Joined: Oct 11, 2018 9:26:40 GMT 10
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Post by elemantis on Dec 24, 2018 11:38:33 GMT 10
I’m in Fort Worth, Texas for Christmas and was pleasantly surprised to discover that a really strong craft brewing movement has sprung up since last time I was here. It’s become a nice distraction to break up all of the visits with the in-laws and SWMBO is encouraging me to spend time in them so I don’t go nuts. It’s nice to see them all working together to promote each other and there’s an established group to encourage visits to each one, forming the Ale Trail where you collect stamps as you go and get a shirt at the end: www.fortworth.com/aletrail/I’ll update this thread as I go. |
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Joined: Oct 11, 2018 9:26:40 GMT 10
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Post by elemantis on Dec 24, 2018 12:00:20 GMT 10
My first stop was the Fort Brewery.  This is a converted warehouse with a long bar and a lot of old video games. To give an idea of their brews, the beer they described as “low alcohol” was 5.2% ABV! I started with a very enjoyable Irish red ale named 1849, and paired it with a BBQ chicken pizza made in their kitchen. The pizza was also very enjoyable.  After that I tasted a nitro raspberry infused oatmeal stout which was good but I wasn’t in the mood for a whole pint. I moved on to a hefeweizen named Grey Eagle which was also very tasty. I really enjoyed this this visit and expect I’ll be back before heading home. |
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Joined: Oct 11, 2018 9:26:40 GMT 10
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Post by elemantis on Dec 24, 2018 12:22:49 GMT 10
Next stop wasn’t a brewery but a bar that focuses on craft beer called Taps and Caps - www.tapsandcaps.com/locations/fw/They have 50 rotating taps and you could choose from 4 (100ml), 8, 12, and 16 (450 ml) ounce pours. The small ones would be ideal for tasting (I worked this out too late!) and the menu board was quite detailed. Most of the beers were from Texas with some from other parts of the country. I decided to avoid the Fort Worth beers as I can visit them separately. I started with an English mild ale from Community Brewing in Dallas named “Snickerdoodle”. It had an interesting snickerdoodle taste but the novelty wore off towards the end. Followed that up with red ale from Karbach in Houston named “Yule Shoot Your Eye Out”. It was good, but not as good as yesterday’s red ale at Fort Brewery. Finished with an imperial porter from Ballast Point in San Diego named “Peanut Butter Cup Victory at Sea”. This was a tasty porter infused with coffee, chocolate, peanuts, chilli and some other stuff and came in at just over 10% ABV. Take away was available from the tap in the form of cans, stubbies, and multiple sizes of growler. |
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Joined: Oct 11, 2018 9:26:40 GMT 10
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Post by elemantis on Dec 24, 2018 12:33:00 GMT 10
Next stop was The Collective. These guys focus on sour beers and they seem to do them really well.  I had the “Petite Golden Sour” which is described as a sour and tart farmhouse table beer brewed with a special yeast named Brettanomyces Bruxellensis Var. I found it to be really refreshing.  |
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Joined: Dec 28, 2017 17:48:37 GMT 10
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Post by rogerh on Dec 24, 2018 13:00:53 GMT 10
I’m in Fort Worth, Texas for Christmas and was pleasantly surprised to discover that a really strong craft brewing movement has sprung up since last time I was here. It’s become a nice distraction to break up all of the visits with the in-laws and SWMBO is encouraging me to spend time in them so I don’t go nuts. She's a keeper, that one!  |
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Joined: Oct 11, 2018 9:26:40 GMT 10
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Post by elemantis on Dec 28, 2018 12:16:57 GMT 10
I’m in Fort Worth, Texas for Christmas and was pleasantly surprised to discover that a really strong craft brewing movement has sprung up since last time I was here. It’s become a nice distraction to break up all of the visits with the in-laws and SWMBO is encouraging me to spend time in them so I don’t go nuts. She's a keeper, that one! She sure is! Although I suspect a lot of it is due to how grumpy I get after couple of weeks of in-laws... Prevention is better than cure. |
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Joined: Oct 11, 2018 9:26:40 GMT 10
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Post by elemantis on Dec 28, 2018 12:27:20 GMT 10
Today’s stop was Hop Fusion. A nice place with 14 of their own beers on tap. I was a little disappointed because each one I tasted was what I would expect for that type of brew. They were good, but I was hoping for a little more creativity.  I went with a flight of the following. - “Tejano Lager”, a Mexican style lager that was more like Corona than some of the more interesting Mexican beers. - “Go Easy”, an American IPA - “Feisty Blonde”, a honey and vanilla flavoured brew. It’s apparently their most popular brew but the flavour was surprisingly subtle. - “Zombie Crack”, the highlight of the visit was a pecan bourbon stout. We’ll be back later because SWMBO wants to try a couple more so I’ll give them another try. |
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Joined: Oct 11, 2018 9:26:40 GMT 10
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Post by elemantis on Dec 29, 2018 14:09:08 GMT 10
Today I visited Martin House Brewing. Happy to be inside because it was bloody cold outside.  From left to right... - ”Green Apple Salty Lady” - a variation of their regular Gose flavoured with green apple. It tasted like a Granny Smith cider. - “Sugar and Spice” - a really malty ale with added brown sugar. This had a really interesting taste at the beginning but it wasn’t for me. - “Cookies” - a cookie dough stout that tasted like those cookies that have a layer of sugar sprinkled over the top. - ”Erebus” - a stout that tasted like a cold, really strong espresso shot. I really enjoyed this one.  |
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Joined: Oct 11, 2018 9:26:40 GMT 10
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Post by elemantis on Dec 30, 2018 10:08:11 GMT 10
Today I visited Panther Island Brewing for the next stop on the tour. I was a little confused when I first arrived as they were herding animals out the door, but it turns out they had just finished a yoga session that involved live pigs and rabbits.  There was a food truck there that was serving some of the best BBQ brisket I’ve ever tasted, and I’ve had a lot of BBQ.  Brews tasted were - “There Gose My Hero” - a pink guava gose that was nice, but a little plain. - “There Gose My Funk” - the same recipe as above but fermented with Brettanomyces and then aged in a bourbon barrel, giving it a really funky taste. Very enjoyable. - “IPf'nA” - a super malty IPA with an IBU of 97! I wasn’t a huge fan. - “Red River Snake Blood” - the same IPA as above with a couple of changes and aged in a bourbon barrel. Much nicer. - “Allergeez” - an unfiltered American wheat beer. Not bad. |
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Joined: Oct 11, 2018 9:26:40 GMT 10
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Post by elemantis on Jan 3, 2019 6:20:02 GMT 10
 Popped in to Wild Acre Brewing on New Years Day and tried a couple of pints. It's a really nice venue and worthy of a return visit, especially in summer. I got chatting to the guys behind the bar and came away with a couple of glasses, a stubbie cooler, and some stickers. Tried the "Billy Jenkins" session bock and the "Snap'd" gingerbread lager. Both very good, but also quite potent. |
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Joined: Dec 28, 2017 17:48:37 GMT 10
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Post by rogerh on Jan 3, 2019 9:49:18 GMT 10
turns out they had just finished a yoga session that involved live pigs and rabbits. Now that sounds potentially kinky... Edit: Not sure where the Oct 11th date came from - it should be 30 Dec 2018 at 10:08am,  |
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Joined: Oct 11, 2018 9:26:40 GMT 10
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Post by elemantis on Jan 3, 2019 10:59:05 GMT 10
turns out they had just finished a yoga session that involved live pigs and rabbits. Now that sounds potentially kinky... Edit: Not sure where the Oct 11th date came from - it should be 30 Dec 2018 at 10:08am, It does sound kinky but I know that people do yoga with goats so I just ignored it. Yoga people can be a bit strange sometimes and I’ve learned not to ask questions! |
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But that's not nice so Merry Christmas to you to (With reservations 
) LOL!
