This is a pretty special post for me. It's also my first one that's not an Austin beer! It's still from Texas though, don't worry, just closer to San Antonio. The reason that it's a special post is that the brewery is part owned by the frontman of a local band that I discovered soon after moving to Austin. They were called Crooks and were one of the most entertaining bands around, playing a unique brand of Tex Mex country music. Unfortunately, after almost 10 years of playing (much longer than I'd been a fan), they decided to call it a day. I caught their last few gigs around Austin and it was sad to see them go.
Around the same time as they broke up, however, their frontman Josh stepped in to a partnership to start a new brewery called Cibolo Creek Brewing Co., out in Boerne, TX. As a fan of Crooks and also craft beer, this was the silver lining to them breaking up, and I was excited for the brewery to open and to see what their beer was like. It was quite exciting to follow the Cibolo Creek Instagram account to see them converting the building they'd bought into the brewery. I had a feeling it would be pretty great, as Crooks were good friends with the owners of a local Austin brewery called the Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. (or ABGB, for short, and definitely a brewery I shall be posting about in the near future). In fact, Crooks were the reason that I found out about the ABGB so soon after moving here, as they played their one year anniversary!
This was my first chance to make it down to Boerne though, so was also my first time trying any beer by Cibolo Creek. They are just a small brewpub and don't can or bottle their beers. In fact, the brewery is a rather quaint cottage, sitting on the main street in Boerne, which is a pretty small town itself. Their beer could easily compete against some of the larger scale craft breweries, however, as it was all delicious.
They already have five core beers and also a rotating small batch series. They offer flights featuring all five of the core range and so this was a great way to get acquainted with their beers, ranging from a blonde to a porter. I was impressed to see that one of these was an amber, called the Hitchin' Post Amber Ale, which is a style that I would say is quite under-represented around here. I did promise that my next post would be something different to an IPA (which I was happy to see Keiran also stuck to!) and, since ambers are my favourite style, this seemed like the perfect one to talk about!
The characteristics that draw me to ambers are the maltiness and the sweetness, which go hand in hand, really. More importantly though, I like the maltiness without it getting out of hand like in a porter or a stout... The Hitchin' Post Amber certainly looked like it would be in line with these usual flavour profiles but, to my surprise, it was not as malty as I was expecting and was actually pretty hoppy! This made it super interesting, especially as it was still nice and sweet, and at 6% it is a solid full-bodied ale.
The hops which give rise to these flavours are the Millennium, Mosaic & Chinook hops. I feel like this is more than usually used in an amber, or at least more than is usually advertised, with hoppiness not being a major feature of ambers. As a result, the beer has a bit of a floral and piney taste. It should be noted though that, despite me making a big deal about the hops, these flavours aren't overwhelming and I would say the IBU is only about 30-40. I just found it a little unusual on top of the sweetness of the amber, but this made it stand out a fair bit above the beers I often drink of this style.
This was my first chance to make it down to Boerne though, so was also my first time trying any beer by Cibolo Creek. They are just a small brewpub and don't can or bottle their beers. In fact, the brewery is a rather quaint cottage, sitting on the main street in Boerne, which is a pretty small town itself. Their beer could easily compete against some of the larger scale craft breweries, however, as it was all delicious.
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| Cibolo Creek Brewing Co. |
The characteristics that draw me to ambers are the maltiness and the sweetness, which go hand in hand, really. More importantly though, I like the maltiness without it getting out of hand like in a porter or a stout... The Hitchin' Post Amber certainly looked like it would be in line with these usual flavour profiles but, to my surprise, it was not as malty as I was expecting and was actually pretty hoppy! This made it super interesting, especially as it was still nice and sweet, and at 6% it is a solid full-bodied ale.
The Hitchin' Post Amber Ale
The hops which give rise to these flavours are the Millennium, Mosaic & Chinook hops. I feel like this is more than usually used in an amber, or at least more than is usually advertised, with hoppiness not being a major feature of ambers. As a result, the beer has a bit of a floral and piney taste. It should be noted though that, despite me making a big deal about the hops, these flavours aren't overwhelming and I would say the IBU is only about 30-40. I just found it a little unusual on top of the sweetness of the amber, but this made it stand out a fair bit above the beers I often drink of this style.
Another beer I need to mention is one which turned out to be released on the day I was visiting. It's the ninth in their small batch series and this one was an 8.4% smoked serrano pepper double IPA, called Grinch's Tongue. After first discovering chili beers a few years ago with Keiran (which he'll remember was quite a harrowing experience - for both of us!), I've learnt that spicy beers can in fact be quite enjoyable. Well this has to have been the best that I've tried yet! The spice only really seemed to come at the start of the sip, giving my lips a little tingle. What made this so enjoyable, however, was the incredibly sweet taste that followed, almost like treacle. Perhaps the harsh spiciness that can often accompany chili beers was mellowed a little by other fairly strong flavours, coming from the fact that this was a double IPA - this is the first IPA I've ever tried with a chili pepper flavouring, let alone a double IPA! I really hope they bring this one back, as I would definitely say it was worth being a permanent fixture on their menu!!
I'm so glad that I finally made it down to the Cibolo Creek brewery. Their beers are all truly excellent and it's such a chill setting, sitting out the front, maybe even on a swinging bench on their front porch. The staff are all super friendly and welcoming, and it was awesome to have a pretty exciting chat with Josh about Crooks. They also take a lot of pride in the food they serve up, so it's a great place to swing by for lunch and then stick around for a good afternoon of beer-drinking. Here's hoping I can make it down again soon, and introduce some friends around Austin to another great brewery.
Happy New Year!
Clark \m/
I'm so glad that I finally made it down to the Cibolo Creek brewery. Their beers are all truly excellent and it's such a chill setting, sitting out the front, maybe even on a swinging bench on their front porch. The staff are all super friendly and welcoming, and it was awesome to have a pretty exciting chat with Josh about Crooks. They also take a lot of pride in the food they serve up, so it's a great place to swing by for lunch and then stick around for a good afternoon of beer-drinking. Here's hoping I can make it down again soon, and introduce some friends around Austin to another great brewery.
Happy New Year!
Clark \m/
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