Chuck Bass and Brown Ale

Day #413 Four / Freetail Brewing Company, San Antonio, TX
Previously from this brewery: my review of Woodicus, and Marci's review of Ananke

Another Saturday has arrived at Blog Named Brew Manor, and I feel very comfortable in my own skin so I feel no shame in telling you that I spent a fair part of my morning catching up on missed episodes of Gossip Girl.  Sure, other grownups might be doing home improvement projects today, or whatever normal grownups do, but I prefer to spend my day off binge watching a show aimed at tweens.  What can I say, I like what I like.

Have no fear, I also like beer, so today's review is a look back to Texas, with a review of Four, a brown ale from Freetail Brewing.  This beer sports a mahogany hue with ruby hints and virtually no head.  Your nose finds aromas of cocoa and malt, an the taste gives you notes of dark chocolate, spice, and caramel malt sweetness, with some hops balance to keep things honest. Like caramel?  Like chocolate?  Like beer?  Do you find yourself in or near San Antonio (because the distribution network for breweries in Texas is fairly awful)?  Then please order this beer, and you can thank me later.

Glamour shot

This beer is named in honor of Freetail's fourth anniversary.  No idea if they intend to name a beer after every anniversary going forward, but then again I never really asked.


Thing to Think About Today:
Okay, so why do I watch a show aimed at the demographic a solid generation younger than I am?  Two reasons:  Chuck Bass and Chuck Bass (okay, fine, Chuck Bass and the lovely Leighton Meester, who plays Blair, Chuck's love interest).  Bass, played splendidly by Ed Westwick, is the dapper, debonair, confident, Scotch drinking, risk taking, scheming, ignored son of a billionaire, who manages to run a business empire and be the biggest playboy in town, all before his 21st birthday.  In other words, he's just like me!!!

The highlight of any episode?  Chuck uttering his catch phrase, "I'm Chuck Bass....", which at various times serves as a means of introduction, a command, a threat, and the most succinct version of, "Do you know who the fuck I am?" I've ever heard.  His highlight reel, for those unfamiliar, is how we're closing out today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UHpZlzvMnc

"We don't need tickets.  I'm CHUCK BASS."

Day 400: Free Tail Brewing and a Greek Mythology Lesson

Texas Beer Week continues with a trip to San Antonio and Freetail Brewing Company. I'm not sure how Freetail landed on our radar when planning our trip to Austin, but I am certainly glad it did.

Freetail is named for the bats that seem to be all over the Austin, San Antonio area. Luckily for me, the several million bats who make their home under the South Congress Bridge in Austin were on their winter sabatical and nowhere to be found while I was visiting. While I value the role that bats play in the ecosystem, I have no desire to see them up close and en masse as I had to remind Mr. Blog Named Brew repeatedly on this trip.

Freetail opened up in 2009 with the goal of bringing better beer to the San Antonio area. I can assure you--based on my personal experience--they are more than meeting that goal. I started out with one of two sours they had on draft that day.  

Ananke = Delicious

The Ananke is an American wild ale or a sour beer. It poured a dark straw color with a very small, almost nonexistent head. It smells of lemons and a bit of wood or resin. The flavor is extremely tart...lemon, resinous. There's lots of woody flavor to it that lends a very interesting element. This is a great example of a sour beer. 

In case you were wondering who or what Ananke is, I've learned she is the Greek goddess of inevitability, compulsion and necessity. Together with Khronos, they are responsible for splitting the primal egg of solid matter into its constituent parts, earth, heaven and sea and so brought about the creation of the ordered universe. And that's your Greek mythology lesson for the day!

Beer stats

Style: American wild ale

ABV: 5.8%

IBUs: 10

Rating: Excellent 

Thanks to the encouragement of our waitress, who really knew her beer, I sampled four more offerings.

From left to right are: La Rubia blonde ale; Tadarida Oscura black IPA; Shoppe's smoked; and, La Muerta imperial stout. I didn't take any notes on these although I can recall that the Shoppe's smoked was quite unusual. Given its low ABV and IBUs, I thought it would be more of a table beer or perhaps a berlinerweisse. It's also worth noting that the beer board did not mention smoke at all in my defense. It actually tasted more like a rauchbier. Our waitress told me it was an acquired taste--evidently I acquired it pretty quickly because I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Previously reviewed from Freetail Brewing

Gary's review of the other sour that was on during our visit to Freetail, the Woodicus

Waiting....

Day #385 Woodicus / Freetail Brewing Company, San Antonio, TX
Previously from this brewery: None / New brewery

Today is a hustle day, so I'm keeping this short.  Well, I probably could spend a bit more time spinning colorful yarns, seeing how my flight is already 30 minutes delayed and I don't need to get on a plane for another five hours.  Great, should be a fun day spent sitting in airports.

A quick swing through south Texas isn't complete without a visit to the Freetail Brewing Company in San Antonio.  While there, my first beer up was a glass of Woodicus, a seasonal wild ale.  In the glass, you see a hazy golden amber color with a wispy head.  You find a tart, citrus aroma when you inhale, and when you take a sip you get a ton of tart and sour, with some funk that lingers.  There's a good bit of citrus in here (lemon), along with some oak.  Very well done beer, and I'm always glad to see more wild ales on draft, as they tend to be delicious.

Wood makes it good.

Pro tip: when you're there, try the brisket cheesesteak.  As a resident of the Philadelphia area, I laugh and feel bad when restaurants across the country put a "Philly steak" on their menu.  However, when you use brisket and queso, you get a free pass.  Delicious.

Thing to Think About Today:
I'm going to spend my day stuck in airports, sitting around waiting to get home.  As I sit and wait and wish, I'll let Jack Johnson wrap things up for today.  Keep your fingers crossed, peoples.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W12tapQRrGM