Senate Avenue Brewing brought home the gold Bolo in the first ever Legislative Pro-Am hosted by the Craft Brewers Guild. The award had 16 breweries enter in conjunction with the Texas House Representatives from the brewery’s respective districts. Senate Avenue worked with Representative Lacey Hull and her staff on the submission for District 138 to choose a style of beer that was most representative of the people that live in the district. which skews heavily of Latin descent. The idea that was chosen was aptly named House District 138 Mexican Hot Chocolate Stout. Owner Andrew Mitcham credits his staff, especially Kitchen Manager Jessica Cerro, for their contributions for the recipe. Cerro, a native of Acapulco Mexico, contributed by offering her family’s storied recipe for Mexican hot chocolate to be the basis for the stout. 

Mitchem also credits brewer Adam Millard for helping come up with a unique stout recipe to work along with Cerra’s hot chocolate to create the winning submission.

“Adam brewed it, then it went to fermentation. Towards the end of fermentation, we started to add the spices to it like cinnamon, vanilla, cocoa nibs and a little bit of cayenne. We were a little nervous about adding too much cayenne because we didn’t want it to be like our pepper beer, so we added half of what we would normally add for cayenne and it ended up being the perfect amount.”

Andrew Mitcham

Representative Hull commented as well on the award, saying “I was excited to collaborate with Senate Avenue on creating this Mexican Hot Chocolate Stout as our House District 138 entry to the inaugural Pro-Am competition! I am proud to represent HD 138 that encompasses west Houston and Jersey Village, one of the most diverse districts in Houston and the state. Senate Avenue is a great small business partner not only in this (competition) but in our community”. Representative Hull went on to add, “I look forward to continuing to work with them (Senate Avenue) and hopefully defending our title next year!”

Not to be outdone, True Anomaly Brewing has quickly established a dynasty of sorts in the state by winning not just four total Bolos in this year’s competition (three gold and one bronze) but most importantly repeating as Brewery of the Year in the 600+ Barrel Group. This is True Anomaly’s second time being named the 600+ Barrel Brewery of the Year and also their second in a row. Per the Texas Craft Brewers Guild website, the criteria for winning Brewery of the Year are based off of each medal awarded at the Brewers Cup, with one point for a bronze Bolo, two points for a silver, and three points for a gold.  

True Anomaly won four medals at this year’s Brewers Cup, including three gold and one bronze Bolo. The winning beer submissions this year for True Anomaly were a gold Bolo for White Dwarf (American & European Sour), a gold Bolo for Flanders Redux (Wood & Barrel Aged Sour & Brett Beer), a bronze Bolo for Sea of Waves (also Wood & Barrel Aged Sour & Brett Beer), and finally a gold Bolo for Fireflies (Experimental, Hybrid & Specialty Beer). This after True Anomaly won 5 total Bolos in 2023 (three gold and two silver).  Co-Owner of True Anomaly Michael Duckworth attributes the accolades to the work of the entire team, especially considering many of their accolades are in categories for beer styles that are often time intensive to produce and are difficult to master to an award-winning level.  

With a new production facility and tap room under construction currently with hopes to open to the public later this year, the future is bright for True Anomaly. With a bright future and being two-time defending Brewery of the Year in the state comes high expectations. Duckworth added that he felt the brewery was more than up to the task of continuing to produce excellent beer, but also continuing to challenge itself to not accept the successes of the recent past.   

The post True Anomaly and Senate Avenue Bring Additional Notoriety with Awards from 2024 Texas Craft Brewers Cup first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post True Anomaly and Senate Avenue Bring Additional Notoriety with Awards from 2024 Texas Craft Brewers Cup appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

This smooth Cream Ale comes in at 6.2% alcohol by volume (ABV) and 19 IBU . This year’s offering was created with a standard grain bill for a cream ale according to CEO and Brewer Andrew Mitcham.  Red, White and Blueberry first debuted in 2022 with a similar recipe, but Andrew noted that technological upgrades in water systems, as well as slight recipe changes, make this year’s brew a tasty upgrade. Fresh blueberry puree and a touch of Magnum hops perfectly mute the sweetness of the cream ale, combining for a much smoother pour.     

The beer pours off tap as a beautiful mulberry shade. The blueberry puree dulls the lactose added to the beer to make a very smooth, creamy mouthfeel that is refreshing. At a moderate ABV this is a very crushable beer, and it certainly helps beat the summer evening heat.

Senate Avenue has been serving the Jersey Village and Greater Houston community for almost three years now and is open seven days a week. Senate Avenue Brewing offers an amazing Sunday Brunch, running from 10am to 1pm. They also have a full kitchen open for lunch and dinner service everyday. The Senate Avenue outdoor space is great for you to enjoy with your kids and family dog.  Check out what’s on tap anytime by visiting their ordering website – Senate Avenue Brewing Company 16000 Dillard Drive Suite F (toasttab.com).

This beer is still on tap and available to-go in crowlers while it lasts so make sure to swing by Senate Avenue and check this out and tell Mr. Mayor Andrew Mitcham hello.   

Senate Avenue Brewing is located at 16000 Dillard Dr. Suite F, Jersey Village 77040

@senateave on Instagram.

All photos edited by Sofia Panda @panda.sofia  

The post Red, White and Blue(berry) with Senate Avenue Brewing first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Red, White and Blue(berry) with Senate Avenue Brewing appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.