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It’s July, Drink Craft Beer!

A TASTE OF TEXAS FOR AMERICAN BEERMONTH

If you haven’t already noticed, July is American Beer Month. A time to celebrate, educate and, of course, partake of brews golden, amber, red, dark, stout, creamy, hoppy, malty, subtle, intense, aromatic and just plain good. Central Texans have a particularly plentiful reason to celebrate. We are surrounded by breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs creating craft beers to please any palate.

Now is a great time to be a beer geek in Texas. Although the state’s craft brew movement is still fairly young compared to states like Washington, California and Colorado [It was only 12 years ago the state legislature passed the laws that allow microbreweries and brewpubs to even exist in the Lone Star State.], we are in an extremely curious and experimental stage. With that in mind, we at INsite Austin decided to look at three micros with a lot going on.

Real Ale Brewing Company: It’s in the Water

Year-round:

• Rio Blanco Pale Ale
• Full Moon Pale Rye Ale
• Brewhouse Brown Ale
• Fireman’s #4 Blonde Ale

Seasonal/Special:

• Sisyphus Barleywine Ale
• Shade Grown Coffee Porter
• Lost Gold IPA
• Phoenixx Double ESB
• Devil’s Backbone Style Trippel

From its beginning, Real Ale Brewing Company has steered clear of plain Jane beers. “We believe in producing beers that we are interested in drinking, not beers that marketing people tell you that you should be selling,” says President Brad Farbstein. “We make rye beers, coffee porters, Belgium trippels.”

RABC started in a basement brewery on Blanco’s town square in 1996 with two employees selling 22 oz. ‘bomber’ bottles of Full Moon Pale Rye Ale and Brewhouse Brown Ale, mainly in the Austin area. At that time, the brewery produced about 400 barrels a year (conversion note: 31 U.S. gallons/barrel). Now, the company has 15 employees operating 20 hours a day, 7 days a week and turns out 4,500 barrels a year. You can find their brews on tap and in 6-pack bottles throughout Central Texas.

Why set up shop in Blanco, so far from Austin? Farbstein says it’s all about the water. “Some of the best brewing water for the styles of beer that we make, straight out of the Blanco River. Our water has a rich supply of minerals.” Talk about drinking up Texas pride! “Everyone loves a product made in Texas for Texans and we feel privileged to be out here in the foothills of the Texas Hill Country.”

Real Ale is just weeks away from opening a new state-of-the-art facility built from the ground up on almost 5 acres of land north of Blanco. In the new brewery, RABC will be able to produce somewhere around 70,000 barrels a year, a 25 percent increase in capacity. So you can expect to find more Real Ale in pubs, restaurants and stores across the state. In another huge development for beer lovers in the region, Real Ale recently came to an agreement with brewing legend Pierre Celis to produce his Brussels White and Brussels Grand Cru recipes for distribution.

Brewery tours are done by appointment, but Farbstein says there will be tour hours and a tasting room once the company gets their new place up and running.

Live Oak Brewing Company: Beer for Beer Nerds

Year-round:

• Pilz
• Big Bark Amber Ale
• Pale Ale
• Hefe Weizen
• Liberation Ale

Seasonal/Special:

• Oaktoberfest
• Liberator Dopplebock
• Old Treehugger Barleywine

Tucked away in a small warehouse on East 5th Street in East Austin, Live Oak Brewing Company prides itself on making amazing lagers and ales for the last nine years. Their brews are bold, full of character and flavor. LOBC produces about 3,000 barrels a year and has seen a 25 percent jump in sales since last year. You’ll find Live Oak beers in Austin and other large markets like Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio. Kegs even make their way to West Texas towns like Alpine and Marathon by way of brewer Steve Anderson’s personal road trips.

“We can hardly keep up as it is. We need to move so that we can expand our capacity,” says President Chip McElroy. Part of the reason for the much needed move and increase in productivity is the public’s desire for a constant supply of what had been seasonal brews.

“Hefe Weizen and Liberation used to be seasonals. Due to popular demand, we started making them year-round. We still have our Fall seasonal, the Oaktober fest. While we kick around the idea of some other seasonals (and we do have some in mind), they’re not going to come out until we move. It’s like the big 800 pound gorilla in the room.

We’ve got to get moved! Everything else is after that. ‘You going to put out bottles?’ After we move! ‘You going to put out new brands?’ After we move!” Luckily, Live Oak fans don’t have to wait for a major move to enjoy a new Live Oak brew. This winter, the brewers will tap the inaugural batch of a barleywine they call Old Treehugger. In the past, McElroy has told me that Live Oak doesn’t sit the fence on their brews. They go out and attack the styles aggressively, something he says Austinites appreciate. “Austin is great! People are knowledgeable, enthusiastic and open. It’s part of having, whatever it is, like six points higher on the I.Q. scale here. We have a lot of smart, curious, interested people that seek out good beers, among other things.”

Brewer Steve Anderson adds, “They [Austinites] are more responsible drinkers. First of all, they are willing to spend a little more money for a quality craft beer. And next to that, they’re not just slamming a bunch of lite beers that are cheap. They want to enjoy their beer.” Live Oak brewery tours are available by appointment.

Independence Brewing Company: A Family Affair

Year-round:

• Independence Pale Ale
• Bootlegger Brown Ale
• Freestyle Wheat Beer

Seasonal/Special:

• Jasperilla Old Ale

Independence Brewing Company may be the new kid among Austin’s microbreweries, but in a span of less than two years, they have already proven themselves worthy of many a beer fanatic’s fancy. In kegs since October 2004 and bottles since July 2005, IBC puts out about 1,800 barrels a year. You’ll find their three mainstays on tap in bars and restaurants all over Austin, and their 6-pack bottles are carried in neighborhood stores like Whip-In, Wheatsville Co-op and two HEB locations in South Austin.

IBC is basically a mom and pop operation (minus the kids, plus two employees… and a dog). On any given day, you’ll find the husband and wife team — Brewer Rob Cartwright and President Amy Cartwright — in their brewery off Todd Lane in Southeast Austin, handling all aspects of brewing, business and deliveries. They call it their home away from home.

When you enter, you feel at home too — nearly a dozen wooden picnic tables, a kitchen/serving area, grill, futon and a cold room for those 110-plus degree days around the kettles and tanks. Named for and inspired by the couple’s personal journeys and favorite stories and folklore from Texas history, the Cartwrights intend for their beers to embody the independent nature of Texans. “Beer fans in Texas are still discovering new beers and styles,” says Amy Cartwright. “They revel in the joy of discovering new beers to taste. It seems that some beer fans in other parts of the country can come across as beer snobs, commenting ad nauseum about their beer knowledge. While people in Texas seem to kick back and just enjoy what they’re tasting.”

Rob Cartwright says it’s not just the ideas and attitudes of Texas that shape IBC’s recipes, but also the weather. “This isn’t Colorado. We aren’t sitting around drinking beer in the snow. This is Texas and it’s hot here! We brew full-flavored beers, bodied down for the Texas climate. That way you don’t feel so weighed down. We like to say we’re making beers that are ‘drinkable.’”

The brewery plans to unveil a new beer at their 2nd Anniversary Party in October. “We’re keeping it under wraps for now,” Amy tells me, “but we’ve done quite a bit of taste testing and think people will really like the new brew.” The mystery concoction is the next step of a long-term plan that includes new brews, new markets, and the hope of passing the tradition to a new generation. Amy explains: “Rob and I want to keep brewing great beers for Texas and, ultimately, build a brewery that we’d be proud to leave to our children, when we have them someday.”