2017 was a transformative year for craft beer in Houston.

• We saw the rise of the NEIPA (thanks in large part to Larry’s “Who will be Houston’s Tree House or Trillium?” essay) with 8th Wonder, 11 Below, B-52, Baa Baa, Copperhead, No Label, Spindletap, Texian, Whole Foods Market, and others trying their hand at the style.
• Saint Arnold celebrated their 23rd anniversary and 5 local breweries made their own versions of classic Saint Arnold beers.
• We saw Texian and 160ft Beerworks close up shop. Texian plans to return.
• Baileson, Bearded Fox, Great Heights, Texas Leaguer, Vallensons’, and Wicked Boxer opened their doors to the public.
• Both Buffalo Bayou and Saint Arnold are (still) offering Free Beer For Life.
• Chris complained about the lack of on-demand craft beer delivery, and HopDrop delivered in response.
• And in the wake of Hurricane Harvey our city came together, reached out to one another, and got to work helping each other recover. Just about every brewery stepped up in a variety of ways. 8th Wonder used their high clearance vehicles for water rescues. Eureka Heights, Saloon Door, and countless others became donation centers. Saint Arnold spearheaded #ReliefBeers, and breweries from around the country donated $1 per beer sold to the Houston Food Bank, raising $35,000. Spindletap became a local distribution center, even attracting the superstar of Harvey relief – JJ Watt – into the tap room to sort and load supplies on to trucks. Hurricane Harvey will be a rallying point for our community for years to come.

Our Favorite Beers

We like to wrap the year up by sharing our the best local and non-local beer we had in the last year. It’s not an original idea, but it’s fun. We’d love to hear your picks as well!

Chris White

Eureka Heights ‘Mini Boss’ – To think, there was a time I didn’t think much of Eureka Heights’ beers. Dumb names, I said. Boring styles, I said. I was wrong, and Mini Boss represents everything I was wrong about. This beer explodes with citrus, finishes with a balanced bitterness and is enjoyable all the way through. Eureka took the megatrend of 2017 – hopping late with Mosaic and other big flavorful hops (in this case Citra) and hit it out of the park. It’s become a beer I seek whenever a new batch is released.

Listermann Brewing Company ‘Tricky’ (Cincinnati, OH) – I love all of Listermann’s series of NE-style IPAs with old school rap names, but I think Tricky has become the single example by which I have come to judge all comers in this style. Blending the aromatic elements of Mosaic with the pineapple/tropical flavors of Galaxy, it brings hop flavor and aroma from first pop of the 16 oz can and has very little perceptible bitterness – just a soft, clean, juicy finish. Listermann has a special place in my heart because 2017 was also the year I established a beer trading partner in the Cincinnati area (THANKS SAM), and so have been fortunate enough to get my hands on these delicious goodies.

Honorable mention: Galveston Island Brewing DIPA #7, MIA Brewing MEGA MIX Pale Ale, Urban Artifact Gaslight, Societe The Swindler, Odell Rupture Pale Ale, Grand Teton Brewing Teton Range IPA

Tim Spies

Saint Arnold Brewing ‘Icon Red Märzen’ – I am always excited to try a modern take on a classic style. And while there are many misses in the world of beer, Saint Arnold Brewing has proven more than capable in the handling of such styles. So as I expressed in my review of Icon Red Märzen, I was more than pleased with the results. A great representation of the style, and one that I hope will return with their regular fall lineup every year.

The Answer Brewpub ‘I Like Turtles’ (Richmond, VA) – Maybe it’s just me, but rarely do collaborations work out as well as I hope or expect. Two great breweries combining must always produce great outcomes, right? But sadly, seldom do such high expectations equal results. I Like Turtles is an extraordinary gem that greatly exceeds such desires. This collaboration between The Answer Brewpub and Bottle Logic Brewing is a delightful stout with caramel and southern pecan coffee and toasted coconut. This beer sets a deliciously high standard I hope more collaborations can meet.

Alice Hicks

Eureka Heights ‘Mini Boss’ – In short: liquid gold. I should not be surprised how good Mini Boss is given the strength of Eureka Heights’s output so far, but I was struck by its deliciousness at first sip. A grapefruit nose gave way to crisp, clean citrus and tropical flavors dancing on my tongue. At 6.8% ABV I am glad I don’t have to worry much about crushing too many of this double dry-hopped wonder, but it’s still dangerously drinkable.

Great Notion ‘Double Stack’ (Portland, OR) – I confess I had never heard of Great Notion Brewing before a friend mentioned it, which is actually a bit of a surprise since I visit Portland, Oregon and the surrounding area every other year. But with 70 breweries in Portland proper alone, it’s not hard to miss one. Now I know where I am going next time as soon as my plane hits the tarmac! Double Stack is a decadent treat. An imperial breakfast stout brewed with Portland’s Clutch coffee and Vermont maple syrup, Great Notion nails the flavor: the brew makes me feel as if I have been transported back to childhood and stuffed myself with stacks of syrup-doused pancakes.

Nathan Miller

B-52 ‘A Tart Frenchie – Peach & Apricot’ – Admittedly, I didn’t get to try as many new Houston beers this year as I’d like, but most of the ones I did try in my few trips back home or from boxes sent to me were very good. I think that my favorite was probably B-52’s “A Tart Frenchie – Peach & Apricot,” which was lightly tart, very well-balanced, and extremely refreshing, without hiding any of the delightful fruit flavor. It reminded me a little of some of the beers I’ve had from California’s Good Beer Co, which are absurdly delightful for many of the same reasons. It’s clear from this beer and others that I’ve now had from the growing Conroe brewery that B-52 is a force to be reckoned with, having already earned my vote for Houston’s second best brewery, rising with a bullet.

Cantillon ‘Nath’ (Brussels, Belgium) – December 1st, 2012, I was sitting at the Avenue Pub awaiting my taste of that year’s “Zwanze,” a special beer created by the Brussels brewery once a year. That year, it was a lambic with rhubarb added, and I recall not getting a lot of rhubarb flavor but still immensely enjoying it. Fast forward to August 26 of this year, and I’m sitting at Cantillon, trying my first bottle of Nath, the newest rhubarb lambic. This time, there’s a lot more rhubarb, with a fantastic balance, an incredible aroma, and an amazing lambic “canvas.” I was fortunate enough to try Nath one more time this year, on tap a month later (again at Avenue Pub for Zwanze day), and found the rhubarb slightly more muted, serving as a bridge to that memory from five years ago. And of course, it doesn’t hurt that it has such a great name…

Jose Luis Cubria

Eureka Heights ‘Mini-Boss’ – My favorite Houston IPA, and the beer that made me forget about Yellow Rose’s quality-control issues. It’s deliciously fruity, and the tropical/citrus notes hit you the moment you start pouring. It’s scary how quickly a crowler of this can disappear. (Honorable mention: the various barrel treatments of Saint Arnold DR17.)

Boon Geuze ‘Mariage Parfait’ (Halle, Belgium) – On the short-list for my desert-island beer, and an insta-buy every time I see it. The fact that this is now a Houston shelf beer blows my mind. For my tastes, it’s a perfect gueuze, and a perfect beer.

Kenneth Krampota

The post Our Favorite Beers of 2017 first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Our Favorite Beers of 2017 appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

Märzen-style beers have been brewed in some form or another throughout Europe since the early days of beer. Though more commonly associated with Germany, due to the beer’s association with Oktoberfest, these “March” beers were often made in many regions during the spring, then stored (lagered) in cool caves, and consumed throughout the summer while brewing operations ceased due to the risk of bacterial infection. The remaining beer would eventually be consumed in early fall, before the start of the new brewing season. In 1810, the first Oktoberfest celebration occurred in Munich, in the Bavarian region of southern Germany, to commemorate the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig I. In 1841, Munich’s Spaten Brewery unveiled what is considered to be the original Oktoberfestbier Märzen, and the annual celebration would incorporate the style as the primary beer consumed during the festival.

Many American versions of Oktoberfest beers are more closely related to Vienna lagers than Bavarian Märzens, though both are brewed to celebrate the festival and season by breweries around the world. While the two styles are both historically and technically very similar, Vienna lagers tend to be paler, drier, and have a touch of bitterness often missing from the Munich-style brews. Traditional Märzens are generally more amber in color, full-bodied, maltier, and a tad sweet.

Though it is tough to live up to the lofty standards of certain Märzen classics from breweries like Ayinger and Hacker-Pschorr, Saint Arnold Icon Red Märzen is the closest thing to a true Märzen I’ve tasted in a domestic version. 100% Munich malt is used, along with Perle and Hersbruker hops from the Hallertauer region just outside of Munich. They also incorporate the classic brewing method of decoction mashing, where part of the mash is removed, boiled, and returned to the main mash. This creates more caramelization of the malt, and leads to a greater depth of character in the flavor. The practice is laborious, and few modern breweries integrate it into their brewing process, as standard malts tend to be well modified, making decoction generally unnecessary. Saint Arnold also uses the method in their 5 O’Clock Pils, with great results.

Saint Arnold Icon Red Marzen | Photo: Tim Spies for Houston Beer Guide

The Icon Red Märzen pours light amber in color, and a high level of aggression might reward you with some transient foam. But typically, don’t expect a lot of lasting head on this beer. No worries. Just enjoy the nose and move on. Aromas of toasted bread and nuts, with a touch of caramel sweetness can be wafted your way with the slightest swipe of your hand. Or just plunge your entire face right on in and enjoy the full effect. Your senses will relish the many layers of malt. But, a touch of floral hops can be sought-out by the most discerning of noses. Upon taking your initial sip, the first thing you notice is the superb mouthfeel. It is well rounded, refreshing, and fulfilling. And unlike many domestic versions, it won’t abandon your mouth to a super dry finish, forcing a lingering bitterness on your tastebuds. Instead, you want to dive right back in, ignoring the somewhat high (but standard for the style) 5.9% ABV that later could lead to a few questionable decisions; probably karaoke. This desire to hastily consume is further encouraged by the delicious flavors that match the nose’s tease: toasted malt, a light touch of caramel sweetness, and a complexity often abandoned by the quaffable intentions of milquetoast brewers everywhere.

The results of the arduous decoction method, and the commitment to quality ingredients and execution, separate the Saint Arnold Icon Red Märzen from many of the other domestic Märzens I’ve “enjoyed” to this point in my professional drinking career. I can’t recall a lager offering so much, while still remaining consistent and drinkable throughout the entire pour. Too often, beers of varying complexity can weigh on your palate’s loyalty like a good friend on a brutally long road trip; the first few sips may be great, but by the end of the pour you’re more than ready to move on. But with Saint Arnold Icon Red Märzen, you will almost certainly enjoy your experience throughout and plan your next endeavor upon completion (and it will likely be another Icon Red). It is undeniably a beer not to be missed.

The Details:

Original Gravity: 1.0575
Final Gravity: 1.0144
ABV: 5.84%
IBU: 21
Malts: Munich
Hops: Perle and Hersbrucker
Available thru December

The post Saint Arnold Icon Red Märzen – A Perfect Companion for Fall Festivities first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Saint Arnold Icon Red Märzen – A Perfect Companion for Fall Festivities appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.