We recently had the opportunity to sit down with the fine folks behind Hopfields, Austin’s newest gastropub-to-be.

Bay and Lindsay Anthon met us up at the Flying Saucer over some Texas pints on a hot summer Sunday afternoon to share their story and a few pints with us. They explained that Hopfields has been in the works for a few years as the couple have been on the prowl for the perfect spot to open their gastropub in Austin. After multiple starts and stops on various locations around Austin, they finally found at home at 3110 Guadalupe, just a few blocks north of campus.

Once open, the modest pub and restaurant will serve hand made “french street food” (French soups, hearty salads, “French” burgers) paired with exceptional craft beers from Texas and beyond. The couple explained that they are aiming to create a complimentary atmosphere between a craft beer bar and hospitable, pleasant restaurant. They call it a “Male, female juxtaposition.”  Bay explained that they want Hopfields to be a place to grab a great beer with someone who may not be such a beer fan.

Besides a welcoming atmosphere and exciting menu, Hopfields will also offer beverages for the non-beer drinkers. In addition to the 40 taps, they will be serving a variety of “beer cocktails”.

Bay also has some interesting ideas for promoting and sharing rare beer. It’s still in the planning phases, but he plans to put together a beer exchange program where someone can bring a bottle of rare beer and take a bottle of equally rare beer.

They have recently received their demolition permit and are planning on opening the doors in late September. They are currently remodeling from the Asian food restaurant it was previously, building the cold room, rounding up furniture and building their 36 foot oak bar.

We’re looking forward to their opening and the opportunity to eat French street foods and drink good beers with our happy lady friends.

Follow their progress on Twitter, Facebook, and their blog.

God’s speed, Hopfields!

Recently we were invited out to Uncle Billy’s on the lake for a brewery tour and tasting with the always enjoyable, Brian Peters.

I’ve been out to the new location on the lake before, but had never fully appreciated the multi-story brewery that lived in the guts of the location. Mr. Peters put his new brewhouse together based on his years of brewing in various brewhouses and environments to create a facility that truly fit his brewing style and beers.

The brewery lives on the third floor of the new Uncle Billy’s location and uses gravity to move beer from his two 40 barrel and four 20 barrel fermenters to the serving tanks in the basement. He brews on a custom Newlands 20 barrel brewhouse and aims to produce 4,000 barrels a year.

Mr. Peters, or Swifty to anyone who’s been around him for more than 10 minutes, played host and tour guide to a handful of us as he walked us through his new brewery and his current beer portfolio.

Since his move west to the lake, Swifty has become quiet the evangelist with the major theme running throughout his house taps being “conversion”. Being he’s only been brewing there for a few months, he is unsure his new neighborhood’s taste, he’s been brewing up quiet the arsenal of accessible, tasty, easy to drink, “conversion” beers that appeal to the mass drinker, yet still have the subtlety and craftsmanship to impress and satisfy fans of his previous brewing outposts.

With a refreshing wit, crisp pre-prohibition lager, and a tasty amber, Swifty is ready to convert even the timidest of palate over to the better beer side. And for the seasoned craft beer veterans, he’s brewing the wildly popular Hop Zombie and Wood Eye Rye (among this drinker’s top three rye beers) in addition to the GABF gold medal winning Hell in Keller.

The evening we visited, he also had on a mighty tasty session porter that accomplished both being roasty and rich, but still land solidly in the “drink more than a few” category.

Oh yeah, and there’s a sunset out there, too.

Flix Brewhouse in Round Rock Prepares to Open Its Doors

Just when I think it can’t get any better than places like the Alamo Drafthouse and the Violet Crown Cinema for being able to drink a beer while watching a movie on a big screen, something so innovative for beer with film comes along that I wish I thought of the idea. Okay, the idea did occur to me, but never planned on actually having enough money to do it.  Flix Brewhouse, the world’s first movie theatre with a working microbrewery, opened this week in the Skyridge Plaza. The facility is a joint venture between Los Angeles-based Galaxy Theatres and local investment group, Hospitality Investors, who also own the neighboring Homefield Grill. Two of the six screens are fully functional with a third screen to be available this weekend.

Walt Powell of Homefield Grill and Flix Brewhouse

I was invited by to a “sneak peek” by Walt Powell, Vice President of Operations for Home Field Grill and Flix Brewhouse, along with other local craft beer writers.  Flix Brewhouse. During our media tour with Walt we were accompanied by Allan Reagan, President of Hospitality Investors who is highly knowledgeable in the theatre’s film projection systems.

I spotted a couple of serving tanks on a second floor, but no other brewing equipment was onsite. Although the microbrewery production won’t be running until mid-August, full drink service and concessions are available with over 40 draft beers and wines with full food service by July 15th.

Flix Brewhouse Lobby Bar Unfinished tap wall featuring several Texas beers

It was announced on Wednesday that Independence Brewing Company‘s head brewer Justin Rizza will be the brewmaster for Flix Brewhouse. The microbrewery will brew a selection of 6 to 8 beers ranging from a signature golden ale to seasonal specials like “Round Rock Red.”

Flix’s stadium seating “dining rooms” are outfitted with high-definition digital cinema projection and sound technologies, and wall-to-wall curved screens. The cushy high back chairs are reminiscent of a corporate board room and the innovative Easy Glider moveable table top, and  call buttons allow diners to alert staff when service is required.

Flix Brewhouse "Mix" Lobby Bar

The Flix Mix lobby bar and cafe will be open seven days a week with no ticket required. To provide an “adult” atmosphere, no one under 21 will be allowed in after 6 pm without a parent or guardian.

More photos on Flickr.

[Photo Credits:  all photos by Debbie Cerda, copy or reprint with attribution]

Today’s post is brought to you by guest Blogger Brad Mays, AKA @thisbeer. Thanks, Brad!

What better way to get introduced to a new beer than at a party in a friend’s backyard with the owner of the brewery serving some of the first pulls from its selection.  A few weekends ago, Scott Frieling of Deep Ellum Brewing brought four flavors to a fundraiser we were having for our kids’ school.

When Scott told me last year that he had this crazy idea to open Dallas’ fist production brewery, I was excited, a bit surprised and a little skeptical.   But, there I stood at the end of the tap waiting for the first taste of this crazy idea.

Over the next hour and a half until all four half-kegs ran dry, my skepticism faded.  Each of the beers were its own flavor – true to its style and able to stand on its own as I imagined it lined up next to all the other taps in the local brewpub (Deep Ellum will be a production brewery, with its first one, a strong Belgian Blonde, showing up sometime this summer.)

That afternoon I tried the IPA first. The flavor was bold, but not over-powering.  It had enough restraint to appeal to the newcomer, but yet a bold enough nose to hold its own around IPA fans. The IPA rang up at 7% ABV.  Compared with other Texas IPAs, I’d say it definitely stacks up well.  I’m looking forward to having it again.

The first keg to float was the Blonde ale that Scott brought.  It appealed to much of the crowd you’d expect to find at a backyard fundraiser, but the beer itself had all the profiles you find in a good blonde – nice color, accessible flavors and a smooth finish.

We also sampled the California Common, a smoky amber that hung on the back of the taste buds. Scott thinks they’ll call it the “DC9” after Jimmy Dale Gilmore’s song.

The final selection Scott brought out once the blonde floated was a rich, deep double brown stout that rang in around 7.2% ABV.  It was the star of the show for the beer lovers at the party.

Judging from the quality of the beer, St. Louis transplant brewmaster Drew Heurter’s bold brewing personality and creative spirit will make a mark quickly on the Texas beer scene.

Deep Ellum made a great impression on the crowd that afternoon.  Thanks to Scott and Deep Ellum for giving us a preview of the beers that will surely become tap favorites.

Scott said that Austin in an important market for them and that Deep Ellum will be available here, “where fine craft beer is sold,” including in bottles. Look for it, ask for it. Until then, you can find Deep Ellum Brewing here:

www.deepellumbrewing.com
Facebook.com/deepellumbrewing
Twitter.com/deepellumbeer

Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery at 2009 Off-Centered Film Fest

The most engaging speaker at the 2005 Dixie Cup Homebrew Competition’s milliconference held in Houston, Texas, was an up-and-coming adventurous entrepreneur and brewer who entertained the audience with his wit and enthusiasm — Dogfish Head Craft Brewery founder Sam Calagione. I was extremely excited when Calagione came to Austin in 2008 to host the Off-Centered Film Fest along with a beer and cheese pairing at the Alamo Lake Creek — especially as it was my first taste of Midas Touch and Palo Santo Marron. Sam’s passion for brewing “off-centered” craft beer is impressive and infectious.

Despite Discovery Channel’s cancellation of the series “Brew Masters” which featured Calagione’s adventures at creating new off-centered brews while meeting the demand for his year-round beer portfolio, Calagione and Dogfish Head have become increasingly well-known to the general public. Sam’s back in Austin to host this year’s Off-Centered Film Fest and he’s partnered with the Alamo Drafthouse to expand the fest to please both craft beer and film fans alike. Here’s what he had to say when I spoke with him earlier this week about OCFF, Texas craft beer, and supply demands:

You’ve been in Austin for the Off-Centered Film Fest (OCFF) for several years now?

This is the fifth anniversary. I’ve come personally to Austin for the film fest every year.

What inspired the expansion of the OCFF for this year?

I think we’ve expanded the program as a result of expanded excitement in craft beer in general — also the enthusiasm that  we have for working with the Alamo Drafthouse who we think is just the perfect off-centered collaborator for us.

Have you been following the current craft brewing related legislation proposed in Texas?

I’m friends with Brock Wagner who owns Saint Arnold. I also know the guys at Live Oak Brewing, Real Ale,  and (512) Brewing. I’m a big fan of the Texas breweries, I don’t know the intricacies of the proposed legislation so I’d rather not comment on it other than to say –

As a brewery we are always proponents of a level playing field that allows small local breweries to flourish access the marketplace.

Do you have particular favorite Texas beers?

I was down there last year, I remember drinking some great beers. I’m looking forward to trying some of the breweries that I haven’t had beers from — Circle Brewing, Ranger Creek, and Jester King. I’m hearing great things about these beers, and am looking forward to my old favorite from Texas as well.  Our goal when we do events at Dogfish  is to work hard to not just focus on our own beers, because we want to see the whole category of craft brewers thrive.

We know and love the fact that craft brew drinkers are promiscuous and cheat on their “go-to ” beer, even if it’s Dogfish and we think that’s a beautiful thing. We often try to set up events that allow us to feature other craft beers. The first night of this year’s Off-Centered Film Fest (OCFF) is going to be really fun ’cause we get to celebrate a lot of awesome Texas beers, in addition to Dogfish Head, while we watch a killer beer film, Strange Brew — a classic!

You announced recently that your brewery was cutting back on the states that you distribute to, and received a lot of complaints — but over the last week several other breweries announced that they have to follow suit to meet production demands. What do you have to say to any consumers that may be concerned where Texas market stands in the Dogfish Head distribution network?

We love the state of Texas, in terms of having always been just awesome at embracing our off-centered variety of beers. Since Dogfish started selling beer in Texas, it’s been a great market for us. While finding our core brands like 60 Minute and 90 Minute might prove challenging, it’s our goal to keep trying to get more and more different Dogfish Head beers into Texas.

Palo Santo Marron autographed by Sam Calagione - "Get it open"

Sometimes that might mean a little less predictability on the go-to favorites like 60 Minute. Hopefully in the long run, it might mean more opportunity for experimentation for beer drinkers in Texas.

Like the Wrath of Pecant?

Yes — not a particularly strong beer, but a flavorful beer.

We have over a dozen breweries in Central Texas, with more coming to fruition. What would you say to those folks who are aspiring to get into craft brewing on a professional level?

I would say welcome — ours is a very altruistic and mutually supportive band of brothers. A rising tide floats  all ships. as long as the start-up brewers are making inspired unique quality beers, I say the more the merrier.

Check out all the events for the Off-Centered Film Fest here.

Pierre Celis at (512) Brewing by Rodolfo Gonzalez, Austin American Statesman, courtesy of (512) Brewing

You would have to be living under a rock if you’ve not heard that sad news that world-renowned Pierre Celis passed away last weekend at the age of 86. Pierre had followed in his father’s footsteps for the first half of his life, as a milkman. After the closure of the Brouwerij Tomsin in his village of Hoegaarden,  Pierre became determined to bring the brewing of Witbier back in 1966.  Much of the knowledge that Pierre gained in the dairy trade turned out to be useful in his brewing practices of Hoegaarden classics including the Hoegaarden Grand Cru and White.

I’ll never forget the historic night that I met Pierre Celis — I was working at the historic Ale House in Houston, a British pub and restaurant that featured over 130 beers in bottle and draft.

It was October 17, 1989, at a wholesalers beer conference in downtown Houston. I went with my boyfriend who not only worked with me at the Ale House, but was a homebrewer with a plan to open his own brewpub whenever the Texas Legislature would get around to legalizing brewpubs in Texas. We were invited to visit a hospitality suite with C.R. Goodman Distributing as well as other representatives from the beer industry including three generations of the Young Brewery dynasty. At the time,  C.R. Goodman had an association with Manneken-Brussels Imports, and was the Texas distributor of Hoegaarden. I was already a fan of the White, and was pleased that the infamous Verboden Vrucht (Forbidden Fruit) was available at the intimate gathering — due to the Renaissance nudes on the label, Forbidden Fruit was not approved for distribution in Texas. At 8.5 ABV it was my first intoxicating taste of a Belgian Dark Strong Ale.

I was introduced to Pierre — the first professional brewer I’d ever met — and we conversed in French since he spoke very little English and I couldn’t speak a lick of Flemish. He mentioned that C.R. Goodman was encouraging him to open a brewery in Texas. The next year, Celis Brewery came to fruition in Austin.

On a side note,  I thought it a bit rude that during the hospitality event the youngest Young was watching television intently with Pierre as a special guest in the room.  I thought that he was watching a sports event until I approached him and saw that he was watching a warehouse fire in San Francisco.  The major earthquake of 1989 that brought the World Series to a halt also created a blaze in the warehouse district. With his head buried in his hands, he stated, “we JUST received a container there with a major shipment”. To which his grandfather, John Allen Young — great-great-grandson of the firm’s founder, and an advocate of  ‘real ale’ — looked at his son and grandson and replied, “That’s the business”.

I didn’t see Pierre Celis again until sometime in 1994, at an event at the Celis Brewery in Austin, but he remembered our meeting as well and the circumstances of that night. I’m so glad that Pierre whole-heartedly supported and enjoyed (512) Wit, my favorite of t (512) Brewing’s lineup. Were it not for Pierre Celis, I would never have discovered my favorite summer beer. I’ll raise my next pint of Wit to the brewer who revived witbier and made it Immortal.

A week ago we teamed up wt Scott Metzger of Freetail Brewing to put together this video in support of HB 660.
We also asked Scott, who has been blogging daily on HB 660 news over at his Brewednotbattered blog, to guest post on BTA.

Take it away, Scott.

House Bill 660, filed by Representative Mike Villarreal, would allow Texas Brewpubs to sell their products to wholesalers and distributors – something that is currently outlawed in our state. Meanwhile, shelves and taps are flooded with beer from out-of-state brewpubs. For Texas to grow into a truly top class Craft Beer state, we need to stop handcuffing our brewpubs. This video was shot on a chilly evening in Austin as myself and my peers in the industry gathered to discuss what we should to make HB 660 a success. Thanks to Chris Troutman and BeerTownAustin for putting it together.

Find your representative HERE (http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/).

Write your house representative, here’s a sample letter from Scott’s blog:

Representative [Representative's Full Name]
[Representative's Address]

Dear Representative [Representative's Last Name],

[First Paragraph, briefly introduce yourself. Give your name and the name of your organization if it is relevant to the cause. Mention if you are personally a constituent of the Representative or what your connection to him/her is].

I am writing you today in regards to H.B. 660 relating to the sale of malt liquor, ale, and beer by the holder of a brewpub license, filed by Representative Mike Villarreal of San Antonio. This bill would allow Texas brewpubs the right to make their products available for sale off-premise, a right that out-of-state brewpubs already enjoy within the borders of Texas.

This bill would help Texas brewpubs grow and remain competitive in a rapidly growing industry; help Texas wholesale permit and distributors license holders by expanding their product portfolios; help retailers by allowing them to highlight local products; give Texas consumers greater access to the products they want; and help the state by creating new jobs and increasing the tax base.

The craft brewing industry is beginning to garner national attention, and our laws must not prevent our own small businesses from flourishing – especially to the benefit of out-of-state businesses who are currently able to do what our own breweries cannot.

I hope you will Vote Yes for HB 660 should you be given the opportunity either on a committee or on the house floor.

Thank you for your time and service to our great state.

Sincerely,

[Your Signature if Mailing or Faxing]

[Your Name]

Thanks to Draught House and Billy’s on Burnet for allowing us shoot and thanks to everyone who got on camera in support of HB 660.

Way back during Austin Beer Week, one of our numerous roving reporters (we’re everywhere and we’re watching…) attended the Alamo Draught House and Live Oak Brewing Co Inglorious Basterds Dinner and this is his take away. The author wishes to remain anonymous. Don’t ask.

Being a self-professed fan of ‘Inglorious Basterds’, Live Oak beers, and Alamo Drafthouse’s famed feasts, the next step for me was to experience all three simultaneously. Thanks to a little theatre-brewery coordination, during Austin Beer Week this trifecta was achieved.

Beer tastings usually have a certain order to their indulgence, starting with the milder beers before moving onward to those that offer higher risk of palate fatigue. The addition of food, however, allows the disregard of certain standards and in this case, a complete reversal of the expected order.

The first highlight came as service began with Live Oak’s ‘Old Treehugger’, which weighs in at a little over 12% abv. This rich barleywine offers depth in its layered malt flavors and its buttery texture paired quite well with the complex flavors of the kosher salt seared scallops with caramelized blood orange topped with a Hefeweizen reduction, served atop a latke.

Live Oak’s festbier seasonal, dubbed ‘Oaktoberfest,’ washed down the kreplach nicely, and the hearty seared potato dumpling complemented the clean, malty lager.

The classic ‘Pilz’ accompanied a sauerkraut and roast pork sandwich, tender from an eight hour stay in the oven, but falling slightly short of a flavorful counterpoint to the Czech-style pilsner.

Ending the feast and the film with an appropriate hoorah, an apple strudel lived up to the hype afforded it by its namesake, Colonel Hans Landa, and solidly anchored the evening’s pairings. If only there had been more ‘Old Treehugger’ to wash that down…

So we’re making this beer from about 90% donated ingredients. We’re calling it the 90% Deniability Ale.

Via the Austin Zealots we acquired some Real Ale Sisyphus second runnings. We then gave the gents at Jester King a ring and scored some of their inoculated house yeast. Next we approached Draught House and were generously given 11 pounds of Celia hops. We purchased the remaining ~10% ingredients at Austin Homebrew out of our deep deep BeerTownAustin pockets.

Awesome.

We got the second runnings on Wednesday and “brewed” on Sunday (the wort from Real Ale was so hot it popped the butt off my corney keg!)

The wort was ~1.055 when we got it. We added a half a pound of Belgian Dark Candi Sugar, two gallons of water, and finished out at 1.060 OG. We added 1 oz of the Celia hops at 60 minutes, then half an ounce at 30 and another half at 15. We pitched with  White Labs Belgian Ale Yeast 550 for primary fermentation. There were signs of active fermentation within 12 hours. (see the video)

Next we plan to rack the beer in my Balcones Blue Corn Whiskey barrel and inoculate with the Jester King wild house strain and let it sit for a few months while moving the 5.3 gallon barrel among the various climates in my house [read: we're souring shit out of this beer]. Maybe we’ll add some cherries to it. Who knows.

So maybe come this Spring we’ll have five gallons of swill. OR maybe we’ll have five gallons of the most lusted over local collaboration known to man (who reads our blog and knows anything about the generous donators involved in this brew).

Much thanks to Real Ale, the Austin Zealots, Draught House, and Jester King for their donations. Also thanks to Little Beard for his paying attention to the Internet, driving to get the wort, and for brewing wt me.

We’ll keep you updated on the progress of this brew and depending on how it comes out, when/if we’ll make it available to share.

So check out the video of this sweet primary fermentation.

[Words and images by Andrew Pogue]

As an A&M graduate I heard rumors of a microbrewery coming to College Station and got supper excited.

So a few months ago I got the pleasure of returning back to College Station and meeting these rumors. I had a nice interview planned, brought my camera, recorded everything on my iphone, and honestly impressed with myself. After a few beers, a 72 minute recorded interview, and just hanging out with the guys at the New Republic I was pretty pumped about them being in the Bryan/College Station area.

I got home, a few days went by, and decided it was about time to post my findings and listened to the recorded interview only to hear this….. Discouraged and busy I put off the post until I could recover the file. A few months later (3 months) still no recovery, and feeling a bit embarrassed that I had let the New Republic guys down, I gathered what few notes I had, emails, and excerpts from their website. So here it is:

New Republic Brewery – Bryan, TX

BTA: Can you tell us about yourselves?

NRB: There are two of us: John and me (Dean). John runs Clarity Optometric, a software company, and is a homebrewer. I have a day job that I want to keep, meaning I remain as anonymous as I can.

In early spring, about the first day of this year it was pleasant to sit out on the deck at Ozona’s, John and I and our wives decided that it was time this town got a brewery. I forgot my wallet and John paid for our dinner. Not a great start to a partnership, but we were too excited to care much. We settled up later.

Our initial plan (phase one) is to start very small – just a glorified homebrewery. We will combine our equipment and giant-size it to produce 1 barrel (bbl) at a time.We’ll get some 2 bbl plastic tanks and brew a double batch to fill them. My estimations show that we will not be able to keep up with demand making only 8 barrels every month. A US barrel is 31 gallons, 330 bottles, FYI.

BTA: Where did the name come from?
NRB: The name came from a brainstorming session with the homebrew club (the Texas Aggieland brew club, or TAbc).

BTA: What beers do you initially plan to brew?
NRB: The first beer we will produce will be what I call The Domestic, a Pre-Prohibition lager. The style is one that the Germans brought to America and eventually we turned it into the mass-consumed domestic beer produced by the ilk of Bud, Miller & Coors. Fear not, our brew will be flavorful and balanced. We will produce The Domestic for six months, selling it to a few select retailers. I expect it to sell out in the first half of the month.

BTA: What’s your short term plan?

NRB: Phase one will last for about nine months. At the end of phase one, if we still like what we do, we will chase after “real” money. Real money means a large brewhouse, targeting the major Texas markets of Austin, Houston, Dallas/Ft Worth and San Antonio. I suspect we will purchase a 30-50 bbl brewhouse and ramp up to 10,000 bbl per year with a few different products. For some scale, my data suggest the total consumption of craft beer in B/CS was 7,350 bbl last year. If we capture 7% of that I’d be happy.

DEAN: I’ll leave you with an excerpt from the baby business plan:

During phase one The New Republic will produce roughly 48 barrels of beer over six months at a fixed cost of $2820 and a variable cost of 31.5% for a break-even sales figure of $4,116.79. Setting the price of a 1/6th bbl keg at $49.99 equates to sales of $14,397.78. Equipment, licenses, permits and startup business expenses are predicted to be $15,714. Net profit comes out to -$5,424.51 in phase one.

If anyone is passing through on a Wednesday night, or want to make the drive, RSVP on Facebook for some non-official homebrew!