Yesterday evening, after work, Morgan, Byron and I drove the two miles to Karbach brewery in north west Houston for their tour and tasting, actually we were there more for the beer than the tour, but that's just us. Karbach brewery is on Karbach Street just north of Hempstead Highway. It is a new brewery - first sales were made to local bars in September 2011 - and they are primed for growth.
For a very reasonable $7 we each received an engraved 8 oz glass and four wood tokens that could be exchanged for glasses of beer. There were four different beers to be drank.
1. Rodeo Clown Double IPA is a strong 9.5% ABV beer. It is not for the faint of heart, the servers at the brewery made sure we were aware of it’s strength and suggested they didn’t pour a full glass for my taste. Hah. I didn’t pay $7 for half glasses of beer so I requested they fill the glass. The web site says:
“It’s a job. And a hazardous one at that. Benefits, you ask? I hardly think so.
But the show must go on. So, it’s with bravado that the Rodeo Clown takes his place in the arena lights. Whether or not he’s insane is not important right now. It’s with grit and intensity that the Clown steps in the path of almost certain destruction.
Our Double IPA is much the same. At 9.5% ABV, Rodeo Clown Double IPA coats the tongue in bitterness and packs a punch that will knock a bull on its ass . Intense and maybe a little insane drink carefully, but drink often. Ladies and Gentlemen, let the show begin.”
I agree with that description. The beer was strongly flavored and a little bitter. I think this is one of those few beers that will improve with a few months in the cask.
2. Weisse Versa Wheat is a much milder beer. This is a beer that will take a little getting used to. The flavors were not as crisp and clean as I like. The web site says:
“Have you ever wondered what a cross between a Belgian-Style Wit and a German Hefeweizen might taste like? The citrusy, coriander character of the Wit married with the clove, nutmeg and banana flavors of a Hefe?
Well, we did. In fact, one night Karbach Brewmaster Eric Warner and brewery partner David Greenwood asked ‘what if’ and mixed some well-known examples of each of these styles and were pleasantly surprised. However, being the purists that they are, they knew they couldn’t blend a batch of each-they’d have to come up with a recipe from scratch. So, Eric put his 20 plus years of wheat beer brewing experience on the line (this guy literally wrote the book on German-style Wheat beer and has won GABF medals for his wheat beers!) and after several attempts using different yeasts and varying levels of Belgian spices came up with the Weisse Versa Wheat.
True, Weisse Versa is unfiltered and has the refreshing characteristics you’d come to expect in a wheat beer, but the combination of the citrus peel and coriander added during the brewing process and the natural clove, nutmeg and banana aromas produced by our special, Bavarian wheat beer yeast result in a beer that’s unlike any you’ve ever had. So who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too? With Weisse Versa you get the flavors you love in a German Hefe AND in a Belgian White beer. Both. At the same time”
3. Hopadillo IPA. A delightful beer, full bodied, nicely balanced and flavorful. The web site says:
“Everyone in this part of the world is familiar with the legend of the Chupacabra, but only recently have reports of the Hopadillo begun to emerge. Driven to the edge of extinction by the decades long practice of American brewers putting as few hops as possible in their beer, the Hopadillo has begun to thrive again now that craft brewers like Karbach Brewing Company are generously hopping their beers. You see, the Hopadillo needs a certain compound found only in hops in order to survive. Of course, you’re thinking that the Hopadillo should simply live in the major hop growing regions of the world. Problem is this compound the Hopadillo needs must be in a metabolized form found only in humans after they have consumed highly hopped beer.
So why has the Hopadillo been spotted more in Texas than in other parts of the US where the resurgence of well hopped beers has been underway for years now? For one, Hopadillos seem to prefer a warmer climate. They also seem to like when a variety of American and European hops are used in the process. Rumor has it that is exactly what the boys down at Karbach are doing. Despite the fact that one of Karbach’s employees disappeared one night after having a couple of the IPAs after work, they continue to brew this beer, undeterred by the traces of the employee’s DNA from an “unidentifiable” organism found in the brewery parking lot.
“At Karbach Brewing Co. we believe the lager has been unfairly treated in the world of craft beer. Decades of giant corporations producing watered down versions of "Light Lager" has made the beer connessieur wary of the style. Sympathy for the Lager is an ode to bottom-fermented beers which can have just as much character as their top-fermented counterparts.
Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a beer of damn fine taste
I've been around for a long, long time
Many brewers have ruined my name
I've watched now for several decades
As my character has been disgraced
But now the boys down on Karbach Street
Have gone and made me first rate
As my character has been disgraced
But now the boys down on Karbach Street
Have gone and made me first rate
Full of fine malt and German hops
My taste is both clean and bold
And though my flavor always stands up
I'm best when enjoyed cold
My taste is both clean and bold
And though my flavor always stands up
I'm best when enjoyed cold
So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Show some sympathy
Enjoy my taste
Have some courtesy
Show some sympathy
Enjoy my taste
Brewed with a blend of pale malts and generous amounts of German noble hops, Sympathy for the Lager captures the best of both worlds: the clean, refreshing character of a Lager and the huge taste that craft beer drinkers deserve.
Such a fun time! We are doing it again soon for sure! =)
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