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 craft beer

Texas Craft Brewers Guild Launches Political Action Committee

Texas Craft Brewers Guild Launches Political Action Committee

Not ones to give up, the State’s brewers continued with the campaign for education to show just how these archaic beer laws were and how much of a stranglehold they were placing on small business in Texas. They were joined by the grassroots consumer advocacy group Open The Taps, who formed in 2011 in response to the legislative defeat, and together with a few friendly distributors, were able to make some headway in 2013 having a few laws changed for the better. 

Though some advancement was seen in 2013, a little was lost as well. When the 2015 and 2017 legislative sessions rolled around, the states small and independent brewers saw more inaction. With Open The Taps fading and the distributor lobbies doubling down, it was difficult to see what could be done. With the launch of CraftPac, we have a combined group representing the State’s brewers and consumers giving both a legislative voice.

Texas Scores Big Time At GABF Awards

Texas Scores Big Time At GABF Awards

This year's Great American Beer Festival (otherwise known as GABF) competition saw a record 2,217 breweries from around the United States enter a staggering 7,923 brews. The competition saw another record with 276 judges from 13 countries brought together to evaluate the best of American ales, lagers, and specialty brews. Many Texas breweries have been recognized in for their efforts in past years, and 2017 was no different.

This year Texas brought in a record 21 total awards this year 9 gold, 6 silver, and 6 bronze medals with Large Brewpub and Mid-size Brewery winners.

Pearl Brewing: A Book Teaser Part II

By 1887 Otto Koehler and company had taken over City Brewery and rechartered as the San Antonio Brewing Association. From there it gets wild and crazy through Pearl's second period which runs through 1918 and the start of Prohibition. Welcome to part two of a preview into Pearl; A History of San Antonio's Historic Beer due out December 2017. 

" Chapter Four

Though the San Antonio Brewing Association’s beginning is set in 1886, Koehler did not actually leave the Lone Star Brewing Association until 1887. It was during that year that Koehler made his now we'll know trip from San Antonio to Bremen, Germany and to the Kaiser-Beck Brewery to acquire what would become the recipe and trademark for San Antonio Brewing Association’s XXX Pearl Beer.  

An alternative theory on how Otto Koehler came upon the name Pearl and possibly the recipe lies with recently discovered match safe bearing the name ‘A. Griesedieck Brewery Co’ with dates stamped on it ranging from 1879-1886, the very year the San Antonio Brewing Association debut its XXX Pearl beer. Coincidence? Perhaps, but consider again that Otto Koehler worked for Anton. Griesedieck. “Kaiser-Beck did not have a Pearl beer and Anton, as well as his future sons, did not continue to call their beer Pearl,” says Charlie Staats a local historian and collector of Texas brewing memorabilia and who discovered the match safe. “It is possible that Otto struck a deal with Anton to purchase the recipe and Pearl name from him, making one wonder what Otto Koehler was actually doing in Germany if he was not at Kaiser-Beck.”