Festive Favorites

No matter what you celebrate, it’s a time for friends, family, merriment, and exceptional seasonal beers. The Texas breweries are sparkling with tinsel and colored string lights, and almost everyone you walk into right now has a wintery creation on tap, often packaged up and ready for you to take home. Many of our favorite stores are filled with stacks of seasonal offerings from the more extensive brewery operations, prepared to make all of our holidays bright. Let’s raise a glass to some of the Lone Star State’s finest craft brewers, who’ve created a symphony of seasonal sips to delight your taste buds and warm your winter spirit.

This year’s winter beers push the boundaries of festive flavors in fresh new directions. It’s no longer a world of saccharinely sweet pumpkin pie flavor dumped into a brown ale that you drink one and done. This year’s selection of winter brews are sweet, spicy, complex and delightfully surprising. Welcome to a little holiday odyssey deep into the heart of the Lone Star State – from eclectic Austin breweries, rustic Hill Country Taprooms, industrial Houston breweries, and divine Dallas locations. We will acquaint ourselves with bright ales, crisp IPAs, warm ambers, and rich porters spiced with much more than seasonal delight and holiday cheer.  

Seasonal Superstars

And no reindeer games are required – these Texas craft brews are the holiday gifts that keep giving well into the new year.  There truly is something for everyone.  Hoppy and Bright IPAs, malty Pub Ales, Rich and complex Porters, a Winter Warmer, and even a brand new Imperial Fruit Sour!  From the cozy warmth of the fireplace to fun evenings with friends and family, each sip promises a festive escape from the chill. 

So raise a glass to cozy fireside evenings, lively potluck gatherings, and quiet moments of wintery reflection.  These seasonal beers are not only fuel for holiday cheer but they are also meant to delight your palate and drive your gatherings until the first Texas bluebonnet peeks through the thawing ground. 

Yule Shoot Your Eye Out
Karbach Brewing | Houston, TX | Red Ale | Festive Favorite

This festive red ale throws a snowball straight at your taste buds, just like ol’ Ralphie’s first encounter with his coveted Red Ryder BB gun. As the festive can complete with a bullseye and fra-gee-lay leg lamp indicates, this brew is a true love letter to A Christmas Story.  Karbach Brewing’s Yule Shoot Your Eye Out is a festive Red Ale featuring a rich caramel base that will warm your soul like a crackling Yule Log right before a zingy citrus twist kicks in to cut the sweetness. This ale is a little rich and thick, but like many of its cousins at Karbach, it is still easy to drink more than one. Yule Shoot Your Eye Out is delicious on its own and also pairs beautifully with Wild Game, Hearty Stews, Lamb Chop, Spice Cake, Family, and Festive cookies.

Nocturna
Equal Parts Brewing | Houston, TX | Porter | Cozy Winter

Equal Parts Brewing’s Nocturna Porter is the perfect companion when you are curled up by a toasty crackling fire and the wind and snow swirl outside your window. This robust porter brewed with chocolate and roasted oats is a delicious warm hug of a beer reminiscent of gooey brownies by the campfire but smoother and 100% less sticky. This dark and delightful porter is a soft, full-bodied brew with fruity aromatics thanks to toasted chocolate and caramel notes that are sweetened and balanced by the oats. It’s the perfect beer for a cozy night under starlit skies, bonding with friends, and simply sinking into a good book. Nocturna is a standalone champion on a cold, dark night, but if you feel peckish, Nocturna pairs perfectly grilled or smoked meats, sharp and tangy cheeses, chocolate, fruit, and gingersnaps.

Where’s my Flannel?
Southern Heights Brewing | Austin, TX | Bodacious Pub Ale | Cozy Winter

Where’s my Flannel is a popular question this time of year, and Southern Heights’ Bodacious Pub Ale is the perfect answer. This amber-hued is a light, easy-drinking ale that strikes the perfect balance between slightly malty and slightly bitter. Upon first sip, you get the familiar toasty, nutty backbone of an English Bitter, but it quickly takes a fun new turn with a kiss of caramel and a slightly hoppy edge. Boadicea hops add earthy, floral notes and a touch of grapefruit flavor. Like your favorite flannel, this Southern Heights delight reminds you that the autumn spirit lives on through the holidays and into the new year! Where’s my Flannel? It is a super versatile pub ale that pairs well with our favorite comfort foods, including barbeque, burgers, chili, pizza, macaroni and cheese, and shepherd’s pie.

You, Nature, Trees
Turning Point Beer | Bedford, TX | New England IPA | Bright New Year

After a busy holiday season, get back to the basics and fall in love with nature with Turning Point Beer’s You, Nature, Trees. This double dry-hopped New England Indian Pale Ale made from Idaho 7 and Chinook hops is a smooth sunshine color that is essentially forest bathing in a can. Its earthy flavor is elevated by a citrus explosion of grapefruit and tangerine combined with mango and guava, all swirling around a mossy whisper of pine. The finish is delicate, almost reminiscent of chamomile – making it the ideal companion for winter hikes or simply sitting still in a park full of tall trees. You, Me, Trees is a versatile IPA that can tango with various foods – including grilled vegetable skewers, grilled romaine salad, creamy cheeses, spicy Korean barbeque, or salted caramel treats.

Ye Olde Christmas Ale
Saint Arnold Brewing | Houston, TX | Ale | Festive Favorite

Like the fun uncle at your holiday party, Saint Arnold’s Christmas Ale is sweet and spicy with a high alcohol content. This copper-hued beer ale is created with five different malts, resulting in a rich, malty flavor and 7% alcohol content. Two different Northwest hops keep it from getting overly sweet by swooping in with a pinch of cinnamon spice and floral pine notes. This ale can pack quite a punch, so it’s ideal to enjoy it with a snack or meal: roasted meats, smoky Texas chili, savory quiche, meat pies, and even classic holiday desserts like fruitcake, gingerbread, and pecan pie pair perfectly with this malty, toasty, spicy masterpiece.

Mentality
Spindle Tap Brewing | Houston, TX | Winter Warmer | Cozy Winter

Like a cozy fireplace in a can, Mentality Winter Warmer from SpindleTap Brewery is an enticing winter warmer here to chase away the winter chill. This rich, malty, Wassail-style beer is similar to an English Brown Ale and features a subtle symphony of warm spices – orange peel, ginger, clove, and a whisper of nutmeg. It’s the perfect seasonal sipper for reading by the fire or sharing a cozy evening with friends. Mentality embodies the season’s joy and warms your soul from the inside out. Mentality pairs perfectly with Spindletap’s legendary queso if you are enjoying it at the brewery. It also pairs perfectly with smoked meats, spicy Cajun dishes, Thai curry, spiced nuts, and dark chocolate desserts.

Coffee Porter
Real Ale Brewing Co. | Blanco, TX | Porter | Cozy Winter

Coffee lovers rejoice!  Real Ale Brewing Company’s Coffee Porter is the perfect way to enjoy your coffee anytime. The brewery’s most popular seasonal release, this rich, robust ale with a dry finish, is the happy result of Owner Brad Frabstein’s homebrewing experiments in college. Each batch receives its coffee kick from an infusion of Houston’s own fresh, cold-brewed organic fair trade Katz Coffee just before packaging – ensuring that each batch has the most delightful notes of our favorite cup of Joe. This porter is perfect on its own… but it does pair well with smoked meats, rich stews, chili, sharp cheeses, and chocolate and coffee desserts.

Kama Citra
Turning Point Beer | Bedford, TX | Indian Pale Ale | Bright New Year

Saddle up for a citrus joy ride with Turning Point Beer’s Kama Citra! This double dry-hopped IPA is made with 100% Citra Hops, known for its strong and smooth floral and citrus notes that include grapefruit, citrus, peach, melon, lime, gooseberry, passion fruit, and lychee. Turning Point transforms this into a lighter-than-air creamy, hazy IPA that reminds you of a fluffy cloud floating down a stream of citrus. Kama Citra is the perfect beer to add a little citrus kick to your New Year’s Eve Celebration, and it is light and refreshing to keep you focused on all your healthy resolutions in the new year. Thanks to its citrusy explosion of flavor, Kama Citra is a bright and fresh complement to spicy hot wings, Thai curry, light seafood, salads, charcuterie boards filled with cured meats and creamy cheeses, and light and fruity desserts.

Shiner Holiday Cheer
Shiner Brewing | Shiner, TX | Dunkelweizen | Festive Favorite

Forget the sugarplum fairies and fruitcake.  Shiner Holiday Cheer is Texas Christmas in a pint glass.  This highly anticipated seasonal offering from the OG Texas brewery in Shiner, Texas, is sweet, spicy, and addictive. Brewed from real local peaches and roasted pecans, this seasonal dunkelweizen has a rich chestnut hue and a flavor as unique as a bluebonnet in December. The first taste of the caramelized malts is initially sweet, then gives way to an extraordinary and crave-able complexity thanks to a unique mix of warm autumn spices. Shiner Cheer’s unique flavor profile pairs well with a wide range of holiday favorites, including sweet and salty charcuterie boards, smoked salmon, spicy sausage and sweet potato hash, honey glazed ham, peach cobbler, pecan pie, and gingerbread cookies.

Not your Nanna’s Fruit Cake
Zilker Brewing | Austin, TX | Imperial Fruited Kettle Sour | Festive Favorite

Photo credits – Zilker Brewing Company

A refreshing new release by Zilker Brewing makes a late entrance into the last spot on our list. This is definitely Not your Nanna’s Fruit Cake; it is a delightful Imperial fruited Kettle Sour bursting with blueberry, pineapple, and passionfruit goodness. Although they may not be the most complex beers, tart and acidic sours like this lift your spirits and soothe your soul. The vibrant acidity and diverse fruit notes of Not Your Nana’s Fruit Cake offers an open playground for playful food pairings, including grilled salmon, duck confit, grilled shrimp, fresh fruit, funky cheeses, and sweet treats like lemon meringue pie.

Celebrate the Season with Texas Craft Beers!

Embrace the magic of the season and raise a toast to fresh new beginnings with these delightful seasonal Texas Craft beers.  With a range of styles and flavors as big as the State of Texas, there is truly something for everyone, from the crisp and refreshing Kama Citra IPA to the sweet and spicy Ye Olde Holiday Ale to the rich and complex Mentality Porter.  

So ditch the predictable, the bland, the boring brews this winter.  Whether you are out on the town or snuggling up next to the fire, embrace the spirit of Texas craft brewing, where innovation spills with every pour and the holidays sing in every sip.   Even if the holidays have passed, many of these beers can still be found in stores – so you can keep the holiday vibe going strong!  Fortunately, a good portion of these beers are meant to be enjoyed well into 2024 – so pick up a six-pack or a growler and pencil in a new resolution for 2024 – drink more delicious Texas Craft Beer!  Cheers from the Lone Star State. 

Sarah is a lifestyle author, designer, and lover of craft beers. She has been touring and supporting Austin Craft Breweries for years and works with a company directly sponsoring the Texas Craft Brewers Guild. You can find more of Sarah’s insight into the Austin brewery scene at sarahjanestyle.com. Cheers!

Recent Texas Articles

• Circle of Life – A Fond Farewell to North Austin’s Oldest Brewery
• Beer Review: Yule Shoot Your Eye Out (Karbach Brewing)
• Ingenius Brewing Closing

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

We are working on a massive project here at The Beer Thrillers. We are creating a map of all of the breweries across the United States. State by state we are adding maps of all of the different states with every brewery in each state. (We will eventually get to the US Territories, as well as the Canadian Provinces, and possibly more countries; as well as doing some fun maps like a map of all the breweries we’ve been to, and other fun maps.) You can find the brewery maps here:

• MAPS OF BREWERIES

We are also working on a project of creating printable and downloadable PDFs and resources to be able to check and keep track of all of the breweries you’ve been to. So stay tuned for that project once we are finished with the Brewery Maps of the US States.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server). We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written.

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

(Thank you for reading. The opinions, thoughts, and expressions of each article posted on The Beer Thrillers represents the author of the content and only themselves. It does not express the opinions, beliefs, or ideas held by The Beer Thrillers or any company in which the author themselves work for. Each piece of written content is written by the creator(s) listed in the authorial section on each article unless otherwise noted. Their opinions, comments, and words on screen do not represent any company in which they work for and / or are affiliated with or any non – profits that they contribute to. Thank you.)

Futurama Monday

Ahh…. what if every Monday was Futurama Monday? …A man can dream…. a Man can Dream.

But, since I am already in my pajamas, and its 8:30 AM, lets just dive into it all shall we? No need to wait around. I’m 40% beer anyway.

And don’t worry about the video reviews of the episodes – they are coming. Started my new job, and with that means my schedule has changed / shifted a bit, so I’m going to be doing last week’s video essay review on Wednesday, and this week’s episode review on Thursday. So be sure to check out our YouTube channel page to stay updated and informed of those.

Futurama Monday Articles

Thus far, these are the Futurama Monday articles:

• Book Review: Futurama and Philosophy (edited by Courtland Lewis)
• Futurama Episode Review – The Impossible Stream and Mead Review: Omicron Persei 8 (SpaceTime Meadery)
• Mead Review: Omicron Persei 8 (Space Time Mead and Cider Works)
• Futurama Episode Review – Children of a Lesser Bog and Beer Review: Stay on Target (Allusion Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: I Apologize For Nothing (Fourscore Beer Co.)
• Futurama Episode Video Review – How the West Was 1010001
• Futurama Episode Video Review – Parasites Regained
• Beer Review: Fing-Longer (Turning Point Beer)

Beer Review: Fing-Longer by Turning Point Beer

Beer: Fing-Longer
Brewery: Turning Point Beer
Style: Brown Ale – Other
ABV: 5.9%
IBU: N / A
Untappd Description: Brown Ale brewed with tons of Butterfinger candies.

Firstly, I’d love to say I enjoy the subtle can art. The Professor’s lab coat on his fing-longer invention is great. Its subtle, not much to the can, and doesn’t lean too hard into the “stealing the IP” category that some beers and beer can art do.

I do love brown ales, and I love Futurama, so this beer was one hundred and thirteen percent up my alley and had me getting it off Tavour right away. And I don’t regret that decision one bit. This was a fantastic beer.

Pours wonderfully and looks beautifully in the glass. It has a nice brown hue, with a good carbonated soft pillowy head. It left wonderful lacing on the glass. It looks exactly like what a brown ale should look like – simply put – it looks brown, it has good carbonation, good head retention, no sediment, not hazy but not completely translucent due to the coloring, a simple beautiful looking beer.

Aroma is whoooo boy, this is a fun one to sniff. Big notes of deep malt, you get the peanut butter, you get caramel malt, you get some chocolate notes, but the malt is very present in the aroma, and so is the peanut butter. I love it. This just smells incredible, I can’t wait to dive into it.

Oh this is bliss on first sip. I love it. Strong strong strong peanut butter, strong “chocolate bar” notes, strong deep malt taste. It’s almost like drinking a Butterfinger directly from a can (could this be a nod to Bart Simpson always shilling Butterfinger – Bart being another creation of Matt Groening?), and this is wonderful for it. This is a brown ale with a lot of dressing up, its got all the strong qualities you look for in a brown ale, malt, mouth feel, full, etc, with the added bonus of the tastes of chocolate, peanut butter, and even more malt with caramel malt. Its really just a great all around beer. Wish I had gotten a four pack of this rather than a single off of Tavour, but this is just an incredible beer all around. Firstly, I already love brown ales, then to tell me theres basically a Butterfinger melted into the beer, and then add on to it that its a Futurama themed beer, and you have me sold a thousand times over. Such a solid beer all around, if you are able to find this or get ahold of it – please do so, you won’t regret it.

My Untappd Rating: ****
Global Untappd Rating: 3.85 (as of 8.14.23)

Parasites Regained

I do love that Hulu puts the episodes on at midnight EST. So I got to catch the episode last night, and again this morning before finishing up the review here. Quick thoughts on the episode…. I didn’t hate it / didn’t love it. (Seems to be the theme of the Hulu run so far for me.) I think there was a fair bit of missed opportunities in this episode, and that also seems to be a running theme with the show during this “Hulu era”. Jokes are crammed in at times when they don’t need to be, or just don’t 100% stick the landing. I was a little disappointed that instead of a deeper episode like the original Parasites Lost, we got pretty much an extended Dune parody episode. Not to say there wasn’t funny gags and lines in it, or that it wasn’t a great story, but I kind of just was hoping for more out of this than what we got.

Some of Bender’s lines also felt somewhat crammed in, and I wonder why, if the writing was keeping Bender in limbo in case of DiMaggio not coming back or what. There’s also just a few bits here where I think they could have used him more, but they didn’t.

I do enjoy that once this Hulu season is over, it does look like there will be a consistent feel to each era. You will know a Fox era episode versus a movie era episode, versus a Comedy Central era episode, versus a Hulu era episode just from the “feel” of the episode – the look, the style, the jokes, etc.

All of Our Nerd Content

Here’s all of our nerd content, served up best in one single place. Enjoy!

I know ya’ll here for the nerd reviews. So check out our other nerd reviews below:

Star Wars:

• Beer Review: The Pandalorian (Tattered Flag)
• Beer Review: Wookie Monster (Fourscore Beer Co)
• Beer Review: Out of Order: Blue Milk (RAR Brewing) (Batch 1)
• Beer Review: Out of Order: Tatooine Tart (RAR Brewing)
• Beer Review: Out of Order: RAWRGWAWGGR (RAR Brewing)
• Beer Review: Out of Order: Droid Juice (RAR Brewing)
• Beer Review: Wookies and Cream (Tall Tales Brewing)
• Revenge of the Fifth / Cinco de Mayo
• May the Fourth Be With You
• Beer Review: This is Nut the Fluff You’re Looking For (Fourscore Beer Co)
• Beer Review: This is the Way (Broken Goblet Brewing)
• Beer Review: This is the Whey (Bolero Snort Brewery)
• Beer Review: Java the Stout (Jackie O’s Brewery)
• Beer Review: The Mangolorian (Brewery Fire)
• Beer Review: BoBull Fett (Bolero Snort Brewery)
• Mead Review: The Meadalorian (Space Time Mead and Cider Works)
• Beer Review: Let the Haze Flow Through You (Black Flag Brewing Co)
• Book Review: The Jedi Path and The Book of the Sith (Daniel Wallace)
• Book Review: Guardians of the Whills (Greg Rucka)
• May the Fourth Be With You (2022)
• RAR Out of Order Star Wars Drop!
• Beer Review: Vader (Mispillion River Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: Out of Order: Green Milk (RAR Brewing Company) (Batch 1)
• Beer Review: The Phantasm Menace (Second Sin Brewing Company)
• RAR Brewing – Out of Order – Star Wars Can Drop (2023)
• May the Fourth Be With You (2023)

Futurama

• Good News Everyone, Futurama is Back: Exploring Futurama – Inspired Craft Beers
• Futurama Episode Review – The Impossible Stream and Mead Review: Omicron Persei 8 (SpaceTime Meadery)
• Mead Review: Omicron Persei 8 (Space Time Mead and Cider Works)
• Futurama Episode Review – Children of a Lesser Bog and Beer Review: Stay on Target (Allusion Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: I Apologize For Nothing (Fourscore Beer Co.)
• Futurama Episode Video Review – How the West Was 1010001
• Futurama Episode Video Review – Parasites Regained
• Beer Review: Fing-Longer (Turning Point Beer)

Lord of the Rings:

• Book Review: An Atlas of Tolkien (David Day)
• Book Review: The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun (J.R.R. Tolkien)

Magic the Gathering:

• New Belgium Teams Up with Magic the Gathering for Vastwood Seer IPA

Zelda:

• Zelda and Craft Beer
• Beer Review: Motueka’s Mask (Black Flag Brewing Company)

Rick and Morty:

• Beer Review: Peace Among Worlds (Cushwa Brewing Company)

Space Balls:

• Beer Review: Moon of Vega (Equilibrium Brewery)

Game of Thrones:

• Beer Review: Game of Thrones: My Watch Has Ended (Omnegang Brewery)
• Book Review: The Wit and Wisdom of Tyrion Lannister (George R.R. Martin)

The Simpsons:

• Beer Review: I Voted for Kodos (Second Sin Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: I Voted for Kang (Second Sin Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: Ned Flanders Red (AleCraft Brewery)

Back to the Future:

• Beer Review: Back to Reality (Three 3s Brewing Co)

Scrooged:

• Beer Review: Scrooge IPA (Iron Hill Brewing)

Groundhog Day:

• Beer Review: Prognosticator Pils (Logyard Brewing Company)
• Logyard Brewing’s Prognosticator Pils is the Official Beer of Groundhog Day (2022)

A Christmas Story:

• Beer Review: The Soft Electric Glow of Sex (RAR Brewing)
• Beer Review: You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out! (Eight and Sand Beer Co)

The Peanuts:

• Book Review: The Philosophy of Snoopy (Charles M. Schulz)
• Book Review: You Don’t Look 35, Charlie Brown! (Charles M. Schulz)

Pro Wrestling:

• Beer Review: Broken Skull – Stone Cold Steve Austin’s IPA (El Segundo Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: Macho Man (Couch Brewery)
• Beer Review: Royal Rumble (Funk Brewing)
• Stone Cold Steve Austin and the WWE Are Celebrating 3:16 Day

Soccer:

• Beer Review: Pulisic Pilsner (Jackass Brewing Company)
• Book Review: Pulisic – My Journey So Far (Christian Pulisic)

World Cup:

• Qatar Bans Alcohol Sales at World Cup in Last Second Decision
• Breweries Opening Early For the USA vs Netherlands World Cup Ga

Phillies:

• Drunk Phils Fans and Rotunda Brewing Company Collaborate Together on Jam the Batter sWheat Tart

Matrix:

• Matrix Monday

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

• Beer Review: Terpenes in Time (BAREBottle Brewing Co)

HP Lovecraft / Cthulhu:

• Beer Review: Azathoth (Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company)

Seinfeld:

• Beer Review: Jon Voight’s Car (RAR Brewing)
• Beer Review: Airing of Grievances (Black Flag Brewing Company)

Other:

• Beer Review: Super Villain (Urban Village Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: Pixels (Seminar Brewing)
• Beer Review: Villeinage (Elder Pine Brewing and Blending)
• Beer Review: Intergalactic Deals (Levante Brewing)
• Beer Review: Galactic Space Circus (Creature Comforts Brewing Co)
• Beer Review: The Death of Civilization in Slow Motion I (Ghost 907) (Adroit Theory)

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

We are working on a massive project here at The Beer Thrillers. We are creating a map of all of the breweries across the United States. State by state we are adding maps of all of the different states with every brewery in each state. (We will eventually get to the US Territories, as well as the Canadian Provinces, and possibly more countries; as well as doing some fun maps like a map of all the breweries we’ve been to, and other fun maps.) You can find the brewery maps here:

• MAPS OF BREWERIES

We are also working on a project of creating printable and downloadable PDFs and resources to be able to check and keep track of all of the breweries you’ve been to. So stay tuned for that project once we are finished with the Brewery Maps of the US States.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server). We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written.

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

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This was a juicy, big, bold, IPA that was sent to me as part of that Texas beer mail package. I’ve done a few other reviews from the beers sent to me – Road Trip Snacks, Thursday (2016), Islla en el Cielo, $#!+ Ton, Daebak, Chocolate Confidential, Sunshine and Opportunity, Azathoth, Citraquench’l, Paradise Lost, Irish Table, Athena, Vanilla Ice Cream Stout, Reve Coffee Stout, and Ghost in the Machine. (In short, I love getting beer mail; and love doing beer reviews of them!)

This is another gem from a beer mail / beer trade. Haven’t had too many misses on my beer mail and beer trades (thank the maker). While we’re all stuck inside due to the snow squalls and cold May weather here in Central PA; lets check this out.

Beer: Virtually Inseparable
Brewery: Celestial Beerworks
Collaborator: Turning Point Beer
Style: IPA – Triple New England
ABV: 10%
IBU: None listed
Untappd Description: A “virtual collaboration” with our cyber pals at Turning Point Beer. It’s a triple IPA brewed with Citra, Strata and Sabro. It has aromas of passionfruit and pineapple, and is jam packed with flavors of coconut, mango, taffy, and melon. It has a soft and fluffy mouthfeel and is the absolute brightest 10% glass of juice.

Interesting hops for this – Citra, Strata, and Sabro. People seem to be on the fence with sabro hops (some love it, some hate it).

This looks pure orange juice. Bright, beautiful golden orange color. Little foam to the head, not crazy head to it, but enough to be good. The bubbles are interspersed and varied. This is certainly hazy, with a few ‘floaters’ but nothing egregious.

Aroma is strong, super strong hoppyness. As obvious as the appearance of the beer is, the aroma kicks in as soon as you crack the can and lets you know right away that this is a Triple IPA. You get immediate notes of coconut, passionfruit, mango, pineapple, and a bit of melon.

Lets take this opportunity to look at the hops involved in this delicious triple IPA:
* Sabro – Sabro is an aroma hop that is notable for its complexity of fruity and citrus flavors. It imparts distinct tangerine, coconut, tropical fruit, and stone fruit aromas, with hints of cedar, mint, and cream. Sabro’s pedigree is the result of a unique cross pollination of a female neomexicanus hop.
* Citra – Citra hops are now one of the most coveted aroma hops in the US and have a strong citrusy profile with elements of grapefruit, lime and tropical fruit.
* Strata – Bittering with Strata brings a nice balanced bitterness. Flavor and aroma additions bring out the fruity side with tropical fruit and fresh berry brightness. Brewers say that dry hopping deepens the grapefruit and dank/herbal/cannabis elements.
(Information comes from Yakima Valley Hops, Hopslist, and Learn.Kegerator; respectively for all three.)

This has a soft mouthfeel. Its very juicy, very dank, but extremely drinkable and no booze or strong bite despite its 10% ABV. The flavor this is fantastic. You get notes of coconut, passionfruit, mango, slight berry notes, a bit of citrus poking through at points (primarily in a tangerine or orange taste), a little bit of pineapple. I think the biggest hop fruit flavor is mango, which explains why I enjoy it so much, thats always one of my favorite hop or fruit flavors in beers. (Funny because I don’t eat mangos as actual food, but love the flavor of them in beer.) There is little bits of floaters in this, but nothing you actually taste or detect as you drink. There is no dryness to this, and very little bitter or hop burn as well, its just genuinely a smooth beer, with a decently heavy mouthfeel but overall it tastes light and airy but still juicy. It goes down relatively quickly too, especially for a 10% beer. Having multiples of this around could be a danger that’s for sure.

My Untappd Rating: ****
Global Untappd Rating: 4.46 (as of 5.10.20)

This was a wonderful beer to have at home, sitting relaxing, after I did a 10+ mile walk with my dog (Leela) walking the Conewago Recreational Trail. I walked it from the start on Rt. 230 near where Elizabethtown begins, and took it all the way to the Lebanon County line (where it becomes the Lebanon Valley Rails and Trails) and, went a bit further, than turned around. After the walk, stopped at Moo-Duck to support local breweries. I got a taco flatbread pizza, and a crowler of Hades Chocolate Rye (which I drank later that night with my friend and was delicious).

We’re rolling through May everyone, its now May 10th, which means we’re 1/3rd of the way through the month. I hope everyone is having a wonderful May, and is enjoying the blog, hopefully also, everyone is staying safe, staying (primarily) home, helping local small businesses and breweries, and doing their part to beat this virus. We’re all in this together.

Would love to give a shout out to all the hard working nurses, doctors, people who are volunteering for their communities by handing out lunches at schools, taking care of elderly, or doing whatever they can for their fellow neighbors and people. And a big thank you to people still working at some of the ‘centers’ of this; grocery store workers, cashiers, hospital employees, medical professionals, firefighters, etc. Thank you to all of you!

We’ll get through this. We’ll get back out there to life, and we’ll all sit down for some beers together! Until then, cheers from afar!

-B. Kline

Yesterday, I received my Texas beer mail package. It was packed full of goodies from breweries like Turning Point Beer, Martin House, Celestial Beer Works, Panther Brewing, HopFusion Ale Works, etc. Yesterday saw me already dive into three of the beers (the barleywine, the spicey pickle beer, and then the Fur Slipper milk stout to wash that down).

I came up with a plan during this lockdown to both help local breweries and get to try new breweries that I can’t travel to. So I set up a few ‘local for local’ trades with some guys online (I have a box coming from South Florida shortly). I went around to local breweries – Boneshire Brew Works, Pizza Boy Brewing, Tattered Flag, and Ever Grain Brewing and grab some four-packs, broke them down to make mixed packs to send off. Its a win for everyone. My local breweries get patronage, their local breweries get patronage, and we both get to try beers we most likely never would get to try otherwise. Plus it also gives me some unique beers to review here for the blog which further spreads the word.

So lets check out the first one I tried out.

Beer: $#!+ Ton
Brewery: Turning Point Beer
Style: Barleywine – English
ABV: 11.8%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: Our first English Barley Wine, made entirely with English ingredients.

This beer comes from the Turning Point Beer (brewery) – Bedford Texas. Untappd lists it as a Brew Pub, with 153 unique beers and a global average rating of 4.1 (as of 4.23.20). Their Untappd description reads: “We make cool beers for cool people. 1307 Brown Trail Bedford Texas 76022.” You can find their Untappd page here: Turning Point Beer.

After a long day of ….quarantining … and walking the dog for a long walk, and doing things for three young people under my care, and finishing Module Five (Yeast), I needed this. It was just a barleywine kinda night. Slight chill, almost sunset time, about 7PM…. I’m halfway through my glass when my youngest asks to go for a bike ride. I don’t ride bike, so that meant I had to jog along with her while we did about a mile (+) bike loop. With half of a 11.8% barleywine sloshing around my gut. Do. Not. Recommend.

Anway… onto the actual review.

This poured a lovely caramel brown color, with a very frothy full foamy head. The head is a nice off-white (slightly brown) creamy looking head with great bubbles, varied sizes and disperse. It left nice lacing on the glass. It was a sweet looking brown with a hint of amber, clear, and well carbonated.

Aroma is malty, bready, with a bit of a banana smell. It has a slight sweet odor, but not vanilla. Slight spices smell but all very subtle, the predominant aroma was the malty bready biscuity backbone to this beer with everything else being subdued and subtle.

This was a delicious barleywine, one of my favorite styles. It had a very nice kick, but was very easy drinking, and like a good barleywine. Unlike some (most) barleywines you don’t even take notice of the 11.8% on this bad boy. It is definitely malty, and it has a slight appropriate bitterness to it. You get your dose of ‘English’ ingredients in this that rounds things out nicely. Some spices, some herbal elements. As with the aroma, there is a fine feint hint of banana. Nothing too ripe, but it might be where some of the sweetness comes from. This does go back and forth on being ‘sweet’ to ‘not sweet’ as you drink it down, which is interesting how it bounces back and forth between the two so much. There is a nice breadyness and biscuit flavor profile that goes with the high malt on this, giving it a full thick mouthfeel. Its not cloying, nice mouthfeel but not too heavy, no off flavors, just all around a well made barleywine that is amazingly easy sipper.

My Untappd Rating: ****
Global Untappd Rating: 3.92 (as of 4.23.20)

After this, I ended up meeting up with Drew and finishing part two of our run through of Zelda – A Link to the Past. Once we get the YouTube channel up and running, you’ll be able to see it on there. (Coming shortly). I poured myself a sampler (like half a shot) of the Spicy Pickle Beer, and gave Drew the rest of the pint. It took me some courage to even drink that shot. Not. A. Fan. D. Scott loved his glass of it though. I washed it down with HopFusion’s Fur Slipper (Imperial Milk Stout).

Still working through my online beer course, you can check the series out by starting at the beginning and working your way through it here: Beer Education: The Series. Also, look for a post about the grand opening of Hemauer Brewing, that should probably be posted tomorrow.

Stay safe, take it easy, be kind, and cheers everyone!

-B. Kline