Ranger Creek Oatmeal Pale Ale

Had the Ranger Creek Oatmeal Pale Ale at The Friendly Spot the other day. So delicious. Probably my favorite beer on tap right now.

Alamo Golden Ale

Several years ago, down on the Houston Street Fair, one of the guys from Alamo Beer Co. (a San Antonio company who has their beer brewed under contract by Real Ale Brewing Co. just north of Blanco) told me that they were thinking about opening a brewery over by Sunset Station. I never heard anymore about it until now. According to Travis E. Poling, author of Beer Across Texas: A Guide to the Brews and Brewmasters of the Lone Star State (sadly a very thin book), they now have their eyes on a facility on the near Eastside that may open in 2012 (it's certainly not a done deal). Eugene Simor, the founder of Alamo, Poling writes, "envisions building party and event space into the brewery location and perhaps a rooftop bar that would be independently owned and operated so as to not run afoul of archaic alcoholic beverage laws in Texas." They hope to up their brewing capacity to 60,000 barrels a year (from 3000 as of now). Obviously this would be another great boast for San Antonio and the Eastside, especially. It doesn't get any better than rooftop bars. Keep your fingers crossed.

Barrel Aged Brew Fest

Freetail and Real Ale Brewing partner up to sample some of their barrel aged brews. Freetail will offer up Barrel Aged versions of the highly-sought after imperial stout, La Muerta, and the winter warmer, Old Bat Rastard as well as Solera IV and V, the most recent pulls of their Wild Ale from a process usually used in the production of sherry and port. “With our Solera, we never completely empty a barrel. When we pull some out, we immediately replace it and the wild activity occurring in the barrel is constantly evolving,” explained Metzger.

Real Ale’s barrel aging program dubbed “Mysterium Verum” will also be heavily represented with beers never before seen in the San Antonio market. Representatives from Blanco will be on hand as Empire (barrel aged Lost Gold IPA), Highlander (barrel aged Real Heavy Scotch ale) and The Devil’s Share (barrel aged Devil’s Backbone Belgian-style tripel) are all tapped in addition to a handful of Real Ale’s non-barrel aged offerings.

There will also be a surprise in store for patrons. Doors open at 11:30 on Saturday, July 17th, 2010.

Information from Freetail press release.

Fresh Eyes at the Bottom of a Frosty Pint of Beer

An interesting review of Blue Star from a visitor to our fair city. I like to read what people think of a place that I frequent all too regularly (and sometimes complain about -- partly, I suppose, because of this fact). Still it points to the general decent quality and atmosphere (I must say that it's one of my favorite places to sit in the afternoon, skylight aglow). I'm glad they're around the corner as a choice.

Microbrews all over the place

San Antonio has more than doubled their microbreweries with the opening of BJ's at The Rim. Granted the other two are also BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse and they're all out to hell and gone, so we're still stuck with the one (Blue Star) in San Antonio proper (that is, inside 410 -- though this definition, with outward expansion still at big bang speeds, is beginning to look more optimistic and naive rather than real). Obviously, with three locations around San Antonio, this is a chain, but at least they're brewing their beer on site (I'm not sure, now that I think about it, why that makes it O.K.). My brother who I admire, especially in the realm of beer and food, has been out to the location on 151 and 1604 and said that the open, light interior and went well with the craft beer and food. Gordon Biersch, after all, is a chain, and their dunkel still sits up in my favorite beers. The more microbrews we have in the area, the more likely there will be more independents opening up in the area. Always a good way to mark the worth of a city.

A short article about BJ's at The Rim from San Antonio Business Journal.

I hope to have a chance soon write a short review of one of them (as well as updated info for Blue Star).

Real Ale Website Updated

It's much sleeker.

Sweet, sweet nectar of the gods: Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling

Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling is coming soon. We're working on getting ourselves a bit of a brewing repertoire. Austin360 ran an article about the owners (why didn't the Express-News or Current?) and their progress ("product rolling out the door ... in September or perhaps late August.") They've bought their equipment, but I can't find anything on their site about location yet. Hopefully, it will be accessible (read: not halfway between here and Austin).

I would have taken a sip (come on, they must have supped)

From Freetail News (of course this was an April Fool's Day joke -- posted here on the 2nd. Ha ha.):

"Freetail Sets Record by Brewing Strongest, Hoppiest Beer Ever

Freetail Brewing Co. has announced that it has created the strongest, most hoppy beer ever weighing in at an astonishing 92.73% alcohol by volume and 11,312 IBUs, far surpassing recent achievements by Scottish brewer BrewDog and Danish brewer Mikkeller.

To create the beer, Freetail used a patented cryogenic freeze distillation process they hope to eventually sell to ethanol fuel production facilities. “We’ve developed a very alcohol tolerant strain of yeast to produce our high-gravity beers, but even it stalls out at around 13%,” said Freetail Founder and CEO Scott Metzger. “At that point we begin our cold distillation process. We got the inspiration for our process by watching Encino Man starring Brendan Frasier and Pauly Shore.”

Metzger went on to describe the hopping process. “I hoped this would never be made public, but I’ll go ahead and spill the beans,” Metzger said with a sheepish grin. “We were responsible for the 2007-08 hop shortage. To make one half barrel of finished beer we used over four thousand pounds of cascade hops in 120 barrels of wort. We could have just as easily used a higher alpha hop at an earlier stage of the boil, but we didn’t want to lose all that terrific flavor and aromas obtained by this American noble variety.”

To mark the achievement, Metzger and Head Brewer Jason Davis ceremoniously poured the beer down the drain together."

That does, however, leave my tongue feeling a little numb. I suppose it was a virtuoso performance.

OBR @ Freetail

At noon on Saturday, March 20 Old Bat Rastard/Barrel Aged OBR bottle 2-pack will be selling at Freetail for $21. Those are big, beautiful beers, folks. 

Freetail at CNN

Our very own Freetail mentioned in this CNN article. Celebrity status beyond our fair city.

Some good news about craft brews

Below are some facts and figures about craft beer. From what I can gather, while craft beer sales are up, larger brewers' sales are down a little (beer sales are down overall while local craft beer sales are up). As they say, Viva La Revolucion! Go out and drink more Freetail.

Freetail Brewing Co. Announces 2009 Sales Numbers Up 282%

Craft brewer sales grow 7 percent in a year of decreased beer sales for other brewers

SAN ANTONIO, TX – March 10, 2010–The Brewers Association, the trade association that tabulates production statistics for U.S. breweries, today released 2009 data on the U.S. craft brewing industry. In a year when other brewers saw a slowdown in sales, small and independent craft brewers (see definition)¹ saw sales dollars increase 10.3 percent and volume increase 7.2 percent² over 2008, representing a growth of 613,992 barrels equal to roughly 8.5 million cases.

Overall, U.S. beer sales were down approximately 5 million barrels (31 gallons per U.S. barrel) in 2009.
Locally, this growth trend for craft brewing was reflected in the results of Freetail Brewing Co., which posted an increase of 282 percent in beer sales for the year after normalizing 2008 results to account for partial year operations in 2008.  Non-normalized volume was up 4,508% versus 2008.  Through February, Freetail has seen 20% growth in beer sales over the same period for 2009.

“We  are continually wowed by San Antonio’s thirst for fresh, local, and independently brewed craft beers,” said Scott Metzger, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Freetail.  “San Antonio and south central Texas in general are in the midst of a flavor revolution when it comes to beer, and we are proud to be part of the forefront of that movement.”

Metzger’s sentiments were echoed nationally, as the trend is towards craft beer.

“Beer lovers continue to find great value and enjoyment in fuller flavored craft beers,” said Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association. “Americans have an increasing appreciation of craft beers, and the growing number of brewers behind them. They’re eager to try the latest seasonal release and to sample a variety of beers from different breweries.”

In 2009, craft brewers represented 4.3 percent of volume and 6.9 percent of retail dollars for the total U.S. beer category. With the total U.S. beer industry representing an estimated retail dollar value of $101 billion, the Brewers Association estimates the actual dollar sales figure from craft brewers in 2009 was $7 billion, up from $6.3 billion in 2008.  

The total number of U.S. craft brewers grew from 1,485 to 1,542 in 2009, and they produced 9,115,635 barrels, up from 8,501,713 barrels in 2008. Overall U.S. beer sales fell from approximately 210.4 million barrels to 205.8 million barrels.

The 2009 growth and popularity of beer from small, independent breweries did not go unnoticed by industry observers. The National Restaurant Association Chef Survey (see results), for example, cited “locally-produced wine and beer” among its top five overall trends to watch for in 2010. In the alcohol and cocktails category, the organization ranked “locally-produced wine and beer” as its top trend, while “food-beer pairings” came in at number five on the list.


For more information
Find more statistics on the craft brewing industry in the updated 2009 Craft Beer Industry Statistics on the Brewers Association website. A more extensive analysis will be released on April 8, 2010 during the Craft Brewers Conference in Chicago. The Association's full 2009 industry analysis, which shows regional trends and sales by individual brewery, will be published in the May/June 2010 issue of The New Brewer. For the second straight year, the Craft Brewers Conference will also feature a presentation by Metzger on brewpub startups.  

The Brewers Association also publishes a list of 2009 U.S. craft brewing companies on its website.
For more information on Freetail Brewing Co. visit: www.freetailbrewing.com 

¹ The definition of a craft brewer as stated by the Brewers Association: An American craft brewer is small, independent, and traditional. Small: Annual production of beer less than 2 million barrels. Beer production is attributed to a brewer according to the rules of alternating proprietorships. Flavored malt beverages are not considered beer for purposes of this definition. Independent: Less than 25% of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a craft brewer. Traditional: A brewer who has either an all malt flagship (the beer which represents the greatest volume among that brewers brands) or has at least 50% of its volume in either all malt beers or in beers which use adjuncts to enhance rather than lighten flavor. 
² Volume sales by craft brewers represent total taxable production.

# # # 

Freetail Brewing Co. is founded on the pursuit of creating exciting, innovative and unique world class beers and wood-fired gourmet pizzas. We embrace the laid back and fun-loving South Central Texas culture and set out to create products that mirror the lifestyle of our diverse and rapidly growing community. We believe in promoting an increased appreciation of craft beer and its responsible enjoyment. We believe in going above and beyond customer expectations not only through our products, but also through exceptional customer service. We believe in providing a dining and leisure experience unmatched in the local community.  And in case you didn’t get it the first time… we believe in having fun.

News Release for Freetail's Fe-brew-ary

Below is the Freetail's news of February events included limited edition bottle-release of the barrel-aged version of La Muerta (oh, baby on the 13th) and a PorterFest II (on the 6th).

There's always something great on at Freetail even if there's nothing going on at Freetail.

http://www.freetailbrewing.com/

FREETAIL BREWING CO. ANNOUNCES FEB-BREW-ARY FESTIVITIES

Release of Barrel Aged La Muerta Bottles & Winter Beer Dinner Highlight Month of Beer Related Events

(January 20, 2009) San Antonio, TX – Freetail Brewing Co. announces a month-long celebration of all things beer dubbed “Feb-BREW-ary.” The February 13th limited edition bottle-release of a barrel-aged version of La Muerta—the brewery’s rare, much sought-after and highly rated imperial stout—highlights the events along with a special winter beer dinner on the 15th.

Festivities kick off with PorterFest II on the 6th, featuring a selection of interesting riffs on the brewery’s Torpor Porter. “Early February is a perfect time for PorterFest,” said Freetail brewer Jason Davis. “The rich, chocolaty, roast character is perfect for a cold winter’s eve. Or a balmy winter’s eve, depending on what the weather decides to throw at us.” Last year’s PorterFest included varieties such as Bourbon, Vanilla, Ginger, Cherry, Pecan and Chipotle. Special kegs will be tapped beginning at noon. There is no admission fee for PorterFest; pints will be available for $4.50, and 4-oz samples for $1.50.

On the 13th, Freetail will release 22-oz bottles of a bourbon barrel aged version of its imperial stout, La Muerta. “We significantly increased bottle production of the regular version for the last release, and they sold out in one day,” said Freetail Founder & Chief Executive Officer Scott Metzger. “With the buzz already building up around this beer, we wanted to create a way to get it into the hands of our most loyal customers first.” To do so, Freetail mailed out a coupon in its e-newsletter on January 1st, granting the holder the right to purchase a bottle when they go on sale at 11am. In the event that not all bottles are sold to coupon-holders, bottles will then be released to the general public. Bottles are $12 each and are limited to one per person.

The brewery will once again play host to a beer dinner on February 15th with four courses individually paired with six different Freetail beers. “This is a perfect Valentine’s day gift for the beer lover in your life,” said Metzger. “Unlike dinners we’ve done in the past, this one is going to focus on special beers we’ve made in small batches but don’t necessarily have concrete plans to release to the general public. We create a lot of unique things out of experimentation, including some the brewers don’t even tell me about. This will be a special treat for the Freetail fans out there as they’ll get to see yet another side of our brewer’s creativity.” The full menu is available on the company’s website. Tickets are $45 and do not include tax or gratuity. Space is limited to 40 guests and Freetail’s beer dinners typically sell out, so advance reservations are required.

On February 20th, Davis will lead a beer and cheese tasting seminar at 2pm. The event will pair rich, flavorful cheeses with a variety of beers and include a discussion on how the two complement one another. The event costs $15/person, no reservations required.

Freetail will cap off Feb-BREW-ary with part three in their “Battle of Wits” series, featuring a number of “funkafied” versions of the Rye Wit, a Belgian-style witbier. Previous Battles have included offerings such as Black Currant, Cherry, Raspberry, Starflower, Lavender, Chamomile and Prickly Pear, among others.
Freetail Brewing Co. is founded on the pursuit of creating exciting, innovative and unique world class beers and wood-fired gourmet pizzas. We embrace the laid back and fun-loving South Central Texas culture and set out to create products that mirror the lifestyle of our diverse and rapidly growing community. We believe in promoting an increased appreciation of craft beer and its responsible enjoyment. We believe in going above and beyond customer expectations not only through our products, but also through exceptional customer service. We believe in providing a dining and leisure experience unmatched in the local community. And in case you didn’t get it the first time… we believe in having fun.
For more information visit http://www.freetailbrewing.com/.

###

Freetail's Otoño Bienvenido

A quick article about Freetail's Otoño Bienvenido -- a pumpkin Saison.

Freetail in the Fall

The doors are open and the sunlight coming in through the huge garage door bar window makes the interior bright and dark at the same time.

• Freeloader Browne -- $4.25, 5.6%, 38 IBU. This has a nice brown bite to it. Nutty and full flavored.
• Hypothesis A.: $6.50, 12.4%, 125+ IBU. The hoppiest beer that I have ever had, hands down. It's served in a barley wine glass and from the moment it hits your nose to it's nearly chili-like burn down your esophagus, you'll be saying, dear hoppy God. It quickly spreads across the back of your tongue and lingers so sublimely. Great stuff that mellows slightly as it warms up. Just slightly.
• Hop Brutality: $5.25, 6.9%, 80 IBU. Deliciously hoppy, but, of course, nothing like Hypothesis A. A great drinking beer.

I love this place. I wish it was so much closer. It would take me a half the day to get up there on my scooter. Might have to try it all the same.