Celis Brewery - Austin, TX 2018

History is a cyclic poem written by time upon the memories of man. 

 ~Percy Bysshe Shelley

Early in the twentieth century, Belgian witbier (white beer) was quite popular in Brabant, Belgium, but around 1950, Belgian witbier brewer Pierre Celis watched witbier breweries in the country begin to close their doors.

Longing for the return of witbier made with with wheat, milled coriander seeds and Curacao orange peel, Pierre Celis produced a batch of homebrew that was so popular, it inspired him to produce the beer on a small retail scale in 1966 in the Belgian town of Hoegaarden. Circumstances forced him to eventually sell the Hoegaarden brand to Stella Artois.

Celis moved to Austin, Texas with his daughter in the 1990s and opened his own Celis Brewery that cranked out over 22,000 barrels of award-winning Celis White in its most productive year. Pierre eventually sold this brewery to Miller, who soon closed the Austin facility.

But lovers of the classic witbier style now have reason to rejoice. Celis' daughter Christine is proud to have recently resurrected Celis Brewery at a different location in Austin, and her daughter Daytona has expressed great enthusiasm in brewing at the facility.

Click on the video below for a walk around the resurrected Celis Brewery in Austin with Celis president Bill Mulroy and Brewtopia.info's Owen Ogletree...

Terrapin Beer Co. UK Collaborations 2018

Terrapin Beer Company's Spike Buckowski travels to the UK for collaboration brewing sessions with Wadworth and Banks's Breweries. Check out Owen's video...

New Breweries in The Big Easy

First Published in Southern Brew News in 2017

By Owen Ogletree

Despite being known for its vibrant ambiance, music and food that are loaded with local flare and rich flavors, New Orleans tended to lag behind other regions of the U.S. in terms of craft beer appreciation over the last several years. Fast forward to the past few years that have seen an eruption of exciting craft beer bars and breweries all over the Crescent City, and it seems that a multitude of residents now realize just how well a saison or IPA pairs with crawfish etouffee or a shrimp po' boy. Following is a rundown of six of the latest New Orleans craft breweries that should not be missed.

Port Orleans Brewing Company

4124 Tchoupitoulas Street

Brian Allen, brewer and president of Port Orleans Brewing Company, held brewing jobs in Missouri, Massachusetts and Wisconsin before opening his Uptown New Orleans brewpub in May of 2017. "While studying geology in college, I worked at a pub in Maine that served Bud, Bass and Guinness," notes Allen. "I started wondering why I was drinking these beers, when we had new craft breweries just down the street. I realized I really didn't want to be a geologist, and thought that brewing would be a great way to apply science to a meaningful career."

Housed in a good-looking building with a tasting room and kitchen, Port Orleans fits right into New Orleans' culinary culture. Allen rents the brewery's kitchen to chefs who named the space "Stokehold" and crank out mouth-watering food items to pair with Port Orleans' brews.

With 14 beers in the tasting room, the brewery's best sellers include Riverfront Lager with a touch of Calypso hops, Slack Water Brown Ale and the West-Coast-style Storyville IPA. Also look for these brews around the area in 12-ounce cans. As 2018 is New Orleans' 300th anniversary, Allen plans exceptional seasonals that include an amber lager aged in Elijah Craig barrels, a 13% ABV imperial stout in bourbon barrels, and an IPA variant with local citrus fruits.

"Our brewery slogan is 'Brewed Below Sea Level,'" notes Allen. "With Tipitina's music hall, NOLA Brewing, Urban South and hip Magazine Street nearby, we love our neighborhood, and locals seem to love our food, beer, bar and beer garden."

Urban South Brewery

1645 Tchoupitoulas Street

Urban South opened its doors on St. Patrick's Day of 2016. Co-founder and vice president Kyle Huling had started up the craft beer program for a local beer distributor, and his future business partner fell in love with craft beer while working in the Pacific Northwest. When asked about Urban South's inviting, spacious tasting room and brewery, Huling explains, "All the brewers we spoke to advised us to get the largest building with the highest ceilings that we could afford. We looked at 25 other spots around the city before we decided on this one that was once a metal storage warehouse. We sublease a quarter of the building to Craft Kettle tank manufacturers."

Expect four year-round beers at Urban South, a creative seasonal lineup that changes every few months, and the hop-focused "Architecture Series." "We are not afraid to fail, and one of our core values is being fearless," notes Huling. "We came up with 20 initial pilot brews, and some were great, and some went down the drains. In 2018, we'll release Paradise Park American Lager that will be priced just like the big boys. Eight out of ten beers consumed in Louisiana are still a macro or import lager, but we see Paradise Park as a way to ease these consumers into the craft beer world."

Born and raised in New Orleans, Huling takes pride in bringing jobs to the community. "Our Christmas picture last year had nine employees, and this year we have more than 20," he says. "Everything about New Orleans is about family, food, friends and fun, and beer fits right into that mix. Our brewery is family friendly, so bring the kids to check out the games in our taproom."

Parleaux Beer Lab

634 Lesseps Street

Situated in the quiet Bywater district, just a short taxi ride east of the French Quarter, sits the inviting Parleaux Beer Lab brewery. The brewery started production around 2017's Jazz Fest, and co-owner Eric Jensen focused on being a neighborhood brewery that embraced the "funky and fun" attitude of the city while creating a welcoming space for friends and families. Jensen remarks, "We want to apply a playful, yet science-based, approach in creating a range of rotating beers that are flavorful, well-balanced and sometimes outside style norms."

Jensen and co-owner/wife Leah both come from areas loaded with craft beer - Eric from Grand Rapids and Leah from Denver. "We see the most captivating part of craft beer is the cultural history and value beer has had in regions around the world," states Eric. "We're living through an incredible beer renaissance in New Orleans right now. Leah and I are laid-back and chill, but with a deep appreciation for our community. Our neighbors are our best customers, and we are family-friendly and puppy-friendly."

Parleaux's most popular current beer is Foggy Glasses - a juicy, soft, fruity New England-style IPA. Eric Jensen adds, "With recipe input from several brewer friends, I sat down with my brewer Chuck Smock and designed an amazing IPA that has gone over really well with our customers."

Brieux Carré Brewing Company

2115 Decatur Street

New Orleans locals love to drink and listen to tunes on busy Frenchmen Street, so owner/brewer Robert Bostick was thrilled to locate his compact Brieux Carré brewery, taproom and beer garden just a few steps off Frenchmen back in April of 2017. As with many modern craft brewers, Bostick started off as an avid homebrewer of IPAs, experimenting with a array of dry-hopping techniques for the original recipe of his now best-selling Falcon Warrior IIPA with Falconer's Flight, Warrior, Simcoe, Citra, Cascade and Amarillo hops. His friends fell in love with the beer and encouraged Bostick to go pro. "My first trip to Denver brought me across TRVE, which quickly became my inspiration, as they had this incredible 'shotgun-style' taproom," Bostick recalls. "It resembled the architecture that I was used to in most New Orleans homes, and I felt it was appropriate to bring that theme to Brieux Carré."

People enjoy Brieux Carré's friendly, relaxed atmosphere, and this makes Bostick a happy guy. He suggests, "Some people take drinking beer too seriously, but most people who meet me at the brewery know that I'm sarcastic and enjoy poking fun at current beer politics. New Orleans is full of weird people, and Brieux Carré fits in well."


Royal Brewery New Orleans
7366 Townsend Place B

Located on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain, just south of New Orleans Lakefront Airport, sits Royal Brewery New Orleans. In the mid-1990s, founder Raymond Pumilia began brewing on a kitchen stove in his New Orleans art studio, after a friend gave him a brewing kit. In a discussion with a friend in a bar late one night, Raymond announced his intentions of starting a brewery. He and his wife Mandy soon embarked on long days of business planning and location scouting.

Upon its opening in May of 2017, Royal Brewery's taproom formed a bit of a craft beer oasis on the south shore. Mandy Pumilia shares, "People enjoy visiting with our team, sipping our traditional beer styles, joining a tour on Saturdays and Sundays and playing games with friends and kids in our children's area."

The brewery sits near a planned South Shore Harbor amphitheater and a ship exhibit from the National World War II Museum. "Our location in this heavily industrial area alongside other businesses like Folger’s Coffee, Luzianne Tea, Bunny Bread and Southshore Donuts was perfect," Mandy Pumilia suggests. "We refer to the area as the 'Beverage and Yeast Belt of New Orleans' and are excited to add Royal Brewery New Orleans to complete both belts of commerce."

Wayward Owl Brewing Company

3940 Thalia Street

Wayward Owl launched in November of 2016 after two years of renovations on the historic GEM Theater just northwest of Central City. Founder/brewer Justin Boswell got his brewing boots wet at Black Raven Brewing in Redmond, Washington. "I started by washing floors and worked my way up to being one of the lead brewers," Boswell recalls. "After 12 years away from Louisiana, my wife Kristin and I decided to come home to open our own brewery. One of the influences on us coming back was the changing political climate becoming more favorable toward small breweries. Once we got here, finding our amazing location in a historic theater sealed the deal."

Folks in The Big Easy immediately appreciated the grassroots style and convivial vibe at Wayward Owl. "We are a small, local, family business, and we think people here find that important," says Boswell. "Patrons made our Clean Slate IPA our best-selling beer, and the first time it was brewed was at midnight on December 31, 2009 in my friend's garage. This was our first all-grain recipe, and the current version is absolutely nothing like the original. We've tweaked this beer over and over, and now we have a final recipe hitting shelves in time for Mardi Gras."

Summer Craft Beer Reviews from Owen

Beer Reviews by Owen Ogletree
August, 2018

Southern Brewing Red & Black is a popular Berliner-style sour ale with additions of raspberries and blackberries for a wonderful, complex, fruity quality to back up the tart, clean, refreshing Berliner character. Sip it alongside enchiladas or quesadillas.

Service Brewing celebrates each Oktoberfest with the release of Teufel Hunden, an Oktoberfest-style märzen with crisp, biscuity malt notes balanced by German hops. The lager presents a classic, toasty German malt profile. Grab it on tap and in cans starting in late August. 

Terrapin Gamma Ray returns as a powerful, malty, warming wheatwine that registers 10.8% ABV. With additions of flavorful honey from Savannah Bee Company, Gamma Ray offers sweet, honeysuckle notes along with a spicy, peppery alcohol backbone. Sip this puppy from a snifter with creamy brie cheese and salty crackers.

La Trappe Witte Trappist comes from the monks at Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven in the Netherlands. This classic Belgian-style witbier offers a crisp profile of wheat grains, orange peel and spicy coriander. This style was hazy before hazy was cool. Enjoy with a pot of steamed clams or mussels.

Aspall Grand Cru English Cider hits the mark of not being too sweet but possessing a delicious, dry apple aroma and flavor. Made from sweet, sharp and bittersweet apples, the cider finishes with a pleasant, tannin quality from the fruit skins. Pair with a fine Camembert cheese.

Red Brick Soul of the City is a 5.7% ABV American pale ale with Citra, Denali and Crystal hops. Citra and Crystal provide a delightful, citrusy, floral hop aroma and flavor, while the Denali delivers an earthy, pungent punch. This quaffable brew pairs exceedingly well with sushi or rotisserie chicken.

Creature Comforts Calculating Infinity is a 5% ABV American pale ale with hop complexity from Wakatu, Pacifica and Palisade. Expect deep, floral and citrus character with a pleasant, slightly dry finish. The hop profile works extremely well in this clean, crushable ale. 

Creature Comforts Crescendo is a 7.2% ABV American IPA with loads of Galaxy, Grungeist and El Dorado hops that balance the malty brew with notes of melon, tropical fruits, lemon, orange and pineapple. With a slightly hazy appearance and mild dankness from the relatively new hops varieties, this IPA will certainly appeal to "hazy-crazy" hopheads. 

Twisted Fish, SweetWater's recent collaboration pilsner, was brewed with input from the Coastal Conservation Association's National Habitat Program. Look for the crisp, hoppy, 5.3% ABV lager in four-packs of 16 ounce cans and on draft.

2018 Craft Beer and Cheese Throw Down

Photos by Ashton Smith
 
Owen Ogletree gathered local craft beer lovers Ian Meents, Dean Graves, Gail Graves, Ashton Smith, Jeff Rapp, Kim Swantek, Mark Hall, Thel Melton, Melissa Melton, Pete Dasher and Georgia's Beer Wench to sample six cheeses - each paired with two outstanding Georgia beers (with a couple of guest beers from other states thrown in for fun). 
 
In this blind tasting, participants were told the style of each beer but not the specific brand name. Everyone made a few notes and then voted on which beer in each pair made the best accompaniment to each cheese. The results are listed here...
 

TERRAPIN GOOD TO GOSE Gose with coriander and grapefruit peel   OUR FAVORITE WITH THIS CHEESE!   The mild, tart flavors worked well with the cheese. Coriander and salt complemented the cheese. Mild citrus, salt and spice.

CHEVRE GOAT CHEESE WITH HONEY

SOUTHERN BREWING TALLULAH Golden Sour Ale Blend aged in wine bbls, Amarillo dry-hops A marvelous beer with complex, pleasant flavors. Needs a heavier cheese. The beer is a bit too acidic for the chevre, and the oak tannins seem to wipe out the chevre flavors.

 

 

WILD HEAVEN ALTAIR American-style IPA   Great citrus aroma and flavor with a pleasant bitter finish. The salty, sharp cheese seems to cover the elegant hop notes of the beer. Mineral notes in beer go well with mineral quality of the cheese.

PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO

CHERRY STREET STEPPIN' RAZOR American-style Double IPA   OUR FAVORITE WITH THIS CHEESE!   Rich malt and hops are a good match for the cheese. Biscuity notes go well. Floral, spicy hops are beautiful with the dry, spicy cheese.

 

AKADEMIA ESB British-style Strong Bitter OUR FAVORITE WITH THIS CHEESE! Gorgeous example of the classic style with delicious malt. Caramel and biscuit notes go well with the nutty cheese.

ASIAGO

MONDAY NIGHT DRAFTY KILT Scottish-style Wee Heavy   The rich malt and smoky notes conflict with the nuttiness of the cheese. This tasty beer needs a cheese with somewhat stronger, malt-like flavors.

 

 

NEW BELGIUM TRIPPEL Trappist-style Tripel with coriander   OUR FAVORITE WITH THIS CHEESE!   A fine beer with strong coriander spice in the finish. Great malt and Belgian fermentation character. Works quite well with the nutty, buttery, thick cheese.

1,000 DAY GOUDA

CREATURE COMFORTS RECLAIMED RYE Rye Amber Ale aged on French oak The somewhat mild malt and rye flavors of this beer don't stand up as well to the rich cheese. Complexity of the cheese overpowers the beer a bit.

 

 

TERRAPIN LUAU KRUNKLES American-style IPA with passion-fruit, orange, guava   This beer's fruity quality is quite pleasant but might be too much for the cheese. The complexity seems to cover the funkiness and creaminess of the cheese.

HUMBOLDT FOG CYPRESS GROVE GOAT CHEESE

CREATURE COMFORTS GOLDEN DOOR Farmhouse saison - mixed fermentation, oak bbl-aged   OUR FAVORITE WITH THIS CHEESE!   Tropical fruit, beautiful acidity, quite lambic-like. A light, slightly sweet malt note balances the subtle, yet complex, acidity. It's a nice contrast to the cheese.

 

SOUTHERN BREWING MIDNIGHT TRAIN Porter A delicious porter with lovely dark malt complexity. This well-made ale goes down really well. The roasted malt notes cut the complexity of the blue cheese, but the beer's flavors are a bit light to stand up to the bold stilton.

ENGLISH STILTON

NEW HOLLAND DRAGON'S MILK Imperial Stout - bourbon bbl-aged   OUR FAVORITE WITH THIS CHEESE!   The richness of this malty brew pairs well with the funky cheese. Nice vanilla barrel flavors complement the cheese. Most people thought the strength of the beer matched the cheese.

 

Nashville's Central Craft Breweries 2018

Central Nashville Brewery Roundup

By Owen Ogletree

Published originally in Southern Brew News.

The Brewers Association's decision to hold its 2018 Craft Brewers Conference, America's largest craft brewing industry gathering, in Nashville confirms that "Music City" has evolved into a southeastern craft beer hub. Want a world-class beer to go with hot chicken, barbecue and country tunes? Nashville is the spot. Following is a run-down of a few central Nashville breweries worthy of a visit.

Bearded Iris Brewing

Inspired by the Tennessee state flower that exhibits a expansive range of attractive colors and patterns, Bearded Iris takes pride in providing Nashville with a range of creative brews. "Ultimately, we recognize that each beer drinker is unique," remarks Bearded Iris' Chandra Grubbs. "We hope that our beers meet our drinkers where they are and deliver the experience they seek. 'Cultivate variety,' is our driving philosophy behind not only the beers we produce but in regard to our interaction with the Nashville community. It can sometimes appear that we don't offer much variety when our draft list skews almost exclusively toward fruit-and-juice-forward IPAs and double IPAs, but what we're chasing is subtle and nuanced hop layering. That being said, we also like to introduce new styles to our repertoire, and we've been having fun with oatmeal stouts and barrel offerings lately."

Photo by Anna Togrye

Black Abbey Brewing

Named after the monastery where Martin Luther wrote his 95 Theses, Black Abbey Brewing houses a "Fellowship Hall" taproom designed to feel like part of a monastery. In today's creative and somewhat outrageous craft beer culture, Black Abbey takes pride in producing mostly Belgian-influenced beers that are flavorful, yet balanced and approachable. Taproom visitors can choose from a range of brews such as The Rose Blonde Ale, The Special Dubbel, The Champion American Pale Ale, The Five Points IPA, Chronicles Oktoberfest and Krampus Nacht Bock.

The Black Abbey brew crew.
Photo by Carl E. Meier

Corsair Distillery & Beer Lab

The foundation of Corsair's creative and diverse beer range focuses primarily on barrel-aging, ancient beer recipes, high gravity brewing, and the exploration of alternative grains. "Our goal has always been to do what others are not doing or haven't done, so fitting in has never really been our style," explains Corsair's Chris Thomas. "We've been brewing high gravity beers since our inception, due to our distilling license that allows this practice. Considering high gravity laws have just recently changed for breweries here in Nashville, we are a few years ahead of the trend. An interesting fact is that we brew on a one-barrel system. What most larger breweries use for research and development, we use for all of our production. This means that our beer is only available in our taproom."

Czann's Brewing

Ken Rebman, founder and brewer of Czann's, started homebrewing in 1997, got involved with the local Music City Homebrewers club and worked diligently at creating and refining beer recipes. When his day job got in the way of homebrewing, Rebman decided to follow the advice of thirsty friends and opened a commercial brewery. Rebman explains, "We place an emphasis on brewing flavorful beers for the brewery's taproom and local wholesale accounts. Czann's was founded with support and encouragement from local homebrewers, friends and businesses. We like to say that Czann's is a Nashville brewery, not just a brewery that got started in Nashville."

East Nashville Beer Works

Opened in 2016 by Anthony Davis and Sean Jewett, the focus of East Nashville Beer Works revolves around its community taproom located in the thriving neighborhood of East Nashville. Our goals were to create a unique space with great beer in a multitude of styles and serve as welcoming hosts," notes Anthony Davis. "Our taproom became the community gathering space we dreamed of, with a full food menu and inviting outdoor space with a beautiful beer garden and family-friendly vibe. Our motto is 'Beer is Community.' We make a fantastic blonde ale, American wheat, killer IPA and a big range of other interesting ales, and we are doing our first true barrel-aging this year."

Jackalope Brewing

Jackalope's popular craft beers create connections with the local Nashville community to bring a diverse group of people together in its taproom for conversation and camaraderie. Jackalope's Bailey Spaulding notes, "Folks have come to know us as a brewery with balanced, year-round brews as well as creative seasonals, and our local consumers know us as a brewery that likes to have fun and be involved in the community. Walker Hayes, a Nashville musician, even wrote a song about Jackalope."

The jolly staff of Jackalope Brewing.
Photo by Bailey Spaulding

Southern Grist Brewing Company

Kevin Antoon and his two brewery co-founders met years ago at a tech company where their boss taught them how to brew. In two years time, the guys resigned to open Southern Grist, and their former boss ranks as one of the brewery's best friends and biggest supporters. "Southern Grist is all about creativity with our recipes and branding," Antoon points out. "Our daily focus is on experimentation - what's working and what's not working, based on feedback, and what our next creative brew will be. This helps us appeal to all palates. Everyone has their own niche in the Nashville craft beer market, and by no means do we think it's overcrowded. Our goal is to simply put out the best products possible and have constant tap rotation in our East Nashville location and our new Nations spot. We don't distribute, because we don't want our beer everywhere. We want people to come to a great environment and learn about the beers from our founders and staff."

TailGate Beer

TailGate brewed 174 different beer brands last year, with the entire brewery team coming up with quirky recipes and names that pay homage to Nashville culture and landmarks such as Woo Girl, Pedal Tavern, That Roller Coaster Thing, Naked Statue and Look at These Sticks. Brewmaster/owner Wesley Keegan believes in adding to the Nashville community by doing his own thing. "Variety is exactly what craft beer is all about," he says. "When we started 11 years ago, taprooms weren't common, but now they're critical. We developed our taproom to connect with our guests, and made a point to open seven days a week. We also incorporated a restaurant with pizzas, sandwiches, salads and appetizers. Our taprooms are family-friendly, and our events are always free."

Wesley Keegan, owner & brewmaster of TailGate Brewery.
Photo by Ryan Bruchey

Tennessee Brew Works

By incorporating Tennessee agricultural products whenever possible and minimizing waste, Tennessee Brew Works makes environmental responsibility a major priority. Another goal is to create impressive craft beers that are truly a part of Tennessee through ingredients, branding and even the taproom décor and music, which comes together as a celebration of Tennessee culture.

Tennessee Brew Works' Christian Spears states, "We were the first brewery in North America to utilize the Meura Micro Mash Filter to create our brews and foster a greener brewing process. We extract almost 100% of the sugars from our malt and utilize a centrifuge which dramatically improves recovery of beer from the fermenter, increasing overall batch yields."


Yazoo Brewing Company

Nashville locals consider Yazoo's Linus Hall as one of the pioneering godfathers of the city's rapidly expanding craft beer scene. Hall also acts as an activist within the Tennessee Craft Brewers Guild, making positive legal changes that benefit the state's craft breweries.

Hall adds, "Back in 2003 in Nashville, local beer was a novelty, something you got if you went to a brewpub. Nowadays, it's still our goal to make accessible, sessionable beers and get them into as many hands as possible. While our mainstay beers have served us well for fifteen years, we are also pushing boundaries with our seasonals and our Embrace the Funk series. Yazoo even brewed the first legal high-alcohol beer in Tennessee since Prohibition - our SUE Imperial Smoked Porter. We had to get a Tennessee distillery license to do it!"

But Wait, There's More

Time permitting, also check out the long-running Rock Bottom brewpub in the heart of touristy downtown. The perennial Blackstone Brewing closed its iconic brewpub but now brews at a production facility on Clifton Avenue. Honky Tonk Brewing offers an entertaining taproom on Cumberland Bend north of downtown, and Smith & Lentz Brewing's tasting room is open seven days a week in East Nashville. Fat Bottom Brewery's new location in The Nations area offers an extensive range of beer styles, while New Heights is open less than a mile from downtown and pours beers and specialty ciders. Finally, head just north of downtown to Little Harpeth Brewing for a taste of corny Chicken Scratch Lager and other eclectic house brews.