The Surprising Happenstance in Discovering the Bear Republic Texas Brown Ale

My esteemed parental units came into town and we set off as we often do in search of the finer things in life: alcohol. We left this behind -

- to revel in a grape soaked weekend in Sonoma that looked a little like this:

Duck with mascarpone mashed potatoes (I believe)

Saturday we hit up 7 wineries and Sunday tasted 28 different wines, including 18 from DuMol. While Sonoma is well known for wine drinkers but not to me, it quickly gained my affection. The scenery differs from Napa but is as beautiful. Their Pinot Noir is quite different from the peppery Santa Barbara Pinot's and they have some fantastic Syrah and Zinfandel.

There's a famous winemaker's proverb that goes, "it takes a lot of beer to make good wine." I have yet to partake in the grueling grape harvest that occurs every fall, but after a weekend of grapes I was ready for a beer. In Healdsburg Sunday night, we headed to a wine bar for a pre-dinner glass but the bar was closed. Amidst the signs pointing tourists to local jewelry, bakeries, and nic nac stores, I saw the logo for Bear Republic Brewery. Tucked away from the main st thoroughfare was the actual Beer Republic brewery/brew pub!

For reasons I can't explain, I thought Bear Republic was located in Tahoe, but blind luck led me to their location. I think this makes 13+ breweries visited in the last 20 months.

Bear Republic brews some gems. Their IPA Racer 5 is a fantastic West Coast IPA, and I'm especially fond of their Hop Rod Rye and Red Rocket hoppy red ale. The brewpub has a number of specialty beers they only keg for that location, including several single IPA brews. I normally would order one of those, but being from Texas, a collaboration beer caught my eye.

The Texas Brown Ale was released two months ago by Stone. The recipe was collaboration between Stone, Bear Republic, and Fathead, a brewpub/brewery in Cleveland which has won several awards at GABT (Great American Beer Festival). The TBA is not only a relatively unknown beer style, but it's also a mistitled one. According to Stone's website:

This particular beer pays homage to a relatively little–known beer style called Texas Brown Ale, which, strangely enough, has its roots in California. It originated as a hopped up version of a brown ale recipe. While delicious, these beers failed to fare well in homebrew competitions, since there was no recognized category they could be entered in. They were far too hoppy and bitter to be considered a traditional brown ale. But when a competition in Houston, TX, accepted entries for what they named the “California Dark” category, the American Homebrewers Association followed suit soon after, though they perplexingly changed the name to Texas Brown Ale.

Kinda bizarre really. This article from a local liquor shop in Houston (where I grew up) goes into greater detail about the style's creation Specs article on Texas Brown Ale. Anywho, unless you're planning an extremely geeky trivia night around beer styles, it's basically a hoppy brown ale. It says so at the bottom of the label. However, the collaboration offers a unique twist, and it's why I'm a passionate fan of collabs - good brewers come together and create something out of the ordinary. Craft Breweries are technically in competition with each other, but they're more so committed to making unique and high quality beer. The result is usually delicious, if not extraordinary.

Stone in its 15 years existence never used Cascade hops, a mild but spicy and fruity hop grown in Oregon, and similar to the English Fuggles hop and a distant cousin once removed from the Czech Saaz hop used in pilseners. After the collaboration, Stone used Cascade again in their latest Barleywine. The TBA also is also brewed with molasses and brown sugar, which gives the body a very distinctive taste. 

Overall, the TBA is heavier and hoppier than your average brown ale. Molasses is an interesting ingredient to use because yeast has hard time breaking down the type of sugar used in molasses. Instead of fermenting out most of the flavors like yeast does with Candi Sugar, a greater amount of the molasses flavor is left in the brew. I also believe this results in the heaviness of the TBA, to the beer's benefit. Another fun factoid is the brown sugar tends to caramelize in the brewpot, especially when the boil is 90+ minutes. For the TBA, the result is an initially malty beer with biscuit and roast flavors (like your average brown ale) that ends with bits of sweetness, caramel and fruit. The four different hops used in combination with the unique sugars creates a complex brown ale and inspired me to savor each sip. If you like hoppy barleywines or intense stouts like Great Divide's Yeti, you will probably enjoy this collaborative delight. TRANSFORMERS rating.

More Brown Than Black Collaboration IPA is the best of both worlds

There's a great story behind this collaboration from Stone, Ninkasi and Alchemist. The proceeds of the brew are going to help victims of Hurricane Irene, which is near the Alchemist brewery. Ninkasi and Stone are two of my favorite breweries so I'm excited to see how the brain trust pulls off what sounds like a unique style and brew.

This collaboration is so knew that it's not even in the Stone book which I received for Xmas. It's still somehow photo-bombed the collab. There's a lot of sediment with the pour and the aroma has more citrus zest from the hops than you might expect with such a dark roast malt. The flavor has the sweet brown sugar and biscuit-ness of a brown ale and only a tinge of roasted bitterness. There's a whole lot of hop going on but the malt body hangs in there to balance it out. The mouthful finishes dry and quick, which makes me want more. Nearly black in color, this brew has the heart of a brown ale and the bitterness of a Ronin Samurai. Sorry, I'm watching 13 Warriors on Netflix streaming now and its awesomeness is bleeding into the post. It's pretty gory and cool. Anywho, THE ROCK rating. Great beer by great breweries for a great cause, go getcha self some More Brown Than Black!

Stone Levitation arises to the occasion

Last night my brother Warren asked me to be his best man! We've come a long way since this picture, which is my favorite from our childhood. I'll be giving the best man speech in front of nearly 500 people, yikes! I'm for sure going to need some Levitation for that.

This is also the 20th Stone beer of the year and the 2nd to last consecutive beer of the year, 399. It's also my first day of unemployment. My final day in the entertainment industry was yesterday and in a couple weeks I'll be moving to San Francisco and beginning Advertising school! After soaking this in, I realize it's a pretty big day here. Good thing I have a quality Stone with me.

The Levitation is a flavorful 4.4% brown/amber style ale with with a hint of coffee. It has a malty aroma and finishes slightly bitter. I'm not fans of the style but this rises way above. Don't mess with stone and grab a sixer of this for a lazy weekend. TRANSFORMERS rating.

Stone 15th Anniversary Imperial Black IPA is back in black

Another day in Hollywood winds down and I'm languishing in the office waiting for an 8:30 dinner. Wednesday next week, which the Milk is for Babies readers will come to know as "Beer/Day #398," will also be my final day working in the entertainment industry. 2 years at talent agencies, 1.5 year as a director's assistant and 1.5 as a producer's assistant and I'm calling it donzos. Advertising Grad school here I come! I'm alone in the office and feeling a bit wistful, wondering if I'll miss reading scripts and actors and directors. And the answer right now is, not really. But at least I'll still have a ton of fun stories...until I forget them.

 

Will I ever look at a script and see not a story but a dead tree? Jeez, that's morbid. Maybe it's the imperial (que John Williams Imperial March theme) black IPA from Stone Brewing. Their 15th anniversary beer is balls to the wall; 10.8% alcohol, bold hops and a beer style that is unusual but quickly gaining popularity, the black IPA.

 

This fella is rich and robust with earthy chocolate flavors and a one-two bitterness punch from the dark roast and hops. The alcohol is well blended with the bitterness. It’s full bodied and a little syrupy, like a very imperial stout, like the Velvet Glove from Iron Fist. Or it could just be that the beer is not very cold. The freezers suck here...

Well, at least mine don't want me to be the Keymaster. None of the beer's elements, as in your face as the dark roast and west coast hops can be, are overwhelming. It is intense though, so people who can't handle big beers, stand clear of the road. However, if you know Stone, you know that they're unapologetic in this regard. If you love the brashness and boldness of Stone Ruination, Arrogant Bastard (and especially Double Bastard), you will want to jump on the highway and say "HIT ME" with this one. It's unique, finely crafted and something to behold. BAD BOYS rating.

There’s a new wave of black IPA’s out there, I’ve tasted several just in the last couple of months, and once last year from Deschutes which was excellent (post). I don't think all IPA lovers will enjoy them, evidenced by David's unwelcoming embrace, but I really enjoy them. The style is tough to pull off but if done correctly, there is such a unique complexity from the roast and hops. I highly recommend trying the next one you see.

Btw, do you think as a father I'll be that weird dad who sings "400 beers on the wall, take one down pass it around, 399 beers on the wall. It was an imperial ipa and the rating was..." to help them sleep? The answer is no, because my future wife or ex-wife, depending on how the cookie crumbles, would kill me. I'll just have to make him read my blog when he's 11.

Stone Collaboration Japanese Green Tea IPA warms the heart

I have about 45 minutes before I run to the airport and fly to Utah to meet the 'rents for a weekend getaway in Park City. David is at the X-Games and so I'm on my own for the beer, giving me the opportunity to pull something I've EAGERLY anticipated having, a very unique collaboration between Stone and two Japanese breweries, Ishii and Baird. Check out the video here

I love the craft brewing community for many reasons, but I especially love collaborations. This collaboration is particularly special, as Stone wanted to reach out to Japanese breweries to make a beer that relays the Japanese people are not alone and that people are thinking about them. This beer's proceeds will go to the Tsunami and Earthquake Disaster Relief Fund. It's dry hopped with Green Tea and the alcohol is the same magnitude as the earthquake, 9.2%, to correlate with the tremor. The whole situation is heartwarming is creating an uncomfortable amount of empathy within me. I already heard some really amazing news about my future today, which I will reveal a week from today on our one year beer-versary, and all this 'helping people' crap is really getting to me. Come on Walker! I need to find a telephone booth stat!

Besides the humanity, I'm just excited to try interesting beers and this is right for my wheelhouse.

There is a complex earthiness from tea, much more than I would think from dry hopping. As mentioned in the video above, the IPA-ness is a departure from your typical American IPA and it's more herbal than citrusy. While the herbal hop flavor is different than what I expect from a Stone beer, the body has the trademark of a Stone IPA. Overall, the bitterness is complex but also a quite astringent. This is a hop lovers brew for sure. I'm eating leftover spicy chicken mole and the bitterness is pairing well with the spice. I really appreciate this beer, even if I don't rank it as an All-Star. ARMAGEDDON rating.

Stone Imperial Russian Stout Belgo Anise licorces me up

This brew is part of Stone's “Odd Beers for Odd Years" program, where during n odd numbered years they release new variations on Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine and Stone Imperial Russian Stout in place of the classic version. The Belgo Old Guardian Barleywine was interesting but very overwhelming.

The regular Russian Imperial Stout is one of my favorite stouts and I'm interested to taste what the anise will do. Anise, which is used in absinthe and black licorice, will probably add a unique fingerprint and make this either an incredible beer or a really bizarre beer. I wonder what it'll be...

We're dog sitting the incredible Kamari, who I had to include in the picture. The best dog ever.

The licorice is there from the start and adds a nice flavor and does make this a unique stout. That being said, as I continue drinking it becomes harder for me to finish the glass. The anise wore on me and overwhelmed my palate and drinking became a chore.

I really enjoy Stone making this series of beers and I love the idea of making proven recipes using odd ingredients. It's bold and creative. However, these Belgo beers are experiments that I won't be drinking again. They created a monster of a beer and it's just too much. ARMAGEDDON rating.

San Diego Brewery Trip Sunday and Port Brewing's Older Viscosity

 After some amazing Lemon Ricotta Pancakes at Torrey Pines (I finally know how a cloud tastes), we head to Stone. I've referenced the whole trip as being a pilgramige to Mecca, but if I were to chose a single brewery as THE Mecca, it'd be Stone. Stone is an landmark in the craft brewing world. They defined the current era of outrageously hoppy IPA's. 

Their ambitious beers are matched by an ambitious team, led by Greg Koch. I know their facility not only has brewery tours and a tasting, but a bistro and a bar - an entire operation. They are the only American craft brewer who is building a brewery in Europe (plan to start on a Belgian factory in August) to bring their beers to another continent. David and I tallied the beers we've drank this year by stone, and the number is 18, by far the most of any brewery. It's the only brewery we felt it necessary to tour.

Oddly, their are no signs marking the brewery and we actually drive past it the first time by. The path to the facility (above) is guided by stones and a jungle like atmosphere. Everyone agrees that it feels like a nature reserve.

I see bamboo like structures and hope there are pandas here. David and the parental units believe if any animal lived here, it would be Giraffes. Pandas are drunk on the time because they're allergeic to the only food they eat, eucalyptus, but whatever, Giraffes are cool if you're into eating the top of trees off.

Sadly , there are no animals but this scenery is spectacular. There is a big lot, maybe an acre big, that includes walkways through a botanical enclave. It's incredibly peaceful here and if I lived in the area I would find myself here often. Friend Lindsey B who we're meeting up later at Pizza Port said the Duck Tacos and Tilapia are amazing. Next time Walker, next time.

Getting tickets for the tour happens 2 hours in advance, on the hour, so we each sample a beer that we won't taste after the tour. I have a glass of Cali-Belgique, which as a Belgian IPA is my favorite beer style. David chooses a Sublimely Self-Righteous, a dark ale with a name only bettered by Stone's Arrogant Bastard. Mom and Dad split a Ruination IPA (Double IPA, intense!) and a Levitation, their amber ale. All are verified as delicious by the thirsty parties.

We hangout in their zen garden drinking until it's time to get a 2pm tour ticket. At noon the tickets are ours and we head to Lost Abbey/Port Brewing to kill the two hours before the tour. 

Lost Abbey/Port Brewing

We're coming to the brewery a day after Lost Abbey's 5th Anniversary party and even though Lost Abbey's brews have not been on David and I's favorites list, I'm glad they decided to stay open today because tasting their full selection flipped my opinion.

Here's what I sampled:

 

Red Barn - spiced saison made with ginger. Very intense spice but well balanced. David thinks this is interesting, but I'm not sold on it. He also wanted to have a child with Bruery's Gunga Galunga, a brew also made with ginger. I always thought David shared the same distrust for red-heads as me, but apparently his true colors showed through so I'm just gonna say it: Ginger Lover. We'll probably resort to fisticuffs after he reads this. Calling him that name is like telling your girlfriend she's fat in three different languages.

Judgment Day - a Belgian style quadruple with raisins. I really love this. The raisins mellow and sweeten beer. Love this strong but mellow fellow.

Older Viscosity - this is an Old Viscosity, an imperial stout, aged in whiskey barrel. At 12% alcohol, the flavor profile is rich dark chocolate and as Lost Abbey says, "a bit sludgy." Apparently, I love me some dark sludge. The alcohol is apparent but forgotten by its richness. I am doing this beer a disservice in describing it as a liquid chocolate beer, because it is so much more. It is simply phenomenal. BAD BOYS rating. I would buy a bottle to take back with me but it's $15 for a 375 bottle. That is what oilmen call 'black gold.'

For the next two bottles, we benefited from the disinterest of another customer. Someone's girlfriend said she didn't like most beers, so our server Molly, a salty and likable woman, took it as a personal quest to find a beer she licked. We were the beneficiary of two beers that weren't being poured today (their taps ran out during yesterday's celebration).

Inferno - strong belgian ale. It's sweet and malty, pretty damn good. Bought a bottle. 

Lost and Found - Belgian Dubbel with Raisins. This is a Last Judgment that's 'halved' (8%). Only, it's easier to drink than Judgment Day. It's not as complex but it's smooth and drinkability is high. This will rate highly when we officially review it. 

We tasted but tasted but not pictured - Shark Attack red ale, Avant Garde Beire de Garde, 5 year Anniversary, Hot Rocks German Brown Ale.

There were very few remnants that a huge anniversary party had taken place 24 hours earlier with over 900 attendees, except for a huge white board they allowed people to write all over. Below are pictures of several hilarious quotes it is necessary to share, for the sake of comedy and humanity.

Can't argue that quote. Also, love how Ewok is terriblly misspelled.

"Tactical Nuclear Penguin" HA

Their Christmas Ale is called "Santa's Little Helper." This is precious

HAHAHA

Platt and David have a staring contest.

 'SUP

Aww, Ma and Pa and Walker.

We traveled back to Stone for our brewery tour, which was led by the funny and knowledgeable Ken.

They use hundreds and hundreds of lbs of grain in each batch, as much as 1000 LB. I used 5.5 lbs in last week's partial mash.

Interesting fact I learned, craft brew in America didn't get started until Jimmy Carter's administration passed a law allowing homebrewing. So a tip of my hat to that fellow.

These fermentation tanks are massive. Those pipes going down into the white barrels you see are known to home brewers as 'blow off tubes.' The process stays the same, just the machinery and technology changes. As you can see by the various pipes in the above pic as well as the below, Stone has invested an incredible amount of money and energy into creating a very clean and efficient brewing system. David and I have never seen such a clean industrial place.

To give perspective, those cases of beers on the right are around 30 ft tall. The tanks behind them are at least 4.5 stories tall.

After the toured ended, we were lead to the first of four tasters. First one was Stone Pale Ale, followed by their IPA, Arrogant Bastard and the Smoked Porter.

My parents had to catch a flight, so we bid farewell to an incredibly wonderful weekend. It's so much to do these things with my parents, and I'm very fortunate they are this cool. And can hold their liquor. David and I stayed after the tour left and chatted up Ken, which in turn led to a free taste of their Russian Imperial Stout. Influenced by their awesomeness, we purchased a growler of Arrogant Bastard and on a suggestion from Ken, proceeded to a brand new brewery, Iron Fist.

The story of this brewery is a fascinating. The brewer is 21 years old. His parents were in real estate and the market tanked. Well, said their son, I make pretty good beer maybe we should do that? So the parents pump some money into a beer setup 7 months ago and their barely legal son brews beer. And guess what? It's pretty damn good! I'm impressed.

Renegade Blonde Kolsch style ale - I used kolsch yeast with great success in my honey wheat and so I'm pretty hot on beers made with it. Here they used caramel malts with great success to create a sweet but crisp (kolsch yeast) beer that doesn't belay a tartness found in kolsch yeasts. I think he really nailed the malt. David said one of the drawbacks is the use of a singular hop, which is an interesting note. But I loved this one and brought a bottle home.

Golden Age golden Strong Ale - it's sweet, yeasty, a very belgian-style beer that is tasty without trying to be more. It's really close to a Pranqster. The sophistication of this beer compared to the brewer's age, is really impressive.

Dubbel Fisted Dubbel Belgian - sweet caramle malt, light, very drinkable not complex - reminds me of a better version of the St. Clairvoux Sierra Nevada Dubbel collaboration, only better.


Iron Fist Oatmeal Stout - I've drunk a before at the Surly Goat and it's fantastic. The 'teenage version' of Port Brewing's Older Viscosity. It's pretty damn great. We bought a growler of it to take home.

This is definitely a family run business. The mom and dad poured our tasters. The brewer's wife refilled our pretzel bowl. The brewer himself was taking a break - in the back office playing Xbox (where men should be) - but he came out and shook everyone's hand a little later. As a family unit, this is their life. Working 7 days a week, brewing and promoting beer. This family believes in their product and live it. Being an entrepreneur takes a lot of energy and dedication. People ask if I'd ever want to brew for a living and it's something I've thought about.

Two brews we bought, they really awesome growlers

But...I'm basically of the perspective that it's a 50 week a year, 7 days a week and 10 hour a day job is not the lifestyle I want to have, at least right now. Entrepeneurs have to live and breathe their product, and I'm not ready for that. Maybe when I make phenomenal beer that I'm so incredibly passionate about that I will never want to stop sharing it with the world every hour of my life, then I will change my mind. But still, watching this family interact highlighted the qualitative positives of working together all the time I hadn't thought of. There is something to say about a family spending time together and the joy of creating something together. Something to ponder whilst I wonder.

One side of their tasting room was one big doodle bored and it kinda highlighted the shared experience that could happen. That and hilarious dragons and the octopus from the 3rd Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

We'll be back here soon and I'll be damned if I don't add something inappropriate to their wall.



Pizza Port Carlsbad - this is the capital of the Pizza Port restaurant chain. Bigger than the others and they have a pretty impressive beer bottle shop next door.

Beers on tap.

An old college friend Lindsey B lives in the area and stopped by while we enjoyed some pizzer and There & Here Belgian golden - which was crisp and delicious.

After a little while Lindsey left and we were chatted up by some evangelicals, who were nice but definitely pushed their agenda a bit. I wanted a beer before hitting the road, so I went to the bathroom and ordered a hoppy pale ale. Then chugged it outside the men's room, because looking like an alcoholic frat boy in the present company, I just didn't have on my agenda.


Back home, we celebrated our bounty from the breweries and the Carlsbad Bottle Room.

I know right?!! Awesome. No better way to end a weekend than killing a growler of Arrogant Bastard and catching up on SNL, which featured an Ace and Gary skit and was hilarious.

And that's how you end an incredible weekend. Thanks parents and David for being awesome, this was an incredible post birthday weekend and it couldn't of gone better. To beer!