Barrel-aged stouts, boozy barleywines, high ABV DIPAs, whatever.

Unlike some breweries whose sole intention seems to be making all of their beers so strong no mortal man can finish a pint while remaining upright, City Acre doesn’t generally produce especially strong beers just because they’re bored. So when I saw that City Acre had plans to release Quadratonic on May 1st (eventually postponed to May 8th due to weather), I was excited and intrigued by its description…a 15% malt beverage brewed with fruits from their own impressive garden, cellared and blended over a 15 month period, and served still. My mind immediately went to an expectation of a classier version of DKML by Founders Brewing. 

When May 8th finally arrived, while out of the house under the guise of last minute Mother’s Day shopping for my wife, I made the short trip over to the beautiful Topping Street grounds to bring a couple of bottles home with the intention of drinking one soon and holding one back to age a while. Fast forward a couple of weeks and I finally made time to sit down with the first one and see what we had.

 Let’s start with the bottle presentation. It would be an understatement to say that I loved the packaging. The unique bottle shape and labelling harken back to that glorious time when your local drug store could sell you Coca-Cola with actual cocaine, headache medicine that was essentially just heroin, and any number of other various snake oils “for your health.”

The beer (is this technically beer? I need to look into that) poured a deep burgundy-brown color, completely opaque but not a heavy viscosity. Just as advertised there was no carbonation to speak of. 

As you go in for the first sip, before the glass reaches your mouth, your nose is hit with the smokiness of this beer. Lots of smoke, that is accented by the sweetness of the malt. And booziness. It’s not a sneaky 15% ABV; it tells you right up front that it’s there to party. Then more smoke. In the first few sips, the grapes were barely discernible and the apricot was non-existent. As the beer warmed to room temp, some of the more complex fruit flavors made a stronger appearance (although I never really did catch the apricot) and the sweetness kicked up another notch. Not pastry stout sweet, but a tooth-achy malt kind of sweetness like a barleywine. But I couldn’t get past the smoke. It was just too overpowering to all of the other more delicate flavors. I don’t mind a smoky beer, and I liked this beer. But I went into this wanting to love it and I didn’t quite get there. I could not get past the thought that some of its potential was being held hostage by the smokiness. My hope is that as this ages, the charred wood will be subdued and some of the more subtle characteristics will emerge, and I can look back on this review in a couple of years realizing it was just a little too soon to fully judge this beer.

If you’ve had this one, feel free to reach out and let me know what you thought.

Cheers!

The post Quadratonic by City Acre first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Quadratonic by City Acre appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

If you’d like to have your event included, send an email to info@houstonbeerguide.com with the subject line “August Event Calendar.” Please include the date & time, a brief description of the event, the location, and a Facebook event link if available.

Thursday, August 3rd – National IPA Day

IPA Day Shirt – Available at Flying Saucer

IPA Day at Flying Saucer Downtown | 11am-1am | $3 IPA specials, one off casks and surprise release. Dozens of IPAs from Texas best and beyond including Brash Brewing, Alpine Beer Company, Eureka Heights Brew Co, Real Ale Brewing Company, Green Flash Brewing Co. and more.
More details on Facebook

IPA Day at Conservatory featuring Saint Arnold Art Car | 5pm-close | Try 5 variations Art Car, one of Houston’s best IPAs at Conservatory. Line up: Art Car, Grapefruit Art Car Dry Hopped w/ Amarillo Hops, Blueberry Art Car Dry Hopped w/ Mosaic Hops, Meyer Lemon Art Car Dry Hopped w/ Lemon Drop Hops, Double Dry Hopped w/ Citra & Galaxy Hops Art Car Cask.
More details on Facebook

IPA Day at Flying Saucer Sugarland | 5pm-12am | $3 (single) IPAs and $1 off Double/Imperial IPAs all day.
More details on Facebook

IPA Day Appy Hour at Holler Brewing | 4pm-close | Pair 3 of Holler’s IPAs with 3 types of chicken wings from T-Bone’s Sports Pub. The chicken wings are free while they last.
More details on Facebook

Saturday, August 5th

White Linen Day at Premium Draught | 12pm-4pm| Get ready for the art fair on 19th Street with Premium Draught and Holler Brewing. Premium Draught will have 5 Holler beers on tap. Each growler purchase includes a free Holler Brewing t-shirt to wear to White Linen Night. John & Kathryn Holler will be there to talk beer and pour beer.

White Linen Night and 2 Year Anniversary Party at Town In City Brewing | 6pm-11pm | To celebrate their second anniversary, Town in City is releasing their White Linen IPA – A hoppy wheat IPA brewed with Texas Grapefruit. They’ll have several small batch beers on tap as well as food an music.
More details on Facebook

Sunday, August 6th

Root Beer Float Day at Saint Arnold | 12pm-5pm | Saint Arnold will be serving root beer floats made with their root beer and Fat Cat Creamery’s Mexican Vanilla ice cream, as well as some special variations. There is no admission fee and it is a family friendly event.
More details on Facebook

Thursday, August 10th

Beer Dinner Cooking Demo at City Acre Brewing | 7pm-10pm | City Acre is opening their Victorian manor for a special beer dinner. Chef Rick will teach you how to prepare each course, which will be paired with City Acre beers. Be among the first to try their Passonfruit version of their mainstay pale ale, TXPA.
This is a ticketed event.
More details on Facebook | Ticket link

Friday, August 11th

B-52 Brewing Biere de Coupage Bottle Release | 3pm-? | B-52 Brewing is releasing their newest sour/wild beer: Biere de Coupage. It is “a blend of young saison and one-year old, oak-fermented sour saison dry-tead with a blend of five different tea varieties.” They have 1000 bottles available for $8 each, available while they last.
More details on Facebook

Saturday, August 12

Baa Baa Brewhouse Meenie Can Release | 10am-? | Baa Baa Brewhouse is releasing the second Hazy IPA in their “Ennie, Meenie, Miny, Moe” series.

Sunday, August 13th

Juice Fest at SpindleTap Brewery | SpindleTap will be releasing 3 Hazy IPAs: Their original Houston Haze, Juiceton (brewed with help from our resident NEIPA expert Larry Koestler), and Hops Drop. Each 4 pack will be $16, and purchases will be limited to 2 packs of each style.

SpindleTap Juice Fest – August 13th

Saturday, August 19th

Eureka Heights 1 Year Anniversary Party & Bottle Release | 11am-1pm| The VIP event starts at 11:30am and includes tastings of several varitations on their new Bourbon Barrel Imperial Milk Stout, Nuke the Whales. With the VIP ticket you’ll get special glassware and a 22oz bottle of Nuke the Whales to go. The regular admission party starts at 1pm and is free entry. You’ll get a chance to try several variation of Nuke the Whales throughout the day, plus a piñata, an ice cream truck, and birthday cake. Bottles will be available for sale to go.
This is a (partially) ticketed event.
More details on Facebook | Ticket Link

Sunday, August 20th

Happy Firkin Birthday to Flying Saucer Downtown | 11am-1am | Flying Saucer is celebrating their 17th anniversary with over a dozen special one off beers in firkins (also called casks) from local breweries.
More details on Facebook

Sunday, August 27th

Brews & Barrels at Saint Arnold | 11am-2pm | Saint Arnold is playing host to the Galveston Bay Foundation. Learn how to make a rain barrel and go home with a barrel and connector kit of your own. Admission is $40 and includes the barrel, the connector kit, and 2 beer tokens.
This is a ticketed event.
More details on Facebook | Ticket Link

September Preview

Sept 1-3: Brewmaster’s Craft Beer Festival at Moody Gardens
Sept 23: 7th Anniversary Party at The Almighty Moon Tower Inn

The post Houston Beer Events – August 2017 first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Houston Beer Events – August 2017 appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

Josh Frink – Editor-in-chief, Houston Beer Guide

Art Car, Saint Arnold Brewing Co., American IPA, 7.1% ABV

I couldn’t start this series and not pick the beer that’s always in my fridge. It leans into the piney West Coast IPA style with an apricot and orange undertone. It has a gorgeous deep gold color, but most of the time I just drink it straight from the can. It’s been a such solid and consistent option since it was released that it’s a no-brainer pick at the grocery store when I find it reasonably fresh.

Art Car | Josh Frink for Houston Beer Guide

Theodore Crawford – Co-Host, What’s Good Houston Podcast

Hooked Paw, City Acre Brewing Co., Coconut Stout, 4.5% ABV

My knee-jerk reaction was definitely Houston Haze from Spindletap, but that seems too easy. That’s an amazing brew, but it’s been showered with praise so much at this point that it feels uninspired to have that as my choice.

So with that being said, I have to go with ‘Hooked Paw’ from City Acre Brewing Co. as my favorite beer for the month of June!

‘Hooked Paw’ is billed as a coconut vanilla stout, and it certainly lives up to it! Pours a sublime dark brown with a luscious inch-thick head and a deliciously coconut-y nose. Tastes just as good as it looks and smells – I’m not sure if it’s the vanilla or the choice of grains used, but it makes for a very rich, earthy, and roasty brew. If they’ve still got it on tap, do yourself a favor and grab a pint!

Theo is a co-host of the “What’s Good, Houston?!” podcast. Episodes drop every Tuesday and feature an interview with a local guest, a little sports talk, local news, concerts/events, and plenty of laughs! Find it on iTunes, Soundcloud, or www.wghpodcast.com.

Jose Luis Cubria – Editor, Houston Beer Guide

Mini Boss, Eureka Height Brewing Co., Double Dry Hopped IPA, 6.8% ABV

I’ve been mildly obsessed with this beer for the last two months. It’s intensely fruity, and the tropical/citrus notes hit you the moment you start pouring. It’s scary how quickly a crowler of Mini-Boss can disappear.

Mini Boss | Photo: Eureka Heights Brewing

Nick Willard, Host, BrewstonTX on The H Podcast

Art Car, Saint Arnold Brewing Co., American IPA, 7.1% ABV

The mainstay in my house, what with it being June and all, is Saint Arnold’s Art Car IPA, though I know it’s hackneyed and trite. Wafting the glass gets you aromas of grapefruit and orange, with an under-lying biscuit. From the first sniff to the final swig, you’ll find a beautiful consistency between the aroma and flavor, which means you’ll find flavors of orange, citrus and biscuit, creating a light, crisp and refreshing summer brew.  Because of its accessibility (both in finding and drinking it) Art Car is my go-to brew for June.

Nick Willard (@thebrewstonian) is a Houston craft beer-lover and host of the segment #BrewstonTx on @thehpodcast – a podcast about the people and places that make Houston, Houston.

Chris White – Writer, Houston Beer Guide

Eureka Heights Mini Boss, Double Dry Hopped IPA, 6.8% ABV

It’s true. While I was optimistic when Casey Motes left Saint Arnold and started this Shady Acres brewery, I was generally unimpressed with the first few offerings that came flowing from their fermenters. Mini Boss represents everything that’s changed about my opinions of Eureka Heights and their beers. A bright west coast orange, this seasonal IPA is chock full of Five Alive citrus aromas. That smell turns into flavor alongside the sticky, blueberry, floral greatness that is the signature of the hop-of-now-and-forever, Mosaic. It finishes clean and crisp, with a nice earthy crack on the back of the palate that belies that up-front crash of citrus. I literally can’t get enough. It’s amazing, and it’s seasonal, so go get some right now – and bring me a crowler too, if you please.

Nick B., Contributor, Beer Chronicle

Lame Duck, 11 Below Brewing Co., Pale Ale, 5.5% ABV

Say hello to your new favorite pale ale. Lame Duck has a light, smooth mouthfeel that hits you with flavors of lemon, and pine resin. Bready flavors balance out the hop profile in the best way. At 5.5% ABV, a few won’t leave you looking like the duck on the label. Find the cans at liquor and grocery stores all over Houston. Cheers!

Nick is a contributor to Beer Chronicle. Read his full review here: beerchronicle.com/11-below-lame-duck/

Kenneth Krampota – Writer, Houston Beer Guide

Bishop’s Barrel 18, Saint Arnold Brewing Co., Rye Barrel Aged Oat Wine, 12.8% ABV

The Rye Barrel is strong on the nose, but doesn’t overwhelm the beer. It’s an oat wine, which to me tastes like a barley wine with a bit of oatmeal cookie coming in from the oats and Barrel. It’s not over the top with booze as this could have turned out to be, its only fault is that it is a bit thin. Pour one for dessert one night, you’ll be happy you did.

BB18 | Photo: Saint Arnold Brewing

If you’re interested in contributing to next month’s roundup, whether you’re a beer maker, a beer writer, or just a beer drinker, send an email to info@houstonbeerguide.com to get the criteria.

The post What are HOU drinking? – June 2017 first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post What are HOU drinking? – June 2017 appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

If you’d like to have your event included, send an email to info@houstonbeerguide.com with the subject line “July Event Calendar.” Please include the date & time, a brief description of the event, the location, and a Facebook event link if available.

Saturday, July 1st

City Acre’s 1st Anniversary Party | 11am-5pm| City Acre is turning one! To celebrate, they’ll have special beers on tap all day (some new, some past favorites), a German food buffet, and bottles to go of their Skull Creek Kolsch aged on City Acre grown blueberries, dewberries, and blackberries.
This is a ticketed event.
More details on Facebook | Ticket link

Fetching Lab is, well, open | 1pm-5pm | Fetching Lab is only open one or two weekends a month, and even then only depending on the weather. The brewery is on the same property as their house, which is sure to make any homebrewer envious. The brewery is dog friendly, kid friendly, and horse friendly, but bring your own chair.
More details on Facebook

Local Brews Local Grooves at House of Blues | 3pm-10pm | The beer list for this annual event is too long to list. If you like Houston beer, your favorite brewery will probably be pouring beer here. There are multiple ticket tiers, some of which include a Saint Arnold beer dinner before the event.
This is a ticketed event.
More details on Facebook | Ticket Link

Town in City’s First Of JuLuau Party | 6pm-11pm | Town in City is celebrating the beginning of July. They’ll have Blood Brothers BBQ serving Hawaiian food, Hot Rod Pops serving frozen popsicles, and Reggae band Dem will be providing the grooves. They’ll also have some special tropical themed beers available.
More details on Facebook

Bike Ride and Hot Dog Eating Contest at TBR | 12pm-6pm | Join Texas Beer Refinery for their Independence Day celebration. Join 1 mile the “bike parade” from the taproom to the brewery at 12:15, and head back for the hotdog eating competition. There will also be live music starting at 2 and they’ll have “Cloud Nein” a German IPA brewed in collaboration with Wurst Haus.
This is a ticketed event.
More details on Facebook | Ticket Link

Running Walker’s Official Grand Opening | 12pm-11pm | Running Walker is officially opening their outdoor beer garden this weekend. They’ll have food trucks and live music all day to celebrate.
More details on Facebook

Tuesday, July 4th

Fourth of July Celebration at No Label | 12pm-7pm | It’s a day of contests at No Label: hotdog eating, watermelon seed spitting, and dog costumes. They’ll have beer available by the pint, plus food trucks and music throughout the day.

Friday, July 7th

Bishop’s Gone Wild Bottle Release at B-52 | 3pm-? | B-52 will be releasing their Saint Arnold tribute beer, a sour amber ale with raspberries and blackberries, at the brewery at 3pm. Limits will be based on turnout.

Bishop’s Gone Wild Bottle | Photo: B-52 Brewing

Saturday, July 8th

Saint Arnold Pub Crawl Downtown | 2pm-6pm | It’s time for the annual downtown pub crawl. Stop at any one of the locations below between 2pm and 3pm to get a punch card. Your route and stops will vary depending on where you start. Meet everyone at Market Square Park at 6 to redeem your fully stamped card for your Pub Crawl pint glass. You don’t have to drink at every stop to earn the stamp. After the pub crawl, Ishi and The Waxaholics will be performing at Market Square Park.

Stops: El Big Bad, Springbok, Molly’s Pub, Flying Saucer, OKRA Charity Saloon, Christian’s Tailgate, Conservatory, Batanga, Boots ‘n Shoots, Bovine & Barley, Nightingale Room, Shay McElroy’s, Little Dipper, Market Square Park
More details on Facebook

Monday, July 10th

Houston Haze Release at SpindleTap | 3pm-Saturday, July 15th | The newest batch of Houston Haze will be released on Monday at 3pm. As long as supplies last, it will also be available Tuesday-Thursday from 9am-6pm, Friday from 9am-9pm, and Saturday from 12pm-pm.

Friday, July 15th

Cubano and Craft at SpindleTap | 12pm-6pm | Experience a day of Cuban culture, Cuban cuisine, and craft beer. They’ll also have a cigar rolling station.
More details on Facebook

Belgian Beer Week kicks off at Flying Saucer Downtown | July 15 – July 21st

Saturday – Saison Saturday – Discounted Saison Bottles + BYO Saison Flight: Funkwerks Brett Saison, Funkwerks Tropic King, BLVD Tank 7, BLVD Saison Brett, Saison Dupont, Southern Star Summer Saison and more.
Sunday – Belgian Bottle Bottle Release: Large Format and rare Belgians from the cellar.
Monday – $3 Belgian Drafts + Maredsous Chalice Release
Tuesday – Victory Trivia – $5 Victory Golden Monkey all day long + Victory Hoppy Quad at 6pm.
Wednesday – Belgian Flight – De Ranke Tripel, Da La Senne Zinnebir and more.
Thursday – Belgium comes to America – The Bruery Sans Pagaie at 6pm.
Friday – Belgian National Day – Build Your Own Belgian Flights + Cantillon Tapping at 7pm
More details on Facebook

Sunday, July 16th

Feast of Saint Arnold | 5pm-8:30pm | Feast of Saint Arnold is Saint Arnold’s annual fundraiser for Texas Children’s Hospital’s Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center. It’s a 4 course meal (plus hors d’oeuvres and dessert) served family style like a medieval feast. Plus beer, of course.
More details on their website: www.saintarnold.com/feast-of-saint-arnold/

Sunday, July 23rd

Screwed Up Sunday at 8th Wonder | 11am-6pm | 8th Wonder’s annual event paying tribute to DJ Screw is back. The event will include music (of course), an interactive live artshow with Donkeeboy, and a DJ Screw pint glass with 3 beer tokens.
More details on Facebook

Friday, July 28th

Sangria bottle release at B-52 Brewing | 3pm-? | B-52 is releasing their red & white wine barrel aged saison that has been re-fermented with wild yeast, pink guava, blood orange, blackberries & raspberries.

Saturday, July 29th

Xmas in July at Buffalo Bayou | 6pm-9pm | This year’s annual event features a commemorative glass, all you can (responsibly) drink beers, and an ugly sweater contest.
This is a ticketed event.
More details on Facebook | Ticket Link

Board Game Bonanza at Flying Saucer Downtown | 12pm-6pm | Tea & Victory is bringing their library of over 200 board games to the Flying Saucer in downtown Houston.
More details on Facebook

Flying Saucer Board Game Bonanza – July 29th

August Preview

Aug 3 – IPA Day at the Flying Saucer Downtown
Aug 6 – Root Beer Float Day Celebration at Saint Arnold
Aug 10 – Beer dinner & cooking demo at City Acre
Aug 19 – “Nuke the Whales” bourbon barrel imperial milk stout release at Eureka Heights
Aug 20 – Flying Saucer Downtown’s 17th Anniversary Party

Don’t see an event near you? Use our Brewery Map to find somewhere new to visit.

The post Houston Beer Events – July 2017 first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Houston Beer Events – July 2017 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.

The Victorian-style City Acre “castle.”

On Thursday night I attended a preview of the much anticipated City Acre Brewing Co., a brewpub located about 10 minutes north of downtown off U.S. 59 at 3418 Topping Street. Originally slated to open four years ago, but delayed due to complex city regulations and beer laws, City Acre will hold its long-awaited grand opening on July 7.

Offering intriguing food and drink menus, eclectic background music and charmingly eccentric decor, there truly is something for everyone at City Acre.

Veteran homebrewer Matt Schlabach and his wife, Meredith Borders, purchased the nearly one-acre parcel of land off the Eastex Freeway in 2009, and had hoped to open a brewpub on the property in 2012. While waiting on permit approvals and facing construction interruptions, the space, which features an expansive garden and fantastical, gargoyle-guarded, Victorian-style “castle,” has served as a special event venue and de facto tasting lab.

The stalled progress of the brewpub had one advantage: it allowed time for perfecting beer recipes. Some took longer than others to get right. While the Sneaky Wheat Stout was a hit right out of the gate a year and a half ago, Matt says he test batched more than 30 IPAs before arriving on the final Bayouwulf base.

The City Acre Crew: (L-R) Rick Kelsay, Meredith Borders, Matt Schlabach, Jeronimus.

The extended wait also allowed for other, unexpected benefits, according to Matt. “It definitely gave [us] a chance to hone our vision,” he said. “When you’re doing nothing but thinking all day, you can really focus on what you want.”

This mindset definitely shows. The City Acre crew has created a unique, intimate place for beer geeks, foodies, friends and families to share their diverse tastes and discover new ones.

The extra time also allowed the garden to grow. City Acre now has 57 fruit-bearing plants grown with organic methods on the property. The brewpub not only highlights these ingredients in their food and drink, they make the ingredients the stars. “It’s very important to us to make something that showcases our fruits and vegetables,” Matt said.

Incredibly welcoming, the City Acre staff is an endearing, quirky team of intelligent, curious and passionate people.

A former mechanical engineer, Owner Matt has had his hand in nearly everything related to City Acre. Not only is he the brewmaster, he designed their logo, built some of the taproom’s light fixtures and bakes all the brewpub’s bread and buns.

Co-owner Meredith, a magazine editor by trade, is City Acre’s social media guru, as well as their menu and website copywriter.

A long-time friend of Matt’s, General Manager and Fermentologist Mandy Jeronimus, brings fervor for brewing and soda-making to the team. Mandy’s love of all things carbonated comes naturally: her grandfather was a soda jerk and her entire family homebrews.

Rick Kelsay, a Pacific Northwest native, answered Matt’s ad for a chef, and they immediately clicked. “It worked out better than I could have expected,” Matt said. “We came from a common idea of executing solid and simple first, then go from there. “Their shared background of mechanical engineering made Matt and Rick logical partners. “We work together to tweak recipes,” Matt said.

The result of the City Acre team’s hard work pays off in their four beers, inventive food and non-alcoholic drink menus.

The beers:

• Lil’ Wulf: the extremely drinkable session version of their soon-to-be-released Bayouwulf IPA. It is well balanced with subtle tropical notes.
• Tischbier: a clean, grain-forward, light table beer perfect for summer picnics or days at the beach.
• Sneaky Wheat Stout: so named by Matt because people usually drawn to lighter beers might be “sneakily” persuaded to like stouts after trying this crisper variant on the style. This smooth brew with dark chocolate and coffee notes would make me a believer if I weren’t already convinced stouts were worth my while.
• Hitchcock Blonde: a golden ale with a magnificent aroma. It is light and lemony with strong coriander notes and a bit of pepper in the finish.

City Acre also serves other local brews. 8^th Wonder Hopston, Texas Beer Refinery Bayou City Brown, and Southern Star Buried Hatchet were represented on taps, as well as a variety of Saint Arnold, Karbach, 8^th Wonder, and Southern Star beers in cans.

The food:

The sublimely savory German Burger, a pork and venison patty topped with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, house-made pickles and mustard, caramelized onions, and apple on a freshly baked bun crowned with toasted onion paired well with the Hitchcock Blonde. The burger reminded me of pork “sauerkraut supper,” a family recipe and childhood favorite of mine, which my mom always served accompanied by a baked apple.

City Acre offers a sweet finish to your meal with the brewpub’s own seasonal ice creams or house-baked cookies. Their blueberry sherbet was so good I almost forgot about how great the beer was after I tasted a spoonful of the creamy concoction. Not overly sweet like some sherbets, the bright burst of onsite-grown blueberries shined in this beautiful dessert.

Another distinctive characteristic of City Acre is their creative non-alcoholic menu, which is composed of a custom mineral water blend, house cold-brew coffee (served on nitro), and small-batch sodas crafted with pure cane sugar and homegrown seasonal fruits and herbs. I recommend the wonderfully frothy and refreshing hibiscus mint soda made with mint harvested from their onsite garden.

Mandy, Matt, and I bonded over our mutual affection for sour beverages while discussing City Acre’s fruit shrubs. Also known as drinking vinegars, the brewpub serves blueberry basil, raspberry malt vinegar, and grapefruit varieties.

I walked in City Acre’s taproom as a mere email acquaintance, and left feeling like I had made new friends. Do yourself a favor and check out City Acre–I think you’ll feel right at home, too.

For more information visit City Acre’s website: http://cityacrebrewing.com.

The post City Acre: Right at Home at Houston’s New Brewpub first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post City Acre: Right at Home at Houston’s New Brewpub appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.