Jeremy Banas
Texas Wins Big at the 2024 World Beer Cup in ...

The 2024 Craft Brewers Conference is in the books and with it another World Beer Cup (WBC). The world’s most prestigious beer competition and a yearly battle between breweries all over the world. Setting itself apart from other competitions, the World Beer Cup commemorates brewing with judges and entries from around the world.

Down a little in numbers from 2023, this year’s competition saw 280 judges from 37 countries, many of whom were from outside the United States. This elite group of judges evaluated 9,300 entries, with 2,060 participating breweries, from 50 countries. Judging of the 172 beer styles took place over nine days totaling 18 sessions.

Texas Wins Big at the 2024 World Beer Cup in Las Vegas
Beer and cocktails
Jeremy Banas
San Antonio Breweries Make a Splash At The 2023 ...

Texas craft beer producers showed the rest of the nation that the Armadillo State (yeah, Texas has other nicknames) can brew with the best of them.

Yesterday Texas craft breweries brought home an impressive 19 medals at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival in Colorado — Alamo City-area breweries accounted for three of the state's total medal haul. The festival, which draws tens of thousands of people annually, is considered the industry's most prestigious competition in the U.S.

San Antonio Breweries Make a Splash At The 2023 Great American Beer Festival
Beer and cocktails
Jeremy Banas
Samsaric Brewing Company Collaborates with Two ...

Samsaric Brewing Co out of Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania will release their passion fruit witbier this Friday, June 9th. Previously released last year the beer will make its Texas debut at Mort Subite Belgian beer bar and Celis Brewery in honor of Kama Sutra Day. Yes, that Kama Sutra.

Samsaric Brewing Company Collaborates with Two Austin Staples
Jeremy Banas
Texas Wins Big at the 2023 World Beer Cup

The 2023 Craft Brewers Conference is in the books and with it another World Beer Cup. The world’s most prestigious beer competition, which had been held every two years, became a yearly battle starting last year. Setting itself apart from other competitions, the World Beer Cup commemorates brewing from around the world with judges and entries from around the world.

This year’s competition saw 272 judges from 26 countries, many of whom were from outside the United States. This elite group of judges evaluated 10,213 beers, with 2,376 participating breweries, from 51 countries. Judging of the 176 beer styles took place over nine days totaling 18 sessions.

Texas Wins Big at the 2023 World Beer Cup
Beer and cocktails
Jeremy Banas
First Annual Texas Craft Brewers Cup

Winners of First Annual Texas Craft Brewers Cup Revealed at Brewers Gathering

AUSTIN, Texas (February 12, 2022) —The Texas Craft Brewers Guild awarded 81 medals to 57 small and independent breweries from across the Lone Star State in the non-profit trade association’s first statewide craft beer competition.

The best Texas craft beers in 27 medal categories covering 150+ different beer styles were awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals during an awards ceremony at the Texas Craft Brewers Guild’s Annual Meeting at Hilton Austin on Saturday, February 12. Judging took place January 29-30 in Austin with 37 judges evaluating 755 anonymized entries from 131 breweries hailing from all different corners of the state. The Texas Craft Brewers Cup judging pool was comprised of experienced brewing industry professionals and members of the homebrewing community with extensive Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) judging experience.

First Annual Texas Craft Brewers Cup

Texas Wins Big at the 2024 World Beer Cup in Las Vegas

Texas Wins Big at the 2024 World Beer Cup in Las Vegas

The 2024 Craft Brewers Conference is in the books and with it another World Beer Cup (WBC). The world’s most prestigious beer competition and a yearly battle between breweries all over the world. Setting itself apart from other competitions, the World Beer Cup commemorates brewing with judges and entries from around the world.

Down a little in numbers from 2023, this year’s competition saw 280 judges from 37 countries, many of whom were from outside the United States. This elite group of judges evaluated 9,300 entries, with 2,060 participating breweries, from 50 countries. Judging of the 172 beer styles took place over nine days totaling 18 sessions.

San Antonio Breweries Make a Splash At The 2023 Great American Beer Festival

San Antonio Breweries Make a Splash At The 2023 Great American Beer Festival

Texas craft beer producers showed the rest of the nation that the Armadillo State (yeah, Texas has other nicknames) can brew with the best of them.

Yesterday Texas craft breweries brought home an impressive 19 medals at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival in Colorado — Alamo City-area breweries accounted for three of the state's total medal haul. The festival, which draws tens of thousands of people annually, is considered the industry's most prestigious competition in the U.S.

Texas Wins Big at the 2023 World Beer Cup

Texas Wins Big at the 2023 World Beer Cup

The 2023 Craft Brewers Conference is in the books and with it another World Beer Cup. The world’s most prestigious beer competition, which had been held every two years, became a yearly battle starting last year. Setting itself apart from other competitions, the World Beer Cup commemorates brewing from around the world with judges and entries from around the world.

This year’s competition saw 272 judges from 26 countries, many of whom were from outside the United States. This elite group of judges evaluated 10,213 beers, with 2,376 participating breweries, from 51 countries. Judging of the 176 beer styles took place over nine days totaling 18 sessions.

JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort partners with Freetail Brewing on Hill Country Honey Blonde

JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort partners with Freetail Brewing on Hill Country Honey Blonde

Beer collaborations are nothing new for many beer drinkers. Most breweries have hooked up with other breweries, bands, or even restaurants, pooling their collective creativity usually resulting in a beer that expresses both entities.

 

Recently local San Antonio favorite Freetail Brewing released Hill Country Honey Blonde, an American Blonde Ale brewed with Texas wildflower & brush honey, in collaboration with the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa on the City’s Northside by the PGA Village.

First Annual Texas Craft Brewers Cup

First Annual Texas Craft Brewers Cup

Winners of First Annual Texas Craft Brewers Cup Revealed at Brewers Gathering

AUSTIN, Texas (February 12, 2022) —The Texas Craft Brewers Guild awarded 81 medals to 57 small and independent breweries from across the Lone Star State in the non-profit trade association’s first statewide craft beer competition.

The best Texas craft beers in 27 medal categories covering 150+ different beer styles were awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals during an awards ceremony at the Texas Craft Brewers Guild’s Annual Meeting at Hilton Austin on Saturday, February 12. Judging took place January 29-30 in Austin with 37 judges evaluating 755 anonymized entries from 131 breweries hailing from all different corners of the state. The Texas Craft Brewers Cup judging pool was comprised of experienced brewing industry professionals and members of the homebrewing community with extensive Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) judging experience.

Maverick Whiskey Introduces Barrel Proof Straight Bourbon and Texas Gin

Maverick Whiskey Introduces Barrel Proof Straight Bourbon and Texas Gin

Maverick Whiskey— owned by Kenneth Maverick, the fourth-great-grandson of Samuel Maverick, one of the more prominent figures in Texas independence and San Antonio history — has just released its grain-to-glass Samuel Maverick Barrel Proof Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

Made from a mash of 72% corn grown right here in Texas, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley, their barrel proof is milled, mashed, and distilled all in-house at Maverick.

Man Overboard Brewing Debuts in San Antonio

Man Overboard Brewing Debuts in San Antonio

San Antonio has seen quite an influx of new breweries in the last two years, with Longtab Brewing, Back Unturned, Black Laboratory, and Second Pitch to name but a few. This weekend San Antonio’s latest, Man Overboard Brewing, held a soft opening to introduce the Alamo City to their brews in advance of their Grand Opening next month.

Captained by 30-year Navy veteran Ron Merriman, Man Overboard is located at 1203 Camden St on the southwest side of the Pearl complex in the old Bexar Stage comedy club building, Man Overboard is a family affair with Merriman’s wife Cindy, son Justin, and Justin’s wife Irene involved in all aspects of the operation.

Come an Drink It - Texas Whiskey Reflects Its Unique Terroir

Come an Drink It - Texas Whiskey Reflects Its Unique Terroir

Cowboys, the Alamo, barbecue, and high school football—these are only a few things that come to mind when you hear “Texas.” Until recently, Texas whiskey certainly would not have been mentioned. In fact, just a decade ago, there were only two whiskey distilleries in Texas: Balcones Distilling in Waco, and Garrison Brothers Distillery in Hye. So, unless you were already into whiskey or bourbon, even living in Texas would not guarantee you knew about Texas Whiskey.

Brew Monkey Beer Hits The Alamo City

Brew Monkey Beer Hits The Alamo City

Opening this coming Saturday August 29, owner and head brewer James Hansen is hoping Brew Monkey Beer will become a destination within San Antonio. The California native started his brewing career cleaning tanks at Devil’s Canyon Brewing in San Carlos, California, and would eventually go on to handle production procurement and brewing for Gordon Biersch Brewing Company’s production facility.

Longtab Brewing Brings Good Beer And Good Coffee To San Antonio

Longtab Brewing Brings Good Beer And Good Coffee To San Antonio

San Antonio’s latest brewery launches this week on the city’s Northwest side. Nestled away at 4700 Timco West, Longtab Brewing sits just inside the 410 Loop off Bandera road. The Alamo City’s latest brewpub has a two-fold opening this week, with coffee operations having started yesterday at 7 A.M., slinging their single-origin Guatemalan coffee. Patrons will get a chance to try the beer later this week, with small bites from the kitchen.

San Antonio Takes Home 16 Medals at the Great American Beer Festival

San Antonio Takes Home 16 Medals at the Great American Beer Festival

Another Great American Beer Festival (GABF) is in the books and with it another awards competition. In all, 322 judges from 18 countries took the measure of 9,497 entries from 2,295 breweries, making it the largest GABF competition in the festival’s 33-year history. This years’ competition saw 401 first-time entrants, 37 first-time winners, with 318 total medals awarded. 

 

Texas breweries once again did very well, taking home 16 medals overall: 8 Gold, 3 Silver, and 5 Bronze. 

Come and Take It...To Go.

Come and Take It...To Go.

I rarely write a true editorial these days. My coverage of the adult beverage world typically comprises books and research articles. However, in light of yesterday’s momentous day, I felt the need to share my personal thoughts.

How did we get here?

Trying to modernize beer laws in Texas has been an arduous journey over the last 10 years. Until 2011, most of the industry did not think change was possible. Distributors were locked into contracts with the big breweries, and any change to the laws that affected distributors and macro brewers was shut down before a bill could even be introduced. Attempts were made in 2007 and 2009 to pass bills that allowed beer-to-go (taking purchased beer home from a brewery), on-premise consumption (drinking beer from the brewery at the brewery), truth in labeling, and even the right to tell consumers where a brewery’s beer could be purchased. Always to no avail. The old boys club between some legislators and distributors (the biggest bully being the Wholesale Distributors of Texas) was just too powerful.

Celis Makes It Official: Brewing Will Continue

In a recent press release, Celis Brewing confirmed the successful filing of Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, allowing the Austin-based brewery to reorganize it its business model and books.

Brewing continues!

Celis Brewery Announces New Growth Plan Following Chapter 11 Restructuring

Austin, TX--Bringing an end to recent rumors, Celis Brewery announced that it has filed for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Title 11 Bankruptcy code for the purpose of reorganizing its finances.

Christine Celis, founder explains, “The brewery has struggled to make financial ends meet under larger than expected debt service since day one. Even though our beer has been one of the fastest growing craft beers in Texas, the financial model we started with put us in a cash crunch that simply did not give us any room to maneuver in a highly competitive market. We intend to fix all of that through the Chapter 11 process. It will allow us to continue to make my Dad’s legendary beers and grow within more realistic parameters.”

Austin’s Celis Brewery To Restructure

Austin’s Celis Brewery To Restructure

Pierre Celis’ name is synonymous with the Belgian-style witbier, or “white,” beer style. In 1966 Celis resurrected the style when he founded Celis Brewery in Hoegaarden, Belgium, the epicenter of witbier for the last 400 years. Prior to Pierre, witbier had been last brewed by the Tomsin Brewery in Hoegaarden, where Celis apprenticed as a teenager.

By 1985, Pierre Celis had not only brought the Belgian-style witbier back to Belgium, but the style had also spread all over the world. In 1991 he moved his brewery to Austin, Texas becoming the city’s first craft brewery.

Brooklyn Brewery’s Garrett Oliver on Pierre Celis and the State of Brewing

Brooklyn Brewery’s Garrett Oliver on Pierre Celis and the State of Brewing

Few names invoke the level of respect in the beer world more than that of Garrett Oliver. Brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery in New York, Oliver has been at the brewing game for close to four decades, starting in the early 1980s in England.

While overseas, Garrett Oliver tried many beers he hadn’t seen in the U.S. before, opening up a whole new world for him. After homebrewing a bit soon after, Oliver moved back to the U.S. becoming the president of the New York Homebrewer’s Guild, and later head brewer at Manhattan Brewing. It was at the Guild where he met Steve Hindy, who approached Oliver the following year to be the brewer at Brooklyn Brewery’s new Williamsburg brewery.

Oliver has gone on to win numerous awards for his beers. He is the author of ‘The Brewmasters Table’, editor-in-chief of ‘The Oxford Companion to Beer’, and is the winner of the 2014 James Beard Award for Excellent Wine, Beer or Spirits Professional. And yes, he is the Crown Prince of Hats. Oliver is known to be quite the snappy dresser and lover of fine hats.

The Return Of Tullamore D.E.W.

The Return Of Tullamore D.E.W.

Tullamore D.E.W., named for original distiller and later owner, Daniel E. Williams, has long been synonymous with Irish whiskey. Founded in 1829 in Tullamore, Co. Offaly, the distillery remained open until 1954, when it closed its doors. The brand was purchased by William Grant & Sons, the family-owned distillery behind Glenfiddich Scotch Whiskey and Hendricks Gin, in 2010.

In 2014, William Grant & Sons re-opened Tullamore with a new pot distillery, officially telling the world that Tullamore was back. In 2017, they opened a brand spanking new grain distillery next door to the pot distillery, both located on the site of the original Tullamore distillery. For a company that had long blended sourced spirits for distilling, making the move to grain-to-glass was huge.

Texas Craft Brewers Guild and Beer Alliance of Texas Reach Agreement on Beer-To-Go-Sales

Texas Craft Brewers Guild and Beer Alliance of Texas Reach Agreement on Beer-To-Go-Sales

Two companion bills were filed in the Texas House and Senate last month that, if passed, would allow consumers the ability to purchase beer while visiting their favorite brewery and take it home with them. A luxury that all 49 other States currently enjoy. HB 672, filed by Representative Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin and SB 312, filed by Senator Dawn Buckingham, R-Lakeway look to change a law that has been on the books since Prohibition.

The passage would also end a decade-plus struggle between Texas brewers, lawmakers, and distributors.

On February 13, 2019, Beer-To-Go moved one step closer to this goal. The Texas Craft Brewers Guild (TCBG), the trade association that represents almost 300 small and independent breweries in Texas, and the Beer Alliance of Texas, (BAT), a trade association which represents malt beverage distributors in Texas, reached a compromise on the hotly contested issue. This agreement has prompted Representative Rodriguez and Senator Buckingham to file amended versions of their bills.

If passed, the revised legislation would allow consumers to purchase up to 576 ounces (or two cases) of beer per calendar day for consumption at home.

Islla St. Brewing Draws on Family Roots

Islla St. Brewing Draws on Family Roots

Last year, Islla St. Brewing Co. introduced themselves to San Antonio at the San Antonio Beer Festival in the Dignowity neighborhood of downtown.

Now, San Antonio’s newest brewery is ready to bring their wares to the public this weekend, with a more formal opening to include special events set for next weekend.

“We’re excited to finally open our doors to San Antonio,” said Joaquin Pena co-founder and brewer for Islla Street. “It’s been a long three year road and we’re ready to bring our unique brews to everyone.” Pena and brother Josh draw heavily from their cultural influences to create beers that they hope will highlight the unique flavors of their heritage. Josh handles the front end of the house, as well as brewing with Joaquin.

Texas Craft Brewers Festival 2018

Texas Craft Brewers Festival 2018

Now in its eigth year, the Texas Craft Brewers Festival (TCBF) descends upon Austin this Saturday, September 29, with an expanded format and even more breweries represented. The TCBF is a product of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild (TCBG), with some proceeds benefiting various charities each year.

Texas breweries have recently come off an impressive 18 wins at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado, where they showed the rest of the country that Texas is good enough to in the same conversation with stalwarts like California, Colorado and Portland.

This year's festival will feature over almost 70 Texas craft brewers with a multitude of unique brews for attendees to enjoy. Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned festival vet, there will be something for everyone and special tappings on the hour from many of the participating breweries.