Stone Smoked Porter

Stone Smoked Porter STYLE: American Porter STATS: 5.9% ABV The pour is very dark brown with a thin white head. It has a malty, caramel smell to it. When you taste it however, it has hints of coffee & smoke throughout it. As with a lot of Stone beers, you do taste the hops but it's at least toned down in this offering. The aftertaste of hops does linger but the cocoa & coffee accompany it so I don't mind. Alcohol is transparent in the taste as well. It's overall a nice porter. Doesn't do enough for me to become one of my faves but I will drink this again. RATER: Joey - RATE: 3/5 MEDIA FACEBOOK: Stone Brewing Page INSTAGRAM: @StoneBrewingCo TWITTER: @StoneBrewingCo WEB: Stone Brewing Website HOMETOWN: Escondido, California

St Arnold Endeavor IPA

St Arnold Endeavor IPA STYLE: American Double / Imperial IPA STATS: 8.9% ABV / 76 IBU The beer poured out of the bottle with a very hazy, light amber color. Almost orange. It has a light white head and an odor of pine & citrus. Slightly hoppy smell. The taste mirrors that but the hop is up front & center. It ends with a sort of grapefruit aftertaste. A medium bodied brew that has a fair amount of carbonation. Hop heads may require more hops out of this but I feel it's a good, "summer-y" IPA. RATER: Joey - RATE: 3/5 MEDIA FACEBOOK: St Arnold Page TWITTER: @saintarnold WEB: St Arnold Website HOMETOWN: Houston, Texas

Southern Tier Double Milk Stout

Southern Tier Double Milk Stout STYLE: Milk / Sweet Stout STATS: 7.5% A very opaque, dark brown pour w/ a large, frothy head. This does not have a strong smell but you can pick up hints of the lactose & chocolate. Taste is what you would expect from a milk stout. Chocolate & creamy with a silky finish. It has a slight aftertaste of coffee with a twinge of bitterness but no alcohol is present. Very drinkable for something approaching double digit ABV. Not too sweet either. Great stout & well done. RATER: Joey - RATE: 4/5 PENDING RATER: Che - RATE: X.X/5 MEDIA TWITTER: @stbcbeer WEB: Southern Tier Website HOMETOWN: Lakewood, New York

Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye

Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye STYLE: American IPA STATS: 6.6% ABV PENDING RATER: Che - RATE: X.X/5 MEDIA FACEBOOK: Sierra Nevada Page TWITTER: @SierraNevada INSTAGRAM: @sierranevada WEB: Sierra Nevada Website HOMETOWN: Chico, California

Rogness Beardy Guard Amber Ale

Rogness Beardy Guard Amber Ale STYLE: Bière de Garde STATS: 6.2% ABV PENDING RATER: Che - RATE: X.X/5 MEDIA FACEBOOK: Rogness Page TWITTER: @rognessbrewing INSTAGRAM: @rognessbrewing WEB: Rogness Website HOMETOWN: Pflugerville, Texas

Oskar Blues The G'Rauch

Oskar Blues The G'Rauch STYLE: American Double / Imperial IPA STATS: 8.5% ABV PENDING RATER: Che - RATE: X.X/5 MEDIA FACEBOOK: Oskar Blues Page TWITTER: @OskarBlues INSTAGRAM: @OskarBlues WEB: Oskar Blues Website HOMETOWN: Longmont, Colorado

Oskar Blues Ten Fidy

Oskar Blues Ten Fidy STYLE: Russian Imperial Stout STATS: 10.5% ABV PENDING RATER: Che - RATE: X.X/5 MEDIA FACEBOOK: Oskar Blues Page TWITTER: @OskarBlues INSTAGRAM: @OskarBlues WEB: Oskar Blues Website HOMETOWN: Longmont, Colorado

Oskar Blues Deviant Dale IPA

Oskar Blues Deviant Dale IPA STYLE: American IPA STATS: 8% ABV PENDING RATER: Che - RATE: X.X/5 MEDIA FACEBOOK: Oskar Blues Page TWITTER: @OskarBlues INSTAGRAM: @OskarBlues WEB: Oskar Blues Website HOMETOWN: Longmont, Colorado

Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro

Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro STYLE: Milk / Sweet Stout STATS: 6% ABV I've had this beer before on draft at several Alamo Drafthouse locations while watching movies. Hands down my favorite beer they serve. Che had a bottle of this at his house so I was curious to try the Nitro version. The pour yielded the typical jet black color but the head was initially taller than what I'm used to. The smell was the usual of malty lactose & chocolate espresso. This nitro version started to vary from the normal version in taste/mouthfeel. I noticed the beer was "thinner" than it usually was. The taste contained coffee, cream & chocolate notes still but I wouldn't necessarily say it was more complex. The nitro version seemed to thin out the body of the beer & make it less "stout-like". I still like the beer but prefer the standard CO2 version over this nitro mix. RATER: Joey - RATE: 3.7/5 PENDING RATER: Che - RATE: X.X/5 MEDIA FACEBOOK: Left Hand Brewing Page INSTAGRAM: @lefthandbrewing TWITTER: @lefthandbrewing WEB: Left Hand Brewing Website HOMETOWN: Longmont, Colorado

Laughing Dog The Dogfather

Laughing Dog The Dogfather STYLE: American Double / Imperial Stout STATS: 11% ABV This was on draft at the Brass Tap. As I always do, no matter what the weather, I tried as many stouts as possible there. This is a brewery I had never even heard of but was pleasantly surprised with this stout. The beer arrived with a thin, off-white head & an almost black, opaque body. This one smelled like a smokey malt with just a hint of chocolate. You could also smell the alcohol, almost foreboding of the punch to come. It tastes surprisingly "thin" but the chocolate, malty flavors are nice. The alcohol is present but definitely not overpowering. It has an aftertaste of coffee within the alcohol kick you get. A nice stout. Not going into my bank of favorites but I will order this again. RATER: Joey - RATE: 3.8/5 MEDIA WEB: Laughing Dog Website HOMETOWN: Sandpoint, Idaho

Founders Imperial Stout

Founders Imperial Stout STYLE: Russian Imperial Stout STATS: 10.5% ABV This was on draft at the Brass Tap. I'm a stout lover so I had to give it a go. I was not disappointed! The pour showed up with a medium tan head while the beer itself was a very dark brown. Almost black. It smelled of cocoa powder & malt. The taste mirrored this as you pick up chocolate, cream along with malt. As a proper stout should be, this beer had little carbonation, was really smooth & fairly thick. Despite the double digit ABV, I tasted no alcohol at all. This beer would be very dangerous for me. Great brew & a must try. RATER: Joey - RATE: 4.3/5 MEDIA FACEBOOK: Founders Brewing Page TWITTER: @foundersbrewing WEB: Founders Brewing Website HOMETOWN: Grand Rapids, Michigan

Deep Ellum Double Brown Stout

Deep Ellum Double Brown Stout STYLE: Baltic Porter STATS: 7% ABV PENDING RATER: Che - RATE: X.X/5 MEDIA FACEBOOK: Deep Ellum Brewing Page TWITTER: @deepellumbrewco WEB: Deep Ellum Brewing Website HOMETOWN: Dallas, Texas

Deep Ellum Dallas Blonde

Deep Ellum Dallas Blonde STYLE: American Blonde Ale STATS: 5.2% ABV PENDING RATER: Che - RATE: X.X/5 MEDIA FACEBOOK: Deep Ellum Brewing Page TWITTER: @deepellumbrewco WEB: Deep Ellum Brewing Website HOMETOWN: Dallas, Texas

Big Sky Bobos Robust Porter

Big Sky Bobos Robust Porter STYLE: American Porter STATS: 5.8% ABV / 32 IBU PENDING RATER: Che - RATE: X.X/5 MEDIA FACEBOOK: Big Sky Brewing Page INSTAGRAM: @bigskybrewing TWITTER: @bigskybrewing WEB: Big Sky Website HOMETOWN: Missoula, Montana

Austin Beerworks Peacemaker

Austin Beerworks Peacemaker STYLE: English Pale Mild Ale STATS: 5.1% ABV PENDING RATER: Che - RATE: X.X/5 MEDIA FACEBOOK: Austin Beerworks Page TWITTER: @AustinBeerworks WEB: Austin Beerworks Website HOMETOWN: Austin, TX

512 IPA

512 IPA STYLE: American IPA STATS: 7.2% ABV PENDING RATER: Che - RATE: X.X/5 MEDIA FACEBOOK: 512 Brewing Page TWITTER: @512brewing WEB: 512 Website HOMETOWN: Austin, TX

Left Coast Hop Juice

Left Coast Hop Juice STYLE: American Double / Imperial IPA STATS: 9.7% ABV Poured clear amber, big off white head. Nose. All I get there is hops. Not for the feint of heart. I repeat. Not for the feint of heart. Hop juice lives up to its name; it gives you a fair warning on the label. There are no words to begin to try and describe how hoppy this thing is. I wouldn't even do it justice to try. It's hoppy, it's in your face, and it knows what it is. Saying that. If you're a hophead like myself, it is drinkable, but not more that a bottle. This is a good relaxing beer. Once you past that big initial bite, it goes down smooth. Maybe a little too smooth, but you're always aware the hops are there. RATER: Che - RATE: 3.75/5 MEDIA FACEBOOK: Left Coast Brewing Page TWITTER: @LeftCoastBrewco WEB: Left Coast Website HOMETOWN: San Clemente, California

Omme Gang Three Philosophers

Omme Gang Three Philosophers STYLE: Quadrupel (Quad) STATS: 9.8% ABV The beer itself is dark mahogany and fairly clear with a large head. Smells a bit citrusy but not too overwhelming. The initial taste is of a strong quad ale flavor. Highly carbonated as well. Could not really distinguish anything in particular with this one. Reminds me almost of soda. RATER: Che - RATE: 1.5/5 Dark amber pour with a good, tan head. You pick up a fruity smell when pouring. It tastes of malt & fruit. The alcohol is there but not overpowering, which is good considering the ABV. This beer is fairly sweet but thats to be expected with a quad. It also has a fair amount of carbination. A very drinkable beer despite the high alcohol content. Nothin really jumps out at me with this one however. RATER: Joey - RATE: 2.3/5 MEDIA FACEBOOK: Omme Gang Page INSTAGRAM: @breweryommegang TWITTER: @BreweryOmmegang WEB: Omme Gang Website HOMETOWN: Cooperstown, New York

Youngs Double Chocolate Stout

Youngs Double Chocolate Stout STYLE: Milk / Sweet Stout STATS: 5.2% ABV The beer is pitch black with a tan, frothy head. The aroma is kind of nutty and has strong hints of chocolate & malt. The body is thick & has little carbonation, so we're good there. The flavor was an almost smoky malt w/ a tiny bit of bitterness & chocolate in the aftertaste. The alcohol is well hidden but as far as stouts go, I'm not impressed by this one. Nothing bad about this one but its very generic to me. RATER: Joey - RATE: 2.5/5 MEDIA FACEBOOK: Well & Youngs Page TWITTER: @YoungsBeers WEB: Well & Youngs Website HOMETOWN: Bedford, United Kingdom

Twisted X Cow Creek

Twisted X Cow Creek STYLE: Vienna Lager STATS: 5.4% ABV The beer is dark amber with a white head. The aroma it gives off seems slightly sweet & almost like caramel. When tasting, it is a smooth malt that has a hint of sweetness ending with a little hop. I drank a couple of these at happy hour with some appetizers and it paired very well with the food. The brewery-advertised "Tex-Mex" theme seems to fit. I will for sure look for these during the summer on a patio near me. RATER: Joey - RATE: 3/5 PENDING RATER: Che - RATE: X.X/5 MEDIA TWITTER: @texmexbeer FACEBOOK: Twisted X Page WEB: Twisted X Website HOMETOWN: Dripping Springs, Texas

Ter Dolen Kriek

Ter Dolen Kriek STYLE: Fruit / Vegetable Beer STATS: 4.5% ABV The pour yields a frothy, pink head and a light red liquid. Your nose is hit instantly with a sweet aroma, almost like a fruit juice. The flavor is fairly sweet but not wasn't too much for my tongue. Tastes like the filling of a cherry pie. Very interesting to try but I wouldn't want to sit and drink multiple bottles of this personally. RATER: Joey - RATE: 2.6/5 MEDIA FACEBOOK: Ter Dolen Page WEB: Ter Dolen English Website HOMETOWN: Brouwerij, Belgium

512 Five

512 Five STYLE: American Double / Imperial Stout STATS: 10.10% ABV PENDING RATER: Che - RATE: X.X/5 MEDIA FACEBOOK: 512 Brewing Page TWITTER: @512brewing WEB: 512 Website HOMETOWN: Austin, TX

Six Point Hi Res

Six Point Hi Res STYLE: American Double / Imperial IPA STATS: 11.1% ABV PENDING RATER: Che - RATE: X.X/5 Pours a clear amber color w/ a thin, white head. The aroma is largely tropical citrus w/ a hint of the alcohol coming through. When first tasting this, it didn't have a huge hop flavor that I was anticipating. It actually was very balanced on the tongue. Picking up grapefruit and malt, w/ very lil hops suprisingly. Even though I could smell it, the alcohol is well hidden in the taste. For having a double digit abv, this is very drinkable. Especially considering its an IPA & theyre not my favorite. A "must try" for you hop heads. RATER: Joey - RATE: 3/5 MEDIA FACEBOOK: SixPoint Page TWITTER: @sixpoint INSTAGRAM: @sixpointbrewery WEB: Six Point Website HOMETOWN: Brooklyn, NY

Real Ale Devils Backbone

Real Ale Devils Backbone STYLE: Tripel STATS: 8.1% ABV PENDING RATER: Che - RATE: X.X/5 Poured out of a bottle w/ a slightly cloudy, bright amber color. Frothy white head. Smells of citrus with a kick of something sweet. Despite the citrus smell, it tastes of banana w/ a kick of alcohol. Not too much alcohol to be a turn-off, even though its 8%. Very carbonated but slightly spicy and not a lot of hops. Very drinkable beer that I enjoy often. RATER: Joey - RATE: 3.6/5 MEDIA FACEBOOK: Real Ale Page TWITTER: @RealAleBrewing WEB: Real Ale Brewing Website HOMETOWN: Blanco, Texas

Pennsylvania Penn Dark

Pennsylvania Penn Dark STYLE: Munich Dunkel Lager STATS: 5% ABV PENDING RATER: Che - RATE: X.X/5 MEDIA FACEBOOK: Penn Brewery Page INSTAGRAM: @PennBrewery TWITTER: @PennBrewery WEB: Penn Brewery Website HOMETOWN: Pittsburgh, PA

Shipyard Longfellow Winter Ale

Shipyard Longfellow Winter Ale STYLE: English Porter STATS: 5.8% ABV PENDING RATER: Che - RATE: X.X/5 MEDIA FACEBOOK: Shipyard Page TWITTER: @ShipyardBrewing INSTAGRAM: @shipyardbrewing WEB: Shipyard Website HOMETOWN: Portland, Maine

Circle Third Anniversary

PICTURE ANNIVERSARY GLASS

Circle Third Anniversary

Event: 3rd Anniversary Party for Circle Brewing Location: 2340 West Braker Lane, Suite B Austin, TX 78758 VENUE: This is hosted at the actual brewery, which is in North Austin. Its a medium sized warehouse space that is accessible off Braker itself or Kramer Lane. It's not too hard to find but there is no sign from road as they generally don't host customers there. Each anniversary is on the weekend so there is plenty of "park-where-you-can-fit" spaces.

The entry fee is $15 & this year it includes a special anniversary glass. You also receive a couple drink tokens to net you free pints. There is a bar inside the brewery where drinks are available, an area to wait for a tour & a booth selling merchandise. Outside were a couple food trucks to help pad the belly.

Unfortunately, this year the weather was terrible. It started off overcast but eventually turned into a downpour. Previous years everyone would hang outside in the parking lot & mingle w/ their beers & food. Dogs, lawnchairs & a sort of "tailgate" feel is invoked. Due to the poor weather & lack of space inside, I had to cut my visit short.

Despite the rain, I did get the sweet anniversary glass & get to try some cool beers. I got to try a cask Circle Nightlight and their new "Epic Bock" release. Hopefully Mother Nature cooperates with us next year!

PRO TIP: Everyone queues up for the first bartender after they receive their tokens. Bypass this line & walk into the brewery to find the 3-4 bartenders that are not busy to redeem your tokens.

Review by Joey

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PENDING

Review by Che MEDIA

• FACEBOOK: Circle on Facebook
• TWITTER: @circlebrew
• WEB: Circle Website