A wall…I had hit a wall. I didn’t know what beer I wanted to write about. I was looking for inspiration for this article this week. I didn’t think it would actually come in the form of a beer with the same name.
Day two of my trip to Fort Worth led me to the Flying Saucer downtown and I was looking for something good to drink. My first beer was an old friend who I love dearly. Oh, Community Legion, how I missed thee. Your perfection on International Stout Day was much appreciated and enjoyed.
Even as perfect as that beer is, it was topped on the same night. Fortunately, a beer from the same brewery made it pale in comparison. Community Beer Company’s barrel-aged Inspiration Belgian strong ale is perhaps the greatest beer I have ever tasted. No joke. It is that good.
I’m probably going to get a ton of people saying, “you’re exaggerating” or “you don’t know what you’re talking about.” I really don’t care. It’s that good and it’s going to take a hell of a beer to change my mind.
One thing to note, the barrel-aging is done to perfection. It’s not too strong, but you get a perfect amount of the oak taste in the beer lending itself to the vanilla finish. Most barrel-aged beers have sat in the barrel too long and create an almost undrinkably strong beer. This was done right and you get the strong flavor without being overpowered. The fruit notes you get off of each sip pop as the beer gets warmer. I don’t suggest drinking this straight out of the refrigerator, but rather wait about 10 minutes before drinking it. You get more vanilla flavor the colder it is. As it warms, I tasted much more raisin flavor, so it seems to adapt well as the snifter allows it to warm as you hold the glass.
Let me put it this way. If this was available in the greater Houston market, I would be in trouble because this would be the beer I would buy every time I saw it. It’s that good and if you ever get a chance to drink it, do it. You won’t be disappointed. I enjoyed this out of the bottle. I can’t even imagine how good this beer would be on draught.