Three beers at once? I must be mad!

Heck, I drink more than one beer in a night, right? So I should be able to review more than one, too. Don’t worry, though. I did not drink these three beers in one night. That would almost be a waste, and I can’t imagine being able to review one after the other. My taste buds would be shot.

The Karbach Zee German Pils

I love the name. There, I said it. It’s borderline offensive, but it’s also hilarious. Kind of like me. Borderline offensive. Wannabe hilarious.

Karbach seems to be pushing the Zee German Pils (I giggle whenever I think about the name!) quite hard.  For good reason. I think they have the potential for a year-round crowd pleaser here.

The pilsner uses European hops, which lead to a floral nose, but it’s the finish that shines. There’s a malty, grassy flavor that’s chock-full of carbonation. That was the best thing about this beer–the bubbling on the tongue. It’s a game-changer. I may not have given this beer a second thought, but that carbonation made me want to drink more. I will probably be buying a few more six-packs, in fact.

They need to add this one to their year-round rotation. It blows away the other year-round brews such as the Mother in Lager and the Love Street. This German Pilsner is a great introduction to craft beer for those who have only drank Shiner Bock or even those who have only had the standard pilsners like Budweiser.

The Karbach Three Legged Lab Imperial Stout

The Karbach Three Legged Lab Imperial Stout is a different animal. Completely different. At 9.2% alcohol by volume, this is one specialty beer. In fact, I found it tough to drink. Kind of like eating a flourless chocolate cake. It tastes so good, and I know it’s made of real ingredients, but I have to eat it slowly. It’s just too flavorful to down by itself. Kind of like the Bourbon Barrel Hellfighter Chocolate Imperial Porter, which I just had, as well.

The Three Legged Lab is kind of like that one, too. The dark roasted malt has a strong coffee and chocolate flavor, and the carbonation is high on this one, too. Again, I like that about it.

I’m not a huge fan of stouts in general. Not that I can’t appreciate them; it’s just that I don’t drink them regularly. If I’m at a bar, I’m going for the IPAs or American Pale Ales. I rarely go for a stout.

But I love having one of these new Karbachs. But I only want one, mind you. More than that, and I’m having a malt overload. The flavors are so rich that I can’t bring myself to having more than one at a time.

The St. Arnold Art Car IPA

As Texas’s oldest craft brewery, St. Arnold has always been one of my favorite brewers. I’ve been to their brewery several times, and I love the place. Hell, I went there when they were in a little strip warehouse space. I’ve met the owner.

And the Elissa IPA was, in fact, one of the first beers that I fell in love with. There are several beers that introduced me to hops, and the Elissa was one of them. I had it and I knew there was something special about beer. There was more out there than Shiner.

But I have to admit: I like the Art Car IPA better.

In fact, I think I love this beer. It renews my faith in St. Arnold’s. It’s grassy and slightly carbonated, and the malty florals linger with you after you finish drinking it.

This is my kind of bitter American IPA. It clocks in at over 7% alcohol by volume, so it’s a bit deceiving because it’s so drinkable.

But it’s oh-so-good, too.

I hope I can continue to find it easily. For now, they have it on year-round rotation. And for now, it’s my go-to beer.