This post is about the exceptions to the #DrinkNow rule. First things first: If you don’t know the basics for aging beer, go check out this interview with Adam Avery (yes, that Avery). It covers all the most important points, and will serve as a great launching pad.

The post #DrinkNow: the exceptions to the rule first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post #DrinkNow: the exceptions to the rule appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

Photo by Andy Bouffard

I guess third time’s a charm: after being plagued by weather problems the past two years, 2015’s Untapped Festival was a perfectly sunny sweat-drencher. The weather wasn’t the only thing Untapped got right this year: from beer selection to musical talent, this year’s line-up did Houston proud.

I got there a little later than I wanted to due to events out of my control, so I missed out on a couple rare and limited-quantity tappings (looking at you, Jester King Fen Tao and Firestone Walker Helldorado), but I got to try almost everything else on my “must-hit” list.  

First up, Jester King La Vie en Rose. Made with raspberries previously tasked to make their much-beloved Atrial Rubicite, La Vie en Rose is dry and, predictably, less fruity than Atrial Rubicite. To me, that’s not a bad thing. Don’t get me wrong, I like Atrial Rubicite, but I’ve never been a fangirl. (I’m more of a Noble King kind of gal.) La Vie en Rose is vinous; add that to the dryness and subtle raspberry, and it tastes almost like a slightly sour rosé.

At the Saint Arnold tent I skipped some of the rare tappings as I’ve tried most of them before, but somehow I’d missed Divine Reserve 15 (Russian Imperial Stout), which was lovely: boozy, creamy, chocolately and pruny. I also finally tried the new Art Car IPA which had a floral nose and a crisp, fruity body with a bitter finish. I have to say I like it better than Elissa.

Too late to the party, I missed out on Pussy Wagon, but I got try Brash’s Cali Green. I’ve heard a few people criticize it for being too bitter, but I think its bitterness is well balanced with citrus and incredibly drinkable. In fact, excuse me while I go get a growler fill.

Photo by Andy Bouffard

Freetail’s Oktoberfiesta, an Oktoberfest bier fermented with Belgian yeast, surprised me: clean, slightly fruity with a hint of bitterness and a caramel finish. That may not sound like it works, but it does.

I am an equal-opportunity beer-lover. I really do like most styles, and even if I don’t, I will always try them at least once. I’ve never been a fan of smoked beers, but I like to push myself outside my comfort zone. Based on recommendation and my admiration for their venerable Hefeweizen, I decided to give Live Oak’s Grodziskie and Helles Rauchlager a try. I was pleasantly surprised.

Grodiziskie is an almost-extinct Polish style made from oak-smoked wheat. More earthy than smoky, and slightly lemony, the grodiziskie is a nice alternative to a hefeweizen that would taste great with barbecue. The Helles Rauchlager is made with beechwood-smoked barley like a rauchbier, but pale like a helles lager. It is dry and aggressively smoky, but the clean noble hops shone through and created a very refreshing, summery brew. With all the single-hop beers out right now, it was a nice change of pace to try some styles that are, as Jason from Live Oak said, “more like an orchestra than a solo.”

Moving onto beers from outside of Texas, SanTan Moon Juice, a wheat IPA with a beautifully floral and citrus nose, impressed with a nice balance of fruity and bitter, as did Founders Porter with its creamy mouthfeel, notes of coffee and chocolate, and lightly smoky finish.

I always go for favorites when I can get them on draft, so I was delighted to get some pours of Lagunitas Maximus, Victory Golden Monkey, Real Ale Devil’s Backbone, and one of my new favorites, Boulevard The Calling.

Of course, as with all festivals there are always too many beers and too little time. I missed out on several brews I wanted to try, such as 8th Wonder Mission Control and Premium Goods, Ballast Point Indra Kunindra and Even Keel, and Independence Red Bud. But, there’s always next year.

Photo by Andy Bouffard

I go to a lot of festivals. Too often you have to choose between drinking great beer and listening to crappy music or listening to great music and drinking crappy beer. What I like about Untapped is that the good folks who organize it had the bright idea to make it a no-compromise situation for people like me who appreciate both beer and music. As with the past two years (thank you Suffers and Tontons), I found a new-to-me band to add to my list of local favorites — New York City Queens, who remind me of the Dum Dum Girls with the addition of, well, guys.

Sarah Jaffe surprised me; having only heard “Clementine” and a couple of her earlier ballads, I expected a folky set and instead got a guitar-driven alt rock show. I was casually interested in her music before, but after witnessing her guitar skills and falling in love with her emotionally vulnerable songs, I am now an official fan.

I have long liked Cold War Kids, and their set had moments of glory. Nathan Willett’s voice was strong throughout, but the band’s enthusiasm lagged at times. Standouts included “We Used to Vacation,” “Drive Desperate,” “I’ve Seen Enough,” and their most well-known song, “Hang Me Up to Dry.”

New this year to Untapped Houston was the addition of the Saint Arnold Game Garden tent. While I’m not a gamer, I thought it was a great idea for geeks to have another way to enjoy themselves and stay out of the heat.

Finally, food. Festival food is often salty, fried or overcooked. Fortunately, the Untapped organizers promote the farm-to-table movement. Enter Underbelly to the rescue with the best festival burger I’ve ever had. Kind had a tent for gluten-free festival goers, with interesting new savory bar flavors. I particularly enjoyed the Sweet Thai Chili, Honey Smoked BBQ and Honey Mustard offerings.

Kudos to Untapped for getting all the festival elements right. I’m already looking forward to next year’s fest.

The post Untapped Festival 2015 – All the beer. All the music. All the sweat. first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Untapped Festival 2015 – All the beer. All the music. All the sweat. appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

So it’s a well-attested phenomenon, this seeming disdain for the uninitiated, and while there is a wide spectrum of attitudes that can be unleashed on the neophytes – from guile to guidance – I don’t think these analog retailers in a digital age are actually mean-spirited at bottom. They just have a genuine love of music and have a visceral, emotive response to the particular combination of chords emanating from the stereo, especially that of a vinyl album on a turntable. They want to share that experience, and just might get a little over-exuberant at the opportunity to impart the ever-branching tendrils of influence and heritage in a particular piece of music. It’s not too far from analogous to the current craft beer scene in America, where longtime beer nerds get annoyed with the whale-hunters (Orwell’s first edition snobs) who just want to check that Jester King or Cigar City or 3 Floyds off the list, or, worse, just trade it for some other rare beer instead of simply appreciating it. Perhaps a noble endeavor, that, but these same aficionados can risk turning off the greenhorns by turning up their noses when asked for a Miller, or mocking instead of suggesting alternatives.

April 18 marks the 8th official Record Store Day, celebrating the unique culture of the independently-owned record store, its staff, customers, and the artists who make it all possible. It’s really not far off from a city or state’s Craft Beer Week, extolling the hard-working local breweries and ensuring their continued existence. Hundreds of stores around the world have special music releases and performances, like Houston’s own Cactus Music on Portsmouth, near the Shepherd/Richmond intersection, opening early for the festivities. To that end, I herewith present a list of craft beers to toast your local record store for the occasion.

1. North Coast – Brother Thelonious

First and foremost, you gotta start with some American classics, and what better genre to do that with than Jazz. North Coast’s Brother Thelonious is brewed in partnership with the legendary jazz pianist’s music institute, so you can drink a delicious Belgian Strong Dark Ale and know you’re doing some good at the same time – though I’m not sure you can claim a 9.4% ABV beer as a charitable tax deduction. It pours a luscious ruby color and features that characteristic Belgian biscuity maltiness that’s almost nourishing, without an overwhelming hop bitterness.

2. Dogfish Head – Bitches Brew

Sticking with Jazz, Dogfish Head brewed this Imperial Stout in 2010 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Miles Davis’ landmark album of the same name. It’s part stout and part honey ale with a nod to Davis’ groundbreaking fusion, and has launched an entire Music Series at DFH, yielding other brews such as Pearl Jam’s 20th anniversary Faithfull Ale – to the point that Dogfish Head has been named the official brewery of Record Store Day. Bitches Brew is a limited release 9.0% ABV stout that pairs perfectly with curry or vinyl.

3. Odell – Tree Shaker

This Double Peach IPA from Fort Collins, Colorado, isn’t as overt a musical reference as the first two, but as soon as I say, “I really love your peaches, wanna…” you’ll fill in the rest and now you’ve got Steve Miller in your head for the rest of the day. Odell’s only been distributing in Texas for about a year now, but they’ve come on strong with a huge lineup on retailers’ shelves. Tree Shaker is a touch lower in ABV than the jazz beers above at 8% but a bit higher in IBU at 48 – to be expected from a Double IPA. The natural citrus fruitiness of the hops plays well with the peaches, and that’s no Joker.

4. Boulevard – Long Strange Tripel

Though they don’t come right out and say it – instead coyly noting on their website their “grateful” appreciation of a certain employee’s “dedication” – it doesn’t take much expanding of the mind to catch Boulevard’s reference to the Grateful Dead and their “Best Of” compilation, What A Long Strange Trip It’s Been. As the name implies, it’s a Belgian Tripel, clocking in at 9.2% ABV, with a noticeably sweeter malt flavor and lighter golden hue than North Coast’s Belgian above.

5. Karbach – Sympathy for the Lager

The name of this brew from Houston’s Karbach Brewery has something to do with why it’s the only lager on this list. Few craft breweries make many lagers, at least right out of the gate, because lagers take longer to ferment and condition than ales do, thereby tying up valuable real estate in the brewery. But another reason is that lagers have become the most widely consumed beer style in the world, taken up by all of the largest conglomerates and bastardized with adjuncts like corn and rice to achieve as light a body as cheaply as possible. The track Sympathy for the Devil – from the Rolling Stones’ 1968 album Beggars Banquet – recounts all the historical atrocities carried out in the devil’s name from his own point of view. Karbach sought to rehabilitate the lager’s image by taking the style back from the big breweries and brewing it the way it’s supposed to be brewed, showing that it’s been unfairly treated and is a perfectly cromulent style. An easy-drinking 4.9% ABV, it’s got a richer color and fuller body than your typical lager, given its all grain malt bill. The folks over at Karbach have even penned an alternate version of the Rolling Stones tune in homage to the worthy, though sullied, reputation of the style.

Get out there and support your local record stores on Saturday, and support the independent craft breweries while you’re at it. Evangelize your favorite albums and choice beers, but don’t turn into that insufferable pedant who rolls their eyes at anyone who may just be starting out on their musical – or fermentable – journey of discovery.

The post Rye Fidelity first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Rye Fidelity appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.