Feature Beer Friday: Tin Roof Veterans Voodoo Pale Ale

By Eric Ducote

Hello everyone, welcome to another edition of Feature Beer Friday here at Bite And Booze.  This past Sunday was Veterans Day with the observed holiday falling on this past Monday, so a quick thank you to everyone out there who has served or is serving our country!  In honor of Veterans Day, Tin Roof Brewing (a FBF regular) released a special Veterans Voodoo.  The Veterans Voodoo is the same water/malt/yeast as the regular gold-medal winning Voodoo, but it's hopped with a special Veterans blend of hops from Yakima Chief hops.  

Yakima Chief is donating $3 per pound of the hop blend sold in 2018 to the Semper Fi fund, so Tin Roof buying enough for a full batch of Veterans Voodoo certainly put a good chunk of money into the fund.  The hop blend was selected by veteran-owned breweries and in 2018 features Cashmere, Centennial, Ekuanot, Mosaic, and Simcoe.  Centennial, Mosaic, and Simcoe are all very popular hops in the brewing world, but I'm not as familiar with the Cashmere and Ekuanot.  Cashmere is noted for flavors of melon, lemon, and lime, with a moderate bitterness, and Ekuanot is expected to give off flavors of melon, lemon, apple, papaya, and even green pepper.  

Tin Roof's Veterans Voodoo

I swung by to try this one, and of course brought a crowler home for further research.  The color is the same hazy golden color as regular voodoo, with a frothy white head.  The aroma on this special version is fantastic, with tropical fruit, pine, and citrus all working together extremely well to create an inviting bouquet of hops.  The flavor is delicious as well, with the hops really working well together and the standard malt profile that lets the hops dominate.  The smooth mouthfeel and finish is unchanged, only the hop profile, and I think this hop blend creates a pale ale that's on par with the original.  

A full batch was brewed, and is available on tap and in crowlers in the Tin Roof taproom for a limited time.  There will certainly be plenty left when this drops on Friday morning, but it won't be there forever, so go give it a try.  Cheers! 

Feature Beer Friday: Tin Roof's Voodoo Pale Ale

By Eric Ducote

Tin Roof's Voodoo Pale Ale

Good morning everyone!  It's Friday, so let's talk a little beer.  Originally I wasn't planning on going back to back with the Tin Roof beers, but that was before the news broke last Saturday that Tin Roof Brewing captured the first ever gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival for the state of Louisiana with their Voodoo Pale Ale!  They won in the Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale category, which featured a whopping 132 entrants.  

Voodoo has been around in some form since Tin Roof's beginning, originally labeled as the Voodoo Bengal Pale Ale it was one of the original flagship brews next to the Perfect Tin Amber.  The original recipe was more of a balanced pale ale, with caramel and crystal malts providing a base and plenty of bittering hops throughout.  A few years ago the recipe was changed up completely and the "Bengal" was dropped from the name, giving us the Voodoo Pale Ale and the current look of the cans and tap handles.  Chuck P even wrote a blog post about it! Since then the recipe has undergone a few more tweaks until you have the current iteration of the Voodoo Pale Ale, which can now add GABF Gold Medal winner to its resume.  

The current recipe is even simpler than the interim version, with pale malt serving as the lone base malt and then malted oats, flaked oats, and wheat malt added as specialty grains to give some body and contribute to the haziness.  The hops were reduced to a simple combination of Citra and Simcoe, giving a combination of citrus and tropical fruit flavors from the Citra (duh!) and pine flavors from the Simcoe.  It's a sessionable 5% abv and a palate-pleasing 20 IBU with the vast majority of the hops going in as later additions and dry-hopping.  

I'm sure most of you out there reading this have tried Voodoo and plenty of you likely keep some around in your beer fridge on a regular basis, but if you haven't had one recently, don't hesitate to grab a 6-pack and give it another try.  Winning any sort of medal is a huge deal at GABF, but winning a gold in such a highly contested category should absolutely be celebrated.  

So congrats to Tin Roof, and Cheers! 

Feature Beer Friday: Tin Roof's Côte Ouest IPA

By Eric Ducote

Good morning everyone, on this beautiful first day of Fall!  Oh wait, it's still a billion degrees outside, but at least it's football season, right?  And at least cold cooler weather is on the way!  So I've been told, next weekend should finally start to feel a little like Fall, but this weekend is going to feel a little like the surface of the Sun.  

For today's Feature Beer I went back to local brewery Tin Roof for their latest specialty release, the Côte Ouest IPA, brewed in collaboration with Blake Winchell and Bill Childress of Brasseurs A La Maison.  As the name suggests, this is a traditional American IPA in the West coast style as opposed to the trendy New England style that's all the rage right now.  That means more malt balance, more bittering hops, and usually less back end dry hopping.  It also traditionally means a departure from the hazy "juicy" feel of the NE style, although this particular example retained some haziness.  

The Côte Ouest is draft only, but the batch resulted in about 10 barrels of finished product, so expect to see it on tap at the Tin Roof taproom for several more weeks as well.  Since cans weren't available, I grabbed a crowler on my last visit to try later.  First thing though, check out that fancy tap handle!  Apparently Blake didn't even know he was going to be features so prominently until he showed up to the release party, so I guess the joke is on him.  

Tin Roof's Cote Ouest IPA

On to the beer!  First the stats... 7.5% abv which is right at the cut off between IPA and DIPA, and approximately 70 IBU.  The pour is a dark orange-ish color with a bubbly white head and a decent amount of haze.  The hop aroma is still strong but more floral and traditionally bitter rather than citrus.  The taste is strongly bitter, and despite the darker color, there isn't a huge malt presence, rather the Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, and Amarillo hops come through with a combination of floral and piney bitterness with still a hint of citrus but not an overpowering presence.  All four of those hop varieties are produced in the Pacific NW and are prominent in the American IPA's surge in popularity, so it's great to see them used so generously in this beer.  

This won't be on tap for too long, so if you like hoppy bitterness and are looking for a change of pace and a bit of a throwback, head over to Tin Roof and give this a taste.  Cheers! 

Feature Beer Friday: Tin Roof / Gnarly Barley's Liger Juicy Pale Ale

By Eric Ducote

Good morning everyone!  It's another Friday and that means another featured beer here on Bite And Booze.  I'm going with a local collaboration today, the Liger Juicy Pale Ale which was brewed by Tin Roof and Gnarly Barley to celebrate last week's LSU vs. SELU football matchup.  Tin Roof brews the Bayou Bengal, a licensed LSU beer, and Gnarly Barley out of Hammond brews the Lion Up, a licensed SELU beer, so it only made sense for the two to combine forces for a Rivalry Edition beer.  

I'm a huge fan of local breweries collaborating together on beers like this, as well as local breweries collaborating with regional and national breweries.  It's a great way to get new ideas, new beers, and new exposure for these craft breweries that support a lot of local jobs.  This beer sold out quickly in cans at the brewery last weekend, but as of Wednesday night there was still plenty on tap, and they were selling crowlers of it to go.  So, as I'm an LSU fan, I grabbed a Tin Roof glass and gave the beer a try...

Tin Roof / Gnarly Barley's Liger Juicy Pale Ale

The first thing that hit me is the hop aroma as soon as I popped the can, citrus flavors dominate due to the galaxy, citra, and mosaic hops used.  The color is a pale yellow, not quite orange juice color, but hazy and vibrant.  The aroma out of the glass is more of the same, strong citrus hop flavors which invite me in for a sip.  On the tongue the hops continue their dominance, with a medium body and a minimal malt presence.  This is basically a toned down pale ale version of a "juicy" NEIPA and they nail it.  At 5.5% but bursting with hop flavor, this would be a great game day beer or perfect for breaking out after mowing the lawn, which is exactly what I in the picture above!

Here's hoping this makes it into the regular rotation for either Tin Roof or Gnarly Barley, I know I'd drink plenty more if it was readily available.  In the meantime, hit up the Tin Roof taproom and grab a crowler or two for the weekend.  Cheers! 

Feature Beer Friday: Tin Roof's Dry-Hopped Saison

By Eric Ducote

Good morning once again, and welcome back to Feature Beer Friday here at Bite And Booze.  It's almost football season, which means a lot more #wakeywhiskey, but in the meantime there's always time for a beer or three.  It's been a few minutes (or months) since I featured Tin Roof Brewing, but they have some pretty good stuff on tap and available in cans right now, so I thought it was the perfect time to feature one of their newest brews, the Dry-Hopped Saison. This beer is currently available in 12 oz. cans from the taproom.

Tin Roof's Dry-Hopped Saison

This brew is Tin Roof's take on a traditional saison, then dry-hopped with Simcoe hops.  The color is a slightly hazy pale yellow with the fizzy extra bubbly head that is typical of a saison.  The initial aroma is powerful with piney resinous hops that hit me as soon as I crack the can open and get stronger as I pour.  The taste is unmistakably hoppy, but that farmhouse funk is strong as well, with a hint of a sour note and plenty of yeasty esters that distinguish the saison style.  It's only 5.5% abv which makes this a really easy drinker that's perfect for the hot rainy days we've been experiencing.  

This certainly isn't the flashiest beer around, but it's another excellent release from the rejuvenated Tin Roof Brewing Company. 

Feature Beer Friday: New Orleans Beer Tour Edition - Wayward Owl, Port Orleans, NOLA, Urban South

By Eric Ducote

Greeting beer lovers!  This past weekend I had the opportunity to join Jay Ducote, Matt Moscona, and Lee Feinswog on a Magical Brewery Beer Bus Tour of four New Orleans breweries.  The itinerary was set out as leaving from Tin Roof in Baton Rouge, then hitting up Wayward Owl, Port Orleans, NOLA Brewing, and Urban South prior to making out way back to Baton Rouge.  I have been to NOLA and Urban South a few times before, but I had never been to Wayward Owl or to Port Orleans, so when Jay gave me the invite I was happy to accept.  

The bus loaded up at Tin Roof, who was gracious enough to give us some low fills for the road, and the group (43 strong) made our way to I-10 East a few minutes ahead of schedule.  The tour package included two beers at each stop for everyone, but we were of course free to purchase additional beers and food along the way.  

Tin Roof for the ride.

Third Row representing!

Traffic was light for a late Saturday morning and we ended up rolling up to Wayward Owl a few minutes ahead of our anticipated arrival.  They were kind enough to open up early just for our tour and the drinking commenced!  Wayward Owl is a new stop for me, and my first impression was that they did a really excellent job with the space, an old theater that is now serving as both brewery and taproom.  I tried several beers here, including the You Drive Me Hazy DIPA, the Dance Between The Darkness Imperial Stout, and the Hopsurdity DIPA.  Probably not the best idea to start the tour with three beers over 7% abv, but these were the ones I really wanted to try!  

Wayward Owl's beer menu for the day.

Wayward Owl's space was originally the Gem Theater.

After a few rounds at Wayward Owl and a tour courtesy of Brewmaster Justin, it was off to Port Orleans, a relatively new brewery on Tchoupitoulas between Milan and Marengo.  This brewery is gorgeous, with a clean stylish taproom build out, an ample front porch with outdoor seating, and a large patio to one side with picnic tables and yard games.  It was too hot for anyone to really enjoy the outdoor spaces, but I know once Fall rolls around and the weather cools down, this place will be jumping indoors and out.  Being a bit of a hop lover I went for the Partly Cloudy With A Chance For Hops first, then moved on to a Blowout DDH IPA.  Of these two I preferred the Blowout, but the real hit was the third beer I tried, pour of their Barrel-Aged Offshore Chocolate Imperial Stout.  That one hit all the right notes with the richness of the stout, chocolate notes, and a boozy oaky vanilla flavor from the barrel aging.  

Port Orleans Brewing Company and Stokehold Restaurant.

Port Orleans' taproom.

The Port Orleans side patio, too hot for a crowd today.

Port Orleans is also home to the Stokehold restaurant, and some food was much needed.  After a quick browse I decided to get some mozzarella stuffed garlic bread to split with Jay, and it was amazing.  It was an excellent combination of buttery dough, garlic, mozzarella cheese, and a marinara for dipping.  This is without a doubt one of the best taproom food items I've ever tried, and I would probably order it again the next time I'm here.  

Mozzarella stuffed garlic bread from Stokehold and the Blowout DDH IPA.

After Port Orleans it was time for a quick jaunt just under a mile down Tchoupitoulas to NOLA Brewing, the elder statesman of the craft brewing renaissance in New Orleans.  I was especially excited to get to NOLA as I had heard great things about the No Strings Attached NEIPA that released last weekend.  It did not disappoint at all, hazy, juicy, hoppy and checking off every mark for a great NEIPA.  I also tried a Twins Basil, Twins! (that's an Austin Powers reference in case you missed it) which is a mixed fermentation sour with citrus and basil.  Although I did enjoy it, it was a little on the tart side for my tastes. 

NOLA Brewing Company

Like Port Orleans, NOLA also has a restaurant on premise, in this case McClure's BBQ, so Jay ordered up a BBQ sampler to split and we enjoyed some excellent ribs, brisket, chopped chicken, and pulled pork with some sides of macaroni and cheese and seasoned waffle fries.  Everything was delicious, but I think the baked mac & cheese stole the show a bit from the meats.  

The BBQ plate from McClure's and most of a No Strings Attached NEIPA.

After that bite and a crowler snag, it was time to continue another short distance down Tchoupitoulas to Urban South Brewery, a brewery making waves for itself with flavorful gose style ales and phenomenal NEIPA releases to go with their flagships.  Just like NOLA, Urban South released a hyped NEIPA the week before, so I was excited to get in and try some of the Soulstice, a collaboration with Parleaux Beer Lab.  Just like the No Strings Attached, this did not disappoint.  I finished off the evening with a Suitcase Full Of Sparks and then decided it was time to switch to water for the ride home, but not before snagging another crowler for later!

Urban South Brewery

Urban South's taproom was jumping this Saturday afternoon.

After a ride home full of Matt Moscona give-aways, it was back to Tin Roof and then back home, heavy a few crowlers and a souvenir glass.  

A couple of beers for later.

Souvenir glassware, never a bad thing! 

This was a really great time, I enjoyed hanging out with Jay, Matt, and Lee, and of course it was fantastic to see some new breweries and try some new beers all while having transportation taken care of.  There are plans for a repeat event in early 2019, so be on the lookout, and grab your spot before they are gone!  

Feature Beer Friday: Tin Roof's Barley. Barleywine

By Eric Ducote

Hey everyone, it's time for another Feature Beer Friday here at Bite And Booze.  Today's tasty beverage comes from local brewery Tin Roof, their Barley. Barleywine.  Barley. is named after the brewery cat Barley that for several years frequented the brewery and the taproom.  Barley was always extremely friendly, allowing visitors to give them a pet and frequently enjoying the sunshine on the Tin Roof logo mat by the side door. Unfortunately a few months ago Barley the cat passed away, so in their honor, Tin Roof brewed the Barley. Barleywine.   

Barleywines have long been one of my favorite styles, starting with the Sierra Nevada Bigfoot series, and moving into offerings like the Old Guardian from Stone and the Old Ruffian from Great Divide.  I remember always being excited for a Houston beer run where I could find that offering from Great Divide and if I was lucky an Old Numbskull from Alesmith.  Before too long the Louisiana breweries started getting in on the action, most notably with the Grand Reserve series from Parish, but Abita also put out a select series barleywine and Bayou Teche got into the game.  So, when I heard Tin Roof was putting out a barleywine, well I had to stop in and give it a try, and buy a 4-pack for a later review of course.

Tin Roof Barley.

Tin Roof describes the beer as, "In memoriam: Barley the Cat. Dedicated to our late friend and cat, Barley, this Barleywine features complex malt character from a blend of American, Belgian, English, and German malts. Look for rich flavors of caramel, dark fruits, and sweet malt. All American hops in both kettle and dry hop layer classic aromas of grapefruit and pine. Raise a glass to this special feline, and remember him laying in the sun on the lawn or hanging out in the taproom. RIP little buddy." My first thought on this one is that it's a really dark pour, a little darker than I'd expect for a barleywine which trend more copper colored but this one is closer to a brown.  The head is vigorous and lasting, giving me ample time to snap a picture before pouring the rest of the can.  They definitely nailed the caramel and sweet malt notes, with definite hints of toffee and I do get some of the dark fruit.  The taste is really smooth for an 11%, 70 IBU beer, with those same rich toffee notes underlying an earthy hop bitterness. 

I don't think this is the best barleywine I've ever tried, but it's pretty damn good.  Last I saw, 4-packs were still available in the taproom, so go grab one before they're all gone.  I have a feeling this beer will only get better with age as well.  RIP Barley! 

Feature Beer Friday: Tin Roof's Even More FOMO

by Eric Ducote

Hey everyone, and welcome to yet another edition of Feature Beer Friday.  Tag your beer posts with #FeatureBeerFriday to follow along and home and share what you're breaking out today!  I'm coming to you all with another beer from local brewery Tin Roof, making this their third appearance on Feature Beer Friday.  I promise that's not just because I used to work there, but it does have a lot to do with all the new releases they have been putting out week after week.  First, I featured their Juju Imperial IPA (now named Santeria) and then the Haze Hunt Triple IPA, and now it's time for the Even More FOMO Wheatwine!

Even More FOMO is a wheatwine, which is akin to the barleywine, except quite obviously, more wheat in the grain bill.  Like a barleywine, a wheatwine isn't actually a wine at all, but a strong ale, falling under the American Strong Ale category by BJCP standards.  They descripe the style as "A richly textured, high alcohol sipping beer with a significant grainy, bready flavor and sleek body." In addition, they acknowledge that the style is relatively new and still being developed, which leads to a "range of interpretations."  

Tin Roof's Even More FOMO Wheatwine

Tin Roof definitely took the hoppy interpretation on their version, which clocks in at approximately 11% alcohol.  The appearance is definitely on par with a hazy IPA but a little darker and into orange territory.  The aroma is citrusy, with a bit of sweetness from the grain bill but primarily just hoppy goodness.  On the tongue though I get more piney resinous hop flavors, along with a silky smooth mouthfeel from the all the wheat.  The 11% alcohol is extremely well concealed, to the point where I feel like this could sneak up on some unsuspecting drinkers.  

Overall though, another winner from Tin Roof, this wheatwine is on the verge of being an Imperial IPA with a wheat base, and will surely satisfy hopheads and traditionalists alike.  As of Thursday (May 3rd) afternoon it was still on tap with plenty of 4-packs available as well, so swing by and give it a try! 

Cheers! 

Feature Beer Friday: Tin Roof Blonde vs. Flying Tiger Burma Blonde

by Eric Ducote

Good morning everyone!  This week I'm going for a bit of a departure from the standard review.  I happened to have two Louisiana brewed blonde beers (one ale and one lager) in the fridge, so I figured this was the perfect chance for a little side by side blind taste test.  I had my lovely wife Mandi pour the pair of beers into identically sized glasses and bring them out without me knowing which beer was which.  

In one corner glass: Tin Roof Brewing's Blonde Ale, hailing from Baton Rouge, 5% abv and 15 IBU.  In the other corner glass: Flying Tiger Brewery's Burma Blonde, a blonde lager from Monroe, 5.1% abv and 19 IBU.  Now there's no way I (or anyone) is going to notice the .1% abv difference, and I probably won't even be able to notice the slight difference in IBU especially considering both of these beers rely on Glacier hops, but I figured that I could probably pick up the differences in flavor imparted by the yeast strains.  No promises though, that's for sure.  

Two mystery beers... at this point I didn't know which was which.

After receiving the two beers, both in New Belgium glasses (which are my favorite) it became obvious that there was no was to really tell them apart based on appearance.  Both beers had about the same exact golden tint and fairly equal levels of opaqueness.  On the aroma, the beer on the left had a very clean crisp aroma with just a hint of grainy sweetness, while the right had a similar crispness with just a hint of sulfuric flavor.  Both beers tasted quite refreshing, with the only difference again being a slight sulfuric flavor on the right beer that caused me to give the edge, slightly, to the beer on the left.  With that in mind I cast my vote to the beer on the left and Mandi revealed that that one was the Tin Roof Blonde.

The contestants.

Honestly these two beers are extremely comparable, and I had no problem crushing both and could easily see myself drinking plenty of either of them as the weather heats up in South Louisiana.  While I did lean toward the Tin Roof Blonde, if someone asks me which one to pick, I'd say to support your local brewery.  You can't go wrong either way. 

Beers with Chuck: Magic Marshmallow Breakfast Milk Stout from Tin Roof Brewing

by Chuck P

St. Patrick’s Day in Baton Rouge is a very big deal. People line up sometimes overnight to secure their spot for the annual parade and prepare for a long day of drinking. There’s lots and lots of Jameson and Guinness being consumed and unfortunately, a lot of very unnecessary green beer. Luckily for us Tin Roof Brewery made sure to give us a better option this year with their third consecutive specialty release the Magic Marshmallow Breakfast Milk Stout.

To keep with the theme of the day, the guys at Tin Roof decided to go all out and include Lucky Charms cereal into the brew recipe. How much Lucky Charms you might ask? We’re talking 72 boxes of magical deliciousness! They also used a marshmallow flavored coffee and lactose to give it some creaminess.

On my first pour I noticed the hint of the cereal coming through with a bit of the coffee on the aroma. Greeted with coffee first, some vanilla creeps in, but after it began to warm up I thought the vanilla faded giving way to more of the coffee. The lactose was minimal in my opinion, but still noticeable. The cereal itself arrived at the finish but was subtle which I liked with a bit of bitterness rounding it out.

Tin Roof has been crushing the small batch game recently with the release of the Santeria Double IPA (aka the beer formerly known as JUJU), Haze Hunt Triple IPA and now with the release of Magic Marshmallow they continue to bring down the house. Unlike the aforementioned Santeria and Haze Hunt which were both brewery exclusives you can find this breakfast milk stout on tap at your favorite craft beer watering holes.

Congrats to Tin Roof on another delicious brew. I can’t wait to see what type of specialty beer they do for Easter!*

*Tin Roof has nothing scheduled for release that’s Easter themed. Or do they???

Feature Beer Friday: Tin Roof's Haze Hunt Triple IPA

by Eric Ducote

I know, I know, two straight Feature Beer Friday posts featuring local brewery Tin Roof Brewing, but this also makes two straight weeks that Tin Roof has released a beer worthy of receiving some attention.  Last week's post featured the new Juju Imperial IPA and one week later they upped the ante with a similar (albeit noticeably different, which I'll elaborate on later) Triple IPA themed after the old Duck Hunt game from the original Nintendo system.

Before I even get into the beer, I have to congratulate Tin Roof on putting together a great release day.  I had a pretty busy weekend and wasn't able to get to the brewery early for any pre-gaming, only barely managing to show up as doors opened at noon, only to see a line going down the front steps, across the front of the building, and turning toward the street.  I'm guessing somewhere between 75-100 people were already waiting to get in and buy their 4-packs, teku glasses, and shirts.  I wasn't too worried about the merchandise line, as I have amassed an overflowing glassware collection as it is, so I went through the side door and got a pour of the new beer.

Juju ended up 10.5% abv while the Haze Hunt finished at 11.2%, so even though one was labeled an Imperial IPA and the latter a Triple IPA, the alcohol content was really close together.  There's really no standard definition for a Triple IPA, so some breweries just label anything stronger than their Double (or Imperial) IPA as a Triple.  Other breweries try go get over 12% before they put that Triple label, and some only aim for over 10%.  As of now, it's not an officially recognized style, but my understanding is that the powers that be are considering adding a Triple IPA in the next edition of the style guidelines... but that's enough beer nerd talk, right?

My first thought was that the Haze Hunt has a little more orange on the color, but still fairly light and definitely still hazy like the Juju. The aroma is strong with tropical fruit flavors like passionfruit and pineapple, with nary a trace of the booziness underneath.  The taste is bitter but bursting with mango and pineapple with a hint of dankness and a smooth finish.  The Haze Hunt doesn't quite have the velvety smooth finish of the Juju, but it's still extremely pleasant and kept me coming back for more.

This is two extremely exiting and well done beers in a row for Tin Roof, and it's awesome to see our local brewery get this sort of hype.  I am confident the winning ways are doing to continue over there by downtown for the foreseeable future!