Spec's

San Antonio Tastings April 9

Entertain
Taste some good stuff this week and HOP by these San Antonio area locations for our in-store samplings. LIVE OAK – 14623 IH 35 N 4/13 – Hacienda de Chihuahua 4/13 – Moosehead Brewery 4/13 – Shiner Bock Brewery 4/13 – Uno Por Favor Tequila 4/14 – Georgetown Wine 4/14 – Barossa Vineyard & Oyster Bay Vineyard 4/14 – Jameson Brewery 4/14 – Rebecca Creek Whiskey, Enchanted Rock Vodka and Texas Ranger Whiskey 4/14 – Western Son Vodka SA SUPE... Read More

Dallas/Fort Worth Tastings April 9-14

Events
Taste some good stuff this week and HOP by these DFW area locations for our in-store samplings. WALNUT HILL @ 75 – 9500 N Central Expy 4/12 – Deep Eddy Straight Vodka 4/13 – Sombra and Astral Tequila 4/13 – Western Son Vodka 4/13 – Blue Chair Bay Rum 4/13 – Dogfish Brewery 4/13 – Herradura Tequila 4/13 – Malibu Lager Beer 4/13vPhukItList Rum 4/13 – Robert Hall Vineyard 4/13 – Uno Por Favor Tequila 4/13 – Western Son Vodka 4/14 –... Read More

Austin Area Tastings April 9-14

Events
Taste some good stuff this week and HOP by these Austin area locations for our in-store samplings. BRODIE LANE – 4970 W Hwy 290 4/10 Revolver Brewery 4/10 TASTE,SAVOR & SAVE 4/12 Deep Eddy Straight Vodka 4/13 Malibu Lager Beer 4/13 Texas SouthWind Wines 4/13 Moravia 4/13 Texas SouthWind Wines 4/13 Infuse Vodka 4/13 Chareau Aloe Liqueur 4/13 Kimo Sabe w/ Alamo Margarita Mix 4/13 Malibu Lager Beer 4/14 Cat Tequila 4/14 Celis Brewery 4/14 Inifinte Monkey Brewery 4/14 The Naked Rum 4/14 Ch... Read More

We Need to Talk…2

Entertain, Beer, Beer Reviews
The holidays are a time for good food and drink, with great family and friends. I’m here to tell you that some of that “good drink” can (and should) be beer! There are countless beers produced around the world that deserve a place at any dinner table, in every glass all the time, but few carry the quality, consistency and prestige of the Trappist ales. Trappist ales are less of a style of beer, and more of a family viewed as the “cream of the crop” – so much so that non-Trappist brew... Read More

Oktoberfest: Story of a Party

Entertain, Beer, Beer Reviews
It might come as a surprise to many of you, but Oktoberfest didn’t start as a beer festival and it is celebrated more in September, than October, in Germany! Oktoberfest Origins The first “Oktoberfest” was a wedding reception for Prince Ludwig I, who married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The marriage took place on October 12th, 1810 and the citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held outside the city gates. Despite copious amounts of beer being consumed, hor... Read More

Tropical Beers for Tropical Storms

Beer, Entertain, Spec’sology Blog
With Harvey, the Texas Gulf Coast’s first major tropical storm of the season, looming off the coast, we’ve started thinking about what beers we’d like to make sure and have in our fridge just in case things get rough, and the thought struck us… Why don’t we stock up on tropical beers for tropical storms?! Many of the hot, new hop varietals like Mosaic, Galaxy, Citra and Amarillo are prized for their bright, tropical fruit character. Their use in Pale Ales and IPAs have created a deluge... Read More

Hazed and Perceived

Entertain, Spec’sology Blog
For much of its history in American craft beer, the IPA has been a golden, or amber, beer with good clarity; meaning you can see straight through the glass. For any of you unaware, a movement has been under way for a handful of years now of IPAs that look like something other than what we’ve come to expect an IPA to look like. This movement, coming out of the Northeast, is towards IPAs that look cloudy like a hefeweizen (German wheat beer), resembling a glass of orange juice. Many articles hav... Read More

what’s the HAZE about?

Entertain, Beer Reviews, Spec’sology Blog
With the introduction of the pilsner hundreds of years ago, the look of a beer became a point of focus for drinkers. At the time, it was an interest in having brilliantly clear, golden beers like liquid sunshine. In recent years, starting in the American Northeast, a move towards cloudy beers, resembling orange or grapefruit juice, has begun. These “hazy” IPAs are prized for their bright, juicy hop-derived fruit flavors, restrained bitterness and softer mouthfeel. Texas being much further so... Read More