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