Welcome to another review of craft beers brought to you by Freedom Rolling. Today, we look at three different breweries in South Dakota and what they have to offer. As with every review, please ensure that these, or any brews, are enjoyed in accordance with local laws wherever you may be.
Welcome to Sturgis South Dakota: Home of America's most famous August motorcycle rally, and right off the highway is the Sturgis Brewing Company, with one of their offerings being their Red Cut Red Amber ale. This particular brew has the smooth taste one would expect from the typical American Amber, with just a hint of hops to keep the taste buds excited. There were a couple of points during the tasting of this beer where it flirted with the line between smoothness and flatness, and although there have been plenty of other red and ambers we've come to enjoy more, Red Cut does pass as something drinkable.
Staying in the Black Hills of South Dakota, take a trip down to Rapid City and the Lost Cabin Beer Company. First starting in 2016, Lost Cabin has been brewing at both their primary city location, along with their new Beer Garden in Hill City. One of their most popular signature beers is the SoDank IPA. This moderately colored brew will give the strong taste of hops that you would expect from a typical IPA, but they have been able to balance it with a smoother taste that would allow someone in the middle of acquiring the taste for this type of beer to enjoy. Although perhaps not the best value for money, it isn't a bad choice for a special occasion in the area.
When one thinks of South Dakota, they may think of Mount Rushmore. Found in the city of Custer is the so-aptly named Mount Rushmore Brewing Company, with one of their regular beers being the Buffalo Snot stout. This particular brew brings a strong smell and taste of coffee to the drinker. However, as one would continue to enjoy this smooth, dark offering, the first impression may be deceiving as the coffee taste will diminish after the first sip, allowing even the connoisseur that does not enjoy coffee to want to have this beer again.
So the next time your Internal Compass takes you to Western South Dakota, try some of the local brews around you, but be cautious in what you choose.
Freedom Rolling once again brings you their famous Brew Review, this time looking at three different locations for a particular beer they offer. As always, please ensure that these, or any brews, are enjoyed in accordance with local laws wherever you may be.
Starting in Fort Worth, Texas, just off the west fork of the Trinity River, one can find the Martin House Brewing Company. While in Texas, if you want a bit of a change from one of the most popular brewed bock beers in the state, then try on for size the "Bockslider". Bocks are sometimes also referred to as a "dark lager", giving a darker color for those with the preference, though not quite as dark as a porter or stout. A slight amount of bitterness will reach your palette from the light hops, but otherwise a smooth taste the experienced drinker will be able to enjoy, possibly in their Bock-yard.
We head northwest to our next stop in Sheridan Wyoming, home of the Black Tooth Brewing Company. Black Tooth brings to the table the Bomber Mountain Amber Ale, named after a peak at over two and a half miles of elevation where a famous aviation accident happened during World War II. The first pour of this selection for home distribution suffers from over-carbonation. Once you get past that, the body of this amber is what one would delightfully expect from this brew and more. The beer has won several awards from various festivals, and we can certainly understand why. The brewery has opened two other locations in Cheyenne and Casper, and it may just be a good place to visit.
Going back towards the Black Hills of South Dakota, we visit Spearfish and the Crow Peak Brewing Company to try their Canyon Cream Ale. Crow Peak has been brewing in-house since 2007, undergoing several expansions to keep up with demand in the northern mid- and mountain west. Although the beer doesn't necessarily look creamy when first pouring, the creamy taste is certainly there as it goes down smoothly. The subtle sweetness comes from locally procured honey, but does not overpower the taste. As a blonde, this is a wonderful addition to any summer gathering, and is one to enjoy again and again.
So as your Internal Compass takes you across the country, try some of the local craft beers as able, and see how they fare for you.
As we continue our mini-series on Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling in San Antonio, Texas, we look at the rest of the beers offered at the time this is being published, along with an idea for a cocktail using their bourbon. Please ensure that these, or any brews, are enjoyed in accordance with local laws wherever you may be. In addition, one other brew that may pique your fancy is the Love Struck Hefe, a hefeweizen previously reviewed in the main brew review series.
When tasting a flight of beers, it is best for the taste buds to go from the lightest to the darkest in color. What better place to start at Ranger Creek than with the Laguna Madre Belgian White Ale. Like many Witbiers before it, Laguna Madre brings that light, clean taste to be able to enjoy on a hot day, while this particular brew has that slight bit of sweetness that will first hit the tip of your tongue to give it that extra special experience. Whether you're out having a wonderful time on the Laguna Madre itself, or out trying to catch a Guadalupe Bass on the rivers of Texas, you cannot go wrong with this choice.
Many breweries will take their signature beer and add another dimension to please even more discerning palettes. Enter, the San Antonio Salt and Lime Lager. Beer salts are a Mexican tradition that has been in existence for last century. It's not a typical "salt" you'd put on your food, but rather a flavoring used to accentuate a beer, such as a lime flavor that Ranger Creek incorporates into this particular brew. There is a hint of a salty taste as one would expect from the name, but the flavoring is able to subdue the "hop taste" from the signature San Antonio Lager. Those that don't regularly enjoy beer will find this to be a good "ice breaker", so give this one a try if your friends bring you along to the brewery.
One of the dark beers available from Ranger Creek is the Sunday Morning Coming Down coffee ale. As with typical stouts and porters, this one comes in at a higher ABV level and a dark brown color. Enjoyment of this brew is really going to depend on your enjoyment of coffee, as from the time you receive this off the tap or out of the can, to the time it's finished, the senses will be overloaded with coffee, coffee, and more coffee. Sunday Morning is produced using coffee from a locally sourced roasting company, while a hint of lactose sugar adds a milky texture to this already smooth beer. If you're one that likes to finish your meal with a slightly alcoholic coffee, then Sunday Morning Coming Down may just be the ticket for you.
Ranger Creek is known not only for being a brewery, but also a distillery, thanks to a grandfathered process in their production. Their bourbon and whiskey is aged for at least two years in their Texas bourbon oak barrels before being bottled and made available to the consumer. Along with several varieties including single malt and rye, if you wish to skip the oak barrel maturity process altogether, there is a white bourbon. Try this clear variety with ginger beer, simple syrup, and lime juice; a drink they call the "Texas Mule". The slightly peppery taste of the bourbon works in perfect harmony with the bite of the ginger beer and the fruitiness of the lime. Whiskey and bourbon lovers will want to flock to Ranger Creek to try their award winning spirits.
So whether your Internal Compass takes you to beers or liquors, Ranger Creek is going to have something for you.
In honor of National Beer Day, which is happening as of the time this is published, Freedom Rolling presents a mini-series on Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling in San Antonio, Texas. We'll have more on this company in another post, but for now, let's take a look at a few of their brewed offerings. Please ensure that these, or any brews, are enjoyed in accordance with local laws wherever you may be.
First on the list of offerings is Ranger Creek's signature beer: the San Antonio Lager. Lager beers are already very commonplace in America, being the choice in style of many of the nationally advertised selections. The San Antonio goes down very smoothly, with that hint of hops to let you know it isn't that run-of-the-mill beer you'd find at a sports bar. However, one tip we had received from one of their representatives, Taylor, is to try this particular brew in the shower. It seemed a bit odd at first, but evidently it is a thing, and who are we to argue with the experts? Needless to say, after a couple of minutes of steaming, the flavor of the hops really starts to come out, accentuating your taste buds during your daily wash. We don't necessarily recommend doing this if a morning shower is your cup of tea, but it is quite the experience to be had.
Moving down the line of taps, we turn to the Dog in the Hunt Amber Lager. Reds and ambers are typically high on the priority list for us, and Dog in the Hunt was not what we had expected. We are used to ambers being brewed as ales, so we were surprised to find this concoction to be a lager. There is a very pleasant scent when first presented, but the blandness in taste cannot be overlooked, even when compared to other lagers. Dog in the Hunt may be an acquired taste, especially given its overwhelming popularity across southern Texas, but we believe a sampler will want to try something different.
Speaking of "something different", time to head to the east for the Sky Trooper IPA. The India Pale Ale is well known for its strong use of hops in order to preserve the brew on a long voyage. Ranger Creek enjoys looking at history to inspire the names of several of their beers, such as the Sky Trooper, which is named after a famous World War II aircraft. Getting back to the beer itself, if you're one that likes your hops, Sky Trooper is definitely for you, as it has a great flavor of hops. Even if you're not used to that overpowering sensation, a nice mix of malts gives this beer a well rounded taste as you sip, taking your taste buds everywhere you expect a beer to go. IPAs are a bit of an acquired taste for those who are new to beer tasting, but this is definitely one brew that is worth enjoying again and again.
Perhaps there is a feeling starting to "brew" that many beers are a bit light on the potency side. How about giving a try of the Wee Heavy Scotch Ale. Ranger Creek is known for distilling whiskey along with brewing beer, and this slightly darker-colored ale is aged within Texas bourbon barrels used for their brand of whiskey. Wee Heavy can seem a "wee heavy" on the potency, as it comes in at a whopping TWELVE percent alcohol content by volume, or ABV. Once you first take a swig of this one, if you're not ready for the strong taste, it's going to pack a punch. Once you get past that initial sensation, this one's going to go down really smoothly from the malts used in this brew. So if you need something a bit stronger at the end of a rough day, Wee Heavy is going to be for you.
So the next time your Internal Compass takes you to Texas, give a try at a few of the beers that Ranger Creek has to offer.
Freedom Rolling brings you yet another review of craft beers. This time, we take a look at three selections from a single brewery, today being the Karbach Brewing Company in Houston, Texas. As always, please ensure that these, or any brews, are enjoyed in accordance with local laws wherever you may be. That being said, let's head down to the Space City and see what they have.
We start this mini-tour by sampling the "Love Street" blonde ale. Love Street was a famous nightclub that existed in the 1960's on the area believed to be the founding of Houston known as "Allen's Landing". Although this brew may not be strong enough to bring you to the state of mind of the aforementioned era, it will certainly be a great match for your taste buds. The mix of malts coupled with a subtle hint of hops allow the beer to go down easily, and is so carefully brewed that it certainly warrants being Karbach's signature beer. Love Street also comes in a light and other fruited varieties, but one sip of the original blonde will have you wanting to try an entire flight of their offerings.
¿Como esta, amigos? Time to do a little "vamanos" off to try Karbach's Mexican lager appropriately named the "Cerveza Especial". The first impression of this beer will make you wonder what sort of macro-brew you just picked up, and the seemingly heavy carbonation makes this particular brew difficult at first. Don't say "adios" to this one on the outset, though, as it is much easier to go down as time goes by. Good things come to those who wait, and Cerveza Especial is well worth it. Although we typically enjoy these brews on their own, another one may be in order with a nice carne asada burrito, or another Mexican food specialty.
Fans of the Houston Astros may recognize this next particular brew, or at least its name. The baseball park is located along Crawford Street downtown, with the so aptly named Crawford Boxes along left field, leading us to one of the area's favorites: Crawford Bock. Once you get over what seems to be heavy carbonation at the time of pour, this mix of malts and hops is a home run for your taste buds. Karbach suggests pairing with your favorite ballpark snacks, but even if you don't have those and you're looking for a nice backyard brew, Crawford Bock may just be the one for you.
So the next time your Internal Compass takes you to Houston, give Karbach Brewing a try. Maybe even take a tour of their facility, or enjoy their Biergarten.
And now for something completely different... Freedom Rolling reviews craft beers from across the country. First, as a quick disclaimer, please ensure that these, or any brews, are enjoyed in accordance with local laws wherever you may be. That being said, what's out there, and is it any good?
We start our journey by heading to San Antonio, Texas, home of the Alamo, the Spurs, and one of the newer locations having brewed for about 13 years as of the time of this writing, Ranger Creek Brewing. For something a little lighter in color, try out their "Love Struck Hefe", a hefeweizen with its name inspired by a Stevie Ray Vaughan song. This one has a very light color and smooth taste, perfect for a day at the beach or other warmer weather get-together. There is a bit of a dry sensation once you've finished a few sips that will make your mouth feel coated and needing some sort of a relief. That aside, it is an above average hefeweizen on the market, and worth trying if it's available in your area.
We now venture off to Fort Collins, Colorado, home of the Odell Brewing Company. Odell's flagship offering is an amber ale called "90 Shilling", a name stemming from an old Scottish beer tax. This particular brew has that familiar copper color one comes to expect from an amber ale, with a hint of a hop taste that may turn off the novice beer drinker from its bite, yet provides a smooth experience for those who regularly enjoy amber ales. Although it isn't the best beer out there, it will certainly rank as one you'll be happy to have once again.
Our last stop takes us to Conroe, Texas, home of Southern Star Brewing since 2007. If you're looking for a good warm weather beer, look no further than the "Bombshell Blonde" American Blonde Ale. This particular brew is very light in color, although the hops will start to hit on first taste. The hops are on the light to moderate level, but will certainly catch you if you're not ready for it. Once you get past the "bite", this beer goes down very smoothly, and is one certainly to enjoy.
So as your Internal Compass takes you across the country, try some of the local craft beers as able, and see how they fare for you.
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