Archives for September 2018

(AUSTIN, TEXAS) — Vista Brewing, the Texas Hill Country’s newest destination brewery, has announced the launch of its unique barrel program led by award-winning brewer Josh Watterson. Watterson is focusing on Lambic-style and Brettanomyces beers which utilize local ingredients and are fermented in freshly-emptied wine barrels from Central Texas. Vista’s limestone-filtered well water is an elegant base for the multitude of yeasts strains being used in-house. In their first months of operation, Vista Brewing has over 50 barrels in process. The brewery expects to grow its reserve to 100 barrels and announce membership for an exclusive Vista bottle club by the end of 2018.
Watterson’s passion for barrel-aged beers began in the wine industry in Oregon, where he studied everything he could about the barrel fermentation process. He also built a library aging over 300 wood barrels during his time at Brasserie St. James in Reno, Nevada. Ten years on, Watterson’s brewing expertise has earned him numerous awards for both barrel and steel-aged beers, including 2014 Great American Beer Festival Brewer of the Year. In his new tenure at Vista Brewing, he has already earned a handful of awards, including National Grand Champion for Sour with the Rosanna Barrel-Aged Brett Ale at the 2018 US Beer Tasting Championships.
Watterson is using his expertise to create an unrivaled barrel program. Vista recently unveiled a unique horizontal barrel project: Rosanna Brett Ale fermented in four different single varietal wine barrels. The base beer uses a strain of Brettanomyces known as Lambicus, which produces cherry-pie and earthy Brett flavors. The batch was split to age in fresh Anglianico, Tannat, Petite Sirah and Tempranillo barrels from Bending Branch Winery in Comfort, Texas. The result is a horizontal set of four 750ml bottles which allow exploration of the nuances that each wine imparts on the beer. Watterson is also expertly blending the four barrels to create a balanced Rosanna blend.
For Vista’s Belgian-style Lambic beers, Watterson is using yeast strains which mimic those found in the Senne Valley of Belgium. Texas grown and malted grains from suppliers such as Blacklands Malt are his choice for these recipes. These grains and house-aged hops, along with Vista’s own well water create a true Texas “terroir”.
The brewery’s first two fruited Lambic-style recipes highlight Italian plums and peaches from Jenschke Orchards in the nearby Texas town of Fredericksburg. Watterson is looking forward to growing the barrel program and offering beers brewed with ingredients that are unique to Texas, such as persimmons or other edibles foraged from Vista’s own 21-acre property.
“Working with our neighbors exclusively to pull barrels for our program showcases the unique flavors Texas wineries are offering right now,” says Watterson. “By using freshly-emptied barrels, the specific varietals accentuate the flavors created by my recipes. I literally pick up the barrels the day the winery is bottling, and barrel down the beer the next day.”
Vista Brewing’s barrel program is true to Watterson’s traditional European brewing background, but with a Texas influence. Every decision made is calculated and intentional, so the quality ingredients can speak for themselves. The next barrel-aged Brett ale, Laissez Faire, is slated for release in September and an exclusive bottle club is planned around the release of Watterson’s first Belgian-style lambics.
About Vista Brewing: Vista Brewing is a hospitality destination in Driftwood, Texas, located 25 miles southwest of Austin, at the gateway to the Central Texas Wine Trail. Guests can experience “Fresh Air and Fresh Beer” in the Texas Hill Country in a modern ranch-style tasting room surrounded by acres of beer garden. The 21-acre property includes the brewery & tasting room, farm table food concept, live music, apiary, farm and event spaces. Located at 13551 FM150 W, Driftwood, Texas, 78619, visit the property Thursday-Saturday, 11a.m. – 10 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Learn more at www.vistabrewingtx.com and on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Contact Info
Company: Vista Brewing
Contact: Karen Killough
Email: karen@vistabrewingtx.com

ARVADA, COLORADO – Odyssey Beerwerks has named Jeff Griffith as Director of Brewery Operations. Griffith comes to Odyssey with over 13 years of professional brewing experience, most recently as head brewer of FATE Brewing in Boulder.

During his tenure at FATE, Griffith helped open the 10 barrel brewpub in 2013 and developed the beer portfolio into what it is today. Awards for Griffith’s beers include GABF Gold in 2014 in the German-Style Kölsch category and numerous state and North American medals.

Griffith began his professional brewing career at Golden City Brewing in 2005 after homebrewing for over 10 years. His use of unique ingredients and techniques produces innovative yet easily drinkable beers.

Griffith will continue to brew Odyssey’s well-known flagships Ghost Drifter Pale Ale, Heliocentric Hefeweizen, Psycho Penguin Vanilla Porter, and Palm Tree Caribbean Lager, and looks to expand seasonal offerings to include barrel aged sours and other, more eclectic barrel aged beers. He is excited to brew for a full production brewery – Odyssey cans and distributes five core beers plus rotating seasonals – and develop new and interesting recipes while fine-tuning the flagship beers.

“We look forward to all of the fun and creative beers that Jeff is going to brew, as well as applying his experience and expertise to refining our core line-up and beer production schedule,” says Chris Hill, owner of Odyssey Beerwerks.

About Odyssey Beerwerks
Start a beer journey at Odyssey Beerwerks in Arvada, Colorado, where we’ve been brewing a wide variety of award-winning craft beers for locals and wanderers alike since 2013. Visit the taproom and enjoy fun and frequent events, live music, food trucks, and more. Find our beers on draft and in cans in liquor stores, bars, and restaurants across Colorado’s Front Range. Follow us online to keep up with our latest news and events: odysseybeerwerks.com.

SHINER, Texas— Spoetzl Brewery, Texas’ oldest craft brewery and brewer of Shiner, announced the addition of two new year-round beers. The new fixtures, Shiner Wicked Juicy IPA and Shiner Day Quencher Session Ale,  hit shelves in Texas  and slated for a national debut in September. Using innovation to diversify the unrivaled portfolio, the new beers join craft brew staples Shiner Bock and Shiner Light Blonde.

Wicked Juicy IPA is dry hopped, unfiltered and bursting with Citra hops for a deliciously full-bodied brew. It’s bright and juicy with a kick of citrus, incorporating tropical hops in all phases of brewing to result in an IPA with tremendous flavor yet minimal bitterness. Clocking in at 5.7% ABV and 60 IBUs, this is a robust yet very approachable IPA, available in 12 ounce and 19.2 ounce cans as well as on draught.

Day Quencher is an easy drinking, dry hopped session ale brewed with Mosaic hops for a fruity aroma and a crisp, clean finish. With notes of freshly cut citrus, yellow flowers and soft pine – there’s no day this beer can’t quench. Shiner Day Quencher has a crushable ABV of 4.6% and a moderate hoppiness of 18 IBUs. It is available in both 12 ounce and 19.2 ounce cans in a cheerful mosaic pattern inspired by the versatile hops used to brew this refreshing ale.

“Both beer styles are very much on trend and experiencing record category growth,” says Gregor Mina, Director of Marketing for Spoetzl Brewery. “It’s exciting to expand our portfolio with new variants to showcase the true craftsmanship of Shiner while complementing our core beers that have been fan-favorites for decades.”

The packaging for both varietals is as bold as the beer inside. Taking a different direction from previous Shiner releases, the designs are eye-catching and fun but unmistakably Shiner. Each of the new releases will be supported by a unique TV advertising spot in an illustrated style which will run from August through October on local Texas cable and sports networks. The animated short spots are a direct reflection of the good-humored and unique characteristics which both beers embody.

About Shiner and the Spoetzl Brewery
The Spoetzl Brewery – named after brewmaster Kosmos Spoetzl – was founded in Shiner, Texas (population 2,069), in 1909, brewing beer with old-world traditions and recipes for the many German and Czech settlers in the state. Since then, the brewery has grown to be one of the leading independent craft brewers in the country. But every drop of the award-winning beer is still brewed right where it all started 109 years ago. Visit www.shiner.com.

CHICAGO — Barrio Brewing, led by Arizonans Dennis and Tauna Arnold, has a history that dates back to 1991 when the couple opened up Tucson’s first full mash brewery. Twenty-seven years later the duo is going strong as the longest-running independent brewer in the state and is stepping up its retail reach by packaging its beers in environmentally-friendly aluminum beverage cans from Ardagh.

Key Barrio craft beer brands such as Barrio Blonde, Blanco and Rojo join Citrazona, Mocha Java Stout and many more in providing beer quality enthusiasts a full slate of choices now available in more than a few hundred well-respected bars, restaurants and stores across the state. Strengthening the distribution goals of the company is the choice to package these beers in aluminum cans, which are filled faster and shipped and displayed more efficiently as cans stack easily so there’s no wasted space in trucks or on retail shelves.

Dennis Arnold says he, Tauna and the entire Barrio team are excited to continue to build their presence. “We believe market trends are tending to quality local beers supplanting multi-state regionals but it will still come down to taste and quality in determining what brands will endure and grow,” he said. “We’re confident Barrio Brewing will be at the forefront of craft beer growth and, in fact, we’re extending our brand lineup next Spring.”

Claude Marbach, CEO, Ardagh Metal – North America, says the can maker is proud to team with Barrio Brewing in not only helping extend its reach across Arizona but in strengthening its environmental position. “Cans enable brands to tell a strong sustainability story as they are recycled at a high rate and are made with a high recycled content,” he said. “The beverage can’s sustainability advantages are just a few of the reasons cans are increasingly a preferred choice in helping build brands and bottom lines.”

About Barrio Brewing
Barrio Brewing was founded in 1991 by Dennis and Tauna Arnold and is now the longest running independent brewery in Arizona. The company also is the third largest independent brewer in the state with the Barrio Blonde product the number one selling “Blonde” with the highest tap count of any independent craft beer. For further information, please visit www.barriobrewing.co.

About Ardagh
Ardagh Group is a global leader in metal and glass packaging solutions, producing packaging for most of the world’s leading food, beverage and consumer care brands. We operate more than 100 facilities in 22 countries, employ more than 23,000 people and have global sales of approximately $8.6 billion. For more information, please visit www.ardaghgroup.com.