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.

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.