It's that time again!
Good ol' Beer:30. Here at Do512, it's our favorite time, no matter what day or hour it actually occurs. Beer:30 is when we relax, unplug, and sip on some cold hoppy brews.
Beer:30 is also our chance to act like we know what we're talking about when we talk about beer. While we are certainly well-versed in the art of drinking beer around here, we wouldn't exactly call ourselves beer experts. In other words, we know that a stout tastes different than a hefeweizen, but we probably couldn't explain why in any real detail. We just like beer, which is why every month we lounge around the office while we sample some hops. This Beer:30, the Do512 crew tried out Karbach's Rodeo Clown Double IPA, Imperial Tropical IPA, and Imperial Hazy IPA. Here are our findings.
Karbach Brewing Co.'s Rodeo Clown IPA Family
- Type
Double/Imperial
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV)
8.3-9.5%
- International Bitter Units (IBUs)
20-85
HISTORY:
The Brewery
The Texas-based brewery Karbach Brewing Company was founded in 2011 and named for its location on Karbach Street in Houston's Spring Branch Neighborhood. At the Houston brewhouse, you can take a tour of the company, hang out in the Biergarten, or grab a bite to eat in the restaurant. Hosting live music and other community events, Karbach Brewing Company lives up to their saying that "It's all about the beer", and they have a great time doing it.
The Beer
The Rodeo Clown Double IPA is currently the #2 Double/Imperial IPA in the state of Texas. And the new, expanded Rodeo Clown family of IPAs will make any hop lover proud. Based on the fierce bravado of a Rodeo Clown (one of the toughest jobs around), this lineup includes a hefty array of strong beers: the classic Double IPA, an Imperial Tropical IPA, and an Imperial Hazy IPA. And yes, they're all above 8% ABV. The Rodeo Clown would have it no other way.
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Photo credit: Roger Ho
WHAT IT TASTES LIKE:
We'll level with you and tell you that the Double IPA tastes like... HOPS! We're big IPA lovers over here though, so no qualms. The Tropical Imperial IPA features a little bit of mango, pineapple, and citrus with a slightly lower serving of hops. Like most hazy IPAs, the Imperial Hazy IPA is orange-forward with a hint of coconut that takes the bitterness down a notch.
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Photo credit: Roger Ho
WHAT TO EAT WITH IT:
There's a proverb somewhere about IPAs pairing the best with BBQ, but don't test us on the source. We enjoyed each flavor of the Rodeo Clown family with a hefty serving of brisket, ribs, sausage, and all the fixings. The Imperial Hazy is also known to go great with jerk chicken, lamb chops, and other coastal flavors, as does the Imperial Tropical with coconut shrimp and Hawaiian pork.
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Photo Credit: Roger Ho
WHERE TO GET IT:
Grab a six-pack of each of the Rodeo Clown family varieties at your local grocery or liquor retailer, like H-E-B, Total Wine, Whole Foods, Royal Blue, and many more. Or head down to Houston for a day trip and pop into their brewery!
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What's your favorite beer to enjoy during Beer:30?
We're open to suggestions.
