2014 RealTail Collaboration by Real Ale and Freetail brewing

Rating: 4.5/5

2014 RealTail Collaboration by Real Ale and Freetail brewing is a 6.66%ABV Cascadian Dark India Pale Ale.

Label:
2014 Central Texas Collaboration
realtail
the black white IPA
brewed and bottled by freetail brewing co. of San Antonio in Collaboration Real Ale brewing Co. of Blanco.
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A special thanks to my friend Aaron from Texas, owner and beer reviewer of www.beermetaldude.com who hooked me up with an even more elusive, super exclusive, brewery only release of this beer. This beer is so exclusive that there is little information about the beer even though it was made by two great Texas breweries and sold at Freetail this year. The idea behind RealTail is that it is supposed to be a Black IPA by color but a White IPA by taste. Or so it goes. An IPA that I may have tried similarly was the Bear Republic’s Black Race IPA long ago. It was black in color but man, the tropics and herbal hops were the win there. So I am very curious to see what the special creation of Real Ale and Freetail have to offer. Both breweries which I have reviewed their beers before are very delicious and awesome. Cheers to those good folks and Cheers to you Aaron once again, thanks brother!

Aromas:
Grapefruit, grassy and piney hops, citrus, Smoked malt, tropical fruits like mango, papaya, molasses, anise, herbs, peaches, caramel and brown sugar.

Flavors:
Smoked malts, mild chocolate, Grapefruit, grassy, earthy, and piney hops, citrus, tropical fruits like mango, papaya, pineapple, molasses, anise, herbs, brown sugar, peach hints, caramel, biscuit bread and flowers.

Aftertaste:
Grassy and earth hop resin, citrus, mango hints, caramel and smoked malt. No alcohol in the taste, easy to drink, refreshing and crisp with a medium mouthfeel.

Overall:
This is very interesting. There is a balance of the black smoke, and malty goodness of the black IPA and the herbal, dank and tropical fruit hoppy flavors of a regular IPA all melding together really nicely. So while it is not a black IPA trying to be a white IPA in taste, it is actually a fusion of both. This is great! If you love Black IPAs, this is awesome!

Anime Corner:
Original Artwork by Osamu (Jagabata) was used in this pairing to complement the idea of the Black White IPA as well as the collaborative efforts of Real Ale and Freetail in this beer. Some of the colors represent some of the flavors like the smoked malt, mild chocolate, floral notes, earthy hops to some extent tropical fruits and grassy hops. Either way, to me this pairing was just perfect in all ways. What do you guys think?

Source:
http://e-shuushuu.net/images/2012-11-23-543070.jpeg

La Bestia Aimable (1 year aged) by Ranger Creek

June 25, 2014 by cloudx30 tagged Belgian Quadrupel, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, La Bestia, La Bestia Aimable, Ranger Creek, San Antonio Texas, sour beer, Texas | Leave a comment

Rating: 4.8/5

La Bestia Aimable (1 year aged) by Ranger Creek is a 9.4% ABV Belgian Strong Dark Ale brewed with honey.

Label:
Bottle Conditioned
Batch# LB-011
Date: 6/25/2013

In 1685, the explorer La Salle claimed Texas in the name of France, landing at Matagorda Bay on a ship called the Aimable. In honor of Texas’ French and Mexican heritages, we created a complex Belgian-style ale with a name to match: La Bestia is Spanish for “The Beast,” while Aimable is French for “friendly.” This devilishly friendly dark strong ale has a rich, complex nose of deep berry and fig with cinnamon, nutmeg, and black pepper spicy notes, and a superbly drinkable body full of rich, dark fruit flavors. The use of Texas honey and a well attenuated body in the Belgian abbey tradition make this beer superbly drinkable despite its high alcohol content. La Bestia Aimable pairs well with carbonade, lamb, game and fowl, rich cheeses such as triple-crème and Gorgonzola, as well as decadent desserts like sticky toffee pudding, dark chocolate and raspberry cake, and tiramisu.
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Special thanks to Aaron from www.beermetaldude.com for donating this beer to me. It has been sitting around until today, 6/25/2014, exactly 1 year from the date it was bottled. This is a Belgian quad that you can only find in Texas. Ranger Creek is straight from San Antonio Texas. This is the second beer I try from them. Their other beer was really good so I cannot wait to try this one too. Cheers Aaron and Cheers to Ranger Creek for making this!

Aromas:
Dark fruits like plums, raisins, dulce de leche caramel, oak, funky sour hints, stone fruits like peaches, apricots, honey, apples, rye, smoked peat, cinnamon, dark chocolate, tart raspberries, candi sugars, brown sugar, molasses, anise and flowers.

Flavors:
Caramel, chocolate, tart raspberries, dark fruits like plums and raisins, lots of oak, sour wine grapes, coffee, espresso, port wine notes, cinnamon, vanilla, cherries, molasses, raisin bread pudding, pecans, prailines, honey, apples, rye bread, smoked peat, stone fruit apricots, peaches, mild clove spices and bananas.

Aftertaste:
Raisins, plums, caramel, earthy notes, sour grapes, figs, cinnamon. No alcohol in the aftertaste. A sipping beer, with a medium mouthfeel.

Overall:
Very delicious! This beer reminds me of a Sour Quadruple hybrid. It is not all sour but mostly fruity and tart. The tart aspect with the oak gives it some balance to the sweet quad. I would say, it almost drinks like a Flemish brown like the beers made in the French speaking areas of Belgium I would recommend giving this one a try. It does seem like age has made this one more refined. Be careful when opening this beer as it’s contents could spill upon opening. Best opened over a sink or have the glass ready as to not to spill a drop!!

Anime Corner:
Evil Monster daughter by unknown artist was used in this pairing to pair with the label and the aspect of La Bestia Amaible which is the Friendly beast. The colors pay tribute to an array of flavors provided by this beer. Lots of things going on. The high ABV can be said to be so well hidden that you cannot tell if she has good intentions or not. Either way, delicious and awesome. You decide if the voyage through this beer is well worth your while.

Sources:
http://i.imgur.com/1AFOkr2.jpg

2014 Old Bat Rastard by Freetail Brewing of San Antonio Texas

February 4, 2014 by cloudx30 tagged Old Bat, San Antonio Texas, Texas | Leave a comment

Rating: 5.4/5

2014 Old Bat Rastard by Freetail Brewing of San Antonio Texas is an 8.2% ABV Winter Warmer/Olde Ale.

Label:
Every New Year Old Bat Rastard unfurls his withered wings and stretches, feeling for any sign of the sun warming his would-be thumb. If there is no warmth, he’s in for a long winter; if however he feels a sunrays’ warmth, he folds his leathery appendages back, content to know spring is not far. Deep, tawny brown, our winter warmer welcomes you with its inviting malt aromas and caramelized sweetness. Thick, full and increasingly bitter, this is the beer to break the dead of winter. Suitable for aging but also for sharing, so don’t be a rastard – pass some along to your closest compatriots.

Ingredients: 2-Row, aromatic, dark crystal, caramunich & roast malts ; subdued, yet imposingly present hops; top-fermenting yeast; natural, limestone-filtered, Edwards Aquifer H2O; New Year Resolutions.
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Special thanks to the ultimate beer metal dude, Aaron for this Rocking beer here. Check out his website at www.beermetaldude.com. This beer is an exclusive out at San Antonio Texas, so if you are lucky to get this one, definitely pick it up. This is the second beer I have had from Freetail and so far everything I have tried has been more than exceptional. I have only seen labels of this beer without really knowing what this is all about until now. If it is anything like La Muerta, expect it to be more than perfect.

Aromas:
Very rich caramel, dark fruits like raisins, plums, dates, prunes, fruit cake, chocolate, fig pudding, toffee, port wine notes, grapes, apples, molasses, anise, rye bread, vanilla and blueberries.

Flavors:
Very similar to the Figgy pudding ale I had long ago, rich dark fruits like figs, raisins, plums, currants, prunes, black berries, blueberries, toffee, rye bread, vanilla, hints port wine, grapes, apples, dulce de leche caramel, candy sugar, molasses, anise, pecan pie, hazelnuts, mild flan hints and earthy hops.

Aftertaste:
Finishes with like an earthy bitter aftertaste that is balanced with the caramel, dark fruits, rye bread and vanilla. No alcohol in the taste, a sipping beer with a good full mouth feel.

Overall:
Damn… This is freaking great!! It exceeded some of my expectations in the category of perfect beer because of the extra rich complex flavors reminding me of the Figgy pudding ale I had long ago but also the Sede Vacante ale but not as strong. This is freaking great and another great honor to try a beer like this from Texas. We don’t get many like this in California but damn, I really wish we could have a lot like this one here.

Anime Corner:
Sakuya Izayoi from Touhou Project was chosen for this pairing to represent the aspect of time. It is the new year and Old Bat Rastard waits for the Spring as it is too cold outside. Her evil red gaze shows the possibility of her being the Bat Rastard although it is not admitted because even the undead vampires have secrets they won’t admit. In the anime series she may not be a vampire, but she works for a Devil, so it sort of fits. I was also looking for a period in time based on what Old Rat Bastard was wearing and it seems to fit something around the steam punk theme. So it fits in my mind. Any other way this pairing fit in your mind?