The original Don Jalapeno label. | Photo: No Label Brewing Co.

Sadly, the Stag’s Head is no longer, and soon the same will be said about Don Jalapeño. No Label has announced that this batch will be their last of the beer I so enjoyed, as they make room for new brews such as a “Mojito Lime,” “Citrus Ginger,” and new DIPA. Disheartened to see one of my favorite Houston beers disappear forever, I caught up with No Label co-founder Jennifer Royo, who assured me that the move was a good one. “We are making room for new, exciting seasonals … rest assured, Don Jalapeño will be replaced by some amazing new beers.”

No Label, the Katy stalwart, unfortunately is not “No Limit” and is constrained in production, so ultimately some brands have to be retired. Jennifer explained, “we are limited by our size, tap handles available to us at bars, and the shelf space available to us in retail, so we need to keep our lineups new, fresh, and exciting.” This means more room for new beers, as well as new entrants in some of the brewery’s experimental series, such as the Hop Solo line of beers.

Still, one can’t help but lament the loss. The beer was one of the first seasonals No Label produced, with Jennifer’s uncle providing the peppers from his own garden. While it’s true that pepper beers can be divisive, as many can’t handle the heat, I always felt that Don Jalapeño served as a nice Houston symbol: down here, food is hot and flavorful. And as for the various other spicy beers that No Label has made? Well, it seems like that era of heat might be ending: Don Gusano, the one-off Mezcal Barrel-Aged Don Jalapeño produced for the Wild West Brew Fest in 2015, remains only a one-off, with no plans to ever return. One iota of hope remains, as Jennifer explains, “What the Hatch may come back, as we know Hatch season is big!”

Here’s hoping that’s true, and more to the point, here’s hoping even one day Don Jalapeño returns from the dead. In the mean time, I’ll miss that heat, and look back only on fond memories of the fiery beverage that once somehow cooled me off on such a hot day.

The post Adiós, Don Jalapeño first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Adiós, Don Jalapeño appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

Sometimes good beer starts with nothing more than a good idea, and Brew of H fits into that category. When Calhoun’s opened on the south end of the University of Houston main campus in August of 2014, their friends at Brewheart collaborated with them on a design for T-shirt that clearly communicates that University of Houston Cougars need good beer too — with a hand holding a longneck while simultaneously making the Cougar Paw hand sign.

The design that started it all!

At the time, the only UH-themed beer available was red-dyed Bud Light available on draft at Cougar football home games. However, late in 2015 the Coogs at No Label Brewing approached Calhoun’s/Brewheart to use the name for a red-dyed version of First Street Ale to be sold in the run-up to the Cougars’ victorious trip to the 2016 Peach Bowl. That beer was such a hit — it sold out in a couple hours at Calhoun’s — that the idea for a true collaboration craft beer was cemented.

Over a few recipe formulation sessions and some test batches at No Label’s brewery in Katy the beer was finalized into a (very) Red IPA, hopped gratuitously in the boil with Cascade, Columbus and Nugget and dry hopped with the same combination. Shannon told Houston Beer Guide that she loves Cascade and that type of west-coast IPA, so this beer is a hop forward tribute to the style of beer, and it doesn’t use a drop of red food coloring — getting all its Shasta-pleasing scarlet luster from specialty barley malt. Gus said that the beer was more on the dank and earthy side than other No Label hoppy beers, but at 6% still aims at being balanced and in line with No Label’s approachable style. He said that Jennifer and Brian Royo, the owners of No Label and proud UH alums, wanted to brew something that would be not be a ‘gimmicky’ beer. They want to be true to the flavor, and took great pride in crafting this beer in the spirit of alma mater.

That’s one red IPA!

The soft launch at Calhoun’s on the 15th of August will be a ticketed ‘friends and family’ event, and What’s On Tap Radio will be there to document the festivities. A broader launch including distribution to multiple bars and restaurants in greater Houston will follow in the weeks to come.

The beer is currently planned as draft-only, and as No Label (through their distribution partner, Favorite Brands) does not have access to taps at TDECU Stadium it won’t be available for Cougar home games this season, so fill those growlers for your tailgate coolers! A packaged version could be available soon, and Gus said this beer could join No Label’s year round lineup, with draft distributed to accounts popular with UH alumni across No Label’s existing statewide Texas footprint.

But for now, it’s no surprise that it took a collaborative effort between some good beer people and some proud Houston Cougars to (finally) make a UH-themed brew. This season Cougar fans can add a new refrain to the traditional fight song – DrinkItUp, DrinkItUp, Go, Coogs, Go!!

The post Seeing (and drinking) Cougar Red! first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Seeing (and drinking) Cougar Red! appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.