The first few years were not without their challenges, as the craft beer industry as we know it was just entering its infancy. “It was a rough go early on. Financially it was challenging. If you asked me at year six or seven if we would still be around in twenty years, I would not have confidently told you yes,” Wagner explained, then went on to add, “I always like to say after twelve years we were an overnight success!”

Reservations aside, thirty years later, Brock Wagner has guided Saint Arnold from an unknown upstart into a thriving Houston institution. What started out as a small industrial park brewery has turned into a regional brewing powerhouse that ranked as the Brewer Association’s 41st largest independent craft brewery in the United States in 2023. Saint Arnold has been named Brewery of the Year at the Great American Beer Fest twice (2017, 2023). The brewery has won countless medals at competitions both domestically and across the globe.

Most importantly, the impact that Saint Arnold has had on the Houston area and the craft brewing industry in Texas far outweighs any national ranking or medals. The brewery has been an instrumental philanthropic partner through sponsoring endeavors such as annual bike teams supporting Texas Children’s Hospital through the MS 150, as well as the Feast of Saint Arnold, the Houston Zoo, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, BARC Animal Shelter, Galveston Bay Foundation, Kids’ Meals, and many others too numerous to list. Saint Arnold has also been a devoted steward of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild going all the way back to day one.

“As pioneers in Texas’s craft brewing movement, Brock and the team at Saint Arnold have not only set a high bar for brewing quality beer but have also been instrumental in fostering the genuine spirit of community and camaraderie that continues to make the Texas craft brewing industry so special,” said Caroline Wallace, Executive Director of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild. “In fact, numerous craft breweries across Texas can trace their ‘brewing lineage’ back to Saint Arnold. From being one of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild’s founding breweries to playing a pivotal role in our legislative progress for Texas breweries and brewpubs over the years, Saint Arnold has really been a leader in the collective advancement of our industry.”

With thirty years in the ledger and a laundry list of accolades, being able to stop to enjoy the moment of this weekend’s upcoming celebration is nothing to be trifled with. Wagner is taking the moment in stride, almost to the point of underselling the significance. “I’m bad about celebrating milestones because I feel like people might think it’s a finish line where there is no finish line.” When asked how he plans to celebrate the occasion, Wagner added, “We have an amazing team and I have zero responsibilities the day of the party. I am going to take an Uber and start drinking beer. I get to come enjoy the festival like being a home brewer back in college again and the local microbrewery is having a party, and you can just show up and have a great time!”

The Thirtieth Anniversary Party is a weekend-long affair, starting with the official party on Saturday, June 9th. General admission tickets are still available and are required for entry into the event, which begins at 11 AM and features live entertainment from 2 PM until 10 PM. Parking passes are limited, and ride-sharing or other means of transportation are suggested for those attending. On Sunday, Saint Arnold is hosting a sold-out Thirtieth Anniversary Special Rare Cellar Event in the Beer Hall.

The highlight release for the party is the Thirtieth Anniversary Grand Cru, which debuted earlier this week through pre-sale, and is now available in individual bottles at retailers and on tap at select venues across the city. The release is a 16.8% ABV double-barrel Imperial Stout with Commitment as the base, which was then aged between two and four years in a variety of different bourbon and whiskey barrels. The barrels were then blended additionally in a series of Madeira, Tokaji, and Tawny Port barrels before being blended again.

Moving forward, Wagner is not looking at slowing down anytime soon. His goal is to continue to push the brewery and the craft beer industry in Texas further. “I want to see Saint Arnold as the leading craft brewery in Texas. We have a respected institution, which is one of those things you can’t quit. It’s very, very important for us to always be innovating and evolving. Everything we have done to get us to thirty years will not get us to the next thirty years. This is part of the moment where we celebrate where we are today, but we can never assume or take our guests and customers for granted. We have to keep winning our customers every single day.”

Purchase tickets to the anniversary celebration at https://www.saintarnold.com/30th-anniversary-party/

Special thank you to local craft beer photographer, Steve Fraga – photo credit on all images.

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Big congrats to True Anomaly Brewing Company for taking home the big one – the 2024 Brewery of the Year award. Cheers to brewing great beer!

See the full list of Texas winners here.

The post Texas Craft Brewers Cup Awards 2024 first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

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The post Beer Reviews: Saint Arnold Brewing – French Press Coffee Porter 🆚 Tarnation Strong Ale first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

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In the beginning, this brew proved to be pretty difficult to create. After nearly 20 batches later, Saint Arnold settled on Durst pils and spicy hop blend of Czech Saaz for finishing flavor and balance. Nearly all of Saint Arnold beer recipes have not changed since being introduced but the Summer Pils is the big exception. This beer was adjusted nearly every year until they settled on a three year plan in 2003 to reach a final recipe in 2006. The 2006 recipe was perfect: light and refreshing with a crisp, clean bitter bite. Today, the beer is made with the finest German malts and hersbrucker and saaz hops for that traditional smooth tasting golden Munich-style Helles flavor profile.

I am grateful that Summer Pils has the longest season of any of Saint Arnold seasonal releases. Makes sense it always summer for most of the year in Texas anyways! Speaking of grateful, it wouldn’t be a proper August 1st without a mention a special birthday, Grateful Dead’s rock and roll legend, Jerry Garcia. Happy 80th Birthday Jerry. You are missed more than ever. I am keeping your memory alive by playing your music every day. NFA.

Find this summer thirst quencher in appropriately sized 18 packs at your local Houston area grocery store or visit the taproom biergarten for a fresh pour. It’s recommended to enjoy this beer in a pint glass served at a cold 36° Fahrenheit. Paired with the Europe ’72 live album by Grateful Dead of course. Perfect.

What summer beer have you been drinking lately? What beer/ music has you feeling good? Shoot us an email and tell us all about it! Don’t forget, August in Houston Beer Month, and we are accepting guest contributors all month – your article could be featured and you can win a ticket to the Houston Beer Block Party happening August 27th for participating. Cheers Houston!

The post Saint Arnold’s Summer Pils and Chill first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

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Fast forward to 2007, my family and I owned a small restaurant in Atascocita and I was in charge of beverages. The beer I knew I had to have in the lineup was of course Fancy Lawnmower. While the restaurant didn’t last long, something special started to bloom. One of Lynn and I’s first dates was at the restaurant. We played poker and shared a 6 pack of…Fancy Lawnmower. The beer was forever etched in the story of our shared life.

Two years later, we made it official! We became husband and wife and as we celebrated our new life together we couldn’t think of a better beer to have at our celebration than…Fancy Lawnmower!

Guest submission from Leo Longoria.

Podcast: Texas Beer Experience

Instagram: @TexasBeerExperience

Blog: www.texasbeerexperience.com

Interested in sharing your story? Be a guest contributor this month!

Email us at cheers@houstonbeerguide.com.

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Everyone knows about the game of craps, right? Even if you have never played yourself, you have surely heard the commotion from these high paced tables in Vegas. Players giving high fives, rejoicing after hot roll sequences of sevens on the come out roll is all part of the fun. When the table is hot, everyone wins. Part of the excitement of the game is the never ending action especially when the shooter hits the winning point with a table full of place and field bets. Complicated yes, but just like most casino games, craps is no different than poker and the fact is, you can’t win if you don’t bet big. The brewing team at Saint Arnold did just that with this beer.  

Our patron Saint brewery of Houston, Saint Arnold Brewing Company took that gamble with this eclectic choice of hops for their latest year round offering. This latest beer innovation is a double IPA weighing in at a hefty 9.2% abv and after tasting it, I have no doubt that we will all win with this choice.

It’s picture perfect clarity shines bright through today’s choice glassware . **All hail the queen of tejano music, Selena.  26 years gone but never forgotten. **  

The subtle aroma of fresh honey dew and tropical fruits aren’t enough to overshadow this beer’s boozy breath.   The hop bill includes Pahto, Citra, Citra Incognito, Mosaic, Mosaic Incognito, and Galaxy. The taste on the flavor is very fruit forward with pineapple and melon.  At 71 IBUs, the beer carries a familiar bitterness but finishes extremely clean and refreshing. A non confrontation unity of characteristics from both West and East coast style IPAs. It is unique and loud but leaves the palate quenched for more. This beer truly stands out in a category all its own and I am glad to have tried it.

Make a gamble with this beer, and place your bets! Just like the label reads, you might as well double down! We are in for a great year of wins with this delicious choice from Saint Arnold.

The post Beer Spotlight: Double Down Double IPA – Saint Arnold Brewing Co. first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

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The Saint Arnold booth at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado.

The Great American Beer Festival is the largest beer festival in the United States. 2,404 breweries entered beers into the competition portion, and 8,864 beers were judged. Outside of the competition, the entire Colorado Convention Center is filled with hundreds of breweries pouring thousands of beers. As a first time attendee, it was a bit overwhelming with the quantity involved. The balance between the hype breweries like Bottle Logic and Weldwerks that required waiting in line, versus many of the small breweries that may be a highlight waiting to happen made decisions difficult. The buzz about certain beers made their way around the convention center like a middle school hallway. It was exciting and exhausting all at the same time. 

The Buffalo Bayou booth at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado.

Since this is Houston Beer Guide, let’s talk about Houston. Houston was represented well on the serving floor. Buffalo Bayou, Saint Arnold, BAKFISH, and Texas Leaguer all had booths. 8th Wonder had a booth in the heavily advertised Jameson Caskmates Barrel-Aged Beer Garden, where Rocket Fuel took on the Jameson barrel. For the Houston booths, it was a highlight. I’m not the biggest fan of Jameson in general, but I felt Rocket Fuel was one of the few beers in the area that could handle it and meld well. Many of the other Jameson collaborations by some very big named breweries were overwhelmed by the barrel. The Jameson based Rocket Fuel will be appearing around Houston in the not too distant future, so be on the lookout.

After last year’s success, this was a rather quiet year for Houston at the festival. (Last year Houston area breweries brought home 6 medals and Saint Arnold won Mid-Size Brewing Company of the Year.) Austin won more than half of the 18 Texas-based awards, including multiple wins for the Austin Beer Garden Brewery, but the Houston area took home only two awards. Saint Arnold was the honorary of both medals, taking home a bronze in the Ordinary or Special Bitter category for their Amber Ale followed closely in the awards by a silver for Oktoberfest in the Scottish Style Ale category. This brings the Saint Arnold total medal count to 26 all time, a record for a brewery in the south. This would normally be the point in the article where I would have tasting notes for both of the winning beers, but if you’re reading this article there’s a 99% chance you’ve had these beers. If you haven’t, a trip to your local grocer or liquor store is in order, they’re in the cooler and both solid offerings. 

8th Wonder had a booth in the heavily advertised Jameson Caskmates Barrel-Aged Beer Garden.

What should we take home from such a small amount of awards for the Houston area? Not much in my personal opinion. Breweries can only enter in 4 beers. The beers that won awards for Houston last year may not have been entered this year at all. We’re still making our way up on the best American markets, but that climb is happening regardless of medals. As long as more breweries continue to push the envelope, and most importantly make good beers, Houston’s name will continue to grow. More medals and awards are on the way for Houston as long as drinkers demand great products. Keep drinking and demanding great beer Houston. 

Texas Leaguer at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado.

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Saint Arnold Divine Reserve 18 pours an inky black and weighs in at a beefy 13.4% ABV | Photo: Josh Frink for Houston Beer Guide

DR18 pours an inky black, with a very narrow ring of foam from the initial pour. This is black hole dark – I think it might actually be absorbing light. The aroma is a little figgy with dried fruit (prune and raisin), but it’s decidedly sweet with smells of toasted sugar and dark chocolate. Alcohol is definitely notable. As it warms in the glass the vanilla starts to bloom out.

The flavor hits hard with the dark roasted malts, tons and tons of plum and more raisin, a slight alcohol burn and something akin to the astringency of the peel of a stone fruit and the striking bitterness of a nibble of baking chocolate. Some Belgian-like yeast esters are behind all this I think, not so much earthy and peppery as stone fruit and green apple – but just a hint of that latter. I get the vanilla quite a bit more as I breathe out through my nose between sips – but in the beer itself it’s a flavor component and not a dominating element. The alcohol comes and it goes rather than just heating up the entire experience, which is pretty amazing considering the ABV. As it warms it gets decidedly better. The chocolate/roasted malt flavors really pick up, and the beer really rounds out at just above room temp, as it gets warmer the alcohol just takes over. Those magical moments at just the right temperature are really something special – all of the fruitness, a deep, rich dark malt experience and just a hint of vanilla – but they don’t last long!

My overall impression of this beer is mixed. Admittedly, whenever I drink a massive American imperial stout I can’t help but think of Deschutes Abyss and Avery Czar, which are my personal hallmarks. With that in mind, I want a little more dark roastiness than this beer gives me through the entire experience. The vanilla does a heck of a job of helping this beer wring as much of the ‘house’ character out of the Saint Arnold yeast as must be possible.

I am left wondering if all this fruitiness and heat are going to meld together into a greater whole as this beer ages and the vanilla falls away. Maybe in 6-12 months this beer will bring these big flavors together and deliver that transcendental experience I’m looking for. Given how previous Divine Reserve releases have improved over time I’d bet on it!

The Divine Reserve 18 bottles come with these special caps celebrating Saint Arnold winning Mid-Sized Brewing Company of the Year at last years Great American Beer Festival. | Photo: Josh Frink for Houston Beer Guide

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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.