Adelbert’s Brewery - West Coaster

Adelbert’s big West Coaster Double IPA presents a hazed deep amber color in the glass, topped with a strong head of beige foam that drops nice lacing as we drink this brew down. This thing is bold in the aroma, on both the hop and malt fronts. Look for plenty of caramelization to appear in the malty undercurrent, while the expressive Falconer’s Flight hops (a blend of seven different varieties from the Pacific Northwest) offers big citrus character, tropical notes reminiscent of pineapple and mango, soft floral tones, and hints of earth and spice. On the palate, West Coaster comes through super juicy and resinous, with grapefruit, orange, and lemon-like citruses, tropical fruits, herbal pine, and spice, all riding atop that robust core of caramel maltiness that’s got enough heft and residual sweetness to support the big 76 IBUs of hop bitterness. It all comes together as a super satisfying package that we couldn’t put down. For pairing options, fruity, salty, spicy, and fatty dishes should be considered. Barbecued ribs, chicken thighs, and pork chops with a fruity BBQ sauce all sound good to us. Alternatively, a snack of pungent aged or bleu cheeses should work nicely, too. For a dessert pairing, try crème brûlée – the fruitiness and bitterness of the beer should play well off the dessert’s caramelized sweetness. Cheers!

Adelbert’s Brewery was founded in 2011, with the first beer flowing out in early 2012. The brewery itself was started by Scott Hovey, who was a longtime homebrewer prior to going pro, and is a graduate of the Master Brewers Association of the Americas’ Malting and Brewing Science Course. The brewery is named in tribute to his brother, George Adelbert Hovey (1953–2000). “Del,” as he was known, is commemorated with a different brief story about him attached to each of the brewery’s beers. As Scott puts the ethos, “[I’m] immortalizing my brother through my different beers.”

Many of Adelbert’s beers are Belgian-inspired, bottle-conditioned ales, and the brewery puts an extra emphasis on ingredient sourcing and process. The majority of their barley is floor-malted and sourced from the Czech Republic, from a malting house just outside of Prague that dates back to the 1300s. Their specialty malts are purchased from Belgium, and they employ the labor-intensive, decoction-mash technique for their beers. In addition to styles like IPA, porter, and stout, they produce an array of Belgian styles such as saison, witbier, dubbel, tripel, and quadrupel, as well as some sours and even a bière de champagne. Their taproom resides on premises at the brewery and features numerous taps, games, and a food truck known as The Hot Box Diner. For more info, give them a ring at 512-662-1462 or visit www.adelbertsbeer.com.