I got to Brashland just after noon and there was already a line of about 100 people or so, however it moved rather quickly thanks to multiple volunteers, including Brash owner Ben Fullelove himself, taking tickets and handing out tekus. The parking lot of Brashland was laid out with tents, food trucks, and a small stage. One of the tents held Brash tees, hats, and even undies, as well tickets for both additional tap pours and for bottles of Brash’s special one-year anniversary beer, Hammer Smashed Face.

Shortly after I arrived I got a chance to speak with Head Brewer, Vince Mandeville, who talked to me about Hammer Smashed Face and how it came about. Named after a Cannibal Corpse album, the original beer,  Vulgar Display of Power, was brewed last December and aged in Woodford Reserve barrels. It was then blended back with a second beer to add more depth.

Brash’s Hammer Smashed Face Bourbon Barrel-Aged Russian Imperial Stout and “Old School Paved the Way” tee

“I don’t like straight barrel-proofed beer, it comes off as really hot, and a lot of times, thin, that’s why we blend it back,” Vince said. “The beer we blended it with has some coffee and milk sugar lactose so it adds even more body.”

The barrel-aged Russian imperial stout delivered exactly on the expectations set by Vince. It was smooth, not too thin or boozy, with flavors of dark chocolate, slightly bitter coffee, and some vanilla, which was added during the blending process to help enhance the bourbon flavors. At an estimated 15% alcohol by volume, it was surprisingly easy to drink.

Although Hammer Smashed Face clung to the sides of my “pinky-out, motherfucker” mini-teku and held on for dear life, I eventually got around to having a few other beers: Milk the Venom with its chili and chocolate complexity and Abide, a sweet and creamy dessert of a beer. Both topped my favorites list of the event, despite stouts being a style of beer I rarely reach for these days.

The anniversary beer was available at both the indoor and the outdoor stations. The beer tent outside featured Brash Pussy Wagon, Cali Green, EZ-7, Abide, Black Meddle, and Milk the Venom. It also featured guest beers – The Bruery Mash & Vanilla, Southern Star Bombshell Blonde, and Ballast Point Double Dry Hopped Sculpin on cask. Heeding the multiple “pace yourself fool” signs posted around the tents proved a difficult feat. Inside, the bar featured the same Brash beers, along with Alesmith Vietnamese Speedway Stout, Saint Arnold Bishop’s Barrel 13 and Raspberry AF, and Stone Enjoy By 10/31/16.

Despite long queues of people at either beer station, the event was well organized. Lines built up fast, but subsided just as quickly. This gave patrons enough time to start a casual chat with a fellow beer nerd, but be able to get their beer before the conversation died with awkward silence. The pourers were fast and efficient, quick to ask if anyone in their sight was ready to be served. I never waited more than ten minutes. The distribution of 1200 bottles of Hammer Smashed Face was also well organized. The beer was held in a temperature-controlled trailer where ticket holders who purchased this tier could come and collect their bottles whenever they wanted.

Brash Pinky Out Teku, Drinking Tickets, Hammer Smashed Face Bottle Ticket

Walking around Brashland, I saw party-goers drawn to the stage outside where four local metal acts performed: Mr. Plow, Dirty Seeds, Funeral Horse, and Venomous Maximus. In between listening to bands and petting adorable puppies, one of which was named very aptly named Lemmy, I also got a chance to speak with brewer Robbie Cummings about the past year at Brash and what lies ahead for them. He highlighted the Fancy Sauce and Cortado releases as some of his favorite moments in the past year. When asked about where he sees Brash going in the next year, Robbie said Brash is striving for volume increase and heightened consistency. “All of our core beers we brew as much as possible just to try and get that consistent taste,” Robbie said.

Robbie also discussed an exciting upcoming collaboration with fellow metal-head brewery TRVE in Denver. “The deal is we will brew a beer here, and then we will brew a beer at their brewery. We are essentially pushing each other’s comfort limits; since we’ve never done a sour, they’re making us do one.” Sour beer fans in Houston should be excited for this collaboration which will be exclusively sold here. To close out our conversation, I asked Robbie to tell me what he wants Houston to say when they think of Brash and he said “I want them to know we work our asses off. We’re brewing beers that we want to drink, it just happens to fill a niche.”

Justin Strait, Brews Brothers

Overall, the vibe of the Brash Anniversary party was enjoyable, casual, and just the right amount of weird, perhaps best displayed by Justin Strait of Brews Brothers and Channing Herrin of Nobi Public House showing their support for the brewery by walking around in Brash-branded tighty whities.

It was in these little moments that I found myself having the best time. Not only is Brash a fun place to be, they recognize the devil is in the details, from ticket tiers to the day-of operations. A key component of which is truly understanding their capacity, not by cramming in as many people in as possible, but making sure all attendees were able enjoy themselves and not suffer through long lines or lack of personal space. For me, the small things add up, and yes, that means even the ripped-off gendered bathroom signage and the demagogue-stenciled commode. Being at the Brash’s first anniversary party felt good, and that’s not just the barrel-aged beer talking.

The post Brash Brewing First Anniversary Party first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Brash Brewing First Anniversary Party appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

If you ask any Houston beer nerd for the most exciting developments in recent months, you’ll likely hear an answer that includes mention of Brash Brewing and Flood Distribution. Brash, after its start as a contract brewery in Massachusetts, under the leadership of Petrol Station’s Ben Fullelove, relocated and opened its Houston facility, Brashland, only four months ago, and immediately began churning out incredible beers. Meanwhile, in just barely two years of operations, Flood Distribution has brought, to Houston and Austin, an incredible portfolio of beverages that include Oasis Texas, Jester King, Virtue Cidery, To Øl, and, recently announced, The Bruery.

And, as the same beer nerds above will tell you, it makes perfect sense for two local Houston beer-loving establishments such as these to be in a partnership, as was the case for the past four months. Thus, it comes as a shock that Brash has chosen to relocate their distribution to Ben E. Keith, the Fort Worth-based fourth-largest distributor in America, whose business is most associated with Anheuser-Busch InBev products.

Ben E. Keith has always had a craft focus, however, and recently has expanded their craft portfolio to include new distribution contracts for Whole Foods Brewing, Conroe’s B-52 Brewing, and Smuttynose. Through recent actions, it’s clear that Ben E. Keith sees craft as an important part of their business, and the Brash contract will certainly bolster that in Houston.

How this impacts Flood remains to be seen, though one could speculate that the hit from Brash will be somewhat mitigated by the upcoming Bruery launch, as well as the Cantillon approvals that are gradually occurring. Flood Distribution’s Kyle White, when asked about Brash’s decision, stated simply, “Brash made a decision to leave based on what they believed to be best for their business. As a fundamental principle, we don’t use state franchise laws to imprison brands who are not interested in working with us. We wish them well in the future.”

The statement’s mention of “state franchise laws” alludes to the curious niche in Texas alcoholic code that allows a distributor to essentially lock up a contract with a brewery forever, or until such time as both parties agree to part ways. Flood, acting as an independent and craft-focused distributor, chose not to exercise this right in business with Brash.

As to what may have triggered this change, Houston Beer Guide has only heard rumors and speculation and cannot reasonably comment. At this time, representatives from Ben E. Keith and Brash Brewing were unavailable for questioning. Should this develop further, we will of course update. In the meantime, we wish nothing but success for both Houston businesses, regardless of the circumstances.

Update (2/16/16):  This morning, we received the following statement from Ben Fullelove from Brash Brewing: “The only thing we really have to say is, we love making beer and we will continue to make Houston proud by making the most kickass liquid we can possibly make.”

The post Brash Brewing to Leave Flood Distribution for Ben E. Keith first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Brash Brewing to Leave Flood Distribution for Ben E. Keith appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

When I think about what inspires me, regarding the future of craft beer in Houston and throughout Texas, I look toward the innovators. The forward thinkers. The entrepreneurs. I am intrigued by those who choose to blend passion, good taste, and a unique vision to change the way we think about the beverages we love along with (in this case) the process by which we acquire them. When it comes to the growth of any local craft beer scene, distribution is a key component often overlooked by consumers. It’s easy to pay attention to the producers (ISO: Whalezbro) and the retailers (cans + growlers = crowlers!). With hype exploding at either end, who has time to think about the middleman? When distribution is noticed, it’s never for a good reason. Follow any Texas beer-related legislation and you will quickly learn that our distributors are not the good guys. But what if they could be? What if a distributor came along to push the envelope in Texas as much as you pushed your palate at last week’s bottle share?

Amid Houston Beer Week, I had a chance to sit down with Kyle White of Flood Independent Distribution, Texas’ only non-BMC affiliated beer distribution company that distributes statewide. White started Flood in February of 2014 along with Brian Rod, his long-time friend, and Kevin Smith, a previous employee of Duff Beer Distributors. During my chat with Kyle, we talked about how Flood came to be, why he is so passionate about craft beer in Texas and what lies ahead in the next five years.

Happiest people are those that follow their passions.

In 2011, White was looking to enter the craft beer world through production. He had been drinking craft beer for about six years, was homebrewing 2-3 times a week, and was eager to pursue a career he felt passionate about. “Happiest people are those that follow their passions,” said White about the decision to leave behind his previous and varied pursuits, ranging from teaching in Korea to legal archiving. He applied to several breweries in Houston but found it difficult to get hired. Finally, he landed a gig to be a driver for Duff Beer Distributors. “Ash Rowell was the best boss I ever had,” said White of the former Duff owner who passed away in early 2013. “Probably the best boss I’ll ever have,” he continued. White worked as a driver for Duff until the company was acquired by Dallas-based distributor Favorite Brands. It was then that White felt he was presented with the opportunity to make a big impact on the community he cared so much. He contemplated the idea of creating a beer distribution company in Texas that was unlike any other in the state. With encouragement from several local craft beer scene influencers, including Kevin Floyd, White took the plunge and partnered with Brian Rod and Kevin Smith. In February 2014, Flood Independent Distribution was born. With Flood, Kyle and his partners set out to do three things: try to do right by Ash Rowell and his influence in the beer community, provide an alternative option for distributorship within the three-tier system by offering breweries open-door contracts, and, of course, bring amazing new beers to Texas.

There is is no exit plan. This is our statement to the craft beer community.

If you are unfamiliar with the three-tier system in Texas, it’s a process that was put in place to keep the market even-handed across producers, wholesalers, and retailers. At their core, beer distributors are not evil. They take on the operating costs and business responsibilities that small breweries would have a difficult time handling on their own. So why do they get such a bad rap? “What happens is a lot of distributors get tied down to whatever their largest brewery wants them to do,” said White. This means if a craft brewery partners with an Anheuser-Busch InBev or MillerCoors-aligned wholesaler, they could easily be overshadowed and neglected. However, with the growth of craft beer and the slow but inevitable decline of big beer, boutique and craft-focused distributors are gaining traction across markets in the U.S. “Independent distributors have more flexibility and are able to be more reactionary,” said White.

Working to keep their operations customer-centric, to do what’s best for their accounts, and to influence the sophistication of craft beer in Texas, Flood has grown into a small but fierce distributor in the 14 months it has been in operation. The partners each contribute their knowledge and expertise in a way that creates a balanced three-pronged approach to their agile business. In addition to running a sales route to build up new launches across Houston, White manages brewery acquisition and relations, ordering, social media, and sales management. Smith manages operations, logistics, warehouse management, and overseas accounting. Rod oversees bigger picture business such as budget forecasting, capital expenditure planning, permitting, and infrastructural growth. “Flood isn’t owned by a bunch of investors,” said White. “There is no exit plan. This is our statement to the craft beer community.”

And what a statement it has been. In the past year, Flood has built a remarkable portfolio that has brought to Texas impressive (not to mention some of my personal favorite) brands, such as Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, To Øl, and Mikkeller. When I asked Kyle what else was in store from Flood, I was excited to hear that they have only just started digging into the Shelton Brothers stash. Apart from engaging imports, Flood has also partnered with several Austin-based breweries, such as Jester King Farmhouse Brewery, Oasis Texas Brewing Company, and Strange Land Brewery. In Houston, White is excited about partnering with the highly-anticipated Brash Brewing Company, headed by Petrol Station owner Ben Fullelove and former Saint Arnold brewer Vince Mandeville. “It’s the first time we will be distributing Houston beer in Houston, and that’s something that really means a lot to me,” White said. “Ben is a really intuitive and thoughtful visionary. I’m very excited to work with him.” Beyond their current brands, White’s primary goals with the Flood portfolio are keeping it diverse, unique, and high quality. “The last thing I want is to get into a war with other distributors about who has the best IPA in Texas,” Kyle said. Flood will continue to be selective about which local brands they choose to partner with as they continue to diversify their portfolio.

As we got ready to wrap up, I asked Kyle to describe the craft beer scene in Houston in the next five years. “Texas is a craft thirsty state,” he said. “I see an influx of quality brands and talent as we add layers of sophistication to our beer scene.” White believes the out-of-state demand for breweries like Jester King and Lone Pint will help create a beer renaissance in our state. “With more breweries willing to take risks, more Texas beer will start leaving the state, and esteem will grow nationally.” Really, there is no crystal ball, and even though I asked Kyle to close his eyes as he described the future of craft beer in Texas to me, he can’t see into the future any more than I can. And, you know, that’s okay, because as long as there are people who believe in craft beer and all that it stands for, as long as there are people who wake up each morning and work to make that dream a reality, my heart is flooded with hope.

The post Are You Prepared for the Flood? first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Are You Prepared for the Flood? appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.