EAT & DRINK
Tap in OKC’S TAPROOMS OFFER PATRONS FAMILIAR FLAVORS AS WELL AS ELUSIVE ONE-OFFS. By Matt Dinger
Alcohol laws have finally evolved in Oklahoma, paving the way for dozens of taprooms to serve their brews directly to the public. In addition to the design of each individual brewery, from the white and bright interiors of places like Vanessa House to the cozy stylings of Cross Timbers, each creates an ambience that marries the brewers to their brands. But the guest of honor is always the beers and trying to get your hands on the latest draft drops and bottle releases can be a frustrating game in and of itself. With certainty, several of the beers mentioned here will have come and gone (and many times, the reserves are tapped by the end of release day). The point is not to tease you with bygone beers but to showcase the burgeoning and experimental beer scene in the city. If you missed something in the Oklahoma craft beer scene, just wait a minute and it’ll change.
sour, is sure to make you pucker and is the perfect contrast to the tiny batch of boozy milkshakes (strawberry and caramel) that were crafted from the remnants of their d o u b l e - f u d g e Fair-Weather Friend. Photo, Berlin Green stout, I Fudging Love You. If you missed both, grab boasts a beausome cans of their Jam Jam line for tiful and exthe best of both worlds. These pastry pansive patio sours have shown up in all sorts of area, try the fruity flavors, from peach, cherry flagship and blackberry cobblers to a bananas Scottish ale, foster run. They move fast when they the malt-laden drop as well, so don’t sleep. Rusty Kiltpin.
Angry Scotsman Angry Scotsman is another brewery that came in hot during the early days of craft beers. This will be the third
Broke Brewing Co. Photo, Berlin Green
Stonecloud One of the city’s earliest successes and most lauded breweries is Stonecloud. Tucked inside the old Sunshine Cleaners building right off Classen Boulevard, the brewery is well known for its core beers like the Astrodog, a strong IPA, and Havana Affair, a breezy pilsner, but spontaneity abounds within the walls as well. The Feel The Rhythm, a spontaneous
spring for the taproom and their seasonal hefeweizen, or wheat beer, is making the rounds again. Founder Ross Harper is no stranger to collaborative beers and, for the hops fans out there, a very limited release for International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day. A New England IPA, which is the cloudy and citrus-laden variety of the notoriously bitter ale, Angry Scotsman’s Queen of Scots is a heavy dose of double dry-hopped flavor. If you’re new to the brewery, which
is already gone) as well as two runs of their Big B u d g e t Barleywine (the 2021 one went fast but there might be some of the 2022 variety left — maybe). Skydance Fo r t u n a t e l y, Brewing their Manhattan is still around if Skydance you’re looking Brewing for a good strong became a fan beer. Made with favorite along Belgian candy the beer festis u g a r, this val circuit. quadrupel also The Nativehas a bourbon o w n e d f lavor and a brewery re- Skydance Brewing. Photo, Berlin Green strong cherry cently opened finish that makes its taproom near Automobile Alley, for a very unique excursion off the so now you can enjoy their awardbeaten beer path. winning Fancy Dance hazy IPA on the spot. And, if hazy IPAs are your Fair-Weather Friend thing, you have to try the Floral Freak Out made from a New Mexico Fair-Weather Friend specializes hop named Zappa. Hopefully, they’ll in producing eyebrow-raising brews be bringing out another Juice Wolves made with some curious ingredients. release this season — their pineapple It’s not uncommon to find peanut and strawberry milkshake IPAs were butter, marshmallows, pineapple or attention-getting to say the least, as French toast in your draft. Those was the extremely limited run of flavorful concoctions aren’t the only Paisley, their double black IPA retrick up Fair-Weather Friend’s leased last month. sleeves, with a winter full of stouts (and okay, some of those had weird Broke Brewing things in them too) as well as a diverse lineup of revolving IPAs. One Broke tends to specialize in what of the best beers they’ve crafted, could be called “beer-flavored beer” Sweet Afters, has just gotten a and they do it well. Their pilsner, limited bottle release re-run featurPocket Change, won the Oklahoma ing label design by acclaimed local Craft Beer Festival last year in that artist and brewery bartender Kalee category. Fresh off their “half-anniJones W. The fruited slushy sour also versary” (the brewery opened on Feb. happens to have some of that toasted 29, 2020) where they released marshmallow mentioned earlier in Banambers Foster (which came and it. Take a chance — you’ll like it. E AT & DRINK OKGA Z ET TE .COM | M A R C H 9 , 2 0 2 2
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