This week in, The Brew! We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, we are back and we have so much to catch up on. This week, we say goodbye to a true Texas brewing legend, we recap the Untapped Festival in San Antonio, we give you the heads up on who is celebrating 4yrs, talk about a very special event going on in Austin for a great cause, we give you the scoop on the newest brewpub celebrating their grand opening this weekend and lastly, we talk about the scene and how you can help a local brewery. We will be selling personalized signed copies of Beer Lover’s Texas just in time for the holidays so be sure to follow us on social media for the upcoming details. Check it out now in this weeks edition of, The Brew!
Alpine – Last week Texas lost a true pioneer in the craft beer community. Steve Anderson was the founder of Big Bend Brewing Company in Alpine but he was much more than that. As soon as brewpubs were legalized in Texas, Steve and his business partner Billy Forrester started Waterloo Brewing Company in downtown Austin which was the first brewpub in the state. Unfortunately, Waterloo closed its doors in 2001 but that took Steve on to his next great position with Chip McElroy as the headbrewer at Live Oak Brewing Co. After 11yrs with Live Oak Brewing, Steve decided he wanted to move out of Austin into the Big Bend region of west Texas where he and his wife owned a vacation home. It was in 2012 when Steve opened a brewery of his own in Alpine and Big Bend Brewing Company came to life. Steve was 53yrs old and passed away after a long battle with cancer. Steve has inspired many in the Texas craft beer community and I had the pleasure of speaking with him last year while writing my book. We raise a pint to all that Steve has given to the community and we will never forget the legacy he left behind.
San Antonio – The other week the Untapped Festival rolled into San Antonio for an amazing day of craft beers and a stellar musical line up. The festival took place on the old historic grounds of the Lone Star brewery. This was the first time Untapped made a stop in San Antonio and while the event seemed smaller than past events, it was a great turn out none the less. We got to try some really great beers from across Texas including most of the San Antonio breweries. San Antonio has a thriving craft beer scene that is growing rapidly and Untapped was a great addition to bring more attention towards craft beer to the city. I think the great group of people that worked to bring Untapped across the state this year did a great job and we can’t wait to see what they have planned for next year. The San Antonio stop is the last event for the year for the Untapped crew as they have postponed the upcoming Canned Festival. They have said on social media that they have a big announcement coming up in the coming week so we will be sure to let you know about any upcoming events.
Wimberley – This weekend Middleton Brewing Company is ready to celebrate their 4th anniversary and it was then when they realized that they had never brewed an anniversary. To kick off this weekends 4th anniversary, they will be releasing their 1st anniversary ale. It may be three years late but better late than never. The anniversary ale is expected to be a big Imperial Milk Stout which they brewed with chocolate and vanilla. They describe the beer as having “flavors of bitter chocolate, vanilla, and hints of coffee and dried stone fruit. The finish is expansive with lingering chocolaty notes”. The event kicks off this Saturday at noon and will feature live music, giveaways and good beer. Click here for more info.
Austin – In September, the 1400 Mile Crew and the Beerliner trekked from Austin to Denver to spread awareness about prostate cancer and of course craft beer. The event leads the group to the Great American Beer Festival where the Beerliner posts up just outside of the festival to promote Texas craft beer. This year they came back to Austin with plenty of beer in tow and this Sunday they will be hosting Beersgiving 2. The event will help raise money for the 1400 Miles organization and in return attendees will have access to some of the best beers from across the state. This will be a potluck style event and they are asking attendees to bring $15 and a dish or $20 with no dish. The event will place in downtown Austin at the Waller Ballroom on Sunday from 2-6pm. Click here for more info.
Garland – This Saturday, Intrinsic Smokehouse and Brewery celebrates its grand opening as one of the newest brewpubs in the state. Founded by brother-in-laws Cary Hodson and Casey Vincent along with their pitmaster Tex Morgan, they have a winning combination of the two that’s that make Texas great, barbecue and beer. They will have five house beers on tap along with a housemade sangria which is also served on draft. Intrinsic will also feature guest taps along with cans and bottles from other local breweries. The event kicks off this Saturday at 11am and is free to the public with the exception of the cost for beer and food. We wish the guys the best of luck and look forward to checking out the beer soon. Click here for more info.
Buna – This year has been a booming year for the Texas craft beer community with many new breweries and brewpubs opening up. With this added competition, it makes it hard for the smaller breweries to get their name out there or even stay afloat. This year we saw the closure of Fort Bend Brewing, Kahl Brewing, Wicked Beaver Brewing and recently FireWheel Brewing. One Texas brewery is hoping they can get support from the craft beer community to help keep their brewery open. Texas Big Beer Brewery out in Buna has setup a GoFundMe campaign to help raise funds so they can pay for their licensing fees with the state. Brewery owners John and Tammy McKissack have reached out to the Governor of Texas for an explanation of why Texas breweries face such scrutiny and why the fees are much high than that of a brewpub or a winery. In the state, it costs a winery $851 and a brewpub $1,426 but for a brewery it is an outrageous $6,789, So far they have reached half of the money needed which will not only help them cover the state license but they plan to buildout their taproom bar. Please click here to help your local brewery.
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.
