Houston and the Hay Merchant Part 2

I've had a busy couple of weeks, but I'm finally back to post part 2 of my Houston trip and my beer drinking adventure at The Hay Merchant.  Continuing from my last post, I'm going to review a few beers and mix in a couple of vacation action shots.



Live Oak Pilsener (Live Oak Brewing, Austin, TX)

Live Oak's Pilsner offering was a very solid and classic example of a Czech Pilsener.  As you can see from the picture, it has a hazy golden color with a nice foamy white head.  The aroma was crisp and slightly floral with the taste being crisp and clean with slight hop bitterness but an easy floral finish.  It had good carbonation with a nice mouthfeel.  Overall, I really enjoyed this offering from Live Oak.  Along with their Schwarzbier, Live Oak impressed me big time as a brewery.  I highly recommend this pilsener. 
Score:  4.2 / 5

After a night of heavy drinking I was fortunate enough to enjoy Torchy's Tacos for the first time.  My buddy raved about the tacos and their ability to cure hangovers.  I was not disappointed. Pictured is the Jerk Chicken Taco with mango and a spicy habañero sauce...How could you go wrong?



Karbach Weisse Versa Hefeweizen (Karbach Brewing Co. Houston, TX)

Karbach was a brewery that I was unfamiliar with before I tasted this Weisse Versa.  This was a great hefeweizen that complimented the hot sunny day outside.  The beer had a cloudy golden color and a thick white head that left a nice lace.  It had the smell of wheat and banana.  This beer had an interesting taste profile.  Up front was the traditional wheat flavor with a bit of banana, but it followed with a spice flavor like nutmeg that stayed through the finish.  Very interesting and very tasty.  It had a nice creamy mouthfeel that you expect from a full bodied hefe.  Overall I really enjoyed this offering as it was traditional and unique. 
Score:  4.5 / 5

Overall, Houston was a great time, and one of the places that made it so fun was The Hay Merchant.  If you love beer then you will have a great time at this bar.