The entrance to Conservatory is located on Prairie Street.

Upon entering Conservatory, one can’t help but be amazed by the stunning marble floors, interesting architectural elements of the building, and industrial and wooden fixtures. The underground beer garden and food hall offers a unique setup and experience to the Houston community. This is the first time a food hall and beer garden concept such as this has been available in Houston. Conservatory offers patrons the opportunity to dine at four different food establishments and choose from 60 beer and cider taps inside the 7,500 sq. foot relaxed space.

For me, the best part of Conservatory are the multiple styles of craft beer offered to customers. Ian Arocha, General Manager of Conservatory, is the mastermind behind the state of the art tap and beer menu system. Ian stated, “There is something for everyone on draft here and it is our goal to keep the beer scene fun and to create a passion in everyone, staff included.” The 60 tap line-up offers a wide variety of styles to cater to every type of beer drinker in Houston.

Conservatory offers nine lighter styles of beer, nine wheat, nine medium/amber, three nitro, twelve hoppy, six Belgian, six sour/sparkling/cider, and six dark styles. The broad selection of beers allow for every type of Houston beer drinker to find something enjoyable on draft. Ian said they clean their draft lines in between each beer and also have their lines deep cleaned by a professional vendor once per month.

The bartenders at Conservatory are friendly and knowledgeable.

The drafts are categorized by style on a menu system that is displayed on large television monitors above the white subway tiled bar area. The television monitors feature the names, style, abv, and the amount of beer left in the keg. This feature is thanks to the software integration offered by a company out of Oregon called Digital Pour. As a consumer, I find this quite helpful as there have been so many times I’ve ordered a beer only to find out that the keg has kicked and there is nothing going on to replace the line.

The menu boards at Conservatory feature the “what’s left” technology from Digital Pour.

The staff at Conservatory are continuously educated about the various beer styles, breweries, and other important items. They are told what beers will be placed on lines as kegs empty, which in turn helps to keep customers informed about beers as they are changing.

Conservatory plans to host a number of interesting events and pint nights. The pint nights are being held every Wednesday and are titled, “Not another pint night.” The overall theme of these will be to host a different brewery each week, have 4-5 styles of beers from the brewery, and pair these with food from the various food court establishments. The beers featured during the pint night cost $2 for a full pour and $1 for a half pour, with a discount on food purchased with the beers paired up with the food. The hope is to feature beers and draw a good crowd to the space. The future beer dinners will offer a fun, moving from one restaurant to another approach. The theme of these will be, “Not a freakin food court.”

In closing, Ian said, “The mission of Conservatory is that we’re not out to change the world, but we’re here to do the best we can at what we are offering.” The staff, ambiance, and overall impression indeed was fun and inviting and the beer community of Houston should be excited to have a place like this in town to enjoy.

For updates, events, and more, visit Conservatory on Facebook and on Twitter.

The post Conservatory: A new food hall and beer garden in downtown Houston first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Conservatory: A new food hall and beer garden in downtown Houston appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

Divine Reserve can be found at your local store, while supplies last. Photo courtesy of Saint Arnold Brewing Company.

If you’re like me, you might be wondering: “What is an Adambier?”

According to the Brewers Association, Adambier is a pre-Reinheitsgebot style that has been making a slow comeback in the U.S. and internationally. It was a historically smoky ale, thriving in and around the Dortmund, Germany area. Adambier was a strong (about 10% abv), dark, sour beer, which was top-fermented and then aged in wood for long periods; it was always aged for at least a year, and often for longer.

DR 16 is a unique release for Saint Arnold as it’s the first time they’ve used smoked, or “rauch,” malt in one of their beers.

The pre-opening line at Spec’s Smith Street for the DR 16 release on Monday, February 29th.

Rauchmalt is best described as German wood-smoked malt that contributes a smoky flavor to beers. The brewing operations manager from Saint Arnold, Stephen Rawlings, wanted to create a smoked beer, as German-style beers are in his brewing wheelhouse.

Saint Arnold describes the beer as follows:

DR16 is a full bodied beer with a prominent, but not overpowering, smoked wood aroma (almost like a campfire), which comes from the use of Rauchmalt. It’s the first time we’ve used smoked malt in a beer. There is a subtle Noble hop aroma and a slight caramel character that becomes more prominent as the beer warms up. The smokiness dominates through the crisp, Kölsch yeast inspired, finish.  DR16 has a moderately-high bitterness that is balanced nicely by its residual malty sweetness, and there is no lack of alcohol warmth as you easily finish a pint. DR16 comes in right at 10% ABV.

               Cheers from the staff at Spec’s Smith Street and Saint Arnold Brewery.

Here are some locations around Houston that you will find the beer on draft:

Monday, February 29
J. Henry’s Draught House & Kitchen, Clear Lake
Union Tavern, Clear Lake
The Ginger Man at 6:00 PM
Hop Scholar at 6:30 PM
Tuesday, March 1
Front Porch Pub (plus Trivia Night)
Baker St. Pub & Grill, Cinco Ranch at 5:30 PM(also featuring DR15)
Mo’s Irish Pub at 6:00 PM
Friday, March 4
Valhalla
Saturday, March 5
Dak & Bop at 7:00 PM

The post Divine Reserve 16 Release first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Divine Reserve 16 Release appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.