“Small business owners often put their heart and soul into their business, and too often consumers forget that to save a buck ordering online. If we lose sight of that, those small businesses will not survive. I’ve seen that play out firsthand in our community multiple times and I can’t help but wonder what more I could have done to help.”

John Black – Mission Commander for The Bay Area Mastronauts

Absolutely on point.

Since Hoppin’ Grape store closing in May 2022, homebrewers have struggled with delay on their online orders and a limited ingredient availability for basic brewing needs. Most members of the B.A.M Homebrew club live in the Clear Lake area, and if they can’t wait for their ingredients, they have to make the long drive into Houston to visit Farm Boy Brew Shop on N. Shepherd. Forgetting your salts, yeast or other ingredient OR worse – having equipment troubles on brew day is a real pain in the arse. With the lack of local expertise nearby to help, homebrewers don’t get that extra bit of support they need to keep the brew day going.

We are happy to hear that Saturday November 4th, at 11am, Sitta Brew Hub, a new small homebrew business, will open it’s doors to offer up quality key ingredients and supplies for fermented beverages, including craft beer! Kevin Sitta, owner and operator of Sitta Brew Hub, has been a hobby homebrewer for over 10 years. Kevin will be joined by his wife, Liz Sitta during opening weekend.

“To be honest, I am opening up this homebrew shop for selfish reasons – not to get rich but have access to ingredients I need to brew beer!”

Kevin Sitta

Name sound familiar? Kevin Sitta has been active throughout the homebrew community, even entering the realm of professional brewing by way of lending a hand at several breweries in town including Vallensons’ Brewing & Bakfish Brewing in Pearland and Saloon Door Brewery in Webster. In tandem with Hoppin Grape and Vallensons, Kevin participated and won a veterans homebrew competition and had the opportunity to brew his winning recipe at Vallensons’, which was named Sitting Warrior West Coast IPA. This brew raised money that were put towards Semper Fi & America’s Fund charity funds. Well done! Sitta has plans to get the store fully operational over the next year, with focus on keeping key brewing ingredients regularly in stock.

“When Hoppin Grape closed, it was apparent there was a real need to serve this community and that is what I am interested in doing.”

Kevin Sitta

Sitta Brew Hub will feature and stock all major ingredients required for brewing including specialty and base grains, fresh hops and yeast, ready-to- brew kits, brewing hardware and eventually offer private brewing events so that you can brew up your own batch of beer with personalized labeling to enjoy at home. Sitta plans to keep his professional career working in the IT industry while balancing time to manage the business affairs. Meanwhile, Dean Simpson will be the friendly face behind the counter, playing a key role in the day to day operations at Sitta Brew Hub. Simpson, who became a homebrewing enthusiast during his time in the military, thereafter managed a local homebrew shop named Homebrew Party (sounds fun!). This was, at one time, San Antonio’s only source for homebrewing supplies. His retail experience he gained there, the brewing knowledge has has acquired since, and his education in the hospitality industry will contribute to Sitta’s entrepreneurial vision.

In addition to a retail storefront, Sitta Brew Hub will host beer tasting events and plans to expand into bar hardware servicing very soon. Want a discount? Join a local hombrew club. Sitta plans to provide this perk for all club members across the state.

Swing by the new homebrew shop next weekend during the soft opening event and say hello to Kevin and Dean. And be sure to share your upcoming homebrewing plans – they are ready to support you!

Sitta Brew Hub is located at 618 FM 1959 Houston TX near Ellington Field.

Follow Sitta Brew Hub on Facebook.

The post Sitta Brew Hub opens to the community near Ellington Field first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Sitta Brew Hub opens to the community near Ellington Field appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

The Grain Cellar offers free classes to learn how to brew including 1 on 1 brewing session opportunities. They start you off at the basics, the ingredients, tools and common methods but even offer advanced brewing techniques including CBD and other new world adjuncts if you are looking to mix things up or go beyond the traditional styles. If beer isn’t something you want to create, The Grain Cellar offers lessons on how to make wine (great for gifts !), mead, and cheese as well. The Grain Cellar offers anything you could need to make your own brew such as specialty grain, pitching yeast, classic and modern variety hops, and even used equipment to make it easier for any rookie or experienced brewers. In addition to running this local small business, he is actively involved with the local beer communities – offering assistance, knowledge, and expertise with other beer businesses in the area. I had my first 1 on 1 class at TGC recently and we brewed a porter style beer, I was so satisfied with the results I immediately to shared it with my friends. Need a co-pilot in learning? I would highly recommend these sessions. Preston took the time to graciously answer all of my many questions. He often says ‘knowledge is free’ but I am also glad he gave me enough knowledge AND confidence to enter the Rogue Brewers Home Brewing Club’s competition that he hosts every last Friday of the month at 7pm. 

Not sure what you want to brew? Preston has hundreds of beer recipes across all styles to choose from or simply spend some time chatting about your dream beer and he can help you create it. I’ve gone from someone who knew nothing about brewing to helping co hosting a class with Preston and sharing wort with people who happened to walk in. I am excited to be a part of the homebrew community and happy to support The Grain Cellar for all of my homebrew needs.

Everyone needs a ‘Preston’ friend around to help jump start a new passion and I can say that I would not be comfortable brewing my own beer if I had not visited The Grain Cellar and ran into Preston. I’m very lucky to have this gem in my area and I look forward to learning more and even competing in the home brewing competitions in the future.

The Grain Cellar is located at 1712 1st St. E. Humble TX 77338.

Swing by, enjoy a sample and ask Preston how you can start brewing too! Cheers!

The post Brewing a passion for beer at The Grain Cellar first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Brewing a passion for beer at The Grain Cellar appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

Once open, Big Owl will exclusively be a craft beer bar focused on products from Houston and Texas with 24 taps. One or two of these taps will be dedicated to Turkey Forrest beers, which currently is putting the final touches on a stout that has received great reviews with plans to add adjuncts as part of the beer rotation. With all four partners being grounded in their Latino roots and being the first 100% Latino-owned brewery, the bar and especially the Turkey Forrest beers will incorporate Hispanic culture, background and “flava” into everything they do. Licuados, aguas frescas and pulque style beers are all a part of future beer plans. 

Although Big Owl has not opened yet, the owners have big plans for both the bar and brewery. Their vision for Turkey Forrest Brewing is to grow the operation beyond the Big Owl location and into its own brick and mortar location sustained by just its beers. The bar itself will host Loteria night, a game similar to Bingo, and other Latino-inspired events. 

The bar’s location is 1848 Airline Dr, Suite C, at the northeast corner of the intersection of Airline Drive and W Cavalcade Street. The grand opening date has not been set, but the hope is that it will be sometime later this month.

You can follow their social media handles below for the most up-to-date progress and opening dates.

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

The post Big Owl Craft Beer House & Turkey Forrest Brewing launching soon in east Heights area first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Big Owl Craft Beer House & Turkey Forrest Brewing launching soon in east Heights area appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.