Hyde Park Market and Samuel Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner

I stepped into the new Hyde Park Market at 45th & Duval today, because I'd heard it had about the craziest craft brew selection you could possibly find at a corner store. The stories were true. They're even better than the Bread Basket down the street from my house (which I affectionately call the "Beer Basket," because (A) they have a superb beer selection for a convenience store, and (B) they don't actually sell bread). Seriously, it's unbelievable — you wouldn't think a dinky little corner store could match the likes of Spec's, Grape Vine Market, or Central Market, but they come mighty close. I used to live about two blocks from there. It's probably for the best that I no longer do. (Of course, my kid's Montessori school is nearby, so I'll probably be back plenty.)

I extremely pleased to find a four-pack of Samuel Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner, a seasonal beer that I'd forgotten about. And I'm not sure how I could have forgotten — I raved about it last year, and as soon as I saw it on the shelves, wonderful hoppy memories flooded into brain.

I just gave it another taste, and my memories proved accurate. This just might be the best beer I've ever tasted. And I don't say that lightly — I try to avoid hyperbole when doing a printed review that the whole world can see. If you like hops, grab some, and I think you'll agree. (If you don't like hops, then trust me, this is not the beer for you.)

Sam Adams beer recall

Samuel Adams has recalled some of its beers because of glass particles found in some of its bottles. Details here.

Beer-related pictures

Here's some old pictures from 2005, before I started doing the blog. I just stumbled across them.

Here's me in Boston, at the grave of Samuel Adams. I can't believe the gravestone mentions all that stuff about "Declaration of Independence" and "ardent patriot" but says nothing about him being a brewer. (Click on the pic if you want to actually be able to read the gravestone.)


And here's me in Healdsburg, Calif., at the Bear Republic brewpub, a day before the wedding of our friends Erin and Ben. I have no idea what I'm doing with my hand. It looks like I'm doing the "Hang Loose" sign, but I can't imagine that, because I'm certain I've never flashed that sign in my entire life, and I hope somebody would slap me if I did. Maybe I'm picking my nose.

Yum

Excellent fall food and beer pairing: Oktoberfest beer (Samuel Adams, in this case) and Amy's pumpkin ice cream. I'm in heaven right now.

Lest you think I'm a complete freak for enjoying beer and ice cream together, I'm not the only one: two of Amy's more famous flavors of ice cream are Shiner Bock and Guinness. I used to live on 34th Street near both an Amy's location and the dearly missed Austin Outhouse, one of the great dive bars of all time. I would always go to Amy's first, and then take my ice cream over to the Outhouse and get a Shiner Bock. Everyone always laughed at me, but then one day I walked into Amy's, and there it was up on the menu board: Shiner Bock ice cream. I could kill two birds with one stone! I took it over to the Outhouse, and everyone said "No way!" Of course, I didn't really kill two birds — I got myself a real Shiner, as well.

Keep Austin weird, people.

Beers I'm Really Digging Right Now

At this very moment, I'm having my ass kicked by something called Samuel Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner. Magnificent. But I'll come back to that.

Back in 2005, Margaret's lifelong friend Erin got married to her very cool (and beer-loving) beau Ben in Healdsburg, California. That's up in the wine country, but it's also a good place to get beer – downtown in the quaint little village is a brewpub called Bear Republic, and we had a mighty fine time there the day before the wedding. I'm happy to report that they must be doing well, because their products have just started showing up here in Austin. And in an timely coincidence, as M'Lady headed up to Philadelphia to visit Erin and Ben and their new baby (check her blog for details soon) this weekend, I decided that my just reward for watching the kids alone for four days would be some tasty treats from Grape Vine Market — and there were the Bear Republic brews right up front, beckoning to me.

I think about six styles were available, and I grabbed three — the Hop Rod Rye Specialty Ale, the Racer 5 India Pale Ale, and the Red Rocket Ale. All three were tasty, but it is the latter that still sticks in my head three days later. The bottle describes it as "a bastardized Scottish style red ale packed with distinctive flavors and an aggressive hop character …." To my tastes, it was like a strange IPA — all the hoppiness that makes me love that style, but with a richness that I expect from a darker beer. I heartily endorse it, and encourage you to try any of their products. Or better yet, go out to California and give them a visit. The wine country is magnificent for many, many reasons, most of which have nothing to do with alcohol.

As for this Sam Adams … man, this is not what I expected at all, but I'm loving it. Most of my beer-drinking buddies are serious hop-heads, so I implore them — go get some of this right now. It's definitely not what I think of as a pilsner. The bottle says I should prepare for "an intense hop experience," and they weren't kidding. It's much more like an IPA gone nuts – in fact, I think the only thing I've had hoppier than this is Dogfish Head's 120 Minute IPA, which is the only beer I've ever had that was too bitter for me. This comes in just shy of that intensity, just the right level for me. And according to the brewer, it's not just any hops — he regards the Noble Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops, from Bavaria, as "extraordinary." I'd have to agree. If you're not a hop-lover (and some of my friends aren't), don't even look at the bottle — you might go blind or something. Otherwise, dive in and revel in the glory of this special brew.