6th Annual Von Brewski Beer Festival

Posted on February 1, 2022 by Brian Allen

Von Brewski Beer Festival is a break from winter’s cold days.

February 5, 2022 / 2:00pm – 6:00pm
VBC South Hall
Tickets: $50 (presale) and $55 at the door
Guests must be 21+

This festival is located at the Von Braun Center’s Southhall in Huntsville, Alabama. Fifty breweries are represented with over a hundred beers on tap.

Entertainment will be provided by Eric Michael Taylor and Cameron Dubois.

Beer samples will be poured in disposable cups for safety, but guests will still receive a Von Brewski souvenir glass when leaving the event.

Latest list of breweries and brews:

Back Forty Beer Company: Devils StaircaseBack Forty: Truck Stop Honey
Cahaba Brewing Company: Steel Cut City
Cahaba: American Blonde
Cross-Eyed Owl Brewing Co.: Space Owl Hazy IPA
Cross-Eyed Owl: 5 Oh Oh Lager
Fairhope Brewing Company: I drink therefore I Amber
Fairhope: Judge Roy Bean Stout
Folklore Brewing & Meadery: Shadowcaster
Folklore: Grateful Red
Ghost Train Brewing Co.: Modish Blood Orange Sour
Ghost Train: Allurium Hazy IPA
Green Bus Brewing: Big Spring
Green Bus: Julias PRL
Green Bus: Earl Grey
Mad Malts Brewing: Vanilla Porter
Mad Malts: Banana Bread
Mad Malts: Blood Orange
Rocket Republic Brewing Company: 6 Iron
Rocket Republic: Cosmic Eruption Hazy IPA
Rocket Republic: Cosmic Disruption Stout
Southern Tier Brewing Company: Hot Cocoa C02
Southern Tier: Nu Haze IPA
SweetWater Brewing Company: Almond Milk Stout
Wicked Weed Brewing: Pernicious
Wicked Weed: Milk and Cookies
Wicked Weed: Dr. Dank
Bowler Hat Brewing Company: Vanilla Cream Ale
Bowler Hat: Blood Orange IPA
Bowler Hat: Robust Porter

Fossil Brewing Company Knochenweizen Hefeweizen

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Brian Allen

Fossil Brewing Company’s Knochenweizen Hefeweizen is a true Hefeweizen. It has been a long while since I have had a true to form Hefeweizen. Talking with Josh Bye, the brewmaster, he indicated he also wanted the true characteristics of a Hefeweizen.

Knochenweizen’s aroma is full of the esters from the yeast and sweetness.

The taste has wonderful banana flavors with a mild sweet finish. The carbonation is helping create a nice full mouth feel, which is perfect for a Hefeweizen.

Fossil Brewing Company is creating some very tasty brews and the Hefeweizen is a great example of what they can do in their brew house.

Huntsville Beer Week, 4th Annual

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Brian Allen

Well, it is that time again for Huntsville Beer Week. It runs September 19th through September 27th. With the Huntsville Area’s growing beer community, this year’s week is celebrating 8 breweries and many beer centric venues.

There will be events throughout the whole week at breweries, restaurants, and bars all over town. Many types of events will be available included tastings, educational, give-aways, and many other kinds of events. Be sure, you check with your favorite brewery, bar, or restaurant.

The local Free the Hops chapter has reached out to Untappd to actually get a badge that can be earned by checking in beers at local venues.

Events are still being updated on the Huntsville Beer Week site.

Manitou Brewing Company

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Brian Allen

Manitou Brewing Company opened up March 1st. They are located at 725 Manitou Ave in Manitou Springs, Colorado. They are operating more as a brewpub featuring five beers of their own creation, guest beers, and food.

Presently, they are serving up their Belgian Blonde Ale (4.7% ABV, 27 IBU), Session Red (4.7% ABV, 12 IBU), Smoked Nut Brown Ale (6.5% ABV, 45 IBU), Manitou Common (5.2% ABV, 25 IBU), and IPA (6.7% ABV, 65 IBU).

I started with the Session Red and a House Salad. The Session Red had a very good malt flavor with a surprisingly good body when many reds have minimal body. It would be a great session beer as the name indicates. The House Salad was very enjoyable and above the bar you would ever expect at a brewpub.

The Belgian Blonde Ale has a nice aroma with mild Belgian blonde characteristics and a note tart with a dry finish. The finish is a bit too dry.

Smoked Nut Brown Ale

The Smoked Nut Brown Ale is a light bodied beer with a enjoyable nuttiness. The finish leaves the mouth filled with the beer’s flavors long after the initial taste. I am fan of this style and this Smoked Nut Brown Ale makes me happy. This beer would go great with a steak or other grilled foods.

The Manitou Common is very un-common. It has an initial hint of fruit. The lacing is very nice for this style. The dryness over powers this beer. It would very sessionable, but the dry finish could hold it back for some.

The IPA start with an enjoyable aroma. I had to take it outside to full take in the aroma. The hops are screaming in this beer. The hops come off a bit harsh, but it gives this beer a character.

Overall, I can see great things in the future for Manitou Brewing Company. The staff is very friendly. The food service is beyond what is expected for a brewpub. The establishment is family, which is very nice for all those young pink boots out there. The beer is very enjoyable. I looked forward to trying more offerings from Manitou Brewing Company.

Bristol Brewing Company’s Imperial IPA

Posted on May 20, 2014 by Brian Allen

Bristol Brewing Company’s Imperial IPA pours up a copper to deep golden color showing hints copper in the head. The head is rich and very lacy for an Imperial IPA.

The aroma has hints of citrus with bit of maltiness finding it’s way into the background. The Centennial, Simcoe, and Amarillo aromas are very nice against the background of this beer. There was an expectation for a bigger nose. The first glass on release day had a huge nose. This glass lost a bit of the initial aroma from last week.

The initial taste is of a deep hop flavor on the tip of the tongue and only increases as it fills the pallet. The Columbus hops hold up well in this big beer. The malt and hop flavor present in a way that would go well with a meal like a sheared steak or smoked items such root vegetables or chicken. The finish leaves the mouth with a rich blend of hop characteristics pouring over the mouth and fades to make way for the next taste.

Bristol Brewing Company indicates they use 2-row, Caramel and Munich malts. The hops are Columbus, Centennial, Simcoe, and Amarillo.

Overall, I really enjoyed this Imperial IPA. The 8.1% ABV keeps this beer from taking you off the chart too much. It would be great if this was a year round brew for Bristol Brewing Company. It is available in draft for a limited time and while the bombers last. The 4 mile walking round trip, from The Antlers, makes this beer even better.

Back Forty Beer Company’s Naked Pig Pale Ale

Posted on March 15, 2014 by Brian Allen

Back Forty Beer Company’s Naked Pig Pale Ale has come out in cans. It pours up nicely with a nice clear pale copper color.

The aroma is nice and mellow with a hint of maltiness, grains, and a light hoppiness in the background.

The flavor has a bit of nuttiness complemented by mild hop finish.

I know many people are bottle loyalist, but I can see this beer having a good future at the ballparks, the poolside, and at the beach.

Good People Hitchhiker

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Brian Allen

Good People Hitchhiker is an American IPA that pours up nicely with a rich head that leave lots of lacing. The color is a light copper and very clear.

The aroma is very mild, but the humidity is very high and that could be affecting the aroma.

The taste starts with a malty hop flavor that turns toward the hoppy side in the finish.

Overall, this is very enjoyable addition to the Good People IPA lineup. The ABV of 7.4% is sitting right between their IPA and Snake Handler (Double IPA).

Funkwerks Solenna (Bastogne)

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Brian Allen

Funkwerks Solenna (Bastogne) pours up with a rich head that clings to the glass. It has a clear copper color that hints of golden colors at the edges. The lacing is very nice.

The aroma has fruit overtones with a mix of hops hiding in the background.

The taste starts out with an alkaline aspect that holds on past the finish. But quickly, the flavor shifts to spices and peat flavors. The malty flavor come in during the finish as a nice surprise.

The mouth feel is driven by the clinginess of the flavors. The medium body holds on only for a bit and fades quickly in the finish.

Overall, Funkwerks Solenna is a very enjoyable beer. I could enjoy this beer while sit on my deck and sharing it friends to push their beer boundaries.

Phantom Canyon Brewing’s Zebulon’s Peated Porter (cask style)

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Brian Allen

Zebulon pours up nicely with a rich head that slowly fades while holding on to the glass all the way to the finish. The color is a deep brown with hints of tan hiding in there. The head shows the tan colors well with it being a dark sandy color.

The aroma is first of a dark chocolate malt and hint of bitterness or peat in the aroma. It makes you expect a drier beer before the taste even arrives.

The taste starts off with a welcome to your pallet due to cellar temperature. Chocolate malt flavors are there right away with the mild bitterness. Chocolate tones turn to bitter cocoa in the finish. While, the warming of the beer brings out the bitterness. The flavor doesn’t want to leave the mouth long after the sip.

The mouthfeel of Zebulon is heavy on pallet with a take over the taste buds kind of attitude.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable beer. The full body and the rich flavors make this a great beer for enjoying in Colorado Springs’ typical winter weather. The 6.1% ABV won’t slow you down, but a session beer this is not due to the other characteristics. If Phantom Canyon had a fireplace, Zebulon’s Peated Porter would be the beer of choice to drink while setting in front of it. I would suggest the Colorado Lamb Sirloin or the Center Cut Ribeye to complement its flavor.

Founders Devil Dancer

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Brian Allen

Founders Devil Dancer is a triple IPA. It poured up nicely with a rich copper color and minimal head.

The aroma shows the presence of the high alcohol right away. The hops bouquet is nice but not too floral as was expected.

The taste of this beer is driven by the big characteristics of it with a high alcohol, big hop profile, the bold malt flavor, and heavier body. Finish presents with the heat of the alcohol. There’s a nice sweetness throughout the whole beer’s flavor. But the hops, they hold on throughout the taste, but they’re not over-the-top.

The mouth feel is driven by the strong malt backbone giving it a deep thick body, that is for I PA. The high ABV creates an interesting character in the mouth feel especially in the finish.

Overall, Devil Dancer is a very impressive beer. The 12% ABV makes this beer something to be enjoyed gradually so that you fully appreciate all the characteristics from the beginning to the end. I appreciate that there’s quite a few more of these waiting in the refrigerator.

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