This week in, the Brew! We keep things short and sweet. We talk about a very special event we proud to be a part of, we give you the heads up about a new brewpub opening this weekend and lastly, we talk about an upcoming beer festival in New Braunfels. Stay safe out there with this wild winter weather and stay warm with a hearty stout. We will be back with more news next week until then, enjoy The Brew!

Austin – First and foremost, Texas Beer Guide is very happy to be a part of a very special event with Fatback Boucherie & Catering and Rogness Brewing Company. We will be hosting a gathering at Rogness Brewing to rally for Lynn Smith of Fatback Boucherie & Catering who is currently battling breast cancer which has spread to her liver. They will be selling plates for $12 of delicious roasted pig with sides and Rogness will be selling pints of their great beers. I know that Texans are some very supportive people so I invite you out to help us support Lynn on her battle. The event is from 11-3pm on Sunday March 8^th so I hope to see you all there! For more information, click here.

Dallas – On Rotation, founded by Lindsay and Jacob Sloan opened last month in Dallas but this Saturday, they are finally releasing their house beers. The three-barrel brewhouse nano-brewery and taproom plans to be very experimental with the beers such as a jalapeno saison, a raspberry sour or Café Au Lait stout. They even have a special club which will give you a 64oz growler fill each month, the option to vote on the beers they release and other special perks. With 40 taps including house beers and other great favorites, the minimalist interior will keep you focused on what you are drinking instead of marketing point of sell materials. I think On Rotation is going to be a big hit and will definitely keep things interesting. For more information about this weekend’s celebration, click here.

New Braunfels – Oktoberfest is one of my favorite times of the year. Nothing goes better than beer, pretzels and sausages. Texas has two big celebrations to honor the annual German event, the Oktoberfest out in Fredericksburg and Wurstfest out in New Braunfels. While I know it is way too early in the year to be talking about Oktoberfest, organizers of Wurstfest announced that they would be hosting the Wurstfest Craft Beer Festival on May 9th at the fairgrounds in New Braunfels. With less than three months away, they don’t have much information posted on their website except that they hope to have over 40 beers on tap with an additional 60 available for tasting and they will have the legendary Texas Tornados headline the event. Over the last few years Texas has seen the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to beer festivals so we can only hope that they have everything squared away quickly. The event also looks to host a homebrewing competition at where contestants will compete to have their beer replicated by a local brewery and have it sold at this year’s Wurstfest in November. We will keep you posted on any updated as they are released.

As always, if you’re looking to get out this weekend we suggest you visit a local brewery, don’t forget that we have a list of all of the breweries near you so head over to the Breweries and Brewpubs page and go support your local brewers.

This week in, The Brew! We have a lot of news to report from across Texas. We take a look at the new and improved packaging for a well-known central Texas brewery, we take a look at the dirty side of business and what a local brewery is fighting for, we get word about the return of a great craft beer festival, we make right on an article written on another website and finally we give you the heads up about a very special event for a really great cause. Check it out now in, The Brew!

Blanco – Monday night in Austin, Real Ale Brewing Company threw a party for their friends in the bar and restaurant industry to unveil their new look as well as show off their new website. They have ditched their old packaging and even updated their logo to what can be best described as a “hop sprocket”. The new logo includes three components that are meaningful to the company: the hop, the sprocket, and the characters “TX 96”. The hop pays homage to the previous logo, which consisted of the company name and a simple hop graphic for most of the brewery’s history. The sprocket is a nod to the original tap handle and label of its bestselling year-round beer, Firemans #4. The inclusion of “TX 96” around the new hop/sprocket is a reference to the company’s roots and where they come from. “We often hear people say they’ve been drinking one of our beers for years and didn’t realize it was Real Ale. We decided it was time to make it a little easier on our customers to see and try the beers we offer, as well as understand who it’s coming from,” said Real Ale’s owner and operator, Brad Farbstein. Personally I am a big fan of the new look and I think the new branding will finally bring the look of their beers together. Since 1996 Real Ale has been brewing some really great beers but over the last couple of years they started to evolve their brewing and include new beers to their lineup. With this change we saw the birth of beers like Devil’s Backbone, the hopped up Four Squared, The Sword Iron Swan Ale and the beloved Blakkr which was a collaboration brew between Real Ale, Three Floyds and Surly. Along with the new packaging, they have tweaked a couple of their beers with more hops like their Full Moon Rye Pale Ale, which they have decided to change up and the Full Moon is now a Rye IPA. I think the new look will give new life the Real Ale and I am excited to see what else they have in store in the future.

This week in, The Brew! We focus on Valentine’s Day and give you the low down on events across the state to enjoy with your loved one. What is better than a romantic day with your significant other over a pint of delicious beer? Forget about the roses and the $200 dinner, this year make Valentine’s a day to remember by checking out one of these great events.

Big Bend Brewing Co. (Valentine) – What better place to spend Valentine’s Day then in Valentine, TX? Big Bend Brewing is hosting their 3^rd annual event to debut their seasonal release of Pasion Peppermint Porter and celebrate the season. They will have the liked of the Joe Ely Band, Mike & the Moonpies and more. The cost to attend this event under the beautiful starry night is only $20 presale or $25 at the gate. Since Valentine is such a small town and Big Bend Brewing doesn’t want you drinking and driving, they will have a shuttle providing transportation to and from the event from Alpine, Marfa, Van Horn and Fort Davis. Click here for more information.

Deep Ellum Brewing Co. (Dallas) – On Friday they will have a French inspired four course meal to pair with their Cherry Chocolate Double Brown Stout. The menu sounds decadent and delicious with a bone-in lamb chop as the main course. For $60 per person, it makes for a great way to enjoy Valentine’s Day together. Click here for more information.

New Braunfels Brewing Co. (New Braunfels) – They say love is in the air on Valentine’s Day but no event is making it more real than New Braunfels Brewing Co. They will be hosting a special event for couples to renew their vows. For only $20 you will receive 2 glasses, 2 beers brewed specially for the event, 2 cupcakes make with their own Shiva’s Tears and lastly, the vow renewal for continued years of love and happiness. Click here for more information.

Oasis, Texas Brewing Co (Austin) – Saturday evening, head to Oasis, Texas Brewing Company for a romantic evening overlooking Lake Travis. They will have a three-course and a la carte menu options from Stuffed Cajun Meat Market & Specialty Foods and life music from Low Rent Rondesvous, featuring their Head Brewer Spencer Tielkemeier. There is no cost for entry, just pay for the food and beer. RSVP is recommended to ensure a table. Click here for more information.

Save the World Brewing (Marble Falls) – This Valentine’s Day, indulge your sweet tooth with a day at Save the World Brewing as they debut their new release “Verbum in Tenebris”, a Belgian Double Milk Chocolate Stout with mint. The event is from noon to 5pm so you will still have time to have a romantic dinner that evening, if you don’t spoil your appetite with pies from Blue Bonnet Café and ice cream from Amy’s Ice Cream which will be selling sweets during the tour. Click here for more information.

Texian Brewing Co. (Richmond) – Friday night, Texian Brewing will bringing the romance to the screen. For $10 per you will score a glass with three beers. Dirty Dancing will be the feature for the evening and will have a local food truck selling dinner. Kids are free and it is only $5 for designated drivers. Sounds like a great night to bundle up to watch a classic movie over some great beer. Click here for more information.

As always, if you’re looking to get out this weekend we suggest you visit a local brewery, don’t forget that we have a list of all of the breweries near you so head over to the Breweries and Brewpubs page and go support your local brewers.

This week in The Brew! We decided to not talk about a certain beer commercial that aired during the Super Bowl nor will we discuss Pumpkin Peach Ales. Instead, we take a look inside one of the newest breweries to open soon in Houston, we pay our respects to a brewery gone out of business too soon and lastly we go down the list of breweries that are planned to open this year. Next weekend is Valentine’s Day so we are working to compile a list of things to do with your sweetheart that includes Texas beer. Until then, enjoy The Brew!

Houston– 11 Below Brewing Company is just one of the many breweries opening this spring in Texas. I got a chance to visit the brewery to see the progress and to talk with Brandon Moss and Jeff Handojo about 11 Below. The brewery was founded by Bryce Baker, Brandon Moss and Jeff Handojo who all had careers in the oil and engineering industry. The friends spent their downtime homebrewing and appreciating beer when the idea came to them to start a brewery of their own. As the process started to come together the partners looked for a head brewer that would take them to the next level and that is when they found Keenan Zarling who was a former brewer with Independence Brewing Company in Austin and Tin Man Brewing in Evansville, Indiana. Once the team came together they had to come up with a name that would represent the partners and the brewery. 11 Below Brewing was a play on the difference between a barrel of beer (31 gallons) and a barrel of crude oil (42 gallons). The brewery is located in a business park on the northwest side of Houston close to Willowbrook Mall. They have a 30 barrel brewhouse and plenty of room for expansions along with an open taproom for tours. All of their licenses and permits have come in and they are working on the last few components to take the brewery live. While they haven’t officially given a launch date, they are expecting to be open by March. As soon as beer starts flowing, 11 Below will release their three core beers 7 Iron (Session Ale), Oso Bueno (Amber Ale) and Color Blind (Red IPA) which will be released on draft only. They have plans to work on some big beers and a barrel aging program in the future but for now they will focus on getting the beer across the Houston market. I am excited to see this brewery launch and I wish the guys all the best of luck. Be sure to follow them on Facebook for the progress and upcoming events.

Missouri City– It is quite clear that Texas is going through a craft beer boom but with so many breweries opening up it becomes tougher for the newcomers to make a name for themselves let alone get their beer to the masses. The craft beer scene has become more competitive over the last few years and tougher for smaller breweries struggling to stay afloat. Sadly this week we learned that Fort Bend Brewing Company located just outside of Houston was one of the casualties of this rapidly exploding scene. They announced on their Facebook page on Tuesday that they brewery had officially gone out of business after only 2yrs. While the demand for craft beer continues to grow it leaves many breweries looking for new recipes and unique ideas to reinvent original styles just to keep their fans interested. We would like to wish Ty and Sharon Coburn as well as their employees all the best in their future ventures and we thank you for all that you did. We hope this is the last brewery to have to close but with so many breweries expected to open this year, they are going to have to make beers that really leave an impression.

Texas– Something told me that 2015 was going to be a great year and with the outlook of breweries opening this year, it will continue to put Texas on the map as a serious beer state. By spring there will be a ton of breweries opening up across the state and it is going to make for a lot of new beer to try. Here is a list of breweries that will be opening soon. The way the scene is going, by the time you finish this article there will be another list of breweries opening up. I know I for one am very excited to see the growth and I am wishing all of the new brewers the best of luck and success.

11 Below Brewing Co. – Houston

4th Tap Brewing Co-Op – Austin

Alamo Beer Company – San Antonio

Bearded Eel Craft Brewery – Ft. Worth

Bindlestick Brewing Co – Leander

Bitter Sisters Brewery – Addison

Blue Owl Brewing – Austin

Braindead Brewing – Dallas

Brash Brewing – Houston

Bull Creek Brewing Co. – Liberty Hill

Four Bullets Brewery – Richardson

Ironsight Brewers – Cedar Park

Kinematic Brewing Company – Boerne

Last Stand Brewing Co. – Austin

Nine Band Brewing – Allen

Oddwood Ales – Austin

Old Omen Brewery – Tyler

On Rotation – Dallas

Orf Brewing – Austin

Red Horn Coffee House & Brewing Co. – Cedar Park

Rentsch Brewing – Georgetown

Southerleigh Fine Foods and Brewery – San Antonio

Texas Ale Project – Dallas

Town In City Brewing – Houston

Zilker Brewing Company – Austin
 

As always, if you’re looking to get out this weekend we suggest you visit a local brewery, don’t forget that we have a list of all of the breweries near you so head over to the Breweries and Brewpubs page and go support your local brewers.