Kentosty is 5% alcohol by volume and was brewed with a grain bill of Munich malt, flaked corn, pilsner malt and carafoam.  Saaz hops were added to the brew to present a very crisp, true to style Mexican lager with an added dimension of an earthy, floral aroma. Much like the circumstances that brought Louie and Oscar together as homebrewers many years ago, Kentosty is a celebration of community, family, and friendship. Traits that make celebration of Independence Day so important to the Mexican community.  The brewers are transplants of Los Angeles and Chicago respectively, and both came together to become friends and brewing partners in Houston through the influence of mutual friends and their respective families.  

When asked how to collaboration came together, “G” from the H-Town Craft Sippers said, “After we released ‘Avenida de Frambuesa’ (a collaboration with Wooden Bus, Brew Bros, and Whale Pods) we visited Big Owl, and while talking to Louie about who was in H-Town Craft Sippers (Andrew, Pedro & myself “G”) he suggested it would be a great idea to do something for Mexican Independence Day.”  When asked why the H-Town Craft Sippers wanted to do the collaboration with Turkey Forrest, “G” went on to add, “The first time we visited Big Owl, we felt incredibly comfortable and welcomed, as though we were visiting family. The atmosphere had all-around good vibes. It became evident that if an opportunity to collaborate with Big Owl and Turkey Forest ever arose, we’d jump on it without hesitation.” 

What the heck is a Kentosty anyways? This video posted by HTown Craft Sippers on IG might explain a few things.

Turkey Forrest was able to get two half-barrel kegs of Kentosty ready for the beer release, and well before closing the first keg had already blown!  Kentosty may not be long for the tap wall at Big Owl, so get some while you can if it isn’t already gone.     

Visit Turkey Forrest Brewing at 1848 Airline Dr. Suite C, Houston 77009 and online at https://bigowlcbh.com/brew

Follow on social media

@turkeyforrestbrewing (IG)

@bigowlcbh (IG)

@htowncraftsippers (IG)

The post “One Offs and Short Batches #3: “Kentosty” Turkey Forrest Brewing & H-Town Craft Sippers first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post “One Offs and Short Batches #3: “Kentosty” Turkey Forrest Brewing & H-Town Craft Sippers appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

The word “michelada” is a Spanish portmanteau that combines “chela” (slang term for beer) with “ada” for “helada,” meaning cold, and “mi” for mine — basically “my cold beer”. I used to not be a fan of micheladas until I tried a michelada made with mix from Space City Snax. If you order a michelada in the U.S., you’ll likely receive a mexican lager spiked with spicy V8 like tomato juice, hot sauce, and lime at a minimum. Just like craft beer, micheladas flavors and additions have exploded in the market with fun toppers like bacon, mexican candy, and even sliders! I like to say that micheladas are to beer, the same way a bloody mary is to vodka where it’s not just the mix that adds value to the beverage. In many ways, there is no wrong way to dress up a michelada and Space City Snax has lots of options for you to explore so that you can create your very own michelada medley.

Recently, I enjoyed the lime michelada with Turkey Forrest Brewing’s Lightning Strike cream ale and dressed my michelada fully loaded with cucumbers, a pretzel stick, olives, drips sauce and some additional spices to top it all off. I don’t know what I enjoyed more the beer with the michelada mix or taking the fruit off and eating it with the drip sauce. This is a drink you can literally make a meal from and makes a great addition to brunch. Space City Snax motto is ‘The Spice is Nice’ and let me be the first to tell you – the motto holds true. 

For me, the spice level was just right, not too spicy but enough to give it a bite of heat when you hit half way point of the drink. If bold spice isn’t your thing, there’s a line up of less spicy forward options like mango, pineapple, orange, or strawberry. You want something tangy? They offer pickle, cucumber, and lime. They even have a “tropickle” (a tropical pickle mix) that a local brewery made a pickle beer with and let me tell you it was one of the best pickle beers on the market. They even have a new beer collaboration coming very soon with Turkey Forrest Brewing that I’m very excited about. I hinted about this in my last article. Give it a read.

Space City Snax offers a wide variety of flavors they carry for purchase so you can make micheladas at home. I included a menu of their line up below of amazing mixes, rim dips, and snacks they offer. My personal favorite is the spicy gummies they offer as they pair especially well with lagers.. I’ve included a list of where you can find Space City Snax around town below for your reference. One of my go-to spots to pick up mix is at Big Owl because they have the Mango Chamoy michelada flavor. It has become my favorite way to mix up my beer drinking routine lately. Interested in other options or got an idea? Send Space City Snax a message on his Instagram page for more info.

Space City Snax will be featured as a community vendor during the Houston Beer Block Party. Ask your local brewery about Space City Snax, as Adrian will often be seen behind the bar mixing up new creations for you during vendor events. This michelada mix works well with nearly every light beer but don’t be surprised if you see folks mixing with IPAs, wheats and other styles of beer.

The post Out of this world micheladas w/Space City Snax first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Out of this world micheladas w/Space City Snax appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

Agua frescas inspired beers are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to diversity at Big Owl Craft Beer House. The fact that both the brewery (Turkey Forrest Brewing) and Big Owl have turned their love for craft beer and love for the hispanic culture into a fun and embracing environment makes it a place to catch familiar faces of the beer community hanging out. The bar hosts Millennial Loteria every Tuesdays at 7 pm for the chance to win prizes from different breweries or if music night life if your thing, join them for their Tejano nights that are held there frequently. Rumor has it Big Owl and Turkey Forrest Brewing even have a luchador that roams the halls from time to time to greet people enjoying the beers and spreading the joy of craft beer while embodying the spirit behind their line of beers they craft with so much pride. 

I really love stopping out at Turkey Forrest Brewing located inside Big Owl Brew House and the bar staff always makes me feel like right at home. Hanging out in the air conditioned taproom for hours at a time to catch a game or just catch up with friends is a routine activity I find myself going out of my way to do often. If you happened to catch an Astros game there, make sure to remind Louie the Astros are better than the Dodgers. He needs a friendly but constant reminder of who we beat to win the World Series in 2017.

Anyways, go check out the full selection of #Houstonbeer rotating at Turkey Forrest. It doesn’t disappoint. Turkey Forrest Brewing will also be present at the Houston Beer Block party happening August 27th – swing by their block and try their beer. Get your tickets online today!

Also, spoiler alert, the luchador is me.

The post A taste of the tamarind sour at Turkey Forrest Brewing first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post A taste of the tamarind sour at Turkey Forrest Brewing appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

The first beer I tasted during my last visit was ‘Chasing Marranitos’ – a Russian Imperial Stout made with marranitos, a pan dulce (sweet bread) made of gingerbread and piloncillo that is commonly found in mexican style bakeries. This treat is definitely well loved in the Mexican American culture and recognized by its unique pig shape. Chasing Marranitos has the aroma of the sweet molasses and gingerbread pastry and reminds me of eating pan dulce, watching Saturday morning cartoons as a kid. The first sip is sweet yet boozy while managing to hold a bold roast on the back end. Most russian imperial stouts leave your mouth a little dry however this beer makes your mouth salivate while having a creamy mouthfeel making you want to go back for more. At 12% ABV and 36 IBU, Turkey Forrest Brewing created a perfectly balanced stout that gets even better as it warms – this is definitely my new favorite pastry style stout. 

I visited Turkey Forrest again a couple weeks later for more Chasing Marranitos but decided to try the new SMASH IPA named ‘Thanks for noticing’ featuring cashmere hops. With a herbal nose along side melon the flavor matches the melon aroma. You definitely taste cantaloupe with a light hop bitterness on the finish. ‘Thanks for noticing’ body is medium to full and has a smooth creamy mouthfeel, while the bitterness is held in check with the malts used. As someone who is still trying to find their love for IPAs, I must say this is a great beer to ease your way into IPA despite the 77 IBU range. Turkey Forrest Brewing managed to craft a well balanced IPA that I enjoyed multiple of as a non IPA lover. 

Go check out Turkey Forrest beers inside of Big Owl on Airline on your next trip in the loop. Big Owl Craft House also offers flights of all their local beers on tap or you can request all available Turkey Forrest beers on your flights which I highly recommend.

I can’t wait to see what’s to come from Turkey Forrest. When you visit, tell them Ronnie says HELLO!

Cheers!

The post Mexican treat pastry stouts + Smash IPA from Turkey Forrest Brewing first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Mexican treat pastry stouts + Smash IPA from Turkey Forrest Brewing appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

Once open, Big Owl will exclusively be a craft beer bar focused on products from Houston and Texas with 24 taps. One or two of these taps will be dedicated to Turkey Forrest beers, which currently is putting the final touches on a stout that has received great reviews with plans to add adjuncts as part of the beer rotation. With all four partners being grounded in their Latino roots and being the first 100% Latino-owned brewery, the bar and especially the Turkey Forrest beers will incorporate Hispanic culture, background and “flava” into everything they do. Licuados, aguas frescas and pulque style beers are all a part of future beer plans. 

Although Big Owl has not opened yet, the owners have big plans for both the bar and brewery. Their vision for Turkey Forrest Brewing is to grow the operation beyond the Big Owl location and into its own brick and mortar location sustained by just its beers. The bar itself will host Loteria night, a game similar to Bingo, and other Latino-inspired events. 

The bar’s location is 1848 Airline Dr, Suite C, at the northeast corner of the intersection of Airline Drive and W Cavalcade Street. The grand opening date has not been set, but the hope is that it will be sometime later this month.

You can follow their social media handles below for the most up-to-date progress and opening dates.

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

The post Big Owl Craft Beer House & Turkey Forrest Brewing launching soon in east Heights area first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post Big Owl Craft Beer House & Turkey Forrest Brewing launching soon in east Heights area appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.