21 years of Saint Arnold. Photo courtesy of D.J. Delarosa.

Last year, in a celebration of 20 years of business, Saint Arnold held a special “cellar event” that included special beers that were new, rare, or created for that event alone. It was marvelous, and a really nice way to celebrate two decades of craft beer in Houston.

This year, Saint Arnold decided to hold the event again, this time celebrating 21 years, and did so in a marvelous fashion, not at all as sloppy as most of us celebrated 21. The event once again held beers that hadn’t been seen in some time, beers that were yet to be publicly released, and beers that wouldn’t be seen outside of the event. And once again, cheese from the Houston Dairymaids was provided.

Highlights included a Cognac Barrel Aged 20th Anniversary Ale (a year and some cognac later turned this into an extremely complex beer), the Bourbon Barrel Aged Divine Reserve 12 (Quad) that they also had at last year’s party (just phenomenal), and Bishop’s Barrel 2 with Brett, a beer that most around me agreed is one of the best the brewery has ever made.

Some of the more interesting beers that were available included a cask of Pumpkinator with Coffee and Cocoa (the coffee dominated, and the spice – evident in both the Bishop’s Barrel 9, Pumpkinator 2014, and to a lesser extent, Pumpkinator 2011 – was almost non-existent), Divine Reserve 11 (a once proud and mighty beer is no longer very drinkable – the fresh Endeavour on tap nearby was a strong reminder of how amazing DR11 once was), and two different syrups for Boiler Room (The blackberry was my preference – though I generally drink Boiler Room straight and in large quantities, sometimes I enjoy it mit schuss.)

It’s crazy to think that Saint Arnold is 21 years old today. All around the room on Sunday stood workers, volunteers, friends, and family of the oldest craft brewery in Texas. There was a buzz in the air, not just because of exciting beers and tasty cheeses, but because in many ways, this celebration wasn’t just about the brewery – it was about craft beer in Texas, in Houston, altogether. In 1994, when Saint Arnold opened, when the first sip of Amber poured, no one could have predicted how mature the beer scene in Texas would get over the next 21 years. And now, we’re all very thirsty – it’s time to enter Houston beer adulthood.

Congratulations to Saint Arnold, godfather of Texas Craft Beer. Here’s to 21 years, and here’s to many, many more.

The post Celebrating 21 Years of Saint Arnold first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Celebrating 21 Years of Saint Arnold appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

Houston Beer Week is not just another week; there’s fifty one of those sprinkled liberally throughout the year already. No, HBW is a shining beacon of hope, an oasis in the desert, a sign of beauty and glory, and a lot of other overly vibrant metaphors.

When I think back on HBWs of the past, I think back on wonderful experiences with new friends, drinking new beers, at new-to-me places. That theme, of newness in beer, is one that continually draws me back to this wonderful beverage. Newness is exciting, and if you can find new excitement (and I certainly do), if you can find new thirst, then that initial wonder upon tasting your first “favorite beer” doesn’t have to be a thing of the past. Thus, I present to you, a short list of events I’ve chosen to highlight for Houston Beer Week 2015 with the theme “new again.” I hope you’ll join me at these or many other events this week.

New To Houston

Alpine Beer Company has been around since 1999, but only in the last month have they entered our fair city. They’ll be at many events this week, including a tap takeover at Whole Foods Voss and special west-coast takeovers at both Petrol Station and Hop Scholar. But as for me, I’m most excited for the “Westside Connection” at Flying Saucer Downtown. Not only for delicious new-to-Houston Alpine brews, but for wonderful West Coast rap music.

New Beer

Karbach is going hard for HBW this year, and in addition to a new Pilsner and Blood Orange Ale, they’ll also be supplying a keg of their new imperial stout, Three Legged Lab, to Mongoose v Cobra for their “Mongoose Versus Houston” flight. Because this flight is available all week long, I’ll be able to stop in after work one day and also try the new 2522 Hefe from Southern Star. Two new beers in one shot. Hot dang.

New To Me

I have a confession to make and I’m not proud of it: I’ve never had Dairymaids cheese. I freaking love cheese, and somehow I’ve missed out. But soon this shall not be true! A new-to-me venue, Siphon Coffee, is hosting a BB9 cheese pairing with new-to-me Dairymaids cheese. I’m stoked.

New Breweries

11 Below doesn’t open officially until May, but the upcoming Houston brewery is hosting a sneak peek and three-beer tasting during HBW. And obviously I’m very excited for that, because with names like “Oso Bueno,” how can their beer be anything but exciting? But one new brewery isn’t enough for one week, so Brash, the newest brewery as of this week, will bring two kegs of their freshly-brewed hoppiest beers to Beavers for a speakeasy night. And there’s live music too.

These are obviously only a handful of the many, many events going on this week, so get yourself over to the official Houston Beer Week events calendar or live map and find some beer to drink!

The post Houston Beer Week 2015 first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Houston Beer Week 2015 appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.