To celebrate Saint Arnold’s status as the Godfather of Houston Beer, Brash has organized what I think is the most interesting beer event in recent history. Five of the Houston area’s best breweries have each taken a Saint Arnold beer, modified it in their own way, and brewed it on their systems. What results is a city-wide show of appreciation for the brewery that paved the way for all the others.

Brash Brewing – Knutsens Farm

Tribute to: Weedwacker

Weedwacker was born from the “Movable Yeast” series at Saint Arnold, when they (intentionally) fermented Fancy Lawnmower wort with a Hefeweizen yeast strain. Brash head brewer Vince Mandeville had a hand in the development of Weedwacker when he was brewing at Saint Arnold, so it’s no big surprise that Brash chose to pay tribute to Weedwacker. Brash opted for an an Oregon Hefeweizen strain in place of Weedwacker’s German strain. They fermented the beer at a low temperature to get the cloudiness without much of the typical banana and clove flavors. To really put the Brash twist on an otherwise typical Hefeweizen, they double dry hopped it with New Zealand Rakau hops. Owner Ben Fullelove adds, “At 5%, it’s crazy drinkable and amazingly clean. Definitely the smallest beer we’ve ever made but still fits beautifully with our overall approach to beer making.”

B-52 Brewing – Bishop’s Gone Wild

Tribute to: Amber Ale

Amber Ale was the first beer Saint Arnold ever sold (at the Gingerman, if you want to brush up on your Houston beer trivia).

Bishop’s Gone Wild has the same malt and hop bill as Amber, but that’s where the similarities end. B-52 fermented the beer with a Saison and Brettanomyces yeast blend and then added Raspberries & Blackberries to the beer for a secondary fermentation.

When asked why they chose Amber, Founder Chad Daniel said, “[We] wanted to pick something that most people wouldn’t expect, so given the types of beer we’re making these days, a sour amber seemed like the perfect choice. We also thought it paid tribute to how willing St. Arnold has been to adapt and embrace changing palates. It would be really easy to get set in your ways, especially as the oldest brewery in Houston, but they continue to innovate and we respect the hell out of that.”  

Eureka Heights – Chop Shop IPA

Tribute to: Art Car

Art Car was the last beer that Eureka Heights Founder/Brewer Casey Motes developed while at Saint Arnold. I’ll let Casey explain the beer: “We took an awesome beer and made it more awesomer. The malt, hot side hops and Vermont (Conan) yeast are all the same. The awesomer part comes in when we triple dry hop it and add a bunch of Citra to the dry hops. The end result has a more citrusy, tropical, and slightly illegal aroma. We chose to add the Citra hops to Chop Shop because we absolutely love Citra and thought it complements the Simcoe and Mosaic that are already in Art Car.”

As a further tribute to Art Car and the logo designed by Gonzo247, Eureka Heights worked with local artist Ack! for the Chop Shop logo.

Lone Pint – Brock the Night Away

Tribute to: Santo

When run through the “Lone Pint beer translator,” as owner/brewer Trevor Brown puts it, the Black Kolsch Santo becomes a Black IPA. For Brock the Night Away, Lone Pint increased the Santo malt bill, added “oodles” more hops (replacing the German noble hops with the American hops that Lone Pint is known for), and fermented it with their house yeast strain in place of Santo’s Kolsch yeast.

The result is an 8.6% ABV, 108 IBU Imperial Black IPA that is lightly roasty with a big hop presence in the bitterness, flavor, and aroma. 

Southern Star Brewing – Extravagant Yard Cutter

Tribute to: Fancy Lawnmower

Since Southern Star’s brewing style is heavily influenced by German and English beer styles, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that they chose Saint Arnold’s Kolsch, Fancy Lawnmower, as their beer to cover. As Founder Dave Fougeron explains, “Our version has a much heavier mineral profile from our water source that plays remarkably well with a Kolsch. We also doubled the finishing hops giving this beer a much more pronounced hop flavor and aroma than the original.” Dave was head brewer at Saint Arnold from 2001 to 2007, so it’s safe to assume he’s already brewed his fair share of Fancy Lawnmower.

Traveling Tap Takeovers

How similar is Extravagant Yard Cutter to Fancy Lawnmower, and which do you prefer? Just how different can B-52 make Amber Ale or Lone Pint make Santo? I’m sure you’re itching to try all the new beers alongside the beers that inspired them.

A few local bars have set up a sort of traveling tap takeover, which will feature all five Saint Arnold beers and all five of the tribute beers. Representatives of all 6 breweries will be out at these events, and, if we had to guess, there will likely be some special and limited release Saint Arnold beers available as well.

The big launch is Monday, June 5th at the Flying Saucer downtown (parking is free downtown after 6pm), and the events spread around the city over the rest of the week.

June 5th – Houston Flying Saucer (Downtown) – 6pm to 11pm Event Details
June 6th – Axelrad – 5pm to 8pm – Event Details
June 7th – The Hay Merchant
June 8th – Hop Scholar Ale House – 6pm to Midnight- Event Details
June 9th – Nobi Public House
June 11th – Cottonwood Houston
June 12th – Conservatory – 7pm to Midnight – Event Details
June 15th – Hughie’s – 6pm to 10pm – Event Details (Only tribute beers)
June 19th – Down the Street – 5pm to 10pm – Event Details (4 of the tribute beers are part of their “Steak & Flight Night” deal)

The post 5 Breweries Put Their Twist on Saint Arnold Classics first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post 5 Breweries Put Their Twist on Saint Arnold Classics appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

(Click here to for a zoomable version)

Yo that IPA Region is stacked! Mostly Harmless got screwed, though. Pumpkinator vs. Rocket Fuel in the Sweet 16 is gonna be brutal. I’ve got EZ7 as my Cinderella. Think Yellow Rose can win it all again?

Welcome to the 2017 edition of the Houston Beer Guide Bracket. Last year’s bracket was a blast, with some nail-biters, a ballot-stuffing scandal, a handful of upsets, and Lone Pint Yellow Rose ultimately cruising to the title.

We’ve made some changes compared to last year, when we used weighted Untappd rankings to fill out the field from 1 to 64. This year, we still leaned on ratings, but we also opened up the selection process to the HBG staff, our own version of the NCAA’s selection committee. We awarded “automatic bids” to breweries that wouldn’t have qualified based solely on rankings. We eliminated one-time releases (no Divine Reserves, Bishop’s Barrels, etc.). And we limited the field to independent craft breweries — you know what that means.

Enough with the pregame analysis. Let’s get to the #HBGBracket. Voting for the first round ends Monday night, March 20th. The second round will begin Tuesday, March 21st. We’ll update results on Facebook and Twitter.

Update #1 – Round of 64 recap:
The first round has wrapped up and there were quite a few surprises. 12-seed SpindleTap Hop Gusher took down 5-seed Saint Arnold Endeavour, with a respectable win of 56%. In our far north vs. far south matchup, 14-seed B-52 Double IPA beat 3-seed Galveston Island Citra Mellow. Copperhead King of Terrors managed to eke out a win against Buffalo Bayou Vanilla Mocha Sunset, in a match decided by just 13 votes. In the battle of Clear Lake, Texas Beer Refinery’s Gulf Coast Gose held its ground against BAKFISH I Tell You Wit. Unfortunately, Texas Beer Refinery Catalyst wasn’t able to repeat last year’s Cinderella run. Yellow Rose continued last year’s tradition of dominating the competition, knocking out newcomer Running Walker Texas Reserve. Check out the rest of the results at the bottom of the page.

Update #2 – Round of 32 recap:
Well that was certainly interesting. The majority of this round went to chalk, with the 1-seeds doing especially well. Dig into the middle of the field a little bit, and you’ll see some very surprising results. 12-seed SpindleTap Hop Gusher continued its Cinderella run, leading 4-seed Brash Pussy Wagon the entire round. At the 24-hour mark, Brash Vulgar Display of Power vs Brash Cortado was exactly 50/50, but lower-seeded VDoP eventually won out. 11-seed Copperhead King of Terrors managed another narrow victory, this time over 3-seed No Label Nightmare on 1st Street. There were no upsets in the Easy Drinking region, dashing the chances of a Pilsner head-to-head between Back Pew and Saint Arnold. How will old-standard Buried Hatchet fare against new-hotness Raspberry AF in the next round? Last year’s champion, Lone Pint Yellow Rose, faces Cinderella; is there a stunning upset on the horizon? Will King of Terrors be able to sneak past Brash EZ-7 and into the Elite 8? It’s all up to you.

Update #3 – Sweet 16 recap:
Let’s start with the fun parts: Almost every one of the match up in the Sweet 16 ended within 100 votes. For nearly 1,500 votes, that’s pretty impressive. Brazos Valley 7 Spanish Angels overcame Saint Arnold 5 O’Clock Pils by 107 votes, 4-seed Lone Pint The Jabberwocky upset 1-seed Brash Abide with 92 votes, Saloon Door Tasty AF beat Brash Vulgar Display of Power by 39 votes, and Pumpkinator vs Rocket Fuel was decided by just 32 votes. Every beer included in the Sweet 16 deserved it’s place this far into the tournament. SpindleTap found a post in one of the beer groups by someone bragging to have voted for Hop Gusher several hundred times in a short period Monday afternoon. Unfortunately, there is no way for us to undo the damage that was done. After a discussion with the team at SpindleTap, they offered to forfeit the game to Yellow Rose. At the T-11 hour mark, SpindleTap had the lead, and they appeared to gain more ground in the morning. As stated earlier, we believe that every beer that made it to the sweet 16 deserved to be there. Hop Gusher beat Endeavour and Pussy Wagon without any intervention, and there is a very strong likelihood that it would have beat Yellow Rose as well. Yellow Rose faces some stiff competition in the next round with Saint Arnold Art Car, as do all of the beers in the Elite 8.

Update #4 – Elite 8 recap:
The giants have fallen. Saloon Door rounded up their supporters to knock out 1-seed Saint Arnold Pumpkinator. Brazos Valley had a late surge of support: 7 Spanish Angels rallied from being down 49/51 at the 24 hour mark to come out ahead 54/46 and take out 1-seed Southern Star Buried Hatchet. 1-seed Yellow Rose clobbered 2-seed Art Car in a round that was expected to be more of a challenge for last year’s champion. Brash’s 7-seed EZ-7 avenged 1-seed Abide’s earlier elimination and trounced Lone Pint The Jabberwocky. Lone Pint Yellow Rose is the only 1-seed that remains in the tournament – how will it fare against the Saloon Door posse, which has already overcome some quite impressive opponents? Will EZ-7 or 7 Spanish Angels be the lucky one to advance to the finals?

Update #5 – Final Four recap:
Yellow Rose, our last 1-seed and last year’s champion was bested by the chocolate & peanut butter stout from Clear Lake, Tasty AF. 7 Spanish Angels, the coffee brown ale from Brenham, rallied its supporters to eliminate Brash EZ-7. It’s all come down to this: Saloon Door Tasty AF versus Brazos Valley 7 Spanish Angels. Peanut butter & chocolate vs coffee. Both beers eliminated some very impressive challengers along the way. Which beer will be crowned the best beer in Houston by the readers of Houston Beer Guide?

Update #6 – Championship recap:
Wow, that was a surprisingly close match. Saloon Door’s Tasty AF is now the reigning ‘Best Beer in Houston’ as chosen by the readers of Houston Beer Guide. If you haven’t tried it or any of the other 63 beers included in this year’s bracket, I highly recommend that you seek them out.

The changes we made to the beer selection process this year were a direct result of the conversations we had with our readers last year. If you have suggestions for ways we can make it even better next year, shoot us an email, we’d love to hear your ideas: info@houstonbeerguide.com.

Championship Results:

Saloon Door v Brazos Valley (1,800 votes)
Tasty AF – 51.3%
7 Spanish Angels – 48.7%

The Final Four Results:

Elite 8 Results:

Sweet 16 Results:

Round of 32 Results:

Round of 64 Results:

The post Houston Beer Guide Bracket 2017 first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Houston Beer Guide Bracket 2017 appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

Well, 2016 certainly was interesting, wasn’t it? Jose started the year off by telling you to stop aging beer, we hosted a Houston Beer themed March Madness bracket and a bot almost ruined it, Lone Pint (FINALLY) started dating bottles of Yellow Rose, Saint Arnold turned 22, Whole Foods sold beer for $2, and Karbach sold to AB-InBev (and breaking that news crashed our site). The greater Houston area gained something like a dozen breweries and several new beer bars. Of those, we were lucky enough to cover Back Pew, Saloon Door, BAKFISH, Running Walker, City Acre, Under the Radar, Eureka Heights, and Holler, as well as Conservatory  and Beers Looking At You.

To round out the year, we asked our writers to send in a few sentences about their favorite beer from within Houston and their favorite beer from outside of Houston. The only requirement was that each beer be new-to-them. This isn’t meant to be a “best of 2016” article, just us talking about the beers that we enjoyed.

We would love to hear your favorite beers of the year. Let us know on Twitter @HoustonBeer or on Facebook at Houston Beer Guide

Editors Note: Saint Arnold’s 5 o’Clock Pils made several lists, which shouldn’t be a surprise if you’ve tried it. It also won our blind tasting challenge of 9 Texas Pilsners. 

Nathan Miller:

Overall, 2016 was an incredible year for me, beer-wise. I hit my 10,000th unique check-in on Untappd, I traveled to several festivals, I drank over 3500 beers, at least 2700 of which were new to me. So choosing my favorites is hard, but a worthy task:

Photo: Saint Arnold Brewing Company

Saint Arnold 5 O’Clock Pils – This might be cheating since this beer technically came out under a different name in a previous year, but 5OCP showed up in 2016 under this name and therefore wins my award for Best 2016 Houston Beer. It’s a perfectly crystal-clear pilsner with a clean, crisp taste, a biscuity aroma, and a TON of flavor. I adore this beer and will happily drink can after can after can of the stuff.

Photo: Garagiste Meadery

Garagiste Honeybell Dreamsicle – My pick for the best non-Houston beer of 2016 isn’t actually a beer at all, but a mead (a melomel, to be specific). You know that scene in Pixar’s Ratatouille where the food critic’s memories are taken back to childhood with one bite of a dish? That’s how Honeybell Dreamsicle treated me. One sip and I was a child, in my elementary school cafeteria, eating a popsicle given to me by a teacher who wanted to thank me for bringing an important letter home to my parents. The memory is deep, hidden in my brain, but this incredible elixir brought it to the surface.

Josh Frink:

Photo: Josh Frink

City Acre Fermette De Saison – Kumquat & Grapefruit – Houston finally has a brewery making a dry, highly carbonated Saison, which is one of my favorite styles. Out of the three variations City Acre brewed using fruit and herbs from their property, the Kumquat & Grapefruit variation was my favorite. The citrus complemented the natural flavor of the Saison yeast and the pit of the fruit added just the right amount of bitterness. I’m very much looking forward to see what ingredients they harvest for next year’s batch.

Photo: Bières de Chimay

Chimay Dorée – This spring, my wife and I went on a trip to Belgium. We visited a dozen or so breweries and decided to make the trek all the way down to the Chimay restaurant/inn/museum (you can’t actually visit the abbey) to try the ubiquitous Belgian Abbey beers as fresh as possible. We were disappointed and yet amazed to find that their beers taste the same in Friendswood as they do in Chimay, but we were completely shocked to discover they brew a fourth beer that we had never seen in Houston. Dorée (French for golden) is a 4.8% patersbier that has the cleanest orange flavor I’ve ever had in a beer. It sees very limited distribution in the US. Occasionally Flying Saucer Downtown has bottles and it’s well worth the $10 to try it yourself.

Jose Luis Cubria:

Photo: Saint Arnold Brewing Company

Saint Arnold 5 O’Clock Pils – For the 2nd year in a row, Saint Arnold debuted a spectacular new year-round beer (in 2015 it was Art Car). 5Oc is delicious and crushable. It takes a classic style and nails it, but with enough of a twist to keep it interesting and new. A permanent staple in my fridge.

Photo: The Bruery

The Bruery Melange No. 14 – It’s been nearly four months and I’m still giddy that my favorite US brewery is on our shelves. I’d never had M14 before it landed in Houston, and I immediately fell in love. It’s a perfect encapsulation of one of The Bruery’s great strengths: deliciously complex and dangerously drinkable barrel-aged monsters.

Kenneth Krampota:

Photo: Saint Arnold Brewing Company

Saint Arnold Bishop’s Barrel #13 – This beer screamed to me to begin with. A bourbon barrel quad that was done to damn near perfection. Tons of bourbon, vanilla, that traditional quad fruit, and it all came together without being too boozy. One of my favorite Saint Arnold beers ever.

Photo: Russian River Brewing Company

Russian River Temptation – I spent a few days out in the California wine country this year celebrating my 40th trip around the sun. No trip out that way would be complete without a trip to Russian River Brewing, and the wife and I enjoyed the full beer sampler. The standout to me was Temptation. The Chardonnay barrel and Brett funk in this blonde ale just provided the perfect level of sour. I know Consecration and Pliny get more attention from Russian River, but this is the beer I’d drink the most of that they produce.

Alice Hicks:

Photo: Brash Brewing Company

Brash Pussalia – My favorite Houston beer is a Brash brew for the second year in a row. Pussalia drew me in with its gorgeous, resinous aroma and hooked me with its double-dry and undeniably dank hops, rounded out by tropical notes. Its crisp, clean, medium body and dry finish left me wanting more: Pussalia is a perfect double IPA in my book.

Photo: Orange Belt Brewing Company

Orange Belt Brewing Chardonnay Barrel-Aged Whalez AKA Whalez 2.0 (Chardonnay Barrel) –  I swear I didn’t choose this beer just so I could say “Whalez, bro!” but I have to say it: “Whalez, bro!” However, I will swear that this is one beer truly worth seeking out. A side project of Cycle Brewing’s Head Brewer Eric Trinosky, Orange Belt Brewing makes some beautiful sour ales. The light, lemony tartness of the chardonnay barrel-aged version of their Whalez blonde ale is perfectly balanced with its rich oak character and bright acidity. One of the most well-executed barrel-aged sours I’ve ever had; it is in a class with the best of Portland, Oregon’s venerable Cascade Brewing.

Tim Spies:

Photo: Saint Arnold Brewing Company

Saint Arnold 5 O’Clock Pils – Austin may be the “Pilsner Capital” of Texas. But the best domestic pils available is from Houston.

Photo: The Rare Barrel

The Rare Barrel Afterlight – I’m generally not a fan of dark sours or red wine barrel-aged beers. But rarely are they executed near perfection. Afterlight is such a beer.

Chris White:

Photo: Saint Arnold Brewing Company

Saint Arnold 5 O’Clock Pils – My high expectations were exceeded by this local take on the Americanized version of the classic continental style. As I learned in the HBG blind pilsner tasting, these hoppy pilsners fool me – they don’t taste exceptionally hoppy, just ‘crisp’ and slightly aromatic. 5OC hits this mark hard – a nice bitterness, great earthy hop aroma and clean crisp finish with a little malt sweetness. The fact that this beer is on basically every supermarket shelf all the time is a great bonus for someone like me that gets most beer on the weekly shopping trip.

Photo: Community Beer Company

Community Yessir! Pale Ale – I love APA, but I also find that most new pales don’t really stand out in comparison to the incredible classics *cough* Sierra Nevada *cough* that are always available. This Dallas-area brewery takes a heavy hand to the three new(ish) hop varietals in their fall seasonal brew but most importantly maintains a balance (and ABV) that’s squarely in line with the style, making it incredibly drinkable with a unique juicy hop flavor. That flavor profile stands out from the long shadow of the classic APA with the pale green label. Distinct, delicious and darn good! Yessir!

The post Our Favorite Beers of 2016 first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Our Favorite Beers of 2016 appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

Petrol Station was in on the craft beer movement early on in Houston, and I got to talk with owner Ben Fullelove, owner of Petrol and Brash Brewing, about the upcoming anniversary party this Saturday, Nov. 5.

Evan: Beer laws in Texas limited you at first; did you feel like it was going to be a lost cause to bring Brash to Texas and hang on to Petrol?
Ben: Pretty much. Three-tier laws hadn’t changed that much since the 1930s, then a lot changed in a short amount of time. I jumped right on it. My dream was opening Brash in Houston before my 40th birthday. I started building it when I turned 38, so the law change was perfectly timed for my vision.

E: What beers are you looking forward to on Saturday?
B: Definitely excited about KBS, Red & White, Sucaba, BB15, Vietnamese Speedway, of course HSF (Hammer Smashed Face). Really, all of the beers we have for Saturday are fuckin’ awesome. It’s great to see so much amazing beer being offered to Texas.

E: You’ve seen the Texas, specifically Houston, landscape change drastically in the past few years. Anything that is getting you excited in the Texas scene right now?
B: To me, the future of craft beer is local beer. While it is exciting to see the best breweries in America bringing their beer to Texas, it’s more exciting to see a quality local beer scene happening.

E: How many people have been around since the first day of Petrol, besides you?
B: Zero employees but quite a few regular customers have been there since the beginning.

E: The Rancor has been voted as one of Houston’s best burgers multiple times. Was it always the plan to have top-notch eats along with beer?
B: Things kind of happened organically. We were in the right place at the right time with the growth of craft beer. Our food takes us to the next level. We’ve become more of a neighborhood pub and the food has played a big role in that.

E: What beers are you currently drinking?
B: I’m really digging IPAs from Wicked Weed in Asheville, NC; IPAs from Fort George in Astoria, OR; and Alpine Nelson, all of which I drink when I can get my hands on them. Locally, [Saint Arnold] Art Car is always great.

E: I always feel like when I go to Petrol, it’s this hidden gem even though it is wildly popular. Do you want it to expand to more locations?
B: No. I get asked a lot about opening a location in The Woodlands or Sugar Land, but it’s just not something I’m interested in. Petrol is its own thing, and I think it would be hard to duplicate and maintain a genuine feel.

E: Any particular beers you really wish you could bring to Texas?
B: Not really. I look forward to more great local breweries opening. No beer is going to be as fresh as local beer.

E: On a personal note, can you save me some Odell Jolly Russian since I am going to miss the party?
B: Haha, I’ll see what I can do.

I hope everyone who is able to, makes it down to Petrol on Saturday. Their parties are always a blast, and you never know what surprises they might pull out of the cellar. And, seriously, someone grab me a growler of Jolly Russian.

Check out the taplist here: https://www.facebook.com/PetrolStation/posts/10154428166150751

Editor’s note: In light of Karbach’s recent acquisition by global beer behemoth Anheuser-Busch InBev, BBH with Chocolate is being replaced with 11 Below Big Mistake Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout. Petrol’s remaining Karbach kegs will be tapped on Wednesday, November 9th, with all proceeds going to the Texas Craft Brewers Guild, which lobbies the legislature to protect Texas breweries from the practices of companies like ABI.

Petrol Station Anniversary

Saturday, November 5
9 AM – ?

985 Wakefield Dr
Houston, Texas

The post Petrol Station Celebrates Anniversary this Saturday first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Petrol Station Celebrates Anniversary this Saturday appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

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.

Even the fine print is awesome:

• This special is valid at every location with a bar in the greater Houston area. (I think that’s all of them, but feel free to correct me in the comments.)
• This only applies to draft beers served in 8-16 ounce pours. (Again, I think that’s the vast majority of the beers they have on tap.)

As of the time that I am posting this, I found Whole Foods bars with Karbach Brewing F.U.N. beers, Brash Brewing Abide, various Funkwerks beers (one of my current favorite breweries), 8th Wonder Brewery Instant Classic (one of my favorite new local beers), and 12% ABV Founders Brewing Devil Dancer (if you really want to get your money’s worth). If you haven’t been to the brewery in the Post Oak location, you no longer have an excuse!

Check out the Tap Hunter links below for semi up-to-date tap lists at each location.

Whole Foods Market Montrose
https://www.taphunter.com/location/whole-foods-market-montrose/6011610797703168
Whole Foods Market Kirby
https://www.taphunter.com/location/whole-foods-market-kirby/5608335833300992
Whole Foods Market Post Oak
https://www.taphunter.com/location/whole-foods-market-post-oak/5816669442146304
Whole Foods Market Bellaire
https://www.taphunter.com/location/whole-foods-market-bellaire/5611821199261696
Whole Foods Market Voss
https://www.taphunter.com/location/whole-foods-market-voss/5260785151377408
Whole Foods Market Wilcrest
https://www.taphunter.com/location/whole-foods-market-wilcrest/6349803686461440
Whole Foods Market Sugar Land
https://www.taphunter.com/location/whole-foods-market-sugar-land/6188749960511488
Whole Foods Market Champions
https://www.taphunter.com/location/whole-foods-market-champions/4851873712439296
Whole Foods Market Katy
https://www.taphunter.com/location/whole-foods-market-katy/5406849322975232
Whole Foods Market the Woodlands
https://www.taphunter.com/location/whole-foods-market-the-woodlands/5224272202039296

The post If It’s Thursday, Whole Foods Market Has the Best Beer Deal in Town first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post If It’s Thursday, Whole Foods Market Has the Best Beer Deal in Town appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

Late last summer, Stone Brewing Company, the largest brewery in Southern California, made a big two-fold announcement. First, what is arguably the cockiest beer in America would branch out to become his own product line. Second, as has happened to the best of us, the Arrogant Bastard was finally sent packing and hitting the road.

When the fathers of Arrogant Bastard, Greg Koch and Steve Wagner, first made the announcement on a website dedicated to the Jack Kerouac of beers, there was a bit of confusion. No one was really sure what it meant: was Stone discontinuing the Bastard? Was the Bastard being contract brewed? If you still aren’t sure, the purpose of Arrogant Bastard Hits the Road is to collaborate with some of the best breweries in the country to create small batches of Stone’s delicious and most well recognized beer, their American Strong Ale. The Bastard chose master brewhouses like Maine, Great Divide, The Bruery and Houston’s very own Brash to spread the gift of “liquid arrogance,” throw a good party, and donate funds to charity. After 20 years of living it up in Escondido, it was time to spread those gargoyle wings and fly.

Brashland was buzzing with people Saturday at the Adopt-a-Bastard event. I walked into the comforting and familiar scent of delicious hops in the air, bouncy basslines from Houston funk band, the Journey Agents, and pockets of people laughing and enjoying what is surely one of Houston’s last breezy weekends. Excitement was in the air as Brash is the youngest, and smallest brewery on the Arrogant Bastard’s tour, as well as the only brewery in Texas to be chosen to brew Stone’s most boastful beer.

“I think Stone’s beginnings in ’96 are not that far removed from where we are now, ya know? We’re trying to do something a little different, we have an aggressive approach to things and we do things we want to do,” Ben Fullelove, owner and mastermind behind Brash, said. “I think they saw in us a reflection of where they came from. It’s insanely flattering.”

After grabbing my tickets I headed over to the bar for my first beer of the day. I took a second to look over my pint, and what I observed was Brash’s take on Arrogant Bastard: a darker and slightly cloudier version of the familiar amber color, with just the right amount of head. My initial sip of Houston’s version of this smug brew reminded of why its brand relies on a “hated by many, loved by few” slogan. At first, the hops were big and bitter, almost too much, but soon the harshness gave way to a smoother, more caramel finish.

Brash’s version of Arrogant Bastard tapped and ready

Fullelove shared that the process for brewing the Bastard was more complex than Stone just emailing over a recipe.

“The home brew recipe is on the internet, if you want to make Arrogant Bastard, you can make it,” Fullelove said. “But the chances of it tasting close to the real thing are pretty slim without water profiles, mash and fermentation temperatures, and starting gravities. The things that are gonna make a beer with accurate color and profile.”

After finishing my pint I came to realize what Brash allowed for, and did incredibly well, was to bring us the haughty ale at its peak freshness. I’ve drank several Bastards in my craft beer experience, but never was the bite quite this stinging. I enjoyed it. I found myself worthy, and so did Brash.

“Vince Mandeville is an amazing brewer and he was able to take that recipe and fit it into our system,” said Brash assistant brewer Allen Schneider. “The level of freshness is high. We made it, kegged it yesterday, we timed just right so we knew beer was going to be ready to go and serve today.”

Drinking an Arrogant Bastard this fresh was not unlike the moment when a pompous jerk crashes into conversation; he throws you off initially and you aren’t sure what to make of him, but ultimately he wins you over once you get to know him.

Walking around Brashland, I ran into fellow beer nerd Aaron Cantu and asked him what he thought about Brash’s version of the Bastard. He told me he felt like the beer took him back to the first time he had ever tasted the Strong Ale.

“It was my gateway craft beer,” he said. “When I had it today it took me back to what it was like to taste so much hop for the first time, it was a cool throwback.”

Brash’s Arrogant Bastard delivered to Houston what is the freshest version of the beer we could experience without having to leave the city. It sat perfectly among Brash’s increasingly popular and hoppy Cali Green and EZ7, as well as other Stone favorites like Old Guardian and Double Bastard.

Zach Clark and Zach Cousins showing off their matching tattoos Saturday at Brashland

Craft beer veteran Diane Adams said Saturday’s Adopt-a-Bastard felt like “an old school beer event; people are here to hang out and have a good time, there’s no pretension.” A dunking booth made the event fun and proceeds donated to The Center, a local non-profit, gave it a deeper purpose beyond just creating a beer-first for Houston.

Houston has a growing beer community but Fullelove points to the growing number of successes like Lone Pint’s Yellow Rose and small breweries like Texas Beer Refinery joining Houston craft beer staples like Saint Arnold and Karbach as proof that the beer scene is on the rise.

“Craft beer in Houston is still in its infancy compared to San Diego, so things like this bring attention to our craft beer scene,” Fullelove said. “It’s gonna take a lot of different players to make a really rich beer community here in Houston, and when you see people doing a lot of interesting things like this, it’s all just really good for our scene.”

The post Adopt-a-Bastard at Brash: Arrogant Bastard Hits the Road first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Adopt-a-Bastard at Brash: Arrogant Bastard Hits the Road appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

Using the same methodology as the Beer Ranking posts, the seeds below are based on the top 64 rated beers in Houston based on weighted rankings.

Voting for the Round of 8 ends Thursday night, March 31st. The Round of 4 will begin Friday, April 1st. We’ll update results on Facebook and Twitter as well.

[Direct link to the full-sized bracket here]

Update #1:

Well the first round is in the books and it appears the seeding wasn’t as absurd as some thought: chalk won almost every matchup, with just two exceptions. The contenders from B-52 and Texas Beer Refinery live on, winning as underdogs and heading to the Round of 32 below. Maybe we were right when we said, “You should be drinking Texas Beer Refinery.”

Update #2:

After the relatively predictable Round One, the Round of 32 went a lot differently, with several upsets. While Texas Beer Refinery continues their Cinderella story as a 13-seed (now facing a very tough Vanilla BBH 1-seed), the joy hasn’t been shared by everybody: Buffalo Bayou, Brash, B-52, and No Label were each eliminated in the bloodbath. One clear takeaway as we enter the Sweet Sixteen: the commonly “hyped” styles are clearly winning. Of the remaining sixteen beers, only two are styles other than IPA or Porter/Stout, and both of those, BB10 & FUN 013, are barrel-aged (as are five others at this stage). What will make it out of this round on Sunday to enter the Elite Eight of Houston Beers? There’s no certainties at this point, though I certainly hope my Yellow Rose is still alive!

Update #3:

As we enter the Elite Eight, the bracket tells two very different stories. On the right side, an unexciting previous round led to all the highest seeds progressing, and this round pits Black Crack against Yellow Rose, as well as a face-off between two Saint Arnold stouts. On the left side of the bracket, however, a completely different drama has unfolded with the Cinderella story TBR Catalyst knocking out one of my expected Final Four picks, and the fourth overall seed Vanilla BBH. It faces a heavy competitor in Bishop’s Barrel #10, but don’t be surprised if the magic continues. Meanwhile, another upset occurred in the previous round and the juicy newcomer Art Car IPA advances to face off against the number one overall seed and competition favorite, BBH. Vote below and come back on Thursday when we enter the Final Four.

Update #4:

With so much drama in the HBG, it’s kinda hard being a beer bracket referee. We’re down to our last four beers, and as the Final Four comes to Houston in the basketball sense, we’ve also got the Final Four here. Sadly, the Cinderella story from TBR didn’t make it past the last round, but nonetheless it lives on in my heart. On the left side of the bracket, number one overall seed Karbach BBH faces off against Saint Arnold BB10 in a battle of two bourbon-barrel-aged beers: a porter and a barleywine. The bourbon champion will move on to face a non-barrel-aged winner from the right side of the bracket, where my favorite, Lone Pint Yellow Rose (fingers crossed y’all), goes up against the annual autumn delight, Saint Arnold Pumpkinator. Who will make it to the championship? Vote below and come back on Saturday afternoon for the championship matchup!

Update #5:

This is it! From a field of sixty-four competitors, only one shall be victorious. Who will take home glory and who will take home defeat? (Except, not real defeat, because, either way both competitors are delicious.) We’re down to the final competition: Lone Pint Yellow Rose and Karbach Bourbon Barrel Hellfighter. Two of Houston’s most beloved beers and two of the country’s most exciting styles: bourbon-barrel-aged anything and mosaic-hopped anything. Vote below for your pick.

Update #6:

That’s it for our inaugural Houston Beer Guide Bracket. Obviously I’m thrilled with the result (read: WOO YELLOW ROSE FTW) and I hope you are too. What would you like to see us change next year? How can we make this bracket even better? Sound off in the comments below!

Championship Results:

Championship – Karbach vs. Lone Pint (903 Votes)
Bourbon Barrel Hellfighter — 42.4%
Yellow Rose — 57.6%

Final Four Results:

Game 1 – Karbach vs. Saint Arnold (592 Votes)
Bourbon Barrel Hellfighter – 56.3%
Bishop’s Barrel #10 – 43.7%

Game 2 – Saint Arnold vs. Lone Pint (637 Votes)
Pumpkinator – 23.7%
Yellow Rose – 76.3%

Elite 8 Results:

We had a little bit of a hiccup with this round. Someone decided to vote 2000+ times in an attempt to ruin it for everyone. We pulled the poll early, so there were fewer overall votes. We took the raw voting data and filtered it for 1 vote per IP address. Going forward the polls will self-regulate to one vote per IP address. We will also “check the tapes” before we publish the results.

Game 1 – Karbach vs. Saint Arnold (588 Votes)
Bourbon Barrel Hellfighter – 55.1%
Art Car – 44.9%

Game 2 – Texas Beer Refinery vs. Saint Arnold (619 Votes)
Catalyst – 41.4%
Bishop’s Barrel #10 – 58.6%

Game 3 – Saint Arnold vs. Saint Arnold (562 Votes)
Pumpkinator – 52.5%
Divine Reserve #15 – 47.5%

Game 4 – Southern Star vs. Lone Pint (610 Votes)
Black Crack – 31.3%
Yellow Rose – 68.7%

Round of 16 Results:

Round of 32 Results:

Round of 64 Results:

The post Houston Beer Guide Bracket 2016 first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Houston Beer Guide Bracket 2016 appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

A quick reminder of the methodology: To make this list, I started with all Houston-area beers with at least 100 Untappd check-ins. I then excluded any beers that have had less than 5% growth in activity since last quarter. The resulting 202 beers from 24 breweries were then weighted using a Bayesian estimate based on total check-ins and ratings. And finally: obviously all ratings should be taken lightly. Ratings are subject to the whims of rarity, perceived excitement, and even personal vendettas from groups of people. This is just a fun exercise but should not be considered a reflection of my opinion or the opinion of Houston Beer Guide.

Last time around, we only had 193 beers from 21 breweries. For the second quarter in a row, three more breweries have qualified for this list, indicative of the city’s steady brewery growth.

The Top Ten Beers in the Houston area, weighted:

Atop the chart, not much has changed from last quarter. Southern Star Black Crack rose two spots, largely due to the latest successful release. And sadly, my love of Yellow Rose can’t save it from another quarterly drop. Near the bottom, however, the real excitement occurs: the first sighting in the Top 10 of a Brash beer (likely a sign of more to come), as well as the first time that a No Label beer has made the chart. This year’s Perpetual Peace release has been incredibly highly reviewed and the Single Barrel variety helped as well. Clearly a good sign from the Katy brewery.

The Top Ten Breweries in the Houston area, weighted:

Again, the top of the chart remains unchanged. Much more exciting: Brash’s rise into the Top 5, as well as Texian’s return on the chart, something obviously bolstered by their recent focus on funky & sour beers. Texian’s return dethrones Brazos Valley, which has fallen completely off the chart, something likely affected by their lack of a new qualifying beer since last quarter.

What do you think? It’s March and that means one major thing for sports fans, and a similar thing for Houston beer fans. You’ve seen the rankings above, but now we want you to vote in our own March beer bracket with the top 64 Houston beers. Check it out here!

The post Top-Rated Beers & Breweries in Houston: March 2016 first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Top-Rated Beers & Breweries in Houston: March 2016 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.