Texas: Day 7 - Still Hoppin' Around Houston

Day 7 - Houston, TX

We didn't cover as much ground on our second full day in Houston as we did the previous day, but we managed to hit a few solid breweries. Up first was SpindleTap. Open since November 2015, the brewery's name is a pun on Spindletop, an oil field located in Beaumont, Texas, that was critical in the development of the oil and gas industry in Houston during the early part of the 20th century. I suppose it's a fitting name, as everyone knows we get most of our "black gold" from the Lone Star State. I mean, "Texas Tea" is a popular slang term for oil. With that in mind, the vibe of the place naturally screamed Texas pride and oil, which is evident in its use of a derrick (i.e. oil tower) as part of its logo. 

SpindleTap also boasts a pretty sick outdoor entertainment complex they've dubbed SpindlePark, a three-and-a-half acre addition to its taproom where visitors can play a variety of sports and games including baseball, kickball, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, volleyball, corn hole, and disc golf. They even have a 9-hole mini-golf course! Sadly, we didn't get to check out SpindlePark as I wasn't privy to its existence until after we'd visited. 

Spindletap beer selection.

The bartender on duty was friendly and knowledgeable, having come from another brewery whose name escapes me at the moment. Regardless, I dug into a pour of Frostbite, a West Coast-style IPA hopped with Cyro Columbus, Centennial, Cascade and Simcoe. Aah, the classics! With a wintry mix of pine and grapefruit, this beer is hoppy enough to give you the frost heaves on a warm summer day. Geez... that sounds like some kind of disease you pick up around the holidays if you live in the New England region. Anyway, I say bring on the Westies. This was was pretty solid overall, so we decided to stick around for seconds. 

We decided to share a pour of something called Ingrained 1, which sounded interesting. Touted as an Imperial Stout, this 11.5% behemoth is a blend of a Russian Imperial Stout aged for 25 months in Woodford Reserve barrels, a Wee Heavy aged for 14 months in maple bourbon barrels, and an imperial chocolate milk stout aged on Madagascar vanilla beans. Obviously, there's a lot going on here. Overall, I got a lot of chocolate, roast and boozy warmth up front with some dark stone fruit and smooth vanilla sweetness in the finish. While it didn't "wow" me like some other similar beers, it was nice to share this one with Brewslut and Pleeps. You know how he loves his imperial stouts! 

Up next was Equal Parts, my favorite of the three new breweries we visited on this particular day. Founded as Sigma Brewing Company, the brewery operated under this moniker for the first three years of its existence. Feeling the name Sigma didn’t acknowledge the brewery's commitment to its local community and its internal co-workers, they hired a brand strategy company and came up with Equal Parts, a name that conveys ownership of staff and patrons alike. Make sense? Good. 

I kicked off with a pour of an excellent German pilsner named Löggerbier. This was, without a doubt, one of the best pilsners I had on the entire trip... and that's saying a lot, because this was easily the trip of the pilsner. I think I drank more pilsners on this trip than most fair-weathered lager drinkers consume in a year. Everything you could possibly want in a pilsner was present in this beer: spot-on carbonation; a white fluffy head almost three fingers high; that classic Noble hop character (think herbal and citrusy with a whiff of freshly mowed lawn); and a crisp, clean, refreshing finish with just a touch of that mineral-like yeast that I love about the style. Yup, this beer is a winner! 

Pleeps likes pilsners too.

Since we were off to a good start, we decided to stick around for a while and dig in to the tap selection, which was quite varied. Up next was Sour Spirit Journey, a hybrid style described as a "fruited sour hazy Double IPA." This one checks off a lot of boxes. 

Up next comes a beer with a little lesson in Latin: Mutatis Mutandis Mocca Vol. 1. A Latin phrase, Mutatis Mutandis translates to English as "with things changed that should be changed". It's a beer series whereby each release is meant to stand on its own; however, the brewery's goal is to create two beers that build upon each other when blended. Volume 1, named "Mocca", is a collaboration with Xela Coffee Roasters and features a blend of barrel aged porter and stout, Xela Second Ward blend coffee, cacao, Vietnamese cinnamon, and vanilla.

Pleeps is gettin' jiggy wit it!

I couldn't leave without trying the West Coast IPA. Sigma IPA is Equal Parts' homage to the West Coast hop bombs of yesteryear. Brewed with a trifecta of classic hops - Centennial, Citra and Simcoe - this was a citrusy, piney delight with a fairly dry, bitter finish and a sturdy malt backbone. Bring on the Westies!  

Up here in space... I'm looking down on you...

When we arrived outside our next stop, True Anomaly, parking proved problematic. Adjacent to the brewery, there is a paid parking lot with ludicrous pricing. Turns out it was some kind of private paid parking lot, so we skedaddled out of there and found a place on the street. 

With a tagline like "Drink Boldly," it's no wonder this place digs science and space. As a matter of fact, the four guys who started True Anomaly all have backgrounds in fields of science, including space-suit development, mission management, and - I kid you not - rocket science! So I suppose it does take a rocket scientist to brew beer... at least for True Anomaly. 

Pleeps is a true anomaly, indeed!

For our one-and-done visit, I opted for a pour of Scout, a Mexican-style lager. Unfortunately, this was kind of a whirlwind visit since we spent some extra time at Equal Parts. From what I can recall, this was a solid interpretation of the style, with sweet corn notes, a hint of citrus and grassy hops, and a clean, refreshing finish. Light and easy-drinking... what more could you ask for in a Mexi lager? 

Chillin' at True Anomaly.

We still had plenty more beers to enjoy at Ingenius, so we made our way back to the brewery to meet the gang and partake in lots of tasty, inventive styles recommended by Justin and Nate. After all, we did drive to Texas just so we could finally hang out there. Two visits was definitely in order, wouldn't you agree?  

Dumb Dumb: Blackberry Milkshake - Sour smoothie style conditioned on blackberries, vanilla beans, and marshmallow fluff. The Dumb Dumb series (named after those little round lollipops from back in the day) seems to be a home run for Ingenious. This one was quite tasty although it's pretty tough to beat the Peach Cobbler version, which is pretty freakin' amazing. 

Pleeps got the royal treatment at Ingenious!

Vanilla Cream Ale - Cream ale conditioned on vanilla beans. Think of a beer version of cream soda. That's definitely not a bad thing. 

Justin also busted out an extremely limited bottle of Maple Bourbon Blueberry Crumble. This Imperial milk stout is aged in maple bourbon barrels and conditioned on blueberries, dark chocolate, and Vietnamese cinnamon sticks. We enjoyed bottle #17 of 60, so... Whalez, bro! 

Justin kept the barrel-aged stuff flowing with Just Peachy, an English style barleywine aged for a year in peach brandy barrels and old Fitzgerald bourbon barrels, then blended with vanilla beans, peaches, and peach ring candy. Anything with peaches gets my britches in a tizzy, and this one was enjoyable, although not quite as amazing as the Dumb Dumb. Still, a barrel-aged peach barleywine? Yes, please!

Pleeps likes hugs!

Last but not least, we enjoyed more Barrel Aged Imperial Peanut Butter Cup . However, this time I added a "topper," a dollop of beer frozen to a frothy consistency, which floats on top to keep the beer colder and offer a "float" kind of experience. I'm generally not a fan of peanut butter in my beer, but this Imperial milk stout conditioned on chocolate, peanut butter and cacao nibs is pretty impressive. Aging this sucker in Four Roses bourbon barrels really pushes it over the cliff. 

After that, it was back to Justin's for more beer and even some brown liquor, which is never a good idea after a full day of drinking. Stay tuned for our next episode, which points us in the direction of home. Until next time...