I should have written up Southern Star Pine Belt Pale Ale weeks ago. And actually, I did, so I'll just reprint here what I first wrote about them in The Austin Chronicle back on July 4:[W]ow, for their first time at the plate, these guys hit it out of the park. Ignore the fact that it comes in cans (a rarity in the world of craft brewing): From the moment it poured into my glass and the smell of the hops hit my nose, I knew I'd love it. A slightly strawberryish flavor preceding a bracing, aggressive hop punch tasted wonderful going down, and heck, even my burps tasted good afterward. Rookie of the year!
I'm especially excited about Southern Star because it's yet another great Texas brewery, based out of Conroe (near Houston). I suspect this canned beer thing is a trend in the making.
5 comments:
I've heard SS had to alter their recipe due to trouble obtaining hops, so their current beer is not as brilliant or outstanding as their first batches. Any confirmation?
I have no idea if the cans I've had so far are from the early batches or the later ones. If what I was drinking last night was from the later batch, then the early batches must have been absolutely brilliant. If I notice a drop-off in quality, I'll let you know.
I have a can in the fridge that Carla brought me back from Conroe. She was impressed with it when she had it there. One of these days I'll open it and write up my own opinion.
You can't take any glass when you're floatin' down the river …
nkisob
Normally I'll pour my Old Chub or Pine Belt into a glass for drinking. But last night I had one of each straight out of the can and wow, still damn good. Makes sense as neither one rely on aroma hops for their flavor profile as much as they do flavoring and bittering. Also I just really dig drinking an excellent craft brew out of a tall boy.
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