If you’ve read any of my articles or ever had a conversation with me about beer you’ll know that I’m all about that stout life. When I heard Excalibur Brewing in Old Town Spring announced the 2nd annual Stout Fest 2024, you know I had to get the inside scoop. Stout Fest 2024 will be held at Excalibur Brewing on Saturday January 27th, where 11 breweries including Excalibur will be showcasing their finest stouts. This ticketed event will let you taste beer from several breweries in one location. With your general admission entry, you will receive a 4 oz taster glass and 8 taster tickets starting at noon for only $45. VIP ticket admission allows you to enter a hour early to enjoy unlimited samplings of the stouts and an additional taster tickets and access to refreshments – all for $80. You can buy additional tickets at the bar if you want a bit extra to enjoy. If you do not purchase a ticket, you will not be able to enter the brewery or order beer until 6PM as it will be closed exclusively for Stout Fest ticket holders only. Treat this like a private stout party with all our closest darkest friends. I am looking forward to this year’s Arthur’s Tomb variant. Peanut butter variant was a big hit before, and Red Velvet is currently on tap – I wonder what it will be this year?

The breweries in attendance for this year’s Stout Fest are Equal Parts, DECA, Location Six, Brew: 30, Misfit Outpost, Frankenboltzzz, Brash, Devil and the Deep, Megaton, and Turkey Forrest Brewing. The way Stout Fest works is each brewery will offer two different stouts for you to sample, so that’s over 20 samples of stouts available to you! With this stacked line up of breweries, there is no wrong decision on which you pick!

I was able to enjoy the collaboration beer designed between Excalibur and Frankenboltzzz while I visited. This golden stout aged with tres leches cake had a well balanced sweetness with soft coffee tones – very tasty! Each brewery will also have merchandise on site so you can show your support for them by purchasing shirts, stickers and hats. 

Purchase your tickets for Stout Fest at: https://excaliburbrewing.com/stout-fest-2024-ticket-sales/ 

With only two weeks until the event, you better hurry because the tickets are flying fast. There is plenty of seating available however if you would like to bring your lawn chairs to create your own camp, you’re more than welcome to. Parking is not a challenge either – there is a lot that is available on the corner of Border and Prairie, but since there are plenty of stouts to go around, we recommend ride sharing. Designated driver tickets are also available for $20 for individuals who want to attend but will not be drinking. Please have fun but be responsible.

No beer festival is complete without live music.

To keep you entertained Excalibur Brewing will host Mississippi Smile, Tab Cocchia, and Background Noise HTX.

Galexy Concessions just opened up next door to Excalibur so you can walk over and get a bite to eat or enjoy additional food vendors on site. Rustic Barrel will be on site selling BBQ, and Maine Lobster will be serving up their famous lobster dishes.

I am looking forward to celebrating local made stouts at this event. Bring a friend or make a date out of it. Other Houston Beer contributors will be available during the event to chat about all the way you can help support local craft beer too. See you there!

The post Stout Fest 2024 at Excalibur Brewing in Old Town Spring first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Stout Fest 2024 at Excalibur Brewing in Old Town Spring appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

Check out Jackie’s first pour of Drye Tears, a 16.9% rye barrel aged imperial stout from 11 Below Brewing Company

Visit the taproom for this limited time release, starting Saturday 9/2/2023

11 Below Brewing Company – 6820 Bourgeois Rd, Houston, TX 77066

Steve Fraga Photography

The post First Pour – Drye Tears / 11 Below Brewing Company first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post First Pour – Drye Tears / 11 Below Brewing Company appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

One thing that has continued to impress me is the diversity and creativity of stout styles that the HOU craft scene has been putting out in recent years. We are lucky to have stouts to fit anyone’s preferences. We have boozy Russian Imperial Stouts, sweet and creamy Milk Stouts, and even a few roasty Oatmeal stouts.

The following is just a small sample of the stout releases from the Greater Houston area, each unique and delicious in its own way. I would have loved to review more beers, but there are only so many high ABV beers I can drink and review and still retain my day job. In no particular order, here are the reviews from 11 Below Brewing, Local Group Brewing, & Southern Star Brewing.

11 Below Brewing- Positive Space & Coconut Space

Both beers are variants of the base beer, Negative Space. Since the base style Negative Space is known as a Sweet Stout, I will be judging each of these beers based on that style with allowances for the addition of fruits and spices.

Positive Space is a variant of Negative Space with added Chili, Cacao Nibs, and Vanilla Beans.

Aroma– The first big sniff of this beer is predominantly big and roasty malt. Right underneath that big malt aroma is some dark chocolate bitterness in there as well as a slight stone fruit ester that is reminiscent of plum or prune. There is no apparent hop aroma, and the only perceptible bitterness that comes through in the aroma comes from the dark chocolate bitterness of the cocoa nibs.

Appearance– Positive Space it is the color of dark chocolate and is opaque, meaning no light will shine through. When poured there is a creamy tan head that dissipates quickly leaving a ring of creamy tan foam at the top of the glass.

Flavor– The flavor is where this beer really shines. When sipping the beer, the first taste that hits your tongue is a roasty dark malt flavor with bitter dark chocolate and coffee notes. The chili in this beer lends little flavor to the beer but does add a hint of smokiness without any heat. As the beer warms the fruit flavor becomes more noticeable and is a plum/prune flavor that is like what was found in the aroma. There is no hop flavor here, but it is worth noting that even being quite a sweet beer it is still rather balanced which means the hops do lend bitterness and balance to the beer.

Mouthfeel– Positive Space has a medium body and tastes quite creamy, with a low level of carbonation. Positive Space coats the tongue with the sweetness without feeling oily, and there is an ever so slight tingle at the back of the throat that comes from the chilis. The added lactose in this beer adds extra creaminess.

Overall Impressions– Overall, this beer is an excellent example of a milk stout. The added lactose really makes this beer much creamier than its base beer, Negative Space. The cacao nibs add a level of bitterness that is not only tasty but helps to balance the sweetness that can sometimes be overbearing in some milk stouts. I wish that the chili contributed more flavor to the beer, but overall a fantastic and incredibly enjoyable beer to drink.

Coconut Space. This beer is simply Negative Space with the addition of shredded coconut.

Aroma– Boy is the coconut strong with this one! You can tell there must be a lot of coconut in this beer to come off stronger than the roasted malt. The coconut aroma is certainly more reminiscent of the fresh white flesh of the coconut, rather than toasted coconut. After the first hit of coconut there is the expected roasted coffee and bitter chocolate malt aromas. As the beer warms, the chocolate flavor becomes more pronounced. There are no hop aromas detected, and there are hints of dark stone fruit esters.

Appearance– In comparison with the Positive Space, this beer is slightly lighter in color with more of a mocha brown hue. Though dark, this beer is not completely opaque with slight ruby undertones when looked at through the light. When poured the head is a creamy caramel color and dissipates quickly with large bubbles. As with Positive Space, as the head dissipates a ring of foam encircles the top of the glass.

Flavor– With the first sip, roasted malt and chocolate come through first, followed by strong fresh coconut flavor. There is no hop flavor, but again this beer is well balanced by not being sickly sweet, so the hops are certainly there. Slight stone fruit flavor as the beer warms. My only critique is that there is a bit of a vegetal finish with this beer, which reminded me a bit of cooked green beans.

Mouthfeel– The body on this beer is medium low, which is a little low for this style. The creaminess here is perceptibly lower than Positive Space, presumably since Positive Space had the addition of lactose. There is a slickness on the tongue that might come from the oils in the coconut.

Overall Impressions– Overall this is a solid variant of Negative Space, and it certainly delivers the coconut promised in its name. Other than the slightly off-putting vegetal aftertaste, this is a solid beer.

Local Group Brewing- Gravity Dancer

Gravity Dancer from Local Group Brewing is an Oatmeal Stout with no additional adjuncts added.

Aroma– As expected, there is a medium amount of roasted malt flavor with bittersweet chocolate (like baking chocolate) and just a smidge of coffee and cream. Low hop aroma comes through as the beer warms with a suggestion of a floral orange.

Appearance– The color is an opaque dark chocolate brown, and when poured the head has medium to large bubbles and is light tan in color with excellent persistence.

Flavor– The first taste is a roasty malt followed by a bittersweet baking chocolate. Behind that is a bit of coffee. Low levels of citrus fruit flavor are present that could be either from the hops or the yeast.

Mouthfeel– The beer is medium-full in body and in carbonation. There is no warmth from the alcohol and a velvety smooth creaminess from the oats.

Overall Impressions– Gravity Dancer reminds me of a very mild Irish Extra Stout with more fruit flavor, creaminess, and sweetness. It is a beautiful Oatmeal Stout that is easy drinking and has a wonderful mouthfeel and flavor that can only come from Oat.

Southern Star Brewing Company- Drunken Comrades

The Drunken Comrades from Southern Star Brewing Company were a release that came in a box set with 1 of each Octobrist variant.

Rum Barrel Aged Octobrist

Aroma– Not surprising is that there is a strong boozy rum aroma that hits first, followed by a roasty coffee and just a hint of brown sugar/treacle sweetness. Not surprising in this style there is no hop aroma or any fruity characteristics that I was able to pick up.

Appearance– This was an opaque black beer with a gorgeous thick tan head made up of medium to large bubbles, that dissipated quickly.

Flavor– Similar to that of the aroma, there was a strong coffee roast flavor with a big hit of rum flavor. This beer is certainly balanced and is sweet without being cloying. The roasty coffee malt flavor lingers around and the beer finishes sweet.

Mouthfeel– This had a medium body to it with a silky mouthfeel. It was carbonated fairly low, and had a slight warmth from the rum barrel aging, but nothing too “hot” or unpleasant.

Overall Impressions– Overall I like this variant of Octobrist, it was exactly what I would expect from a rum barrel aged Russian Imperial Stout. In comparison with the Bourbon Barrel Aged Octobrist, I would say I love the body and sweetness of this version the most, but enjoyed the flavor imparted from the bourbon barrel more.

Bourbon Aged Octobrist

Aroma– Similar profile to the Rum Barrel aged Octobrist, but instead of the Rum fruitiness, there was a boozy and a bit smoky Bourbon edge to this beer. Still have the same dark sugar and coffee aromas with the roasty malt.

Appearance– Overall same appearance as the Rum Barrel aged Octobrist. Black opaque color, with a tan head made up of medium to large bubbles. I might say this version seems a little lighter in both color and head, but it would be a miniscule difference.

Flavor– I love the bourbon flavor in this beer, it seems to bring the beer back to a drier finish which helps temper the sweetness a little bit. Otherwise, the same roasty malt backbone with supporting flavors of coffee and dark sugars.

Mouthfeel– This is where I was a bit let down with this beer, the mouthfeel here was medium to medium low, which is low for this style. Just came across too thin for me. The beer was also a bit more carbonated than the Rum Barrel aged Octobrist. The warmth here was a bit higher than the Rum Barrel aged, but still pleasant and not hot.

Overall Impressions– Overall I preferred the flavor and aroma characteristics of the Bourbon Barrel Aged Octobrist, but liked the body and sweetness from the Rum Barrel Aged Octobrist. Overall great examples of Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stouts, and I certainly would drink them again.

The post Season of Stouts first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Season of Stouts appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.