From a bottle shared with a RB tasting group. Pours a slightly hazy gold with an off white head. Aromas of sour grapes. Flavors are tart cherries.

I have a 12 oz bottle that came from my local beer retailer early in the summer. The label indicates this is the Winter 2022 edition and the ABV is 9.5%. Continuing the 512 connection, I am using my ABGB tulip glass for the sampling. The body has to be called black, because it is, and the head is a persistent ring of fawn-brown foam. The first thing I notice out of the nose is the booze, no complaints by me, and there follows chocolate and burnt grain. I take a drink and determine pecans definitely, alcohol, chocolate, some woodiness, malt and baked bread. I would have liked a thicker sensation. Little in the way of sweetness, straightforward in its approach. Good but not great.

From a bottle. Pours a hazy mahogany with a small tan head. Aromas are of cherries and dunk. Flavors are sour cherries with little evidence of hoppiness.

From a bottle. Pours black with a tan head. Aromas are of pecans and coffee. Flavors are moderately sweet chocolate with bitter roast malts in there too.

From a pint can with a brew date of August 2022. Bought off a warm shelf which might account for the gusher upon opening. Aromas of tropical fruits. Some lingering bitterness in the finish. Likely past it’s prime.

12 oz. can from HEB in San Antonio, TX. Pours a cloudy orange-bronze color with an off-white head and good retention. Good lacing. Not much aroma at all. The blackberry aroma is very subtle, if not imagined. The flavor has slightly more blackberry taste than the nose. Not much blonde bready character, but a nice easy drinking lager. Medium body and medium carbonation. No bitterness.

12 oz. can from HEB in Boerne, TX. Pours a slightly hazy light gold color with a large white head and excellent retention. Good lacing. Standard hops aroma. The flavor is grassy hops with a little lemon, and a soft bitter finish. It's more hoppy than bitter, but both are subdued. Good carbonation. Medium body. A good example of the style, even if it’s not a style I prefer.

Bottle from H-E-B, Bastrop, TX.
A: cloudy black, small, beige head.
A: fondant sauce, toast, espresso, pecan, tobacco.
T: sweetish fondant, pecan & brown bread.
F: earthy hops, toast, some ash.
P: medium body, slick texture, average carbonation.
Decent but I expected more (pecan) from this.

My tasting of 512 IPA came from a 16 oz pour at Stubb’s Bar BQ in downtown Austin. The arrival showed a dark orange-gold liquid with a creamy, light tan cover. I got lucky with the selection. A moderate dose of hops, slightly sweet, plenty of maltiness, yellow fruit and a pleasant bitterness. The beer went well with the food. Obviously an old school version for an IPA. Good by me.