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December 2010
Paste mag on best new American beers
Here it is. Some of them you can even get in Texas.
Thanks to tipster Josh!
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Marble Falls to welcome Double Horn Brewing Co.
Owner Dusty Knight of the new brew pub in the Hill Country took a break from putting the roof on his brew pub and restaurant to fill me in just now.
They’re heavy into construction at 208 Avenue H and aim to be open in March. Knight, a home brewer for five or six years and serious beer fan, says they’ll start with basic types: a pale, wheat, amber, stout and so forth. Eric Casey, a microbiologist by training, is the brewer. In addition to their own beers, they’ll have a few guest taps with exclusively Texas beers.
Knight says they’re aiming to have a casual with a commitment to locally sourced ingredients. Sounds good, no?
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Now that’s what I call breakfast
Pancakes with beer and bacon. Wow.
Which made my colleague Robert wonder: What’s the weirdest drink or food recipe with beer?
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Where to get Jester King Black Metal Imperial Stout
This is straight from Jeff at the brewery. Hurry!
Austin Whip In Black Star Coop Draught House The Dig Pub Billys on Burnet Opal Divines Penn Field Opal Divines Marina Opal Divines Freehouse
Houston Anvil Petrol Station Flying Saucer Queen Vic’s BRC Gastropub Beaver’s McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
Dallas/DFW Common Table Meddlesome Moth Trinity Hall Libertine Bar Lazy Bones - Grapevine Vickery Park - Plano Holy Grail - Plano
Waco Dancing Bear
As far as who has it right now, we personally dropped off kegs today at The Dig, Black Star Co-Op, Draught House, Opal Divine’s Penn Field, Whip In and Billy’s on Burnet.
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(512) winter open house Saturday
It’s 2-5 p.m. Five bucks gets you three tastes and a logo pint glass. No credit cards, just cash or check.
And don’t be an irritant and park in the neighborhood across from the brewery. Details are here.
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Seen at Whole Foods
Wow, this blog is, like, famous.
Thanks, Jim!
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Jester King Black Metal Imperial Stout on its way
I tasted a home brew version of this recipe some time back out at the brewery. It’s good or better than any imperial stout I’ve tasted. And they’re holding some of it back to barrel-age. The best part? They played black metal for the beer as it fermented. Isn’t that thoughtful? Press release:
Jester King Craft Brewery is set to release their first ever seasonal beer - Black Metal Imperial Stout, a.k.a. Suds of Northern Darkness, a.k.a. Iron Sword, a.k.a. El Martillo del Muerte. Black Metal is a cruel and punishing beer fermented by the sheer force of its awesome will. We are pretty sure that Kreator wrote the song “Impossible Brutality” about this beer while drinking it during their Extreme Aggression Tour.
Black Metal is Jester King’s winter seasonal release. Weighing in at about 10% ABV, it’s filled with huge flavors of roast, chocolate, burnt malt and alcohol and carries a hint of leather. We encourage Black Metal to be enjoyed froma snifter at a serving temperature between 57 and 61 degrees Fahrenheit.
Black Metal is currently available only in kegs. It will be available in 750mL bottles later this winter.
Imperial Stout OG: 1.108 ABV: ~10% IBU: 60 Malt: Maris Otter, Caramalt, Extra Dark Crystal, Brown Malt, Black Malt, Roasted Barley Hops: Magnum, East Kent Goldings
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A brewery in Marble Falls
It seems so. A reader named Norma Jean notes today’s column failed to mention Double Horn Brewing Co. in Marble Falls, which apparently is under construction.
News to me, I’m embarrassed to say. Chasing details now. They’re on Facebook and have a placekeeper web site.
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Where to find (512) barrel-aged double pecan porter
All right, I know a bunch of you have been clamoring for details about this very limited release. There are only 17 firkins, so hurry. This info comes straight from Rob Culbert, the brewery’s distribution guy.
Black Star Co-op (to tapped tomorrow at 4PM) Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar (to be tapped Friday, December 17th around 7PM for TRON) Dig Pub (to be tapped on December 22nd) Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek (Beer Dinner in January) House Pizzeria (January) Thunderbird Coffee on Manor Billy’s on Burnet Flying Saucer Ginger Man Draught House Tavern
Houston, TX
Flying Saucer The Anvil
DFW Area, TX Holy Grail Pub (On Draft) Whiskey Cake (On Draft) Flying Saucer Ft. Worth Ginger Man Plano The Meddlesome Moth
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Dogtfish calls for film festival entries
It’s that time again. The link is here.
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Black Star Co-op pouring its own beer
And it’s good. The grand opening was Friday night and they were slammed but everything seemed to be moving efficiently at the cooperatively owned brew pub. Had a porter, which was fine, and a High Esteem, which is sort of pale ale-ish, but with a bit of rye and mandarin oranges. It will taste great in the summer heat.
Fish and chips were pretty good, too. Lots of hard surfaces SO IT’S PRETTY LOUD.
Congrats to founder Steven Yarak and all involved.
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New from (512)
Their whiskey barrel-aged double pecan porter reserve is rolling out in very limited quanitity — like 17 firkins, according to Kevin Brand. Get it while you can.
The boys at (512) invited me over for a sample and it is absolutely stupendous, with deep and rich malt character, roasty notes from the time spent in the barrel and a warming alcohol presence, which is to be expected because it’s pushing 9 percent. Do. Not. Miss. This. Beer.
UPDATE: No, I don’t know where it’s going to be on. I asked Brand a day or two ago and have yet to hear back. Reader Bill Morgan reports that the Flying Saucer has one but they don’t know when they’re going to tap it. Same with the Ginger Man. They have one but it’s not clear when it’s going to be tapped. Any other sightings out there?
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Black Star Co-op party tonight (and tomorrow)
At long last, the grand opening is here. They’ve got their own beer on and everything. Press release:
AUSTIN, TX, November 23, 2010 — After more than four years of hard work, the world’s first cooperatively-owned and worker self-managed brewpub, the Black Star Co-op, is formally opening its doors with a celebratory grand opening weekend December 10-12, 2010 at its location: 7020 Easy Wind Drive, Austin, TX 787582 near the corner of Lamar and Airport, and the Crestview MetroRail Station.
The celebration will kick off Friday night, December 10th from 6pm-10pm, with a large, family-friendly Beer Social featuring live music from Vanessa Lively and Band, Ugly Beats, Melogrand and Brownout as well as the first tap of Black Star Co-op’s highly anticipated house beers, “High Esteem” and “Double Dee”. There will also be a children’s area setup with a pirate ship bounce house, face painter, and hot chocolate/apple cider booth.
Saturday, December 11th will feature a Texas Craft Brewers Mini-Festival from 2pm-5pm as part of Edible Austin’s Eat Local Week. This event is co-sponsored by the Wheatsville Co-op and will provide the opportunity to meet Texas craft brewers and sample their wares. Tickets are $15 and benefit local non-profit Urban Roots. Click here to purchase tickets through Frontgate Tickets! The Co-op will be open for regular service beginning at 4pm.
The Co-op will open early on Sunday, December 12th featuring a special Roast menu starting at 12PM. Charter Member-Owners are invited to have a portrait taken at their brewpub from 12pm-4pm, and a large group photo of Member-Owners is scheduled for 4pm.
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Sake in Austin
For real. Galveston native Yoed Anis is turning his love of sake and general Japanophilia into a business, Texas Rice Brewing Co., with offices and a lab of sorts in central Austin and a brewery to be built a little north of there.
Anis will be using organic rice from the Texas coast — the first organic sake maker in North America, he says — and he’s keeping things small to start, only about 100 gallons a month. Filtered and unfiltered varieties will be available for around $25, and if you want to get a little piece of Texas booze history, join the mailing list at www.txsake.com for info on a pre-sale. “I like how it makes you feel,” Anis said. “Very warm, very pleasant. Sake is definitely distinct, definitely unique. People either love it or hate it.”
Anis was kind enough to give me a primer on styles of sake and introduce me to a bit of the rituals. Something I learned that should have been obvious: The starch in rice, unlike other grains used in brewing and distilling, does not convert to sugar under heat. (Otherwise your cooked rice would always be hot, right?) So how do sake brewers get sugar for the yeast to eat to make alcohol? They introduce a mold. pbeach@statesman.com; 445-3603
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Sierra Nevada Celebration: the word from Chico
Remember how I was complaining about this year’s Celebration and griped to the brewery and sent bottles back for them to check? Here’s a very thorough, thoughtful response from brewery spokesman Bill Manley:
“First off, let me tell you how truly sorry we are about our disappointment with this year’s Celebration Ale. We saw your original message and jumped into action examining the early batches of Celebration released from the brewery. We take things like this very seriously, and do rigorous testing to ensure both quality and consistency for every batch of beer we brew.
“I want to share with you the results of our finding on the bottles of Celebration that you returned to the brewery.
“We did sensory tastings with our panel of tasters including Ms. Hildebrand. We compared your bottles to our “true to type” bottles of Celebration Ale and also with some more recent bottlings. The panel found no spoilage organisms, nor off-flavors, and consider all of the samples returned to the brewery to be in-line with the flavor profile of this year’s beer. The samples were also tested for heat, storage, and age damage, and while the samples from HEB were slightly more aged in flavor, the beer is not out of line for what we consider “true to type.”
“The samples you sent were indistinguishable from various other bottlings, ages, and blends of this year’s beer.
“Celebration ale has been something of an anomaly for us. Every year, we get scores of emails from our fans telling us how much hey love the beer, and also scores of email from fans telling how the beer is “just not the same.” We have been brewing Celebration Ale for nearly 30 years and our brewing process has changed very little in all that time. We are at a loss for the discrepancy.
“After reading your most recent column I do want to put some of your fears to rest. We have not changed malt suppliers, nor hop suppliers in recent years. Nor have we changed percentages, amounts or recipes. Our bottling process is no different from years past, nor are our release dates. The only thing different with 2010 Celebration Ale from previous years is a packaging and labeling revamp. The beer inside the bottle is the same as it has ever been.
“For Celebration Ale we are at the mercy of Mother Nature. We insist on using the first fresh hops of the year, so we wait until the harvest comes and then brew like mad to get Celebration in the cellars. Because we use the first hops of the season, some of the seasonal variances of the crops are more pronounced. I suspect any flavor variations you are finding this year are a result of these seasonal shifts. These little shifts in flavor are both a blessing and a curse for craft beer. They are one of the things that make hand-crafted beers so interesting and unique, but the shifts can work the opposite way as well, if the flavors are not to your liking. Craft beer, for us, is about using top-quality ingredients. We love to highlight the fact that beer is, in fact, an agricultural product made with ingredients with a certain character and sense of place. Hopefully, the 2011 hops will have more of the “traditional” Celebration Ale you have come to know and love.
“Personally, I notice a little less of the bright pine aroma this year and a slightly less intense grapefruit note in the nose. I have debated this with some of the other folks here at the brewery, but unfortunately, my palate is fickle and can’t always be trusted.
“I hope this answers your questions, and I am truly sorry to hear of your disappointment. I give you my word that Sierra Nevada’s brewing philosophy has not changed, and never will. We try very hard to ensure the highest quality and consistency in everything we brew.”
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Barrel-aged cocktails come to Austin
You’ve probably noticed that the cocktail scene in Austin is flourishing. New cocktail bars are spreading like wildfire, and their owners and mixologists are embracing both old and new methods of drink design. Bars are reviving vintage pre-prohibition cocktails, and bartenders are crafting new and curious home made syrups, bitters, and liqueurs. You would be hard pressed to say that Austin lacks creativity when it comes to this aspect of the culinary arts.
Just as you thought that things couldn’t get any more elaborate, a new trend is breaking on the horizon. Hold on to your hip flasks, cocktail lovers. Local mixologist Lara Nixon is taking things to the next level.
Nixon, a Cocktail educator with Tipsy Tech and Brand Wrangler for Balcones Distilling, has teamed up with Tigress Pub owner Pam Pritchard to unveil Austin’s first publicly-served barrel-aged cocktail.
What is a barrel-aged cocktail, you ask?
The process starts with mixing up a large portion of a spirit-forward cocktail such as the Negroni, Manhattan, or Vieux Carré. The over sized libation is then poured into a small cask and left to mature for a substantial period of time (anywhere from 4-6 weeks). The goal is to wait until the flavors in the barrel smooth out and blend together to create a more rounded and richer version of the original cocktail. The experiment is not so far-fetched, when you consider how raw spirits like Bourbon and Cognac are aged in barrels to smooth out unwanted idiosyncrasies and mature the flavors before hitting the bottle. Why not discover what effect age and oak have on pre-made cocktails?
The taste of a barrel-aged cocktail is subtle and nuanced. With a freshly mixed drink, you can often distinguish the different flavors from the various spirits involved and have the ability to comment on how they might complement or contrast one another. Aging marries the disparate flavors with such precision that it creates the illusion that you’re almost drinking a newly invented base spirit. Lara Nixon also claims that the process rounds out the mouthfeel of the cocktail, which is an often overlooked aspect of the imbibing experience.
Several sources cite Jeffrey Morgenthaler of Clyde Common in Portland as the first person to come up with this novel idea and execute it with success. His barrel-aged Negroni, Manhattan, and Trident cocktails have caused waves in cocktail circles across America, inspiring bartenders and home mixologists to take the reins and experiment with the process themselves. For more information about Morgenthaler’s experiments and some recipes, check out his blog. The barrel-aging process is brand new in the Southwest, which is one reason why it’s so exciting that you can taste the magic yourself right here in Austin.
Nixon’s cocktail, a barrel-aged Vieux Carré featuring Balcones Rumble (a unique Texas spirit distilled from wildflower honey, mission figs, and turbinado sugar) will be available to taste at the Tigress on Tuesday, December 14, from 6-10 p.m. Come have a taste, and decide for yourself if this is one trend that’s here to stay, or if it will dissolve as fast as the Angel’s Share of the barrel. The Tigress: 100 W. North Loop Blvd, Austin, TX 78751, (512) 600-3232
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Bill Norris wins Drink Local contest
Bill Norris (of the soon to be open Haddington’s) scooped up first place at the third annual Tipsy Texan and Edible Austin sponsored Drink Local Night at Cedar Street on Tuesday.
The competition (like several of the drinks) was stiff — Norris competed against Nate Wales of La Condesa, Brian Dressel of the (also soon to be open) Congress Bar, Ace Manning of Peche, and newcomer Nancy Mitchell, the Backyard Bartender from Houston. Each contestant mixed up a delightful seasonal cocktail featuring local spirits, but Norris’ one-of-a-kind Texas Tiki drink won the judges over in the end.
His cocktail, The Waco Haze Cutter was inspired by the traditional Tiki drink the Fog Cutter, and named after the location of the Balcones Distillery in Waco. It featured several ounces of the Balcones Rumble and True Blue whiskey, a home made orgeat (an almond-flavored syrup used in traditional Tiki drinks such as the mai-tai), gin, grapefruit, and topped with a cream sherry float. The drink was delicious, his technique exact, and presentation engaging.
Brian Dressel of Bar Congress took second place with his egg-nog inspired concoction, the Blue Velvet. The drink featured a surprising combination of ingredients, including Balcones True Blue whiskey, Real Ale Coffee Porter, Round Rock Honey, Benedictine, Chocolate Bitters, egg and a cinnamon garnish.
Nale Wales of La Condesa came in third place with the Hot Pecan Brown Butter Rum, which was composed of Treaty Oak rum, Amontillado sherry, cinnamon browned butter, pecan bitters, and a poblano garnish. According to David Alan of TipsyTexan.com, Wales’ entry was the first hot drink to be entered into the competition.
Drink Local Night was part of Edible Austin’s Eat Local Week, a celebration of all things local and fund raising event organized to benefit Urban Roots, a program dedicated to using “sustainable agriculture as a means to transform the lives of young people and to increase the access of healthy food in Austin.” The competition highlights Austin’s best and brightest mixologists and also showcases the rapidly growing Texas spirits industry. In addition to the competition, several local distillers were on site offering samples of their spirits for attendees. David Alan stated that the contest received a record number of submissions this year, indicating that the cocktail scene in Austin is booming.
Judging the contest, in addition to yours truly, were Lara Nixon of Tipsy Tech/Balcones Spirits (and winner of last year’s contest), Joe Eifler of TipsyTexan.com, Adam Harris of Maker’s Mark and Ben Craven of Perla’s. Below is the recipe for Bill Norris’ winning cocktail. To see recipes for all of the entries, check out TipsyTexan.com.
The Waco Fog Cutter by Bill Norris of Haddington’s
2 oz. Balcones Rumble
1 oz. Balcones True Blue
.5 oz. London Dry Gin
1.5 oz. Texas Grapefruit juice
.75 oz. homemade Orgeat
.5 oz. Cream Sherry
Combine all ingredients except sherry with ice in mixing glass. Shake and strain over crushed ice. Top w/cream sherry float.
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What I learned at Whisky Fest at Opal’sThursday
Last year they had it in that side room at Opal Divine’s Penn Field and it was a little cramped. This year Michael Parker opened up the whole place to the fest and it was still elbow to elbow. And great fun. And what tremendous Scotches and whiskies. So. What I learned:
Ardberg is completely awesome, but then we all knew that. Theri Uigedail was voted best whisky in the world by Jim Murray, author of “The Whisky Bible.”
And I’ve been mis-pronouncing Islay all this time. I thought it was “ees-lay.” Parker straightened he out. He says it’s “ee-lay.”
He knows way more than me about this. I hereby don a hair shirt soaked in Scotch.
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Independence Brewing tour Sat. benefits the Arc
The First Saturday tours at Independence Brewing Co. are by and large quite well-attended, but here’s another incentive (besides beer): Saturday their benefiting the Arc of the Capital Area for folks with disabilities and their families.
They report they’ll have decorated bottles, cap accessories and other stocking stuffers. The first tour is at 1:15 p.m., the second at 2. The brewery is at 3913 Todd Ln. #607.
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24 Diner is 1
And to mark its first anniversary they’re having a shebang from 5-9 p.m. on the patio and parking lot at everybody Austin motorist’s favorite intersection, Sixth and Lamar. Free food and drink, live music, cool people. Press release:
AUSTIN - December 1, 2010 - In the past 12 months, we’ve opened our doors for round-the-clock service, cracked open 325,600 eggs, spotted many celebrities, dominated a chili competition, thrown lavish beer, wine & cheese pairings, shared our Bananas Foster Milkshake recipe with Saveur magazine, nearly doubled our kitchen space, hosted music showcases featuring the likes of Spoon, John Hiatt & Cheap Trick, built a cool outdoor patio, rocked it at the Zombie Ball and perfected our Chicken & Waffles recipe to the exacting standards of our chef trained at the Culinary Institute of America.
Now, we have real estate agents in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Ft. Worth scouring their cities for possible locations for the next 24 Diner.
And, more importantly, we want to celebrate our first birthday here at home with all the wonderful people who like and get what it is we are trying to do … as well as those who just want to score some free food and drinks and listen to some tunes (we understand that, too).
So, please join us on Wednesday, December 8, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on our patio and the adjacent side parking lot. We will be giving away delicious treats handmade by chef Andrew Curren, specialty cocktails lovingly crafted by sommelier Billy Caruso, select cold beers and the garage soul sound of the Greyhounds.
In keeping with our desire to support and build relationships with quality local suppliers, we’ve partnered up with Tito’s Vodka for the event—and on our forthcoming cocktail menu. Try a 24 Diner Press (Tito’s, Topo Chico, muddled lime), 24 Bloody Mary (Tito’s, housemade mix, pickled vegetable garnish), Ben Crenshaw (Tito’s, organic black iced tea, mint, fresh-squeezed lemonade, muddled lemons) or Tito’s Texas Mule (Tito’s, ginger beer, fresh lime juice).
We hope you’ll come out and bring your friends.
24 Diner: 600 N. Lamar, (512) 472-5400, www.24diner.com, twitter.com/24DinerATX.
For more information, contact: Evelyn Sher (512) 589-6596 24DinerATX@gmail.com
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Has anybody had this?
Victoria beer from Mexico (not Victoria, TX, silly) is heading statewide.
I confess I don’t even think I’ve seen it in Mexico. Thoughts, anyone?
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Opal’s Whisky Fest is Thursday
It’s at the Penn Field Location. This from Opal’s whisky baron Michael Parker:
Whisky Festival Tickets will be $45 on the day of. This is a great event to help you finalize your Christmas “wish list” or to help you decide which whisky to get for dad, or mom for that matter! The last couple of years this event has been too crowded and we have had to turn people away. This year we will be using the entire space at Penn Field for the event. More room for more people, more whisky and more roaming around. This will also allow us to raise more money for Meals and Wheels and More!
The festival takes place on December 2nd from 7 to 10pm at Opal Divine’s Penn Field, 3601 S. Congress Ave, 78704. Tickets are on sale now at our website, They are $40 in advance and $45 day of the event. We will have over 50 of the finest malts from all the producing regions of the British Isles. There will be Scottish-style Salmon, smoked meats, fruits and cheeses served during the event. I look forward to seeing you all there!
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Black Star Co-op Grand opening
It’s happening. Press release:
Black Star Co-op Grand Opening Celebration Weekend
December 10-12, 2010
AUSTIN, TX, November 23, 2010 — After more than four years of hard work, the world’s first cooperatively-owned and worker self-managed brewpub, the Black Star Co-op, is formally opening its doors with a celebratory grand opening weekend December 10-12, 2010 at its location: 7020 Easy Wind Drive, Austin, TX 787582 near the corner of Lamar and Airport, and the Crestview MetroRail Station.
The celebration will kick off Friday night, December 10th from 6pm-10pm, with a large, family-friendly Beer Social featuring live music from Vanessa Lively and Band, Ugly Beats, Melogrand and Brownout as well as the first tap of Black Star Co-op’s highly anticipated house beers, “High Esteem” and “Double Dee”. There will also be a children’s area setup with a pirate ship bounce house, face painter, and hot chocolate/apple cider booth.
Saturday, December 11th will feature a Texas Craft Brewers Mini-Festival from 2pm-5pm as part of Edible Austin’s Eat Local Week. This event is co-sponsored by the Wheatsville Co-op and will provide the opportunity to meet Texas craft brewers and sample their wares. Tickets are $15 and benefit local non-profit Urban Roots. Click here to purchase tickets through Frontgate Tickets! The Co-op will be open for regular service beginning at 4pm.
The Co-op will open early on Sunday, December 12th featuring a special Roast menu starting at 12PM. Charter Member-Owners are invited to have a portrait taken at their brewpub from 12pm-4pm, and a large group photo of Member-Owners is scheduled for 4pm.
“We’re thrilled with the development of the Co-op and very grateful for the support of our Member-Owners, Workers’ Assembly, Board of Directors and general community at large”, states Co-op President Mark Wochner. “It’s a great testament to the power of a good idea, smart people, and tenacity”, he continues. “The example that we’ve set will hopefully make us one of many cooperatively-owned brewpubs in the future.”
About Black Star Co-Op
Black Star Co-op is located in Midtown Commons, a 73-acre transit oriented, mixed-use development set on a remediated brownfield at Lamar and Airport, a few hundred feet from the Crestview station of Capital Metro’s Red Line rail service. With a diverse membership almost 2,500 strong and growing, Black Star Co-op’s mission is to apply the principles of co-operative ownership and worker self-management to create the best venue in Austin for the production and enjoyment of high quality beer and food. For more information, please visit www.blackstar.coop or call 512-452-BEER.
