And it's time for part four of four consecutive Louisiana beers that we featured
on Jay Ducote's Bite And Booze radio show.
We started with the Abita Lemon Wheat, went to the NOLA Brown, then
the Tin Roof Voodoo Bengal, and now the
Covington Bayou Bock. Covington Brewhouse is probably the most forgotten (to me at least) Louisiana brewery just because I never really see them putting out new things. That said, I know they have plans for an IPA soon that comes from a recipe that a fellow Brasseurs A La Maison member created to win their Bombastic Brewer contest. It's pretty cool for them to work with local homebrewers and I'm also excited to see another local IPA in the works.
The Bayou Bock is one of their Covington Brewhouse labels, as opposed to the Heiner Brau labels. Here's what they say about it, "This full-bodied lager is our interpretation of a classic Bavarian
Heller Maiboch, a style known for its well balanced, easy-drinking
character. Distinguished by its rich medium-to-dark golden color, sweet,
malty aroma, and delicate, flowery hop finish, Bayou Bock makes for a
perfect accompaniment to a wide range of cuisine." Unfortunately, I didn't see anywhere on the label where this was a Maibock, so we judged it more as a traditional bock, and that shows up in the scores.
Reviewers: Eric Ducote (BR Beer Scene), Jay Ducote (BiteandBooze.com), Charles Pierce (Me And My Big Mouth podcast), Brenton Day (The Ale Runner.com), and Ross Marcotte.
Serving: 12 oz. can.
Appearance: Very light, clear golden color.
Aroma: Grassy, earthy, with a little noble hop character. Jay and Brenton both picked up a breadiness, and a yeasty aroma more associated with bread than with beer.
Taste: Malty, more like a beer, but still not what we were expecting from a bock. Still bready and pretty boring.
Mouthfeel: Thin with a lingering funk to it. Not impressed.
Overall: Regretably we didn't judge this as a maibock, but it's also labeled as simply a bock. For better or worse, when someone thinks "bock" then expect darker, maltier, and richer as opposed to light and grassy. Despite that, I don't think there was too much to like about this beer, it had an unpleasant funk to it and offered little redemption.
Overall Rating: 28.8
My Rating: 25
In case you needed more craft beer week in your life, I just saw that Tin Roof Brewing is going to be tapping a keg of their double-dry hopped Juke Joint IPA at Pelican House at 5:30.
NOLA's Girl Scout Cookie is tapped at 6 at The Bulldog... I'm thinking there's time for both!
I initially thought the NOLA Girl Scout Cookie release was going to be tonight at the Bulldog, then heard it was going to be Friday, but now I'm hearing again that it is going to be tonight.
This was right there with the Tin Roof Bourbon Oak Chip Coffee Porter as far as ACBW offerings in Baton Rouge that I really wanted to try... so I'm going to head back to the Bulldog tonight. The Tin Roof offering was gone in about half an hour, so don't be too late tonight! It should be tapped at 6.
They also had the Stone Enjoy By IPA on tap, so if you haven't tried it yet, there's a second reason to find yourself at Bulldog!
Alright, as if American Craft Beer Week wasn't enough, here is even more local beer news:
Southern Tier officially releases in Louisiana today... just got this picture from Calandro's, looks like they also have some Parish Farmhouse IPA and Endeavour on the shelves, but the main point is all that Southern Tier. Go get some! The bar rollouts in Baton Rouge should be tonight at The Bulldog and tomorrow at The Cove.
Also, today marks the official release of the Saint Arnold Bishop's Barrel #3. Like the Bishop's Barrel #1 this is an imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels. (All the Bishop's Barrel series are barrel aged, duh.) Bishop's Barrel #1 was one of the best beers I've had from Saint Arnold, so I'm looking forward to this one as well. It's only in bottles and only available at bars & restaurants, not retailers. Look for it soon as the local places.
More good news, NOLA Brewing is canning their Mechahopzilla Double IPA! We knew this was coming, but it's still exciting to see the actual cans instead of just the artwork. Look for this soon, don't know an exact release date.
Calandro's is also going to be running daily specials all week to celebrate American Craft Beer Week. Today is featuring the locals and the neighbors, Saint Arnold, Lazy Magnolia, NOLA, Tin Roof, Abita, and Parish. Other breweries will be discounting on other days, follow their Facebook page for more.
That's it for now... I'm sure other things will be popping up soon. Chance of dieting this week: zero.
Yeah, we're not New Orleans and as much better as the Baton Rouge beer scene has become, we still have no Avenue Pub. If you want the best that Louisiana has to offer, that's your location... or check out the Beer Buddha for other New Orleans area picks.
Unfortunately a lot of what I see about American Craft Beer Week in Baton Rouge is dominated by the "crafty" brands rather than the craft brands. Crap like Blue Moon and Third Shift... maybe they're fooling some people, but not me. That said, there is still plenty going on right here in Baton Rouge, and plenty to get excited about! Here's the lineup:
Monday, May 13th:
4 PM - Close - The Bulldog - Southern Tier Rollout Party
6 PM - The Cove - Tin Roof's "Parliament Pale Ale" will be served, which is a Voodoo Bengal fermented with 1099 Whitbread yeast. They describe it as: "Mild malty, slight fruity flavor, good flocculation, less tart and dry than normal british ale yeast."
6-7 PM - Chimes East - Sam Adams
7-8 PM - Chimes East - Sierra Nevada
Tuesday, May 14th:
6 PM - Chimes Covington - Tin Roof's "Blonde, James Blonde" will be on tap. Just like above it's the normal blonde ale with the 1099 Whitbread yeast. (Okay, so it's not BR, but it's BR's brewery...)
6-7 PM - Red Zeppelin - Magic Hat / Stone / Brooklyn
6-Close - The Cove - Southern Tier Rollout Party
7-8 PM - The Bulldog - Abita Special Release – Turbodog aged in Buffalo Trace Bourbon Barrels
Wednesday, May 15th:
6 PM - The Bulldog - Tin Roof Parade Ground Coffee Porter aged in bourbon soaked oak chips . Aging for 6 months! This is probably what I'm most excited about in Baton Rouge.
6 PM - Pelican House - Green Flash / Schmaltz / Harpoon
6:30-7:30 PM - Mellow Mushroom - Abita
8:30-9:30 PM - Mellow Mushroom - NOLA
Thursday, May 16th:
5:30 PM - Pelican House - Tin Roof Double Dry Hopped Juke Joint IPA— simcoe, centennial, cascade, columbus– A hop heads dream.
6-8 PM - The Bulldog - Stone Brewing Best By 5/17/2013 IPA + a surprise variation of one of your favorite Stone brews + free Stone glass
Harpoon Barrel Series + free Harpoon glass
Brooklyn Brewmaster Series + free Brooklyn glass
Friday, May 17th:
5:00 PM - Tin Roof Brewery - Food Truck Friday Benefiting Cancer Services of Greater Baton Roug! Live music, Food Trucks, and a great time! Goes until 9 PM.
5-6 PM - The Bulldog - NOLA Brewing
has a cask of their "Girl Scout Cookie" which I believe is a
mint-flavored Irish Channel Stout? I'm interested in this one for sure.
6-7 PM - The Bulldog - Samuel Adams Little White Rye
Saturday, May 18th:
5-6 PM - The Bulldog - IWS Showcase – Special tappings of specialty beers from artisan
brewers. Prairie ‘Merica, Brash Bullocks, Yeastie Boys, Pot Kettle Black
Sunday, May 19th:
All Day - The Bulldog - Pot Luck – come get the best sort of leftovers ever!
Thanks to TheAleRunner, Brenton Day, for more information about the Bulldog's American Craft Beer Week events.
That's all that I've seen in town, other than the "crafty" tastings that I'm not going to post about. I really like that Tin Roof Brewing is stepping up their Craft Beer Week game with some special releases. I'm excited to try the NOLA Girl Scout Cookie as well.
Alright, and I'm back. Sorry about missing this post last week, but sometimes life happens and it turns out Beer Blogging isn't my full-time job. Up today we have the third of four consecutive Louisiana beers that we featured on Jay Ducote's Bite And Booze radio show. We started with the Abita Lemon Wheat, went to the NOLA Brown, we're on the Tin Roof Voodoo Bengal, and next week (in theory!) will feature the Covington Bayou Bock.
The Voodoo Bengal Pale Ale from Tin Roof Brewing
is as it claims, an American Pale Ale. "Generously hopped, this brew draws on pale, honey and caramel malts to
provide the perfect balance between bitterness, aroma, and malt
character. Pairs well with anything spicy…especially crawfish, gumbo,
and jambalaya." Amazingly this will be the first Tin Roof beer to make it on Feature Beer Friday!, but I doubt it will be the last.
Reviewers: Eric Ducote (BR Beer Scene), Jay Ducote (BiteandBooze.com), Charles Pierce (Me And My Big Mouth podcast), Brenton Day (The Ale Runner.com), and Ross Marcotte.
Serving: 12 oz. can.
Appearance: Dark amber, decent head with good rentention.
Aroma: Hoppy with a nice malt base, Brenton and Jay both picked up some citrus notes in the hops and Charles thought it had a slight syrup aroma, which makes sense considering this beer uses Steen's cane syrup in the brew process.
Taste: I thought it was a pretty solid hop-forward pale ale. It has a nice balance of citrus hops and malty syrupy sweetness. Brenton described it as "pleasingly bitter" which is a great thing in a pale ale.
Mouthfeel: A little lingering bitterness, but that's not a bad thing. Decent body too, good mouthfeel for the style.
Overall: This is better than I remembered and I really commend Tin Roof for improving their recipe and making this isn't a really well-rounded APA. Available in cans all over Baton Rouge, I can see myself drinking plenty of this over the Summer.
Overall Rating: 77.2
My Rating: 72
Looks like one of the up and coming Louisiana breweries now has a space to call home, and what a space it is! The press release is below, but here are the highlights: 36,000 total square feet, 27,000 of warehouse/brewery plus 9,000 of office, retail, and tasting areas. Great Raft Brewing operations should begin this summer (the 20-barrel brewhouse is on order already!) and the grand opening at the brewery is expected in Fall 2013. Taking advantage of new legal decisions made possibly by the LA Craft Brewers Guild, Great Raft Brewing expects to also be able to sell beer from their front-of-the-house operation. Now that's progress in the Louisiana beer scene! Read more below the picture... also check out my older post about some of their beers.
Great Raft Brewing Secures Location in Shreveport, Louisiana
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lindsay Nations, Press Contact
info@greatraftbrewing.com
318-734-8101 (office)
Apr. 30, 2013, SHREVEPORT, La. -- Great Raft Brewing, a locally created
and owned craft microbrewery, signed a lease for 1251 Dalzell Street in
Shreveport, Louisiana. This 36,000 sq. ft. facility will serve as the
brewery’s location for all operations and packaging, as well as a
tasting room. The building consists of 27,000 sq. ft. of warehouse
space, along with another 9,000 sq. ft. for office, retail and tasting
areas. Operations are scheduled to begin this summer, with a grand
opening at the brewery in early fall.
The size and location of this building are both critical to Great Raft’s
strategic vision and growth plan. In March, Great Raft ordered a custom
20-barrel, three-vessel brewhouse, five fermentation tanks and two
brite tanks, with a capacity of 3,500 barrels (BBLs) annually. Great
Raft intends to produce approximately 1,000 – 1,500 BBLs in its first
year – increasing production in future years to enter new markets and
meet demand.
Co-founder Andrew Nations said, “One of the reasons we selected this
location for Great Raft’s operations is that we wanted to have room to
grow. We didn’t want to be in a position where we were looking to change
locations after a year or two due to space constraints.”
Great Raft Brewing recently applied and received approval for a use
variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). Not only will Great
Raft be allowed to manufacture its products at 1251 Dalzell, but it can
also open its doors for public tastings and tours. During those hours,
Great Raft intends to serve samples of products, provide educational
tours of the brewery, and sell beer to-go.
“This location affords us the opportunity to not only produce beer of
the highest quality, but also educate the public about our products and
the beer making process. We are excited to have a visible location,
close to Interstate 49 and Downtown Shreveport, and hope to be a fun
destination for locals and tourists alike,” said co-founder Lindsay
Nations.
Great Raft Brewing will be located less than one mile from the last
known brewery to exist in Shreveport – Shreveport Ice and Brewing.
Shreveport Ice and Brewing operated for years before closing its doors
in 1908 when Shreveport went dry.
“Locating our brewery near the historic Shreveport Ice and Brewing
building is a cool thing for us as we work to awaken Shreveport’s
brewing culture. We want to continue the history of brewing in
Shreveport, and being near that landmark is a constant reminder and
inspiration to our team,” added Lindsay.
About Great Raft Brewing: Great Raft Brewing is a
Shreveport, Louisiana based craft brewery dedicated to making creative,
authentic beer and helping to build a great beer culture within
communities it serves. Co-founders Andrew and Lindsay Nations are
Shreveport natives with a passion for beer. Born from their desire to
bring exciting, flavorful, fresh craft beer to their hometown, Great
Raft Brewing is bringing the craft brewing tradition to Northern
Louisiana.
Information about Great Raft Brewing can be found at www.greatraftbrewing.com. Learn more on Twitter https://twitter.com/GreatRaftBeer and Facebook www.facebook.com/greatraftbrewing.
