Texas Road Trip: Day 5 - Finding Texas

 Day 5: Broussard, LA > Humble, TX

The fifth day of the trip saw us logging plenty of road miles as we made our way across Louisiana and into Texas. The reward? A few days of down time in Houston hanging with our friends Justin and Nate. While we wouldn't hit many breweries on this particular day (just two, I'm sorry to report), it was time well-spent at both. 

Nate had already given me the heads up on the sick tap list currently at Parish, our first stop of the day. Located in Broussard, LA, the heart of Cajun Country, Parish actually has origins in Pennsylvania... well, kind of. Its founder, Andrew, was inspired to open a brewery after moving from Louisiana to Pittsburgh in 2003. It was there that he dove head-first into the Steel City's thriving craft beer scene. When I think back to 2003, I'd hesitate to describe the 'burgh's beer scene as "thriving," but perhaps it was compared to Louisiana. Nevertheless, inspiration took hold and he decided to move back home and help put his home state on the craft beer map. 

Pleeps monkeying around at Parish.

I'm embarrassed to say that I hadn't been familiar with Parish prior to our visit. I may have had a beer or two in passing at bottle shares, but it wasn't a brewery on my radar, I'm afraid. Known primarily for one of its year-round IPAs, Ghost in the Machine (nice reference to my favorite Police album), Parish started out small but is now one of the largest breweries in the region, distributing its beer all throughout the south.

Since it was a little over two-and-a-half hours from New O to Broussard, by the time we arrived we were pretty hungry. I think we may have skipped breakfast. Good thing we were in Cajun Country, because the bartender at Parish recommended a great little joint just up the road called BJ's Poorboy and Plate Lunches. I decided that I needed to get some catfish while we were still in Louisiana. It turned out to be a good decision, because I really enjoyed my Cajun Catfish Etouffee with cornbread. I love visiting little hole-in-the-wall bars and restaurants when we travel, especially when they're recommended by locals. 

As for beer, I kicked off with something light. Parish Pilsner seemed like a good choice for an opening beer, especially to pair with catfish. Crisp and clean with a hint of mineral-like yeast (which I always appreciate), there was a nice balance of citrus, grass and peppery notes in the finish. And with that, I was off to a good start.

Pleeps drinks pilsners too.

As I said, Nate tipped us off to the killer tap list that awaited us at Parish. He promised a laundry list of big, chewy barrel-aged stouts and other rare, mammoth beers, and Parish dutifully delivered. I decided to go with a flight of some serious high-gravity goodness, which included a pair of barrel-aged stouts and a delicious duo of barleywines. Now we're talkin'! 

First in my flight was Decade One, a blend of double barrel-aged imperial stouts released to celebrate the culmination of ten years of the brewery. Parish seems to have quite a robust barrel-aging program, and this beer offered a hint of what was to come with my subsequent tasters. This particular beer was barrel-aged for one year, then transferred into freshly depleted spirits barrels to age for an indeterminant number of months on whole vanilla beans. 

Up next was a 2020 vintage of Royal Earth, an apple brandy barrel-aged Barleywine. This robust barleywine spent 16 months resting in apple brandy barrels for before conditioning on a bed of crushed roasted pecans. Everyone knows the south loves its pecans! The addition of Korintje cinnamon (from Indonesia) and Madagascar vanilla add a spicy sweetness with nutty undertones reminiscent of an after-dinner liqueur.

The next beer in the lineup may very well have been my favorite of the four. A collaboration with our favorite brewery from Portland, OR - Great Notion - Barrel Aged Swamp Stacks spent more than a year slumbering away in Willow Jane Double Oak + Maple Bourbon barrels. According to Parish, the beer is a "mashup" of two popular beer series: Parish's "Shades" and Great Notion’s "Stacks" series. The result is a gargantuan Imperial Stout clocking in at 13% ABV. Brown sugar and an array of specialty roasted malts create a warm, decadent base, while post-barrel additions of maple, marshmallows, graham crackers, and toasted coconut flakes push this beer over the edge. This complex beer evokes notes of marshmallow fluff, bourbon maple syrup and pure, utter awesomeness.⁣

Last but not least was another 2020 vintage barleywine. Bourbon Barrel Grand Reserve was aged for 13 months in specially selected bourbon barrels to elicit notes of English toffee, bourbon caramel, and holiday spice. Mellow yet complex, this particular version benefitted from Four Roses Bourbon Barrels, giving it - according to the folks at Parish - "a smoother, sophisticated discernment from past batches for our Decade celebration." All in all, this flight was an absolute joy to consume. Gotta love them flights of heavy hitters, right Pleeps? 

A flight tailor-made for Pleeps!

With all of the heavy hitters out of the way, I was craving some serious hops. Enter Bloom, a juicy, soft, hazy IPA loaded up to the gills with Simcoe, Citra and Nugget hops. This one delivered with a soft mouthfeel and a juicy hop profile gushing with orange creamsicle notes that provided a perfect counterpoint to the barrage of stouts and barleywines I'd just encountered. 

Pleeps in full "Bloom" at Parish.

After our lengthy visit, we made sure to pick up some to-go beer to enjoy at a later time. I snagged a 4-pack of Ghost in the Machine and Brewslut opted for a few fruited sours to add to our collection. Thinking that I might never get back to this fantastic brewery, I was sad to leave. But we had to push forward. We were getting so close to our final destination. 

A long, nearly 4-hour drive to Texas ensued, and we finally landed in Humble, just north of Houston, at our destination: Ingenious. This was the impetus of the trip, ladies and gentlemen. After watching Ingenious from the sidelines for the last three years, it's great to see how the brewery has grown to become a widely respected brewery of the southern craft beer scene. I'm really proud of Justin and company for helping put Texas on the map as far as envelope-pushing breweries go. Sure, there are plenty of great breweries stretched across the sprawling boundaries of the Lonestar State, but Ingenious not only carved out its own niche; it also brews some incredible beers. Hazy IPAs? Check. Fruited sours? Yup. Milkshake IPAs (dubbed FroYo)? Tons of 'em! Mammoth barrel-aged beers with lots of adjuncts? You bet yer sweet ass! Ingenious also has a line of unique beers inspired by breakfast cereals like Boo-Berry, Count Chocula and Frankenberry. I've had all of these "monster cereal" beers, and they are all fantastic... with my favorite being the one inspired by Yummy Mummy, although I've never had that particular cereal. Go figure!

Finally made it!

Once we landed at the brewery and greetings were out of the way, I quickly learned that Justin still spends most of his time toying with broken junk (he's a urologist, remember?) and only devotes a few hours each week to the brewery. With that said, he's very hand-on and actively involved in the QA process, and isn't afraid to put the kibosh on a beer if it isn't up to snuff. Gotta respect that, right? 

At any rate, let's get into the beers. Of course, Justin was a gracious host and pretty much gave us carte blanche. After checking out the tasting room and brewing side of the operation, we decided to just hang out at a common table in the cellar where employees sit around and chat over lunch or a few beers. As I've already mentioned, Ingenious is a pretty prolific brewery. Check out this list of beers we sampled during our inaugural visit:

Fuzzy Navel Double FroYo - New England hazy milkshake double IPA with peaches, oranges, and milk sugar. Their "FroYo" beers are some of my favorites they produce. Fun fact: Justin actually shipped a sixtel of a coconut vanilla FroYo one year to FOJ, which was my first experience with the series. Needless to say, it was a huge hit among guests at the event. 

Smarty (Tiger's Blood) - Tart Berliner conditioned on strawberries, watermelon, and coconut. Brewslut was all over this one!

Double Juicy - Juicy New England DIPA double dry-hopped with Citra, Mosaic, and Galaxy.

Camp Fires and Ghost Stories - Imperial milk stout conditioned on chocolate, marshmallow, and graham crackers. Nate named this one, which is perfect for a S'mores stout. 

Smarty (Grape Ape) - Tart Berliner conditioned on grapes, blueberries, and blue raspberry.

Scuba Squeeze - New England Style Double IPA double dry-hopped with Nelson, Motueka, and Citra.

Coconut Madness - Russian Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels and conditioned on both raw and toasted coconut flakes. Like myself, Justin is a huge fan of coconut stouts (more on that later). 

Citra Pils - Classic American Pilsner dry-hopped with Citra. This one was fresh and ready to be shipped to GABF for entry in the 2021 competition. For a brewery that tends to stray from traditional styles, this one was pretty spot-on. 

BA Imperial Peanut Butter Cup - Imperial milk stout aged in Four Roses bourbon barrels and conditioned on chocolate, peanut butter, and cacao nibs. I got it topped with one of the signature "frozen beer toppers." Decadent and delicious... and a perfect way to cap off this epic tasting at the brewery! With that, we were back to Justin's house to catch up and share more beers. 

Frozen beer topper for the win!

Well folks, stick a fork into our first day in Texas. There's still plenty to see here - including more on Ingenious - so be sure to tune in next time as we lollygag around the greater Houston area and dig into its thriving craft beer scene. Until next time...