barrels.

Tonight I have selected the 12-ounce offering, and will likely compare it to the premium variation tomorrow evening.

Pouring out the contents of the bottle with an aggressive tilt, the beer settles without generating much of a head. What does form is less than a dimes thickness, and is a nice tan color.

An aroma of deep chocolate and cinnamon speaks volumes, generously suggesting the malt bomb that is about to hit the drinker’s lips. With a syrupy and velvety mouthfeel, the very pronounced flavor of cocoa indulges the taste buds. Rounding out the malt forward front end of the beverage, a nice warm, slight coffee flavor and medium full bitterness give complexity and round out a wonderful winter seasonal craft beer.

Any hard working elf would be happy to find this in their pint glass at the end of a day in drudgery under the oversight of St. Nick.

Prost! 

Texas Red Amber Lager by Rahr and Sons

Hello boys and girls.

Sorry for the prolonged hiatus from reviewing intoxicants, but given the schedule I have been carrying since October, the distraction of hockey and life, and a funk that has had a hold of me for the past several months, addressing the website has been put on the backburners. Consider this post the application of the pot on the mid range.  Down the pipe we have a few winter beers, and maybe the start of some whiskey reviews.

For the time being, seeing as I have my first Saturday in a while without the wife in tow, I have decided to take the free time to enjoy a beer or two, starting with Rahr and Sons’ Texas Red Amber Lager.

The beer pours out a nice, rich amber hue, and forms a quite impressive and hearty off white head. Despite an almost erotic beginning, the crown dies from about the width of a finger to that of a dime.

I am not sure why this is, but the regular production line from this brewery always has an odor that I would describe as wet or green grain, and this amber beer is no exception. In addition to this Rahr calling card, there is a nice malt forward nose, greeted and balance with a slight hop backend. 

As to be expected by the nose, the malt profile of the beer is upfront on the palate, but is followed by a sourness and bitterness that is not a favorite of this beer drinker. By about midway through the beer, this tang does subside to reveal a middle of the road amber beer that displays some decent caramel and cinnamon notes, but fails to hit the mark of the great or exceptional beer that this brewery produces in a number of seasonal and bomber offerings.

In short, while I believe in the products that this brewery releases, this offering feels forced onto the shelves next to much better representations of the brown and amber ale/lager style. 

Rahr and Sons Visionary Ale

I hope everyone had an excellent weekend, or at least a better weekend than myself. While moving to Texas has been full of very stressful and tiring ordeals and struggles, the benefit of being closer to my brother and sister-in-law has been a welcoming refuge from my woes.

As well as being like-minded in subjects of relationships with other family members, and life in general, they both enjoy the pursuit of good food and beer. This literal and figurative thirst often results in a trip to Central Market in Fort Worth.

Alongside a mind-boggling selection of epicurean foods and wines, Central Market has consistently been more expansive in their selection of craft beer than any liquor store I have yet to visit in the state. On one of our weekly trips I recently picked up another bomber from Rahr and Sons, “Visionary Ale”, expecting good things from prior experiences with this local brewery.

Pouring the contents out, a nice, rich and dark brown ale forms a thick, tan head that dissipates to about a dime’s width after a minute or two, but retains a nice cloud like appearance.

The aroma coming off the freshly dispensed beer is malt forward, being sweet and perfumed with a hint of chocolate. 

Like the nose, the tongue is treated with a blend of warm malt flavors. A nice nutty body that is exceptional on its own is given addition depth and complexity by the presence of a medium bodied chocolate essence. On the backend of the drinking experience slight coffee notes and subsequent coffee like bitterness keeps the beverage interesting throughout the 20 ounces of craft brewed goodness.

This beer is a combination of wonderful flavors in a medium-bodied package with a light and refreshing mouthfeel, and continues to earn the respect that this young brewery has developed in its regular production, and especially in its bombers/seasonal/special offerings. 

Oktoberfest by Rahr and Sons

Well, yesterday was the official beginning of Oktoberfest in Munich, so today Intoxico will begin its official recognition of Tex-toberfest. 

Tex-toberfest celebrates Texas brewed Oktoberfest beers offered by Texas Breweries in recognition of Bavaria’s Oktoberfest, and also reflects the Germanic immigrants that made up a substantial part of the population of this territory before it was a part of the United States.

To begin this made up observation, Intoxico is proud to review Rahr and Sons Oktoberfest.

Already having tipped a few of these longnecks back last Sunday with my brother, I was really looking forward to this post. Atypical with the experience I had previously with this beer, this pour failed to generate the aggressive head that I was expecting.

Head formation aside, the beer poured a wonderfully rich amber color, exhibiting a ton of carbonation in the form of bubbles, and a slightly cloudy body.

Greeted by an aroma of syrupy, caramel malts, and a slight citrus backend, the flavor sings the joys of maltose goodness. Being the malt-hydrogen bomb that this beer is, the tongue is bathed in a slightly viscous, sugary coating of bright caramel flavor on the front end. As the barrage of sweetness sweeps over the palate no bitterness is generated, but a warm toasted caramel tang rounds out and gives the beer a wonderful depth.

While I wouldn’t call this beer very complex, it is a very good, strait forward example of why malt flavors shouldn’t be seen only as a base for other flavorings. In an industry that is leaning more and more towards hop forward beers, Rahr and Sons Brewing has crafted an American beer that celebrates rich malted grain over the more commonly lauded botanicals. 

Prost! 

Pecker Wrecker by Rahr and Sons

Howdy,

I hope everyone had an eventful week. For myself, it was longer than most have been recently. I had a few phone interviews, began learning XHTML and CSS to develop a new website, and started trying to get my graphic design “hat” back on after spending my youth gearing up for a degree in the arts and promptly allowing those skills to hibernate after graduation.

To top off the end of the long week, I am enjoying a bomber of Rahr and Sons Pecker Wrecker, marketed as a limited release Imperial Pilsner. 

When poured into my fashionable Rahr and Sons pint glass, obtained at a recent brewery tour, the beer was slow to form a head, but developed a nice finger’s width crown. The beverage beneath was a light copper color, and slightly cloudy.

Expecting something more hop forward, the nose was surprisingly malty, typical of the other Rahr beers I’ve had, with a bready aroma and only slight citrus notes.

The flavor of the beer was perhaps one of the most well crafted and balanced beers I have had to date as a beer drinker. While I was anticipating a hop bomb, the malt sweetness really carried this beer, offering an excellent balance to first grapefruit and then tangerine like hop flavor.  Through the skill of the brewmaster, full hop flavor is delivered with a medium bitterness, offering a truly wonderful drinking experience.

I believe that any Texan who seeks to enjoy the fruits of local craft brewed beer would be at a loss not to have a sample of this pilsner. The combination of a nice, wet mouthfeel, sexy lacing on the pint glass, and full, yet poised flavor is easy for me to recommend. 

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!

Rahr and Sons Brewery Tour

Happy Sunday morning you wonderful people!

Hope everyone is making the most of their weekend as August comes to a close. This weekend I found myself at the Rahr and Sons Brewery for their weekly exhibition of fine beer and brewery.

For a 7-dollar donation to an always-changing charity, visitors get a branded pint glass, three tickets for beer, and a live band.  Not a bad deal at all.

As far as “brewery tours” go, unless you’re visiting a Miller, InBev, or Coors set up, it will generally be a very informal event. The purpose of the tour is really to market and connect with your customers, and small craft breweries, such as Rahr and Sons, exceed the macrobrewers in that regards.  Being so small in scope they can create a niche for themselves in a local market, and foster a true relationship with their drinkers.

Rahr and Sons brewery tour does this in a number of ways. True to any brewery worth its salt, they had high quality, cold beer. To foster a communal atmosphere they put down large picnic tables, brought in GOOD music to attract as large a crowd as possible in their limited space, and didn’t really bother worrying about a lack of air conditioning, despite the heat generated by the Texas sun and large gathering of beer drinkers. Texans understand heat and will not let it get in their way of a good time. Get us together in mixed company of other Texans, and few will complain about the heat. (Any individual who does is likely to end up tarred and feathered for the suspicion of being a Yankee.)

The beers on tap (which I was largely unfamiliar with) and some informal tasting notes are as followed (more formal reviews will come at a later date):

Typically I prefer brunettes,
but this blonde was great company.

Rahr’s Blond: A Munich Helles, light in body with a light, crisp maltiness and wet mouthfeel was the most refreshing in the heat of the day. This is a beer to be enjoyed poolside. Of course, my Cajun wife pointed out what a great pairing this would be with boiled crawfish, a marked improvement over her family's stock choice of light macro lagers. 

Texas Red: An Amber Ale, medium bodied, and with well balanced malts and hops that make this a wonderful, versatile beer to be enjoyed in most situations. Caramel flavors are the most predominant with just enough hops to keep it interesting.

I don't see anything ugly about this Ugly Pug.

Ugly Pug: A black lager with full-bodied flavor and more of a medium full mouthfeel than a typical stout, which brings strong coffee flavor and bitterness in a refreshing package.

This doofus is drinking Stormcloud IPA

Stormcloud IPA: The only ale at the tasting, and the only Rahr and Sons' offering I have previously had  surprisingly had more depth and was less sharp with bitterness than I had noted with my experience with the bottled version.

Also, to note the specifics of this “tour,” the band who provided the afternoon’s entertainment was Shinyribs, fronted by former front man of Austin's The Gourds', Kevin Russell. As well as their own alt country fare, they included a cover of T-Pain’s “Buy U a Drank” that was reminiscent of Russell's wildly popular cover of Snoop Dogg's "Gin and Juice" (linked below!)

Bonus, my dainty wife found this nugget of joy, Shinyribs performing "Buy U a Drank."

After having an awesome post lunch beer or three, my “crew” made it back to the house for more craft beer and some tequila to round out a perfectly wasted Saturday.

Prost!