Specialty beer alert! Last fall, the Happy Wanderer himself, Erik Bierbiker dropped by the Bayou Teche brewery in Arnaudville, LA. On his way home, he dropped by my house and was kind enough to bring me a bottle of their Teche Hombres, a rare specialty beer that appears to be tasting-room only. The beer is not even listed on the Bayou Teche website.
This wasn’t the first Bayou Teche beer I’ve tasted, as their beers have shown up on tap at Taco Mac over the past few years. I’ve been generally impressed with them, but as sometimes happens Teche Hombres went into my beer fridge and aged a bit before I finally drank it in July.
From the label:
For all beer drinkers and hell raisers, we’ve brewed a new style of ale-Belgian Cerveza. A Belgian-style wheat, brewed with agave nectar and Spanish orange peel. We then age this beer in white wine barrels and finished it with Peruvian Aji Limon from Primo’s Peppers. El Diablo himself could raise a little hell after drinking a bottle.
I couldn’t find the alcohol content of this beer listed anywhere, so I can’t tell you what it is. I would guess in the 6% to 7% range.
Bayou Teche Teche Hombres pours to a brilliant golden color with a thick creamy head and a spicy agave tequila, citrus and vinous nose. Taking a sip, the beer is smooth across the tongue with a full mouthfeel, hints of coriander, strong bitter orange peel, soft white wine, and pungent tequila flavors. The latter comes out more in the finish along with the bitter orange peel I think and a bit of alcohol warmth. As the beer warms clove and yeasty Belgian funk come out, and the beer gets increasingly complex.
This was a truly delicious brew indeed, and a beer best enjoyed while listening to Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers by ZZ Top. Extra credit if you got the clever homage to the Tres Hombres album cover with the label design here.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft