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Featured Replies

1 hour ago, ztejas said:

Hah. They got bought out? When? I came here to comment that HEB is carrying some of their stuff now. Their Jai Alai on draft as of 2-3 years ago was unreal and one of the best beers I've ever had. 

I had a canned double Jai Alai IPA the other night and it was fine. 

Monster bought them in ‘22

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3 minutes ago, HiggyBaby said:

Monster bought them in ‘22

Are you a fan of their stuff? Do you think that has affected their product?

Just curious. 

17 minutes ago, ztejas said:

ABV and was it good? I like a good stout from time to time. Love Independence Brewing's Convict Hill.

Not that high actually:  5% ABV for Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout. I think it is excellent. I like all of Samuel Smith's stouts I've tried.

The Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout posted previously is also excellent and 10% ABV. It's a bargain too.

Edited by sith_horn

Just now, sith_horn said:

Not that high actually:  5% ABV for Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout. I think it is excellent. I like all of Samuel Smith's stouts I've tried.

The Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout near the top of this page is also excellent and 10% ABV. It's a bargain too.

Ha. I ain't doing a stout for 5% but glad you like it. 

Have you had the convict hill? I was a big fan of that and the Native Texan recently but got some shit for it. Idk. 

4 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Ha. I ain't doing a stout for 5% but glad you like it. 

Have you had the convict hill? I was a big fan of that and the Native Texan recently but got some shit for it. Idk. 

Not familiar with either.

Just now, sith_horn said:

Not familiar with either.

I'm a fan of both and they're both well-rated but YMMV.

Do you live in Texas? Shouldn't be too hard to find. Easy to find around Austin.

11 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Are you a fan of their stuff? Do you think that has affected their product?

Just curious. 

When I’m in Florida for work I seek it out on draft, it still kills. They have some other varieties I have not tried. The can is about a notch below the draft quality but what isn’t. There’s some beer snobs on Reddit who aren’t fans of the ownership change.

https://www.reddit.com/r/CraftBeer/s/6zej6NHbP1

 

1 minute ago, HiggyBaby said:

There’s some beer snobs on Reddit who aren’t fans of the ownership change.

Yeah well that's always going to be the case. You could put a Miller lite and a "highly rated" light pilsner in front of them and they wouldn't be able to tell the difference. 

Your experience aligns with mine. I was drinking Jai Alais on draft quite a bit in 2022-2023 and they were fucking phenomenal.

14 hours ago, ztejas said:

Ha. I ain't doing a stout for 5% but glad you like it. 

Have you had the convict hill? I was a big fan of that and the Native Texan recently but got some shit for it. Idk. 

Stouts are quite commonly in the 5% or lower range.  Guinness is 4.2%, and only 125 calories/12 oz.  It's my go-to when I want to drink a Light Beer. :)

 

On 1/30/2025 at 5:21 PM, HiggyBaby said:

Monster bought them in ‘22

They had been rolled up years earlier into CanArchy

6 hours ago, Hammerin Hank said:

 

 

I'm a big fan of Yellow Rose IPA

I like that Gentleman's Relish they make...

On 1/31/2025 at 9:41 AM, utee94 said:

Stouts are quite commonly in the 5% or lower range.  Guinness is 4.2%, and only 125 calories/12 oz.  It's my go-to when I want to drink a Light Beer. :)

 

Yeah I didn't mean to come across as snooty - I'm far from a beer snob. It's just a personal preference. If it's 5% or less it has to be pretty light and drinkable for me. Not really a calorie thing - I mean Modelo is 143 and I can knock back quite a few of those.  Just like if I'm having a cocktail I like it to have some edge. 

But some of you are well-meaning beer connoisseurs and not degenerate drunks. Or maybe you're both.

 

Guinness is LIGHT and drinkable.

I get a kick out of the myth that dark beer is 'heavier.'  Pour Guinness in a glass with another "lighter" beer and see what happens.  It's not absolute, but more often the second beer goes to the bottom.

 

Swung by Lazarus up north and they were absolutely packed at 12:30. I haven’t seen that at a brewery in Austin in a long time (meanwhile, maybe). Is it always like that?

Edited by 4th&Five

  • Author
34 minutes ago, 4th&Five said:

Lazarus up north

Negged.

8 hours ago, Iceman said:

Guinness is LIGHT and drinkable.

I get a kick out of the myth that dark beer is 'heavier.'  Pour Guinness in a glass with another "lighter" beer and see what happens.  It's not absolute, but more often the second beer goes to the bottom.

 

I absolutely agree with this. Guinness is not heavy. It’s just smooth and tasty.

19 hours ago, Incredulity said:

They had been rolled up years earlier into CanArchy

Touché

New Noise Hazy at Craftsman Brewery in Edwards Colorado. Presents like a McConauHaze but actually tastes good. 

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Edited by HiggyBaby

Occupy Marz. A German style lager from Starbase Brewing in Austin. IMG_5783.thumb.jpeg.4976b9b98add6dd33862dc55b8e658f7.jpeg
It’s light, smooth and tasty, and at 6.2% abv it’s right my sweet spot for strength 

Edited by Hammerin Hank

9 hours ago, Iceman said:

Guinness is LIGHT and drinkable.

I get a kick out of the myth that dark beer is 'heavier.'  Pour Guinness in a glass with another "lighter" beer and see what happens.  It's not absolute, but more often the second beer goes to the bottom.

 

I like the extra stout Guinness that's like 5.4.

České tmavé pivo from Perennial out of St. Louis:

 

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Edited by zlavydra

First two of five boxes for winning my FFL beer league.

 

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Sierra Nevada - Bigfoot Barleywine-Style Ale

SierraNevada-BarleywineStyleAle-1.jpg.8c6702a1ccbef4f984c6600f788bdd65.jpg

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Acoustic Metal by Austin Beerworks. Czech style dark lager, 4.6% abv. Randomly saw it at the gas station so I picked up a six pack. I prefer my beer a little stronger but I would get this again 

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21 hours ago, Hammerin Hank said:

Acoustic Metal by Austin Beerworks. Czech style dark lager, 4.6% abv. Randomly saw it at the gas station so I picked up a six pack. I prefer my beer a little stronger but I would get this again 

IMG_5789.thumb.jpeg.b02fb0da3ec675e72c860f3552f15f2b.jpeg

Yeah this is a good seasonal, I tend to prefer Black Thunder which is similar but with roastier malts. I'm glad ABW does these styles rather than release a 19th version of the same IPA.

Amber Waves at Voodoo Brewing in Roswell, GA. I expected this place to suck, but it doesn't.

 

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5 hours ago, bureaucrat said:

Yeah this is a good seasonal, I tend to prefer Black Thunder which is similar but with roastier malts. I'm glad ABW does these styles rather than release a 19th version of the same IPA.

Bureaucrat? More like Beerocrat, amirite?

 I haven’t had a black thunder in years, and would like to try one again. I’ve only really come around on dark beers in last year or two 

Saisons need to be more of the thing. Respectable abv levels of an IPA without the taste of ass. 

I had the Ommegang Hennepin at Lochland's in Dallas a few years ago and was smitten. I'd like to see more like that on shelves.  

Lazer Salad by Austin Beerworks. It’s a  seasonal double ipa at 10% abv. Super strong, but delicious. It’s probably my favorite of their offerings.

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On 2/8/2025 at 1:17 PM, Hammerin Hank said:

Acoustic Metal by Austin Beerworks. Czech style dark lager, 4.6% abv. Randomly saw it at the gas station so I picked up a six pack. I prefer my beer a little stronger but I would get this again 

IMG_5789.thumb.jpeg.b02fb0da3ec675e72c860f3552f15f2b.jpeg

I love Czech dark lagers.  After almost 10 or 15 years of me begging and bugging Chip at Live Oak to brew one, they finally did a couple of years ago, and it was fantastic.  I didn't know ABW had one, I'll definitely give it a try.

 

15 hours ago, TankedBevo said:

Saisons need to be more of the thing. Respectable abv levels of an IPA without the taste of ass. 

I had the Ommegang Hennepin at Lochland's in Dallas a few years ago and was smitten. I'd like to see more like that on shelves.  

I also love Saison, maybe my favorite style.  Believe it or not Deep Ellum Brewing had one of the best American versions of the style I've ever tasted, when they first opened up.  But it was actually good, unlike most of their beers, so of course they killed it.  Is that place even still around?

 

Monkey see, monkey do @HenryJames ... actually I've been meaning to try this one for quite a while now, but it only recently showed up as a single at HEB. I was not disappointed either. Now if they'll do the same with Devil's Backbone, I'll give it a try too.

Real Ale Brewing - Firemans #4 Blonde Ale

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                          RealAleBrewing-Firemans4-2.jpg.4267ad6df8d8194929d1ddf08c3dabe9.jpg

13 hours ago, utee94 said:

I love Czech dark lagers.  After almost 10 or 15 years of me begging and bugging Chip at Live Oak to brew one, they finally did a couple of years ago, and it was fantastic.  I didn't know ABW had one, I'll definitely give it a try.

 

I also love Saison, maybe my favorite style.  Believe it or not Deep Ellum Brewing had one of the best American versions of the style I've ever tasted, when they first opened up.  But it was actually good, unlike most of their beers, so of course they killed it.  Is that place even still around?

 

I want to say they got bought out by Monster awhile ago, and just recently closed their taproom but are supposedly still selling to vendors. Dallas Blonde was a consistent go to of mine while I was up there. I didn't care for anything else they offered except for the cherry chocolate stout, which they only had for a few years around valentines day before I couldn't find it anymore 

12 hours ago, sith_horn said:

Monkey see, monkey do @HenryJames ... actually I've been meaning to try this one for quite a while now, but it only recently showed up as a single at HEB. I was not disappointed either. Now if they'll do the same with Devil's Backbone, I'll give it a try too.

Real Ale Brewing - Firemans #4 Blonde Ale

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Devil's Backbone is delicious.  Strong stuff, beware. :)

 

Saint Arnold - Banger Imperial Hazy IPA

             SaintArnold-BangerIPA-1.jpg.e76918301e745fd4d1062ec56d4a9f0c.jpg

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On 2/10/2025 at 1:00 PM, patrickdrinksbeer said:

R.I.P. Revolver Brewing

Blood and Honey was a great one. Enjoyed quite a few of those in my early 20s in Dallas. 

On 2/10/2025 at 6:38 PM, sith_horn said:

Monkey see, monkey do @HenryJames ... actually I've been meaning to try this one for quite a while now, but it only recently showed up as a single at HEB. I was not disappointed either. Now if they'll do the same with Devil's Backbone, I'll give it a try too.

Real Ale Brewing - Firemans #4 Blonde Ale

    RealAleBrewing-Firemans4-1.thumb.jpg.c7ad286ffc79f6d42de7a94a2ce4625f.jpg

                          RealAleBrewing-Firemans4-2.jpg.4267ad6df8d8194929d1ddf08c3dabe9.jpg

I always liked Fireman's 4 - is that a variation on their OG brew? 

2 minutes ago, ztejas said:

I always liked Fireman's 4 - is that a variation on their OG brew? 

No idea. I'm getting familiarized with Real Ale Brewing. So far, they're making a good impression.

5 minutes ago, sith_horn said:

No idea. I'm getting familiarized with Real Ale Brewing. So far, they're making a good impression.

Looks like that is the original one. Always liked it. Very drinkable. 

Han's Pils is a good one. 

i appreciate that Real Ale still has 6 packs for <$10. i enjoy their 12 pack ipa sampler except when they're including crash pad in the mix. do not like that one at all. 

The Real Ale mix pack that have the Belgian quad, the Scotch heavy, and the Russian imperial stout, are pretty tasty.

 

Hofbrau Dunkel

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Been waiting to try this for a long time. Simply excellent and definitely packs a punch in a full pint.

Real Ale Brewing - Real Heavy Scotch Ale, 9.3% ABV

RealHeavy-ScotchAle-1.jpg.84ca72ec484697059bdcf1cdc25dbdca.jpg

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Lucky Devil - German Style Kolsch

Lucky19-LuckyDevil-1.jpg.c40ed6844d8d60ee478586499a66ba33.jpg

                                                 Lucky19-LuckyDevil-2.jpg.adc0b5d845b4ccfad64678719791e27c.jpg

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