AUSTIN, Texas – Independence Brewing Co. and Alamo Drafthouse announced today the 2018 edition of a holiday beer that has become a seasonal favorite among Alamo Drafthouse patrons—a yearly release called End Credits.
“This evolving series of limited-release holiday beers from Independence has become an annual end of year cinematic tradition for Alamo Drafthouse,” said John Gross, Alamo Drafthouse’s Director of National Beer Promotions. “We think highly of everything the brewery puts out and savor every drop of the limited releases while we can.”
This year’s recipe, German Chocolate Cake Stout, was inspired by the Alamo Drafthouse staff’s collective sweet tooth. According to Independence’s head brewer, Brannon Radicke, the beer’s driving flavor is layers of chocolate and cocoa with hints of toasted coconut in the aroma and taste. The malt bill and addition of lactose gave the brew a touch of sugariness, which balanced out the mild bitterness of cocoa and hops. End Credits has an ABV of 6.5% and a medium body that isn’t too heavy. Radicke describes it as “more cakelike than syrupy.” A fitting description for a beer emulating a decadent dessert.
“We deconstructed the traditional German chocolate cake and brewed this chocolate-y, coconut-y cake stout,” he continued. “The base style is an oatmeal milk stout layered with velvety chocolate notes and accentuated by cocoa nibs from Ghana and Ecuador. We also used a Dutch-processed cocoa powder and a blend of chocolate malts to get the exact flavor profile we wanted.”
John Gross and others from the Alamo Drafthouse crew joined Radicke and his team at the Independence brewery in South Austin to help brew the beer. Together, they hand-toasted 300 pounds of raw coconut on a flat top griddle. It took five days, five hours each day.
“The delicious German chocolate and the subtle coconut somehow just taste even better when the lights are down in the movie theater,” said Gross. The beer was designed to pair perfectly with popcorn.
The 2018 release of End Credits is special for another reason—it will be the first-ever Independence brew to be sold in Denver, making this recipe the company’s official debut in The Centennial State. Colorado is now the third state that Independence Brewing Co. beer is sold, rounding out an already incredibly successful year for the brewery.
“Alamo Drafthouse is proud to treat our guests to a special, rich beer as a reward for making it through a gonzo year,” said Gross. “We drank plenty of standout beers while watching stellar movies in 2018 and are pleased to wind down with a chocolatey doozy as the proverbial credits roll on another calendar year.”
Independence’s End Credits German Chocolate Cake Stout is now available on draft at all 20 Alamo Drafthouse locations in Texas and at both Drafthouse locations in Denver. The seasonal brew is also available at select restaurants and bars in both states.
About Independence Brewing
Independence Brewing Co. is a local craft beer brewery and taproom located in Southeast Austin, Texas. Founded by Amy & Rob Cartwright in 2004, Independence Brewing Co. has grown from a small mom, pop, and dog operation to a team of 40 people producing more than 17 thousand barrels a year with distribution throughout Texas and Arkansas. Independence Brewing Co. is now one of the largest and most beloved breweries in Central Texas.
Independence’s core lineup includes Austin Amber, Liberty Lunch IPA, Redbud Berliner Weisse, Power & Light Pale Ale, and the brand’s top-selling beer, Stash IPA. These beers and several seasonal/limited releases can be enjoyed in a laid-back, industrial-style tasting room with views of the beer-making process set to live music from local musicians. Birds Barbershop offers beers exclusively from Independence Brewing Co. in all nine of their locations across Texas.
The business is a proud and active member of the communities of Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and El Paso. The brewery and its taproom are open to the public for tours in Austin, Texas.
About Alamo Drafthouse
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema was founded in 1997 as a single-screen mom and pop repertory theater in Austin, TX. Twenty-one years later, with 36 locations and counting, Alamo Drafthouse has been called “the best theater in America” by Entertainment Weekly and “the best theater in the world” by Wired. Alamo Drafthouse has built a reputation as a movie lover’s oasis not only by combining food and drink service with the movie-going experience, but also introducing unique programming and high-profile, star-studded special events. Alamo Drafthouse created Fantastic Fest, a world renowned film festival dubbed “The Geek Telluride” by Variety. Fantastic Fest showcases eight days of genre cinema from independents, international filmmakers and major Hollywood studios. Alamo Drafthouse’s collectible art gallery, Mondo, offers breathtaking, original products featuring designs from world-famous artists based on licenses for popular TV and Movie properties including Star Wars, Star Trek & Universal Monsters. Alamo Drafthouse continues to expand its brand in new and exciting ways, including Birth.Movies.Death., an entertainment content platform for movie lovers, and the American Genre Film Archive, a non-profit film archive dedicated to preserving, restoring and sharing film.