Freetail Brewing Co is one unique brewpub, determined to change your perception of beer and of Texas craft brews (Yes, we have very good craft brews here in Texas)!  Born out of inspiration in 2005 while at Chama River Brewing Co., in Albuquerque, NM, owner Scott Metzger and brewer Jason Davis have created a very unique brewpub that has paid homage to Texas and its inhabitants. Metzger and Davis got Freetail off the ground in the later part of 2008. Every beer at the place has Texas written all over it! Metzger says he has three goals with Freetail: To make the best beer in Texas; the best pizza in San Antonio; and have most knowledgeable and friendly wait staff. He also has this to those who say they don’t like beer: “You just haven’t met a beer that you like!”

It’s been almost a year since I wrote that, as well as having reviewed 4Shadow. So why review it again? It’s not quite the same beer this time around. Since their opening, Freetail has been kicking out the craft beer, kicking butt and taking names too. Named by Beeradvocate.com as the Number 1 brewpub in Texas, they haven’t slowed down a bit. Coming up on their one year anniversary, Freetail has definitely made a name for itself. Not afraid to try anything, brewer Jason Davis, has become known as the mad scientist of the Texas craft beer scene. La Muerta, their seasonal Imperial Stout, Witticus Double Rye Wit, Nacho Sancho Ancho (Their Helles style lager with Ancho pepper) are just a few of the delights that await you.

Billed as the ‘The dark harbinger of La Muerta”, this is by Freetail’s admission a Smoked Stout, with a Belgian yeast strain used. Quite unusual. Stouts in general tend to be made with roasted malts and have a coffee or chocolate character to them. Owner Scott Metgzer calls this a Smoked Stout. I certainly would agree that it has both a smokiness to it, and is definitely a stout. If it is a Smoked Stout, it’s the first I’ve seen. More closely in the American Stout category (which tend to be more creative than the English version with varying amounts of hops, burnt smokiness and chocolate), this is unique. A smoked Belgian Stout.

This was poured on tap into a pint glass at Freetail, with a nice amount of carbonation that produced a very nice, thin and sustainable head. An indication that maybe the protein in the malt used  to brew this one was under modified. Appearance is very dark, almost beckoning you into the abyss its of alluring color.

Much like last years batch, the smokiness hits you like a freight train as soon as you smell it. A second whiff gives you a nice coffee aroma with a hint of spice and chocolate.makes me want to kick back on the porch with a couple of pints, enjoy the cool Texas evening.

To taste is divine. A smoky, coffee flavor dominates. Very creamy as well, similar to last years batch, although  more predominate this time. More of a fruit taste to, banana comes at me in particular. Another taste really brings out the smoke, with a very subtle hop flavor rounding it out. Something else comes out in this, although I can’t place my taste buds on it yet..

Overall, better than the before. Weighs in around 5.5% ABV this time around. Heavy enough for my taste and allows you to have more than one if you want. Pairs very nice with ice cream and meats. In fact, I may have some with the beer burgers I plan to make soon (burger recipe courtesy of Sarah Huska).

“One of the most beautiful abbeys in Belgium, the Abbey of Maredsous, was founded in 1872 by the Beuron Abbey in Germany under the guidance of Hildebrand de Hemptinne. He was a Belgian monk at Bueron, and later became abbot of Maredsous. The Maredsous Abbey is a member of the Annunciation Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation.

The overall abbey plan was modeled after the 13th century Cistercian Abbey of Villers at Villers-la-Ville in Walloon Brabant. The Neo-Gothic architecture, by Belgian master-architect Jean-Baptiste Béthune, is praised as a hallmark of the style.” The abbey appears not make the beer itself. Instead it licenses it’s name to Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat, who actually brew Maredsous. As with all true Abbey beers, this is brewed under the supervision of the Abbaye.

Brewed a dubbel, or double, beers of this type are similar to a brown ale in some ways. They typically have a higher alcohol content, hence the name. The origin of the style originates back to the Trappist monastery of Westmalle in the mid-1800’s. With this style, you will typically see some fruit and spice characteristics, as well as some mild to moderate hop bitterness. Notes of caramel are also often present and most dubbels are medium in body.

Poured into a goblet, the Maredsous 8 came out a very deep reddish brown. But don’t let that fool you. When held up to the sun, the dark brown subsides and a brilliant medium copper is present. As it poured the bubbles were abound and floated right to the top producing a nice amount of foam leaving a thin, but foamy sustainable head.

As soon as I began to smell this one, an aroma of deep roasted caramel malts came out. Almost overpowering, but in a wonderful, I need to have more kind of way. Definite aroma of fruit, banana is what I’m getting from this. Definite spice, a little sugary on the back end, but all this balances the alcohol aroma nicely.

Upon tasting the 8, the alcohol comes out more predominate than I expected it to, with the caramel malt nicely balancing it out. I get a definite chocolate taste that I didn’t catch in the aroma, but goes very well with the faint fruit present. Another sip and the caramel and chocolate flavor becomes more predominate and the alcohol just blends right in. What was a nice addition was the slightly bitter hops I get near the end. A subtle, but nice participate in this mixture.

It has a medium mouthfeel. Definitely crisp, but also very much a sticky, foamy feel with the carbonation not playing a big part, as it seems to mesh together giving it a very creamy finish.

Overall, a solid Dubbel that I could see having around the house on a regular basis. I’ve usually had this on tap, but out of the bottle it’s very nice as well. Almost keeps the carbonation consistent. Weighs in at 8% ABV, so you can enjoy the flavors and not kill yourself. Have 2 or 3, and you may want to pace yourself. I had this one with out food, but easily see this pairing nicely with an Apple Dumping a la mode.

Juxtaposition is the second collaboration Stone has done. This time with Cambridge Brewing of Cambridge, MA and BrewDog hailing all the way from Scotland. All three known for aggressive and adventurous brews.  Stone we know about. Now in Escondido, CA, they continue to push the edge of the craft beer world. All in a matter of 13 years. Greg Koch and everyone at Stone have continued to not rest on their laurels. Cambridge began its trek toward beer greatness in 1989 and is Boston’s oldest brewery/restaurant. What’s unique about these guys is partly their take on common beer styles and partly that their brewmaster and head chef at the restaurant often collaborate on beer and food pairings, as well as ingredients for both. I’ve only had their Cambridge Amber and it was nice. BrewDog  just blows my mind looking at their website. I’ve not had the pleasure have sampling their wears, but their attitude is unmistakable: Conformity is not their thing. Bucking the typical European take on beer, these guys seem to be the Stone Brewing of Scotland. But that’s not all. They’ve been in business for…2 years.

So, what style is this one? Pilsner/lager? Black IPA? American Strong Ale? Hard to truly say. It has characteristics of a black IPA. Very hoppy, bitter and an unmistakable piney flavor/aroma. It also blasts you with a strong alcohol content and strong malt flavor. But, then there’s that whole Pilsner thing. So, what is it? Matt Steele at Stone trys to put this debate to rest “just what the hell is a Black Pilsner, anyway? ‘It’s a Pilsner in the fact that we brewed it with Pilsner malt and fermented it with Pilsner yeast,’ said Mitch(The Brewmaster), ‘but it’s bigger, darker and hoppier, and it’s unlike any beer I’ve ever had.’ There you have it. Settled.” To me, its characteristics are more that of a Black IPA. Knowing that it has Pilsner Malt and Pilsner yeast, I just don;t any Pilsner feel to it. So Black IPA is is for me, however I ultimately defer to the folks at Stone/CBC and BrewDog.After all, who am I to second guess?

Appearance is that of a black almost dark brown ale. Poured well into my tulip glass with moderate carbonation that produced a thin, but very sustainable lacing.

What an aroma. An explosion of smell on the first whiff. The grapefruit is very dominating, but pleasant indeed. Roasted malt hits me next making me want another before I’ve even had a taste and it must be bringing out the chocolate I smell. Not dominating, but definite hops in this one, giving it a nice piney aroma to balance all the smells in this ‘pilsner’.

Taste is even better. I almost do not know what I’m tasting here, as all the flavors come at you at once. Not  prominent in the aroma, as I think I missed it, but the roasted chocolaty malt is prominent more than it was in the aroma. The grapefruit comes in toward the end giving it a nice sweetness that really compliments the piney hop taste. The second taste brings out a little spice, almost anise in nature. What I am not getting here is the Pilsner taste. I expected that, but do not taste it at all. Not that I’m complaining, but no hint of the Pilsner yeast that was used to brew this one.

Mouthfeel is…wow..just fantastic. Crisp, refreshing and..wait, now I’m sounding like a damn Budweiser commercial. Ok, Crisp indeed. Medium bodied and goes down so easy, you miss the alcohol content in this one. What’s great, is that all those smells are hitting your nostrils while your tasting the same flavors.

Overall, this was just flat out fantastic. This was actually the third one I’ve tried and they keep getting better. Although this is definitely Pilsner in name only. All these ingredients cooked up by the mad scientists at Stone, Cambridge and brew Dog just overpower any chance a Pilsner taste here. ABV weighs in at 10% and as I said, this goes down so smooth, pace yourself. if you have more than one, you won’t know what hit you. This was enjoyed with a baked apple topped with cinnamon.

photo credit goes to the fine folks at Stone Brewing Co.

I’ve used this before, but Dogfish Head tells their tale much better than I…

“The story of Dogfish Head began in June of 1995 when we opened Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, the first state’s first brewpub opened in the resort beach community of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The plan was to bring original beer, original food, and original music to the area.

Not only was Dogfish Head Delaware’s first brewpub, it was the smallest commercial brewery in America. Our very first batch, Shelter Pale Ale, was brewed on a system which essentially was three little kegs with propane burners underneath. Brewing 12–gallon batches of beer for a whole restaurant proved to be more than a full time job. When the doors to the pub first opened, we brewed three times a day, five days a week! The one benefit to brewing on such a small system was the ability to try out a myriad of different recipes. We quickly got bored brewing the same things over and over – that’s when we started adding all sorts of weird ingredients and getting kind of crazy with the beers!

The beer wasn’t the brewpub’s only draw. The pub’s menu centered on a wood-burning grill. We soon became known as the place to enjoy fresh grilled seafood, burgers, pizzas and sandwiches. The wood–burning grill imparts a unique flavor to everything on the menu, whether it’s a hearty sandwich, a delicate piece of fish or our signature pizza dough.

With the popularity of the pub growing, it was quickly apparent that the 12–gallon brewery would not keep up with demand. We built a new brewery and underwent a thirty-fold expansion of the brew house!

The reputation of Dogfish Head ales quickly grew beyond Delaware’s borders. Calls from Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and beyond poured in, as thirsty restaurant patrons demanded their favorite beach beer at home. We began bottling our Shelter Pale Ale in 1996 and just 1 year later we expanded again – this time we separated the packaging operation from the restaurant, and kept on brewing! By 1999, we were up to five year–round bottled brands in about a dozen states.

We outgrew our distributing brewery in a couple years and in the summer of 2002; we moved our entire production brewery up the road to Milton, Delaware into a 100,000 square foot converted cannery. Around the same time (just to keep thing interesting), we built a distillery on the second floor of our Rehoboth Beach brewpub, so we could make vodka, rum and gin.

Thanks to all our employees and every one of our customers, Dogfish Head continues to grow today! We’re now up to nearly 20 styles of beer that are sold in more than 25 states, and a half–dozen kinds of hand–crafted spirits… and we still have some ideas in the back of our collective heads.

This is an example of an Imperial IPA, or India Pale Ale. Essentially this is an IPA all juiced up. The style often have double the hops and malt, creating an even more bitter taste. Some Imperials are more balanced between the hops and malt, giving it a clean, crisp, bitter hop finish, but with a balanced sweet malt taste. Much higher in alcohol than a standard IPA.  Dogfish Head takes a twist on this by blending of an oak-aged English strong ale and their 90 Minute I.P.A.

This poured nicely into a pint glass, with a light copper/reddish tone and producing a medium amount of foam. The nice amount of carbonation may be the culprit for the foam, but either way it left a thin but nice lacing on the glass.

The aroma was a very nice citrus, mixed with a wonderful floral aroma, almost that of mountain wildflowers. Slightly piny, although I think this can be attributed to the the floral aroma.The malt really does balance this nicely, but still retain a bitter hop finish.

The taste was very nice. The bitter hop I smelled really comes out, enhancing the sweetness of the malt balance. Somewhat a contridiction perhaps, as some imperials are extremely bitter with no attempt at balance, and others loose the bitter while having complete balance. The alchohol taste is there more on the back end and can sneek up.

Mouthfeel is good. Very crisp, sweet and goes down smooth.

I liked this one. I’ve had it before and always enjoyed it. It paired nicely with the grilled chicken fajitas with Monterrey Jack cheese I had. The bitter hops balanced and complimented the cheese. With a 10% ABV, take it slow, but enjoy and have another!

This is one is what is known as a Wild Ale.  Beers of this type have an advantage other brews do not, although it is typically Belgian yeast, it’s got a bit of a wild side. The yeast is what is known as Wild Yeast, that is it is not added in intentionally. It comes from  barrels that have previously been used for other purposes. Yeasts such as Brettanomyces are sometimes seen. You never know what you are going to get when this gets added in, so look out!

Produced by New Belgium Brewing Co, as part of their Lips of Faith line. Starting off in 1989, they have made great strides since then. I’ll let them tell their story: ” As our aspiring young home brewer rides his mountain bike with “fat tires” through European villages famous for beer, New Belgium Brewing Company was but a glimmer in his eye. Or basement. For Jeff Lebesch would return to Fort Collins with a handful of ingredients and an imagination full of recipes. And then there was beer. Jeff’s first two basement-brewed creations? A brown dubbel with earthy undertones named Abbey and a remarkably well-balanced amber he named Fat Tire. To say the rest was history would be to overlook his wife’s involvement. Kim Jordan was New Belgium’s first bottler, sales rep, distributor, marketer and financial planner.” Unique for them is their addition of employee ownership to all employees upon completing one year of employment.

Poured a very cloudy straw colored yellow into a tulip glass, producing a small head but with decent lacing. Carbonation was minimal, but left a nice thin lacing that stuck well to the glass.

Aromas were interesting. Compared to Avery’s Brabant, another ‘wild ale’, this one I could place. Definite aroma of the Brett yeast, giving it a sour finish to the aroma. Spice and citrus are also present, with the standard malt finish.  Not as pugnant as I would have thought.

I expected more of a sour taste, but it was smooth. The malt came out more than anything, although I did taste some of the spice and citrus. What I didn’t get was a brett beer. The sour finish was so subtle I almost went through the entire bomber before I could taste it. I expected much more of the ‘wild’ come out in the yeast.

Mouthfeel was that of a medium bodied beer and somewhat crisp.

Overall, I wasn’t impressed. A good beer to be sure, but it lacked the very thing it was supposed to have: a brett character. For what this beer is supposed to do, it did not live up to it. I’m not sure I would classify this as a wild ale. Seems to be more of a pretty decent run of the mill ale with some spice. It went well with the goulash I made, as the spice and malt in the beer brought out the spice in the tomato sauce I used. It weighs in at 6% ABV, so it won’t bowl you over.