Saloon Door’s Brewster Cogburn Imperial Vanilla Cream – A bit cocky but delicious
Sylvia Benavidez
We are kicking off Houston Beer Month with one of our favorite beers, Brewster Cogburn, a vanilla imperial cream ale from our friends at Saloon Door Brewing in Webster TX. If you couldn’t tell before, Saloon Door has a thing for American Westerns and this beer reminds us of a tale in true western attitude and culture. With beer names like Doc Hoppiday IPA and Say When Double IPA, Saloon Door has started an ongoing trend with a few of their beer names keeping with this oldie but goodies!
Familiar with story of Deputy Marshal Rooster Cogburn? If you have seen the movie True Grit (1969), you most likely remember John Wayne’s notable performance of this fictional character. Rooster is overweight, hard-drinking, trigger-happy lawman that was recruited by lead character Mattie, who convinces him that he has “grit” and reputation that makes him best suited for the job to find her father’s killer. Featured on the label of this 12oz can is “Brewster”, a charming rooster with iconic eye patch and shiny badge.
The beer itself pours a golden orange with frothy white head that sticks to glassware. Immediately, the aroma of fresh baked vanilla cookies hits the air upon opening and the sweet malt character dominates the flavor with each sip. This beer finishes clean and refreshing with a subtle honey touch and could make an excellent brunch beer choice or after dinner treat for dessert.
I visited with Jason Graham, one of the owners of Saloon Door and turns out this beer is an original favorite of the brew house and one they just recently started to can for distribution. With nitro cans coming soon (more on that later in the month) and new taproom offerings each week, they are ramping up on exactly what they set out to do: Always have a beer for everyone. While Brewster has that nice vanilla touch, the beer profile of a cream ale is still approachable to new craft beer drinkers and Saloon Door didn’t miss the mark on that fact. The high ABV % on this beer brings down the sweetness profile on vanilla, leaving behind an enjoyable beer without the fuss of overpowering sting of being too sweet. With its light body I can see why more and more drinkers are flocking to Saloon Door beer. After all, if you are gonna play the role of craft beer drinker, why not have something that offers a bit more punch? Catty Corner, the classic cream ale is still a crowd favorite at the brewery and usually available on tap for your less adventurous days!
Overall, great beer from a great Houston brewery and can’t wait to see more beer experiments from Saloon Door! Take a trip to the NASA area and visit the taproom – let them know Sylvia sent you to try out the cream ale on nitro if you get a chance! You wont regret it!
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