Owner Marcus Wunderle and his wife Kinga have turned Baa Baa, the name’s sake of their children’s favorite nursery rhyme, into a well-known destination brewery for locals and travelers alike. First opening in 2016, Baa Baa soon made their presence known in 2017 with the release of ‘Cow Jumped Over the Moon’, the first hazy style IPA to be released in Houston area and have been pushing to perfect that style ever since. 

When asked what led Marcus into pursuing a passion for making IPA’s, he explained, “We used to travel a lot before we opened the brewery, and everywhere we traveled, we would be in search of beer. One of the things we really enjoyed were the hazy IPAs that came out of L.A. and Monkish was the best.” He went on to add, “That was kind of our target. We realized people were flocking to this style of beer. We thought first of all, what is this? How would you go about making this? And, will the people in Houston buy this? It turned out that they would and they were searching for it!” 

Aside from hazy IPA’s, Baa Baa now stands alone as the king of the fruited sour market with the ‘Candy Baa’ series, which has been released as well over thirty different iterations of fruited Berliner Weisse style beers over the years. The ‘Candy Baa’ releases are mostly 5% alcohol by volume or below and are more akin to a fruit slushy from the local convenient store than a beer. These beers have a cult like following all over the country.  Their annual release of the Barrel Aged stout ‘Tiny’ also attracts significant attention from craft beer connoisseurs. 

During my visit to the brewery, I had to settle a long-time personal curiosity.  I have noticed for some time that Beer Zombies (a very popular craft brewery in Las Vegas) stickers and tin tackers are visible at both Baa Baa and at the near by Fulshear area hangout The Growler Spot.  Baa Baa has done several collaborations with Beer Zombies in the past, but I had to know how a small brewery in Brookshire was so acquainted with this national powerhouse. The story I was told by Marcus was nothing short of epic! Unfortunately, I can only provide the very, very short version of it. 

“We just showed up! We crashed his party (BZ 420 Fest actually) which is an annual beer festival held in Las Vegas by Beer Zombies where numerous other national breweries are invited to pour and special collaborations are dropped. We tried to get in and we walked up with some of our beer and happened upon Chris Jacobs, the owner of Beer Zombies, who asked ‘Who are you guys?’ I told him we were Baa Baa Brewing, and after chatting with him and some people from other breweries in attendance, like Other Half Brewing out of Brooklyn NY, he let us is and got us set up. We’ve become buddies from there on out.”  

When asked for his version of the event, Jacobs was more than willing to expand on the story.

“So pretty much I was hosting the brewers pre party meet up at Beer Zombies and the Baa Baa team rolled up and just walked in. They came over, introduced themselves and said they came out for the festival and bought tickets to attend. They wanted to drop some beers off and let us know who they were.  They made such a great first impression that I put them on the list for the next year’s festival right there on the spot.”

This encounter has led to several wildly popular collaboration beer releases between Baa Baa and Beer Zombies over the years. 

Baa Baa Brewhouse looks to continue on its tradition of stellar, high-quality beer, and is grateful for all of the continued support from the beer community in what have become very difficult times for craft beer, not only in Houston but all over. With an expanding craft beer presence in the Brookshire/ Katy/ Fulshear area, I asked Marcus what his outlook for the future was and he explained, “We’ve seen some really positive growth out here. I don’t know about the rest of the industry, but out here we are seeing some good things happen. Our typical Saturday is better than it was six months ago, and better than it was twelve months ago.” 

 Visit Baa Baa Brewhouse at 539 FM 359 Rd S #7, Brookshire 77423. They are open every Saturday from noon to 5:30pm.

Visit Baa Baa online at @baabaabrewhouse on Instagram and by web at www.baabaabrewhouse.com 

All photos by and used with permission of Sophia Von Panda (@sophia_von_panda)IG

Candy Baa photo by and used with permission of Darius Gilmore (@mrgilmorespours) IG

The post Brookshire’s Best Kept Secret: Baa Baa Brewhouse first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Brookshire’s Best Kept Secret: Baa Baa Brewhouse appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

The idea for the collaboration initially started up as a conversation earlier this year between Malachi Willis of Eureka Heights and the duo of Harris and Dixon about bringing their “As One” series to Houston.  Said Casey Motes, Co-Founder of Eureka Heights, “Malachi saw some of the collaborations that Shannon and Marvis had done in Austin and reached out to them to see if we could be the first Houston brewery to collaborate with them. Engaging with and building up the Houston community has been one of the core values of Eureka Heights since its inception. The “As One “initiative of making craft beer more welcoming to BIPOC patrons aligned perfectly with what we believe craft beer should be all about, welcoming to everyone. One of the best ways to connect with someone is having (or brewing) a beer together and for this project, we got to do both.  

The As One series debuted in Austin in the Fall of 2022 when Harris and Dixon collaborated with St. Elmo Brewing as a way to support BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) community charities, as well as include BIPOC artists to help design the can art for each release.  Portions of the proceeds of the sale of As One with Eureka Heights will benefit the non-profit organization Black Girls Do Engineer, which promotes STEM program education for girls aged 6-21. The can art for this rendition of As One is courtesy of local muralist and visual artist Alex Roman Jr. professionally known as  “Donkeeboy”.  

As for the future of the As One series, Dixon says that the goal is continue to collaborate with breweries in both cities moving forward, with For the Culture Brewing to be the next partner brewery in the Houston area to continue the series. 

All photos by and used with permission of Sophia Von Panda @sophia_von_panda (IG)

Eureka Heights Brewery is located at 941 W. 18^th St. 77008.

Follow on Instagram :

@eurekaheights – Eureka Heights Brewing

@urbanjunglebrew – Urban Jungle Brew

@themiddleman_atx – Marvin Dixon

@blackgirlsdoengineer – Black Girls Do Engineer

@donkeeboy (IG) – Donkeeboy

The post Eureka Heights As One Collaboration with Urban Jungle Brewing and The Middle Man first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Eureka Heights As One Collaboration with Urban Jungle Brewing and The Middle Man appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

The first few years were not without their challenges, as the craft beer industry as we know it was just entering its infancy. “It was a rough go early on. Financially it was challenging. If you asked me at year six or seven if we would still be around in twenty years, I would not have confidently told you yes,” Wagner explained, then went on to add, “I always like to say after twelve years we were an overnight success!”

Reservations aside, thirty years later, Brock Wagner has guided Saint Arnold from an unknown upstart into a thriving Houston institution. What started out as a small industrial park brewery has turned into a regional brewing powerhouse that ranked as the Brewer Association’s 41st largest independent craft brewery in the United States in 2023. Saint Arnold has been named Brewery of the Year at the Great American Beer Fest twice (2017, 2023). The brewery has won countless medals at competitions both domestically and across the globe.

Most importantly, the impact that Saint Arnold has had on the Houston area and the craft brewing industry in Texas far outweighs any national ranking or medals. The brewery has been an instrumental philanthropic partner through sponsoring endeavors such as annual bike teams supporting Texas Children’s Hospital through the MS 150, as well as the Feast of Saint Arnold, the Houston Zoo, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, BARC Animal Shelter, Galveston Bay Foundation, Kids’ Meals, and many others too numerous to list. Saint Arnold has also been a devoted steward of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild going all the way back to day one.

“As pioneers in Texas’s craft brewing movement, Brock and the team at Saint Arnold have not only set a high bar for brewing quality beer but have also been instrumental in fostering the genuine spirit of community and camaraderie that continues to make the Texas craft brewing industry so special,” said Caroline Wallace, Executive Director of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild. “In fact, numerous craft breweries across Texas can trace their ‘brewing lineage’ back to Saint Arnold. From being one of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild’s founding breweries to playing a pivotal role in our legislative progress for Texas breweries and brewpubs over the years, Saint Arnold has really been a leader in the collective advancement of our industry.”

With thirty years in the ledger and a laundry list of accolades, being able to stop to enjoy the moment of this weekend’s upcoming celebration is nothing to be trifled with. Wagner is taking the moment in stride, almost to the point of underselling the significance. “I’m bad about celebrating milestones because I feel like people might think it’s a finish line where there is no finish line.” When asked how he plans to celebrate the occasion, Wagner added, “We have an amazing team and I have zero responsibilities the day of the party. I am going to take an Uber and start drinking beer. I get to come enjoy the festival like being a home brewer back in college again and the local microbrewery is having a party, and you can just show up and have a great time!”

The Thirtieth Anniversary Party is a weekend-long affair, starting with the official party on Saturday, June 9th. General admission tickets are still available and are required for entry into the event, which begins at 11 AM and features live entertainment from 2 PM until 10 PM. Parking passes are limited, and ride-sharing or other means of transportation are suggested for those attending. On Sunday, Saint Arnold is hosting a sold-out Thirtieth Anniversary Special Rare Cellar Event in the Beer Hall.

The highlight release for the party is the Thirtieth Anniversary Grand Cru, which debuted earlier this week through pre-sale, and is now available in individual bottles at retailers and on tap at select venues across the city. The release is a 16.8% ABV double-barrel Imperial Stout with Commitment as the base, which was then aged between two and four years in a variety of different bourbon and whiskey barrels. The barrels were then blended additionally in a series of Madeira, Tokaji, and Tawny Port barrels before being blended again.

Moving forward, Wagner is not looking at slowing down anytime soon. His goal is to continue to push the brewery and the craft beer industry in Texas further. “I want to see Saint Arnold as the leading craft brewery in Texas. We have a respected institution, which is one of those things you can’t quit. It’s very, very important for us to always be innovating and evolving. Everything we have done to get us to thirty years will not get us to the next thirty years. This is part of the moment where we celebrate where we are today, but we can never assume or take our guests and customers for granted. We have to keep winning our customers every single day.”

Purchase tickets to the anniversary celebration at https://www.saintarnold.com/30th-anniversary-party/

Special thank you to local craft beer photographer, Steve Fraga – photo credit on all images.

The post Saint Arnold: 30 Years of Great Beer and Community Impact first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Saint Arnold: 30 Years of Great Beer and Community Impact appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

To celebrate that, Houston Beer Guide has turned the cameras around on a handful of local photographers that are integral to the Houston beer community as digital media content creators for several local area breweries.  Others have found a calling for photographing beer and have turned this into something more than a part time hobby.

Honestly, I don’t need to keep writing about all of these talented photographers. Their work speaks for itself. 

Josh Olalde

Josh is currently the Digital Content Manager at Karbach Brewing and a long-established beer photographer in the Houston area. Olalde got into photography through a love of movies and into craft beer though the influences of several of his co-workers at a factory job.  The two hobbies ended up melding together into a new passion of taking photos of beer, as well as a new career.  Olalde has got his first paying gig with Spindletap Brewing when Brody Chapman reached out to him on Facebook and asked his to take some beer spill photos for the brewery. Since then, Olalde has worked with other breweries such as B52 Brewing, 8^th Wonder, Southern Star, Fortress, Saint Arnold, Saloon Door, Bakfish, Galveston Island Brewing, Ingenious, Eureka Heights, and No Label Brewing.  Said Olalde, “It’s always nice to see your work printed, or out there in the wild. There’s a sense of fulfilment, for sure.” 

https://www.josholalde.com

@josh_olalde (IG)

Adriana Richey

Adriana “Adri” Richey, a native of Monterrey, Mexico, who was hired on at Saint Arnold Brewing in April 2022 as the Digital Content Manager for the brewery.  Richey credits her background in photography as a process that spanned many years. First was discovering the excitement of creating stories from participating in a school play at a very young age.  Many years later a college friend lent her a digital camera, and she found herself hooked on telling stories through photos.

Richey went on to add, “I believe that every beer has its own personality, and I love putting my camera to work to feature it. Whether it’s snapping a pic of someone enjoying a beer or highlighting our latest brew or dish, I’m all about finding fresh ways to tell our story.”

https://www.adririchey.com/

@adri.richey (IG)

Brian Ledden

A veteran of the beer photography industry going back to 2014, where he began shooting beer related photos and video content for Craft Pride in Austin. Though he primarily works in the Austin area, Ledden is no stranger to Houston beer, as he has done plenty of work with breweries like B-52 and Equal Parts Brewing. The majority of his work in the Houston area with beer photography has been done with No Label Brewing. When asked about his relationship with No Label, Ledden explained, “They’ve got a whole bunch of my work up around their patio and on their taproom menu displays.  It’s great to see how their brewery has grown over the years!”

https://brianledden.com/

@thebeerdtographer (IG)

Eric Rodriguez

Unable to see his family during Covid and use his camera to take photos of their events, he turned his attention to beer to pass the time. Rodriguez came across Josh Olalde’s Instagram and found inspiration to also take “nicer” beer photos himself.  “I sell beer for a living and was always given free beer a lot so I thought, why not?” said Rodriguez. Rodriguez and Olalde quickly became great friends, and help and encourage each other in their work.  Rodriguez added, “I’ve gotten to work with some fantastic breweries like Equal Parts, Frost Town, Bad Astronaut, DECA Brewing, North Shepherd Brewery, and my latest work is with Spindletap Brewing. Through this process I’ve connected with other breweries and photographers in various cities and states, and get to showcase all the amazing things our city and breweries have to offer.”

@ericrodriguez1.8 (IG)

Luis Montalvo Jr.

“I have been into photography for as long as I can remember. My dad had this old Nikon camera in his closet that I would love to sneak out and act like I was using. I was fascinated with the feel of it and how it worked. The way light and mirrors would make a printable image, and the way it worked similar to the human eye.” Montalvo mentioned.  Though having worked for some breweries in the Houston area in some capacity, such as Urban South, Craft Culture X, and most recently with Frost Town, Montalvo has never been officially in marketing for the breweries.  He is co-owner of the local beer marketing brand The Pint Exchange, who has been involved in countless collaborations and promotions across the Houston beer scene.  Among his favorite subjects to photograph are brewing/ distilling equipment and the people that work behind the scenes in the industry. Montalvo has also assisted Houston Beer Guide with projects, like the Houston Beer Block Party VIP session for which we are forever grateful. 

@luistpxmedia (IG)

@thepintexchange (IG)

Marcus West

West is a man of many talents, working not only as stalwart at True Anomaly, but also as a DJ and photographer.  West stated taking photos in middle school, but only in the last couple of years has he pursued a heavier interest in it beyond a hobby.  “I just decided to go down the rabbit hole, take a journey and be able to document life as I see it”, said West. Though his recent foray into the beer photography world, his ability to contribute to True Anomaly Brewing visually adds an extra dimension to the brewery. West also is a very highly valued photographic contributor to Houston Beer Guide.

https://www.visualsbywest.com/

@visualsbywest (IG)

Steve Fraga

Steve is no stranger to photography.  He was first spotted hanging around Saint Arnold circa 2001 with his camera in hand while on the brewery tour. Fraga admits this to be the case, saying, “I was always the guy with the camera at the Saturday tours and beer tastings”. Recently retired, Fraga began delving into the realms of beer photography during Covid as well.  Shortly after, Tim McGuire of Hot Tub Beers asked Steve to assist with shooting episodes of his weekly video blog. From here Fraga became known to Houston Beer Guide after documenting fellow contributor Sylvia in the hot tub with Saloon Door Brewing.  He has since become a key contributor to Houston Beer Guide as a contributing photographer for interviews and the annual Houston Beer Block Party. Fraga also is the videographer for the First Pour video series. 

https://stevefragaphotography.zenfolio.com/

@steve_fraga_photography (IG)

The post National Photography Month brings spotlight on area contributors first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

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“We are thrilled to launch the Brew City, Texas program, which represents a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to support and elevate the craft brewing industry in Texas,” said Caroline Wallace, Executive Director of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild. “By collaborating with cities committed to celebrating the unique culture and flavors of Texas craft beer, we aim to drive tourism, stimulate local economies, and further establish Texas as a world class beer destination.“

The Brew City initiative hopes to get these city and municipal governments to join the initiative in one of two ways: “Craft Beer Destinations” and “Emerging Brewscapes”. Craft Beer Destinations are aimed toward cities, like Houston, which are well known nationally as craft beer locations of importance.  The Emerging Brewscapes covers smaller communities looking to boost economic opportunities through attracting their inaugural brewery.  In the end, this gives locations of all sizes and brewery population density an opportunity to improve craft beer related tourism in the state.  

The Galveston area has been designated as an ‘Early Adoptor’ of the new Brew City program as a Craft Beer Destination. According to the press release from the Texas Craft Brewer Guild writes “Nestled just 50 miles from Houston, Galveston, Texas, is a charming Southern retreat with a rich tapestry of art, historic architecture, chic boutiques and ghost legends. Set on a quaint Gulf Coast barrier island, Galveston invites visitors to experience its unique charm. While the 32 miles of beaches make the city an iconic destination, Galveston offers much more beyond the shore. Explore the city’s vibrant culture and history, and savor the flavors of the local craft beer scene with breweries like Galveston Island Brewing Company, Devil and the Deep Brewing and Naked Iguana waiting to be discovered.” 

Sugar Land has also joined in as an Emerging Brewscape, with the Guild commenting, “Located in eastern Fort Bend County, Sugar Land is approximately 20 miles southwest of downtown Houston. Sugar Land Parks & Recreation strives to create and maintain unparalleled recreational opportunities and unique, high-quality parks and public spaces enhancing our community, with exceptional customer service.

The Texas Craft Brewers Guild also notes that the Brew City, Texas effort is part of a five year long strategic plan to prioritize promotion of Texas craft beer as a “world class beer destination.” 

Read more at @txcraftbrewers (IG) & @TxCraftBrewers (X/ Twitter)

https://texascraftbrewersguild.org https://texascraftbrewersguild.org/brew-city-texas-program

The post Texas Craft Brewers Guild Announces New Initiative to Boost Craft Beer Tourism in the State first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

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Senate Avenue Brewing brought home the gold Bolo in the first ever Legislative Pro-Am hosted by the Craft Brewers Guild. The award had 16 breweries enter in conjunction with the Texas House Representatives from the brewery’s respective districts. Senate Avenue worked with Representative Lacey Hull and her staff on the submission for District 138 to choose a style of beer that was most representative of the people that live in the district. which skews heavily of Latin descent. The idea that was chosen was aptly named House District 138 Mexican Hot Chocolate Stout. Owner Andrew Mitcham credits his staff, especially Kitchen Manager Jessica Cerro, for their contributions for the recipe. Cerro, a native of Acapulco Mexico, contributed by offering her family’s storied recipe for Mexican hot chocolate to be the basis for the stout. 

Mitchem also credits brewer Adam Millard for helping come up with a unique stout recipe to work along with Cerra’s hot chocolate to create the winning submission.

“Adam brewed it, then it went to fermentation. Towards the end of fermentation, we started to add the spices to it like cinnamon, vanilla, cocoa nibs and a little bit of cayenne. We were a little nervous about adding too much cayenne because we didn’t want it to be like our pepper beer, so we added half of what we would normally add for cayenne and it ended up being the perfect amount.”

Andrew Mitcham

Representative Hull commented as well on the award, saying “I was excited to collaborate with Senate Avenue on creating this Mexican Hot Chocolate Stout as our House District 138 entry to the inaugural Pro-Am competition! I am proud to represent HD 138 that encompasses west Houston and Jersey Village, one of the most diverse districts in Houston and the state. Senate Avenue is a great small business partner not only in this (competition) but in our community”. Representative Hull went on to add, “I look forward to continuing to work with them (Senate Avenue) and hopefully defending our title next year!”

Not to be outdone, True Anomaly Brewing has quickly established a dynasty of sorts in the state by winning not just four total Bolos in this year’s competition (three gold and one bronze) but most importantly repeating as Brewery of the Year in the 600+ Barrel Group. This is True Anomaly’s second time being named the 600+ Barrel Brewery of the Year and also their second in a row. Per the Texas Craft Brewers Guild website, the criteria for winning Brewery of the Year are based off of each medal awarded at the Brewers Cup, with one point for a bronze Bolo, two points for a silver, and three points for a gold.  

True Anomaly won four medals at this year’s Brewers Cup, including three gold and one bronze Bolo. The winning beer submissions this year for True Anomaly were a gold Bolo for White Dwarf (American & European Sour), a gold Bolo for Flanders Redux (Wood & Barrel Aged Sour & Brett Beer), a bronze Bolo for Sea of Waves (also Wood & Barrel Aged Sour & Brett Beer), and finally a gold Bolo for Fireflies (Experimental, Hybrid & Specialty Beer). This after True Anomaly won 5 total Bolos in 2023 (three gold and two silver).  Co-Owner of True Anomaly Michael Duckworth attributes the accolades to the work of the entire team, especially considering many of their accolades are in categories for beer styles that are often time intensive to produce and are difficult to master to an award-winning level.  

With a new production facility and tap room under construction currently with hopes to open to the public later this year, the future is bright for True Anomaly. With a bright future and being two-time defending Brewery of the Year in the state comes high expectations. Duckworth added that he felt the brewery was more than up to the task of continuing to produce excellent beer, but also continuing to challenge itself to not accept the successes of the recent past.   

The post True Anomaly and Senate Avenue Bring Additional Notoriety with Awards from 2024 Texas Craft Brewers Cup first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

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Early this afternoon, Elder Son Brewing has announced they have completed a buyout of Southern Yankee Beer Company, located off of FM1960, between I-45 and the Hardy Toll Road. The sale was finalized earlier today. Robert Frye, owner and brewer at Elder Son, has stated that the addition will serve as the breweries primary production facility. Elder Son plans to keep the tap room open at the new location, soon giving patrons two locations to enjoy Elder Son beer.

Elder Son plans to shift all brewing operations over to the FM1960 in the coming weeks, increasing production size from 47 barrels to 116 barrels. It will also give Frye needed space to establish a barrel aging program for the brewery, expanding canning options to promote more To-Go sales at both locations, as well as increase distribution opportunities for the brewery. The 1960 location will be closed until Thursday, February 29th, when it will reopen normal operations at that time. It will also continue to operate under the Southern Yankee name for the next several weeks as Elder Son transitions into the space. Frye also indicated the food truck will remain on site.

Elder Son Brewing will be located at 930 FM 1960, Suite G, Houston, Tx. 77073.

Follow Elder Son Brewing on IG at @eldersonbrewing.

Update 2/26/2024 02:12pm: Southern Yankee Crafthouse is not a part of the purchase and are not affected by the sale of the brewery.

The post Elder Son Agrees to Buy Out Southern Yankee Beer Company first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Elder Son Agrees to Buy Out Southern Yankee Beer Company appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

The brewery had distribution to area grocery stores and bars in November of 2022, a full month before their tap room even had its soft opening.  By January of 2023, Bad Astronaut was open full time and ready to establish itself as one of Houston’s premiere breweries and event venues.  

During my visit, I met up with Tiare Austin, the recently hired Event Coordinator for Bad Astronaut Brewing (and former GM of Walking Stick Brewing), who is working hard to take advantage of the vast amount of space in the brewery to bring in entertainment for the patrons.  These events include concerts, vintage flea markets, art exhibits, open mic comedy nights, just to name a few.  

Tiare suggested for my first pour I try Fire Net, a 5.3% ABV Munich Dunkel style lager that is malt forward with a subtle caramel flavor going down.  Seeing as I love malty beers, this was an easy sell.  There is also a nice roasty taste coming from Fire Net.  This is certainly my favorite Bad Astronaut beer to date. 

As I was going up for a second pint, I was approached by Keener, who was at the brewery that night to meet up with some friends before heading to another gathering.  We discuss several topics, including what led up to the founding of Bad Astronaut, trying to find a space for the brewery and finding one that happened to be in an up and coming area of town.  We also discussed how his time at Karbach has influenced the brewing process at Bad Astronaut.  Keener was very personable and a pleasure to speak with.

My second pour was appropriately named Cruis’n Through, a Helles style lager clocking in at a solid 5%.  Cruis’n is another malty beer, but more smooth with a taste of honey.  This beer is definitely crushable, as I got almost three-fourths of the way through it before I had the thought to take a picture of it.  

If you have not already, stop by Bad Astronaut for a couple of pints and stay to play some pool or some of the other games available throughout the brewery.  They also have some amazing pizza on site Wednesday through Sunday from Ghosthand Pasta.     

Bad Astronaut Brewing is located at 1519 Fulton St. Houston, 77009. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram @badastronautbrewing (IG)  and visit their website: https://www.badasatronautbeer.com.

The post Bad Astronaut Brewing continues momentum one year after launch first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

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After coming across Wolfe in a recent Houston beer related online discussion thread, he extended an invitation to stop by the brewery and try some of Holler’s recent releases.  The first beer I tired was the recently Black Friday release, Dark Artifact.  This barrel aged Imperial Stout pours a dark black, and at 9% ABV.  It is very smooth for a barrel aged beer, with distinct notes of bourbon and a light, roasty flavor.  According to Wolfe, this year’s release of Dark Artifact was aged for seven months in William Price Rye Whiskey barrels.  Wolfe did mention to me that next year’s drop has already been brewed and barreled, and will get just over a full year of barrel aging in before being ready for release next year.   

The second beer I tried during my visit was one of Holler’s Seventh Anniversary releases, an Imperial West Coast IPA named Lucky 7’s.  The name goes along with the brewery’s casino anniversary theme, with the other themed beers released for the Anniversary including Poker Face Pucker (a mixed berry fruited sour), Jackpot Juice (a hazy IPA) and In the Money (a west coast pilsner).  Lucky 7’s was brewed with a collection of ten different hops that resulted in a smooth and dangerous 9.5% ABV brew.  Lucky 7’s went down a little bit too easy, but by the time I got to the bottom of the pint it had made its presence felt.  

In talking with Wolfe more, the conversation led to his journey to Holler.  Having gotten his start in home brewing many years ago, his interest in the industry eventually led to him joining on as an unpaid volunteer at No Label back in 2011.  After a year plus as a volunteer, Wolfe decided to leave his long-time aerospace engineering career behind and go full time into brewing.  He spent a little over six years at No Label as a volunteer, brewer, and eventually Head Brewer.  Wolfe additionally spent time at Southern Star Brewing in Conroe before moving on to become a Co-Founder and Head Brewer at Local Group Brewing.  After almost four years at Local Group, Wolfe made his jump to Holler and says he is enjoying his newest role tremendously. 

When asked what Holler has coming up for 2024, Wolfe replied “More events and more beer.”  It is obvious Wolfe doesn’t want to give too much away with the new year weeks away. He did mention that Holler will continue to innovate heading into the new year, including more barrel aged beers and creative uses of hops in future releases (and not just IPA’s), but will also continue to stay true to the history of the brewery and its historically popular beers.  When asked if Holler will be expanding further to take over more footprint in their current location, as has been suggested by internet rumors, Wolfe added “Nothing concrete for now, but we’re always keeping an eye out for opportunities and planning how to grow smartly.”

Holler Brewing is open normally seven days a week, and is always cycling though new releases, along with its house classics.  There is amble outdoor patio space available along with indoor seating.  There is also always to go options in the cold case by the bar in case you want to take a little bit of Holler home with you.

Holler Brewing is located at 2206 Edwards St. Suite A, 77007. Follow their socials at @hollerbeer (on Instagram)or visit them on the web at https://hollerbeer.com.

The post Huggy Bear Continues Brewing Up Excellence at Holler Brewing first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

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When asked how the project came about Chris replied, “The guys here at Nomadic are really good people and we got to talking one night about maybe doing a collaboration together, and they were both really open to the idea. We sat down over there (a booth off to the side near the bar area) and went over the details of it and came up with this.” Darnell, the well known and respected beertender at both Elder Son Brewing and Under the Radar, and Chris are no strangers to collaborations in the brewing industry in both Houston and Austin. The duo has released several other beers in both areas, including the reoccurring Bruderbier with Elder Son, Pullman with Turkey Forest Brewing, Cold Darn Ale with No Label Brewing and the most recently released Night Grooves with Ghost Note Brewing in Dripping Springs.

Unfortunately for the Houston area crowd, Velour Jumpsuit is a brewery release only at Nomadic, but bottles of the beer can be purchased to go while supplies last. In case you are in the Austin area soon, I highly suggest you stop by Nomadic and check Velour Jumpsuit out.

Nomadic Beerworks is located at 3804 Woodbury Drive Suite A in Austin Texas. Follow them at @nomadicbeerworks and check out Crafty Brothas @craftybrothas on IG.

The post One Offs and Short Batches #4: “Velour Jumpsuit” featuring Nomadic Beerworks & Crafty Brothas first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

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